Monday, October 31, 2011

A Halloween Rescue

I was back at the shelter today.  Why do I go the day before the vet comes to euthanize them?  I've been sitting here agonizing over the little faces that won't be there when I go back.  The shelter seemed very full and I'm guessing they won't be cancelling the vet. 

As I was trying to figure out who to rescue, I went to the intake area of the shelter and found this little girl who had arrived a few minutes earlier.  I accidently left the video running with the cap on, so please shut the video down at about 45 seconds:
 


It seemed appropriate to rescue a black kitten on Halloween.  I'm dying to name her "Harriet", but I think I'll leave that up to her new foster Mom.

We also have a new foster kitten at my home:
He's about 12 weeks old and is purring and kneading.  I love him already.  I've been trying to think of a good name for this guy.  Bradley?  Norman?  I guess he'll let me know....

The staff at the shelter has a favourite that needs help very badly.  Her name is "Geri" - I hope somebody watching this video will come forward for her:



What a little sweetheart.  But they all are.  Bless their little hearts.

Friday, October 28, 2011

This and That...

I desperately needed a "me" morning.  With my nails sparking and various (unspoken) parts of my body now hairless, I'm ready to face the afternoon doing rescue related-stuff.  I've been under enormous stress lately, but am finding that I'm handling things better than I used to.  I wonder if it's confidence, support or just the fact that I believe "Sooner or later, all things pass"...I'm guessing D.) All the above. 

Our adoptions have skyrocketed this month and have reached the point where we have had *almost* as many adoptions as we had when we were in the Petsmart adoption centre.  Lots of bonded pairs have been adopted this month and I couldn't be more thrilled.   

We've had a huge number of "owner surrender" calls this month too.  I'm assuming it's because the local Humane Society has had an outbreak of ringworm and they aren't taking in any owner/surrender cats.  The stories these people tell in order to dump their cats completely piss me off.  The latest owner/surrender call was from a woman with a cat who told me quite seriously, "My 8 year old daughter won't leave the cat alone, and I'm afraid she'll get scratched."  I politely asked the woman if her daughter was mentally disabled.  She said that she wasn't, but still kept pestering the cat who was getting more and more upset. 

People this stupid shouldn't have pets....or children. 

I've been anxious to rescue out of the shelter again.  We put things on hold for a while as there had been possible Distemper in one of the rooms.  By the look of the shelter's Petfinder site, it appears they killed a lot of cats to reduce the possibility of contamination in the other rooms.  It's all  upsetting.  I think we're ready to get back there and start rescuing again, but need to move forward with caution.

This morning, a friend sent me an email that said "Help the Horses!" with a clickable link.  Of course, I love horses and helping them is something that I would do if I can.  The link opened a window that showed some asshole slaughtering defenseless horses for meat.  They're being shot repeatedly, but the horses aren't dead and are struggling to get up.  My God, please don't send me this stuff or give me some warning.  I can't undo what I saw. 

I was a vegetarian for a number of years and loved it.  I went back to eating meat when I realized I was doing a crummy job balancing proteins, iron, etc and got really sick.  I've started the process of eliminating meat from my diet again.  This link about the horses was a sad reminder of what we do to our animals, but  I'll never judge those that do eat meat.

As you can see, the title of today's blog post is aptly named.  :)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A Dedication

Weeks ago, the rescue was asked to save a skinny little Mom cat and her 8 tiny kittens from death row at the shelter.  Honestly, when I heard about them I really didn't want to take them.  I was being cautious as they had been at the shelter just long enough to get an upper respiratory infection and no doubt the litter of kittens would get sick and die. 

The little family did get sick.  But they didn't die.  The dedicated foster Mom bottlefed at all hours, medicated and loved this little family until they were well.  This rescue is so blessed to have such dedicated volunteers. 

The Mom cat (now named Jolie) is slowly gaining weight.  She either has a cleft lip or a rodent ulcer.   She has a tooth that needs to be pulled too.
I find this sweet little angel so endearing and am filled with gratitude for the two foster parents who have loved this little family into health despite my initial objections.

The following poem was sent to me via email today.  I don't know who wrote it.   It was geared toward dogs, so I've changed the wording for cats and dedicate it to Jolie, her 8 babies and all the foster parents who put their own lives on hold to help the little ones:


The Reason

I would've died that day if not for you.

I would've given up on life if not for your kind eyes.

