Give the Gift of Life by Spaying!

[di and bob]

I had to tell someone about my Allison, the daughter of a pregnant cat that was dumped near my house and unfortunately died when Allison was two weeks old. She was found and cared for by a neighbor, the only kitten still alive out of five.  Now she is an outside cat that gets what love and care she can from the neighborhood.  SHE IS NOT MY CAT!  But she comes to my house twice a day to eat, twines herself around my ankles, and just is so sweet and cute she puts a smile on your face. She weighs three pounds, and is so tiny and petite she looks like a kitten.  She has just weaned her second litter and before I could see her get pregnant again by those huge neighborhood toms, I locked her in my garden shed for 4 hours while I waited for the vet to open, took her in and had her spayed.  She is AMAZING! Only a few hours later she was up and walking around, I kept her overnight, made sure she pottied  and pooed, which she had, then she ate, drank, and wanted to go! She acted like she didn't have any surgery at all!  I have never had a cat recover so fast! I just wanted to let people who may be a little nervous about spaying a stray or feral know, it's a LOT harder on you then it seems to be on them. I know I've given her the best gift I ever could give, her body is her own now! She is not the first by a long shot that I have spayed, nor will she be the last, but she is definitely the spunkiest! 

 

[margd]

Allison sounds like a real sweetie. And what a survivor! You really have given her a wonderful gift, freeing her from one pregnancy after the next. Is there any chance she can come inside?

 

[di and bob]

I truly wish she could, but I already have two inside. I wish I could find her a good inside home, it definitely would be easier now that she is spayed. I have three outside cats (strays and 1 feral) that I have heated huts for now in the winter, and feed at least 6 others, including Allison, that show up and then go back to the woods, Allison stays at that neighbors house, but I don't in no way consider him her 'owner', he lets his cats multiply at will (for me to feed) and let many of them die this summer despite the fact we had called him and warned him there was distemper across the street and he should vaccinate. We vaccinated 8 and he did nothing, it's heartbreaking. Allison and one of her sons lived through it, it was touch and go for a while, 5 others in her little family died. I do what I can, but at times it seems hopeless. I just try to make their lives a little easier by providing love and food. 

 

[ondine]

I had a neighbor like that. He is the reason I've found homes for more than 50 cats and ended up with eight! I seriously considered kidnapping his queen. He would allow her to breed and keep the kittens until they were 12 weeks or so, really socializing them well. But then he'd kick them out if he couldn't find a homes.

Left to their own devices, half died on the road or starved. The other half were rescued by me and another neighbor, AprilShe has a colony of 30 or more, all fixed and vaccinated. They range from truly feral to inside/outside cats.

Lucky for us, his queen died last year and he decided to keep a male, whom he promptly neutered! Go figure. But the neighborhood is a lot quieter now. Between that and all the work April and I did, all the cats have homes now.

You can only do what you can. Sweet Allison found a true angel.