What to Do ( and NOT Do) IF You Find a Newborn Kitten

I have met Valerie and have attended her work shops. I hope this article will give you some valuable information.

What to Do (and NOT Do) If You Find a Newborn Kitten

Posted on May 4, 2013 by OOTC Editor

During kitten season, it’s not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by his/her mother. (Photo by Ken Hanly)

by Valerie Sicignano, NYC Feral Cat Initiative
During high kitten season in the spring and summer, it’s not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by the mother. You want to help, right? Before jumping to the rescue, consider these recommendations.
First: Wait & Watch
You might have come across the kittens while their mother is off searching for food, or is in the process of moving them to a different location. Try to determine if the mother is coming back for them, or if they are truly orphaned.
To do this, stand far away from the kittens — 35 feet or more. If you stand too close, the mom will not approach her kittens. You might need to go away completely before the mother cat will return to attend to the kittens. It might be several hours before the mother cat returns — until she no longer senses the presence of humans hovering near her litter.
If you need to leave before the mother cat comes back, carefully evaluate whether the kittens are in immediate danger: Is it raining or snowing? Are dogs or wild animals that might harm the kittens running loose in the neighborhood? Does the neighborhood have kids or adults who are likely to harm the kittens? Are the kittens located in an area with heavy foot or car traffic?
To help with your decision, it is important to know that it might take several hours for the mother cat to return, and healthy kittens can survive this period without food as long as they are warm. Neonatal kittens are much more at risk of hypothermia than they are of starvation. During spring and summer months, waiting a longer time to see if mom will come back is much safer than during frigid winter months.
The mother cat offers her kittens’ best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you can. The best food for the kittens is their mother’s milk. Remove the kittens only if they are in immediate, grave danger.

The mother cat offers her newborn kittens their best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you safely can for her to return before removing them.

If the mother cat returns…
If mom returns and the area is relatively safe, leave the kittens alone with mom until they are weaned. You can offer a shelter and regular food to mom, but keep the food and shelter at a distance from each other. Mom will find the food but will not accept your shelter if the food is nearby, because she will not want to attract other cats to food located near her nest.
Six weeks is the optimal age to take the kittens from the mother for socialization and adoption placement, and any time after eight weeks for Trap-Neuter-Return (spay/neuter, vaccination, eartip, and return to their colony). Female cats can become pregnant with a new litter even while they are still nursing, so don’t forget to get the mother cat spayed or you will have more kittens soon! Learn how to socialize kittens and how to successfully trap a mom and her kittens.
If the mother cat does not return…
If you discover that mom has been hit by a car, or if for any reason it appears that she is not coming back, then you should remove the kittens. This is crucial to the kittens’ survival. But you must be prepared to see this project through to weaning if you decide to intervene!
If you take the kittens in, it is unlikely that you will find an organization with available staff or volunteers to take on bottle-feeding on short notice. Some organizations do have experienced bottle-feeders, but prior logistical planning is necessary. Animal shelters and veterinarians generally do not take in newborn kittens, since they do not have the staff to feed and stimulate them for elimination around-the-clock.
You can contact the NYC Feral Cat Initiative at kittens@NYCFeralCat.org or (212) 330-0033 x5 and we will attempt to find someone to bottle-feed the kittens, but this might take days or weeks, and we might not be successful in locating a feeder. If we do find someone to bottle-feed, you might still be responsible for taking the kittens back when they no longer require bottle-feeding. You also might be responsible for paying for veterinary visits, which might include emergency medical care, and will definitely include spay or neuter surgery, disease testing, and vaccinations. And finally, you might be responsible for adopting the kittens into permanent homes. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative can help you locate low-cost veterinary care, and might be able to help you find new homes for the kittens, but completing these tasks will be your responsibility.
Kitten Care & Bottle-Feeding
First Steps

1. Prepare for bottle-feeding and proper care before you take the kittens off the street.
2. If you feel you must take the kittens in, wrap the carrier or container you will transport them in in a towel for warmth, but make sure you leave air holes uncovered so the kittens won’t suffocate.
3. Check to see if the kittens are warm. This is more important than feeding. Never feed a cold kitten! If the kittens are cold, you will need to warm them up slowly. You can tell a kitten is cold if the pads of his feet and/or ears feel cool or cold. Put your finger in the kitten’s mouth. If it feels cold, then the kitten’s temperature is too low. This is life-threatening and must be dealt with immediately. Warm up the kitten slowly over 1–2 hours by wrapping him in a polar fleece towel, holding him close to your body, and continually rubbing him with your warm hands.
4. Determine the age of the kittens by comparing them to the photos and descriptions on the Kitten Progression: Week-by-Week page on the Alley Cat Allies website, or the Boutique Kittens website (Note: we do not advocate buying kittens; these kitten development photos just happen to be particularly descriptive.).

