Tri, Willow, Blackie

Tri is making progress! No longer is she in the far corner under the cabinet, she's close to the front and in full view. I haven't seen her venture out but am sure she does. Hoping to take her collar off sometime next week. She loves to watch as we play with the cats in close proximity to where she stays. Who wouldn't love to watch as the cats jump, do sommersalts and grab at the stick toys - they're a riot. Willow is about the same. Gaining weight, loving her lovin' time. Her feet continue to improve. Blackie What a lover. He's due for his second dental surgery on Jan 5 (along with Daisy, an inside outside cat of one of our sponsored colonies). He's more than ready for a new forever home. His favorite thing in the world, after eating, is sitting in someone's lap, purring contendedly. He's come such a long way. It didn't take long for him to learn his manners. He had such a rough start. He was almost dead from malnutrition and dehydration and now, he's getting healthier and more comfortable every day. If you're looking for a lap cat who will do nothing but appreciate your love (and eat!), he's your guy. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and your interest in our cats. May 2011 bring you peace and a heart filled with love.

Blackie

Blackie Is learning manners. The boy gets into everything. At least he's usually graceful about it. When he's on the only square inch of a table or cabinet or on the top of the fridge and I 'spritz' him off, he usually doesn't knock things off in his flight. Other than that, he's incorporating well. Still looking for a foster home for him! And, even better, a new forever home! He's going to be a big boy when he has his weight. He has a very long body and tail.

Tri

Tri is still hiding. She came out enough to eat and went right back to her hiding place. We're intentionally putting her food out from the hiding place to get her use to coming out - not too far, just far enough to get her out from under. Kalli was across the room when she did it working on a project so that was a little progress. Poor girl, she's taking a while to adjust. She doesn't seem to have problems on the three legs. Her incision looks good. She gets along well with all the cats who venture into her hiding spot. Little Zoe was laying in the blue bed earlier today.

Blackie

Blackie Is still exploring and getting acquainted. I've got to take a photo with an aerial view. He's so skinny, his stomach is shrunken. He's going to be a very handsome cat. His tail is almost as long as his body!

Willow

Willow This is the way she looks as she stands in the doorway in her 'feed me' position, right before she turns around and goes to where her plate of food is laid. Each time she gets fed, she gets a small amount of food with her digestive enzymes, then, 20 minutes later, her larger portion (always canned, she doesn't eat dry unless she's eating from the community bowls) with her pro-biotics.

Tri

Tri When I went out to give her her meds and evening meal, she was out from her hiding place (lower right - under the chest) and on the second level of the cat tree. You can barely see her. I didn't want to use a flash and startle her. Little Tri is adjusting to a lot. Prior to her injury, she lived in a yard. She's use to one person - her caretaker, who's known and cared for her since birth and she's use to being with the cats she was raised with. Seems to me, adjusting to 3 legs is her easiest adjustment. When she was in the crate or in her hiding place (cornered), I was able to pet her. She'd tense a bit but we were able to pet her. Once she's at large, it's going to interesting to see how responsive she is.

Tri, Willow & Blackie

Willow

Blackie

Tri has moved from under one cabinet to the other.... just checking things out and getting comfortable. I called her former caretaker to see if she'd come over to say hi to her... of course she'll have to lay on the floor to do it. We'll see.

Willow is doing her thing - not much changed.

Blackie is exploring, incorporating into the household and eating. We'll be taking him to the vet next week for his dental check.

We'd like to wish you all a

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Feliz Navidad

Happy Kwanzaa

and

Happy Holiday

We wish you Love!

Blackie

Blackie - again, blog won't let me down load photo. Sorry Has been out of the crate since about 9am - our foster home fell through and he's been in there long enough. He was crated for 10 days prior to arriving here for an antibiotic treatment for the poor baby's oozing gums. He's a beautiful cat. Skinny as a rail. Until I tried to see his gums, he was very affectionate, now he runs from me. Poor baby, his gums are still very sore. We were told he only has his eye teeth but upon a very brief inspection, we saw white where it shouldn't be. We were going to take him to our vet but he was no where to be found so had to just take Lilly. He will have to go in soon. However, he is incorporating in the house very well. He's been at 'cat' level for 8 days so they've all had a chance to smell and see. Even Twinkle, the house b _ _ _ _ , and I say that with love, doesn't howl at him. He's a gentle one, no threat. He's skinny as a rail. When he came, we thought his dental expense had been paid for - he arrived after being treated at another vet. We were just doing meds and holding until adoption or foster. However, now it looks like he's going to cost money other than maintenance too. ok - next on the list after Tri and Willow.

Willow

Willow - for some reason the blog won't let me download a photo. Sorry Is still doing great. She did spend most of today in the bathroom but her coat is getting more lush and she continues to put on weight. I negected to mention that her heart rate has slowed. She's responding well to all treatment. Her feet continue to need treatment for a fungal infection but they're much better. At one point, we couldn't even touch her back toes. She still needs dental surgery but we're waiting until she's healthier - could be in a week or two. Her abdomenal mass continues to change. Where at one point, there was a large mass then a rounder small one, attached but behind the larger one. Now, they seem to be smaller, but joining and more of it is attached to the abdomenal wall. If it is mammary gland cancer, we don't want to operate. After consulting with our vet, it seems an unnecessary trauma. She's very sweet. She's comfortable here but we'd love to find her another good home. As soon as we get Tri's fund taken care of, the next monies will go to her vetting and care.

Tri

Tri

Is out of the crate! The five steps she ran from my arms to under the chest she mastered with ease, amazingly enough, no stumbling or loosing balance. And, under the chest she's been since about 8:30am. She's got food and water and she's about 4' from the litter box. I suspect she'll be out in a day or two. She's doing fine with the cats, as they are with her. I'd hoped to get some of her walking today but she needs to ease in before she ventures out........... silly me. At about 9pm, I tried taking her out so I could give her an extra feeding but she would have no part of it - hiss hiss. We've almost got her surgery and hospitalization for her. Now, she needs an adoptor, either armchair or in home.

Blackie

Blackie

Is ready to leave the cage! Today, when I opened the cage to take his photo, he was on his way out which is why the photo is blurred. We think we have a foster home for him. I hope so. He's a nice, gentle cat who had a very rough beginning. He's from the house of a hoarder with lots of sick cats. The fact that he only needed all his teeth pulled is amazing. We'll be taking him to our next adoption event and listing him on petfinder soon. A few more pounds and he'll be a poster cat for long haired luxurious black cats. He's going to the vet for his follow up tomorrow.

