Oh. No.

[di and bob]

I finally got down to one female and 5 males and all are neutered and spayed. I paid for all this myself (160.00/cat with shots) because it's MUCH more expensive in the long run to feed and care for an ever expanding group. I too, did the females first, though one died in birthing before I could bring her in, don't let that happen to you, she was a beautiful tiny tortie. The males need it too as you can afford it, because then the big feral toms don't bother them at all, and they don't wander. I noticed that around 18 months to 2 years the toms will start to try to kill any males that age, it's heartbreaking.
I'm sorry to hear about your dad. But keep in mind if he isn't 100% ready to come home there could be another fall. And most people can't help their loved ones transfer to a wheelchair, dress/bathe themselves, etc., so make sure he is ready. Your Dr. can get him dismissed, you could have him do an exam and see if he is ready, but he HAS to be able to care for himself and have someone there for him for a while. He might be able to go home with outpatient rehab if someone can get him there. My dad went through the same thing two years ago, we had to deal with depression which I know slowed down his progress, a 6 week rehab turned into months too. I know those feelings of being overwhelmed, I'll pray for you both. Good luck!

 

[alphagrrl]

Thank you all for the advice about my dad and continuing trust that one day I may be able to do the right thing with the cats! I've been calling everyone I can think of, and all the vets are quoting $200-$300 for EACH cat because they all want to do blood work first, vaccinations, etc etc etc. I've always said I've spent more on my animals than my own kids, but I certainly can't afford anything like that!

I came home yesterday and found Little Bad Ass limping badly on his right hind leg. I figured he got in a fight with his brothers again. I tried to check him over and felt a good sized lump above his hip but didn't see any blood. I wondered if he had dislocated his leg. I actually tried to maneuver it around, and he didn't like it but didn't complain too much. His foot was also pretty swollen, but I couldn't examine it closely enough.

I couldn't stand the thought of him getting hurt worse during the night, sooooo [insert BIG SIGH here], LBA spent his very first night at the Sucker for Animals Inn. I put towels down in the tub in the 2nd bathroom with some food, water, and a litter box (of course he had no idea what that was for). He meowed loudly for only about 5 minutes, and then I left him alone....sort of....OK not really. I checked on him every 10 minutes all night long. He actually seemed very comfy and content. At one point he had pooped on the floor, so I took it and put it in the litter box. This morning I found that he actually pooped IN the litter box. Good boy! Haha! He didn't complain all night long, and he was getting in and out of the tub to eat and potty.

Our vet takes only walk-ins on Saturday, so I put LBA in Max's practically brand new kennel and took him up there at 9:00am. He was nervous and scared but didn't attack everyone like I had imagined he would. By then there was a little blood on the towel, so I figured he had a bite.

I was right. He had a small bite on his lower hip and a bigger one almost on the bottom of his foot. I'm not sure how that might have happened, but the vet didn't seem very concerned about it. He said it was starting to abcess, but sometime between last night and this morning, it opened up and started draining. The vet gave him an antibiotic and something else to bring his fever down (105).

The vet gave me the unneeded lecture about 2 cats turning into 20 without TNR. I told him I've been trying to get all the cats fixed since May. He gave me the name of the place that the HS takes ferals and strays. It's about an hour away from me, but I'll contact them and tell them I'm desperate and see if they'll reduce their fees. I think they charge $60-$80 each. I have no idea how I'd get all the cats over there at once, so I'll have to think about that.

The vet said I could just let Little Bad Ass back out when I got home, but of course, I couldn't. He's resting comfortably back in the tub again, and he obviously feels a lot better already. I think I'll let him stay at the Inn at least one more night. I wish I could bring them all in. The weather forecast is calling for very very low temps during the next week and possible snow on Tuesday. I'm in south GA!!!

Little Bad Ass weighs 9 pounds. The vet said I win the prize for best name of the day.

 

[rubysmama]

Sorry Little Bad Ass got hurt, but he's probably happy as he's getting to spend a night or two at the Sucker for Animals Inn. He's even mastered the indoor bathroom facilities. You may have trouble evicting him, you know.

Something good has come out of LBA's injury, as you got someone new to help you hopefully get all the kitties neutered. Fingers crossed it all works out.

 

[orange&white]

LBA is a cutie! I'm sure he is happy to be in with the cold front coming in. It is supposed to be severely cold for several days with no let up all the way down south.

That low cost spay/neuter through HS sounds great. I'd start with the girls since the boys can't get pregnant. Of course, the boys might stop fighting each other too, once everyone is fixed.