Newborn kittens need to be fed and stimulated for elimination every three hours around-the-clock. (Photo by Valerie Sicignano)

Feeding & Elimination
Neonatal kittens (under four weeks of age) cannot eat solid food (not canned, not dry) and cannot urinate or defecate on their own, so you must bottle-feed them around-the-clock and stimulate their genitals after every feeding so they can eliminate. For example, if you have kittens less than one week old, they will need to be fed and stimulated every three hours. That means you will be caring for them eight times a day — for example, at midnight, 3:00 a.m, 6:00 a.m, etc. If the kittens are unusually small or sickly, they might need to be fed every two hours.
Skipping feedings or overfeeding can cause diarrhea, which results in dehydration, a condition that can be fatal for small kittens (not to mention a hassle for you to clean up after). Diarrhea requires a visit to the veterinarian.
As the kittens age, the number of feedings they need per day goes down. You can start weaning at four weeks of age.
Milk Replacement Formulas
Powdered kitten milk replacement formula is better for kittens than the canned liquid formula. We recommend that you use only powdered kitten milk replacement formula from the start — or as soon as possible — to prevent diarrhea. Two major brands of formula are available: PetAg KMR^® Powder and Farnam Pet Products Just Born^® Highly Digestible Milk Replacer for Kittens. Both brands are available in both canned and powdered formulas. We highly recommend the powdered type to prevent diarrhea. It can be purchased at pet food stores, veterinarians’ offices, or online. Revival Animal Health offers the lowest prices we know of.
Make sure that the powdered formula you are using is fresh by opening the pop-top and smelling it. It should smell slightly sweet, like powdered milk. If it has a sharp smell like bad cooking oil, cheese, or chemicals, it is rancid, and dangerous to give to the kittens. Do not use any type of formula past the expiration date.
Once opened, kitten milk replacement formula (canned or powdered) must be refrigerated promptly and stored in the refrigerator. You cannot keep opened kitten milk replacement formula out of the refrigerator for very long before it spoils. Think of it as fresh milk.
Tip: Using unflavored Pedialyte electrolyte solution instead of water when mixing the powdered formula for the first 24 hours of feeding helps prevents diarrhea and eases the transition from mom’s milk to commercial kitten milk replacement formula.
Bottle-Feeding Guidance for Beginners

• Visit the the NYC Feral Cat Initiative website for detailed information on bottle-feeding orphaned newborn kittens,
• E-mail us at kittens@NYCFeralCat.org and describe what instructions/information you need, or
• Call us at (212) 330-0033 x5 and leave a voicemail with your name, address, and a description of what instructions/information you need.

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About the Author
Valerie Sicignano is Community Relations Director for the New York City Feral Cat Initiative and has been working with feral cats in New York City since 1990. She holds a Certificate in Humane Education from the ASPCA, and her work with animals has been recognized by the Manhattan Pet Gazette’s “Animal Guardian Award” and In Defense of Animals’ “Companion Animal Guardian Award.”

What I Did On My Day Off

 

Well today was a rather pleasant day. Some of you folks out there may wonder what this crazy cat lady does on her days off. First of all, yes, I do have a day job. I work for a CPA, it is part time, then I trap cats part time and make handwoven jewelry to sell at a Renaissance Festival in upstate NY. Today I had the day off. After a yummy breakfast of eggs, onions, kale and feta cheese, I spent the morning typing out the blog post about dog fighting. I found myself feeling angry and sick when I imagined the cruelty visited upon those innocent animals. But I am happy to share the info in hopes that it will help stop those criminals. Then I vacuumed the couch, any one with more than one cat know what little fuzz generators those kitties are and will understand why vacuuming the coach is an almost daily chore. I baked some bread and cleaned up the kitchen. One loaf turned out well enough to take to church, but the other one didn’t turn out so well, so guess what I had for supper. Since I was being so domestic I decided to actually cook something for lunch. I made salmon patties, they turned out quite tasty. By then it had warmed up out side so BG and I did a little weeding in the garden. Then I went to town to get gas for the lawn mower and mowed most of the front yard. After a short nap I decided to work on a painting that has been in progress for quite some time. What does a crazy cat lady paint? You guessed it, Cats! In this case it is a painting of five kittens sleeping on a blanket. I will try and post a picture. Then as evening fell BG and I went off to the back acre and dug up a wheelbarrow full of cactus. I have about a third of an acre of cactus left to dig up. I have been working on it a little bit at a time. At dusk, all eight of my kitty family gathered around the back porch for brushing and play time. Rosie and Emerald both like the tennis balls. Rascal and Mia love to chase a peacock feather. All of them like to roll around in the fresh catnip I scatter about. Now it is almost time for a shower and bed. Thank you for reading my blog, Good Night! Zzzzz

PS To my church family; I hope I didn't scandalize you, if so please forgive me.









Nap Time

What I Recently Learned About Dog Fighting

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to attend an informative meeting put on by animal control officer Michael Suarez of Von Ormy, Texas. One of the many issues he discussed was how to recognize a dog fighting ring. Some of that information is what I would like to share with you today.

“Dog fighting, which is appropriately called a blood-sport, is the actual pitting of two dogs against each other in a pit or ring to fight for the entertainment of the spectators, some mere children. The dogs, usually pit bulls, literally bite and rip the flesh off one another while the onlookers cheer, scream and place bets on which dog will win the match. Much of the time there is alcohol involved or illicit drug use as well. After the fight, both dogs are critically wounded, often with massive bleeding, ruptured lungs, broken bones and other life threatening injuries. Generally, the loser of a match dies or is killed, unless he has any salvage value to his owner. When dogs are killed after a match, it is not done by a humane euthanasia methods, rather the animals are shot, beaten, or tortured, the local flavor is hanging the animal. The animals that survive generally never see a veterinarian; regardless of the gravity of injuries or the amount of suffering that the animals will have to endure due to the chance a veterinarian will report the injuries to the authorities.

While it takes an investigator to properly investigate a dog fighting operation, there are several warning signs that dog fighting may be occurring. Of course, only local law enforcement officials, animal control officers, and prosecuting attorneys may investigate criminal actions against any suspected dog fighters. However, a good Samaritan who sees evidence of dog fighting enterprises may contact local law enforcement agents who may then launch an investigation. Simply because the following signs are present does not indicate a person is involved in a dog fighting operation. Rather, these signs are based are based on data collected from years of dog fighting investigations and prosecutions. So even if you think IT is happening, it mat not be, so please do not try and take the law into your own hands.

