Kitten shot!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Nueve (Now Footnote) checking in!
I nabbed this photo of Footnote (who was "Nueve" here at The Owl House, rescued by Debra), from Facebook. She's all grown up!
Kitten shot!
Kitten shot!
Monday, June 13, 2016
Basil
We have a new kitty here. Basil was supposed to be a quick visitor. From a feral colony in Waverly, he was supposed to just get a neuter, shots, worming, and flea/earmite treatment, and head home.
Unfortunately he had a half-healing injury so off to the veterinarian he went:
He seems to enjoy being petted, although he doesn't look for it. When I put his wet food in front of him in the cage, he immediately eats it. Most feral cats will wait until the threat (me) is gone--or at least has moved across the room--before eating. Because he has to stay here until that wound is entirely healed, I went ahead and had him FeLV/FIV tested (negative!) in case he tames up while he is visiting. While it's likely he doesn't have an owner given that he's at least two years old and unneutered, we'll report him as found to Stray Haven, and perhaps he'll find a new home where he doesn't have to worry about fight wounds in the future.
Unfortunately he had a half-healing injury so off to the veterinarian he went:
He seems to enjoy being petted, although he doesn't look for it. When I put his wet food in front of him in the cage, he immediately eats it. Most feral cats will wait until the threat (me) is gone--or at least has moved across the room--before eating. Because he has to stay here until that wound is entirely healed, I went ahead and had him FeLV/FIV tested (negative!) in case he tames up while he is visiting. While it's likely he doesn't have an owner given that he's at least two years old and unneutered, we'll report him as found to Stray Haven, and perhaps he'll find a new home where he doesn't have to worry about fight wounds in the future.
Robin gets a home!
After almost a year and a half, sweet Robin has come out of his shell and has found a home. All three of the kittens from under a mobile home nearby grew up very shy. Gremlin (the tiger) will probably remain here in my house as a pet, as he has high matting fur and is quite shy (but loves other cats so give Oliver someone to play with). Valentine, the white cat, also has coat issues, but I'm working on her because, since she is so beautiful, she is highly adoptable if only she would permit more combing.
Robin has always been the most brave of the three, and doesn't it figure he loves combing? And doesn't really need it? With his rakish tilted ear, his new guardian fell in love with his photo on-line and waited months while I was traveling and she was moving to a new apartment, to adopt him.
I dropped him off yesterday and I'm sure they thought I was a crazy person. As with most old apartments, there were corners in a closet where the sheetrock did not meet with a large gap behind, where a determined cat could rip and tear. I taped those over "just in case." Robin isn't a rip-and-tear-type cat, but then he's never been in a rip-and-tear situation before. They also have a knee-wall door that has no latch, so we pushed a heavy object in front of it and they promised to arrange for a latch, since Robin could enter the house walls there. They were surprisingly tolerant of my paranoia. It's just went cats are far away, it's hard for me to help when problems occur. And they have occurred in the past.
Surprisingly, while Robin was quite scared, he was still very interested in treats. Normally a shy cat just wants to be left alone when relocated to a strange place, but he still loved his crunchies. Late last night (his first night in his new home) I got a text with Robin playing with a feather toy!
While his "safe room" had the tiny wall gaps I mentioned, the rest the apartment is secure, small, and quite cute. I think he's going to be a happy cat!
Robin has always been the most brave of the three, and doesn't it figure he loves combing? And doesn't really need it? With his rakish tilted ear, his new guardian fell in love with his photo on-line and waited months while I was traveling and she was moving to a new apartment, to adopt him.
I dropped him off yesterday and I'm sure they thought I was a crazy person. As with most old apartments, there were corners in a closet where the sheetrock did not meet with a large gap behind, where a determined cat could rip and tear. I taped those over "just in case." Robin isn't a rip-and-tear-type cat, but then he's never been in a rip-and-tear situation before. They also have a knee-wall door that has no latch, so we pushed a heavy object in front of it and they promised to arrange for a latch, since Robin could enter the house walls there. They were surprisingly tolerant of my paranoia. It's just went cats are far away, it's hard for me to help when problems occur. And they have occurred in the past.
Surprisingly, while Robin was quite scared, he was still very interested in treats. Normally a shy cat just wants to be left alone when relocated to a strange place, but he still loved his crunchies. Late last night (his first night in his new home) I got a text with Robin playing with a feather toy!
While his "safe room" had the tiny wall gaps I mentioned, the rest the apartment is secure, small, and quite cute. I think he's going to be a happy cat!
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Clark Kent, Tuxie and "Waverly On the Hill"
A couple of months ago, Debra caught a cat that was doing OK on the street, but deserved something better. A big black feral tom, he had a twisted back leg that he sometimes used, and sometimes held up. He was holding his own, but clearly needed help. She caught him and brought him to The Owl House, and he was neutered at the SPCA of TC. The veterinarian there said he had an old break in his hind leg that was fused.
Clark is actually fairly friendly. He likes being scritched on his forehead and under his chin, and he meows for his wet food. But he will hiss and smack when only mildly startled, and he won't allow himself to be picked up.
In the old days, an injured non-social cat like Clark would have been put down without a thought, and in those old days, rightly so, since outdoor cats in many circumstances didn't get the care they do now. Clarke came back here for cage rest, to get weight on, get fleas and mites off, and see if his leg needed any more healing time. He was in a big two-level cage so he could stretch and move around.
Clark was supposed to go back to his original site, but Debra was concerned that there was too much cat competition at that particular location for a gimpy cat. So she decided to relocate Clark to a relative's house in the country, which had a couple of cats already that seemed to get along very well. There was a big garage to get out of the weather, and the cats were fed and watched over daily. So Clark and the two-level cage went off to the hills of Waverly, so he could be soft-released.
