Tuesday, January 31, 2023

21 Degrees

 Cold again this morning.  I let faucets drip last night, so the pipes wouldn't freeze.   But even at 6:00 it's still very cold out.  I don't mind it much except for the electric bill to come.

My project yesterday was a brief one.  I cleaned behind the cat stands near the window box I have for the cats to access cat runs to the cat yard.  It's kind of falling apart a little, after 16 years.   I made it so long ago with windows from the Habitat Restore in Corvallis.  They were selling windows for $5 each.  I had no clue really how to seal or install them, but the fact its held together so long, framed in old 2x4's and wood I was given from a free pile at a construction site means its been ok.  It's difficult to clean though, leaning into it from the open house window.

I rearranged cat furniture so the heat vent there was better exposed, which stirred up the cats considerably.  I tacked sailcloth across their entry exit, into and out of the window box from the house, because there are some vent holes in the top of the window box.  Otherwise it clouds up from cat breath, since they sleep in it.  That lets cold air in the house however, if its really really cold.

The cleaning never ends here, as you might imagine.  Neither do the rearranging and reimagining.

I'm going to make a cat ladder for them to safely navigate in and out of the two levels.  Another day though.  The old cats especially are prone to falls.

Delilah was fixed yesterday and this morning am hand feeding her cat treats.  She's so sweet.  The colony caretakers' daughter is taking both kittens Friday or Saturday.   I don't know if they've ever worked at taming wild kittens before.  Guess they'll learn.   To really tame, they need exposed to lots of people.  That is something they will never get here.



I drove up to get the five cats at the clinic, then on up to Brooks to return the two boys, Wizard and Gimly.  After that, from Brooks, I travelled the freeway south, back down to highway 34, then east and south, all the way to Sweet Home, to return the two girls.   3 1/2 hours altogether I drove, to pick up and then return four cats.    However, especially for getting two Sweet Home girls fixed, one of whom was in heat, it was worth it.

On the way home I returned the multiple calls I'd received from the three cat colony man, who feeds maybe 80 cats 70 of whom I've gotten fixed now.  It was all about a five month old girl kitten at an apartment complex who might be homeless and he might take her, he said.  I said what would you do with her and he said put her in a colony and I went nuts.  I finally texted him don't you do that.   Its mean and cruel and illegal.  Besides,  I texted, she'd have kittens if she survived it, then I'd have to clean up that.  Who in the world would think dumping a tame kitten out at a feral colony where she doesn't know where she is or what to do or any of the cats is a solution.  

He isn't into fixing cats or rehoming them since long ago, he adopted out kittens from his colonies, into homes and later found out none of them survived, either died or vanished.  I get his point.  People are not good to animals around here, leave them, abandon them, toss them out, ignore them, abuse them, don't fix them.   And sometimes cats who have cat friends/family actually do have far better lives than with humans.  But taking a tame unfixed kitten out to dump at a colony, to which she is not related, where she has no clue what has just happened to her or where she is or where to find shelter or food, that's just absolutely cruel.

I got more appointments at the clinic, for March.  10 spots in all.  I was thrilled.




10 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, that's terrible. Why would he think taking a tame kitten to a colony would be a solution? It's like people who leave their pets out and assume they'll figure it out? How? Some people just don't think.

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    1. Um, your guess is as good as mine.

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  2. I really, really hope that he listens to you and that kitten is not dumped. I hope it so much.

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    Replies
    1. I don't think he has ever listened to me.

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  3. It was fun to watch Delilah play since it's been a long time at this house since we've had kittens.

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  4. The stupidity of people can always be relied on.

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  5. I kept reading this again and again, stunned by cruel and ignorant humans while uplifted by your resilient efforts. ~hugs~ The former is mindboggling.

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    Replies
    1. You are right, its mindboggling.

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Round Up

Today is cat round up for tomorrow's five spots.  Two more came up from the vet student in Harrisburg late this morning.  Over 60 fixed ...