This is adorable little Jack, chilling in a chair in the home. He has come such a long way! It is such a relief so see him so comfortable out in the middle of the room like this.
This is Uncle Grampaw in the photo. He is the old sick hurt cat who showed up one day out of nowhere, fell down in front of me when I was feeding the colony, and stole my heart. He helps socialize the colony cats who I have removed form the colony and brought into the home. He is my ace in the hole. He makes miracles happen. Last time I wrote, I had 2 cats in crates in my bedroom. Two very feral colony cats I had trapped. When it became clear that no fosters, barn cat programs, or any other situations were going to present for these cats, I released them one dark night of the soul. It broke my heart to keep them in the big dog crates with carriers, food and water bowls, and litter box inside. This was Mommy and Supermodel Kitty. Since releasing them, Mommy is doing great. She seems to have more confidence in herself and in me. Supermodel Kitty was always a fringe dweller at the colony, only there sometimes. Since release this kitty has only been seen a couple of times but seems okay. Jack, the cat who got to go to secondary fostering at a rescue, is now back in the home and doing great. Really really well. I am so proud of him and happy for him. He has friends in the home and is really a cat's cat. He loves to play and lounge, and hang out with other colony cats. They give him comfort and security. Martin, the big beautiful tuxedo cat, is progressing really well. He went into the cattery 2nights ago for the first time. It was scary but also exciting for him. He and Jack are good friends, and Jack looks like Martin's mini-me. He is a play hound like no other! And very loving with the other cats as well. Big Boy. He is confined to a crate for part of the day, but has free run of the bedroom only for most of the day and night. He is exceedingly shy and unsure and fearful, but very loving and comfortable with other cats. He only lets me pet him when he rubs up against Martin and pretends it isn't really quite happening. He watches me a lot, but runs back in the crate when I am on the move, and that includes putting my hand out to him sometimes. So...progress is slow but I think he's been in the house too long to take back to the park now. I will keep working with him. Uncle Grampaw is aging backwards like Benjamin Button. Scampering and jumping up and down and playing and able to lick his butt and tail and back, and able to to really good cat stretches. It is marvelous to see, given his history. Kevin has had upper respiratory issues, and some fear aggression towards Uncle Grampaw (his best friend before all the other kitties came) and Jack and Martin. Too many kitties has him quite stressed out. Some days are better than others and I am hopeful that we will get through this. Things are not going as well at the colony for the remaining members. They have been through changes and do not seem to be as cohesive a unit as they once were. I do not see some of the cats often anymore. And a few cats have gotten very thin. I remain worried for them and in need of help feeding them and caring for them. I continue to need fosters and barn cat programs and adopters and very rural outside cat situations for them. If you can help, please email or donate to the youcaring account linked to the Sponsor a Feral page. Thank you for caring about these little ear tipped angels. It takes a village to care for feral cat colonies. Catlandia really is literally my home. We do not yet have acres and all the bells and whistles that we dream of. Not yet. But despite not having the things we think we need, we still do what we need to do, what we think is right, and we move forward one small step at a time.
Last night I retrieved Jack from a foster home where he did not thrive. He is back with us now and doing better. Yesterday I also received another crate loaner, and so was able to get Supermodel Kitty into a crate from the trap. The lovely Caroline helped me get Mommy into a crate as well. John donated pieces of a dog kennel for us to try to put together and rig to be secure for wild kitties. Two folks I don't know took it apart for us and helped us get it in the truck. Valerie donated several boxes of items for the yard sale to be held on May 10th that will benefit the project to save the colony. It really does take a village to do something like this. I am so grateful for all of the caring folks who have helped us and will continue to help us get through this impossible time and complete this impossible set of tasks. Here's where the magic comes in. Catlandia in my home is tiny and .. well, even tinier than that. Yesterday I decided to surrender my bedroom to the colony cats. I had it for 4+ years. They need it now. But I was too tired last night to move my mattress. The mattress that sits on the floor so the once creaky but now young and feisty old Uncle Grampaw can hop up into bed with me without much risk of getting hurt. Best decision ever; we use it together every day. So with 3 large crates in the room and my mattress in the very middle of the floor, I tried for sleep. the door was closed against The Kraken (aka Pasha) in the livingroom. He doesn't get along well with other kitties. So in the bedroom was this motley crew: Me Natalie...in the middle of the bed and scared because of storms outside Kevin...a member of the colony who has been in my home for over a year Seamus...the first kitty I rescued in NC..found him and his sister starving and covered in fleas on a busy corner. Uncle Grampaw...the colony member who stepped out of the bushes and fell at my feet Jack...just home from 3 weeks at a rescue organization where he did not connect Mommy...a very wild kitty who is in a big crate temporarily til I find a safe situation for her Supermodel Kitty...another wild kitty also in a crate til a safe situation is secured Martin...trapped a week ago and rather miraculously free roaming the home, scared but doing reasonably well Big Boy...in a crate too scared to eat and not doing well. Before sleep I had to help Big Boy feel better. At the colony home, he and Martin were best friends. Since trapping, they really were not able to connect. I got down on the floor in front of the crate, opened the crate door and sat in the opening. I convinced Martin to come to me, and he sat in front of me as I scratched his head. I talked softly to Big Boy, and he watched us carefully. After a while, I got up, left the crate door open, and left the room for a few minutes. When I returned, Seamus was in the spot where Martin had been, sniffing Big Boy's food bowl, and I saw Big Boy himself hurrying back into the crate from about 3 feet away. Jackpot! Let the night's miracles begin! Big Boy is so shy and afraid that he stayed inside the crate a long while. But over the course of the wee hours I saw him come out again and even jump onto the top of the crate and survey from that high spot. Martin was in the crate with him a lot over the night. They finally reconnected. The feeling of peace in that room was incredible. Kevin was anxious, being overwhelmed at the too-many-kitties situation, so he did some yelling and pacing and a even dispensed a couple of 'you are beneath me in the hierarchy' slaps. And Jack got into a tiny kitty position on a bookshelf at the window sill. And I actually had panic attacks due to the enormity of the jobs at hand and my feelings of being not-enough for them. My rock, Seamus, laid down near my head and had his paw stretched out to touch me; we often hold hands when I am sad or afraid. Despite these individual worries, with most parties in the room having serious anxiety issues, the whole was not the sum of its parts. We, the Catlandians, together, created a space of comfort and safety that was truly humbling and magical. I often say that kitties are magical. Last night it was transcendence incarnate. |
Catlandia Jones aka Roxanne
I moved to the south 11 years ago and was drafted into the cat care biz by one cat after another. Now I am a dedicated and passionate feral cat defender. Archives
April 2015
Categories |