Pineapple Express Weekend

 I like the term Pineapple Express better than Atmospheric River.

We could get 2 inches of rain, which I know sounds like a pittance compaired to rain events elsewhere.

Been trying to finish out projects.   I got the latest old pallet into the cat yard and set up with a shelf.  They like it.   I will add shelf jumps, but haven't yet.  It's easy to do with a pallet, just stick boards through it, and attach.  Makes an easy jump climb top to bottom on both sides.   I just have to come up with some boards first.

There used to be an old couch frame, painted, there, for a climb but it rotted a fell apart after years.

I got the blinds down from the front windows too.   They have been a pain and won't roll up anymore and blow up onto the roof in wind, which we are also to get, along with the rain.

I threw out the most damaged set and rolled up the other set because I know it will make a nice mat out in the cat yard.

I trimmed some of the side yard shrubs down too, for the winter.  And the raspberry canes too.

I got a lot of raspberries off those, all summer long.

Still getting tons of apples.  20 lbs of good ones I took off the tree today.   I made an apple crisp and am now drying thin slices in the oven on low.  My neighbor gave me a hand crank vegetable slicer, said she accidentally got two.  The only issue with it is the suction on the bottom doesn't really work, to hold it in place when turning the crank.  It comes with about five different blade sets and one was perfect for thin slicing apples.

The birds are after the apples big time now.  They don't start taking chunks from one and finish it. It's like they taste test many.

The Coopers Hawk tries to get the birds when they go into the apple tree.   

The hawk can't get at them in the forsythia or the butterfly bush.

Tugs is looking so old.  She has that big eyed super old look now but still is eating, drinking and cuddles with the other cats.

I'm headed to Cascadia Sunday mid day to pick up four cats at one of the homeless camps up there.  I've been there before.  Once again, the man isn't responding but I am assuming its his phone again, either out of minutes or not working.   The cell reception up there is pretty darn sketchy too.

Well here's to the Pineapple Express.

Forgetmenot

 Forgetmenot, the black kitty I forgot to take to the FCCO with the 13 others from her colony, is a little girl, and was fixed yesterday.

During the day, while she was over in Corvallis at the clinic, I took down and cleaned the big cage she'd resided in, and the table it sat on, and put them away.  

Space is restored in the garage.   I still haven't cleaned all the traps and just this morning finally got all those dirty trap covers washed.

I got cranky yesterday evening.   I wasn't happy to get a text, not a call, from the Lebanon woman wanting me to feed all the cats she feeds, in like six places, for a week while she has hip replacement.   Not bothering to even call, just a text, did not set well with me.

Hip replacement is a lot different now.   People are up and walking same day and supposed to be walking around in two days using a cane or walker.  She just isn't allowed to drive for a week.

The other thing, she hasn't gotten any of these cats fixed.   She's cancelled free appointments twice in the last months because it takes effort (mainly patience) to catch cats and she is not into that.   Now she wants me to dedicate two hours of every day to driving over and beyond Lebanon.    She has lots of family around who could do this.

I got so tired yesterday and finally forgave myself for it since it had only been a couple days since that grueling trip to Portland with the 13 cats, then the aftermath, returning them, cleaning, all that.   Seems like long ago already.

Doing the trapping, the holding of the cats then also the transport to far away clinics has never been something I enjoy.  It's too much.  At one time, when younger, I would drive cats all the way down to Coos Bay, to be fixed at the Snipped clinic, but only now and then.  I'd have to leave no later than 4:00 a.m.  Then trap down there during the day, on assignment from that clinic.   Such efforts required a week of recovery.   At least I was younger then, which helped.

It's too bad there's nothing local affordable, high volume.   I can get some done at the private clinic in Corvallis but not many, due to the cost and some of these folk feed dozens of unfixed cats.

Our one local nonprofit shelter is fancy and big but useless too, as far as spay neuter assistance and charge a small fortune to take in even one stray litter.  

