Moon

I was sitting in my van with the engine off in the dark waiting to see if Jazz would show up for food (there has been major construction happening near his feeding station so he isn't coming for food in the morning - another post for another day).  A vehicle pulled up behind me and just before they drove off I saw an organic waste bin on the boulevard with the lid propped open.  Strange.

Early the following morning I got an email from a friend saying she had seen a new black cat in the nearby parking lot who looked in rough shape.  It wasn't until much later in the day that I put two and two together.  That organic waste bin probably contained the black cat and some despicable excuse for a human being dumped him.  They knew that a cat (Jazz) was being fed so thought this was a good place to dump the cat.

A few days later I was able to trap this dear little cat and took him to a foster home.  I decided to call this black kitty Moon because he was dumped the day after the super moon and he had a very round face, like a moon.  

Moon wasn't feral but we weren't sure he was a friendly guy either.  After about a couple of weeks Moon went to the vet to be neutered however it was discovered he was quite sick.  It was decided with the cards stacked against him due to illness that it would be far kinder to let him go.  I called the vet's office asking them one small favour before Moon went over the rainbow bridge.  Would someone please kiss the top of his wee head for me.  If I could have gone to the clinic I would have kissed him myself. 

I think every time I look at a moon in the night sky I will think of this dear kitty.  I'm so glad I was able to get him off the cold streets and deliver him to a foster home so that he would know what it was like to be cared for.

RIP sweet Moon. You deserved more.

Ollie and Spirit

Now that Ollie enjoys being groomed so much it has become a daily event.  Every day I get multiple combs full of her fur, makes me wonder why she isn't  bald by now.  I'm sure she feels better.  I know I do because I don't like seeing her full of mats.  Listen carefully to hear Ollie purr in the video link below.

https://youtu.be/mMTWDUa1N4U

Spirit has a lot of mats around her neck and one has been hanging on a few thins strands of fur for about 3 weeks.  Today while she was eating I was finally able to snip it off.  I have not ever been able to pet Spirit and any time I touch her she scampers away so grooming isn't an option, but maybe some day.......

The video link below is Spirit chasing Da Bird from yesterday.......the hanging mat is quite visible but now it's gone.

https://youtu.be/SBeaZZfjZXU

Ollie loves being groomed

I am still amazed at this little cat.  Thirteen years after I started caring for Ollie and the other kitties in this colony Ollie has decided I can pet her.....everyday. She still isn't keen on top of the head kisses so I only try occasionally but she loves having her head rubbed.  She has also discovered that being groomed feels really good too.

Today we had two grooming sessions, one before she had breakfast and another afterwards.  The second grooming I was able to removed some small mats and one golf ball sized mat.  The second grooming session lasted about ten plus minutes and she even rolled in her back.  Yes, I've made great strides in the past few months with this little cat.

Easter Nipsters (videos)

I got chocolate but the kitties got some catnip this morning.  It is a beautiful day and no wind to blow away the nip so these three kitties had a good time.

Here's Jazz enjoying his Easter treat

http://youtu.be/9EzsNXswZbs

This is Spirit rolling in the nip

http://youtu.be/jtYwhzZG32E

And little Ollie who really got into the joy of her nip fix

http://youtu.be/fPoqGOohfXE

Of the three kitties, ollie was the one who enjoyed it the most.  I stayed with her for over 20 minutes as she rolled and wiggled in the nip.

First kiss

Over the past two weeks Ollie has discovered just how wonderful it feels to have her head rubbed by a human.  Each day she has loved the attention more and more to the point that if I stop petting her she head butts my hand with her head.  I'm over the moon.  It has taken 13 years for Ollie to get to this point.  I've been able to get very close to her for a long time but touching was not allowed.  I can scratch her head behind her ears and run my hand along her back and tail and she very happy to let me do this.