Thanks for the update, and for taking good care of LBA and the others.

 

[alphagrrl]

So I was going to let LBA stay in the house just one more night so he could partially heal before I let him back out. It was nasty cold and raining out that night. I woke up about 4:00am, and when I checked on LBA, he was doing fine. I went back to bed but woke up again about 6:00am because all the cats were making a lot of racket under the house, probably fighting. I got them to quiet down, and they all came out because they assumed it was time to eat.

As I'm standing at the back door talking to them, LBA came strolling out from under the steps! Wait a minute. What??? I shook my head hard, twice, because my brain couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. I had to take a second to question whether or not I really put him in the bathroom last night...or was I dreaming...what the heck was happening?!

I went to check the bathroom, and LBA had taken the vent cover up off the floor and escaped!!! THAT was all the noise I heard earlier, but it never occurred to me that he would try that. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, beat his butt, or give him a medal. I finally grabbed him and put him back in the bathroom for about 30 minutes....just to teach him a lesson. Ha! LBA seems to be doing fine now. The swelling in his foot is gone, and he plays and eats like normal.

I worried for the whole day, thinking he must have just destroyed some ductwork or something, but then the more I thought about it, I figured probably not. There's so many places under the house that need fixing, and I bet this wasn't the first time LBA or one of the others did that. I think that's probably where they stay when it's really, really cold, instead of the lovely houses I made for them. I crawled around under the house twice now, but I haven't seen any NEW destruction.

On Jan 3 it SNOWED here in south GA for the first time in 29 years!!! My son was born in April 1989, and it snowed that December. The weather has been crazier than usual -- 60s during the day, 20s at night. We have no idea what's going on. LOL

I FINALLY connected with a rep at the Humane Society (the same lady who I've been trying to reach since June). She said she could take two of the cats for TNR on Jan 22! My plan is to let her take mama kitty and the oldest female, and I hope I can convince her to take baby girl at the same time because she would easily fit in the crate with one of the others. I'm scared to death this lady will call it off at the last minute, saying she doesn't have room, or she made promises to other people, etc. Wish us luck!!!

 

[orange&white]

Thanks for the update. Good luck on the 22nd...you've been planning this for a long time, so hopefully all goes well!

 

[di and bob]

Wish you all the luck in the world, those kitties are SO lucky to have you!

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the update. Fingers crossed for the 22th.

 

[Norachan]

Sending you more Good Luck for the 22nd.

 

[trudy1]

Been reading your thread and wish you the best on the 22nd.

I know your pain and frustration with your dad falling. My 97 year old dad who fell had only spent one time in a hospital in his whole life and took his first ambulance ride ever when he fell. Guess I don’t need to tell you what kind of a patient he made. Many months of rehab and dealing with resultant dementia. Yes I have 1/2 chance at very good genes unless there was a milkman ( joke)!

My hope is that all our babies get a low/no cost spay/neuter for 2018 and no more kittens. That is my wish for you this new year.

Keep doing what you’re doing for the little guys, even lBA who sounds like mischief on all fours!

Let us know. BTW I hope you can contact Alley Cat Allies. They have a forum where you can fill out your information and request, submit it and hopefully are provided names and numbers of some rescue people in your area. You need the help. When I used it I found the greatest people willing to help.

 

[alphagrrl]

I. Am. Not. Happy!!!

This past Monday I texted the TNR lady to see if she still had me on schedule for Thursday. She said yes, and she even said she'd take kitty baby too! She offered to bring me some traps, so the next morning, she met me at work and gave me two traps and a kennel. I told her I'd meet her Thursday morning, but she said she leaves town at 6:30am so I had to get the cats to her by Wednesday night instead. That threw me off some, but I figured I'd make it work. I decided to take off work early on Wednesday so I'd have time to get the cats herded up and get them to her that night before dark.

I was on my way home Wednesday, and she sent me a text that said, "I already have 25 cats. We'll try again next month." What the ever-loving hell?!?! I replied back, "Well CRAP! I guess I'll bring the traps back tomorrow." She told me to just keep them so the cats can get used to them, and then "Sorry". I was SO mad!!! That's the second time she did that to me!!! I haven't talked to her since, and I haven't taken the traps back either. I am so done with her!!! It's taken everything in me not to trash her on the HS page on Facebook, but that wouldn't do any good.

