It has been a long, hot, frustrating month in the cat world. It seems like this year is one of the worst as far as kittens are concerned. They are simply everywhere! Every day I get multiple calls or messages from people asking me to help with or take on kittens.
My month had an upsetting beginning because of a post on social media about an abandoned mother cat and five newborn kittens. The post led me to believe that the family had been dumped near a school located not far from my home. The temperature that day was around 110° so of course I was deeply concerned for the welfare of the cats.
We at Feral Paws Rescue always welcome those cats who have special needs and this month we will tell the story of two of those cats who have warmed our hearts.
I started the month with a transport of four of my kittens to rescue. Since my specialty is supplying the rescue with cats aged five months and up, I was pleased and surprised when they agreed to take the litter of four kittens from Firebaugh. I can only assume it was because the kittens were not only very healthy AND super cute, but they were incredibly well socialized.
We at Feral Paws Rescue have saved many, many cats from high-kill shelters throughout the years since we started, and they have all held a special place in our hearts. Some, however, are just a little more special because of their personalities or the circumstances when we got them. This month we will share the story of one of those cats.
This has been a month where I have spent a majority of my time at home taking care of many kittens and also a handful of adults as well. Due to a staffing shortage at the vets, there have been fewer appointments available so I have had to curtail some of my TNR work for the time being. It is just as well since the kittens keep me hopping.
The cats and kittens have continued to flow both in and out this month. Most of these felines had happy endings that consisted of them going to rescue. Seventeen lucky kitties went to rescue this month!!
One young cat had a not-so-happy ending. I picked up a severely malnourished female cat at a packing house near my home. A lady who worked there witnessed the poor thing nearly get taken out by a forklift so she contacted me. I picked her up immediately. However, despite my best efforts, the poor thing passed away three days later. Her starved little body just couldn’t recover.
The past month has been difficult. The sheer number of kittens needing help is overwhelming. There is a meme making the rounds that says: “It’s rude to ask a rescuer how many cats they have during kitten season.” When people ask me that question, I just sigh, shrug my shoulders, and say, “I don’t know.” In reality, the numbers for the past month have hovered around 23-27 kittens and cats.
In terms of heat, the past month has been exceptionally brutally here in the Central Valley. When the temperatures started climbing up to as high as 114°, it became an issue for my cats in outside cages. I had to make room inside for as many of the cats as I could. At the hottest part of several days, I put four of the cats each in a carrier and lined them up on my couch. At least they stayed cool during the extreme heat of the afternoon. I kept up this routine of musical cats for several weeks. The outside feral cats would lounge in the bushes where we would water everything down for them to keep it cool as possible.
It has been a long month that seems to be passing in slow motion. Rescues are still full and not accepting cats or kittens due largely in part to the record number of owner surrenders. Lots of people adopted pets during the pandemic, but with life returning to normal, shortsightedness reveals itself. Such shallow thinking that one would adopt a pet without the intention of keeping it for life. Pets should never be a whim. Or a temporary distraction.