  

http://youtu.be/T7xe_K0wSEo

Now every feeding, both a.m. and p.m. Ollie gets head rubs.  She loves this attention.  Today, though was made just a little bit more special.  I got to kiss the top of her wee head.  Wow.  It has taken patience and persistence.  

It snowed!!!

Our first real snowfall of the winter and hoping it's our last.  I had to dig out Ollie and Spirit.

This video is what things looked like when I arrived.  

http://youtu.be/neW56a2NS88

Ugly weather day

We got it all today, snow, freezing rain and rain.  I got soaked this afternoon feeding dinner but it's more important the kitties have full tummies.

Lini is doing well inside

Lini is doing quite well living inside.  She craves attention.  She is eating well, using the litter box and enjoys being brushed but I can't get her to play!  I've tried a number of toys and she shows mild interest in some but she is not there yet.

Now to find just the right forever home..........

Snowy Day

Yesterday's snow made the walk to the East Side Gang's feeding area look beautiful and covered much of the litter that blows around.

I tried to get Ollie to move under cover to eat so she wouldn't get covered in snow but she won't eat if I push her food bowl to the back of the shelter.

Lini McSweety

In an earlier post I mentioned a cat named Winston who had been removed from a colony I help out at.  Winston turned out to be a really sweet kitty who loves people.

Lini is another kitty from this same colony.  She started rubbing against my legs and begging for affection when I came to feed.  Getting her to eat was a bit of a challenge.  She wanted attention, lots and lots of attention.  

Recently Robin and I tried to trap her.  Our first attempt was on a miserable pouring rain afternoon and we almost had her.  The next attempt, we again almost had her but she didn't go quite far enough into the trap.  Today I tried and was successful in less than a minute.  I just set the trap up in my van and when Lini jumped in to see what sort of eats I was preparing I kinda of gently pushed her and I had her in the trap.  Two hours later she was in her new foster home.  

We are hoping she will adapt well to indoor life so we can find her a home of her very own and no more cold wet nights outside.  

Baby it's cold outside

It is days like this that I really, really get upset when it is so cold.  Not for myself but all my little homeless kitties.  Yes they have straw filled sleeping shelters and they use them but that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty when I walk away from them after feeding knowing I'm goin back to a warm home.

This morning it was -18 C when I fed the East Side Gang about 9:30 - I have a thermometer there.  I stopped again about 12:30 to give them fresh water and more food if they were interested and they both came out to eat. Because the sun was beating down on the cat's area it was a little more tolerable.  In the more open exposed areas it will be much colder.

Spirit was snoozing in one of the sun shelters, came out to eat then climbed back inside the sun shelter.  He will be nice and toasty while the sun shines.

I wish Ollie would use the other sun shelter

By Monday we will be back to more seasonable temps and I can't wait.

She likes me, she really likes me

It was just over 13 years ago when I met Ollie, one of two remaining cats in the East Side Gang, and in all that time I have not be able to pet her. Any time I did touch her she hopped away quickly, so I didn't push my luck.  She has the most beautiful little face and my dream is to someday be able to kiss the top of her sweet head.

Every morning when I arrive to feed breakfast Ollie comes out to meet me.  I stick my finger out and she will give it a quick sniff. Over the past couple of weeks she has taken it a step further by rubbing the side of her head on my finger and sometimes both sides.  I was thrilled.  Today she really got into it and rubbed the side of her head and top of her head on my finger.

The other wonderful event is she will now eat treats from my hand.  I love that she does this.  I am beginning to believe that petting her and scratching behind her ears might be a possibility.  See short video from earlier today......

http://youtu.be/btr7sPBUwyg

In January 2015 when both Doodle and Jag crossed the Rainbow Bridge that was the end of my friendly ferals.  I used to be able to pet them, groom them and kiss the tops of their heads.  They had learned to trust a long time ago.

It feels quite amazing to me to have finally reached this point with Ollie after such a long time when I didn't think it would ever happen.  I am going to go at her pace, but sure hope I don't have to wait another 13 years to be able to pet her.