I would've used my teeth in fear if not for your gentle hands.

I would have left this life believing that all humans don't care

Believing there is no such thing as fur that isn't matted

skin that isn't flea bitten

good food and enough of it

beds to sleep on

someone to love me

to show me I deserve love just because I exist.

Your kind eyes, your loving smile, your gentle hands

Your big heart saved me...



You saved me from the terror of the pound,

Soothing away the memories of my old life.

You have taught me what it means to be loved.

I have seen you do the same for other cats like me.

I have heard you ask yourself in times of despair

Why you do it

When there is no more money, no more room, no more homes

You open your heart a little bigger, stretch the money a little tighter

Make just a little more room...to save one more like me.

I tell you with the gratitude and love that shines in my eyes

In the best way I know how

Reminding you why you go on trying.



I am the reason

The cats before me are the reason

As are the ones who come after.

Our lives would've been wasted, our love never given

We would die if not for you





Monday, October 24, 2011

BooBoo Update and Fire Fighting

I spent the majority of the day on the phone and on the computer.  It was non-stop emails and phone calls.  It's typical of a Monday, but even more so when I've been out of town.  I was back to "cat juggling" as one foster home had too many, and several others were looking for foster cats.  It's nice when it works out well for a change!

I wanted to give you another update on our little BooBoo Kitty.  So far, she's doing beautifully - in fact, it looks like she's doing as well as she can be and will be ready for adoption:

She has neuro damage to her back leg, so she limps and walks with her toes tucked in.  Thank heavens she didn't have to have her leg amputated.  I'd love for her to tell us what happened to her.  I guess it doesn't really matter.  She's going to end up being loved by somebody special forever.  Sometimes it's hard to find somebody "good enough" when we have a cat like this.

(I often wonder how many pictures of brown tabbies I have in my blog.)

Right now, I'm enjoying having two less foster cats.  Gabby and Ramone are doing great in their new home.  Their new Mom told me that she believes my "Sherminator" has taught Ramone a few "naughty things".  I pretended to not know what she was talking about.  Hahahhaa  :)

It's been a day of  putting out fires and damage control.  I don't really mind those kind of days, as I consider them part of what I signed up for when I started a rescue.  But they are so stressful!  Every time the phone rang today I felt like it was somebody out to get me!  Ugh!

On the road tomorrow...more cat juggling.  (Insert circus music here)



 

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Back to Reality

As always, it's really lovely to be home.  My beloved pets survived without me, despite my worries that they wouldn't.   I came home to the usual phantom dried barf on the rug that the men of the house didn't appear to notice, but walked over for 5 days.  There was a pile of poop (or two) in the basement next to the washer and dryer.  Of course, the dryer was running when I got home, and nobody "noticed" the poop.  MEN!

Last time I was in Seattle I wrote a blog post about a cat there named Timmy, who was going lose his home and be dumped at a farm.   If you didn't read about Timmy last year, I encourage you to click on the link before reading on...

I went to visit the couple who were "rehoming" Timmy.  They're friends of my parents and the wife had been ill.  I was dreading it, because I knew Timmy wouldn't be there and I was afraid to ask.  Guess who met me at the front door??   TIMMY!!  He was still there and seemed quite happy.  Thanks to  heaven above that this sweet fluffy boy still had a home.  I almost started to cry when the couple told me Timmy was actually SIXTEEN years old - not ten years old like I had thought back in December.  Holy God...how could anyone even think about dumping a 16 year old cat at a farm?  I don't know what changed their mind - maybe it was me, but Timmy is still in his home. 

Sounds like things were very chaotic at the rescue while I was away.  I think our volunteers were overwhelmed with lots of post adoption questions and few adoption calls.  I don't know why it works this way, but it seems like these kind of crummy weeks happen suddenly and with no warning.  Usually, I just blog about it and move on, but I felt awful that our volunteers had such a rough time while I was away.  Last time I left, they had lots of adoptions - I suppose we were due for a week of unhappy people. 

For example, somebody contacted us regarding their cat that was adopted months ago that needed to be dewormed.  They felt the rescue should pay for it even though they've had the cat for over a month!  Really?  I've heard other rescuers talk about this, but it's so aggravating!  Take care of YOUR cat!