A soft-release (in wildlife rehab terms) means holding an animal in a cage right in their new habitat for a number of weeks, and then quietly leaving the door open so they can leave on their own terms, and even come back to the cage to eat and drink if they wish. Relocation of cats is never the best first-resort, since only about 60% of them "stick" at their new home. Luckily Clark was one of the 60%, probably because he had so much human contact at his original location.
Debra bought him a comfy bed, and he enjoys cuddling up in it on one of the garage shelves when he isn't exploring his new deck and lawn.
However there were a couple of cats at that location that weren't yet sterilized as well! So Debra set some traps and brought little Tuxie to the Owl House. She was spayed at the SPCA of Tompkins County and stayed with me for a couple of weeks before returning home entirely healed.
There is still one male left to get sterilized, but oddly enough, even though he is still a tom, he is getting along with Clark.
I can't thank to SPCA of TC enough for the spay/neuter spots. While they have to do their own residents, and other shelters with a great need than the Owl House, first, they do try to fit us in whenever possible. It's a haul to get over there and back twice a day, but with gas prices as cheap as they are, it would be absurd to complain. If I take three cats to the SPCA, I save almost $150 to $200 dollars even when the SPCA charges me their full price. When they have discounted spots, or if I am helping a person on state assistance, it can even be free or just a buck. I don't know for certain until I pick the cat up, so I come with money in hand, but it's nice to get a free "fix" and be able to stop by the store on the way home for more canned and dry food with the money saved, or be able to call up another person and say "catch that cat, we've got money!"
Now the summer has hit and there will be more kittens and pregnant moms, there will be fewer female spots available. But wow, what a huge help over the winter!
Clark is actually fairly friendly. He likes being scritched on his forehead and under his chin, and he meows for his wet food. But he will hiss and smack when only mildly startled, and he won't allow himself to be picked up.
In the old days, an injured non-social cat like Clark would have been put down without a thought, and in those old days, rightly so, since outdoor cats in many circumstances didn't get the care they do now. Clarke came back here for cage rest, to get weight on, get fleas and mites off, and see if his leg needed any more healing time. He was in a big two-level cage so he could stretch and move around.
Clark was supposed to go back to his original site, but Debra was concerned that there was too much cat competition at that particular location for a gimpy cat. So she decided to relocate Clark to a relative's house in the country, which had a couple of cats already that seemed to get along very well. There was a big garage to get out of the weather, and the cats were fed and watched over daily. So Clark and the two-level cage went off to the hills of Waverly, so he could be soft-released.
A soft-release (in wildlife rehab terms) means holding an animal in a cage right in their new habitat for a number of weeks, and then quietly leaving the door open so they can leave on their own terms, and even come back to the cage to eat and drink if they wish. Relocation of cats is never the best first-resort, since only about 60% of them "stick" at their new home. Luckily Clark was one of the 60%, probably because he had so much human contact at his original location.
Debra bought him a comfy bed, and he enjoys cuddling up in it on one of the garage shelves when he isn't exploring his new deck and lawn.
However there were a couple of cats at that location that weren't yet sterilized as well! So Debra set some traps and brought little Tuxie to the Owl House. She was spayed at the SPCA of Tompkins County and stayed with me for a couple of weeks before returning home entirely healed.
There is still one male left to get sterilized, but oddly enough, even though he is still a tom, he is getting along with Clark.
I can't thank to SPCA of TC enough for the spay/neuter spots. While they have to do their own residents, and other shelters with a great need than the Owl House, first, they do try to fit us in whenever possible. It's a haul to get over there and back twice a day, but with gas prices as cheap as they are, it would be absurd to complain. If I take three cats to the SPCA, I save almost $150 to $200 dollars even when the SPCA charges me their full price. When they have discounted spots, or if I am helping a person on state assistance, it can even be free or just a buck. I don't know for certain until I pick the cat up, so I come with money in hand, but it's nice to get a free "fix" and be able to stop by the store on the way home for more canned and dry food with the money saved, or be able to call up another person and say "catch that cat, we've got money!"
Now the summer has hit and there will be more kittens and pregnant moms, there will be fewer female spots available. But wow, what a huge help over the winter!
Another seriously belated "thanks!" A cozy cat house for Buster
Sharyn in New Hampshire notice my posts about Buster, the feral who showed up this winter, and my concerns about keeping him warm. She had a heated kitty house, which she shipped off to us.
The house cats were intrigued:
By this time, Buster had broken into the basement. When I first discovered he was sneaking in a gap near the oil-intake pipe, I was quite proud of my initiative in immediately repairing it:
That didn't last long. Buster was not to be denied:
So the little heated house went into the basement (which was convenient because there are outlets down there, and it could stay dry) and Buster had a cozy and protected winter. Other than the day a fox decided to check things out:
I guess I scared the fox enough (and she scared me!) that she didn't come back after that one visit. Now the bowls are up on a table.
If I can't get Buster convinced to move indoors, this microchip activated cat door will be next (and pricey) step. I'll need the more expensive one (the "dual scan") because apparently the cheaper one can be pulled open by little raccoon fingers. I have just been lucky so far that a short-legged little skunk hasn't tumbled down into the basement rather than a long-legged fox who can leap back out.
Thank you, Sharyn, for the house!!! It's a wonderful little thing and it kept me from having nightmares that he was shivering down there all winter. With the gap in the window where he went in and out, it wasn't exactly warm down there.
The house cats were intrigued:
By this time, Buster had broken into the basement. When I first discovered he was sneaking in a gap near the oil-intake pipe, I was quite proud of my initiative in immediately repairing it:
That didn't last long. Buster was not to be denied:
So the little heated house went into the basement (which was convenient because there are outlets down there, and it could stay dry) and Buster had a cozy and protected winter. Other than the day a fox decided to check things out:
I guess I scared the fox enough (and she scared me!) that she didn't come back after that one visit. Now the bowls are up on a table.