Ollie has her shelter back

Yesterday morning I was happy to see Ollie come out of her usual sleeping shelter and again today.

About 6 weeks ago I noticed Spirit was not sleeping in his shelter and I'm pretty sure it is because the raccoon had moved in.  Spirit has been known to use a few different shelters so I never worried about him and he is now using one of the new shelters.  There are only two cats but I have 6 sleeping shelters.

Today I placed a few twigs in front of Spirit's old shelter and if they're moved when I return I'll know the raccoon is sleeping in there.  Hmmmmmmm.......or maybe the possum is in there!

Entrance to Spirit's former shelter with twigs
in opening

Spirit's shelter right foreground
Ollie looking on

Tonight when I returned to feed the cats their dinner the twigs had been pushed out so the raccoon had come out of the shelter sometime during the day.  While Ollie and Spirit were eating we all heard a noise from above and there was the raccoon hanging over the edge of the roof.  He stayed up there long enough for the cats to finish dinner and allow me to pack up before he started coming down the tree.

Grrrrrrr....those raccoons

When I arrived to feed Ollie and Spirit their dinner last night I discovered a raccoon had moved into Ollie's sleeping shelter sometime during the day!

Ollie

Ollie came from the lumberyard when I called the cats which surprised me.  A few minutes later I saw a little raccoon poke his head out of Ollie's shelter.  There are lots of sleeping shelters but Ollie only uses the same shelter she has been using since I built them back in 2008.

Green pine boughs (upper picture) marks entrance to
Ollie's sleeping shelter.  Black boxes are new shelters.
Burlap covers Ollie's feeding shelter

This morning I was relieved to see Ollie come out of Spirit's former sleeping shelter (not pictured)when I arrived to feed breakfast.  It is much too cold for the cats and shelters are so necessary right now.  Before I left, Ollie went back into Spirit's shelter with a full tummy.

I also got a whiff of skunk this morning while feeding.  I could hear men working in the lumberyard and was wondering if they may have disturbed a skunk.  If it's not one thing it's another ..........

Miss Lini McSweety

A few days ago I told the story of Winston, who turned out not to be so feral.  Well it seems there is another kitty in this same colony who is not so feral either.  

Today Lini again came over to me while I was preparing food for her and the other kitties in this colony. She was rubbing against my legs urging me to hurry up she wanted her brekky.  She jumped into the van to get a few nibbles and I was able to pet her.  She sure is a pretty little tortie.

Winston

Winston is a black tom that made an appearance recently at another colony I'm helping out at.  He seemed quite relaxed when I came near but then I had bowls of food which he wanted.  I was happy to see him the next couple of days and each time he would come closer and closer.  He even allowed me to pet him while he was eating and he didn't flinch.

About the 4th day he came right over to the van and helped himself to the food as I was preparing it.  At this point I thought he might be easy to trap so he could be neutered.  The following day Robin and I met at the colony.  While Robin was setting the trap Winston strolled over as if to ask, "whatcha doin'?"  Within two minutes Winston was in the trap.  Wow that was easy.

Winston has now been neutered and an abscess that we didn't know about on his cheek has been looked after.  He is enjoying his recovery with Michelle.  And it turns out that Winston is not feral at all.  He's quite the sweetheart climbing into laps and purring.  Sure makes me wonder how he came to be living outside but his future looks a whole lot better.   

Jazz

I don't write much about Jazz because I don't see him often.  Lately he has been coming for food both in the morning and the evening when I feed and I am always happy to see him.  He is now 13 years old.  Jazz was a wee fella of about 5 or 6 months when I began feeding back in 2002.  He was the spitting image of his mother who was a beautiful solid grey kitty.  Jazz and his 2 sibs were jet black but the head shape and facial features left no doubt who mom was.

I've gone through ups and downs with Jazz over the years.  I was never able to get too close to him, maybe 4' or 5' at best, but then there was a time when I did not see him for months and months and then if I did see him and he saw me he would take off as if he was in real danger.  