I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed now that I'm back, but isn't that what always happens?  Today was spent at the pet food store, grocery store and doing laundry.  No surprise that we were down to our last can of cat food.  I'm anxious to get an accounting of our cats and our foster homes so I can figure out what's what.  I'm sure there are cats that need us.  :)

Look at the little angels that we rescued while I was gone:


I wish Monday would come so that I felt better about ignoring the family and able to actually get something done.   :)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Braggin' Rights!

I'm exhausted and exhilarated!  What an incredible adoption day today!!!   We had FIFTEEN cats and kittens adopted from our adoption event, and a total of 22 cats adopted (so far) for the weekend!!  Things are happening so fast,  that I posted on our Facebook page that 21 cats had been adopted for the weekend, when ANOTHER foster Mom called and said her foster cat was adopted - and it's only Saturday! 

Pet-Valu was simply amazing and the adopters that came were wonderful.  The local newspaper, The Oakville Beaver came and took photos and will be doing an article on our rescue and the event!  I think we all felt like movie stars for a moment.  :)

I believe the best part of this adoption event was that we had several of our cats adopted in pairs, and many cats and kittens that had not been adopted at prior events are now "Forever Home".  It wasn't just the cute little ones, but the 4, 5, and 6 month old kittens being adopted too. 

The District Manager from the store was there and said he had never seen such a beautifully done, professional event!   He was actually taking pictures on his cell phone and sending them to his other store owners.  They're anxious to do more business with us and are discussing more "in-store" adoption opportunities - not just occasional events. 

Honestly, I'm so proud and hope the other volunteers feel the same.  As I type this, I received another email from a foster Mom that said "Tuggs" was adopted tonight too.  That would make 23 adoptions for this weekend so far! 

Looks like we're going back to the shelter!!!!!

Yes....I think we have braggin' rights tonight!  I can go to Seattle tomorrow feeling accomplished and content.  Many thank you's and hugs to our volunteers who made it all possible. 

Friday, October 14, 2011

An Adoption Event and A Holiday

My phones have been ringing off the hook today with questions regarding our big adoption event at Pet-Valu tomorrow!  I'm hoping that this is a sign for a successful day!   I was only gone for an hour today and came home to NINE adoption calls pertaining to this event.  One person was disappointed the cats weren't free, so that may hamper some adoptions tomorrow. 

Regardless - I doubt we'll be bored! 

I'm leaving on Sunday for a trip to Seattle to visit my parents for a few days.  My daughter from Southern California is flying up at the same time, so we should have a great time.  It's always stressful leaving my Canadian family, but I think everything is well in hand.  I gave David instructions on pilling my little "Newman" with her seizure medication.  It's been a while since he's had to do that, and he needed a refresher course.  Newman was unimpressed with his technique. 

The lady that adopted my Gabby and Ramone is picking them up on Tuesday while I'm gone.  I'm sort of relieved that I won't have to say goodbye to them.  Fortunately, she only lives about a kilometer away, so there might be some opportunities for updates.  Sadly, I had to warn the adopter to "please forgive the condition of my home on Tuesday evening with 3 men living in it while I'm gone."  I suspect it'll smell like cat pee, B.O., and rotten cat food from cans left in the garbage too long.  Nobody seems to take out the garbage but me......UGH....don't get me started.

There's so many things I need to do before I go.  One of the cats barfed on my white bathroom rug. (naturally.)  On top of everything else, I have to wash the rug along with a zillion loads of laundry.   I'm sure if I left it, the barf would be there when I came back. 

"Dear God, please don't let anybody come to my house while I'm gone."

(I'm so excited for tomorrow's event!  I'll try to post the numbers before I leave on my trip.) 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Back To The Shelter

It's been a week since I've been to the shelter.  Whenever I wait that long, I'm always having to reacquaint myself with the cats.  I think that I also put my "shield" down, because I find those first few walks down the aisles very upsetting.  Tomorrow is a vet day and sometimes it's very painfully obvious which cats aren't going to be alive tomorrow. 

But I can tell you TWO cats that will be alive tomorrow and those are two that we rescued today:
"Austin" is an insanely cute polydactyl boy that was already neutered.  He'd been at the shelter for almost a month.  This guy is a frickin' Einstein and had figured out how to slide the latches of the cages.  He gets out of the cage and has a ball at night rambling around! 
I met a very sweet adopter at the shelter today.  She wanted to rescue a declawed cat that would get along with her family and their current cat.  "Teddy" was the ticket for her:

He was SO sweet - purring and loving.  He took their two year old little boy in stride and didn't hiss at other cats.  Thank heavens! 

