Another Cat Catching Attempt

I don't know how you like to spend your New Year's Eve and your time off work, but I decided to use mine to head back up to the abandoned cabin for another attempt to catch the remaining black kitty there. Since she'd been allowing "L" to pet her, and she seemed to be from the same litter as Miss Sass and Blaze, my thought was she could be next on the list to add to the cat menagerie that is now my spare bedroom in my basement. 

"L" met me there this time since the black kitty would know her and maybe she would have better luck in getting her in the cat carrier. Black kitty was having none of it. She was totally on to us! Mind you, when I had come up on Wednesday and was actually able to get my hands on her, in a very bad scruff, and got scratched for my efforts, the black kitty ended up sitting on a log behind the cabin watching me and meowing at me. Tempting me to try again. Little brat! 😸 I will get you, just you wait! 

But, we now had this new and unexpected visitor in a black and white longhaired kitty who suddenly had shown up. 

"L" assured me that no one nearby had cats and we were both suspicious that someone most likely had dumped this cat here. They may have seen the cat feeding station that had been set up. They may have read the posts we'd been putting on the neighborhood NextDoor app. Whatever it was, this sweet kitty definitely looked like it had been dumped and it was going to take everything in my power to not leave it behind. 

"L" knew of someone who had expressed an interest in maybe fostering a cat or perhaps adopting one of the cabin cats. She gave the lady a call and said that we had the ideal cat for her. She was a bit on the fence so we said "hey, you can foster!" And we scooped the kitty up. 

So, this lovely kitty is now with her. Our hope is that is turns into a "foster failure" and she decides to adopt him. If she changes her mind, we'll take him, no questions asked. Granted, now that we know that he is actually a he, and he has not been neutered, he can't be here with Fiona. Not looking to add to our group of cats that need homes! 

Fiona the Tortie is in Heat

So, along with the million other reasons to spay your cat, a female cat being super annoying while in heat should also go down on the list. 😹 

I am realizing that I've never actually been around a cat in heat before so it took me awhile to recognize what was going on with Fiona when she started being super affectionate and much more vocal. 

I honestly just thought she was feeling better as she got over her upper respiratory infection and now being indoors with plenty of food and shelter. 

Girl, no! 

I had to google it! And yep, Fiona was ticking all the boxes except for spraying (thank god!) and loss of appetite (girl loves to eat!).

She desperately wants to escape the spare bedroom that's been turned into catlandia. She digs at the carpet (bad kitty!) and I now have a broom to literally shoo her away from the door when I go in so she doesn't try to sneak by me. 

She did make it past me once and it was dash across the house by my husband and me to catch her and put her back in the room.

I'd been worried about Samwise being cryptorchid but given that he's not been interested in her (thank god!) it's helping confirm that he's neutered. 

I don't have as many posts yet about Fiona as she's on the mend and we're working on her issues. She's got corneal scarring on her eyes from an untreated FHV infection and she walks with her head cocked to the right which is from an inner ear infection. Honestly, none of this gets her down! She loves to play and run around and unless you closely looked at her eyes, you'd be none the wiser that she's special needs. 

Initially, she didn't seem to like men and would only let me interact with her but she's since let my husband and son play with her and pet her. She doesn't like to be picked up and held so she's not a love bug like Blaze but she's otherwise sweet and lovely. She enjoys the other kitties, too, even before she got all crazy in heat! 

Blaze Gets Spayed & a New Cat Back at the Abandoned Cabin

Today was the day for Blaze to get spayed! And not unlike Miss Sass, she rebounded really quickly and without any problems. So good, in fact, that she didn't need the "cone of shame" e-collar as she wasn't interested in her stitches whatsoever. This was the last step in getting her ready to go to her forever home. 

So, if you are looking for a lovebug who loves to play, Blaze is definitely your girl! 

Feeling good! Look at meh bellay! 

After dropping her off first thing in the morning at the Montgomery County Humane Society - who have been great to work with in getting these kitties sterilized -  I decided to take a trip back up to the abandoned cabin to try to snatch up the remaining black kitty. 

There are three remaining kitties at the cabin: a gray male cat who is missing an eye/has a serious eye infection, an orange tabby male and a female black cat. My plan was to try to get the black cat as it has seemed the most friendly as she was allowing "L", the nice neighbor who's been feeding them, to pet her. 

Gray and white male with infected eye (poor guy!) and the female black kitty share a lunch

Imagine my surprise when I saw yet another cat in the mix! 

