Oh. No.

[trudy1]

I love that first photo with those tails sticking out. I laughed and laughed. I can emphasize with you on the timing of trap and vet appt. I didn’t have the long distance drive to boot! Wow, only one left? What a day!
Lots of tears and Kleenex but you did it...ya!

Do something special for yourself, you’ve earned it!

 

[Norachan]

Oh fantastic! Well done you.

I know what you mean about the stress and the tears and the panic attacks. TNR is so hard, isn't it? You did an absolutely wonderful job with them.

Sorry about the poor little babies who didn't get chance to be born. I've had to spay-abort several times in the past. It's heartbreaking, but I still think it's better than having more kittens who will struggle to survive and probably suffer a great deal as feral cats.

I'll light a candle for them and hope they get re-born into a better life.

Love that picture!

 

[rubysmama]

Wonderful news! You must be so relieved. Hopefully Stripey will get her "day trip" on Wednesday.

 

[orange&white]

That's terrific news! Great work you and your daughter did! All that work in one day will help those kitties have years of longer, happier and healthier lives.

 

[alphagrrl]

Thanks for the replies! I'm feeling much better about it all now that I see the cats running around playing and really enjoying themselves, especially Kitty Mama.

I forgot to add: we did get rabies shots for all the cats too!

 

[alphagrrl]

Well, I did not get Stripey fixed last month. The day before I was to meet up with the HS lady, I talked myself out of it because I just don't trust her anymore. I don't think I like her much either. The next morning I lied to her and told her I couldn't catch the cat. The next day I contacted the Rescue Ranch again and got Stripey on the list for March 14. I know it's crazy to drive all that distance again AND have to pay for the spaying, but I don't care. Stripey is still the most skittish of all the cats, but she's coming around. I'm pretty sure I can get her Wednesday morning, but wish me luck!

The other kitties have been doing really well. Blackie2 seems a little skinny to me. He acts OK and his appetite is good, so I hope nothing's wrong. He probably has worms. Kitty Mama has become very affectionate. She doesn't want to come in the house, but she's the second one at the back door when it's time to eat. Little Bad Ass is ALWAYS first in line. Lately he wants to come in the house at night when I'm getting ready for bed, so I let him in for a few minutes, and he'll roll on his back for a belly rub and then go back out. I think he would very easily get used to being an inside cat. Kitty Baby's the same way, and she's very loving and playful.

I'll update more after Wednesday!

 

[maggiedemi]

Yay! Great work! You did good.

 

[rubysmama]

Good luck on Wednesday.

 

[alphagrrl]

Mission aborted. [Insert lots of bad words here. I said them all this morning.]

I had a situation with my dad come up yesterday, and we spent about 10 hours at the ER. He’s not doing well at all, but he’s “ok” as can be for now.

I didn’t get any sleep last night, but I got up early this morning to go to the Rescue Ranch. I was all ready to go and went outside to catch Stripey. I had my hand on her, but she freaked out and bit me. She’s never done it before, so I know it was out of fear. Also, I saw another stray (not mine) running near the property line just as I grabbed her, so maybe she saw him too.

I just didn’t have the energy to try again, so I fed her, tended to my hand, and went back to bed for a little while.

I don’t think the bite is too bad. I’ve had them before, and it always looks worse than it is. But no matter if it’s a big bite or small, you know it’s gonna be sore as hell!

Poor me. Poor Stripey. I’m just going to lay around and feel sorry for us both the rest of the day.

 

[maggiedemi]

Oh man, I'm sorry you got bit. I hope you're okay. Can you bring her in a few days ahead of time and put her in a room or basement? Or even a big dog cage? It seems really stressful for you to have to trap her right on the morning you're supposed to bring her in.

 

[orange&white]

Sorry for your troubles!

I hope your dad makes a speedy recovery.

And you too! Those bites can be really bad. If you have redness or swelling, you'll need to get medical treatment.

Good vibes for healing; both you and your father.

