Kitten rescue, covid journal.
Remember when litters were drowned, birth control for feral cats. I tried to save the ones that I found but most were health compromised and I had no money to get them to a kitten doctor. I was a child. Did what I could, some lived and made it through distemper, fleas and starvation and trauma, found homes for them when they were well. My Dad who professed to hate cats and forbade me to keep them in my room, found a tiny grey kitten at the dump. The kitten had seven rattle snake bites. Dad tucked the little thing in his sleeve and brought it home. Nursed it and it lived, still I was not able to keep it ( because Dad hated cats, right?) and we found it a home. No body REALLY hates cats, that is what I think.
Fortunately I haven't been personally exposed to any kitten-drownings. Pretty sure I would have been traumatized. Just hearing about it is bad enough. Nice painting, though!
ReplyDeleteIn my horrid Wyoming neighborhood animal cruelty was everyday thing, especially concerning feral cats. Folks were nice to their dogs - cats were target practice. across the street there was an abandoned apartment building , still furnished, where feral cats multiplied, I would buy a bag of cat food and leave it opened in the court yard, it lasted about two minute!
DeleteSeven bits? Oh my! You had to be the Florence Nightingale of Cats to save a wee one with all that. All my cats have been retreads -- dumped, probably, or tossed out. And they have all been wonderful. Rick has never been a cat person (so he says) but as soon as he comes in the house, Lizzie is all over him. Doesn't lap --she doesn't do lap voluntarily -- but circling the legs, begging for pet and play. Which he does. She doesn't do that with me much except when it's dinner time! He even bought her a Christmas present. They must have bonded when she stayed with him during his broken leg period. Not that he took care of her -- I did that! But they have a bond and I love it. No, no cat haters. Not really!
ReplyDeleteCats are so smart- smarter than humans and are great at surviving though the worst! Respect!! Glad that Lizzie sorted him out. No cat haters!
DeleteWhen I worked for corporate America, my company was purchased by Maytag Corp. On the very day Maytag big wigs and attorneys were coming for due diligence, one of my direct reports came in with a bag clutched to her chest. On her way to work she saw a car far ahead slow down and toss the bag into the ditch. She stopped and retrieved it. A bag of kittens. Jeezus Shannon, we can't keep them here in accounting! She thought she'd take them out in the factory for someone to hide. And I said if anyone got in trouble, it would be me and leave them in my office. We blocked the door with cardboard, made a litter box. Every time a bigwig stopped at the door and looked in I smiled big and told them about the kittens, and told them I'd be happy to step out and escort them around my department, or they could just wander through and ask questions; everyone was top notch. Most took me up on going it alone. They made sure no one got lost and had their questions answered. Free kittens in accounting brought people to my door to pick out a kitten, and by day's end Maytag knew the measure of us. They were good old farm boys from Newton, Iowa, so rescued kittens were nothing new, and my staff did a good job of spreading the word, kitten wise and accounting, too.
ReplyDeleteQuite a story and a good one too. I would love to find a bag of kittens right now. But I would not give a single one away. I am that insane.
DeleteI can stretch my imagination and imagine someone not liking cats but kittens are completely different. They are the epitome of darlingness. And then there you are with cats who insist on being completely independent with their very own likes and dislikes and no seeming need to please humans. This endears them tremendously to some people (me) and makes some people frustrated. Maurice slept with me all night and because she is such a little queen bitch, that charmed me so. Of course- it was very cold last night.
ReplyDeleteI love your painting. The little girl, you- smuggling baby cats. And Joanne's story- such a good one.
Agree totally, I do love cats for their ability to be independent of humans yet allow humans to get close, to cater to Feline wants. Cater- spelled Cat-er! For a reason... I also smuggled horned toads, but My dad thought they were OK to have in the house...weird dad.
DeleteI saved a Kitten from a Farmer drowning it, told him I'd adopt it for my then Toddler aged Child, Yuki Chia lived to be enormous {probably a Maine Coon Cat Breed mix} and she was an Adult by the time Yuki went to Cat Heaven. That Cat was so ferocious she fought Coyotes and Won the Battle, numerous times we had Coyote Teeth removed from her after a fight... being originally Feral she never did want to be just a Housecat, we have very fond Memories of every discarded Cat that Adopted us... I don't really think it was the other way around since they found us and decided we'd be their Humans.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great story. Cats do have a way of choosing their humans. Such a feisty cat, Yuki Chia!
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