If I can't get Buster convinced to move indoors, this microchip activated cat door will be next (and pricey) step. I'll need the more expensive one (the "dual scan") because apparently the cheaper one can be pulled open by little raccoon fingers. I have just been lucky so far that a short-legged little skunk hasn't tumbled down into the basement rather than a long-legged fox who can leap back out.
Thank you, Sharyn, for the house!!! It's a wonderful little thing and it kept me from having nightmares that he was shivering down there all winter. With the gap in the window where he went in and out, it wasn't exactly warm down there.
Buster wants "in"...but on his own terms
This was a cute moment this morning. I had moved the garbage can I keep kindling in around while trimming near the house and Buster-the-feral discovered he could request breakfast in person now. My bed is right next to the bow window, and I woke to an unfamiliar meow.
How sweet!
This was not so sweet. In fact, this ripped screen in the front room nearly gave me a heart attack as I frantically counted cats. Luckily they had all gathered for breakfast so it only took a moment to discover everyone was accounted for:
I can only guess that one of the cats was inside sitting on the cat window seat I have there, and Buster leaped up from the ground and the screen disintegrated under his claws as he fell back to the ground. My indoor cats apparently respect screens enough that they did not think to test this new gap.
I've been meaning to replace the nylon screens with aluminum one by one, but it was low on the financial priority list. Upstairs I have a second aluminum screen in each of the three windows that are open for double protection. I guess I'll need to pick up a few for the downstairs windows as well. Right now, they are closed, because I worry Buster will have a "go" at the other window as well.
I'd like to curse the material but, let's face it. These windows and the screen are probably 25 to 30 years old. With the sun beating on them in the summer evenings, it's no wonder they are weak.
So, disaster averted by merest luck!
I'd love to have Buster come inside nights, but he won't come near the door, and I can't leave it open. I may try shutting the other cats up in the great room when I feed them breakfast and start coaxing Buster closer and closer to the open front door with his morning wet food.
How sweet!
This was not so sweet. In fact, this ripped screen in the front room nearly gave me a heart attack as I frantically counted cats. Luckily they had all gathered for breakfast so it only took a moment to discover everyone was accounted for:
I can only guess that one of the cats was inside sitting on the cat window seat I have there, and Buster leaped up from the ground and the screen disintegrated under his claws as he fell back to the ground. My indoor cats apparently respect screens enough that they did not think to test this new gap.
I've been meaning to replace the nylon screens with aluminum one by one, but it was low on the financial priority list. Upstairs I have a second aluminum screen in each of the three windows that are open for double protection. I guess I'll need to pick up a few for the downstairs windows as well. Right now, they are closed, because I worry Buster will have a "go" at the other window as well.
I'd like to curse the material but, let's face it. These windows and the screen are probably 25 to 30 years old. With the sun beating on them in the summer evenings, it's no wonder they are weak.
So, disaster averted by merest luck!
I'd love to have Buster come inside nights, but he won't come near the door, and I can't leave it open. I may try shutting the other cats up in the great room when I feed them breakfast and start coaxing Buster closer and closer to the open front door with his morning wet food.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
"Rest in peace" is wrong. Christina Grimmie was 22
Just 22, before she was killed.
This is a video of her singing for an HSUS promo
This is a video of her singing for an HSUS promo
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Handling a new colony
Note: This is a post that has been sitting in draft for about a month! I have finally had time to complete it.
A few months ago I received a small personal-size envelope at my PO Box asking for help. A woman had had cats dropped off two summers ago and last year kittens had been born. She currently had 13 outdoor cats in various stages of approachability. These were not "community cats"...these were now her own cats, whom she had names, sheltered, and cared for. The cats needed to be spay/neutered. She was willing to help, but she couldn't shoulder the entire cost.
At the time I got her letter, I was over my head with cats who needed veterinary care. Rose (in her foster-to-adopt home) still needed follow-up blood work and her dental to remove an old root. Noah, a senior cat still her in our facility, badly needed a dental (and of course, blood work). Two cats had been adopted (Pierre and Dixie) and needed pre-adoption vet visits. Eve needed to be spayed. I couldn't see how I was going to squeeze 13 more spays and neuters into the rescue budget before more kittens were born in this woman's yard. The note sat on my counter for a couple of weeks before I finally picked up the phone and called her.
It took a supreme act of courage on my part, because once I speak to someone on the phone, I'm a goner. I do most of my initial correspondence by email. Sometimes I have to say "no" (or you'd find me featured on a hoarding TV show, or in bankruptcy court) and it's easier to offer people alternatives or a timeline via email.
As luck (and good will from Pam at the SPCA of TC) would have it, the SPCA of Tompkins County had spay/neuter spaces, and a grant that brought the cost down waaaaay low. They were able to give me spots in twos and threes. Without their help there is no way this location could have been handled so quickly.
The owner was willing to do the trapping for those cats who were too shy to be pushed into a cat crate, and even transport them here and pick them up. So off to work we went.
The first three caught were females (yay)! They were neat little ladies in their cages which was a big plus. There's nothing worse than dealing with trashed cages every morning when the cages are full of scared cats.
The second three were males and they were almost as neat as the ladies of their colony. The owner caught two more females trying to get the males, so those two stayed here at the Owl House in big cages, waiting for the next girl-spots to open up the following week. "Do not" I told the landowner "release ANY cats once you have caught them." Released cats can sometimes be difficult to catch again right away.
In addition to doing a lot of work, the owner also brought supplies for the cats and a donation as well. She is also going to send a donation to the SPCA of TC. I find that people often want to contribute to help solve a problem they find themselves in...they just can't afford it all in one swat. And 13 cats is a heck of a swat!
All this has meant a lot of driving:
Cats to and from the SPCA in the morning and again in the evening: 120 miles/day times five clinics (600 miles!)