Willow

Willow

Is doing great. She's more beautiful, healthy and relaxed every day. We got her blood test results back. Her thyroid values are in the normal range so the Tapazole, digestive enzymes and pro-biotics are working. Her kidney values are increased but no more than before she started taking the Tapazole and that's a good thing. She does have chronic kidney disease but it's not full blown. Just in the last day or so, she's eating less frequently. She is roaming around the house more and has found a few resting places other than her bathroom bed. Her food is right beyond the pictured door - this is how she looks just moments before her next meal. More on her abdomenal mass later. She'll be ready for her new home soon. She's a wonderful cat, she's affectionate, and she has a very calm presence.

Tri

I'm posting Tri, Willow & Blackie separately for photo purposes....

Tri

Well, the pumpkin is working. She had a good well formed but not rock hard BM. She's not always eating well. Sometimes, I have to start her off with food on a spoon. Sometimes not even spoon feeding helps and I have to spoon feed her her entire meal. I think she's just sick of being crated. Tomorrow morning, she's going to be out for the first time. I'll post the video. She's not bothered by the house cats. When I was spoon feeding her, Buster, one of the kittens, climbed the crate and tried poking at the food - Tri just glanced and kept on eating.

wow! we've got followers all over!

I just checked the stats for the first time. Tri, Willow & Blackie have followers from: United States, Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Malaysia, Romania, Russia and Slovania!!!!!!! Love all you cat lovers!

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Another quickie! Tri did great yesterday. I'd never picked her up so getting her into the carrier was a concern but no need for concern. I was able to slide her into the carrier on the bed, then slide her out at the vet. At that point, I was able to pick her up and she was fine with it. She's not crazy about being held but there's no sign of agression - just a ting of a struggle when she wants to be put down. The angel in the crate makes it awkward and difficult to pick her up for the first time. Now it will be easier. Dr. Singleton checked her out, showed her to the surgeon and she was given a star of approval for her progress. Leane, her vet tech while at the clinic came in to see her and give her some lovin'. One of the other techs said she's Leane's favorite all time clinic cat. It's really too bad she can't foster her or even adopt her. Tri is a bit constipated because of her pain meds so we started her on pureed pumpkin. I syringe it into her mouth but amazingly enough, she likes it! Her next vet visit is scheduled in two weeks. Willow is getting spunkier. She was at the vet yesterday too. In the past any blood work has been a breeze. This time, she put up a bit of a struggle - poor baby, she's sick of being poked! We'll find out the results of her blood work today. Interesting note about her eyes. They've been changing. Initially, her iris was divided into two by a fine zig zag line. The line is gone. Her iris is still a beautiful deep green and the pearlesence is still there, close to the pupil but it's more blended with the outer iris. - any iridologists out there? It would be interesting to know why? Blackie is getting spunkier too. Yesterday he interacted with the house cats through the cage, in the past, they've been checking him out but he's ignored them. He's up out of bed and around the cage more. Looking much more relaxed. Those flower essences do wonders! He's going to be ready for a home in days.

Tri, Willow and Blackie

No time for photos today - had an issue with one of the cats we adopted out and ended up spending most of the day trying to determine her whereabouts, calling and emailing the adopter (with no response) and all the area shelters.... she's find and is coming back to CatVando tomorrow. Tri We did get to see her flip from one side to the other with relative ease. She continues to eat more each day, now that she's on the gravy food. Her wound is healing nicely. She's going to need to get out her cage soon. WE NEED A FOSTER HOME FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!! We still don't know her true temperament - she's still on a lot of pain meds. She did his at me tonight when I administered her antibiotics but it was my fault. I approached her from an angle that she might not have been able to see. But then she took the oral meds just fine. She's going to have to start using her legs and there isn't enough room in her crate. We got another $100 donation today! That brings us up to $520! With matching funds, that's $1,040! Thank You - we're almost there! She's going to the vet tomorrow for her check up Willow I did get a shot of her at the bathroom threshold, in her 'I'm ready for more food now', stance. I'll post tomorrow. She slept most of the day with little wandering throughout the house. I've yet to see her play. To the vet tomorrow for her kidney values. Blackie His appetite continues to improve. I've been adding water to his food. He doesn't drink much on his own and he has a tendency towards dehydration. He drinks it up as long as it's flavored with canned food. I haven't attempted to open his mouth to see how things are healing. He just has his canines, everything else was removed. Still haven't attempted to pet him. He was the friendliest cat in the house he came out of but continues to look at me with a touch of fear. Am just talking to him, moving slowly, providing food and cleaning the cage so he'll get more comfortable. That's it - should have quite a bit to report tomorrow after the vet. Been a long day.

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Tri Willow Blackie Tri Didn't eat well this morning. At about 11am, we syringed a bit of colostrum water into her to provide her with some nutrition and to 'prime the pump' - sometimes just a bit of food gets them started - and it did. She ate a bit. It wasn't until we brought in some canned with gravy that she really perked up and ate. She ventured into the litter box today. Laid there for a bit then made it back to her bed. We still haven't seen her in motion. Her surgical site looks good. Prior to her amputation, she lay on the side with the damaged leg. I always thought that odd, thinking it would hurt, but maybe it was her form of 'traction' or protecting it. She now lays with the wound up. We're still a long way from paying for her care.

Willow Is doing her thing. Hanging in bed in the bathroom, only to venture out on occasion. She ate well as usual and has been eating smaller portions since starting the meds and supplements. She's looking good. She's such a sweet heart, happy for anything she gets, food or lovin'. Vet visit Monday will tell us more about her kidneys. Blackie Is a bit more relaxed and eating better. He's closest to the floor and even tho he didn't live in a house with a dog, he's very relaxed with our resident canine, Bella, who is loved by all. He too ventured out of his bed to the other side of the crate but mostly stays in bed and looks around and naps.

Tri, Willow, Blackie

Blackie Willow

Tri

I am NOT technologically inclined. Our wonderful tech magician Fatenah, still has to teach me how to make a beautiful blog. Excuse the layout. Here's the update on Tri, Willow & Blackie

Tri

We picked her up at the clinic today and brought her back to CatVando. Her primary vet tech, Leana, gave us a lot of insites into her behavior and likes and dislikes. She'd hoped to foster Tri but her roommate was against it. Unless everyone on the household is on board, fostering or adopting usually doesn't work so she's here with us. But, she's going to come visit her during her recovery. Her wound looks good. Dr. Mosley performed a clean surgery. She'll be in a crate for a while while she recovers. She's got a nice warm bed with a blankie to cover her and a heating pad to keep her warm. Her appetite is pretty good and she's taking her pain meds and antibiotic. We added pro-biotics and a touch of colostrum and grapeseed extract to her food for digestion, nutrition and to help strengthen her connective tissue.