My big news is that my foster cat Gabby has been adopted.....

....along with....

my foster kitten RAMONE!!!!

I'm SOOOOO excited and it was a wonderful surprise that the adopter wanted to take them both.  As you can see from the picture, they really seem to like each other.  (Although Gabby LOVES everybody)  She's signing the paperwork tonight and picking up her new "kids" next week on Tuesday.  (They're going out of town)

Looks like I'll be getting a new foster cat...or two.....  :)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Never a Dull Moment

Long after David and I went to bed last night, I had an uneasy feeling and got up to look around.  I'm not especially intuitive, but I went downstairs to get some orange juice and have a look around.  As I walked down the stairs, I could hear "the cat phone" ringing in my office.  It's not unusual for the cat phone to ring so late.  People often think they're going to get voicemail anyway and will leave a message.  But this time, I glanced at the caller ID and noticed it was one of our foster parents.

It turned out to be a major emergency for one of her kittens.  The intestines were slowly coming out of his bum and experience told me that if we were going to save this kitten he had to go to emergency immediately. 

What's so awful, is not knowing if you're already too late.  Once their intestines come out, tissues start to die.  The kitten seemed very nonplussed by what was going on and was playing and doing the usual kitten things. 

I called one of our vets who offers emergency services and by the sound of his voice I obviously got him out of bed.   The foster parents were on the road within minutes and took him in.  Little "Peanut"  had emergency surgery last night and is back home this afternoon!  Looks like our little guy is going to be OK!!!  I could hear the sound of relief in the foster Mom's voice this morning. 

Somebody slap me when I start to complain about quiet days in rescue.  Just recounting the events last night made my palms sweat.   Hahaha. 

I'm terrified of our vet bills this month.  I was just feeling pretty good about things (which was a mistake) when I've taken in some expensive kitties.  No regrets - just the usual "rescue financial struggle". 

On a happy note, I've got an adopter coming to meet my little Gabby today in a few hours!   I hope she's adopted - she's truly one of the sweetest little cats I've ever fostered.  She never does anything wrong and is always game to be adored.  PLUS - Gabby is black and white which is always an exciting adoption.  I'm going to track her down in a few minutes and trim her nails.  The adopter is coming right at the cat's dinner time.  The key to THIS adoption will be to NOT feed Gabby, so she'll be extra cute, chatty, and will stay near us.  :)

Going to the shelter tomorrow....I hope my  Gabby is adopted today.  She deserves a wonderful home.

Monday, October 10, 2011

An Update on "BooBoo"

Last week I posted about an urgent call I received from the shelter regarding a 5 week old kitten with injuries that would require him to either be euthanized or immediately rescued.  (You can read the story here. )  Fortunately for this little angel, we had an awesome foster Mom on standby who literally hopped in her car, picked him up and took him right to the vets.

"BooBoo's" injuries were severe.  (Turns out HE is a SHE)  She had a huge laceration from around her abdomen and down her leg.  The vet said the injury was do deep that there was dirt in her muscle tissue and her leg may not be salvageable:

She walks and drags her leg somewhat.  The vet is unsure what kind of neurological damage there may be.

I don't think the pictures accurately portray how bad this is.  But typical of a kitten,  BooBoo continues to want to play with the other kittens in her foster home and be loved:

I think I'm going to put a "Donations Desperately Needed" plea on our Facebook page for this little girl.  This is going to be an expensive surgery and care. 

We couldn't walk away from her despite the cost and I don't think anybody else could either.  She deserved to live.  Then again - they all do.

Friday, October 07, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I think Canadians are feeling very festive today as the long weekend is nearly here.  I've received bunches of cute cat pictures, videos and links to more feline cuteness.  The adoption phone lines rang frequently a few days ago, and are now quiet as people consider what they're doing for the weekend. 

Every year I cook Thanksgiving dinner for the family.  With the family emergency last month, and one son working that day, I just don't have the *ooomph* to put it all together.  I'm actually thinking about making reservations at a restaurant. Being served, eating, and walking away sounds lovely - no dishes...but no leftovers.  I think my latest Weight Watchers meeting zapped the excitement out of Thanksgiving. 

The thought of making dinner with Sherman on the counters, in the food, and on the table seems daunting at best.  Sometimes I get tired of fighting it, and I don't want to explain to the rest of the family that we really live like this. 