Pierre to Syracuse to his new home: 128 miles
Dixie to PA to her new home: 110 miles
Rose to and from Sayre PA, four times x 60 for her dental visits: 240 miles
Not to mention the vet trips for Dixie, Rose, Solo, and Noah.
It's a good thing the Kitty Kia gets good mileage and the SPCA intakes clinic cats at 7:00 am and releases them after 6:00 pm so I could work around my job!
These cats also have a beautiful spot up on the hill. For privacy reasons I won't post the actual little house there.
The three final cats were not interested in going into the traps, but that's when we pull out the big gun: a drop trap.
The landowner caught all three hard-to-catch cats in the drop trap the first morning she used it. This is "Gimpy" the very last cat captured. Her owner thought she would actually be the easiest to catch, as she has a deformed from leg that causes her to limp. However it appears her disability has caused her to develop great survival skills, because she was the final holdout.
Basically I just did training, a lot of cage cleaning and swapping cats in and out of cages and traps, a lot of driving, and provided the equipment. The females stayed here for 7 days after surgery, as I prefer that females be entirely healed before release. The owner did the rest of the work. Is it any wonder I took advantage of this situation to train this highly competent woman to take care of the Owl House foster cats when I'm traveling? She had her first "go" at this last week, with my regular caretakers doing Friday and Monday, and she did the weekend. Everything went great.
Which just goes to show, good deeds sometimes work out just as well to the giver as it does for the one who asked for help. She has 13 fixed cats, and I got some wonderful interaction and help from the SPCA of Tompkins County, another caretaker for my cats when I travel, and maybe even someone to sit on the porch and gab with this summer, now and then.
There you go.
A few months ago I received a small personal-size envelope at my PO Box asking for help. A woman had had cats dropped off two summers ago and last year kittens had been born. She currently had 13 outdoor cats in various stages of approachability. These were not "community cats"...these were now her own cats, whom she had names, sheltered, and cared for. The cats needed to be spay/neutered. She was willing to help, but she couldn't shoulder the entire cost.
At the time I got her letter, I was over my head with cats who needed veterinary care. Rose (in her foster-to-adopt home) still needed follow-up blood work and her dental to remove an old root. Noah, a senior cat still her in our facility, badly needed a dental (and of course, blood work). Two cats had been adopted (Pierre and Dixie) and needed pre-adoption vet visits. Eve needed to be spayed. I couldn't see how I was going to squeeze 13 more spays and neuters into the rescue budget before more kittens were born in this woman's yard. The note sat on my counter for a couple of weeks before I finally picked up the phone and called her.
It took a supreme act of courage on my part, because once I speak to someone on the phone, I'm a goner. I do most of my initial correspondence by email. Sometimes I have to say "no" (or you'd find me featured on a hoarding TV show, or in bankruptcy court) and it's easier to offer people alternatives or a timeline via email.
As luck (and good will from Pam at the SPCA of TC) would have it, the SPCA of Tompkins County had spay/neuter spaces, and a grant that brought the cost down waaaaay low. They were able to give me spots in twos and threes. Without their help there is no way this location could have been handled so quickly.
The owner was willing to do the trapping for those cats who were too shy to be pushed into a cat crate, and even transport them here and pick them up. So off to work we went.
The first three caught were females (yay)! They were neat little ladies in their cages which was a big plus. There's nothing worse than dealing with trashed cages every morning when the cages are full of scared cats.
The second three were males and they were almost as neat as the ladies of their colony. The owner caught two more females trying to get the males, so those two stayed here at the Owl House in big cages, waiting for the next girl-spots to open up the following week. "Do not" I told the landowner "release ANY cats once you have caught them." Released cats can sometimes be difficult to catch again right away.
In addition to doing a lot of work, the owner also brought supplies for the cats and a donation as well. She is also going to send a donation to the SPCA of TC. I find that people often want to contribute to help solve a problem they find themselves in...they just can't afford it all in one swat. And 13 cats is a heck of a swat!
All this has meant a lot of driving:
Cats to and from the SPCA in the morning and again in the evening: 120 miles/day times five clinics (600 miles!)
Pierre to Syracuse to his new home: 128 miles
Dixie to PA to her new home: 110 miles
Rose to and from Sayre PA, four times x 60 for her dental visits: 240 miles
Not to mention the vet trips for Dixie, Rose, Solo, and Noah.
It's a good thing the Kitty Kia gets good mileage and the SPCA intakes clinic cats at 7:00 am and releases them after 6:00 pm so I could work around my job!
These cats also have a beautiful spot up on the hill. For privacy reasons I won't post the actual little house there.
The three final cats were not interested in going into the traps, but that's when we pull out the big gun: a drop trap.
The landowner caught all three hard-to-catch cats in the drop trap the first morning she used it. This is "Gimpy" the very last cat captured. Her owner thought she would actually be the easiest to catch, as she has a deformed from leg that causes her to limp. However it appears her disability has caused her to develop great survival skills, because she was the final holdout.
Basically I just did training, a lot of cage cleaning and swapping cats in and out of cages and traps, a lot of driving, and provided the equipment. The females stayed here for 7 days after surgery, as I prefer that females be entirely healed before release. The owner did the rest of the work. Is it any wonder I took advantage of this situation to train this highly competent woman to take care of the Owl House foster cats when I'm traveling? She had her first "go" at this last week, with my regular caretakers doing Friday and Monday, and she did the weekend. Everything went great.
Which just goes to show, good deeds sometimes work out just as well to the giver as it does for the one who asked for help. She has 13 fixed cats, and I got some wonderful interaction and help from the SPCA of Tompkins County, another caretaker for my cats when I travel, and maybe even someone to sit on the porch and gab with this summer, now and then.
There you go.