She's amazingly strong. She doesn't like to be held. We had to get her out of the carrier into the crate and didn't want to hurt her so used the blanket she was laying on to help move her. The carrier was right in front of the crate. After she was about half way out of the carrier, she lept for the crate and layed down on her bed. She's got spunk! She's due back at Elmhurst on Monday for a check We're looking for people to help care for her during her recovery. The more humans she comes in contact with, the more she'll learn to embrase human touch and companionship. She responds well to touch and hasn't shown any sign of agression or fear - it's a great time to work with her. She's still on pain meds and a bit out of it.

Willow

As you can tell, Willow 's home is in the bathroom. She can roam around the house but prefers the privacy of the bathroom. It works, when she's getting her extra feedings, we can close the door to keep all the other's from eating her extra helpings of food. She's doing great. She does like it when she has company during her meals. Sometimes she eats on her own, sometimes, she cries for food but when left alone with it, it goes untouched, then, as soon as we go into the room, she goes to her food.

Willow is accompanying Tri to the vet on Monday. She has to get her kidney enzymes checked. She'll be on her hyper thyroid meds for 3 weeks and it's time to see where her levels are to see if her meds need to be modified. In addition to her Tapazole, she gets digestive enzymes, essential fatty acids and probiotics. Her abdominal mass is changing. It's gone from 2 distinct masses to one joined larger mass. As mentioned, after consulting with the vet, we've opted to forgo her surgery. If it's mammary cancer, there's no point and the surgery would only stress her out.

She needs someone to soak her feet in warm water and apply her anti-fungal medication to her toes and nails daily.

Blackie

Is a bit freaked out. He's getting his pain meds and Clavamox and is eating well but he's scared. We started him on flower essences to help during the stress. A stressed cat takes longer to heal, not to mention, their discomfort.

He hasn't shown any sign of agression or wanting to bolt, on the contrary, the crate door came open and he just stayed in there.

He too needs someone to comfort him, to talk to him and to pet him in the cage.

All three of these cats need homes. They will be ready for adoption in the near future.

So far, our generous supporters have donated $420 towards Tri's hospitalization and surgery. With our matching fund that means $840 - we're only about $500 short of our goal!!! Amazing for such a short time. We're appreciative and so is Tri.

Tri, the tri colored, tri legged cat

Tri

Is waiting for her surgery.

Tri became a CatVando cat last Thursday. We met her for the first time today. She is a sweet sweet soul.

Her story and more photos are posted on our FaceBook account. CatVandoTNR

Elvis Extravaganza FUN d Raiser

Tri, the Hillside Calico

Tri is a sweet calico who's front leg was mangled in an engine. She's a friendly but lives outside with a colony being fed by a wonderful elderly woman. To make matters more complicated, when she went to the vet, in fear, she bit a vet tech so she's on rabies isolation for the next 8 days. We are hoping to raise enough funds to have her leg amputated when she's out of iso. She's young and cats (as well as dogs) are resiliant and do just fine on 3 legs. Of course, she can't be outside so we'll be looking for someone to adopt this little sweetie. One of the vet techs at the the clinic may foster her after surgery. Her caretaker has visited her at the clinic and loves her but has too many house cats already and can't take her in. If you can contribute to her care, please click the donate button and indicate it's for Tri. We need to raise about $1,000 - we have a matching funds grant by one of our benefactors. I've yet to find out if there is any significance to her unusual name but will. I'll keep you posted.

Jake's found a home!

Jake found himself a new home!

Those of you who visit CatVando are familiar with Jake's ways and charms. He was an indoor cat who became an indoor outdoor cat then became primarily an outdoor cat, living on the enclosed back or front porches with access to the yard area. He had quite the beginning, coming to us initially for therapy for his 'bite' behavior. He was doing great. We always had to exercise caution but he quit the intensity of his behavior and became more the charmer he really was. Jake is an alpha cat and even tho he was neutered, whenever there was a new cat on the premises, the boy would spray his little heart out - and, because of the influx of cats coming and going for TNR aftercare, ............... let's just say, there use to be a great leather couch here - use to be. Jake helped redecorate. We now have all wicker furniture. Anyway, Jake disappeared. He was in the habit of getting into cars and we thought maybe he took a ride somewhere and was trying to find his way home. 4 weeks to the day that he disappeared, we got a call from a local vet. Jake found a new home in Forest Park. We've worked out the arrangements, warning of his behavior and habits and are thrilled that he has a home where he's the only cat, where he can cuddle in bed for his night's rest, which he loves. Don't you just love the white heart on his abdomen

Racoon-Proof Feeding Stations

Great idea for raccoon-proof feeding stations.

http://thewildones.net/raccoons.htm

Check out the photos:

http://www.sosanimalslounge.com/raccoon-proof-cat-feeding-station-131612.html

http://network.bestfriends.org/blogs/feralfriend1463/archive/2009/02/11/88350.aspx

The Cats of CatVando

We have some of the most wonderful cats in the world. Just like everyone does that has cats in need of forever homes. We love our cats and have treated them well. They've gotten the best of care, good food, lots of love and enrichment, veterinary care and good supplements and flower essences for their emotional health. Our cats are all healthy and happy. Some are very affectionate, some are shy. Some are lap cats, some 'lay next to your lap' cats, some 'across the room' cats. They need their forever homes NOW. CatVando is a TNR organization. We spend too much money on care for the cats up for adoption and not enough on paying TNR fees for those in need. 30% of the cats we TNR for people are paid for by their caretaker - that means 70% of the calls we get are from people who can't afford to pay TNR fees - even basic clinic fees. We pay for those cats when we can. Please help us find wonderful homes for all our wonderful babies so we can carry on with our work of TNR to prevent more homeless kitties from being born into the streets and to try to find homes for the strays we find on the street, and even to help those that have 'controllable' numbers of cats in their house. We can't do what we did with Henry's cats - as happy as we are that they are so much happier and healthier because we interceded, emotionally and financially, we can't aford to do that again. Henry's cats are healthy, happy and ready go to. Their lives started out so horribly, they need to have the last 1/2 of their life, or more, in their forever, loving home. Many of them are on our http://petfinder.com - under shelter type our zip 60153 or CatVando. We have other cats who are ready for homes, some last years kitties, some pets we've found in the streets. We don't take kittens any more - we currently have our last 7 kittens from two different litters. One, the Boo Boo babies, the last litter born at Henry's, and the Bunny Babies, born to two cats of an elderly gentleman who let 2 yard cats in last fall. Fortunately, his niece contacted us and they are now in their new inside/outside digs, steralized. Adoption fees are greatly reduced. We're just looking for good homes. Most we'd like to go in 2 or 3's. Like the 3 'Water Babies'. A couple could go alone. I know, most animal lovers are already maxed out but there has to be SOMEONE who would love to develop relationship with a special cat (or one little dog - Miles). Please ask around. SPREAD THE WORD! More kitties need homes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chin Chin & Friends

Chin Chin & Friends These five babies were born to a couple of lucky yard cats who were brought in last fall by an elderly gentleman who fed them all summer, then, when the weather turned cold, he brought them in to share his house with them. Unfortunately, he knew nothing of TNR, and, about a month ago these five little ones were born. Fortunately, his niece did some research and within the month his two house ferals will be spayed and neutered. These five little ones are in a wonderful foster home where they're getting lots of love, attention and therapy. They are special needs kitties. They have cerebellar hypoplasia. Amazingly enough, we've gotten 2 litters so far, both from different sources, both CH babies. So we've done some research talked to our vet, talked to Treehouse, who's had quite a few CH babies. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes jerky movements, tremors and generally uncoordinated movement . The animal often falls down and has trouble walking. Tremors increase when the animal is excited and subside when at ease.