Anyhow, preparing for a lot of rain starting Friday.  Another atmospheric river thing.  We get a lot of those lately.   I do have spots Monday for tame cats from a Cascadia homeless camp.  Heavy rains probably won't be an issue in getting them, since they are tame.  They were scheduled last month but I could not get ahold of the man with the cats and had to cancel, not knowing if he'd be there or what. It's a long drive up there.  Turns out his phone had died.  So this coming Sunday is pick up.  I hope its easy enough, just taking carriers for them, not live traps.   Just four and they are fully sponsored by a Salem lady!

Winter is my loneliest time of year.  Hard to find things to do, other than cat catching, and even harder to find people to interact with.  I have a tough enough time with that summers.   I'm trying to come up with an affordable indoor hobby of some sort.  

I found an interesting article about lightning storms and safety in backpacker magazine.   The only two places, it says, you are safe from lightning, are in a real building with electric and plumbing (to act as a Faraday cage) and, for same reason, in a metal topped car, as long as you don't touch metal and roll up the windows.     Don't sit under the tallest tree either, and think you are protected because lightning may strike that tall tree, travel down it to the ground and if you are touching the ground, you get toasted.  Most lightning strikes are not direct hits on people, but from the electricity grounding and you being too close to the strike and touching the ground.

Here is the article.

Over and Done

 I went off to Portland yesterday with 13 Lebanon cats.

I thought I had 14 Lebanon cats in the car.  Ha!  I accidentally forgot to load one of the black adults in my rush, in the dark, so early.

I was shocked when FCCO told me I only had 13.   I quickly checked to see who I'd forgotten.

Ah well. Thankful that Radpets in Corvallis agreed to get Forgetmenot, the black one, done Monday.

I didn't sleep well night before, and after leaving the cats at the clinic, I headed straight to the rest area.  I ate some crackers and fruit I'd brought along, then crawled into the back and slept several hours.  I had only brought one thin blanket and my pillow but slept despite the lack of padding on the board in back.

I woke up about 2:00 in the afternoon and picked up the cats at the clinic at 4:00.  I was worried by then that the other black one I'd taken in to the clinic already had an ear tip.    I was sure I'd be last to get the cats back, so they could give me a lecture on wasting their time, by forgetting one cat and bringing one that was already fixed.  Instead they were quite kind and Leah the tech said, if that had happened, (bringing an already ear tipped cat) it would just be human.   

I only thought one was eartipped after reviewing photos of the cats in traps I  had taken before bringing them, while I was at the rest area, and thought I saw one with an eartip.  I was told however none of them were already fixed.  Whew! 

I headed to Lebanon, not home, and delivered back the 7 he could recover in his place.  Once home, I gave Forgetmenot, whom I'd forgotten to take, food and water and put him in a clean trap.  Today he or she will transfer into a large cage to hold til Monday.

 I put the three kittens in my bathroom for the night, as it was easier and I was tired.  They're going home today.  They're too young for a barn home and too old to tame.

This morning, I took all six back, as he didn't want to rehome the adults.   He said he thinks everyone is fixed now and if not, he has a trap and will get it done.  I was so happy to hear this.   I can rest easy today.

Here are the six fixed yesterday that I am recuperating here.

A girl

Another girl

A big male

A female kitten

Another female kitten

And a boy

The 7th outside one I trapped, Forgetmenot, is all black and skinny.  Not a great photo.

The inside ones, from his place, were mostly some very large boys....

Besides the huge boys, there was this female and a couple of smaller tabbies

Two tabbies about this age.

Anyhow, all 7 of those went back to him last night.  One daughter was there to help take them inside, where he would recuperate them.   I don't know who is left needing fixed outside but he doesn't have more appointments, so I am happy to be taking a break from it there.

The tally there at his place is now at 59 cats helped.

Back to the Lebanon Big One

I saw mostly fixed cats when trying to trap yesterday morning.    I was pleased to see how well the fixed ones are doing.