Buster bonds with the indoor cats
Buster has been more of a presence around the house now that the weather is warmer. I'm hoping he will allow me to let him in the house at some point, but he still runs off if I come out when he is on the porch. He had no curiosity about being petted when I had him caged at the time of his neuter when he showed up here.
However he has come a long way with the other cats since the day he beat the tar out of my one indoor-outdoor cat Bear. Apparently his tom-cat hormones have finally subsided. Now he and Bear tolerate one another in the yard, and Buster enjoys hanging near the catio with the other cats.
However he has come a long way with the other cats since the day he beat the tar out of my one indoor-outdoor cat Bear. Apparently his tom-cat hormones have finally subsided. Now he and Bear tolerate one another in the yard, and Buster enjoys hanging near the catio with the other cats.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Walk in the woods
I live on 58 acres that I haven't even looked at in 3 years. Basically I've been ignoring it out of emotional baggage.
I got an inquiry from someone who would like to possibly hike, hunt, and camp on the land with their family, so I figure it was time to toss the baggage out the window and get up there on the hill. I was glad of the excuse to force myself to tackle land responsibilities I've been putting off, like clearing and marking trails and putting up new posted signs. These are things that are easy to ignore.
This time of year things are drab, but that's the best time to clear trails and prune, because bushes and grass are not yet overgrown. First task I wrote down: get someone to mow the fields and brushhog before the grass gets high this year, and get rid of all that honeysuckle.
I have an occasional friend who asks if they can walk the land. They can never find the path to the cabin. Apparently "go into the forest and turn left" isn't helpful. So I took flagging tape along on this trip to mark the Cabin Trail. I'll need to get different colored flagging for the Bear Trail and the Cathedral Trail.
Way on top of the hill is my cabin. Looks cute, huh?
Pity a tree fell on it and the roof is leaking. Sadness...
I'll need to paper the roof and run the kerosene heater in there for a long, long while. The white carpet is leftover from the Overbearing Hunter days, when a gentleman who had permission to hunt for meat (no trophy hunting) basically tried to take over my land, the cabin, and even my barn where he started parking his ATV instead of taking it home. I finally tossed him off the property in a yelling rage. I got awfully tired of waking up in the morning to discover him standing on the porch so he could ask me to warm up his coffee in the microwave. What kind of hunter doesn't own a thermos? What kind of hunter carpets a cabin with a white rug? Argh! Well, now it's a beautiful shade of green and I'll have to drag it down the hill to the dumpster.
The woods are full of dead wood, and I worry about fire. I used to have fits over the bonfires Mark and his friends would have. Now I realize those "stand around the big fire drinking beer" bonding experiences had kept all the small dead wood out of the forest, because the guys used to drag it all out to burn in the yard or field (with lots of water standing by "just in case"). So I have come to believe that men who love bonfires and beer are actually a product of farm forest evolution.
Nonetheless, I'll be breaking up the small wood to take down to the house for kindling, rather than burning it on the hill, as I'm too much of a wimp to start a bonfire so far from a fire engine.
With the Cabin Trail marked, Molly and I hit the Bear Trail on the way down. The bears follow the small gorge and end up in my back yard, therefore the name.
Clearly I need to invest in a chainsaw. High winds have brought down a ton of trees.
People have tossed tires from the road above into the gorge:
But the stream is still as beautiful as always and will be prettier still once I haul out the debris and trash:
Our walk down the Bear Trail concluded in my back yard. It goes straight from forest to yard:
And we both arrived home happily tired, and discovered a present for the cats on the porch from Jo (rescuer of Pepper and Timea):
Four cases of wet cat food! Bless her, because I was six cans away from being totally out of canned food.
People always say "Wow, I'd love to own that much land" or "Gosh, I'd love to have a cat rescue." But it's a lot of work. You can take the best care of everything, and wham, a windstorm comes along and suddenly there are six trees to clean up. You can take the best care of your cats and then, wham again, you get a litter of kittens that look fine, and suddenly break with ringworm right AFTER you took them out of quarantine.
One thing I try to remind myself is to take a deep breath and enjoy. To remember why you wanted to be in the country. Why you wanted to rescue cats. Remember those things are still there.
Whatever it is you do. Whatever it is you love.
I got an inquiry from someone who would like to possibly hike, hunt, and camp on the land with their family, so I figure it was time to toss the baggage out the window and get up there on the hill. I was glad of the excuse to force myself to tackle land responsibilities I've been putting off, like clearing and marking trails and putting up new posted signs. These are things that are easy to ignore.
This time of year things are drab, but that's the best time to clear trails and prune, because bushes and grass are not yet overgrown. First task I wrote down: get someone to mow the fields and brushhog before the grass gets high this year, and get rid of all that honeysuckle.
I have an occasional friend who asks if they can walk the land. They can never find the path to the cabin. Apparently "go into the forest and turn left" isn't helpful. So I took flagging tape along on this trip to mark the Cabin Trail. I'll need to get different colored flagging for the Bear Trail and the Cathedral Trail.
Way on top of the hill is my cabin. Looks cute, huh?
Pity a tree fell on it and the roof is leaking. Sadness...
I'll need to paper the roof and run the kerosene heater in there for a long, long while. The white carpet is leftover from the Overbearing Hunter days, when a gentleman who had permission to hunt for meat (no trophy hunting) basically tried to take over my land, the cabin, and even my barn where he started parking his ATV instead of taking it home. I finally tossed him off the property in a yelling rage. I got awfully tired of waking up in the morning to discover him standing on the porch so he could ask me to warm up his coffee in the microwave. What kind of hunter doesn't own a thermos? What kind of hunter carpets a cabin with a white rug? Argh! Well, now it's a beautiful shade of green and I'll have to drag it down the hill to the dumpster.