The disease does not get better or worse with age, but the cat or dog can usually learn to somewhat compensate for it and should have a normal lifespan. Most afflicted animals can lead a fairly normal life if special considerations for the animal's disability are taken by the pet's owner. It's our understanding that they're more suseptible to infection like URI's and such so we're sure to give them our usual regiment of immune boosting supplements and good food to assure the best possible health now and long term.

We've listed the litter on petfinder.com, they aren't ready for adoption but we wanted to see what kind of response we might get and we've received several calls from people aware of CH and interested in adopting them. They won't be ready for adoption for about 6 week but it's nice to know there are people who care.

While our other babies act like they are walking over logs, these babies back legs splay out - especially Bunny, the one with orange and grey markings. They're all doing great. They play and run and climb - they don't know they're special needs!

BooBoo & Friends Henry

BooBoo, Trixi, Kalli & Oscar Henry The last litter of the Henry household. Cute as buttons and neurologically impaired. They have cerebellar hypoplasia. It's a condition they received while in the womb. Its thought they contracted panleukopenia. It caused damage their cerebellum. Their balance and gait is affected. They were tested for a number of things, all negative. So enutero panluc is the default. Boo Boo, the cat on the right, is the most effected. She has a terrible time walking and spends much of her time rolling over on her back. We're in the process of developing a special wheelchair of sorts. Amazingly enough, we've gotten 2 litters so far, both from different sources, both CH babies. So we've done some research talked to our vet, talked to Treehouse, who's had quite a few CH babies. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes jerky movements, tremors and generally uncoordinated movement . The animal often falls down and has trouble walking. Tremors increase when the animal is excited and subside when at ease.

The disease does not get better or worse with age, but the cat or dog can usually learn to somewhat compensate for it and should have a normal lifespan. Most afflicted animals can lead a fairly normal life if special considerations for the animal's disability are taken by the pet's owner. It's our understanding that they're more suseptible to infection like URI's and such so we're sure to give them our usual regiment of immune boosting supplements and good food to assure the best possible health now and long term.

We've listed the litter on petfinder.com, they aren't ready for adoption but we wanted to see what kind of response we might get and we've received several calls from people aware of CH and interested in adopting them. They won't be ready for adoption for about 6 week but it's nice to know there are people who care.

Henry's Cats

Henry's (Almost) Last Trapping We trapped 6 cats last Thursday. 4 of them were females. One was pregnant and aborted. When we went to pre-bait last Friday, we found another litter of 4 cute as button, quadruplet grey tabbies about 3-4 weeks old. We got them and their mama. All are now in foster care. Read more about them in the blog 'Boo Boo & Friends Henry. They're cerebellar hypoplasia babies. There are still at least 2 cats at the house. Henry's been a bit 'non-compliant' about putting food in the traps only - probably confusion. "They're eating the hard food but aren't going into the traps for the canned"............. The good news is, we haven't killed any cats! We may be returning many of them to Henry's. Some have been socialized enough and are about ready for adoption. We'd always planned on returning some to Henry's, we may be returning as many as 11. The house is big enough to support 11 cats and Henry and his son are ok with that. The important thing is there will be fewer cats and less stress due to overcrowding. The wierd news is that most of the cats we've caught have been about 1-2 years old. One's about 9 and another is about 6. We don't know what happened to the older ones, the ones we saw through the basement window during the second big trapping. Henry said Brownie disappeared about a week ago. I can only imagine he's in his final resting place somewhere in the walls. Another wierd thing is that the last batch of 6 (including the new mom) were all relatively healthy. No alopecia, no dental problems, no URI. Go figure. All cats we've previously trapped are flourishing and should be on petfinder soon. Isabelle, who we thought was a gonner, is healthy and purrs up a storm when cuddled. Paul is thriving and doing just fine since he had his eye removed. He's always been blind so he's adjusted well to the removal. Ilsa has turned into a very affectionate cat and has had no problems since her dental surgery. Kasha is still hiding in her foster home and is never seen. She recently joined her cousin, Athena, who lets herself be seen but not touched. Her foster mom, Sue, was recently delighted when she played with a sock toy. Agnes & Hades are very playful and bring their foster mom toys to play with. Their cousin, Louis is still wild and totally non-responsive to human interaction. Lynx is incredibly playful and ready for adoption. Peter is still a bit shy but going to foster tomorrow for intensive therapy. Sister Mary Franchesca is also still shy - we're looking for intensive therapy mama for her too.

Henry's Cats - Paul, Ilsa & Kasha & the rest

Paul is home with his Elizabethan collar and recovering well. He's going to be on a daily dose of pain medication for 3 days but no need for antibiotics. He's eating up a storm and playing as well as he can bumping around with his collar here and there. The vet thinks he should be healed in about 2 weeks. His eyeball was sent to the lab for histology because his other eye is going through changes but he can still see out of it. He's recovering ok but some of the other cats are shunning him because of the collar. His brother Peter, his usual companion at rest, hasn't been seen laying with him - he's actually making himself scarce. After sniffing, most cats are accepting and some, especially Archie, still cuddle with him, however, more than usual, he sleeps alone. He was so desperate for cuddling, he joined the rest of the critters in the bed last night! Ilsa is doing great. She's so affectionate and recovering well from her dental surgery. She's fattening up but her hair is still very thin. The back of her back from about 1/2 way between her neck and tail is almost bald from her previous stressful environment. She's one of 4 that is going back to Henry's, after she's healthy and all others are healthy and fixed. 4 of the cats were Henry's pets. Kasia is still very very shy. She's recovering from her dental surgery too. She will probably be one of 3 going to the detail shop. Ilsa is Kasia's mom but they aren't very bonded. Ilsa spends most of her time on the floor or the shelves, Kasia stays in the cabinet. At Kallie's, Agnes and Hades seem like they might be socialized enough to be adopted at some point. Louie & Athena are still very shy and will probably be going to the detail shop with Kasia when they're healthy. THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SENT IN YOUR DONATIONS - THEY'RE HELPING - WE'RE STILL NOT COVERING ALL WE'RE DOING BUT ARE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED. ANYTHING HELPS $5, -$500!

