by Jackie Dale

This past month I have been focusing largely on TNR before the doctor leaves on her vacation in mid-May. I had a list and began with an elderly lady in the next town over. I had TNRed several cats for her the previous year and needed to round up the stragglers. The woman’s backyard was severely overgrown so a volunteer from her church was kind enough to come over and clean it up so that I could trap. I managed to catch four cats, two boys and two girls. Surprisingly, neither female was pregnant. However, a lady I had helped on several occasions called me saying a stray cat had shown up at her house. And she appeared to be pregnant. Spay-aborts are not something anyone wants to do, but we are left with little choice. Kitten season is in full swing and it’s the usual kitten tsunami. I am getting calls almost daily about kittens. It is really hard to tell people “No” but there is only one of me and I am already at capacity. The adoptions at the rescue have slowed down so fewer cats may be leaving.

My available spots have filled quickly. Unfortunately, some of these cats are not yet adoptable. It will require time to bring these cats to a place where I can confidently send them to rescue. Like me, rescue strongly prefers friendly cats. Cats that will move quickly, thus making room for incoming cats. One spot was taken by a super friendly female cat that had been abandoned by her owner. She will go out on the next transport.

Someone I know sent me a Facebook post from one of her co-workers who, due to personal reasons, was being forced to rehome her two cats and two small dogs. Once again, I was chagrined to see the person was saying she would have to euthanize her pets if no homes could be found. Well, I don’t usually deal with dogs, so I put my focus on the cats. I made contact and said I would have to see the cats in person. I was just too short on room to risk any more cats that needed social rehab. Two weeks later, the lady contacts me that I can come see the cats. I drove 40 minutes to the house where the woman had put the two cats into cages. The first one, a beautiful fluffy black and white immediately took off running. Scratch that one. She said that given time the cat would eventually warm up. I said, “Sorry, but the rescue wants walk-up-to-strangers friendly.” Then she told me that the cat actually belongs to her daughter and that she should ask her to take her back. I told her that was probably the best thing. Whether or not she does that, well, who knows?

I turned my attention to the other cat, Tiger. Tiger seemed friendly enough as I scratched him through the cage. Tiger is also extremely obese. I mean, really fat. And I said so as I was standing there looking at him. “That cat is REALLY FAT,” I said. “What do you feed him?” She said she just fed him Friskies dry food so I’m not sure why he is huge. I did have a cat once who was unable to stop eating until all the food was gone. While a normal cat will stop eating when full, this particular cat did not have that signal in his brain that said, “I’m full, stop eating.” I had to keep him on controlled portions. However, I have not seen any indication of non-stop eating with Tiger. He will be put on a low-calorie diet to help him lose some weight. Even with his size, he is so very friendly, the rescue will like him! I asked her for a donation, and she asked how much? I said, “How much does it cost to euthanize a cat?” (My vet charges $150.) She said, “$60?” I said that was fine. But she came out and said she only had $20 on her. What can you do? I took the $20 but I think she could have been better prepared. I am not a free get-rid-of-your-pet pick up service.

I did send out six cats about three weeks ago. A lady contacted me about a relative who had terminal cancer. The relative had decided to forgo any more treatments and thought it best to rehome her cats right away. I went to the home to evaluate the seven cats. Two were not friendly at all and one was not fixed. The other four were very nice cats, although one of them was also a bit overweight. He looked nothing like the photo I was sent. I joked that it was like online dating where they never quite look like the photo they post on their profile. Anyway, the four cats plus two cats from me were driven over to the rescue by my good friend and partner in cat crime, Janice.

A month earlier, I was contacted by a lady who said that somehow a stray cat got into her house and had kittens on her bed. She was completely panicked because the mom was pretty worked up herself, and the woman was afraid to try and move them. She said she was going to have to go to a hotel for the night. I have to admit, by now, I’m thinking this is just a little bit funny. I told her to fold the bedspread up over the cats and just drag it off the bed. The woman also used a baking sheet to slide under the family to ease them off the bed. I told her that I had no room at the moment, but if she cared for them for a month, I would take them. Fast forward and five weeks later, Mom and babies are now in a huge, round, pop-up kennel in one of my rooms.

I then started trapping at the home of an elderly relative of a friend. I trapped two of the four I was after, one of whom was already fixed. He was vaccinated and ear-tipped before releasing. On the way home from the release, I got a call from a senior apartment complex that a kitten had fallen off the roof. I have done a lot of TNR at this complex, but there still remained a small colony residing on the roof of the building. The complex cut down the tree that provided up and down access, but it seems hard to believe the cats couldn’t find a way down. Some residents put food and water on the roof at night when management isn’t looking. So, I go pick up the kitten. They say there are more, but I don’t see them. I contact the local TNR group who agrees to look into the situation. They go out a few days later, form a plan to trap and leave. They then get a call that the residents have found the rest of the kittens. They all fell off the roof, three were dead and two others survived. Cat rescue is not for the faint of heart. It is very hard to constantly see so much suffering.

I continue to work my way down my list. A cat here, two cats there, three cats in downtown Reedley, one of which was pregnant. Definitely did not need more cats at this location. The caretaker feeds them but has limited resources, so I provide all the food.

Then I get a call from someone who got my number from a friend. She was leaving work in Orange Cove when she spotted a box on the sidewalk. Inside were three tiny kittens. She was, as anyone should be, outraged that someone would be so callous as to leave these defenseless creatures at the mercy of God knows what! I flat out said I didn’t want to, but I would. My son-in-law volunteered to care for them so that was a tremendous relief!

Two more calls came in about pregnant cats. I was able to get these ladies in on short notice. Very sad indeed, but this is what happens when people fail to do the right thing––spay and neuter! I am fully in favor of mandatory spay and neuter. Counties with mandatory spay and neuter are the places all the rescue animals go because there is always a shortage of pets. Mandatory spay and neuter was even put on the ballot a few years back, but was voted down because “people didn’t want to be told what to do.” Yet these same people continuously FAIL to do the right thing. Can’t fix stupid. When someone tells me they don’t want to spend $20 to fix a cat because “it’s not my cat,” I ask them, “When this cat has kittens in your yard, would you pay me $20 to come and remove them all?” They ALWAYS say, “Well, yeah.” So, I tell them: “Give me the $20 bucks now, and let’s get this cat fixed now.”

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.