While this lovely black and white long haired kitty was absolutely as friendly as could be and let me pick it up and give it love, I hesitated in taking it because I wasn't sure if it was someone's pet. 

And then I struck out in getting the black kitty into the carrier. 😟 She did give me a few scratches on my hand when trying to snatch her. So I left today empty handed and a bit bloody and scratched up for my troubles. 

We'll have to try again! 

Below is a video of the cats still at the cabin and are still on the list for rescuing. 

Time for a Vet Visit!

After our not-so-great previous vet visit, I'd been on the hunt for a new vet. Fortunately, "V", who adopted the Tabby Twins, knew of a vet that does at home visits and got me set up with an appointment. 

First item on the agenda was looking at Samwise's teeth. The other vet thought they may need to be extracted because of the tartar build up and his inflamed gums. To the new vet's credit, he actually scaled Sam's teeth and took off the tartar. He also said that he felt that Sam was most likely already neutered and going through the process of having him undergo ultrasound was not necessary, as Sam wasn't display typical un-neutered tomcat behaviors like spraying or having smelly urine. We actually quickly tested this hypothesis a few days later, not on purpose, when Fiona started displaying signs that she is in heat, and Sam couldn't care less. 

Whew! Bullet (and many kittens!) dodged! 

Next up was Fiona. I do need to do a write up on her but she is the one with the most medical needs. Her head cocks to the right as she walks, which is most likely caused by a long untreated ear infection. The vet gave me drops to put in her ears twice daily. And her eyes look a bit glassy, which the vet's diagnosis was a long untreated eye infection caused by FHV. Her eyes were not actively inflamed or infected, but she does have scar tissue build up and that will never go away. That said, she is such an active kitty and loves to play and chase. She doesn't let any of these disabilities get her down. 

We're feeling good about the vet visit and the prognoses. 👍 

To celebrate, here's Sam and Blaze watching their favorite tv show, which is hard to see but it's a video of birds. 

These Cats Love Catnip!

You never really know if a cat is going to go crazy for catnip. I think some cats are not genetically-predisposed to being catnip crazy. 

So, today was an experiment in catnip loving? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Looks like a "yes!". 

Of the three, Blaze (black kitty) was less enthused. Her favorite thing is the feather wand. For Fiona and Samwise, they were smitten. 

Sam loves this fish toy! When he gets adopted, it'll need to go with him to his new home. 

You can always check out their antics at their YouTube channel as well. 

Meet Samwise - Male Orange Tabby - Adopted!

Name: Samwise (Nicknames includes Sammy, the Samster, Sammy Sammy Bo Bammy)
Sex: Male, Neutered
Age: Around 1 Year
FIV and FLV Negative

UPDATE: Sam found his new home on Sunday, January 16! Yay! 

My foster mom took one look at me after I was wrangled and scooped up, and decided that I looked like the most wise and serious of a cat that you would ever want having your back. That on an adventure, I would stick by your side no matter what. And while she isn't a devoted LOTR fan, the name "Samwise" immediately sprang to mind and stuck. So, that is who I am! 

I am getting over my upper respiratory infection and starting to feel better. I am even starting to play. Probably something I never got a chance to do at that place where I was rescued from before being abandoned. 

A little bit about me: I'm probably around a year old. I am taking some antibiotics to get over this cold I have, but I am going to go back to the vet to make sure that I am on the mend. My rescuer will require a home check visit in advance of my adoption just to make sure that I am in good hands, and will ask that you attest that I will be an indoor-only kitty. She’s taking care of my needed vaccinations and neuter; I will be microchipped and I am FIV/FLV negative. The only thing I need now is a new home. I will be available sometime in mid-January.  

Fun fact: did you know that most orange tabbies are males? Yep! 80 percent of orange tabbies are male. The ginger gene in cats is on the X chromosome. Did you also know that Vikings took a liking to orange kitties and purchased them from vendors during the travels to the Mediterranean? Many think the Vikings are the reason why the orange tabby gene is so prolific today; so perhaps my original Samwise Viking-adventuring ancestor is why I am here with you today!

I can live in either a half hour to 45-minute radius of The Woods Resort in Hedgesville, West Virginia or a similar radius to Kensington, Maryland. If everything above sounds good, you can reach out to my rescuer at westvirginiacats@yahoo.com and we can see if you’re the right fit for me.