Henry's Cats - Paul's eye surgery

Paul is at the vet for his eye surgery today. His lense is necrotic and being reabsorbed. Eye removal was recommended by the opthalmic specialist. We're hoping he's going to be ok. He's the sweetest thing. On the way to the vet, we were 'holding hands' through the carrier door. His brother, Peter, already missing him. Once he's back and recovered, we'll be adopting them out as our 'special needs' babies. Peter is shyer than Paul but together them make an adorable pair.

Henry's Cats - Ilsa & Kasha surgeries

Ilsa & Kasia are recovering from their dental surgeries. Ilsa is due back at the vet in 2 weeks for a check up on the gum flap. She had all but two teeth pulled - those that were left. She was under anesthesia for 2 hours and the vet didn't want her out longer. She doesn't want to pull the other two for two months. By that time, she'll be back at Henry's and it's questionable as to whether she'll allow herself to be re-trapped. Ilsa is one of 4 Henry is keeping as pets, once they're healthy and have had their surgeries and vaccines. Kasia is having some trouble. She's not eating well. It could be stress. Up until this morning they were alone in individual crates to monitor for eating, etc. This morning, they were combined, taken out of crates and put in a room together to hope to encourage Kasia to eat and to take some of the stress away.

Henry's Cats - update

Peter, Paul, Sister Mary Francesca & Isabelle Paul and Isabelle are by far the friendliest and sweetest. Paul needs to have his right eye removed some time before summer but it doesn't hold him back a bit. He loves to play with Peter & Sister Mary. Peter is coming around nicely and will be going to foster soon for fine tuning in his socialization. Isabelle is sweet, affectionate and loves to cuddle. Sister Mary Francesca is not friendly at all. She's more the 'wall climber' type when attempts at petting are at play but is more than willing to play when the feather toys come out. Zeus is on meds for his upper respiratory infection but is becoming more friendly every day. He's the only one going to a home to be with another cat. Kasha & Ilsa are due for dental surgery on Tuesday. Ilsa needs all her teeth extracted. Kasha only 4 as far as we know. Ilsa is at Kallie's, Kasha at Sue's. Kasha & Athena (formerly Apollo) Are together at Sue's where Sue & Kim continue to work towards their socialization tho it looks like they'll be candidates for a nursery or someplace where they can just live out their lives without being lap cats. We're still looking for homes for them. Agnes (now Auggie), Hades, Ilsa and Louie Are running free in a basement apartment. Agnes is the friendliest. 3 of these cats are going to a detail shop. Ilsa is scheduled to be returned to Henry after her surgery. They're all fattening up and getting healthy. Henry is going to keep 4 altered and healthy cats at the end of this. Ilsa is the only one we've gotten from the house so far. The remaining cats 8-10 will be trapped this week. They are going to be difficult. Most are older, sicker and much much shyer. We've only seen them when we've strategically placed food so we can see them eat through the basement window. There are at least 2 that we've never seen. We're going to have to 'pre-bait' before we trap. Leaving traps untriggered to trap, putting food only in the traps, so they get use to going in and out of the trap.

Bliss update

Bliss Is doing much better. I didn't take a photo today but did take him to Treehouse to Feline Lukemia and Aids testing. They cleaned him up and did the usual wellness check (We LOVE Treehouse). In addition to his Upper Respiratory Infection, he has a terrible infection in his lower extremeties, lots of pus. He was also dehydrated, emaciated, he has mild pneumonia and has severe dental disease. He was already neutered and he's wasn't ear tipped, so, he was someone's abandoned pet. I have cautiously pet him but he's still pretty frightened. I'll post a photo tomorrow. Wait until you see him.... he looks so much better already. A blessing for Bliss. He'll be on Doxycycline for 7 days then switching to Clavamox. He's also getting immune boosters, pro-biotics and flower essences for trauma, stress and changes. When he's well, we're hoping to put him up for adoption. Any donations for our Bliss fund will certainly be appreciated. Through our paypal account (on blog) or by snail mail to our post office box.

Henry's Cats - Louie

Louie is a handsome and athletic long haired gray tabby. He is probably a little over a year old and has white fluffy whisps all over, especially on his tail and ears. He is likely related to Cleio and Sister Mary Francesca. He struts and has a long and svelte physique, like a marathon runner. His spirit is young and he is a charmer! He was easily the roudiest and least comfortable when we trapped the cats, which put him in the 5 slated for death before Fenini's well timed call. We are so thankful for that kind of networking because it saved a beautiful animals from a horrifying and unjust end. Louie is going to be the kind of cat they write cartoons about, a sort of Marmaduke. He is playful and spends his free time in Kalli's basement tossing around a tiny stuffed peep (like the candy) and coyly avoiding any contact with her. Right now we think he will be making his home in the detail shop but with many more cats left to pull, we are still trying to make the most effective use of possible homes. Louie would be a great match for someone who already has a cat, he's very social with the others. I imagine he would be a great partner to exercise a pampered overweight house cat who could feed off of his exuberance. He has tremendous potential for adjustment and would likely do well in a home with other happy cats to set a good example. Like the others, stress has caused Louie to lose some fur so he could be even fluffier! He needs comfort, time, and lots of play. Like the others he still needs another vet evaluation before he can go home.

Henry's Cats- Hades

Hades comes from the mythological hell in ancient Greek folklore. She was named for her chaotic reaction to being trapped. She did not hiss but howled and jostled the whole trap back and forth until Thursday morning. All the gray kitties seem to be elusive just like Mama Ilsa (see her post). She also has Ilsa's long nose and intelligent glare. When Kalli opened the traps Saturday morning, Hades curled up with Ilsa until they both felt safe enough to roam. In the picture she is nuzzling with Agnes. It's likely that Zeus and Hades are Ilsa's kitties as they were always cuddling with her when all three were together. One thing that has not changed about Hades is her appetite. Her 5 lb stature is tiny but she is the bravest of the basement kitties (next to Zeus) and always jets to food even if it is at Kalli's feet. She is a playful, flirtatious, and curious little babe. If you echo her meows, she will talk to you. The path to stabilizing Hades is challenging her intellect with games, toys, and conversation. Right now Hades does not have a forever home lined up. She would probably adjust well to life as an only pet or as part of a family. Like the others, Hades is experiencing stress from the hoarding situation and now with the big move. Her third eyelid is very red, indicating a herpes outbreak. She is currently receiving doxycycline, an antibiotic that will deal with opportunistic bacteria. Nearly 90% of cats carry a herpes virus and stress is a main cause for outbreaks. Her eye has improved over the last few days along with her demeanor indicating that her overall health is stabilizing.

