Feral Fables

Things have been quiet around here for the most part. No ER trips recently------We have been having very mild, dry weather for this time of year and I think all of us Wisconsinites have been enjoying it as much as possible as we know what winter tends to have in store for us. Today there is very high wind so all the leaves and garden debris is being whipped around all over the neighborhood.

The other evening I had a moment or two of worry, looking for Kibble. Kibble is always around.......she stays either in the house or very near by so that when I call she comes running. Well after returning home from a small shopping trip, I left both of the garage doors open as I brought in a couple of light bags of groceries. Usually we try to keep the cats out of the garage for various reasons, but that night I didn't bother. Awhile later, I found myself noticing that I hadn't seen Kibble in over an hour. I hunted around the house, hitting all of her sleeping spots, but she was not in any of them. Then I called for her repeatedly outside, but she did not come running. I had a sick moment of panic---------I looked out to the street-----thank God, there was nothing there. I was worried because about this time last year she was actually trapped by a neighbor down the block and I found her at Animal Control, quite by luck.

About the time I was really beginning to panic, I looked out to the yard again and happened to glance at the  small door of the garage. It has a window about 4 feet off the ground. Well-----there, in the window, I saw a little head peeking out! Kibble had been closed in the garage and now she was literally hanging on the trim around the window so I would see her face in the window! It was the funniest sight (not to her I'm sure.....). She has been locked in the garage before, so you'd think she'd learn. Ha!! You'd think I'd learn!

That's all for today!

When Blossom passed away the potential owner who had been waiting all this time for her cat, was still interested in having a cat. Well, it just so happens that I came across another potential cat. My neighbor down the block has a new cat that has come around. He was named "Baby"by the family. Actually we did not know if he was a male or female until we took him to the vet. He is so beautiful and FRIENDLY that I couldn't believe he did not have an owner. We took him Baby since he is so friendly and really should not be outside because of that. We took him to her house over the weekend and so far, all is well. Seems it is a good match. If not though, Baby will come right back to my neighbors who will continue to watch over him.

We have spent time winterizing the porch for the cats. All is ready for the colder weather and even though the weather is still pleasant some nights, some of them do choose to sleep on the porch in a heated bed. The cats are really enjoying the daytime weather in the 50's and 60's with sun. They have been lying about the yard and keeping me company as I cut back some of the garden and take the last of the flowers before our first frost which should be any day now.

This week I helped a friend with a kitten who needed to be trapped and neutered. Her work schedule doesn't allow her to get the cat to the Humane Society for the surgery in the morning so we have worked out a plan. We keep the cat overnight at our house. Then in the morning, Marty loaded up the kitten and I drove it over. The kitten is a female and so tiny------her name is "Itty-Bitty." Now my friend has just two more cats to get, so that is the goal for the next couple of weeks.

This week that same friend also lost a cat she was trying to place in a home. This cat just showed up one day in her yard, but was clearly not a feral--------she was just way too friendly. She was all white with a long coat, but she had not been cared for in awhile. We named her "Blossom" for a lotus blossom which is pure white. We took her to the vet as we thought she may be pregnant. It was not possible to tell yet about a pregnancy, but we did find that she had a mammary tumor. These can form in female cats when they have not been spayed and in fact is one good reason why you should spay your female cats. Anyway, we found a foster for her to have her kittens if she was indeed pregnant. Well the time passed and there were no kittens so we made the spay appointment with the vet who was to remove the tumor at the same time. She came to our house on Wednesday night. She looked so beautiful------her fur had filled in so nicely and was soft, pure white. My friend came to see her and we were so happy she was to go to her new home soon.

The next day I drove her for the surgery and acted as a contact for my friend who's job kept her from being available for this. About 10 a.m. I received a call to tell me that Blossom was not doing well with the anesthesia...... a minute later we lost her. Blossom was not pregnant, but her cancer had spread to 7 or 8 mammary glands, and her respiratory system-------her heart could not tolerate the anesthesia. The vet said even if we had not brought her in for the procedure, she only had 7-10 days to live. The saddest part of all was the vet said one of her mammary glands had already been surgically removed in the past. This means that she belonged to someone at one point (which we already knew) and that owner basically turned her out when she became sick and the costs were probably too much. How sad....... I have a very difficult time understanding why someone would do this. It seems so intentionally cruel. Poor Blossom------all she wanted was to be loved.......