I promised you in a March, 2014 blog (Here We Go Again), that I was perfectly happy with my 3 dogs and 2 cats. No way was I going to adopt another 4-legged creature anytime soon.
But you know what they say about 
You see, I foster “challenging” cats in an attempt to make them adoptable. These felines are what I call conflicted. I think that sounds so much nicer than psycho, don’t you? Turns out cats are just like people in how they can be a tad unbalanced.
Not what I meant
Thanksgiving began with a phone call to my friend Sue.
Me: Just a heads up I may need you later today, so keep your phone nearby.
Sue: What’s up?
Me: You’re my one phone call I’m allowed from jail. Oh, and don’t forget to remove the turkey from your oven before coming to bail me out.
Sue: Okay, will do.
You may be able to deduce from this conversation that Sue knows me well enough to realize one of these days I’ll be arrested for helping animals, probably cats, and if that means doing something illegal in the process, so be it.
Careful of the nail polish, please.
Fostering feral kittens makes me happy.
I imagine it’s also a bit like having a baby in the house, but I wouldn’t actually know – not having had one myself. I’m probably way off base even suggesting they’re remotely similar. So let’s just pretend I never made that analogy, shall we? Suffice it to say fostering takes perseverance. But in the end it’s definitely all worth it.
I’ve yet to name my newest foster. Here’s why: if he doesn’t become socialized enough to get adopted, it’s somehow easier for me to give him up to become an outdoor cat. I’d then acclimate him to his new digs through a process called relocation. That translates into a 3-week holding period on the property of the folks who have agreed to let him live in their yard. Once released, he’ll be given food, water and shelter while he also hunts rodents. It’s a win-win. Except for the rodents.
Oh crap. Is that a cat I see?
Who would have known Jock Itch cream has so many uses? Not me, that’s for sure. I never imagined I’d ever need to use it. Why would I? I’m not a male athlete. But as I discovered recently, one does not need to possess male body parts in order to develop the itchy rash otherwise known as ringworm.
Pretty disgusting looking
Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t actually have worms. Ringworm is a form of fungus, same as jock itch. So I guess in a way I’m now just like one of the boys. You see, I’m fostering a domestic cat that has ringworm and although I’d never contracted the nasty rash, ones luck can only last so long. Yesterday my luck ran out. Continue reading
So often in our feral cat rescue (Marin Friends of Ferals) it feels like we’re barely making a dent in controlling breeding. You think rabbits and mice are prolific baby-makers? Well, unaltered felines are like polygamists with 5 kids per wife, or maybe the Duggar family (19 Kids and Counting). They have no Off switch.
The Duggar’sBut the difference with cats is that they can’t control their mating and subsequent reproducing. No, I’m afraid this one’s on us. People refuse to spay and neuter pets for many reasons: they believe it will make the animal lazy and fat (false); some are simply against birth control; others just can’t be bothered. You name it, I’ve heard it.
NOT a result of being sterilized
Now Don't Get Me Wrong 