A couple of years ago his bestest buddy, Tess, hit by a car in the early morning.  Since then he's been a loner and he meows.  He never talked until after Tess died.

I love that I am seeing him regularly lately but I know that this can change.  For now I'm enjoying seeing him and knowing he is eating well.

Ready for winter

Every time I think I am finished getting things organized and ready for the kitties to be warm and cosy over the winter I think of something else I can do but now I think I am truly finished.  It is only Spirit and Ollie at this location yet there are numerous sleeping shelters.  Spirit tends to use all of them except for the one Ollie uses and Ollie only uses the one she has been using for years.

The two big black boxes are old feeding shelters that are now well insolated and I have been putting heated Snugglesafe discs in them at night. I really want Ollie to start using one of these shelters because it will be warmer for her but she still goes to her usual shelter.  I put a little catnip on the disc to get Ollie interested and I have seen go in but she doesn't stay.  I will keep trying to entice her and maybe........

Fussy Little Kittehs

I've been caring for my feral cats for 13 years this month.  In all this time the kitties have never once gone without at least one meal per day.  

It makes me chuckle that these dear little cats can become fussy eaters just like our kitties at home.  Yesterday Ollie was taking it to a whole new level.  Here she is with her breakfast selection!

What a beautiful spoiled little girl.  Some days I hit it right but yesterday was a miss.  She only got this variety because I was feeding at a few other locations so I knew the food would not go to waste.

When I returned to feed dinner Ollie ate really well but that was probably because she was hungry.

I just love this sweet little girl.  

What a day!

My first responsibility was to feed my little feral kitties and after that remove and dispose of the little raccoon that had died in one of the cat's shelters (see Tuesday's post - what you doing in there?)

I removed the roof of the shelter and got the dear little raccoon into a cardboard box and covered the body in straw.  I did a little reading on distemper and raccoons and thought maybe I should get in touch with the city about disposing of the body.

Calling 311 was one option but I thought it would be faster to call Toronto Animal Services directly.  The phone was answered and I had to listen to a number of recorded options.  I listened to all options, made my choice and was expecting a person at the other end.  No, I got another recording with more options.  I listened, made my choice and waited for a person.  No.  Not a person, another recording telling me that I would be connected to 311 !!  What the........?  For readers unfamiliar with 311 dialling this number is Toronto's solution to answering any questions on any subject related to the city.  

I got a 311 staff person, explained that I had found a dead raccoon in my feral cat shelter and wanted to know what I should do with the body.  The person, he gave me his name but I wasn't paying any attention, asked for the address so he could send someone from Animal Services to pick up the body within 48  hours.  I don't know the address.  My feral kitties are in an industrial area between two commercial buildings and I couldn't see leaving this raccoon in a box out front.  One of these buildings is very busy during the day with people coming and going constantly.  Then it was suggested I put the deceased raccoon at the end of my driveway.  Well that didn't seem like a good plan either.  Finally the 311 staffer asked if I was thinking of transporting the raccoon to Animal Services!  I asked if that was an option and he put me on hold.  Less than a minute later he came back and said I could deliver the little raccoon to one of 4 Animal Services shelters.  He was about to give me locations for the closest but I told him I knew the closet location was at the CNE grounds. Then he offered to give me Animal Setvices phone number.  It was the same number I had originally called that had automatically put me through to 311 !!  Yes, that would be such fun to go around in circles. Call Animal Services, get put through to 311 then start all over again.

Off I went with the little raccoon in the back of my van.  As I was approaching the CNE grounds I realized that the Royal Winter Fair was to start in 2 days.  Animal Services is located behind the horse palace and all around that building farmers were unloading their goats, cows, chickens, sheep and assorted other farm animals.  There was no way I was going to get anywhere near Animal Services with all those lovely farm animals and loads of people so after a failed attempt to get close to my destination I headed home with the dead raccoon still in the back of my van.

I eventually solved my dilemma.