This is what life is all about

Above left is what BoyBoy looked like when we first met.

I do not believe there is a better feeling than watching an animal thrive after they were so close to dying. It’s a feeling that is difficult to describe but it fills me up to see him now.
It’s been a process. Building a friendship always takes time and effort and a ton of patience. Even when there is a connection from the start there are still all of the little adjustments along the way that you have to just wade through.

BoyBoy is an amazing guy, he really is and I am not just saying that because I love him. I have watched him go from that scared un-trusting feral cat to this loving Boy who curls up next to me for his afternoon naps. His objective in the beginning may have appeared to be food…he was starving so of course this very basic need had to be met but once his tummy became full….his focus changed completely.

BoyBoy has to have 2 wet meals a day due to not having teeth. (and a bowl of milk in between) After a while, when I would go out to feed him in the garage, he wouldn’t eat, he would just keep rubbing his head on my leg. I thought something was wrong at first until I figured out that if I sat down with him and gave him lovies first, he would then walk over to his bowl and eat every bite.

He picks me over food.

This is how I finally got him to come in the house. He would look around my room and the fan was blowing and the fish tanks were humming and the air stones bubbling and he was intimidated of course but he wanted to be with me and that was stronger than his fear and that has totally touched my heart in so many more ways than I could ever express to you.

Love is amazing, never underestimate the power that your heart has to help another…

Saving his life was wonderful but watching him now live….this is what life is all about.

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THE KITTENS ARE READY FOR ADOPTION

The past couple of months have been so full of joy. We have loved having them every single day since they were born. We are looking for people who will now love them every single day for the rest of their lives. If you are interested in adopting one of these special kittens please fill out our short application below. 

KITTEN ADOPTION APPLICATION

FYI.....We are located in the Sacramento area  Email ibjennyjenny@yahoo.com (please put "kitten" in the subject line)

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Mitsi's Friendship (A Mama Cat Rescue)

She is so beautiful.
The very first time I saw her at the park was many months before we rescued her. I could not approach her, no one could. I knew I would need to use my trap if I had any hope of getting her to go with me if I chose to try.
Time went by and the next thing I know, she is pregnant and my friend was concerned for her safety. It was time though that last day at the park when she finally came home with me but a trap was not needed.
Call it a mother's love or some work on my friends part for taming her a bit with food all I know is that on every other day that I had ever seen her, approaching her was not an option. LOL
I have been down the feral cat rescue road many many times and know full well what an uncooperative feral can act like....it's not pretty sometimes. LOL
On that day though, she stood there, so very pregnant and ready to have kittens soon it seemed. I reached down and picked her up and put her in a carrier and she never let out a peep. She behaved herself the entire car ride home with maybe a meow or two. I was ready for the chaos when I let her into the bathroom (because I have seen the chaos that can be) but that didn't happen. She accepted our help and she actually seemed grateful.
It took a lot of guts for her to allow me to pick her up and take her home that day...a lot of guts. But I convinced that she knew I would not hurt her and she needed help. Since that day we have been trusted not only with her but with her beautiful babies as well. We all watched as she gave birth, she welcomed us. I don't know what goes on in a mama cats head in her position but I know what it's like to have a child and to want to protect them and want what is best for them, I have recognized this feeling in her. She took a gamble that day, I could have been a monster but she took it for the good of her babies. I am really proud to call Mitsi my friend and it touches my heart that she considers us her friends as well. She is a good Mama and very special cat.

Model is Mitsi, she had her kittens the day after we rescued her.

You can visit her Facebook page here and see  more of her babies too  (Sooo Cute)

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Heroes, Cats Have Them

I feel like I focus too much on the negative acts of mankind. LOL For real though.
Animal abuse and neglect are two of the worst things in this entire world to me. I am not the kind of person who has the ability to just look away. That would be impossible to me if I thought an animal needed my help. I would do the same for a person too of course, anyone who is alive and breathing, animal or person would get my attention. I say that because there are people out there that automatically think that because a person is FOR animal rights, it's like they can't be for human rights also.  I am for both. LOL

And right now I want to turn your attention to some Humans that always go that extra mile for people and for animals....Firefighters.
Today I was surfin' the net and came across an image that gave me the idea for this post, it was a firefighter saving a cat in Moore, Ok after the tornado.
I have to say, this warmed my heart so much and when I went looking for more images I couldn't believe how many I found, this flippin made my day. The fact that these guys and gals risk their lives everyday for us has always made me proud but today, I have even more respect for these incredible people who serve our communities.

