Peter, Paul & Z, Henry's Cats

We pulled (took the kittens to their new temporary home) the kittens on our 4^th visit there. On our 3^rd visit, Henry said he found a dead kitten (a 3 week old) in the hall. He reached into a closet and took out plastic bag that contained the dead kitten. It was in a state of decay. He said he use to bury them but can’t anymore – he’s tired and weakened by 89 years of a hard life. Remember, his wife, the woman who brought the cats in, was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s , for years before she went into a care center. We took the cat. Put it into the trunk and buried it. The smell stays in your nose for hours. On our second visit, in addition to extra litter boxes and water bowls, we brought cat toys. Most didn’t know what to do with them.

There are 3 remaining kittens , born Nov 5, who are staying until they’re are 8 weeks old. We’d pull them but there’s no place for them and the mom to go. Sad, it’s a sick house. Not just because of the urine but because of what has to be, dead cats in the walls. Cats often go to dark secluded places to die. We’ve seen them enter through a crawl space. Not to mention the Herpes /URI infections that effects the entire household. But there’s no place to go. Which is the real reason most people don’t want to deal with hoarders. Because there’s no place for the cats to go. Because some of the cats have to be killed as a result. Because we’re in this to save cats, not kill them.

Someone wanted 7 cats, 2 for her and 5 for her friend. I told her about the relocation process and I haven’t heard back from her. I also asked if she might be willing to pay the clinic fee of $26 per cat……. Said it wasn’t mandatory – that we were appreciative she’d take the cats.

We’re applying to get some of them admitted to TreeHouse’s foster/adoption progra m. We’re waiting to hear from CatNap who said they’d help. Animal Care League said they didn’t have room.

The 11 kittens we pulled range in age between about 4 – 6 months. They’ve been with us for about 10 days and they already look much better. They’re putting weight on, their coats are getting a shine and their URI’s are clearing up.

Peter, Paul & Zee, three medium and short hair orange tabbies, soft as a cloud, have terrible eye problems. Peter is blind in his right eye due to a herpes infection that probably happened before they all opened their eyes. Peter has an active herpes ulcer that has eaten away his lense. We’re hoping the ointment will stop the infection and just leave him with a blind eye. Paul has inflammation of the cornea that could be due to genetics, infection or a tumor – we’ll find out next week. So far, their first office visit with the ophthalmologist including meds was $300……. They are sweet. Paul is the most friendly and playful. Z is really warming up. After meds tonight, during lovin time, he relaxed enough to stretch out on my his back so I could pet his belly.

Part of this is great – working with the kitties. Unfortunately, it’s such a small part.

Henry's Cats - Working With an Unintentional Hoarder

Not that we ever left. We have been here there and everywhere tho. The last few months, we've been busy doing TNR, kittens, fundraising, TNR, adoptions, kittens, education, conflict resolution, kittens, TNR, supportive care for seniors, a couple of fund raising and networking parties (our Party Like A Feral was a great hit - watch for it net October in honor of National Feral Cat Day) and now, our first hoarder. It's our hoarder that prompts our revisiting this blog - both as an educational exercise and because it's the face of something rarely addressed by those in rescue because it's ugly and difficult. Not many people want to do it. Many times, with no where to go, cats have to be euthanized. Over the course of the next couple of months, we hope to keep you updated about what actually happens when people have too many cats and are too old to care for them. Our hoarder is a lovely 89 year old man. An unintentional hoarder, with about 30 cats. It started when his wife brought in a number of cats she'd been feeding in the driveway. She's been in a facility for people with Alzheimer's for about a year. When they just had six, Henry (name fictionalized) took them into the vet, one by one. There were 5 females and 1 male. He had the male neutered. Apparently, one of the females was pregnant or he picked up the same cat twice because now there are about 30 cats, not including those that died along the way, to be buried or (I suspect) have died in the crawl space between the walls I've seen them enter. Henry knows he can't do this any more. He called his township, who'd just gotten one of our flyers, and they called us. On our initial assessment, we saw about 7 young cats between the ages 4-6 months old. They were friendly, a few to us and all to Henry. As we sat talking at the kitchen table, they surrounded him. He loves his cats. The house wreaked of urine and spray and something deeper. The house was clean and clear of clutter but any small appliances on the kitchen counter were urine rusted. There was no finish on the lower kitchen cabinets caused by the spray and urine. All furniture was shredded. The carpeting held stains from urine and fecal matter, tho none was observed in the body of the house There was some poop in the basement but considering he only had two litter boxes, the off box poop was limited to a few poops here and there. He cleans the boxes several times a day. The odor hits like a brick wall, then subsides but we can only stay about an hour at a time because then it hits the chest. It's amazing Henry's survived. Most of the cats had Upper Respiratory Infections. A couple had something wrong with their eyeballs (more on that later). There was also a mom with 4 kittens about 2 weeks old in a closet. Our next visit, we brought a number of litter boxes and water bowls and meds for the URI's to be added to their canned food. We were hoping to stage their improved health and slow removal at his house while we found foster homes and places for the feral types at his house. Not so. He called that night to say he couldn't do it. We went in the next day and removed 11 kittens ages 4-6 months old. We left the mom and the 3 week old kittens because we couldn't access them, they'd been moved from the closet, and we left the feral types until we can find a solution, one that rarely exists because there is no place for the cats. We're still looking for a solution and getting medical care, foster homes, adoptors while socializing the kittens. No one likes working with hoarders, it makes TNR look like a walk in the park. More tomorrow.............