The woods are full of dead wood, and I worry about fire. I used to have fits over the bonfires Mark and his friends would have. Now I realize those "stand around the big fire drinking beer" bonding experiences had kept all the small dead wood out of the forest, because the guys used to drag it all out to burn in the yard or field (with lots of water standing by "just in case"). So I have come to believe that men who love bonfires and beer are actually a product of farm forest evolution.
Nonetheless, I'll be breaking up the small wood to take down to the house for kindling, rather than burning it on the hill, as I'm too much of a wimp to start a bonfire so far from a fire engine.
With the Cabin Trail marked, Molly and I hit the Bear Trail on the way down. The bears follow the small gorge and end up in my back yard, therefore the name.
Clearly I need to invest in a chainsaw. High winds have brought down a ton of trees.
People have tossed tires from the road above into the gorge:
But the stream is still as beautiful as always and will be prettier still once I haul out the debris and trash:
Our walk down the Bear Trail concluded in my back yard. It goes straight from forest to yard:
And we both arrived home happily tired, and discovered a present for the cats on the porch from Jo (rescuer of Pepper and Timea):
Four cases of wet cat food! Bless her, because I was six cans away from being totally out of canned food.
People always say "Wow, I'd love to own that much land" or "Gosh, I'd love to have a cat rescue." But it's a lot of work. You can take the best care of everything, and wham, a windstorm comes along and suddenly there are six trees to clean up. You can take the best care of your cats and then, wham again, you get a litter of kittens that look fine, and suddenly break with ringworm right AFTER you took them out of quarantine.
One thing I try to remind myself is to take a deep breath and enjoy. To remember why you wanted to be in the country. Why you wanted to rescue cats. Remember those things are still there.
Whatever it is you do. Whatever it is you love.
A simple catio post to get used to blogging again
After a whirlwind cat-colony project, two work trips, and lots of back-and-forth from veterinarians and spay/neuter clinics, I finally blew the dust off my personal computer, pulled it out of the "cold room" (it's too warm for the woodstove, but too chilly to have the whole house open) and set it up next to my work computer to let the world know we are still alive out here in Spencer NY.
A catio post came across my Facebook news feed today (Thank you to the personal Facebook page of Peter Wolf of Vox Felina). You can see some great catios here.
Here's some 2011 video of kittens on our catio:
My catio has been a lifesaver for me. Back in my wildlife control days, I won a huge bird rehabilitation cage at the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council conference. I strapped it (un-assembled) onto the roof of my truck cap, and hauled it home. I then dragged it along (still un-assembled) when we moved from West Danby to here in Spencer. Finally, I hauled it out and with much cursing, made a catio out of it. Sooner or later it will need to be replaced, since it's just stained pine, but in the meantime the cats can go outside through a window in my pantry, winter or summer.
I recently saw a post, which I cannot find, of how one might make a small window catio out of small wire dog crate. I may do that upstairs.
What I would recommend in a catio if it is going to be open day and night:
Hardware cloth. Wildlife can squeeze through 1X2 wire, and a weasel can even get through 1x1 wire. Hardware cloth will also deter (but not completely ban) larger insects like moths.
A cat door instead of leaving a window or patio door wide open to the catio. This will keep mosquitos and moths from coming into your house at night and also keeps your house a bit warmer (or cooler) when weather is extreme. They come in patio door sizes as well.
A LOCKABLE human-sized door for outside access, if you don't have door access from the inside of your house. Padlock your latch. This is just common sense. You never know when a raccoon might fiddle with it, or a neighborhood kid might think it's "funny" to open the door. There is also simple human error. Even an unlocked padlock run through the holes in the latch will prevent accidents. Then be sure to lock it when you are not at home.
A roof, whenever possible. I know lots of catios show sides that are angled in to keep cats inside, but that doesn't keep other animals out, nor keep birds out of cat food and water bowls. If you have a very large catio, you might want to use a Purrfect Fence type enclosure, or protect both sides with coyote rollers, but I wouldn't suggest allowing your cats unsupervised night-time access.
Inspect your catio regularly, especially if it is made of wood and wire or mesh. Wood warps. Staples rust or pop out. Mesh gets torn. Even wire gets weak spots. Recently I discovered my outdoor cat Buster was climbing up the outside of the catio and sleeping on the roof like a hammock. The roof material was thick but soft plastic mesh. It occurred to me a raccoon could rip through that mesh like butter, so I added a layer of chicken wire until I can build a real wood-and-shingle roof.
A Google Image search of "catio" can waste your whole morning with dreaming, but if you are considering a catio, I highly recommend looking online to see what everyone else has done!
A catio post came across my Facebook news feed today (Thank you to the personal Facebook page of Peter Wolf of Vox Felina). You can see some great catios here.
Here's some 2011 video of kittens on our catio:
My catio has been a lifesaver for me. Back in my wildlife control days, I won a huge bird rehabilitation cage at the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council conference. I strapped it (un-assembled) onto the roof of my truck cap, and hauled it home. I then dragged it along (still un-assembled) when we moved from West Danby to here in Spencer. Finally, I hauled it out and with much cursing, made a catio out of it. Sooner or later it will need to be replaced, since it's just stained pine, but in the meantime the cats can go outside through a window in my pantry, winter or summer.
I recently saw a post, which I cannot find, of how one might make a small window catio out of small wire dog crate. I may do that upstairs.
What I would recommend in a catio if it is going to be open day and night:
Hardware cloth. Wildlife can squeeze through 1X2 wire, and a weasel can even get through 1x1 wire. Hardware cloth will also deter (but not completely ban) larger insects like moths.
A cat door instead of leaving a window or patio door wide open to the catio. This will keep mosquitos and moths from coming into your house at night and also keeps your house a bit warmer (or cooler) when weather is extreme. They come in patio door sizes as well.