I think for most people who share their lives with animals, it's safe to say that they share their hearts with them as well. Our animals mean a great deal to us, sometimes, they are even like children to us. The fact that Firefighters know this and do everything they can to save our little friends is amazing. They risk their lives for ALL of our family members.

So here are few of the most incredible photos I could find today on Firefighters saving Cats. I will do a Dog one too so no worries. LOL

 Mikey said we have to do the cats first and well, it's his house ya know. LOL

I think we all have a Hero in these beautiful human beings.
Excuse me while I go get some Kleenex. :)

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To the Feral Cat Trapper Know it All

   Recently, I contacted a few organizations about a feral cat that has been living under my friend Sandy's house. The cat was in need of medical attention and Sandy wasn't in a situation where she could fund it at the time. So I sent out some emails explaining the situation....Sandy wasn't looking to get rid of the cat, she didn't mind the cat at all. She was unable to touch him, he didn't seem very tame but she didn't mind him being there and she was ok with feeding him. The problem was that the cat had an eye issue and it's fur was all matted and he generally just looked miserable despite being fed. Sandy doesn't have a lot of experience with feral cats so she of course turned to me since I have worked with the TNR (trap and return) programs for many years. The only problem is that Sandy lives in the Sacramento Valley and I live in the Sierra Foothills. It's not as far as it sounds but far enough that I just can’t jump in my car and be at her house in a few minutes, it's about a 45 minute drive. Sandy had never trapped a cat before so she wasn't really up for that part of it, I knew we would need help. Let me back track by saying that Sandy had just recently moved into that house and this cat and another were already there. At that time we believed that the cats were left by prior tenants.
So anyway, I put all of this info in the emails I sent out asking for some help in trapping the cat and getting its medical needs met. I and hoped for the best. Well, the next day a lovely lady from one of the organizations got back to me and she was going to try and help. This person was very kind, very understanding and really wanted to help. She said that she would have to send out a message across the board that a trapper was needed and then we would go from there. Well she found us a trapper all right. LOL She told me that the trapper lady would call and she did.
What happened next really just pisses me off and I wish I could go back and handle it so many other ways than how I handled it, but I can't so here I rant...
This had to be the rudest woman on the face of the planet; she kicked the conversation off with a straight lecture. She would not allow me to answer with anything but a yes or a no, every time I would try to explain anything she cut me off and start lecturing again. She was explaining to me how Sandy needed to trap this cat, giving me the run down on how it is done. I tried a few times to tell her that I knew how to trap the cat and that I even have my own trap cage. The cage part got her attention and she seemed a bit confused as to why I would have one but wouldn't stop talking down her nose at me long enough to find out why. She then asked me if the cat was starving and I told her no, that Sandy would never allow this cat to starve and that she feeds him everyday. This woman then goes into attack mode telling me that Sandy cannot feed the cat because the cat needs to be hungry so we can trap it. Really? That wasn't her question. She then proceeds to tell me how Sandy needs to do the "responsible thing". What? At this point I am very irritated with this woman. I tell her that a neuter may not be necessary because....and she cuts me off. She tells me that Sandy is being very irresponsible. I really tried to explain to this lady that the cat appears to have already been neutered or is just too old to be interested in the opposite sex because after observing his behavior for quite some time, he is not on the prowl, nor is he aggressive towards other male cats and the other male cats are not aggressive towards him either. I wanted to explain to her that I could be wrong about this, that his illness could also be the reason he is so passive but she would not allow me to say anything.
After ending this completely bizarre conversation, Sandy and I decided to not take this cat to her. Instead we treated the cat with antibiotics that I always have on hand for emergencies. The cat is doing wonderful and looks better than ever. And come to find out, he was abandoned years ago but not intentionally, his owner died and he is neutered.
I am not going to give any names of any organization here because one bad apple does not spoil the bunch. On a whole these organizations do more good than they ever do bad. I have total appreciation for all animal rescue groups and I will continue to turn to them when I need help with my own rescue efforts.

The message that I have now is for the lady I spoke to on the phone that night....

My friend Sandy is the kindest, most caring individual I have ever met. When she moved into that house and those cats were there, she never blinked an eye, she just started buying more cat food. Most people would have "gotten rid" of them, Sandy didn't do that. She noticed one of them was sick and she called me for help. I think her actions were completely responsible considering the fact that it wasn't her cat to begin with. She has since medicated this little guy, cut mats from his hair and has become this animals savior....He is now thriving and she is keeping him. There was another cat on her property, a little girl cat. sandy has taken her in and she is now spayed and up to date with her shots and she is also keeping her. Responsible? Absolutely.
Here is a tip for ya, if someone is calling a rescue group for help, that IS being responsible. I know you work with animals everyday but I really think you need to work on those people skills because if you continue to treat people like pieces of doo doo you will only alienate them and they won't want to call again and this is just not in the best interest of the cats you claim to want to help. Not everyone is "cat lady", I don't care how many you have encountered.
I called for help and I got you, obviously we have a common interest, we want to help these cats that need our help so badly. We are in this together lady; we are on the same side.