Whew and News!

Cat Nap from the Heart of La Grange took all our 'delivered' kitties. 9 beautiful egyptian looking kittens and 2 beautiful mama's. If you're looking for a kitten that's georgeous, sleek and with that look.... Visit CatNap in LaGrange. And, Katrinka, the beautiful Seal Point with striped wiskers, visit Animal Care League of Oak Park, she'll be there on Thursday. We went trapping for a mama (already pregnant) and her 3 little cuties today. Mama moved them so we're starting over. We'll keep you posted! This is Nicki and her kits, Gracie & Cookie. They are all friendly and just waiting for a new home. Give us a call! They also need a sponsor! We got 2 more calls for TNR today. One from a woman who feeds cats about 15 minutes from her home. She's wonderful, she's been taking care of cats since 1991. We TNR'd 8 of these cats last year. One, a white one, was illusive, sometimes there, sometimes not and we didn't get them. She's been attempting for a couple of months, with no luck. The CM talked to a woman who feeds down the block and apparently, the white cat is usually there - along with a few more. They will be TNR'd next week, the 5 kittens from 2 different mom's may come here or go to another rescue who specializes more in adoptions. We like them! The other from a woman north of here who has 3 plus cats and kittens. She and her neighbor share feeding. We're conference calling tomorrow so we can give info to both, saving time! We love people who love their yard cats and who understand the importance of TNR!!!!!

Donate Part of Your Yard Sale Proceeds!

Last year, Jennifer Wolfe of Wolfe Photography in Forest Park donated part of the proceeds of her garage sale to CatVando. Thanks again, Jennifer! This year, think of us when you're having your garage sale. Or if you just want to make a donation, we could really use it. A growing number of our TNR's depend on funding from CatVando. With the increase in Strays and kittens, we're really stretched. Thanks to Chicagoland Stray Cats for their generous donation of $200. It paid for Katrina and 3 of the 2118 Colony cats last week and will cover another 3 this week. 2118 is an example of what we run into. 2118 is comprised of cats that have been multiplying in a house for years, decades, actually. Grandma had cats and kitties too. Every once in awhile, when there were too many in the house they'd open the door or call Animal Control. When Mom died, Daughter let the cats out, unsterilized. Shortly after the cats were left out, she left. So, the cats have been put out with no food. Numbers are unknown. These cats are in an area where 90% of the cats have been TNR'd. It's an area about 4 blocks long and 2 blocks wide. In 2005-6 about 70 cats were TNR'd. Now there are about 30 in that same area - plus the new ones. I've been feeding since I found out, hoping the cats won't spread and can be TNR'd on the spot. The 3 so far were male. When there, I've seen 2 others, both pregnant. Neighbors said, there are a lot of cats but couldn't give actual numbers. We'll be working to round them up with food and trapping for a couple, three weeks or more, then, they will be one of CatVando's sponsored colonies until we can find someone to sponsor them. We'll keep you posted on numbers. Remember, think of us next time you have a barbecue, birthday party, any time people are gathered! We'd love to provide you with a donation jar all about our mission and work at CatVando. We'd be happy to provide a receipt and would love to post your donation on our Blog! Yes We Can - we can ride through these tough economic times and come out the other end better for it! Let work together to solve today's problems.

