Glorious!

I somehow made it to Portland with 20 Linn County cats.

Even though....I was a wee bit tired out.  I'd had to keep 14 of them, most teens and kittens, in my bathroom, due to the heat.

They all had to be in individual traps so I had to borrow some traps.  Except the four going to a Portland rescue.  They included the three young kittens I'd trapped and a relinquished tame teen male.  The kittens were taken in by Animal Rescue and Care Fund, two boys and a girl, all now on antibiotics due to congestion and colds.

Due to space limitations and big traps, I had to remove the passenger side front seat from my car to get them all in.  Once the traps were all loaded up, the big carrier contained the four relinquished kittens, ended up right beside me, facing forward.  Those little feral kittens were wide eyed and fascinated watching out the windshield as we traveled.  When we finally hit Portland its fantastic and beautiful skyline appeared below us, Mt. Hood in the distance, I said "Welcome to the big city, kids."

Only a day and a half before they were struggling to survive.  Now they've hit the big city and will likely end up in great homes.  It's a little mind blowing.

ARCF was there waiting to take them!  THANK YOU ARCF!

By the time I registered the remaining 16 cats, 15 from the big city of Waterloo and one from a Sweet Home trailer park, I was ready to nap.  More than ready.  And the temperature outside was rising.

A friend had invited me to her place, said I could sleep in their guest room, with AC, nice bed, cold water, the works.  I took her up on it, and slept probably 3 hours there.  It was so lovely and a lifesaver.  Beautiful house with a beautiful view.  I felt like a queen in that delightful bed with all those soft pillows.

Well on to the cat photos.  I just returned them all this morning.  It was awkward last night.  I'd just arrived home, all worn out, wanted to unload and feed the cats, but car after car of people showed up to look at the house next door.  Some were not quiet or kind in words about "the neighbor" (that's me).   I don't know why women who help cats are so made fun of, talked about, and put down.   Nobody else who volunteers their butts off so many hours, helps so many people and animals get this sort of treatment.  But its so common, if you are female and help cats.  Made me sick to my stomach.

Jack would be turning in his grave if he heard it, since he had loved cats too and even kept his kitchen window wide open so any and all could come and go.   He called me Jesus Christ to the cats, about the kindest thing any neighbor here ever said to me.  If some asshole cat hater buys that house, I bet he haunts them.   I hope he does.

So I figured, although I'm still exhausted, I better get the cats returned, all the dirty cage covers and laundry done, all the traps and carriers cleaned before the endless stream of people start in looking at Jack's house.

It's very nerve wracking to me, because all want to judge the neighbors, as they should, to see if they'll fit in, get along, but its hard to hear some of them and their words and I have great hearing.

If were a male celebrity, of any age or appearance, nasty or not, sport star or whatever, or a female celebrity but only a cute younger one with killer body, people would gather to help, take photos, ooo and aww over how wonderful it is they are helping the poor cats, donate to the cause, but not if you're just a little poor nobody and a woman and old.  My gawd, the horror.  Such a twisted shallow value system we have.

The Waterloo crowd was 7 female and 8 males.

Here are the girls:

Lovely, that's her name.  Lactating black short hair female.  Tame, and they want to rehome her once her kittens are found.

Also lactating, brown tabby female fixed yesterday.

Medium hair brown tabby female fixed yesterday, and mother of those three kittens who went to the Portland rescue.

Very prolific and also lactating small older black tux female Cocoa.  She's tame and I think they want to find her a home too once her kittens are caught (they're under the house and probably five weeks old now.)

Annie, tame tabby female kitten

Tame medium hair tabby female kitten.

The bobtail black teen was a girl too, like the one I caught and took the last time.

Now for the boys....two were  big boys, the rest underage.

Googly Eyes, a wildish teen tabby with white paws, but there's another, not yet caught, who looks similar, only more white.

Teen black long tail male.

Adult black tux male, also tame and they also hope to find him a home.

Adult brown tabby male, the 2nd adult brn tabby male now fixed.

Tame brown tabby male teen

Very tame black tux teen male

The above and below wildish tabby kittens were both boys, too.

And lastly the Sweet Home girl, born to a feral mom, but now very loved.

Not bad, eh?  20 cats helped, four in rescue to be up for adoption, up in Portland.

I'm pretty happy about it all, especially now that its over, that is.  Almost.  More cleaning and more sleeping to catch up.