Ok, I am done now, rant over.

It's not usually this difficult to help, this rude lady I talked to recently is the first I have ever dealt with and I have been doing this a long time, many years. The most important thing that you can do is not look away. They need our help.
So this post is not just about me ranting, here are some links to the best feral resources I have encountered over the years and some other animal related links that I have found to be truly wonderful and informative.

Alley Cat Allies: The Cats' Leading Advocate
Placer SPCA
Happy Tails
Tabby's Place (Inspirational)
Sierra Animal Wellness Center
Petfinder
Feral Cat Coalition
Humane Trapping Instructions



Trap-Neuter-Return Works

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The Baby

This is Alex and he is my baby, he is the youngest of my kitty crew.

My Alex is always trying to work his way to the top of the hierarchy around here but always seems to fall a bit short. LOL

If any of you have multiple cats then you may know how it goes with the pecking order when it comes to cats. Since Roo passed on it has been an all out fight for his position of number two under Mikey. I think Alex figured since he is a male that he would automatically claim that spot but my female Belle (his aunt) set him straight with a quickness. LOL

I would like to say he is at number three but to be there he would have to get passed Daisy and well…that won’t happen anytime soon either, she can still take him.

So Alex tries to focus his power over the only one he can and that would be Sissy but then I step in because Sissy is at the bottom of this whole Hierarchy thing and well…I’m her mom and I just protect her. :)

So I think Alex is a bit frustrated with his position and all but he is still sweet as sugar, I just adore him.

For those who do not know, I rescued Alex at 3 weeks of age…his mom was a Feral cat that I trapped to be spayed and released. She ended up being a sweet baby as well and so instead of being released back into her environment, she found herself a home with my friend Julie and she goes by the name of Bella now. She is also the sister of my cat Belle.

Confused yet? LOL

All of the kittens from the litter Alex was in were placed in loving homes.

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Left

This is the face of someone who has been left behind….

The owners moved away leaving this cat and another to just fend for themselves.
I took this photograph the day my best friend Sandy moved into her new house. The landlord said the cats were left behind by previous tenants. Most people in this situation would probably get rid of the cats considering Sandy already has five cats of her own but no….
You see, I have this most amazing best friend, she never even gives it a second thought…she just carries on about her life with 7 cats now….I just love Sandy so much.
As you can see here this sweet cat has an eye condition, the other cat does as well just not as bad as this one. When we first arrived at the house, both cats were scared out of their wits, this one more than the other and who could blame them, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to just be left behind this way.
The other cat came around quickly but this one has been more cautious. Every time we would feed her she would run at first and then when we walked away she would go devour her food.
The last time I was at Sandy’s house which was a couple of weeks ago, I was just delighted to see that Sandy had managed to gain this girls trust, she allows Sandy to pet her now and she let me pet her too and I was so excited about this.
I gave Sandy some medicine for the eyes of both cats and once they settle in more with the changes in their lives we will get them in for check ups. They seem pretty healthy other than the eyes. They both eat really well. Sandy hasn’t named them yet but she will and it will be a cool name like the other names she has come up with for her other cats that can be seen in my gallery…Sheriff, Charlie, Annie, Hyper and Snow Ball.
These cats got lucky…they were found by Sandy but not all cats get this lucky. The fact that these cats were left behind like this is just ridiculous to me. I understand there can be circumstances but for me there is just no circumstance that is so severe that a person cannot pick up a phone and call one of the thousands of resources there are available for this type of situation.
You all know that I am not a judgmental kind of girl but this right here….to me…is just irresponsible and unacceptable behavior from any human being.
It’s cruel and I am so glad I am not the kind of person who could do this to an animal.
For anyone who is in a situation like this where they are facing moving and cannot take their animals with them, I encourage you to to contact Petfinder this organization would be a first stop in helping you find the help that you would need for your furry friends. I have personally used Petfinder countless times when trying to find homes for feral cats that were in need of a home because of special circumstances that left them unable to return to the wild. I was able to able to place every animal I have listed on that site, it is also a portal of information for those in need.

Please, don’t leave your animals behind when you move…please.

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