Starving Cats Helped

Last Thursday night, late, when returning cats to a trailer park, fixed that day at the FCCO, as I left, I saw a horrific sight.  Cats, so starved, they were frantically trying to tear into garbage bags on a porch.  The little black long hair turned to meet my eyes.  I immediately poured out several pounds of food, piled wet food atop it, and watched them gulp it.

I could not get the image from my mind.

I had 3 reservations today at Heartland.  They were meant for one of Sophie's kittens, Indy, and two Waterloo cats.

The Waterloo cat I got was from a camper.  They have no real home, but live in a tent in various campgrounds.   The camp host found them, and gave them my number.  So off went Polly today to be fixed.

But I couldn't get the image of the six cats, 3 blacks and 3 orange ones, so starved, from my mind.  So last night, just after dark, I drove clear to Sweet Home, to help them.

Along the way, I saw another horror, a buck.  He'd been hit by a car, but was not dead, sitting upright along the curb.   I tried to clear my mind of it, but then pulled over and called the police.  I knew what his fate would be, but better that than suffering, hit again and again.

In Sweet Home, the dumpster at the trailer park was alive in cats, trying to find food.

I set traps and watched them snap, one after another.  I caught all three orange ones first, two of them just kittens.

I saw familiar faces there, cats I'd gotten fixed last June.  But I was after six specific cats. I'd already talked to many tenants and determined none were owned.  I believe some were owned by the professional beggar tenants who suddenly left, leaving a legacy of cockroaches behind, that have even infested neighboring trailers.  And they left cats.  I know of the black ones because I tried to get them fixed last June but they claimed they were fixed and not to touch them.

The two big boys even tried to crawl into my car, looking for food.  I had no traps left for the last adult black male, so put food in a carrier, stood behind it, then reached over the top and slammed the door on him.  

The little black long hair who tore my heart away was the last to go into a trap.  I'm glad I caught her.  She was so frail and skinny and the only girl of the six.

I had begun texting Heartland, hoping to increase my reservation number.  They agreed to do all 8---the six from the trailer park, the Waterloo campers' girl and little Indy, one of Shiloh's kittens.

I couldn't believe it.  I was so happy.  I didn't want to have to hold these six, but the best way I know to stop worrying over something terrible is to do something about it.

All were fixed today.  All tested negative.  All were vaccinated, flea treated and wormed, too.  And, after I picked up the seven, because Indy's foster lady picked him up, I met the campers at the freeway to hand over their now fixed beauty, Polly, then headed south, straight to Roseburg, with the six.  Feral Cat Awareness Team took them in, you see.  I took them all the donations I had rounded up from some wonderful people and 3 bags of cat food too.  It's not right to ask someone to take on that many cats without helping.

I just got back not that long ago and I'm feeling good about the last 24 hours.

Black long hair skinny female, now fixed and in a new world.

The girl, and the two little orange boys.

One of the two adult black males.

He had bad ear mites.

The other big black boy.  They like each other, and may be brothers.

The girl again

The fluffy cute as a button orange kitten

His brother has shorter hair, but is really cute too.

This older orange guy is quite wild.  But he'll be ok.  

And this is Polly.  The camp host found the campers had cats in their tent and connected them.  Now Polly is fixed.  That's a good thing.