Meet Blaze - Female, Black Domestic Shorthair - Still Available for Adoption!

Name: Blaze (nicknames: Flip Flop, Bat Cat, Batty Bo Fatty)
Sex: Female, Spayed
Age: Around 6-8 months
FIV and FLV Negative

Well, hello, everyone! I am Blaze, a young, female black domestic shorthair, who is looking for someone who can appreciate what a beautiful little lady I am. My fosterer is calling me Blaze because of the patch of white that I have emblazoned on my chest like a superhero. I was rescued from some deplorable conditions in West Virginia where people abandoned me and the rest of their animals, leaving behind 10 cats and 3 dogs to fend for themselves. But that bad start in life hasn’t dimmed my spirit and I’m really happy to be out of that place and with my rescuer. Now, I’m ready to show off what a total love bug I am, find someone who will love me forever, and treat me well. Ideally, I would be adopted with Fiona, my rescue pal, as she needs a buddy to keep her socialized. 

My foster lady has nicknamed me Bat Cat because my delicate features and prominent canines make me look like a little bat. I love to play, play, play and play some more. I'm a active little explorer who loves to chase toys and bat at strings and feather toys. 

I am around 6-8 months old, black with pretty yellow eyes, with a spot of white on my chest and belly. I love people, am very curious and want to be near you and see what’s going on. I love to explore and check things out. I love to talk to you and let you know what I think. I like the other rescued cats I am currently hanging out with so I may do well with yours. I haven't had a chance to be around dogs yet. And because I am small, my rescuer wants me in a home without children under five.

If all of these conditions work for you, I’d love to meet you and see if we are a match. My rescuer will require a home check visit in advance of my adoption just to make sure and will ask you attest I will be an indoor-only kitty. She’s taking care of my needed vaccinations and spay; I will be microchipped and I am FIV/FLV negative. The only thing I need now is a new home. I will be available just after the holidays.  

I can live in either a half hour to 45-minute radius of The Woods Resort in Hedgesville, West Virginia or a similar radius to Kensington, Maryland. If everything above sounds good, you can reach out to my rescuer at westvirginiacats@yahoo.com and we can see if you’re the right fit for me.

We Has A Cat Tree!

 

What I initially imagined to be a temporary, quick turnaround situation (scoop up cats, get to vet, get neutered/spayed, get homes) is now starting to look like a longer term initiative. With sick cats...lack of vet availability...the holidays...well, time to just admit that the basement spare bedroom that doubles as the workout room needs to now triple time as a cat foster room as well. 

And, while it's got plenty of room, windows and natural light are at a premium. I can also tell that some of the cats prefer to be up high. Jackson Galaxy, who's made a name for himself as a "cat whisperer" with shows like "Cat From Hell", calls these tree dweller cats. 

So, it was time to do some catifying of the cat foster room, which included getting a cat tree. Funny to think that my own, actual cats don't have one and that's primarily because they just never took to any that I've had. And maybe that's because they have a bay window, the back of a couch and other places around the house to perch and sit. 

With my son home from college, we tag teamed on putting together the cat tree that I purchased. It was an easy assemble and fit the space as I'd imagined, with the possibility of getting all the way to the top perch and into the window well to peer outside. 

I was surprised at how quickly all three kitties - Samwise, Fiona and Blaze - all took to it and started exploring. 

At a premium are the two nesting boxes. Everyone loves the nesting boxes!

So, yeah, cat tree is a big hit! 

Poo is a Constant Theme Over Here!

So, again I will state that I am a total novice to this whole cat rescue thing. I thought I had my sea legs because I did this once before, a few years back, at my in-laws with some female feral cats that had taken up residence under their deck and we did both a trap-neuter-release and adopted out the kittens.

When you are a bit more down in the belly of beast - transporting cats across state lines like they are bootleg liquor - the reality hits you in the face.

Or more so, the olfactory senses. 

Not unlike the first three pack, the next group of three defecated in their cat carriers on the hour and a half drive from my cabin in The Woods to my house in Maryland. Within the first five minutes of the drive. Okay, to his credit, Samwise did not. But Fiona and Blaze made up for it! I did actually feel terrible for them because who wants to sit in their poo for an hour+? 

Granted, this all needed to happen because I had vet appointments for all three on the 14th. They needed to get back to my house with me and get seen by the vet. 