I took my little foster kitten "Ramone" to the vets today.  He definitely has Calici as his whole tongue is covered with ulcers.  It's amazing that he never stopped eating through it all, which is probably why I didn't take him in sooner. 

Every year at Thanksgiving (U.S. or Canadian) I try to reflect on everything that I'm thankful for, and the list is long.  As I'm typing this blog post, I had to stop to answer the phone from David who was just winding down his day at work.  When I inquired as to what we should do for dinner tonight, he answered:  "Anywhere I can show off my beautiful wife." 

I think I'm thankful for him most of all. 

Happy Thanksgiving, to my Canadian friends and family.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Thinking Outside the Box (Again)

This has been a week of opinions and soapboxes, and if you'll bear with me I have one more.  Every year at this time, cat rescues put a *hold* on every black cat adoption because of Halloween. 

I get it.  I understand why you wouldn't want some teeny-bopper to adopt a black cat or kitten because it looks great at Halloween.  This is the same reason why I was appalled with a shelter employee took home a shelter bunny for the day at Easter to give their kids a thrill - THEN she brought the poor bunny back to the shelter!!! 

I don't see a well-qualified pre-screened adopter falling in love with a black kitten around October 15th, paying $175.00 for it, only to abandoned it on November 1st - OR spend the $175.00 for some satanic ritual. 

To me, I think this whole "No Black Cat Adoptions" in October is way overblown.  If somebody is offering a FREE black kitten at Halloween on Craigslist - that's a whole 'nother story, and I wouldn't condone it.  But if rescue volunteers are properly screening adopters - and maybe even taking some extra precautions - I don't see why black cats can't be adopted in October.

If a qualified, loving adopter wants to adopt one of our black cats, I'll probably get a veterinary reference just to put the foster Moms mind at ease.  But I think I'm going to do it, unless somebody can give me a reason that this is a dreadful idea. 

I went YEARS thinking that kittens needed to be adopted in pairs or with a feline friend in the home.  I thought this while kittens were DYING in the shelter for lack of having a home.  I was brainwashed to believe that a kitten growing up without a cat friend would have a miserable life - hogwash! 

So now I'm questioning this standard practice among rescues, and want to know: (assuming ALL precautions have been taken to adopt the cat into a proper, loving Forever Home)  "Should black cat adoptions be permitted in October?"  Thoughts?

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Short But (VERY) Sweet!

It's going to be a Pizza night tonight at the Turner house.  I'm exhausted  and have still so much to do!

It was a BIG surprise to me today to go down the usual street to a pet store near my home and see this:
How AWESOME is that that the owner of the pet food store spent the money on a sign for the next two weeks!!!!  I went to the store to thank the owner and found this:


If you look at the poster behind the register in the right hand corner, you'll see our rescue's name!  The owner had custom posters made for his store - and they're pasted all over the place.  PLUS, he's putting "bag stuffers" to showcase the event too.

I'm getting excited about this adoption event now!!! 

We had volunteers at the shelter today and rescued a sad little guy that's only about 5 weeks old.  He came in with quite a gash in his stomach that was majorly infected.  The choice was that he'd either be rescued or the shelter would euthanize him immediately:

Guess which one we chose? :)

He's safe in a foster home who will nurse him back to health.  He's so sweet, isn't he?

We also rescued three more cats, including "Veronica":

I fell in love with Veronica while I was at the shelter yesterday.  I'm so happy that the volunteers picked her up.  According to the foster Mom, Veronica is happy and gallivanting around with the rest of the cats in the house.  Yahoo!

Short, (but very sweet) update tonight.  Time to order the pizza!

Monday, October 03, 2011

A Rescue & A Soapbox Moment

I was back at the shelter this afternoon rescuing a cute little guy named "Turnip":
David said his named sounded a little too much like "Turner" and was suspicious that he might be a keeper.  Gratefully, Turnip is on his way to a new foster home tonight. 

There were lots of sweet faces at the shelter and tomorrow is a euthanasia day.  It wasn't pleasant rescuing there today - especially when I could only take one.

There's something I really need to get off my chest.  I don't think I'll edit what I'm going to write so that it stays "pure" from my heart to the paper:

I don't like taking cats from the public.

There.  I said it.

I can't tell you how many surrender calls I get from the general public each day.  ALL rescues get calls like this.  Some rescues are much nicer than I am about it.   Most of the time I don't call them back unless I think I can give them counsel and salvage the situation. 