Law enforcement agents may encounter suspicious activity as a result o f a citizen complaint, an unrelated investigation, a deliberate investigation or completely by chance. Field agents must be trained. to recognize the indicators of potential dog fighting activity. It is extremely common for agents to come across any or all of the following, often in plain view when there is presence of dog fighting: From an animal welfare standpoint, dog fighting is one of the most serious forms of animal abuse, not only for the heinous acts of violence that the dogs endure during and after the fights, but because they literally suffer their entire lives. Dogs that are born, bought or stolen for fighting are often neglected and abused from the start. Most spend their entire lives alone on chains or in cages and only know the attention of a human when they are being trained to fight and they only know the company of other animals in the context of being trained to kill them. Most dogs spend their entire lives without adequate food, water, or shelter. They are not perceived as sentient beings capable of suffering, rather they are commodities that exist for the sole purpose of making the owner money and prestige. The prevailing mindset among dog fighters is that the more the dog suffers, the tougher he will become, and the better fighter he will be. The fighting dogs are not the only victims of heinous cruelty. Many of the training methods involve torturing and killing of other innocent animals. Often pets are stolen or otherwise obtained to be used as live bait in training exercises to improve the dogs' endurance, strength, or fighting ability. If the bait animals are still alive after the training sessions, they are usually given to the dogs as a reward, and the dogs finish killing them.

(1) Dogs: Certainly not all pit bulls are fought, but officers should be watchful of signs that pit bulls on the premises are being trained or bred for fighting or have been fought. Multiple dogs are generally housed in one location. More sophisticated operations may look more like a kennel; in fact many that breed and fight dogs do so under the auspices of a kennel to deflect suspicion. Less sophisticated dog fighters, especially the urban street fighters generally have several dogs chained in back-yards, often behind privacy fences, or garages. Dogs that have been fought have fresh wounds or scars, in various stages of healing, on the head, chest and legs.

(2) People: A dog fighting data base should be maintained to track suspicious and known dog fighters. They will often lead you to other dog fighters and to multiple locations where dogs are kept and fought. Dog fighters move their dogs frequently, so it is important for law enforcement to pay close attention to whether a suspect has multiple residences, including out-of-state. Detailed records should be kept of the individuals that come and go from suspicious locations. Surveillance is especially important on nights and weekends, when large number of dog fighters may come together.

(3) Signs of Training or Fights: The presence of a pit is a sure sign of fighting, but agents should pay close attention to blood spattered on any surface. Many new fighting rings are portable and fold into an unsuspecting pile of boards in seconds. Dogs may be fought or trained in garages, barns, and vacant buildings, so spatters of blood on any interior walls or floors should be closely documented. Dogs are often trained outside, so agents should watch for blood spattered out side, especially near training equipment. When live animals are used as bait, there are generally remains of the animals on site. You should look for patches of fur, bones, or decomposed bodies.

Officers and citizens should be able to identify devices and implements such as: treadmills, catmills (jennys), springpoles (jumppoles), flirtpoles, chains/weights, and any implements used to hang or harness bait animals. Pry bars, bite sticks, or breaking sticks are used too pry the dog's jaws open when he has gripped onto another animal. Investigators should be trained to recognize these, as they would be quickly overlooked by the untrained eye. Often we carry these item in out truck as well because of catching feral animals.

(4) Signs of Transport: Large numbers of portable dog-kennels on site may indicate that the dogs are frequently transported to and from matches and between multiple locations. Adult pit bulls frequently appearing and disappearing from a certain location with no explanation may be involved in fighting.

(5) Vitamins, Drugs, Food supplements and Veterinary Implements: Most dog fighters do not take their animals to a veterinarian for treatment for fear of exposure; as a result, it is extremely common to encounter veterinary supplies and manuals during an investigation. Again, I have several drop shipments of common drugs to my home weekly, so it is not always as it seems.

(6) Physical Evidence of Bookmaking/Contest: Agents should watch for trophies recognizing match winners, or conferring the titles “Champion” or “Grand Champion.” Other physical evidence to look for include: ledger slips, match results, stat of an individual animal's performance in matches, photos of dogs or matches.

(7) Publications: Agents should be able to recognize pro-dog-fighting publications, such as,

• The Sporting Dog Journal
• Your Friend and Mine
• American Game Dog Times
• The Scratch Line
• Face Your Dogs
• The Pit Bull Chronicle
• The Pit Bull Reporter
• The American Warrior

The collective American conscience has long been repulsed by the undeniable brutality within the culture of dog fighting, but the law enforcement community has been regrettably lax in appreciating the full scope and gravity of the problem. Historically, the crime of dog fighting was considered an isolated animal welfare issue, and as such was ignored, denied, or disregarded by law enforcement. Within the last decade, however a growing body of legal and empirical evidence has emerged exposing the clandestine culture of dog fighting and its nexus with other crimes and community violence. Dog fighters are violent criminals that engage in a host of peripheral criminal activities. Many are heavily involved in organized crime, racketeering, drug distribution, or gangs, and they arrange and attend the fights as a forum for gambling and drug trafficking. Many communities have been morally, socially and culturally scarred by the menacing pestilence of dog fighting for generations. From a very early age, children in those communities are routinely exposed to the unfathomable violence that is inherent within the blood sport. Even seasoned law enforcement agents are consistently appalled by the atrocities that they encounter before, during, and after dog fights, yet the children that grow up exposed to it are conditioned to believe that the violence is normal. Those children are systematically desensitized to the suffering, and ultimately become criminalized.