A LOCKABLE human-sized door for outside access, if you don't have door access from the inside of your house. Padlock your latch. This is just common sense. You never know when a raccoon might fiddle with it, or a neighborhood kid might think it's "funny" to open the door. There is also simple human error. Even an unlocked padlock run through the holes in the latch will prevent accidents. Then be sure to lock it when you are not at home.
A roof, whenever possible. I know lots of catios show sides that are angled in to keep cats inside, but that doesn't keep other animals out, nor keep birds out of cat food and water bowls. If you have a very large catio, you might want to use a Purrfect Fence type enclosure, or protect both sides with coyote rollers, but I wouldn't suggest allowing your cats unsupervised night-time access.
Inspect your catio regularly, especially if it is made of wood and wire or mesh. Wood warps. Staples rust or pop out. Mesh gets torn. Even wire gets weak spots. Recently I discovered my outdoor cat Buster was climbing up the outside of the catio and sleeping on the roof like a hammock. The roof material was thick but soft plastic mesh. It occurred to me a raccoon could rip through that mesh like butter, so I added a layer of chicken wire until I can build a real wood-and-shingle roof.
A Google Image search of "catio" can waste your whole morning with dreaming, but if you are considering a catio, I highly recommend looking online to see what everyone else has done!
Monday, April 4, 2016
Bo and Davis stolen from Facebook
Remember Bo and Davis?
It's always nice to be Facebook friends with adopters because I get to see their continued happy lives in their new homes!
Thanks for posting photos, Meg!
It's always nice to be Facebook friends with adopters because I get to see their continued happy lives in their new homes!
Thanks for posting photos, Meg!
Sunday, April 3, 2016
More "way too late" thank-you notes!
At the beginning of the month I stopped by Christy and Gordon's place to drop off some pink mercury glass string beads that had been in my family since before I was born. Christy has a tree every year (that I get to see, often on Christmas Eve!) that features lots of antique ornaments and lights. Since I had not used the beads for over 10 years out of fear my circulating family of young cats would topple a tree and crunch them, I presented them to Christy to use.
But you usually don't get to leave their house without coming home with something she is giving to the cats, and this time was no exception. In addition to a check (thank you G&C!) she had Comfort Zone (always a blessing!) and some cute Valentine cards I can use next year:
Hopefully their Owl House cats Phillip (gray) and Jelli (white) are staying warm this blustery day. Photo nabbed from Facebook.
Here's their tree (2014) for good measure.
But you usually don't get to leave their house without coming home with something she is giving to the cats, and this time was no exception. In addition to a check (thank you G&C!) she had Comfort Zone (always a blessing!) and some cute Valentine cards I can use next year:
Hopefully their Owl House cats Phillip (gray) and Jelli (white) are staying warm this blustery day. Photo nabbed from Facebook.
Here's their tree (2014) for good measure.
Dixie's adopted!
Dixie, Solo's sister, was adopted last month into a new home with a buddy about her own age. She was a good little girl on the trip:
On the way I stopped in Endwell to drop off a crate I'd sold on Craigslist for $30. It was far too large for the work I do with ferals, especially now that I have two-level Midwest ferret cages when I need more space. I (stereotypically) assumed the person who asked for the crate had a dog. Surprise! The person had actually rescued a local cat in her neighborhood. She'd gotten him neutered and vaccinated, but then he was attacked by a dog and his leg was fractured (but not entirely broken). She needed the cage to put Professor Quinn on six weeks cage rest.
Since we talked a bit about cats, that put me a little behind, but soon we were on our winding road again down to Montrose PA, where Dixie met her new friend:
Farewell, Dixie! Have a wonderful life!
On the way back I could enjoy the extremely curvy rural roads a bit more, since obviously I wasn't going to go be-bopping along with a cat in the front seat. I came to a fast halt (actually a slow miss and a turn-around) to take a photo of a Shelter Pet Project billboard:
I love seeing those!
Buster breaks in
Last night the weather tanked. I made sure Buster-the-feral had plenty of food in the nice sheltered basement. I left the porch door open until about 10:00 pm so he had access to his food and water there as well, but then I shut it to reduce snow, and also keep out the raccoon who has been visiting.
I woke up to these butt-and-paw marks on the stand where I keep his back-up porch food:
What the heck? This worried me, because I let the house cats out on the porch and if a cat can get on the porch with the door closed, surely a cat can get off the porch.
It didn't take much looking. He found the overlap in the screen where I'm planning on putting a wood panel and took advantage of it.
That's pretty inventive given that it's four feet off the ground. Apparently the food on the porch is tastier than the nice sheltered food and water in the basement (which also showed signs of his grazing).
Hi, Lady!
I woke up to these butt-and-paw marks on the stand where I keep his back-up porch food:
What the heck? This worried me, because I let the house cats out on the porch and if a cat can get on the porch with the door closed, surely a cat can get off the porch.
It didn't take much looking. He found the overlap in the screen where I'm planning on putting a wood panel and took advantage of it.
That's pretty inventive given that it's four feet off the ground. Apparently the food on the porch is tastier than the nice sheltered food and water in the basement (which also showed signs of his grazing).
Hi, Lady!
Saturday, April 2, 2016
So many barfs...
With all the cats I've been bringing through the barn foster area, it's no surprise I finally dragged in something the cats could catch.
I came in one morning and discovered reddish (blood?) watery vomit...no food...in several places on the floor. Everyone seemed perky and fine. Everyone ate their wet food. I worried that someone had chewed a wood sliver. I cleaned things up and came up later to check.
More barf. Less red, and more bile-like. Hmmm. I still couldn't tell who the culprit was.
In the house, Nellie the 16-year-old had been tossing her cookies as well, but she was prone to do that now and then and I hadn't thought much about it. But then Jessie Fuzz-Bucket joined in, and Bear as well, in the house. This was--of course--on a weekend. Again, everyone was perky, eating, and drinking.