While I initially felt grateful that I was able to find a vet practice close to home, which also had openings relatively soon, I have subsequently decided that I can't go back to this vet practice again. 

Why? Because this vet gave off a sense of...I don't know precisely the right word but I would try to encapsulate it as...repulsion.

There was a big part of me that felt like she couldn't get us out of there fast enough. Case in point: they forgot to put the "oti-pack" in Fiona's ears and I had to ask about it, and go back out to the car and get her and bring her back in, despite how stressed out she was, just as we were about to leave. 

I just got the overwhelming sense that the vet found these cats to be somewhat vermin-like.

And her diagnoses were all so bad: 

• Samwise: needs his teeth pulled (second vet: no he doesn't) and she couldn't definitely tell me if he was neutered (second vet: don't get him sedated and ultrasounded to find out if he is cryptorchid (again, new word for me!) because if he's not spraying or if his urine isn't stinky, he's probably been neutered),
• Fiona: she never explained why her eyes are glassy (second vet: she has corneal scarring from FHV) and just prescribed an oti pack for her head tilt, Blaze: she's pregnant (she wasn't). 

The real kicker was when they brought Fiona back into the exam room in her carrier after taking her into the back and she had poo'ed in it. Now maybe I am used to the stinkiness of a wormy kitty but the vet?!? She actually left the exam room! She couldn't handle it and left the vet tech and me to extract Fiona and clean up. I picked up the obviously distressed little tortie and hugged her to my chest. Her heart was racing and yeah, she was getting poo all over my (white!) shirt but really...?!? Who cares! That is what bleach if for. 

Then, windows had to be flung open and everything aired out before the vet would come back into the exam room. What?!? I mean, you are vet...you work with animals. Are you not used to vomit, poo, blood, pus...?!? 

So, anyway, eyes on the prize! We got them vaccinated, we got the lab tests that showed all three were FIV and FLV negative. We got amoxicillin for their upper respiratory infections. 

Now, we're on the hunt for a new vet! 

Operation Cat Rescue #2: Let's Go Scoop Up Some More Kitties!

I gotta be honest, it was weird not having a bevy of cats in the spare bedroom downstairs for a week. With the Tabby Twins and Miss Sass now at their forever homes, it was time to head back up to The Woods and scoop up a few more. 

Fortunately, these three proved just as easy to finagle into a cat carrier as the last three. I had L help me out by meeting me at the abandoned cabin and coaxing everyone out with food. While distracted by the delicious morsels, I was able to scoop up the orange tabby (aka Samwise), the tortie (aka Fiona) and another black kitty (aka Blaze). 

Off to my own cabin they went, where I fed them and started getting them settled. 

While they almost immediately took to life in my cabin - and were very appreciative of being out of the elements and with an unlimited supply of food and affection - not unlike the first group of fosters, these guys initially had a rough patch with using the litter box. 

I guess I always presumed that cats naturally gravitate to using a litter box. To find poo on the carpet (in multiple places) was kind of freaking me out, to be honest. Would they be adoptable? Would my carpet survive this onslaught?

Answer: yes and yes. 

Fortunately, when I got them back to my home in Maryland, once they had access to clean litter boxes and settled down a bit, they all started using the litter boxes on the regular. Granted, I feel like my full time job these days is cleaning litter boxes but the good news is that pooing outside the box came to an end pretty fast. 

I think the main culprit was this cutie: 

I even went so far as to buy a black light to inspect for any mystery pees and luckily, I found none. But a tip if you are totally a clean freak like me, it will highlight all the places in your bathroom where you missed a spot...or twenty! 

Fiona and Samwise were regular poo-in-the-box'ers. Blaze took a bit longer to come around. I also had to keep reminding myself that they were all full of parasites and worms and such (bleh!) so even if they wanted to be good kitties, their back ends might now allow for it. 

The good news is that this three pack all got along great! While Miss Sass tolerated the Tabby Twins, she wasn't a huge fan of them, and I felt like the twin girls actively avoided her because of it. 

These three were all complacent after their rescue and enjoy each other company. 

Miss Sass Finds a Home!

So, I gotta admit, the black kitty, whom I named Miss Sass because of her personality, won me over pretty fast. She came with a bit of an attitude, would grumble at the other cats, and while she never bit or scratched, she was feisty and let you know your place. She's packing a lot of personality in her pint-sized frame. And given where she came from and what she endured, being feisty served her well. 