Henry's Cats- Agnes

Agnes is the shyest of the cats in Kalli's basement but maybe he is just confused about his name. He just has such a stunning and elegant face that we thought "that must be a girl." The first thing you notice in Agnes is his huge, beautiful, orange eyes outlined in white, almost like mascara! Agnes is not buddying up with the others but is becoming more content with moving on and spending a lot of time contemplating on a shelf on the buffet. Agnes is tense and clearly suffering the anxiety of being torn apart from some lifelong friends. We are hoping that as we pull cats, we will be able to reunite Agnes and his best friend from Henry's. The infection present in the photo is nearly gone. Right now Agnes is scheduled to go to the body shop, but it is more likely Agnes will need more time to adjust and find the right partner to move on with.

Henry's Cats - Zeus

Zeus Zeus Zeus was trapped at Henry's on Wednesday, he went to the apartment, then to Treehouse for surgery and wellness evaluation and for his vaccines and microchip. Then, to Kallie's basement. While he was in the trap, Kallie was able to pet him freely. He even rolled on his back for belly rubs. He purred when she was a few traps over. The cats were in their traps for 48 hours after surgery for their quiet recovery time. After that, they got to play and hide in the basement apartment. Fortunately, it's unoccupied so there are few hiding places. The good thing about them being in their traps is that they're easily accessible for petting and socializing but you can only keep them there for short periods. Poor Zeus had only a short time out before he was put into the trap again because he was off to his next destination. On Sunday, for the first time in his life, he was away from his entire family. He went to Ellen's bathroom for further evaluation and socialization prior to going to HIS NEW HOME!!!!! Zeus is one of the lucky ones. He has a home. One of our volunteers, Mike, adopted Sweetie a week ago. We think Zeus will make a great companion for Sweetie and vice versa. Zeus does need ear drops 2x a day for an ear infection. At this point, he hasn't had them. When out of the cage, he's very shy. We've been visiting him to talk, play and possibly pet several times since he's been here. This afternoon, while laying in the same you see him by the basket. He was able to be petted and relaxed enough to lay sideways. Anytime I went near his ears he cringed. They are sore but rather than go for his ears so early in our acquaintance and risk breaking trust, his ears will have to go another 24 hours or so before treatment. He'll be going to Mike's, his final home, tomorrow. He'll be crated the first 24 hours so he and Sweetie can have a slow introduction. (we cover the crate for the first several hours so they can just smell each other, then gradually pull back the covers so they can see and smell - works well for new arrivals)

Bliss

Bliss has been around a CatVando colony for a couple of months. Skiddish one who runs at the sound of an open door. He's been spoted maybe 6 times. We have housing under a front porch. It's walled in and has a door. We periodically check to see how things are under there. There are a couple styrofoam strawed houses and lots of straw instead of dirt for bedding. There's one resident and 3 visitors that have been spoted down there. Last Sunday, during a check, the usual cat, Casper ran out the hole on the opposite side and there was Bliss. He didn't move. I saw his eyes. Bliss is now in a crate, getting meds in his canned food and will be going to the vet for testing, evaluation and treatment on Tuesday. Bliss is feral - there aren't a lot of places to take ferals and the only place we can take him is closed until Tuesday. I'd hoped to clean his eyes with warm saline water but he (?) would have none of it. I did find out he has a missing canine through the process. Until Tuesday, he's as good as he can be and he has a nice warm place to stay with a constant supply of food and water. Sometimes that's the best you can do. How he got the name Bliss is beyond me...... it just came.

Henry's Cats - Paul & Peter

Zarema took Paul to Veterinary Vision on Friday. His eye is doing well, he still needs the steroidal anti-inflammatory drop once a day. Eventually he'll need his eye removed so as not to cause further problems. He can wait until the summer. Ideally, we can adopt him out along with his currently shy boy brother, Peter. They are great pals and we'd hate to separate them. We'll be posting on http://petfinder.com soon. We've gotten one estimate on Paul's eye surgery. $1,000. We're hoping our vet clinic has someone who can perform the surgery for less. We're small, we can't absorb all the cost - but we can fundraise! If his adoption is dependant on the adoptors ability to pay for the cost of surgery, we're hoping we can afford to subsidize through donations. He's a wonderful kitty. Really affectionate, playful and getting more trusting and affectionate every day. Peter is lagging behind but there too. Both have a blind eye but Peters doesn't have to come out.

Henry's Cats - at Kallies

Kallie has five of the cats for socialization, meds and holding. One will be going to his new home with Mike & Sweetie We're meeting with their future caretaker, the guy with the detail shop who's kindly offered to provide them a home and care. We've yet to meet him or talk to him but know he's been in pet rescue for quite awhile and are looking forward to meeting him and seeing the cats new home. They will be going in about 10 days. THree of them are on meds for their URI's. They've been let out of their traps and are now in a room with toys and such while they adjust and get well. They'll be getting good food, immune boosting supplements, meds for their URI's and pro-biotics for healthy intestinal flora and flower essences to help them through the transition - for the stress, for the changes, and even for grieving the loss of the colony - no matter how dysfunctional - they aren't much different from that in that regard. Wednesday and Thursday were very long, emotionally and physically exhausting. It seemed like we were at it for years but the time flew. It was like being in a Vortex. It continued Friday, but not with the same intensity. And it's not over. There are at least 8 cats left at Henry's. Plus, two kittens that mama has now hidden. We'll be getting the others this week, hopefully, including the kittens. The ones we saw were older except for the 2 young grey tabbies. Let's hope they are as lucky as the first 10. Of the 7 we have, all but 2 have forever homes (we hope). We put a call into TAILS about the 3 we took there but haven't heard back.

Henry's Cats - Kasha & Athena

Athena started out as Apollo. She and Kasha are at Sue's in a crate together where Sue and Kim will socialize and care for until they are ready for adoption. We'll post their picture here then put them on http://petfinder.com when they're ready.