I have culled several items from my school books and other publication for this information, it is by no means complete or a “holy grail” of dog fighting signs. Many items were left out for reasons my son and I thought were important for public safety. This is NOT a game, this is not a joke, thousands of dollars are exchanged at cock and dog fight, it may also have illegal drugs or weapons present. Observe, document, report, and let law enforcement do their job. No one wants to get that “call” in the middle of the night, be safe out there.”

by Michael Suarez email: hopefordogsanimalrescue@gmail.com

Michael is an animal control officer in Von Ormy, Texas and also the Executive Director of “Hope for Dogs.”

Here in the small town of Blanco at the local grocery store there is a community bulletin board. On it at certain times of the years there always seems be be a lot of lost pets posted. I have often wondered about that. Are these animals being stolen to be be used a bait animals, or are they unaltered animals that have answered natures call? I probably don't really want to know the answer to that question. Please spay, neuter, vaccinate and microchip your pets! And if you are involved in any way, in dog fighting I hope you rot in hell!

Abandoned and/or Homless Cats: What Can I Do? by Guest Blogger Eric Burkhart

The quickest way to alleviate the problem would be if everyone concerned would adopt a homeless cat. But this is not a reasonable suggestion. Some folks have family pets and cannot introduce a feral or unfamiliar animal into their homes, others travel too often for work, or are not physically or emotionally good candidates for adoption. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways for concerned people to make a difference. Donating money and/or time is very helpful. If you would like to donate money to one of the numerous registered animal rescue charities, it will be tax-deductible, just take care to ensure the organization is on the up-and-up. Many Animal Defense League locations welcome volunteers, as do other helpful groups. If you would like to donate your time, I can guarantee you a fulfilling experience. Groups need help transporting animals, setting traps, feeding colonies that are post-TNR, building shelters, and with many other activities.

Another way to help abandoned and homeless cats (and dogs) is to keep a bag of dry pet food in your trunk. I always have a bag of healthy dry cat food in the trunk, and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t find a cat or three or four behind some dumpster or convenience store, that have no regular access to food. They stay close to the dumpster because they can smell the food that the store disposes of on a daily basis. Many times the managers will not give the discarded food to the cats, because they consider the cats to be pests who will leave if not fed. But as long as they can smell the food, they will be nearby. It is heartbreaking to see the amount of food that is thrown away in front of hungry animals in this country. Keep in mind that if you see a cat with a tipped ear, that likely it has been “fixed”, and may be looking for a place to live out its life in peace, even if it means sleeping in a drainage ditch next to a Dollar General Store. Keep a bag of dry cat food in your trunk (whatever size you can afford), and every time you stop at a local neighborhood convenience or grocery store, take a close look: they’re there, waiting for night to arrive so they can go scavenging for food.

One very important way to help unwanted or abandoned cats is to talk about the problem with your friends and family. There is no need to aggravate people; it doesn’t need to come up at every meal right after Grace is said. But I’ve learned during my life that most people are decent, animal-loving folks. Something else I’ve learned is that the media and the State and Federal government will not address the issue, nor will they help (local authorities have been more involved, because the problem usually ends up with one of their departments). Many good people have no idea how bad the problem is, and others live under the misconception that cats in particular have no problem living on their own out in the wild. We need to remind people about the definition of “domesticated”. Abandoned cats starve, catch all sorts of illness, are threatened by predators, and suffer terribly outside of the care and attention from a loving person or family. Please do a bit when you can, to educate the people you know. Tell them about the “Trap-Neuter-Return” program (which should have an “M” at the end for “Maintenance”). If you know nice people who have an animal that is still “intact”, politely explain that our environment is unable to support the unwanted newborn animals as it is, and it would be in everyone’s best interest if their kitty were “snipped”.

Personally, I have hope that soon enough people will recognize the daily suffering that abandoned and homeless animals endure, mostly because of the behavior of people and influence the federal government to spend a bit of money creating a legitimate, coast-to-coast program, to control the population of unwanted domesticated animals. A useful program that acts as a clearing house for donations from people and companies, that coordinates volunteers, and that arranges seminars and other methods of educating people, wouldn’t cost the Federal government anything at all; probably less than they pay to fly home first-class after every session. Also, please come up with your own ways to help these poor animals. All we can do is look to each other. Separately we are weak, but together, we might just make something wonderful happen.

My First Cat Trapping Adventure

The Old Blanco Monastery 2007-2008.

