My family is healing from the loss of our mother and we've finally listed her house for sale. One would think it would be smooth sailing from here on in, but there are always things needing my attention. Some of the most recent things were a mama cat and 3 kittens. I previously shared the story of Misty, a fostered mama cat, being lost in Columbus and when I was traveling there to work on Mom's house, I stopped in the neighborhood where she was accidently let go and searched for her. I talked to people and left my name and phone number with many of them, but never heard anything from anyone. As much as I hate giving up on any animal that needs help, I've had to move on and tell myself Misty was probably taken in by some kind person.
I didn't have to wait long for the opportunity to help another group of kitties though. On July 4th, my neighbor found 2 yellow and white kittens that had been abandoned in the corn field between our homes. He brought them to me of course, and I admit they're cute as can be. I've named them Amy and Andy. They've been vet checked and pronounced healthy. They were spayed and neutered on August 5th - I needed to wait until they weighed at least three pounds - and they're ready for adoption. I've learned a big lesson about letting cats or kittens leave here without being spayed/neutered. Misty's new owner had assured me she would immediately have the mama cat spayed, but instead she allowed Misty to get away from her and for whatever reason, didn't find her - I suspect she didn't try looking too hard. Misty was probably frightened and hiding. I wouldn't have given up the search had I been the one who let her go, but then, that's just me.
The two new kittens are thriving but apparently, that wasn't enough to care for, and I received a call from another neighbor a few weeks ago. She asked if one of my cats had gotten loose, and I assured her mine were all safe in the barn. She told me of a cat that had taken up residence on the deck of an elderly neighbor's house and the lady was afraid the cat would trip her, so she called her son to come and shoot it. Yes, shoot it. Though I'd not met her, I was prepared to dislike this woman, but when I went to see about the cat, I found a kind women with health issues who seemed to be at her wits end about what to do with the cat. With tears in her eyes, she said she knew shooting him wasn't a good thing, but she didn't know what else to do or to whom she could turn for help. I brought the cat home, of course, and Glenn named him Charlie. He's now been vet checked and neutered. He's a bit on the thin side but very friendly and just needs some TLC.
One night last week as I left the barn after tending cats, I heard a cat frantically crying and looked up to see a small orange and brown tabby coming out of the corn field and staggering across my driveway. He was falling over after every few steps he took. Cautiously, I scooped him up and placed him in a cage in the barn, but outside the cat rooms. The vet was able to see him the next morning and we learned he had a raging inner ear infection (thus the balance issues) and 3 kinds of parasites. He was a bit of a mess, but as often happens, he had instinctively known where to come for help. My former vet used to tell me cats had a network and told each other where to go for food and TLC. I now believe that's true.
Buddy (the brown and orange tabby) has joined the fold. He was neutered last week and has completed his rounds of antibiotics and medicine to remove all parasites. He's super friendly and is doing fine with the kittens and with Charlie. To my great relief, the new cats and kittens are healthy, well-socialized, and consistently use the litter boxes. Now to begin finding homes for these furry ones.....who am I kidding? These new fur babies will be staying here too. The neighboring farms have all the cats they can handle and these guys are happy and safe with me. It's always something around here.
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