Henry's Cats - Zeus

Zeus -photo added later, is a cool cat. He's a bigger cat, a grey short haired tabby. He is so affectionate, Kally was rubbing his belly as he rolled over in his trap, welcoming his hand. She said when she's petting a cat 3 traps down, he's already startig to purr. Zeus is going to Mike's. One of CatVando's volunteers. His cat recently died. Sweetie, a 2 year old we'd recently gotten went home with Mike last weekend. She's a great companion and appropriately named. She loves affection. She came from the yard of a feeder, Paula, who couldn't take her in - Paula's cat attacked her each of the 5 times she tried bringing her in. We think Zeus will make her a good companion for when Mike's gone and Mike and Sweetie will provide Zeus a nice life. Zeus has an ear infection. He needs medication for the next two weeks. If he's friendly and outgoing enough to be loose in an apartment, he'll be going to Mike's early this week where he can be given his meds

Henry's Cats - Transport & Clinic Pick Up

Here are a few of the little Greek Gods and Goddesses. After we dropped the 7 off at clinic, we picked up the other three and took them to TAILS at DeKalb. What a great Shelter with wonderful staff. We met Adrianne, who did intake and held them for Janet to pick up later. They all got some water and food for the wait. We had lunch and headed back in time to pick up the cats at Treehouse. Treehouse is a wonderful place. Their staff, policies and the way they treat their animals is akin to our work. Each cat is not only vaccinated, steralized, treated for parasites, mites and fleas, they're given an exam. We received the reports on our 7 Gods and Goddesses. All but two suffered the effects of stress with alopecia, hair loss. They had patches of very thin hair. Two had periodontal disease. One, Ilsa, Henry's pet cat that he wants back, needs all her teeth extracted. Another needs 4 extractions. The vet, Dr. Rebecca Levy, was able to pull a tooth out with her fingers it was so loose. Many had bite wounds at their back ends. We took 5 cats back to Kallie's and 2 to Ellen's to be transported to Sue's the next morning. We gave them food, water and made them as comfortable as possible in the traps. Fenini called to say she had a place for 3 cats. Fenini and a neighbor have been long term animal people, usually working with dogs, but the neighbor has agreed to take 3 of the cats. We need money to help pay for dental work. Henry doesn't have it for Ilsa and we don't have it for the other one. Over the last 24 hours, 3 cats have had a URI outbreak. Meds are needed. URI is based on a virus that is always there, it resurfaces when stressed. being in traps and out of their element is a stresser. The virus is present in the house and in every cat. They're weakened to it until their immune system is built. Money is also needed for immune boosters in additon to food. We've called our vet and will be finding out about cost of dental work on Monday when our account manager comes in. We love our vet. Without our Vet, we wouldn't be able to care for as many cats as we do If you can spare $10 or $100 - we could use it - everything helps. - THANKS

Henry's Cats - Five to go ????

Thursday morning started at 6am. I was up late talking to Meg, a long time trapper who's experience and intuition I trust. I'd called her when I got home to see if there was any thing else I could have done to get mom. She concurred, we tried everything we could. I was tired but got up quickly, knowing we still didn't have homes for 5 of the 10 cats we'd trapped. Still hoping for a miracle, otherwise we wouldn't have scheduled them for their surgeries, but thinking I'd have to make a decision within a couple of hours. Which cats were going to be killed. Kallie named the cats. It was hard for her. Naming anything brings attachment. She knew 5 of them didn't have any place to go. When I dropped her off, her job was to write the trap labels with names and descriptions - a necessary part of clinic. She named them all after greek gods and goddesses. I picked Kallie and the 2 cats up and we drove to the apartment. It was dark both inside and out. It was time. A decision had to be made. It was mine to make. I wouldn't put that on anyone. I couldn't believe I was having to make that decision. I'm not cut out for this. I know someone has to do it and that our presence with these cats made a good difference in many of their lives but overall - I'll never work a house with multiple cats again. I rarely say never because you just never know but in this case, I know. I respect and deeply appreciate those that do it. Because of the work involved, not the trapping, that's nothing. It's the emotional toll, the outreach to find homes, the expense trying to help medically and the moneys that need to be donated to places that take them but mostly because some of the cats are so sick that there isn't enough money to pay to help them get well or just plain because there is no place for them and they have to be put to death. All cats cannot be saved. No Kill is a myth. No Kill shelters get full, easily. Many are like sanctuaries that adopt. They can't take in any more cats than they have room for so there is no such thing as No Kill. I'm not justifying my actions. The decision I was going to have to make. What I would like to do is make you understand, the you that will condem us forever because we 'killed cats'....... You take them. You do something other than cast stones. Understand. Understand that as horrible as it is, it's a decision that has to be made and don't condom those people who are willing to make that decision..... In the case of hoarders, we had it easy in that Henry's.. It stunk but we didn't have to walk in feces. Think of the houses you hear about that have carpets of fecal matter to walk through in addition to the smell. People who help the cats of hoarders are special. So, there we were, standing over the 10 traps. It was time. Our hearts were in our throats, tears were close, sometimes filling over. The cats were quiet. We'd left them a small amount of food that they hadn't touched. We picked the 3 cats going to TAILS by the amount of gook in their eyes or if they sneezed. Tails volunteered to take the sick ones. It was time. I picked one. Kallie named the cat Kalliopi, her name. She was in the other room. I called to her that I was renaming Kalliopi. She was the first one I picked. She was beautiful - a long haired silver grey tabby like Lynx and Sister Mary Francesca but she was the most skiddish when being trapped and seemingly unlikely for socialization. I picked 2 more, not as sure about their decision. The phone rang. Fenini, who I'd re-called the previous day, called. It was 8am - it was a miracle. Who calls someone they hardly know at 8am? It was a miracle. She thought she could find a home for the 5 cats. She talked about more, about a newspaper reporter doing an article on ferals in their neighborhood, and more but I was only half listening - WE DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL THE CATS! Oh my God. Kallie and I hugged and cried. We attached their labels, removed the food and water bowls and loaded Sue's car - thank you for lending us your vehicle Sue - and we were off to Treehouse. We were about 1/2 hour late but we were there and all the cats were coming back with us. You can imagine our joy.