Fixed black tux showing off that right ear tip.

 I caught 7 more outside unfixed cats, kittens at the big Lebanon colony yesterday and today.  I've barely had time to get the chores done here.  

2 gray kittens, 2 gray young adults, 1 Siamese kitten, 2 black adults.

The black adults I caught in a marathon car sit this morning.  I set up the drop trap and waited out two very long chow hound cats, allegedly both fixed boys, binge eating events.  I can't believe how much the two boys involved can eat.  It's unbelievable really.   

The two chow hounds, on video, eating themselves sick, while fixed gray boy Moonshine tries to wait them out so he can eat too.

I had to wait out those boys for over an hour.  Then various already fixed cats showed up and finally along came an unfixed black one and I yanked the cord from inside my car, dropping the trap over the cat and with some difficulty, got her transferred out of it into a live trap.   Another hour and half went by before a second unfixed black, skinny and furtive, showed up and I caught that one and finally went home.

Trapping cats requires extreme patience and persistence.  

In this next video, there is a fixed tabby eating under the drop trap, while the skinny unfixed black is outside it.  I'd finally already caught one unfixed black adult but even with binoculars I had trouble determining if this skinny black one had an ear tip or not.  I finally got a good look and determined the right ear was jagged from an injury, not tipped and yanked the cord dropping the drop over him or her.  

He has 15 spots and told me there were nine more unfixed ones contained inside, but that turned out to be just seven.  I'm only one short since I caught a 7th outside.  7 he'd contained inside.  7 from outside.

Anyhow, his daughters got the 7 contained from inside of the house this evening.   Thank goodness for their help.   He refused to get one girl into a trap, claiming she's too aggressive, not wanting his daughters hurt trying to catch her, and said that he will get her fixed.  Then there's an unfixed boy with a heart murmur.   So those two remain unfixed in his place.  The rest, at last, will be fixed.

14 in all will go with me to Portland to be fixed tomorrow.

I don't know how many more outside are unfixed.    By tomorrow evening, I will have taken 48 of his cats to be fixed and gotten 11 unfixed kittens into various rescue situations.  That is 59 cats helped.  At one location.

16 of the outside cats, 11 kittens and 5 fixed adults, now placed too, which makes a big difference.

I'm proud of my effort.

Game Cam Fun

 I put the game cam up at the trailer park deck night before last since no one there had seen the mom and final teen needing caught.  I had no luck setting traps or coordinating to stop feeding with the person feeding.

In the end I had to call a halt to trapping since I need all my traps to return to the big Lebanon colony.  That man has 15 more FCCO spots Friday.   He has the spots and the cats but its me who does all the work and bears the expense.

Boohoo, ha.  Complain complain.  Fortunately donations help from others, to pay the gas, all the bait, and it was a lot of wet cat food I used tonight, etc expenses.  

Anyhow, I looked at the game cam card this morning, after returning the black long hair girl I caught there--Stranger, who was spayed yesterday.  

It was busy on the deck last night.  Four different cats--the mom, the unfixed teen, and the fixed boy teen were all on cam along with a huge black tux male, who really really enjoyed the catnip I spread night before.

Mister Big

Rolling in the nip

Covered in nip and too high to function

Mommy Dearest makes many appearances on camera all night long.

Here comes the unfixed torti teen

Fixed bro teen Scatter is enamored with the camera.

So I'll get back to that one at some point.  Just so little time, and I seem to be the youngest one in the trailer park, so can't really request help, even with carrying a trap.   Just kidding, only the youngest on that street end full of octagenarians.

Right now I'm back in Lebanon helping a man who thinks he's 80 but is actually my age exactly.