I was rather surprised that black cats are the last to get adopted at shelters and many times get looked over. There is the persistent superstition that black cats are bad luck. And when you think of how a normal shelter is set up, the holding pens are dark and a black cat who might be timid and sitting in the back would be hard to see. Black cat syndrome is a challenge for many black cats looking to be adopted. 

I even recognized this with Miss Sass because when taking pictures of her in our dark basement spare bedroom that I've turned into the cat rescue room, she would show up as just a black blob. I brought her upstairs to my office and an upstairs bedroom with natural light to conduct a photo shoot with her to get some pictures of just how pretty she is. 

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Miss Sass got her spay and I was thankful to hear from the vet technician that no, she was not preggo, which had been a fear. 

She bounced back super fast from her surgery and I think she was also happy to have the entire cat foster room to herself. I could tell that she had only mildly tolerated the tabby twins and that she was much more a people-oriented kitty who'd be best suited in a home where she would get all the attention she so richly deserved.

Through the power of social media, "V", who'd adopted the tabby twins, shared Miss Sass's adoption information and his cousin reached out with an interest as she and her teenage son specifically had been looking for a black cat to adopt. 

On Saturday, Dec. 4, they came to meet her and away she went with them. She made herself right at home and they renamed her "Lucky", which she most definitely is! 

Three down, seven more to go! 

The Tabby Twins Find a Home!

Next up was getting the word out that these cats were in need of new homes. I knew a couple of things were going to make this all a bit more challenging: the tabby girls were going to need to find a home together, there was no way I was going to separate them since they were so bonded to one another; and Miss Sass was a black kitty. 

Actually, the idea that black cats are the last to be selected for adoption from a shelter was a new one for me. I mean, I knew the superstition that black cats are "bad luck" but I didn't realize it persisted today. Many shelters refuse to adopt out black cats around Halloween since people just use them as live decorations or worse. There is even a name for this: Black Cat Syndrome. 

Where we did luck out pretty quickly was that a neighbor of mine "V" was interested in adopting the tabbies. Sadly, he had recently lost the last of his bonded tabby boys and felt a natural gravitation to this pair. 

Over Thanksgiving, I had taken the three back up to my cabin as I was going to be away on travel for the holiday. Yes, poo, poo and more poo on the way there. But, what to do? 

"L", who's been feeding and watching all the cats that were abandoned by their owners at their cabin, graciously agreed to watch these guys at my cabin while I was away and she got the challenging task of getting three cats to take amoxicillin, which is no easy feat! 

The Monday after Thanksgiving, "V" and I drove back up to The Woods to snag the three kitties and bring them back to Maryland. Yes, more poo on the drive back but for all of them, it meant that would be the last time they would need to be doing these long drives back and forth. And for the Tabby Twins, it meant that they got to go to their new home! Yay! 

Two down, 8 more to go! 

Smell Ya Later, West Virginia!

After a week at my cabin, and with no luck with finding vet appointments nearby within a reasonable amount of time, it was time to take this show on the road!

I had found a vet nearby my place in Maryland that could get all three cats in to be seen and that seemed the best bet to get them their shots, dewormed and on some treatments for their upper respiratory infections. 

Unfortunately, now that I've educated myself a bit more on what is most likely the cause of all of their ailments (more on that later) I'm disappointed in the veterinary care that we received from this practice. Just a round of amoxicillin was not going to be sufficient and the Twins most likely needed some antivirals, which we would uncover after they were adopted and saw another vet practice since the were still congested and sick. 

I would have preferred to take them to my own vet practice but not unlike many vets in the area, they are backed up on getting appointments up to 6-8 weeks. 

So, we won't be going back to that vet practice again in the future.   

The good news is that the amoxicillin did help somewhat and Miss Sass (the black girl) was never as sick as the two bonded tabbies. So, getting her on an antibiotic treatment, dewormed, and with her needed shots meant that she could in turn get spayed. Which meant that she could also be adopted. 

I also recognized that I suck at sexing cats because I thought the tabbies were boys. Nope, girls. Sorry I misgendered you, kitties! :-) 

Where I did luck out was in finding a place to have them spayed. Montgomery County Humane Society could get me right after the Thanksgiving holiday. Which was good news because the other fear was that Miss Sass was pregnant (spoiler alert: she was not) and while kittens are lovely, the thought of have even more cats to foster and find homes for was a daunting proposition. 

The other positive piece of news is that all three cats' lab results came back negative for feline leukemia and FIV. Whew! 