Henry's Cats - 2nd Trapping

On Wednesday, Jan 13, at 1pm, Kallie & I met at Henry's to trap 10 cats. Kallie got there first and found out the news of the new kittens, born Sunday. There were 2 out of 4 left. One or more cats killed the first two. Henry said they were pretty bloody. The other two, tiny little things, look like they're going to be long hair grey tabbies. They were in the corner in a Friskies 48 cans box in the corner. They have rudolph noses, mouths and butts - could be sick. We set up the traps and got 8 cats within about 20 minutes. One of the traps got triggered with no cats and the other we were saving for the new mom. We'd put the kitties into a carrier with the trap in front of it with a sheet over the trap and carrier - the idea being that mom would only be able to get to the kittens by going through and into the trap. 8 hours later, we still hadn't gotten mom. We weren't sure which cat was the mom. We tried to identify her. We tried many things during the hours we were there. We left the trap in front of the carrier for a couple of hours then were concerned that the babies weren't getting nurished so we took it away. Several times during the day, Kallie and I sat in the car in the driveway while waiting for things to normalize hoping to catch mom. At one point, Henry was sitting next to the trap and when mom entered, he was to close the door. He did. Unfortunately, he didn't close it properly and mom burst through the door. Cats can be pretty strong when they're panic stricken. We tried putting a long rope through carrier tied to the door while we waited for her to enter so we could pull the door closed and run to fasten the lock... Didn't work either. We found a place for mom and the kittens. Safe Harbor agreed to take them. Best with mom but even without. They are great with bottle babies. We had to get them there by 6pm and they were about an hour away. We were still trying for mom. The delima was, leaving the kittens in a house where they were being killed. Henry's house can be divided. At one point, we thought we had all the cats but the one we suspected being mom in the living area with the rest being locked in the basement. Henry lives in a tri level with a finished basement. We had a trap set for mom near the kittens. Kallie and I went to the car. When we came back in Henry said, 'There are about 3 cats running around up here!' We ended up using the two unfilled traps to catch two more cats for TNR at Treehouse the next day. We were pretty sure the mom was one of the two young grey tabbies. We checked the cats in the traps from the bottom and couldn't see any swollen milk glands. At some point in the afternoon, we took the 8 cats we had in traps to an empty apartment Kallie's mom owns near Fullerton & Laramie. It's closer to Treehouse near North Ave & Ashland and more convient for the morning. We had to be there by 8:30 am Thursday. At one point, we put canned food in the basement at a point where we could see the feeding cats through a window. We saw cats we hadn't seen but knew there were more hiding. There are 2 cats that Henry's described, a white one with black spots and a brown one. One of the cats looked like it had bald or light spots but it didn't look like ringworm. We left Henry's at about 8:45pm with the remaining 2 traps now with cats. Kallie agreed to keep them in the basement for the night so we didn't have to drive all the way in the city. I got home about 10:30pm. We found homes for 5 of the 10 cats we had in traps. Jane, a TNRer in DeKalb was going to take 3 of the sick cats, one's with URI's to access for sociability. Adrianne and Jenny at Tails made the arrangements. When the cats are socialized, they will adopt them out. That's if they're socializable. If not, they'll go the way of many cats too scared to socialize. They'll be killed but they will at least have a chance. We have 5 cats with no place to go. WE NEED HOMES FOR 5 CATS. Plus at least 8 cats left at Henry's. Cats are great companions, even those that can't be held and touched. We're hoping they'll go in 2's and 3's. They are family and the transition will be hard on them. They are stressed and have had lives abnormal to a cats natural surroundings. Separating them even further would be cruel too. They need each other. Please email us at catvandotnr@yahoo.com. DONATIONS ARE ALSO NEEDED to cover the cost of surgeries, vet care and meds, supplements and essences and food. THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU GENEROUS ENOUGH TO SHARE YOUR MONEY TO HELP THESE CATS AND KITTENS.

Henry's Cats The New Year

This post was typed on January 8th. Writing about this is harder every day. We've found no place for Henry's cats. Janet, Kallie & I have called numerous places in Cook and other Counties. We got a couple of bites, Tails in DeKalb offered to take the sick ones if they could handle them enough to test.... we don't know that they are. Some of the sick and healthy ones aren't touchable. House ferals. Six MIGHT be handlable, they came within about 10-20" of me when I was spoon feeding them canned food on the floor. But, we don't know how touchable they truely are. If we don't find places for them by Thursday, instead of being having their surgeries and shots, they will be killed. I know you're gasping as you should with such horrible news. That's what we've been doing since we took this on. It's a deep grasp; one that grips the heart and gut and stays there. It's been growing and tightening since this whole thing began. Knowing that we have the responsibility for cats no one wants and we have no place for. Shelters, fosters and individuals are full of cats no one wants or can have. Cats that are shy or may only be residents vs interactive members of the family, are even harder to find homes for. If you want to help and save some cats from being killed. Allow one or two of them your home or get a friend to share their home. That's the only thing that will save them from being killed because there's no place for them. BE SMART. Don't become a hoarder yourself. One of the issues involved in rescue is the tenancy to help when you see need and when it comes to animals, many people that start out helping, end up hoarding. They are sensitive to the needs of animals needing home or medical attention and it's hard to see animals killed or go uncared for. Hoarding isn't good for anyone, the caregiver, who's unable to care for them or themselves properly, and the animals. Overcrowding isn't natural to animals and they're stressed by it. This is incredibly difficult. It's weighed on all our minds, Kallie, Janet, Zarema, Sue and others who are involved in the project. Henry needs the cats gone. He's keeping 3-5 cats but the rest need homes. Knowing that the only thing I can do is kill them is killing us. It hangs over our heads and hearts. So many cats with no where to go. None of the people and shelters we've called have been able to provide homes, temporary or permanent. So far, Sue has agreed to foster and access two of them. She'll be moving soon so this home is only temporary. Last week Kallie and I went in for another assessment. We were suppose to be trapping but due to a scheduling snafu, we did another assessment. Henry'd gotten a new phone. The cats ate through the wires. He asked when the cats would be going. He's tired and he has no life. He cleans litter pans several times a day. He spends money he doesn't have on food. He pays $240 a day to keep his wife in the home. He still has hopes she's coming home. Maybe she can and they can both have a caregiver but not the way the house is now. Too many cats in the house. The remaining kitties we took from the house last month, Peter, Paul and Sister Mary Francesca, Isabelle and Lynx are all doing great. Their coats are thickening, they are playing like happy kitties should and they're getting more affectionate every day. Well, except for Sister Mary Franchesca. She's going to join Lynx (and Tigger from the VA) at Megan and A's wonderful fosters of the best kind. They love, cuddle and help them get ready for their new families and they let them go when they're ready. Many of our fosters fall in love with the kitties and wonderfully, the kitties have a good home but yuck, we loose a good foster home! Lynx, a sibling or cousin of Sister Mary, is now wonderfully friendly and very relaxed. He's ready for adoption and will be on http://petfinder.com soon as will Paul, Peter and Isabelle. Paul's eye continues to change, for the better, we hope. He's going to Visionary Vet on Friday, 1/15. . He's sweet as the dickins, playful and getting to be quite handsome. Peter is continuing to run but can be held for longer periods without squirming or wanting to bolt and he sure does like to play. Sister Mary is beautiful but still very shy. She'll play but forget any pets or hugs. Isabelle's recovery was miraculous. She went from a severe URI to cool (which is what happened to the others before they died) to recovery and lots of play and lovin'. We give them all good food and plenty of immune building supplements in addition to a flower essence blend for stress, changes and to release trauma, old and new. TO THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE SENT DONATIONS - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WITHOUT YOUR HELP, WE COULDN'T DO WHAT WE'RE DOING.