Some of the lower colony cats

Way back in 1984 I was young and foolish, traveling around the country on my Yamaha 650 Maxim. I had left NY the end of October and had made my way down to Texas via Maryland and West Virginia. I had just finished working at the Texas Renaissance Festival, where I had worked for Elizabeth a red haired gypsy, portrait artist and Bill Potter a metal smith. I was working tracing leaves on copper with a fellow named Omar. One night he asked me if I was going to Fr. Sam's for dinner, I hadn't met Fr. Sam as yet, but Omar explained that this priest cooked spaghetti one night a week and anybody was welcome to come. Free food, you bet! That is how and when I met the monks of Christ of the Hills Monastery. Fr. William told me about the monastery and invited me out to visit. At that point in my travels all I needed was a map and I would be there. So after a brief time in Austin I made my way out to the Monastery, January of 1985 and that was the year it snowed, a lot! Traveling by motorcycle down to Texas to spend the winter sounded like a pretty good idea, back in the summer in NY. My first visit to central Texas and the Texas Hill Country was surreal, to say the least. You see, I'm a northern girl by birth, and though I had few pre-conceived ideas of this part of the country, I did expect an ever-present sun. And what was I greeted with when I turned my motorcycle west and headed out of Austin? Snow, lots of snow, I seem to remember more than a foot of snow, and of course it has to be cold to snow. Now just because I am from NY, and conditioned to cold weather, doesn't mean that I am a fan of flurries and accumulation. In fact, I am allergic to the cold, not allergic in that I don't like the cold, but actually allergic to it. Back in Buffalo, when I would go out into the cold my face would swell up, and every 4th of July I would jump into to pool at my Uncles, break out in hives and proceed to go into shock. Doctors seemed to enjoy putting an ice cube on my arm, to show medical students the effects of swelling and iching. This was a very good reason not to spend another winter in NY. I thought I would be safe in Texas. Boy, was I wrong. So my first sensation when arriving in Blanco was shock, literately. I soon learned, that, snow storm not with standing, Blanco is very much a typical small Texas town. Blanco pronounced Blank-O by the locals, was at that time a one traffic light town. (It was not long ago that we lost that status, now have two lights.) There is, of course, a Dairy Queen, a town square with a beautiful old courthouse. The Monastery was located about five miles outside of town on a hill from which you could see for miles.
I had planned a visit to the Monastery then was going to head down to South Padre Island. Thankfully the monks talked me out of it and allowed me to stay at the Monastery. The main complex was at the top of a hill where they had a trailer that was a kitchen with an addition of a dining area, they also had a trailer that served as a chapel, office and restroom. They where in the process of building a church. At first they let to stay in one of the guest rooms that were just down the hill. As time went on they allowed me to move into a hermitage that was located around the back side of the hill. This is where the cats come into the story. They had cats, lots of cats. They also had dogs, a few Chows and one Great Pyrenees (Anastasia). Every night Anastasia would walk me home, we would always be joined by a few cats. I remember one I called Gato Blanco. White of course, with pink ears that always looked sore and scaly. I am guessing a condition that came from inbreeding. Interestedly enough different cats would adopt certain people to walk home. Some of the cats were tame and some where feral. The story I was told is that they all started from one cat that had hitched a ride to the Monastery under the seat of a car, her name was Mouser. She was a pretty little orange tabby who had many litters of kittens before the monks finally got her fixed. That was the first time I had come across what I would now call a colony of cats.
Fast forward twenty-one years, I had gotten married (at the Monastery), moved to Western NY, had two kids, moved back to Texas, divorced. The monks had gotten themselves into trouble, and the Monastery was closed down. The cats were still there, except now there was two colonies of cats. A friend from the Blanco County Cat Coalition had taken on the feeding of the cats. But very few of them had been fixed. With the death of Fr. Sam I felt I was able to go back out to the Monastery (we had had a falling out years before) I had always wanted to get all the cats fixed but there never had been a way to do that. Now with the financial help of the Cat Coalition, using the few traps that they had and borrowing traps from the group in Fredricksburg. I was able to start trapping. I found a vet in Fredricksberg that was willing to give the Coalition a discount. I would trap four or five cats and haul them to Fredricksburg for surgery. Then go out trapping again sometimes catching cats that had all ready been done. The lower colony was fed between on porches between two trailer homes. One of which Fr. Sam had just died in several months before. The upper colony was being fed in an unfinished rock church in the cemetery at the top of the hill. I spent many a spooky evening hour trapping cats and contemplating death. I found it ironic that after the Monastery was closed down, only the cats remained. The matriarch of the group was a female we called the Abbess. Ironic in that Fr. Sam really didn't much like the cats nor did he like females much, preferring men, which eventuality led him into trouble. Now the Monastery was being run by a fuzzy little girl that ruled with an iron paw. One of the funniest things I saw there was when Big Daddy, the biggest cat I had ever seen, tried to sneak up to share the food bowl with the little Abbess. She bopped him a good one! Nobody eats with the Queen unless she has invited them! She had her “court” a few of the other females that were probably had been her kittens or litter mates. Then there was the littlest cat, he was the last one to be trapped, because he was the smallest and so was always the last to eat. I named him Tippy because the tip of his tail always seemed to be twitching. He lives with me now, I just couldn't bear to release him back out with all the big kitties. He is the oldest of my kitties, the first one of my “souvenir” kitties. He is a souvenir of my first cat trapping adventure.
He is semi-feral who allows me to pet him once in awhile. He has learned to enjoy the comforts of the wood stove, sneaking in through the kitty door after I go to bed at night.
After months of trapping I was finally able to “fix” all the cats. Yeah, no more suffering kittens. Finally after more than twenty years the cat situation at the old Blanco Monastery was under control. The End

Big Daddy and Friends

How Rosie and Rascal Came Into My Life

 