 

[trudy1]

Wish your dad a quick recovery....10 hours in the ER...wow

I bet poor stripey was saying “what’s wrong with mom?” You know they can sense your stress, anxiety, all that? She was probably feeling everything you were and more.

I’m sure she will calm later. Try to get a good nights rest, both of you, and try again tomorrow.

Prays for your dad.

 

[msaimee]

The vast majority of cat bites that are deep enough to puncture the skin get infected and require antibiotics. If there is any redness or swelling at all, please see a doctor asap, they will likely prescribe Augmentin, which is specific to puncture wounds. All three times that I have gotten bitten, the wound became infected within a day and I needed antibiotics. Please take care of yourself.

 

[alphagrrl]

My hand doesn’t hurt as bad as yesterday, but I went to urgent care this morning anyway just to get some antibiotics. It is still swollen, but the redness has faded some. Nothing was draining or bleeding. I got a tetanus shot for the first time in probably 30 years and amoxicillin. $160 gone that I couldn’t spare. Blah.

 

[rubysmama]

Ouch. Better safe than sorry, though. Hope your Dad feel better again soon.

 

[Norachan]

You've done such a great job with them so far. That's too bad about Stripey. I'm a nervous wreck whenever I have to trap any of the cats, I'm sure they can sense that.

Hope your hand is better soon. Sending vibes for you and your dad.

 

[alphagrrl]

Well, it’s me again. I guess I’ll start with the really bad news and work my way down to the still bad news. Long post warning.

My dad passed away on March 22. He just turned 82 in February. He broke his hip exactly one year ago on June 15, 2017 and had to go to a nursing home supposedly just for rehab. He did not get the proper treatment and therapy he needed. He had bedsores less than a week after being admitted! One thing led to another, and every single day there was something new I was trying to deal with. I honestly feel that the nursing home is responsible, and believe me, they all know exactly how I feel. Problem is, it’s very difficult to prove neglect like that, so I don’t know if I will try to file a lawsuit. It’s not about money. I just wish somebody could be held accountable. I just feel that if they had done their jobs right, he might still be here. It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t make it back home. For nearly nine months I did everything I could to try to get him out of there, and then suddenly I had to do a complete 180 and try to concentrate on doing whatever I could to help him through his last days. I missed a lot of work trying to be there for him, and I was with him nearly every day since he went in, but I don’t feel like I did anything right. We had some decent conversations in spite of the fact that we’re not the ‘emotional’ ones in our family. I’m actually pretty proud that more than once I’ve heard, “You’re just like your daddy!” He was mostly asleep from pain meds for the last two weeks, so I didn’t really get to talk WITH him again, but I sure talked AT him. I hope he heard me. I think he did. I was with him the day before he died, but the nursing home didn’t call me the next morning until after he was already gone. I didn’t care if it was 2:00am, they were supposed to call me, but they didn’t. I could’ve been there in 10 minutes. Not one person from the nursing home has called to offer any condolences. I think that’s pretty sh*tty. I don’t know how I’ll manage without my daddy. He was the glue that held this family together, and everyone who knew him respected him and loved him. I know he’s not suffering anymore, and he’s back with my mama (they were married 57 years; she died Dec 2014) and my big brother (he was a year older than me; he died Sep 1984). Rest easy, Daddy. I got this. (or at least I’m trying!)