Again showing my naivete, it didn't occur to me that any of the cats would poo in their carriers while taking the trip from the cabin to back to my house in Maryland. Again, I've never had a cat that would do that. Cry and be upset? Yes. Let 'er rip in the carrier? Nope. And unfortunately, the first to do so did jus that only about 15 minutes into the car ride. We had an hour and 15 minutes to go. There was nothing I could do; we couldn't pull over for me to clean them up because god forbid they were to get loose on the side of the road. Instead, we motored, I focused, and this was a lesson learned on cat transport going forward. But in general, poo is a constant theme with these cats and it seems to go with the territory. I'm getting slightly desensitized...slightly. :-) 

Oh the Humanity! Oh the Poo!

Yet again showing my newbiness and naivete, I did not understand that there are cats out there that for whatever reason do not naturally gravitate to using a litterbox. I'd heard of the occasional tomcat that had not been neutered that would spray but even when my elderly cat had kidney issues, she at least tried to go next to the box. 

So, with my blissful unawareness, I did spend a morning at my cabin curiously trying to figure out and play "where is that smell coming from?!?" 

I looked under beds and in the tub, under the couch and next to the fireplace. 

Well, since these cats both had the runs and most likely parasites, and they'd probably never seen a clean litterbox in their lives, a corner, behind the drapes, seemed like as good of a place as any to relieve themselves. Ack! 

Didn't see that one coming. Luckily, the curtain survived after a couple of washes and soakings and I covered that corner in puppy pads for any additional messes. 

💩Pooping is definitely a defining "theme" of these rescues. 💩More about that later. 💩 But the good news, and what I continually remind myself as my inner Felix Unger loses his mind at the piles of poo on the carpet is that this is temporary and the cats have learned to use the boxes and after their deworming, things have decidedly settled down. 

Operation Cat Rescue #1: Landing on the Beaches of Reality

So, when the word initially went out via the NextDoor app (you can read the backstory on that here), I thought, "I'm up for that!" Granted, now, that seems somewhat crazy given the situation that we are facing with a lot of very sick cats who are going to need surgeries on their eyes, etc. 

But, hubris is a beautiful thing! :-) 

And while I've done some cat rescue in my past, with some ferals that took up residence under my mother in law's deck, and then started having kittens, I don't think I was completely prepared for just how very sick these cats truly were going to be. 

What made me even consider making this attempt was 1) I have a weekender cabin in The Woods that could be a place to put a few of these guys for awhile while they got assessed and 2) my job is completely remote right now so I could work out of the cabin while simultaneously doing some cat rescuing. 

See, easy! :-) 

Considerations I had not thought of:

1) How ill these cats are. I guess I was fortunate that the ferals that we did a TNR (trap, neuter, release) with were not ill whatsoever. And the kittens were in great shape, we tamed them and found them all homes. That was not going to be the experience with these guys.

2) How overwhelmed the shelters and rescues in West Virginia are. They are just beyond overwhelmed and couldn't really help us out in any way. The idea that they would be a resource quickly evaporated. 

3) How hard it is to get vet appointments right now. With the pandemic, vets are overwhelmed as well. Every vet's office that I called within a 30-40 minute radius of The Woods wasn't going to be able to get me in for at least 6-8 weeks. With cats with bad upper respiratory infections (I later understood that they have FHV), waiting almost two months to be seen by a vet just wasn't an option. 

So, my lovely positivity crashed hard against the rocks of reality. 

But not before I had been texting with the wonderful person (we shall call her "L") who'd been feeding, looking in on, and taking care of the 10 cats, and letting her know about my plan to come up, catch a few of the friendliest kitties, bring them back to my cabin to get them out of the elements and then to what I imagined would be quickly set up vet appointments, spay and neuters and off to their forever homes. 

Um, see the 3 considerations above if you want to know how that all worked out. :-) 

Nevertheless, I did indeed head up to my cabin this week with my three cat carriers, a bunch of food, litter boxes and litter, and plans to do some cat herding at the abandoned cabin. 

That was actually the easy part!

I rolled into the driveway and was greeted by a small black kitty with a creaky meow who was wondering why no one had been there yet to feed her. 

After giving her some tuna, two other little lovelies came sauntering out as a duo also looking for food. 

While all three nibbled away at the tuna, I went back to my car and grabbed my carriers. A quick pick up with a gentle scruff and they were all easily in the carriers. They weren't happy about it but it was a short trip over to my cabin. 

