Earl's herd
This has been a very busy week. Trying to put a hoarder out of business and taking kitten and rescue phone calls is time consuming. Sleeping is hardly a break, because I can't control the kitten nightmares.
Earl is the biggest project right now. There must be 40 cats on his property. He takes care of them as best he can (these were dumped cats, not ones he chose), and gets them fixed at C-SNIP when he has the money for it. Unfortunately, by the time a mother cat gives birth, it is no longer saving money for HER surgery fee, but now her 5 kittens as well. And THOSE kittens will start giving birth only 6 months later. And that's how a situation gets out of control.......
The tame cats are living in his metal shop, breathing terrible air and wearing layers of soot, which gets into their bodies every day as they groom themselves. They have breathing problems and skin irritation. Earl keeps them there because the unfixed wild cats fight with them, so he needs to protect them.
Last night, without even moving from where I stood, I counted 16 outdoor cats. He has 3 litters of kittens that he is aware of. Every year he takes litters of kittens to the humane society--and we all know what happens then!! So what are we going to do about this? For starters, we will be trapping and fixing all of his outdoor cats IMMEDIATELY. Hopefully before the end of next week they will all be done. We are going to move the shop cats into a trailer currently being used for storage, and get them used to the "great outdoors". We're giving him medicine to heal the upper respiratory infections and skin problems the cats have. And we'll find a home for the kittens, who we have affectionately dubbed "the soot babies". Today is bath day for them......................and the other shop cats don't know it, but their turn will come. Aunt Amy and Aunt Tiffany will be giving them their first baths, and will likely make enemies in the process!
All in all, this is easily an $800 project, and this is just for 1 man's cats!!!! But it makes a difference for the lives of 30+ cats, so that's a great feeling.
Earl is the biggest project right now. There must be 40 cats on his property. He takes care of them as best he can (these were dumped cats, not ones he chose), and gets them fixed at C-SNIP when he has the money for it. Unfortunately, by the time a mother cat gives birth, it is no longer saving money for HER surgery fee, but now her 5 kittens as well. And THOSE kittens will start giving birth only 6 months later. And that's how a situation gets out of control.......
The tame cats are living in his metal shop, breathing terrible air and wearing layers of soot, which gets into their bodies every day as they groom themselves. They have breathing problems and skin irritation. Earl keeps them there because the unfixed wild cats fight with them, so he needs to protect them.
Last night, without even moving from where I stood, I counted 16 outdoor cats. He has 3 litters of kittens that he is aware of. Every year he takes litters of kittens to the humane society--and we all know what happens then!! So what are we going to do about this? For starters, we will be trapping and fixing all of his outdoor cats IMMEDIATELY. Hopefully before the end of next week they will all be done. We are going to move the shop cats into a trailer currently being used for storage, and get them used to the "great outdoors". We're giving him medicine to heal the upper respiratory infections and skin problems the cats have. And we'll find a home for the kittens, who we have affectionately dubbed "the soot babies". Today is bath day for them......................and the other shop cats don't know it, but their turn will come. Aunt Amy and Aunt Tiffany will be giving them their first baths, and will likely make enemies in the process!
All in all, this is easily an $800 project, and this is just for 1 man's cats!!!! But it makes a difference for the lives of 30+ cats, so that's a great feeling.
posted by Amy at
3:36 AM
