Category Archives: Pet Rescue

Oh, Rats!

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Well, this is a bit embarrassing.

I have rats. As in the kind that are disgusting, not the cute domestic rats my associate Donna has as pets. Her rats actually have personalities, like you and me. They don’t talk and they can’t shop or go to a movie with you but overall they’re pretty entertaining.

donnas-rats-izzy-and-simon
Izzy and Simon

I don’t know why we find domestic rats cuter than sewer rats, which are considered vermin, but there you go. My guess is the moniker, sewer, doesn’t enhance their image. But the thought of vermin taking up residence in my walls gives me the Creeps with a capital C. Unfortunately, I’ve had the Creeps a lot lately.

rat
A not-so-cute sewer rat
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How I was Rescued by Seven Kittens

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Kern kitten 1
Kern kitten 2

So Wednesday morning I’m on the freeway bringing kittens to get spayed and neutered at a local veterinary clinic. Naturally, I’m late because the freeway is a parking lot. In the back of my SUV, seven of the 11 kittens we rescued from Kern County are serenading me with a chorus of meows.

What lucky kitties. Our feral cat rescue rarely deals with domestics but when we learned these were scheduled to be euthanized for lack of adopters, we decided to help. And that’s how I found myself on the freeway Wednesday morning.

kern kitten 3
kern kitten 5
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Welcome Home, OC

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I’ve been on a cat kick these days. Not exactly a surprise since they occupy a good part of my day. But each story is unique and in this tale, the life of OC (Orange Cat) is exactly that. I promise next week my post won’t include anything containing fur or with four legs.

Many years ago, OC showed up in a small colony of ferals living behind a movie theater. We trapped him, scanned his microchip, and returned him to his registered guardian who had 20-something ferals. Seems OC isn’t a social butterfly, so he hightailed it back to his preferred stomping grounds.

Over the years, our dedicated group of volunteers fed the cats their daily meal. As time passed and colony cats died, OC was like the Energizer Bunny who just keeps on going. So eventually, he lived out there alone.

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The Doggie Heist

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As you may know, I’d do just about anything to help a neglected or abused animal, even if it means getting arrested. In fact, it’s #12 on my bucket list. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s probably inevitable. Fair warning: this post isn’t humorous but it has a happy ending.

Being in feral cat rescue for 20 years, I’ve had my life threatened, been chased, harassed, flipped off, even had our equipment destroyed and stolen. Fun stuff. But I’m not intimidated, nor are my cohorts. We’re fearless (which might not be smart) because when an animal is being abused or neglected, we take action.

In our area, Animal Control can’t remove a pet who has food, shelter, water, and who seems to be in good physical condition. So when they were called to check on this dog (let’s call her Sadie), she appeared to be okay. But when her physical condition deteriorated, our phone rang. The caller was worried Animal Control might have to return the dog. But us? Not a chance. There was only one solution:

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That’s Just Jack

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Marley and Me

Spoiler Alert

I just watched the movie Marley and Me with my fat cat, Jack. Yes, Jack watches TV; he’s a very observant guy. But if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m about to ruin it for you so you should probably skip the next paragraph.

Marley and Me is a comedy about a dog but also a tearjerker because Marley dies, as dogs will do. I’d already seen the movie but I still cried like a baby. I’m talking crocodile tears that spilled from my eyes, missed my cheeks entirely, then landed on Jack, who lounged on my lap. Pathetic? Yeah, I’d say so.

Now that you virgins of Marley and Me are back with us, let’s continue.

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