When I let Fern and Grayson out for the evening in the barn foster area, the next morning showed that one of them had the barfs as well. Damn! Since they were always separate from the other cats, more than one cat in the barn foster area was sick. Clearly it was something I had dragged on my hands, clothes or feet from one location to the other. I bleached all the cat bowls in both areas in case there was a bacterial issue (cat water bowls can develop a slime that is a breeding place for illness if not kept clean), wormed everyone for good measure, and watched everyone like a hawk.
Within 48 hours there were no more barf marks in the cat facility. Nellie and Jessie were better in the house. Ethan decided he would join the crowd but only threw up twice. Coraline also weighed in, just to be companionable. But poor Bear was clearly unhappy and finally lost his appetite. I syringed water into him regularly to prevent him from getting dehydrated to the point of needing sub-cutaneous fluids and offered up baby food. Of all the cats, he was the only one to show any other signs of illness. Three days later he was back begging for morning wet food, but had lost a pound. He narrowly escaped a trip to the veterinarian since he was on the fast road to recovery.
Throughout all of this I was sick as well with a head cold, but no stomach issues. I assure you that running around every half-hour mopping up cat barf did not assist in my road to rest and recovery. I'm feeling better, and so are the cats.
I almost posted a barf photo, but I figured that if I didn't enjoy it, neither would you!
So instead here's a shot of a recovered Bear and Coraline wondering why the heck I woke them up from their slumber.
I came in one morning and discovered reddish (blood?) watery vomit...no food...in several places on the floor. Everyone seemed perky and fine. Everyone ate their wet food. I worried that someone had chewed a wood sliver. I cleaned things up and came up later to check.
More barf. Less red, and more bile-like. Hmmm. I still couldn't tell who the culprit was.
In the house, Nellie the 16-year-old had been tossing her cookies as well, but she was prone to do that now and then and I hadn't thought much about it. But then Jessie Fuzz-Bucket joined in, and Bear as well, in the house. This was--of course--on a weekend. Again, everyone was perky, eating, and drinking.
When I let Fern and Grayson out for the evening in the barn foster area, the next morning showed that one of them had the barfs as well. Damn! Since they were always separate from the other cats, more than one cat in the barn foster area was sick. Clearly it was something I had dragged on my hands, clothes or feet from one location to the other. I bleached all the cat bowls in both areas in case there was a bacterial issue (cat water bowls can develop a slime that is a breeding place for illness if not kept clean), wormed everyone for good measure, and watched everyone like a hawk.
Within 48 hours there were no more barf marks in the cat facility. Nellie and Jessie were better in the house. Ethan decided he would join the crowd but only threw up twice. Coraline also weighed in, just to be companionable. But poor Bear was clearly unhappy and finally lost his appetite. I syringed water into him regularly to prevent him from getting dehydrated to the point of needing sub-cutaneous fluids and offered up baby food. Of all the cats, he was the only one to show any other signs of illness. Three days later he was back begging for morning wet food, but had lost a pound. He narrowly escaped a trip to the veterinarian since he was on the fast road to recovery.
Throughout all of this I was sick as well with a head cold, but no stomach issues. I assure you that running around every half-hour mopping up cat barf did not assist in my road to rest and recovery. I'm feeling better, and so are the cats.
I almost posted a barf photo, but I figured that if I didn't enjoy it, neither would you!
So instead here's a shot of a recovered Bear and Coraline wondering why the heck I woke them up from their slumber.
Catching up on communication and "Thank-you, Jo!"
Wow...just...wow
March was a lion all the way through. Perhaps not in weather, but in projects and cats! Not to mention a small disaster or two. I've done almost zero blogging, so while I run around getting errands done and Oliver the One-Kidney Cat supervises nearby, I'll be catching up on all the news and thanks I've failed to share.
I'm not even going to try to go in order--that's why I got delayed to begin with. "Oh, before I post THIS, I need to post THAT!" Argh! With that kind of mentality--when you are already behind--you just get more "behinder."
So first off, big thanks to Jo (rescuer of Pepper and Timea) for sending cases of canned wet food on March 18.
And before I even got to thank her on-line, sent even more food at the end of the month as well!
The food is a huge help, because I've been helping a neighbor get a fairly large cat colony spay/neutered (more to come on that) and I'm also getting the entire clan wormed, which requires regular infusions of tasty wet food (laced with pyrantal pamoate)
Pepper and Timea seem to be enjoying their stay here, although I'm sure they would really have a permanent home where they are fussed over hourly! Here is Pepper helping me change the sheets upstairs, when my sister Linda came to visit just before Easter:
Clearly a bed is not a bed without a little bit of cat fur!
March was a lion all the way through. Perhaps not in weather, but in projects and cats! Not to mention a small disaster or two. I've done almost zero blogging, so while I run around getting errands done and Oliver the One-Kidney Cat supervises nearby, I'll be catching up on all the news and thanks I've failed to share.
I'm not even going to try to go in order--that's why I got delayed to begin with. "Oh, before I post THIS, I need to post THAT!" Argh! With that kind of mentality--when you are already behind--you just get more "behinder."
So first off, big thanks to Jo (rescuer of Pepper and Timea) for sending cases of canned wet food on March 18.
And before I even got to thank her on-line, sent even more food at the end of the month as well!
The food is a huge help, because I've been helping a neighbor get a fairly large cat colony spay/neutered (more to come on that) and I'm also getting the entire clan wormed, which requires regular infusions of tasty wet food (laced with pyrantal pamoate)
Pepper and Timea seem to be enjoying their stay here, although I'm sure they would really have a permanent home where they are fussed over hourly! Here is Pepper helping me change the sheets upstairs, when my sister Linda came to visit just before Easter:
Clearly a bed is not a bed without a little bit of cat fur!
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