Thursday, March 28, 2024
essay

A Slight Change of Plans

This was the only kitten in the rescue.
This was the only kitten in the rescue.

My week got off to a good start but took several turns on Monday morning. There are a lot of cats involved, of course! There’s a hoarding situation, a Bella situation and a Hamlet situation, but the second two are happy ones.

That's how tiny the kitten is.
That’s how tiny the kitten is.

Some of the cats in this post were rescued from a hoarding case which the Homeless Cat Management Team became involved with through our capacity of helping people with homeless cats and cats in need. The cats were released to HCMT to care for and rehome, we are still checking for other cats left behind, and the investigation is continuing. The story isn’t over yet. In fact, it keeps getting worse.

I am holding the kitty who had bent front legs, or radial hypoplasia.
I am holding the kitty who had bent front legs, or radial hypoplasia.

Mondays are typically busy for me, and I often go all day only leaving my desk two or three times, checking in with customers, continuing projects, beginning new ones, getting mail and orders out I prepared over the weekend, and lots of calls and emails. I also follow conversations in the private Facebook group for our rescue just in case there is some place I can help with transportation of cats or food or something, or information. Through the morning I was following a thread where carriers and crates had been requested and thought it was a rescue of a number of friendly cats, and then there were more comments and the mention of a humane officer. I have extra carriers from transports and it sounded like this was getting serious. Just as I decided I would get a half dozen together and go at some point in the afternoon, I got a private message from Margo. When Margo or a few of the admins of our group private message I know it’s critical, and I knew it had to do with the situation I’d been following. I grabbed my carriers and took off for the address, 608 Elmbank in Brookline, south of Pittsburgh.

What it looked like.
What it looked like.

When I arrived two police cars and a news van were there, and a bunch of people from our group were sending carriers in and out an open front window and lining them up in the front yard. I walked up with my carriers and explained to the humane officer I had been requested to bring them. Deana asked me if I had a pen and paper and said we had to document each of the cats in the carriers before we removed them by photographing  and taking notes. I had my DSLR with me and offered to take the photos, and any other photos they might need. I then transported nine cats to our clinic building in Tarentum and was gone all day.

Read more in HCMT Assists With Brookline Hoarding Case, and consider donating to help us cover the costs of helping these cats. I’ll give you a $5.00 gift certificate for every $25.00 you donate.

Bella

Bella in her box.
Bella in her box.

On Saturday morning Bella was seen scurrying from litterbox to litterbox in the basement, flinging litter, squatting, and not producing anything. A trip to the vet confirmed she has a bladder infection. I was very proud of my formerly feral girl at the vet—I let them know her history and that she does not like to be held in any way, she’s just begun to enjoy being petted—but they told me she was wonderful, let them do all they needed including take her temperature, express her bladder for a sample, clipped her claws, not a peep out of her. Basil was just as good at the vet last November. I am very careful with how I socialize my feral and traumatized kitties so that they retain their good behavior as well as they can.

Bella is doing well with the antibiotic in and herb in her food. I’m a little concerned because she’s not living the life that usually produces with bladder infections. She’s eating a raw and high-quality canned diet, visits the water bowls in each room, is just a little pudgy (yes) but is very active. If she is genetically prone to cystitis I’ll do some more testing to see what else she may need.

Hamlet and Ophelia

“Paint me like one of your” –what, Ophelia? You have way too much furs for that. But you do look lovely on the bed everyone took apart today.

Ophelia on the bed.
Ophelia on the bed.

You read about Hamlet and Ophelia’s remarkable debut as a daily members of the work force in my office and studio. Ophelia is friendlier each day, and cuter along with it! But unless we’re in the bathroom Hamlet still runs away from me, avoids eye contact, and also avoids most of the other cats. But this is what happened today.

Hamlet looks at me.
Hamlet looks at me.

I think that this morning, just now, Hamlet decided “to be”. To be socialized, to be a cat who lives with humans. This morning when I opened the door to his room, he walked out–instead of running past me. He touched noses with my other cats–instead of cringing and running away. He wove his way around my ankles. And he sat down and looked right at me with that expression of surprise that he’s still alive and unharmed after living here this long, and gave me a few slow blinks when I told him all he needed to do for the rest of his life was eat-sleep-play-love. Yes, Hamlet, by opposing the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, you have ended them.

Bowie and her kittens

Powder
Powder

A few weeks ago I helped a neighbor with trapping feral cats for TNR, and then I helped her catch the not-so-feral mom cat who happened to elude us and had her kittens on the front porch. I’ve been visiting them several days a week when she has long work days and helping her to modify their cage as the kittens grow, advise her on how and what to feed and where they should be at each stage. I enjoy visiting, and of course I have to take photos, and I also photograph the flowers in my neighbors’ yards.

The kittens are four weeks old today, and I took a few photos for adoptions. Their names are Purrl, Powder and Puff!

Moving Forward

And that brings me to the rest of the week. I had actually taken time over the weekend to draft all the posts I would share this week, starting with a new desktop calendar, Bowie and her kittens as my featured cats for adoption on Monday, Charm as my featured rescue, a new commissioned portrait, but each needed a few final details and I didn’t have the time to finish and post. I am going to share those posts tonight and in the next few days along with photos I’ve been sharing on Facebook. Time to catch up!


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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

2 thoughts on “A Slight Change of Plans

  • Hoarding cases are always sad.
    It is good that you and your group were able to help.
    The kittens are looking mighty cute!
    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure and JJ

    Reply
  • Hoarding cases are always sad.
    It is good you and your group were able to help.
    The little kitties are so cute too 🙂
    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure and JJ

    Reply

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