Panic

 Can't sleep.  Keep having panic attacks.

This afternoon I find an email from someone I don't know in my spam folder and reply to her, to send me her phone number, in case its a scam.

It wasn't a scam.  The emailer was at the rest area river site and saw three kittens in dire circumstance, living in the brush between the rest area parking lot and the river recreation parking lot.  She'd called the police or someone and somehow was given my number.  I guess I'm now animal control or something.  The rest area is not even in this county where I live but in the next one up.   Marion County.  So how did my info get handed out and by who?  I don't know, hardly matters.

She said she'd take the kittens if I caught them and got them fixed, which is not an ordinary offer and I was all over that.  Why not help kittens that could have a place to go immediately.

I called an ODOT employee I know who loves animals and we went up.  I did not realize it had become such a destination for river play and a pickup place for people floating the Santiam from Jefferson.  The rest area was packed, to say the least.  We finally found the spot where the kittens were hanging out.  A carrier had been left by someone, maybe by the dumper, don't know.

I went over to where the carrier was and immediately my foot began to hurt like hell.   I started hopping around it hurt so bad, and some people nearby helped me rip off my sandal because there was a wasp caught between two of my toes stinging me over and over.  Great start.

The kittens were right there, coming out of the brush---hungry!   Marilyn and I set a trap and caught one of the kittens immediately, then another, and another.  There were originally four but a guy car camping there said some homeless folk carried one of them off into the woods a few days back and then later claimed it ran off.    Marilyn went looking for that kitten but only found homeless camps and no kitten.

They're super tame, poor little things, scarey to live in the woods, be fed only if noticed.

I get home with the three kittens in the car and I decide to google the name of the woman who will take them.    I found some shocking stories from back east and her being arrested there on multiple counts of animal neglect abuse.  I asked her directly then if this was her and she admitted it was her.  I told her I couldn't give her the kittens and she said she understood. She said the case was still pending, hadn't gone to trial. She was embarrassed and seemed kind.  After all, it was me who told her I couldn't go trap them unless she could take them. She just wanted them helped, not to necessarily take them.  I wished her a better future.   People are not their pasts necessarily.  Shock had taken over me.  Also now, worry, over what to do with these sweet kittens.

I realize I can do nothing about it tonight and tomorrow they are getting fixed and they badly needed rescue no matter how nervous I am now about finding them an adoption group who can take them on or some poor friend of mine, one who hasn't blocked me yet, to adopt them.  Somewhere I will find them someplace.  Somehow.

One of them in a trap

Tomorrow they'll be fixed.  Alpine agreed to do them.   Wish them and me luck.