There is a rescue place about 2-1/2 hours from me that does TNR, and I've been talking to them on Facebook. Their next TNR date is Feb 14, so I guess I'll have to take a day off work and try to get up there. My daughter has a truck, so maybe we can get all 6 cats at once if they'll take them. They charge $25-$35 each, so I'll have to scrape that up somehow. I'm waiting to hear back from them about scheduling and details. We'd have to be there by 9:00am. UGH! I don't WANT to go way up there, but I have to do something! My dad's birthday is Feb 13 and I wanted to take off that afternoon to spend some time with him. Then my birthday is Feb 16, and I wanted to take off that day. I'm sure I won't be able to take off Feb 14 AND Feb 16. I just want to cry!

On another whiny note, Little Bad Ass has been sick again. About a week after the incident with his foot, I went outside and he was just laying there looking sad and pathetic. I could tell he didn't feel good, so I brought him inside AGAIN to make sure he would eat and drink. He didn't want much to eat, but he did OK for the night, and I put him back out the next day. He wasn't feeling good for several days, and I was getting really worried, especially when I thought his gums looked yellowish -- not banana yellow but just pale yellow. Of course my first thought was that maybe it's because he's an orange cat, but I was just trying to convince myself that he'd be OK. Obviously, yellow is not good, so after way too much internet research, I decided either he's anemic, he's been poisoned, or his liver is failing. Then my daughter suggested that maybe he's got leukemia. I haven't tested any of them for that, but I'm sure they all have it. Black Kitty had it, but he never acted sick from it. I know I need to find some time and money to take LBA back to the vet to confirm, but he started feeling better two days ago, and he's outside now acting like his usual crazy self.

It's horrible that sometimes I wish I'd never laid eyes on Kitty Mama. SIGH!!!

 

[trudy1]

Sorry your tnr contact treated you so shabbily. If she really does have 25 cats...wow, it’s a wonder she even knows what day it is! But she still should have been more considerate.

I hope the fourteenth goes better but 5 hour rt! Wow I wonder if you told them how far it is that maybe they have vouchers or even more reduced cost for special cases like yours?

Not to add salt in your wound but did you know the 14th is Valentine’s Day?

I’ll bet the memory of this will stick with you for a while. I went on a tnr several months ago to do four and they kept coming out from under the house...final count...fifteen! I can still close my eyes and see them coming.

It’s a wonder all we cat people don’t have what I used to call at work “ the malox ring” or that white ring around your mouth from drinking that Malox stomach stuff all day to ease the hurt.

Hope LBA gets better

 

[rubysmama]

Sorry things didn't work out with the TNR this month, but at least you still have the traps, so you can either use them to do the TNR on your own on the 14th, or wait till next month and the TNR lady.
Fingers crossed you get your kitties neutered before another kitten season.

 

[alphagrrl]

I am devastated. Again.

My big beautiful boy, Blackie1, is gone.

Another Black Friday! My Heart Can't Take Much More!

 

[trudy1]

How did it happen?

I’m so sorry you have to go through all this .

Be vigilant....he knows where the food is....I’m confident he’ll be back

 

[tabbytom]

I’m

to hear this . My heartfelt condolences

 

[rubysmama]

I'm so sorry. RIP sweet boy.

 

[msaimee]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[alphagrrl]

NEWS FLASH!!! FOUR KITTIES ARE FIXED !!! LONGGGG UPDATE!!!

I made an appointment on Feb 14 for the Rescue Ranch in McRae, GA. They said we had to be there at 9:00am for check in, which meant leaving my house at 7:00am. UGH! I can barely get up at 6:30am to get ready for work!

The Ranch told me the cats couldn’t eat or drink after midnight, so I really overfed them. I still had the kennel and traps from the HS lady, but my daughter managed to snag four more small kennels from them too. The night before I put them all outside in a row and fed the cats in them. My daughter insisted the picture below is photo-shopped, but I promise it’s not.

I’d been stressing out about this trip for weeks, but I knew it had to be done. Wednesday morning I got up way too early because I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to catch ONE cat, much less five, even though they have been totally fine around me and in/out of the house for months. I went out with their food dishes and pretty much faked them out so they thought they were being fed. I couldn’t believe I managed to catch Kitty Mama within 5 minutes and shoved her in the biggest kennel. She wasn’t too happy but settled down soon. Then I got Blackie 2 and Kitty Baby. Little Bad Ass is smarter than they are, so he realized something was up and ran away. I couldn’t even get close to the older female. By 6:00am I was in tears and nearly hyperventilating (and cussing a blue streak, believe me).

