Cat Stories

In 2021, I started and ended the year with the passing of not 1 but 2 beloved cats.  Two beautifully all-white kitties, one with yellow eyes, the other with green, sisters of same litter, at 15 years of age suffered tragic fates.  The first, Princess, died suddenly after a 2-year battle with cancer.  A few weeks after her 2nd surgery to remove a small tumor, she passed a blood clot and died near instantly.  That was in February.  Then in September, her sister, Ri-Ri was having labored breathing.  At the Animal 24x7 Emergency hospital she was given a very bleak prognosis; heart, lungs, and kidneys were all involved.  The vet and heart specialist gave her 6 months at best.  She past right before Christmas.  Needless to say, I was devastated and took time to grieve.  

In 2023, I moved to the beautiful state of North Carolina.  Sadly, NC has a huge feral cat issue.  Wanting to do my part, I adopted a pair of brothers, Cookie and Caramel.  Both were lingering at the shelter as no one wanted optically disfigured cats.  They both have a  thick membrane and cloudy eye similar to glaucoma covering one or both eyes.  Otherwise they are healthy.  

Not too long after though, the CDS (Cat Distribution System) stopped with a feral momma who delivered a kitten tribe of 5 outside my door.  I watched over them without interloping too much, set out extra food for the nursing mom.  One day however, she did not come back.  I waited before intervening and yes, I took them in.  With bottles and formula I took care of those kittens for 3 weeks.  My boys, only 8-months old themselves, became welcomed Uncles.  They loved on those babies after some minor hesitation.  But then guess who made a come back!  Momma kitty.  I gave her a name and invited her in.  She squared off with my boys but soon everyone adjusted.  Of that litter, I got them all spayed and neutered, vaccs and all, 4 were adopted out.  The lingering female, Tiger-Lily with mesmerizing green eyes stayed behind.  As luck would have it... momma kitty, now known as Cali-kitty, gave me a 2nd litter.  I have some idea where she had been for those initial 3 weeks.  Sigh.  Once again kittens.  Spay/Neuter/shots/vaccs.  Of those 5, 3 get adopted.  Staying behind are Cheeto and Pumpkin (their adopter backed out) - a pair of lush, plump big ginger boys.  For those not keeping count, that put me at 6.  Footnote: most of my life I've had 3 cats, so 6 didn't feel like too much of a stretch.

For a time, life was ok.  I had a few ferals roaming around and I made the effort to get connected to local resources to help me start trapping for TNR. (Trap, Neuter, Release).  I made friends with many of the outdoor kitties over time and now have a regular crew for breakfast and lunch. 

Whelp.... one day I was out mowing the lawn. I could hear the crows cawing and a non-stop baby crying.  Something didn't sound right though about those sounds.  I shut off the mower.   I heard the sounds of distress, fixed and firm in the woods.  You already know.... in I go and find a very fluffy, very stuck kitten in the vines.  Stuck so bad I had to leave him and go get clippers.  I could not remove the vine from his fur so I brought him in the house for closer inspection.  He had torn away the skin along the left side of his rib cage, and I mean ripped.  Jagged and nasty.  Off we go to emergency care.  They asked if he was my cat.... "I guess so".   They cleaned him up, and he was out of gas to fuss, then used a type of skin glue to piece his side back.  Gave me antibiotics and sent me home.  "Beans" slept and slept.  No fussing.  I kept him in my bathroom but the rest of the kitten tribe DEMANDED access.  I put him in the shower with large glass panels so exposure with limited but the 2 sides could see each other.  Once he healed and was re-checked, he was integrated into the tribe.  I focused on getting him healthy and biding time until he could be fixed / vaxxed too.  He's never left.  He turns 1 soon.  Although he has a wicked scar now that will never grow fur, he is an angel.  Out of all the cats, he is stout.  He shows less fear than any other cat.  And he is turning into a BIG cat.  I don't know who his dad is, but I suspect Maine Coon - he's also super duper fluffy with an oddly high squeak for a 'meow'.  Perhaps residual damage from screaming in the back yard?  IDK.

You would think that then end... but no... during the time prior to "Beans" appearance, a new kitty appeared. Very friendly, very pretty, very pregnant.  I can't recall her name, but I think I called her "Poppy".  She had her kittens in the woods.  Eventually she started bringing them to the back door.  I was hopeful to befriend them for eventual capture and hopefully finding homes.  -- Which did eventually happen -- but one day I came to find one of her babies, a lifeless grey and white kitten, outside my door.  ... I call him Nimbus.  His is a story of survival, over and over. He's down to 6 lives now, but he's still here, still fighting and beating the odds. More stories to come. 

To date, I have gotten and assisted with the capture, TNR, release or adoption of 25+ cats in my neighborhood.  The surrounding area is saturated with cats/kittens in shelters so I know what I'm doing is a benefit.  Just 1 unspayed female cat can produce between 12 - 30 kittens a year.  Average female produces 2-3 litters annually, with average litter sizes of 4-6 kittens.   I've also cleaned up after an animal attack on the outdoor colony.  Wild dogs, bobcats, coyotes and foxes pose a real danger, it's survival of the fittest.  I understand the circle of life but with an unmitigated food supply, those dangers start to pose threats to humans as well.  The internet has plenty of videos of small dogs and children being attacked.  The unclaimed cats and dogs didn't ask to be put in this situation and this all started from irresponsible owners not providing care.  What I'm doing is the right thing for both people, cats, and community at large.  Please support if you can.  Donation link on the Cat Gallery page. Thank you. 🥰