All Grown up

 I have already introduced Rascal in a previous blog post. Now I would like to tell the tale of how Rosie and Rascal came into my life. It was spring of 2011. One day sitting at the local Dairy Queen, as was my habit I would ask almost anyone I ran into if they knew anybody that needed help getting cats fixed. I was told that there was a lady up on Old Kendalia Rd. that had a lot of cats. So, I made it a point to drive out there and start looking for the house. The first place I went to was a stable and training arena for racing horses. I didn't see any cats around there, but I did see some beautiful horses. I was told that there were no cats here, but at the house next door there were a lot of cats. I proceeded to the next gate. It was a long driveway that kinda wound about up a slight hill. As I neared the house I saw cats scatter in all directions. I parked my car and said a prayer that my intentions would be well received. As I walked along the side of the house towards the door I saw further signs that someone was caring for a lot of cats, food and water bowls and off in the distance more cats heading for the hills. I knocked on the door and when Ms. B. answered I introduced myself. Saying that I worked with the Blanco County Cat Coalition and that I had heard that maybe she needed some help getting some of her cats fixed. One of the first things she asked was who had turned her in! I told her that I had just heard that maybe she needed a bit of help. It is funny the reaction some people have when they have a lot of cats. It is almost like admitting you have a drinking problem or some sort of perversion. The reality that I find is that most people that have a lot of cats only do so because they didn't know how to get the situation under control. This lady had such a situation. As she showed me around her place I was amazed at how many cats she had. She had porch cats, garage cats, hay barn cats, horse barn cat, greenhouse cats and yes even a few house cats. She fed them all! They were spread out all over the place. She showed me all the different places she fed them. I was truly amazed I had never seen so many cats. When we drove by one of the barns I saw kittens dashing away and hiding. Ms. B. agreed to allow me to start with getting ten cats fixed and that she would donate $350 to help cover the cost. I was happy to have been able to get a foot in the door and confident that after some trust was established that I would be able to continue with the project.

 

Unfortunately kitten season had already started. Now, in an ideal world, part of the definition of T-N-R is that tame cats and kittens young enough to be socialized are pulled out of the colony and are adopted. Also sick cats are either treated or euthanized. In this case Ms. B. had some pretty sick kitties. I don't like to euthanize unless the case is truly hopeless, but having to take into consideration that these cats are feral. So if and when the cat gets sick there will be no way to treat and/or humanely put out of misery. Then there is the question of releasing a sick cat that could spread disease to the other cats. I don't worry about that as much as my rational is that the cats have been living together anyways, so all the other cats have already been exposed. Plus things like FIV (kitty aids) and Felv (kitty leukemia) are spread by fighting and mating which cats don't do so much after they are fixed. I contacted Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR) in Kendalia, TX about the sick kitties. I had worked with them before with a few cats that needed help. They have been pretty wonderful regarding cats that need medical attention as long as the cats are only there temporarily. Ms. B. agreed give donations to WRR if they would be willing to help with the sick kitties. I seem to remember three to five cats that went there. I also contacted the Austin Humane Society (AHS) to see if they would be able to help adopt out the kittens. Ms B. had given me permission to do that. It was also discussed that maybe we should get a group together and try to do a mass trapping. Ms. B being a private person wasn't too keen on that idea. I can't say that I blame her, I wouldn't like a bunch of strangers on my property. I estimated that she had about one hundred cats and at least thirty kittens. AHS agreed to take the kittens. I was excited that they were willing to help me out in this situation. One problem we have fostering cats and kittens, here in Blanco County is that we don't have a good way to find them forever homes. There is no shelter in the county. Also we don't have any medical support and it is inevitable that medical support is going to be needed. Next, I had to go to the Cat Coalition to get approval to spend the money on surrender fees it costs $ 25 to surrender a kitten and $75 for a cat. I knew that I probably would be able to cut a deal with AHS considering the situation but never-less I wanted permission to spend at least one thousand dollars on this project. Unfortunately at this time in the Coalition there was one woman that seemed to have a negative knee jerk reaction to any idea that I had. I have unpleasant memories of trying to convince the group to spend money on these cats. It wasn't that we didn't have the money, we did. It seemed that some of the ladies thought that I wanted the money for myself, because when the spending was finally approved, the main opponent said “well write Stacy the check”. No, I did not want a check to me, all I wanted was permission to give money to AHS for surrender fees! Also some did not want to spend the money, because “there will just be more kittens next year.” Not if I could help it! It seems that several people including Mr B. that did not think I could catch all the cats! Ha, that only made me more determined to do so! Finally I got approval to spend some money.

Yeah for AHS! I was going to have fun pulling out the kittens cleaning them up, socializing them and then turning them over to AHS to find homes! I seem to remember pulling out eight or maybe it was eleven kittens the first batch. I think I took five in Austin to be surrendered. What a heart break it was when I got the phone call telling me that one of the kittens tested positive for feline leukemia and that they would not be able to take any of the kittens from that colony. What was I going to do now? I already had a bunch of kittens in my house. What was I going to do with them? Some of them I was able to return to Ms. B. she was willing to keep them close to the house, so if and when they got sick she would be able to take them to the vet. Then they started getting sick. I think I buried eight kittens that year, several of which died in my hands. Such a sad, sad situation. Meanwhile most of the adult sick kitties that had gone to WRR had to be euthanized. I learned a lot from that experience: 1. Sometimes it is more merciful to euthanize rather than try to cure. 2. That in the real world: Trap the cats and get them fixed before kitten season starts, I have learned that once kittens hit the ground, at least in my world, it is better to wait twelve weeks and then trap the kittens that have survived. It is a harsh world out there!

Now how I found Rosie and Rascal. The first time I saw them they were in a nest tucked between bales of hay in Ms. B's. hay barn. There were four tiny little kittens. Two were solid white and two were orange and white, one of which had a white face. Knowing that baby kittens like that do best when Mama cat takes care of them I determined to leave them nestled in the hay. I would check on them periodically. The next time I checked on them fire ants had moved in and I decided to pull the babies out. They were so tiny and helpless, but spunky, one of them even hissed at me (probably the one that grew up to be Rascal). So small they needed to be bottle fed. The two orange and white ones died but the two white ones were full of life. When they got big enough to eat solid food I put them in my bathroom with a window in the door way so they could see out but not get out. I wish I had a video of how they would launch themselves onto the glass then kinda flatten themselves out as as they slid down the glass with their bellies against it. They were hard to tell apart, Rosie's eyes were a bit rounder. Rascal's eyes always looked a little more pink around the edges.