Of the three, the black kitty (whom I subsequently foster-named Miss Sass, based on her big personality) was in pretty good shape. She quickly made herself at home and settled right in. 

The two tabbies were definitely sicker and definitely bonded. 

And as another sign that I didn't know what I was doing, I improperly thought the  tabbies were boys (nope, girls!). It also took quite some time to tell them apart so I would sometimes just refer to them as The Twins. 

Three captured, seven more to go! 

Backstory: How Did We End Up Taking Care of 10 Cats?

The Woods Resort is a community of of retirees, who are drawn to the golf courses, weekenders who want a place to get away from all the people in the D.C. metro area, and for some, they live there full time and year round as their primary residence, send their kids to the nearby schools, and work in the surrounding area. 

Located near Hedgesville, West Virginia and the spa town of Berkeley Springs, it's a pleasant area nestled back amongst the rolling hills for which West Virginia is known. And it's only about an hour-and-a-half from the D.C. and Baltimore area, making it a convient getaway spot. 

In October, word went out to the community via the NextDoor app (which is basically like a quasi-Facebook for neighborhoods) that people living full-time in one of the cabins had walked away, leaving behind their three dogs, their 10 cats and the cabin in a state of hoarding and deplorable conditions. They'd been a known entity within the community for years, with their dogs getting loose and attacking people, and for the horrible state of their yard. What many did not know was the terrible condition of their cabin nor that they'd been allowing their intact cats to breed with abandon. 

When they decided to leave their property, they also decided to leave their pets behind. That included putting these 10 cats outside. Granted, many had probably been living in such a horrible state that they didn't understand what had happened, but these people also left them without shelter, food or water. They also left their three dogs inside as well, leaving the dogs to defecate all over the cabin. Eventually, they did come back for the dogs and all three were surrendered to a shelter. But, the cats were left to fend for themselves on their own. 

Some very kind neighbors started feeding the cats and providing for them. But it was understood that this would be a temporary situation at best as many of the cats were not in good shape. But those that seemed better than the rest might be able to be adopted out. Unfortunately, shelters nearby were packed, which meant that most likely these cats would be euthanized, and rescues were also at capacity so they would not be able to take them in either. 

For no fault of their own, these cats were definitely at risk of death. Which sadly happens every day across the U.S. as the statistics for a companion animal that is abandoned is not a good one. 

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the ASPCA) offers the following sad and sobering statistics:

• Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.4 million are cats.
• Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized. 1.4 million of them are cats.
• Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year. 1.3 million are cats.
• Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners.

So, this was going to be an uphill battle. But when faced with staggering odds and feeling a bit demoralized, always think of the short story "The Starfish Thrower" by Loren Eisley. 

One day, a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…"I made a difference for that one."

So, that's the "origin story" of these guys! 

Who are the cats? 

• Miss Sass: Black Domestic Short Hair, Female, Around 8 months old. She found her people!
• Pumpkin Spice: Brown Tabby, Female. Around a year old. She is bonded to her sister, Cinnamon Spice. She found her person!
• Cinnamon Spice: Brown Tabby, Female. Around a year old. She is also bonded to her sister, Pumpkin Spice. She found her person along with her sis! 
• Blaze: Black Domestic Short Hair, Female, Around 8 months old. She is awaiting her spay and then will be ready for adoption. 
• Fiona: Tortie, Female, Around 8 months old. She has a bad ear infection that has left her with a head tilt, and an eye infection for which she is going to a veterinary ophthalmologist. We need to get her healthy before her spay and before she can be adopted. 
• Samwise: Orange Tabby, Around a year old. He has an upper respiratory infection and gum disease, both of which are being treated with antibiotics to fix. He also needs to get healthy before he can be neutered and be adopted. 
• Black Kitty #3: Still at the cabin, gender unknown. Probably a litter mate of Miss Sass and Blaze. 
• Grey Tabby: Still at the cabin. Gender unknown. Has an eye infection. 
• Gray and White Kitty: Still at the cabin. Gender unknown. Has an eye infection. 
• Big Orange Kitty: Still at the cabin. We are presuming a boy. 

I am including some pictures of the horrible conditions that these cats were taken from. I'm going to warn you now that these are not pretty. If you don't want to see them, turn back now. 

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turn back now

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Yeah, no addition commentary needed; it was awful! :-(