Now on to cat stuff. I never did get Stripey girl fixed. She decided tearing my hand open wasn’t enough, so she got pregnant and had a litter of kittens around April 14. Of course, she immediately brought the babies to me, like I didn’t have enough going on. My first reaction was to cry more (since I’d already been doing that for about the past year anyway). I had all the other cats fixed, remember? I’ve tried to do the math and say “no way”, but I have now convinced myself that Little Bad Ass is probably the kitty daddy. It’s not impossible, I guess. So now I have FIVE more mouths to feed. They’re 9 weeks old today. I don’t even know for sure yet, but my daughter thinks the gray ones are girls and the orange ones are boys. I’ve been taking care of them and trying not to fall in love with them (oh wait, too late already), because I CANNOT keep them too! They are really crazy little babies and pretty healthy now that they recovered from all the eye gunk they had at 2-3 weeks. I bring them in to play and eat every morning and evening, but then they have to go back outside with the rest. They’re very playful and the others tolerate them, except for Kitty Baby. She hasn’t tried to hurt them, but she will not have anything to do with them and actually growls at them if they get too close to her. I don’t know if it’s just jealousy because she’s not the baby anymore? I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve really got nowhere to take them. All the shelters around here are absolutely full, and I can’t find anybody who wants a kitten. I’ll probably end up taking them to the shelter anyway, and then I’ll never know what happens to them.

I’ve got to do something soon, because on top of everything else, my landlord informed me that he wants to sell the house I’ve been renting for 13 YEARS. Of course, I’d rather stay here, but he wants a stupid amount of money for it. It’s just a small, old mobile home on only an acre, and I told him that I’ve really already paid for it several times over. If I can’t get him to come to his senses, I’ll have to move. Then what happens to the cats?!

Ok that’s more than enough. I just wanted to update yall. If I start thinking about things too hard, I’ll just be crying again. Blah!

Hug your dads if you can! Blow them a kiss if you can’t!

 

[trudy1]

I’m going jump in here even though it’s been a while since I’ve been on the site. First...what cute babies! But you have to consider the mental and physical load you can carry. I went through kind of what you’re going through with the loss of your dad. Mine was 96 and had been in the hospital twice in his life until he fell. Didn’t break anything but he’d lived by himself till then. I put him in a rehab center which was reputed to be the best. But calls from him at 3am, scared, saying they’re trying to kill him, 80 mile rt drives in the night to try to talk to him sensibly, etc. They finally concocted some story about him being aggressive and at 11pm one night they informed me he had to go. Meantime he contracted c-dif at the hospital, constant diarrhea, etc. The story goes on. But in those months we were closer than we had ever been. He was from the old school. Cared for me but never in 60 plus years told me he loved me. A few days before he died he looked up and said “you’ve been a good son”.

I write all this to say you can get through it and in your quiet times know that 1) nothing happens by accident, and 2) no matter what you’re trials you are loved by the one who designed and created you! 3) while all of us may disappoint you in some way that one will never

Please know that there are many caring people on this site who are there to listen and will try to give you comfort if you will reach out. There are also many who, if they were close, would provide tangible help.

Keep the faith

 

[rubysmama]

I'm so sorry about your Dad, alphagrrl . My Dad also ended up spending his last couple of years in a nursing home (my Mom too), so I know how difficult it is seeing our once strong, seemingly invincible parents in that environment.

Sorry also about your uncertain housing future. Hopefully your landlord will reconsider. Would you be able to purchase the property if the price was reasonable?

Hate to ask, but has Stripey been keep inside, and away from Little Bad Ass and other intact cats since she had the kittens? Cats can get pregnant again, both while still nursing, and also without showing a visible heat. So, if you can, I would try to get her spayed asap.

I know the last thing you needed was more kittens, but maybe they arrived to help comfort you during this difficult time in your life.

 

[Norachan]

So sorry to hear about your Dad.



It sounds like you really have your hands full with the cats too. Are you able to get Stripey Girl and her kittens fixed? Can the Rescue Ranch people help you again? I know it's probably the last thing you need to hear right now, but Stripey could be pregnant again already if she's been outside. If you can make some appointments for spays and neuters (take her kittens in if you can't catch her) you'd be getting a head start on things.

Kittens can be fixed when they weigh 2 lbs, so they should be big enough soon.

Do you want to stay where you are or would you rather move? is it difficult to get a mortgage in the US? Our mortgage repayments worked out cheaper than our rent was, so buying our own place saved us a bit of money.

Good luck, I hope things get a bit easier for you soon.