by Jackie Dale

I spent most of November in a mad rush to get all my remaining cats fixed before the doctor left for winter vacation. In addition, I had several people contact me about getting their cats fixed so the rush was very real.

Abandoned kitten

Even though I had hoped to avoid taking in any more kittens, a man contacted me about three kittens he found in his yard. He claimed to know nothing about cats. He also said his young nephew was deathly afraid of cats. I asked how long the kittens had been there, to which he replied “about three days.” When I arrived at the home, I entered the garage where he was keeping them. The kittens were crawling all over a bag of dog food. (He said his dog had died.) I asked him if he had given the kittens any food. He said he had not, nor did I see a bowl of water. I realize that some people may not know a lot about cats but I’m pretty sure most people would realize …YOU HAVE TO FEED THEM! I collected the kittens, accepted the $20 he offered, and left. Fortunately, these people can’t see what I am thinking. Because what I am thinking is not very complimentary.

Abandoned kitten

I also accepted a friendly white cat because white cats are pretty popular, and I knew she would go quickly. Unfortunately, it was too late to get her fixed. She is currently in foster with a 99-year-old woman. This lady is a shining example of a can-do attitude. None of that “I’m too old” spiel. She was fostering a kitten who proved to be a bit much for her. An adult cat is much more manageable, and Lola seems very happy. Lola needed a foster because she doesn’t seem to like other cats very much.

One of the 12 from deceased owner

Then some really bad news. A man I had helped previously had a sudden stroke and passed away leaving behind twelve cats he had rescued over the years. His siblings said they were just going to dump the cats out in the country somewhere. I find it mind boggling that people not only decide to do something so despicable, but think nothing of announcing their intentions to horrified friends and neighbors.

I reluctantly agreed to take in the cats. And OF COURSE, the siblings did not offer one thin dime to help pay for the enormous amount of food and litter required by TWELVE cats. I will have to depend on Karma to deal out the justice on this one. And it will. Eventually.

Rescued from the streets

We brought over the first six and put them in the outdoor catio. One of the cats managed to find a weak spot in the chicken wire and escaped. A few of the others also got out and all but the original escapee were rounded up. Two of the group were very friendly, so I immediately submitted them to my rescue, and they were accepted. Then a problem presented itself. Apparently of the twelve cats, all were fixed, except for one female, and we had no idea which one. We had no records of any kind we didn’t even know the names of the cats. So I schlepped the two female cats to the vet where they were determined to have been fixed. Using the records at the vet, we were able to match up the cats with their names. The two ladies were so sweet, they were adopted right away!

Then came time for the other six to come. This group was less cooperative. The cats had to be “wrangled” into carriers, and two of them had to be trapped. They are all now ensconced in the catio and are slowly getting less freaked out. I can even pet a couple of them now.

Finally came the relief I had been waiting for … The rescue could take some cats. By now I had around thirty or so cats and kittens here. It was taking me 3-4 hours a day to clean and feed everyone. I sent six of my best cats and they were quickly adopted. Then, just a couple days later, the other rescue branch called. They needed cats and could I have them there the next day? You betcha!! Nine more cats left and just like that, my work load was reduced by half. I was so happy!! I almost felt like I was on vacation.

Injured cat

However, vacations are always too short. I saw a post about a severely injured cat in Reedley. I had slipped at the car wash and tore a tendon in my wrist, so I was hoping someone else would handle this cat. A couple of people wanted to help but were quite some distance from Reedley so I got a friend to help me and went and trapped the cat myself. This was no easy feat as there were numerous other cats wandering around. I got very lucky and caught the big orange fellow. He was transported to the vet where Kyle Kirkland got him in to be seen. One of the vets thought it was a mouth injury while the other felt it might be cancer. So, he is currently with me while we wait and see what happens.

As the New Year rolled in, the news did not get better. An elderly rescue friend took her own life leaving behind eight feral/stray cats that she had been caring for. She left a note (containing some money) asking our friend Janice and me, to take care of her cats. This is no easy task that she left for us to deal with. Her family, who lives out of state, is putting the house up for sale right away. Therefore the cats must go. Now not only do we have a difficult problem to solve, we are also on a time limit. No stress there.

As we are trying to figure out a plan, we had a glimmer of hope when the rescue called and asked for some cats. Five more cats left here and were adopted within days. A week later, I cleaned out my fosters and sent another five cats to the rescue.

We probably would have been able to send more but due to the fires, the rescue was taking in a load of cats from Los Angeles.

Bobby

We began trapping our friend’s cats. First up was a small black female and a 13-pound gray male. This guy had a severe tail injury resulting in a bloody stump. I was fortunate enough to get these two cats fixed via Fresno TNR. They were also able to amputate the tail at the same time! Bobby is now at his new home. He will spend a couple of weeks in a cage while his tail heals and he acclimates to his new home. A few days later we trapped a slightly larger male cat, already fixed. These two cats will be released in my yard. We will continue this project until all cats are trapped.

DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I can’t operate without them. If you would like to make a donation, I have a PayPal account jackiejoy@hotmail[dot]com You can also support the post office and send donations/supplies via good old snail mail to Jackie Dale P O Box 1859, Reedley, CA 93654.

You can check out more animal rescue articles in KRL’s animal rescue section! Join our Pets Facebook group to help keep up with our pet articles.

Jackie Dale is a freelance writer who lives in Reedley with her husband of 27 years, Frank, and their 2 children. A former ballerina, Jackie now teaches yoga and fitness classes privately and at local area gyms in addition to her cat related duties.