Over the weekend we had a call from someone I know.  She knew a lady who desperately needed to rehome her cat because "the daughter was going to throw the cat outside and it's a purebred Ragdoll".  "Hmmm...purebred Ragdoll.."  As it just so happens, we had a Ragdoll on our site and multiple phone calls on her.  Maybe I could get this little girl who is about to be dumped adopted right away! 

To make a long story short, I sent an adopter to this person's house.  I had no intention on taking an adoption fee, as I had not vetted the cat, but I did screen the adopter and knew she was terrific.  Not only was the cat NOT a Ragdoll...but the lady lied about the hair length and the colour!  The poor cat was emaciated and the woman felt so badly she took the cat home with her.

Happy ending, right?  Not for me.  I felt duped.  I sent a kind woman to drive HOURS on my say-so to adopt a Ragdoll that needed help.  It was a rescue.  Yes, it was definitely a rescue.  But our rescue didn't look so hot.   I feel awful that I didn't meet the cat, that I took someone's word for it and trusted that they were truthful.  Silly moi. 

When people are desperate, they'll lie through their teeth to dump their cat on you.  Litterbox issues, aggression problems etc.  I just can't take owner's cats any longer.  This is the last time I'll listen to an owner whine about why they need to rehome their "precious cat".  No more.  I'm done.  Take the cat to the shelter, and I'll rescue him or her there.  Why should I make it easy on you?  Why should I sterilize the process of abandoning your cat by placing him in a loving foster home? 

I don't expect everyone to agree with me.  I didn't write this to start a debate, so please don't send me nasty comments.  :)   I think it's GREAT if rescues want to take cats from owners.  I just can't do it.  

So there it is.  Unedited.  It seems a little harsh, and there's lots of room for grey areas - nothing is absolute.

  I'm stepping off the soapbox and pushing "Publish". 

Sunday, October 02, 2011

A Rainy Sunday Update

The weekend has been a blurr!  Our fundraising event on Friday was a wonderful success despite the dreadful weather and ridiculous Friday night traffic.  I don't know if others can appreciate this, but it was AWESOME to show up to a fundraising event where I didn't have to do anything!  I just showed up with David, ordered a couple of Diet Cokes, and laughed.  Good times!  

I think the fundraiser was a terrific way to spread the word about our rescue and combine efforts with another rescue.  The\other rescue was selling cute t-shirts that said, "Saving Pussy" from the recent Pride Festival in Toronto.  Of course, I had to buy one.  It didn't seem so strange to buy a t-shirt that supported another rescue.  I gave it to my 23 year old son who seemed to appreciate the reference.  :)

Saturday was spent at an Indian (India) wedding.  I really complained the entire morning about having to spend the better part of my weekend at a wedding, but it turned out to be a blast - Bollywood style!  It was nice to be away from the phones for a bit.  Besides, we had THREE adoptions on Saturday and TWO were adults!  Adult cat adoptions....are they coming back??? 

I'm feeling far more together and content now that we're out of Petsmart.  We had an amazing team of volunteers where the kittens were able to get out of their cages (many days) 3 times per day!  What a lot of people don't know is that with this particular Petsmart, we were responsible for cleaning the cages - the staff didn't do it.  We provided supplies, etc.  So we had to have a team of people in the store at least twice per day.  It was a big undertaking, but I'm really glad it's over for a little bit.  I'll miss the days where we had 5 adoptions, but hey, we can't have it both ways! 

People who live in the city will laugh when I tell this story, but over the weekend there was a knock at our door.  It was a woman from a nearby neighbourhood who heard that I did cat rescue.  I *froze*.  I'm not used to people knowing that I do cat rescue in our neighbourhood.  My biggest fear has been that someone will leave a litter of kittens at my front door step.  Funny thing is - I know that cat rescuers from the city face this ALL THE TIME!  Believe it or not, this has never happened to me in all the years I've been doing rescue.  I've had phone calls from people, but never has a stranger knocked on my front door saying that they found a cat.  This lady wanted help with a "stray".  I asked her if she called the Humane Society and have him checked for a microchip.  She hadn't.   C'mon.  People have to do their part if they find a cat.  

Needless to say, I'm glad I don't get these kind of visitors very often.  I really don't think I like these kind of knocks on the door. It made me feel very uneasy.  I can't explain why.  But it did.

2:50 pm on a rainy Sunday calls for a nap snuggled in with my kitties.  I'm *there*.