Today's New Kitties

These babies are new today. Someone delivered them and their friends, another mom with kittens all black or black and white. They're all skinny and a bit scared but friendly. A little good food, some good supplements, and they'll be ready to roll. Actually, they're ready now. We'd let these babies go with a deposit to assure return for spay or neuter and suggestions for proper nutrition to assure a healthy life. They're not even named yet! Mama needs a home too. Someone had to give up their cats and their kittens. You can tell, aside from food, these cats had a lot of love.

More and better photos of both soon.

The advent of new kitties is stretching our coffers! We need donations to cover the cost of these kitties. They all need not just food and supplements, but, deworming, flea treatment, spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping - then there's the extra litter and laundry. Oh my! 12 more mouths to feed!

Katrinka is looking for a home.

Here's the beautiful Katrinka. She's a special kitty with quite a history in her short years. We're guessing about 2-3 years old. She was stuck in the attic of a Colony Manager in Maywood. A woman who is the only feeder in an area heavily infested with strays and ferals and gets lots of cats her way. CatVando subsidies her with occassional food and pays for her TNR's. Katrinka spent about a month between her walls before she had to tear a wall open to let her out. She was very skinny. Then suddenly, after she started putting on some weight, she was pregnant. She had 5 little ones in her before last Tuesday. She's very sweet. Kim, I and Darrion fell in love with her right away. At this point, she LOVES being pet but not so much being held. Marci and Animal Care League said she'd never seen striped wiskers like she has. With beautiful light blue eyes, she's listed as a Seal Point. She's part Siamese but doesn't have the yowl of the breed. Not a great pic - will try for better another time. It doesn't show her color, her wiskers or her beautiful blue eyes. She's ready for adoption now. Next Thursday, Animal Care League is taking her to include in their adoption. If you want her, she's ready! Her fee is $75, which includes, spay, distemper & rabies, microchip and she's even ear tipped! If you'd like to come by and see her, give us a call 708 829 6013.

Another Day, Another Surprise

In the world of TNR, things change daily. We work with street cats. We work in an area effected by the economy, who's population is has been effected by the economy long before the effects were felt by others. First, the number of strays, then today, 9 kittens and 2 mama's dropped at our doorstep. Zowza. We can't take in that many kittens without being overloaded. So, in our usual, 'figure it out' manner, we're hoping to enact our foster home in senior residence plan. We'll keep you posted Our Spruce Up continues! Today, Barbara Cole of Maywood Youth Mentoring brought Darrion, David and Kequanis all about 15 years old, to work on CatVando projects. We had a lot of fun with lots o' learning. We moved things around, cleaned traps and carriers, took apart and cleaned the hairy fan. They love the cats - get a bit exuberant but they're learning. Darrion has a great way with animals. He's interested in becoming an animal behaviorist and has already started reading a book he borrowed 'The Cat Who Cried Wolf". So far, Darrion is coming back tomorrow. Kequanis is a good worker and an excellent entertainer, his ability to change his voice and his love of the mike, coupled with his willingness to work is wonderful. David, the newby of the group, adjusted to things pretty well. He's a watchful boy. He steps in slowly. Initially cautious with Bella, our wonderful Belgian German Shephard mix soon won him over and he's the one who took the fan apart, got rid of the hair and cleaned the fan and grill. They really did a lot to help cats today. The Spruce Up Continues! Maywood Youth Mentoring is bringing over kids and their mentors to work on some special projects. The rack is going to be finished. A roof is going to be built and concrete is going to be laid to accomodate the Aftercare Rack. Going to be another big weekend - if you have some extra time, stop by, we can always use the help! Saturday 10-3pm. And/Or, bring food - hungry teenagers need lots of fuel! And Kequanis, who also does lay down on the job