Already 45 cats helped there and he has the 15 spots tomorrow.  Caught five today outside. With the 9 semi ferals still unfixed inside the trailer should not be hard to get the 15 in all.  His daughters are coming to help round up the trailer bound ones tomorrow.  Thank goodness.   I have no clue how many more unfixed ones there are outside.   If I get the 15 for Friday, that will up the number helped at one place in Lebanon to 60 cats.   I'm sure he'd like me to find more placements for more of his cats, but hey I found placements already for 16, time for him to do some work at it, is my opinion.   Gawd almighty.   

I caught a possum there too and also ran off a really fat large skunk.   The usual stuff.

These are the two I caught up there this morning, both kittens.  The other three are all gray.

Off to bed.  

Wet and Dark Weekend

 The weekend weather was downright yucky.   

Rain and ick, gray and dark skies.   Time to stay inside and make soup.

Only I didn't make soup.

I slept a lot Saturday then went trapping at the trailer park where the two teens came from who were fixed last Monday.  This was basically out of sheer boredom and a need to get out of the house, even if to sit in a car.

I had by now figured out there's a big colony on the street behind the trailer park, fed in various spots and that the mom and kittens are spillover from that.

So I was not surprised when this morning I caught a long hair black, who is not one of the cats I'm after.  I contacted the lady on the street behind and sent her a photo.  This one is not ear tipped but she said looks just like the rest she has already trapped to be fixed---i.e. black, short or long hair.  I think she's caught ten or twelve or so.  HCC paid for one at least a year ago.

So I got him or her an appointment to be fixed Tuesday at Radpets.   Nice of them to work the cat in.

I was back over there this evening and tried again to catch the two I want to catch but only recaught the little now fixed black tux teen boy again.  Ok.  Let him out.  Came home.

Anyhow, that's about it besides a bunch of cleaning and laundry.  Catch up stuff.   

I may as well hibernate the winter through.  I could stuff myself with blueberries and blackberries before hand and just emerge now and then to look around, blurry eyed, and then go back into my cozy little den. Come out maybe mid June, I don't know.   I like that idea.  Could save a lot of money that way.  

Here's the cat, getting offered up gourmet tuna and Temptation cat treats while he awaits his fate, which is a neuter job and vaccines, along with flea treatment.

Very pretty cat, likely a boy with that nose, you think?   I don't know.  I'm not looking.  Not polite.  I'll be able to tell by smell tomorrow.  

Blueberry

 Blueberry died today.  She'd had diarrhea for a few weeks off and on, but it had become much worse.  I finally caught her last night, and got her into a large cage I'd set up for when I could get her.

It wasn't good.   She pooped on the blanket I had for her to sleep on in there, despite there also being a large litter box.

I got a vet appointment for her and took her in this morning.  Thankfully.

Vet said she had a thickened colon and likely had cancer since her temp was normal.   The other possibilities were untreatable, like diabetes and hyperthyroidism and ibs, her being a wild thing and hard to catch.

They did do a giardia snap test but I knew it would be negative.  It was.

So off she went to never never land, after a sedative that put her to sleep beforehand.

She was almost but not quite 16.   

She came from Lebanon, Milton street, among several teens I caught in a woodpile.   I got 11 in all fixed there and tried to find the four teens homes, once semi tame.  Heartland took on Blueberry and she was there months before she got a home.  Two months later however they returned her to Heartland and they contacted me to come get her or she would be euthanized.  I frantically raced over and found her trembling from fright in a carrier in their bathroom.    She was so relieved to be back here.

That was way back in 2012 I took her back.

She had a good life here.  I could only handle her if confined and tried to keep her mats shaved off.  She was toothless by now.  I'd taken her for two different dentals and she'd needed multiple extractions.  Kittens who grow up in impovrished nutrition wise environments often face early onset tooth issues, as she did.

I'm happy she is no longer suffering.  Chronic diarrhea is absolutely miserable.  At some point, intestinal tumors explode in growth causing terrible pain.

She loved this hanging basket until it finally fell apart.

She loved the tree hideout too, in the cat yard, before that tree had to be taken out, when it split.

She loved to watch birds from the window