My daughter showed up at 6:30am and tried to calm me down. It didn’t help. I wanted so badly to get the three females if nothing else! But I had to settle for two females and one male. I really had to hustle to get myself ready to go. My daughter loaded them all up, and right before we left, something told me to look outside just one more time. Still no Stripey, but Little Bad Ass was sitting on the steps like he wondered where everybody went, so I let him in the house and grabbed him! Yay!

The trip itself was pretty awful. There’s no straight route from my house to there, all back roads, etc. Blah. But the cats were fine! We didn’t even have to cover them up. They meowed a little to start with but then settled down and went to sleep for most of the trip. Honestly, I whined more than they did. We made it there about 8:55am, but then we couldn’t find the place. My daughter’s GPS and my Mapquest were not accurate AT ALL, and the Ranch didn’t answer the phone when I called them (three times) because they were busy. We finally flagged someone down, and he told us to turn around and go back about five minutes. We had actually passed the Ranch on the way into town! It’s right on the highway, but neither of us saw it. I was too busy apologizing to cats for what they were about to endure, and my daughter was cussing at her GPS.

We pulled up at 9:20am (me near tears again). I filled out paperwork while my daughter unloaded kitties. The two ladies there were SO polite and professional and obviously really cared about animals. I was really impressed and I finally calmed down a little. They promised to try to get my cats in and out as fast as possible because of the distance we had to drive. I pulled out my wallet because their rule is pay in advance (so you check out quicker), and then my daughter handed me $100. Happy early birthday from my kids! Yay again!

We left and went to look around town (only took about 30 min haha), but we found a flea market, and we also had an awesome lunch. The Ranch called me at 12:55pm and said the kitties were ready to go home! When we picked them up, they said the cats were all absolutely fine and instructed me to make sure they eat and drink the minute we got them home. Of course, like I already knew, Kitty Mama had been pregnant. Again. Third time. I feel SO awful about that. Poor Kitty Mama! She’s still too young! RIP little baby kitties. I’m sorry.

Kitty Baby, Blackie2, and Little Bad Ass were not the least bit interested in the ride home, so they laid down and slept most of the way. Blackie2 meowed a few times. Kitty Mama decided she wanted to sit up, but every time I looked at her, she was leaning from side to side like a drunken sailor. She didn’t lie down until we were only about 30 minutes from home.

We made it back to my house around 4:00pm. I shut Max in the bedroom, and I put all the cats in the spare bathroom for a little while. I let them out of the carriers one at the time so nobody freaked out. Then I fed them in the bathroom, and they all ate like they hadn’t been fed in days. I took Kitty Baby to the kitchen for awhile first, and she acted absolutely fine. Then Blackie2 and Little Bad Ass were next, and they were also doing great. I had intended to keep them in the house overnight, but I let them outside about 6:30pm and they were all OK.

Of course, Stripey was right on the steps as usual. I realized that I should’ve just gone ahead and put her food out that morning and just grabbed her the second she started to eat it. I felt so stupid all day because I didn’t have her too.

Kitty Mama had been through a lot more than the others, so I wanted to watch her a little closer. She was suddenly a lot more affectionate and let me handle her more than I ever have before. I put her back in the carrier for a little while but then took her out so I could feed her again. I was going to let her outside in about 10 more minutes, and I was on the couch when I heard her scratching at the bathroom door. Before I could get to her, she had pulled up the AC vent in the floor and was halfway through it!!! I yelled and grabbed her fur in the middle of her back but then had to let go because I didn’t want to hurt her. I went outside and crawled under the house waiting for her, and she came strolling out in about 5 minutes.

So now guess who was in tears AGAIN?! I was SO glad when the day was over and it was time for bed. I was exhausted, physically and especially emotionally!

The next day the cats were all back to normal. They don’t even act like anything’s happened. Little Bad Ass is his old happy self. Blackie2 has become a lot more loving and vocal. He LICKED me yesterday. Kitty Baby is still just crazy. Kitty Mama has become a LOT more affectionate. I put her in my lap for the first time ever! She’s always rubbing on my legs and meowing a lot more. She looks so much younger to me and seems to be happier somehow.

The lady at the HS texted me yesterday and said their next date is Feb 21. I still had her traps and dropped them off today, but she said I could hold on to the kennel and she’ll get a spot for Stripey. I’m still upset with her though, so she better not turn me down for the THIRD time on Wednesday!

OK that’s it for now. That was way too long, I know. I appreciate all you people so much!

I didn't get a pic of Little Bad Ass, but I have video of him talking to me.

 

[maggiedemi]

Great job! What a wonderful day's work.