Rosie and Rascal are my reward for the two years previous of heartbreak that I experienced dealing with kitties. The year before I had fostered Squeaker and Toby my two leukemia babies that I had to have put down before they were even a year old. And the year before that I had kept BG and Jerry the two kitties that are infected with the herpes virus. Now it was 2011 I had just buried a bunch of heartbreaking kittens and was left with the two survivors who happened to be two healthy beautiful white kittens with striking blue eyes. That year they became my traveling kitties. Every year come June, I travel up to NY state to work at a Renaissance Festival. In past years I have left my foster kittens home with friends, but this time I did not want to leave these babies behind. So they were the first of my cats to go traveling with me. They were still quite small so they were easy to travel with. They both fit into a small carrier where they would curl up and sleep together all day. I bought them each a harness, red for Rosie and blue for Rascal. Even though they are litter mates they each have had their own distinct personalities. Rascal is a rascal, he is high strung and likes to start trouble, he is more active and adventurous. Rosie is mellow, she doesn't really like Rascal much, as he likes to pick on her, so any time he comes to close she growls at him. He doesn't really mean any harm he just like to play rough. Rosie likes people, she likes to be admired, not really a princess more like a queen. She is not as athletic as Rascal perfering lounging around rather than jumping though hoops which Rascal is willing to do. Rosie would rather step though the hoop than jump though it. We had many adventures in NY.

The next year I decided to only take one cat because while I am in NY I reside in a very small booth and taking to full grown cats seemed like it would be to much. I took them both for a test drive, Rascal got very upset and Rosie took it in stride. So Rascal stayed home with the rest of the cats under the care of a neighbor and Rosie made the second trip to NY were she charmed everyone she met. They are both beautiful cats and I am very happy that they are in my life.

A post script to the story; I did succeed in trapping every cat in Ms. B's colony. It took a lot of doing, hiding behind hay bales and sitting patiently for hours upon hours. I am pleased and proud to say that there hasn't been any new kittens born there going on four seasons. The cats that have been TNR'd are all fat and happy. No more mating and struggling to stay alive. TNR works, but you have to be determined to make it work.



Rosie in the far left and Rascal center



Cabin at Grandpa's House

Ready to roll

 

