For Marigold

The birds are dying, so they tell us. We are considered the enemy. We are the soldiers who fight on behalf of the cats.

 Cleveland Amory a stellar animal champion, once talked of his belief in “the army of the kind.” But we are not allowed that title, we who trap the unwanted and move them to safer places. We carry the title, Crazy Cat Ladies, which we accept with a smile, never acknowledging its trivializing effect. 

To allow ourselves to fall into a category which is considered a joke we are not acknowledging the truth that it is those who fight us who are the crazy ones.

Today it became clear that it is worth writing about.

 Isn’t it crazy for someone to be so full of hate, that he would take a tiny creature barely 2 pounds, caught in a trap and bring this defenseless kitten to an animal hospital and ask that it be killed? The indictment was that cats were killing the songbirds. And we are the crazy ones?

 As an avid “birder” who photographs my feeder friends, I have not seen a dead bird in my yard in almost 19 years, despite 2 feral cats who regularly visit me. I’m not saying it never happens, I’m saying it’s not rampant and not a reason to kill a kitten.  Of course the same mentality excuses the slaughter of deer for their decimation of flowering shrubs.

I love birds, I draw them endlessly and except for my sadness at the idea of caging them, I would have dozens of them around me singing, talking and doing all the loveable things that birds do. But I love cats and dogs and deer, squirrels, raccoon and lots of critters that at times clash with our personal hobbies, homes and lifestyles. Eradicating them is not the answer.

If I had my design, I would choose the Edward Hicks model, the Peaceable Kingdom. The lion would lie down with the lamb. I’m sure I’m not alone, when one considers Hicks is considered one of America’s favorite artists and he painted that subject over 100 times.

It is a common dream and one worth working towards, so, if not the lion and the lamb right now, can we at least declare a moratorium on the attempts to eradicate feline colonies? Don’t they have at least  as much right to live in our towns as the squirrels who raid our bird feeders?

The humane solution is Trap, Neuter and Return, and it is a movement whose time has come. We are evolving as a species and recognize, however slowly, that these are moral issues, not to be trivialized by names that deny the effort, wisdom and compassion of those who spend their time, money and yes their lives fighting for a kinder world.

So here’s to little Marigold who survived a verdict through the kindness of a vet, and a few dedicated women who are nurturing her and trying to convince her that the crazy ones, the real crazy ones, will never get their hands on her again. We hope she will give humans a second chance.

 

 

 

 

How much do you love your cat?

An advice column by Mandrake

Please take the following quiz to determine your worthiness to live with a cat. You provide your cat with :

 Toys

1. A toy purchased at the supermarket during the holidays.
2. A toy for each cat.
3. A toy for every day of the week.
4.  A toy for every room or each cat whichever is more.

     Food

1. Whatever is on sale.
2.  Dry food all day and wet food at dinner.
3.  3 square meals a day of wet and dry food with treats in between.
4.  Cat chooses from his own menu and human shops accordingly.

Beds

1. Cats sleep on the floor only.
2.  Cats have their own beds.
3.  Cats are allowed to sleep in bed with their human.
4. Cats have entire bed. Human sleeps on floor so as not to disturb them.

If you answered all 4s, you may continue to enjoy this blog and adopt from Morgan Le Fay’s Cat Rescue.
If you answered all 3s, you can adopt from the local shelter.
If you answered all 2s, you need a cat intervention.
If you answered all 1s, leave your address and your keys under the mat and your cats will be removed from your care.



Operation New Dawn

Everyone secretly strives for perfection. Life is however, messy and although one likes to start things on the first of the year, the first of the month or the first of the week, they start when we get to them. So it is February 3, 2012, nothing perfect about that, it is not even the first day of the rescue, but it is the first day I have had a moment when cats weren’t the priority. It was actually December 17th when this began, I learned of the death of a volunteer’s friend, who left behind some 30 cats and 5 dogs. Springing into action I suggested that I photograph the cats, as that was my specialty at the shelter. The next day I went to the house which held all of the sad residents. It is a house that exists in any town on any block. The house we ignore; the people who worry us for a while and then become part of the landscape. The one with the animals who look sadly out behind torn curtains. The one we train ourselves to look away from. I was not invited inside, so I suggested that she carry out the youngest ones, and that’s where I met the Bells. I named them the Bells for the season: Sleigh Belle, Silver Belle and Jingle Bell, the silver male who is in the next room. There were others to come, who are as important, who have their own stories. There were others I knew, I might never meet, who are dying perhaps as I write. This is the start of the rescue, not the first day as that would be perfect, but the part when I started to write about it. Maybe it is because last night, I brought the first one to the vet who had to be put to sleep. What a strange euphemism. It sounds so peaceful. It sounds almost alluring, for someone like myself who rarely gets enough sleep. It cloaks what the act really is: the taking of a life.

Petfinder Link

In case you are inspired!

Think before you kill!

Please tell people to think before they call and complain about a homeless animal. Under NJ law, a shelter is only required to hold a stray for 7 days.
Those 7 days may be the last 7 days of a cat or dog’s life.
What will your pet be doing in the next 7 days?
Will he be taken for walks with you in the park? The dog in the shelter will be in a small crate alone.
Will your dog get fresh water several times a day? Will the shelter water get soiled?
Will she sleep next to you in your bed? Shelters are often unattended at night. The floor is often steel or cement.
What will your cat eat next week? Will the shelter cat be wishing for more food because she was too afraid to eat in the strange place?
Since my last post I have heard of a man brought to court and threatened with a fine because his neighbor complained about his cats.
Another person was planning on calling authorities in the same town because a “damn cat had kittens” on his property.
People have found so many reasons to be intolerant of the creatures that share our planet. The stray cat had kittens. The deer ate the flowers. The raccoons tipped over the garbage and the squirrels ate the birdseed.
Do they take the time to watch the care with which the cat relocates her kittens or the doe nurses her faun? Do they ever see the raccoon washing her food or the squirrel opening the nut?
We sit for hours in front of computers and televisions while a whole world with fur and feathers whirls around us.
In a few weeks, while we are reaching for repellants, some intricate choreography will occur. A graceful team of ants will be unfurling the petals of our peonies.
Think before you call. Think before you kill!

The Promise

Strider, my feral,
brush away the frozen tear.
I promise you spring.

A war is raging on the feral cat front. Whose side are you on?

My town published a warning, a policy that forbade feeding stray or feral cats.
According to Alley Cat Allies this ban on feeding is a growing trend in the nation.

Another town, nearby, is planning on killing their neighborhood ferals and strays. One wonders if they will catch a few pets in the process. (This is one of many reasons that you should not let house cats out.)

Many of us on the other side believe in a Trap Neuter Release policy as a humane solution.
Most mainstream animal protection societies support this solution.
Some towns just want them dead.

The claim is that some of our neighbors want a solution to, “the problem” , the problem being those 7lb. creatures that are usually so frightened of us that they freeze or starve rather than approach us.

It’s a battle. It’s politics. So if you love animals but view politics as something that you would rather leave to others, you’re missing the point. You are desperately needed.

If I’ve inspired you, please reach out to me. If you disagree with me, give me another chance to persuade you.
I’ve heard it said “Saving one animal won’t change the world, but surely it will change the world for that one animal.”

I say, “We will change the world for all animals, one at a time.”

Remember about 70% of homeless cats and kittens are euthanized.
You have the room, you have the time, or you have the money.
You are the solution.