Walk in the Woods









I DEEPLY REGRET THE DAY I TOOK A CAT INTO MY HOME by a CAT TRAPPER

I deeply regret the day I took a cat into my home. I hope you will listen to what I have to say with an open mind so we can teach our children well. The multitude of cats I have brought into my home now and over the years is way, way more than I care to think about. It took a lot of money – testing, de-wormed, vaccinated, spayed/neutered (before there was Fix Nation), antibiotics, sometimes surgery, diagnosing exotic diseases, cat food, cat litter, cat boxes, cat beds, cat carriers, cat toys, cat scratching posts, the extra money I spent on tuna, roasted chicken, and ham while trying to relieve my guilt because I wasn’t spending as much time with my older ones as they wanted, the brand new $200 VCR that went crashing to the ground after using it twice, etc, etc, etc, etc. not to mention the space it took to house the cats and their equipment. We all know how much money it takes to support such an effort (certainly some more than others).And you can add cat traps and trapping equipment (rope, towels, cage covers, quilts, etc) to the list for the trappers. And you can add trap-making equipment to the list for me. But it definitely was much, much more than the money. Staying awake all night with a really sick kitten and having your boss be really angry that you keep falling asleep at work. Socializing them 24/7, making trips to the pet store to buy those often really heavy bags of litter and cat food, cleaning litter boxes until life no longer becomes worth living, washing a newcomer in the bathtub –along with his brothers and sisters of course – so that you can get them clean and keep your other cats from getting their fleas, getting bit and ending up in the emergency room and then followed by the pharmacy until the late hours of the night where you do not even have the energy to get out of the car or know what day of the week it is and you fall asleep with your head bent against the steering wheel as the drool fills your lap when once more – you wake up to feel that life is no longer worth living. Spending hour upon hour at adoptions after you have just emptied your car of all it’s contents only to fill it back up again with cat cages, cat carriers, cat litter boxes, water, food, paperwork. Having no time to spend with your family (that is – IF you were lucky enough to have a family before you went into cat rescue) because God only knows there is no time to get one now. Having your husband divorce you because he is so tired of the dirty house, the smell of cats, his paycheck going to the care of cats, sleeping on a bed of piss, never knowing where his wife is all hours of the day and night, having to build a cat house so he can try to eat a TV dinner without cat hair in it. Having no friends you can call when you need them because you lost your “normal” friends a long time ago and now only have cat friends who are way too busy and overwhelmed to even help themselves – much less you. Worrying about what is going to happen to your cats when you die because there is no one available with the resources or especially the time to take them. OK, so I could go on and on and on and on but I think everyone gets my drift. What if all the time we spent taking care of these cats was instead spent TRAPPING the cats for spay/neuter? We are chasing our tales here ladies (and gents). And what if all the money we spent buying cat litter, cat food, vet appts, etc. we spent on donations to Fix Nation or other facilities as needed to stay in business to spay/neuter? Certain trappers I know could have the whole west valley trapped BY THEMSELVES if they didn’t spend every hour of every day running around like crazy taking care of cats that are/were in their possession. I could get the whole east Valley and Ali could get the central valley. But we all spend so much of our time either taking care of our cats or the feral cats that we feed that there isn’t much time for anything else. If we had directed all our efforts into trapping, there would be a ton less cats in the world so we would not be seeing cats lying dead in the streets, hoarding situations on TV, poisoned cats by the millions, incomprehensible death rates in the shelters. Not to mention it has ruined my life as well as theirs. When I walk by their screen door and they look at me with the longing look of a cat that wants to run in the grass, climb the tree, and smell all the things there are to smell instead of a small room where they cannot run, a room that  smells like antiseptic (and my cats STILL get sick on a continual basis), and an always dirty litter box, I am crushed. The thing is this. How am I managing NOT to take any cats in now that I am full and overwhelmed. Could I not have managed this from the start? Think about it. I should have left them out there where they took their chances at life and death like all creatures on earth. And what ever time they had on this earth was spent doing what cats like to do. Instead I spend my time and money taking them to vets that almost always charge me $250 for blood work (and antibiotics) and proceed to tell me the cat has an infection…….da……………like what, I didn’t know? Or charge me $200 for an exam and blood work only to tell me my old cat is in renal failure and there is only palliative care available. Again…..da. Or that the x-ray on his limping leg shows nothing and to wait and see what happens. I could have bought a house several times over for all the worthless advice and “diagnosing” my vets have done. And I find myself chasing my tail for tons of illnesses that I have given them  due to all the new animals I have exposed them to. What was I thinking? What were all of us thinking? Ask Cyndi Zacko what kind of difference we made. A tiny blip on the radar of all the cats that get euthanized each year at the shelter. For all the thousands & hundreds of thousand dollars and thousands & thousands of hours we have spent on our cats, we could have been trapping thousands and thousands of cats so that there would not be any homeless animals out there to deal with. And poop. Think about dumping the poop in your cat litter box in your front yard every few days. It is no wonder they poison the cats at every opportunity. My girlfriend has very poor eyesight for which she is scheduled to have surgery in the near future. I got out of my car recently at her house and was absolutely horrified so see all the piles of poop in her front yard. I am frightened for the day she has her surgery because when her eyesight has improved enough that she can see all the poop, there will be hell to pay. And of course not all of it may be from the cats but who cares. Certainly not her. Poop is poop no matter who it is from and her yard is full of it. I am sure if I wasn’t feeding ferals on her sidewalk that there would not nearly be as many cats in her yard to fill it with poop. And let’s face the facts, for every feral cat we feed to save their lives, there are thousands more getting  poisoned because no one is out there trapping them and preventing them from multiplying. Trappers are very valuable people and not everyone can be a trapper. I do not know many trappers. We all, as trappers, should have left the care of cats to the cat caregivers and concentrated on becoming better trappers. What were we thinking? 

Jan Weber  

Squeakers' Story

Squeaker

Dear Friends,

“Hello, my name is Squeaker; I was born near a dumpster behind a feed store in Blanco County, TX. My mother and her sister had been abandoned there and each had a litter of kittens. They tried to feed us with scraps and keep us warm; but often I went to sleep cold and hungry. My cousins and I were constantly on the hunt for food; one of us found a minnow tank with fish in it, but fell in and was drowned. Another one of us was hit by a car in the parking lot while hunting for bugs to eat. I don't know how we survived. We were afraid of humans; sometimes they would chase us and try to catch us. We were not allowed to be fed because people thought that if we were kept near starvation, we would not reproduce. (When my mother was finally caught she was found to be pregnant, again!)

Someone started setting traps for us. One day when I was so hungry I couldn't stand it anymore, I got into a trap and was caught! I was taken to the SPCA in Fredricksburg, but they could not find me a home because I was too wild. I was then taken to the Austin Humane Society, but they couldn't find me a home because I tested positive for feline leukemia, even though I didn't look or feel sick. Finally I found a home with a nice lady in the country. My cousin Toby was also living there. I was given plenty of food and water, I had a warm place to sleep, and I found out just how good it feels to be petted. I am now one of the happiest kitties in Blanco county!”

I wish this story had a happy ending. Squeaker turned out to be a wonderful cat. He was very affectionate, loved to help in the garden, and got along with the other cats (and even the dogs!). He finally succumbed to the leukemia, and is buried near the garden where he loved to play.

The number of sick, suffering, abused and abandoned animals in this county is heartbreaking.

But it doesn't need to be this way. With your help we can change things.

Progress is being made; many lives both human and feline have been improved . Please spay and neuter your pets and support TNR programs in your area. Thank You.




Cousin Toby aka Ratface

PS; It was the cat I named Toby, that broke my heart. I had spent hours and days trying to catch him. He would scurry up and around the shelves at the feed store just like a large rat would. He was starving but too smart to get into a trap. I seem to remember using the other kitten, Squeaker as bait and leaving the traps set overnight. He was a wild little thing, who also tested positive for leukemia. He lasted a year before I had to put him down. It seems that when cats get leukemia as kittens they don't live long. But if they get it when they are older they can live quite a while. I know a cat that has had it for six years now, and he is showing no signs of sickness. One thing I learned from having leukemia kittens is that when they start to succumb don't try and get them healthy again, it is a losing battle. Save yourself the expense and the heartache. Someone had given me that advice but it seems I had to learn it on my own. I still miss Squeaker and Toby aka Ratface.