Catching up...

My family came home yesterday afternoon from Comic Con in San Diego. They all seemed to have a great time with their 130,000 closest friends. Lots of people, but they said there wasn't really any pushing or shoving. The only complaint Reid had was the lack of places to sit. He said people would try sitting along the walls, but they'd come along and chase them. He does tire more easily than he did before the transplant and it would have been nice to have been able to rest more often. They all said the convention center could use more places to sit, but other than that they had a lot of fun. They bought lots and lots of souvenirs!



I had planned on getting so much done while they were gone, but it never seemed to happen. I wanted to work some more on getting all the genealogy information I accumulated during the 1980's into the Family Tree Maker 2011 program I recently purchased. I haven't touched the genealogy stuff in over 20 years and most of the information is in manila folders. So, I've slowly been scanning documentation and adding information to the program. I get six months of Ancestry.com with the program, but I'm waiting to activate it until I get all the information I currently have entered. It is taking a lot longer than I had anticipated and the five days they were gone seemed to fly by. It seemed I always had other things to get done.



The mother feral cat and her kitten were up on the garage roof the other morning. I went out with the food and the mother jumped onto a branch and came down the tree. The kitten must not have been paying attention because she had no idea how to get down. It was still kind of dark when I took these pictures and I tried to lighten them up a little, but it didn't help much. In this picture you can see the kitten's eyes glowing. She's at the corner of the garage roof trying to figure out what to do.




Meanwhile, she/he knew the mother was eating the food




Finally, (as I held my breath) she/he took a leap and jumped from the roof to the the ground. She picked herself/himself up and trotted down the path to the food.




I'm not sure this story will have a happy ending. I'd like to trap both of them and have them fixed, but my other cats chase them off when they see them and that will make it difficult to catch them.



Since I gave up blogger in draft I have had trouble inserting pictures in a post. Instead of going where I put the cursor they always appear at the top of the post. Then I have to go into the html and copy and paste the picture information where I want it to go and then delete it from the top of the post. It works, but it takes a lot longer and seems to mess up the spacing between paragraphs. Anyone else having this problem?

Blogger In Draft And An Update...

Anyone else use Blogger In Draft?  They've made some changes recently and I guess it will just take time to adjust.  It seems as if everything is different now, but in time I might like it better.

I haven't been reading or posting much lately, but I purchased Family Tree Maker 2011 and I'm trying to enter all of the genealogy information I've had in manila folders since the 1980's.  With so much online now I'd like to take up where I left off a couple of decades ago.  I've been slowed down because I entered some information incorrectly and I'm trying to figure out how to fix the mistake before I move on. 

I was also recently contacted by someone who might be a relative.  Her grandfather was listed in the 1900 Census as being a brother of my grandfather, but my mother told me that he had lived with the family for a while and then returned.  She didn't think he was ever adopted by them and she didn't know if he was related.  The person that contacted me had been told something completely different.  She had always been told that he was my great grandparents' biological child and they weren't able to keep him.  A mystery to be solved.

Today Reid is having all his scans and tests down at MD Anderson.  Jim took him down this morning for his first appointment at 6:30 AM and I think the last one is around 3:00 this afternoon.  Tomorrow he has to be down there by 7:00 AM for a blood draw, a pulmonary function test, and his appointment with the stem cell doctor.  We'll both be with him when he gets the results.  By all outward appearances he seems to be doing well, but we never know until he gets the results.  Afterwards he has an appointment for the clinical trial drug/placebo, so it will be another long day.  Your prayers are appreciated.

Another feral cat had been showing up at mealtime.  I had seen this cat over the last couple of years and assumed it must have been a male because it never appeared to be pregnant, but I never could get close enough to get a good look.  Then we brought our other cats inside while we had a tree taken down and slab work done.  I still put food out for the feral cat and when I went out one morning I saw a kitten run under the deck.  Guess I was wrong about "Blackie" being a male. 

This is Blackie eating in the garage:

The kitten is like a ghost and there's no way I can get close enough to take a picture.  I tried taking one through the window, but it's not very good.

The kitten looks older...maybe three months?  We'll get the trap down this weekend and put it on the deck so they can get used to seeing it.  If they're still around in a few weeks we'll try and catch them and have them fixed and vaccinated.  I had hoped there would be no more kittens after we had the others fixed a year ago, but I'm afraid there are a lot of ferals we just never see.  If only people would spay and neuter their pets.

Take care...

Waiting...

It's strange how animals sometimes instinctively know when something is wrong.

Little Ashely was one of the feral kittens that was living in our backyard.  I told the story here.   It seems his mother left him behind and took his litter mates away for a few days.  Ashley was crying in the garage, so we caught him with a humane trap and brought him inside.  He hid under the bed in the guest room and wouldn't come out.  At the time Reid was having radiation and was very tired so he offered to go in that room and sleep.  Eventually, he lured Ashley out from under the bed.  Ever since Ashely follows him around the house and sits outside his bedroom door and cries.

Reid has been in severe pain with the recurrence of his Hodgkin's.  Ashely seems to know and stays even closer.

Reid's pain has gotten continually worse and on Tuesday I went down to MD Anderson and got a prescription for the stronger medication.  It didn't help and today when he had his appointment with the Oncologist he got another prescription that he can use along with the first one.  It's taken the edge off, but he's still in a lot of pain.  He'll be seen in their pain clinic on the 25th.

He's been told that he'll need a stem cell transplant which will give him a 50-50 chance of being cured.  Hopefully, next week he'll have a biopsy and then the chemo can begin shortly thereafter.  We're assuming this is a recurrence of the Hodgkin's and not something else, but a biopsy is necessary.

He'll also be seen in their brain and spine clinic on the 22nd to see if they think he could benefit from radiation to the spine.  And he's set up with an appointment with an interventional radiologist on the 28th.

It isn't easy watching your child in this kind of pain...no matter how old the child.  I've been on the verge of pulling a Shirley MacLaine on more than one occasion.  He's been through so much this past year and yet he still manages to smile.

Now Reid waits for word on when "Plan B" can be implemented.  Ashely waits at his side.

Thank you for your warm thoughts and prayers.

A New Adventure for Tuesday Show and Tail

Our feral mother and kittens have gotten pretty adventurous.  Can you find Jem and Atticus up in the tree?  They've started trying to follow the squirrels.  Hint...Jem is in the "Y" of the tree and Atticus is on the lower branch that goes over the garage roof.  (Click on pictures to enlarge.)  This was early one morning last week.

Their sister Scout watches from a safe distance.

Mom is never far away.  This is Cali watching from the driveway.


We've had to temporarily pause our Trap, Neuter and Release program.  Cali and Scout have both been fixed, but Scout raised such a stink crying and carrying on when we put her back in the garage that none of the others would go in the garage for a while.  Since we like to put the trap in the garage and out of the hot sun we decided to wait a little while before we try catching the boys.  I think next week we'll try again.

I'm linking this to Tuesday's Show and Tail over at West Virginia Treasures.  I had originally intended to post about all the cats I've had in my life since childhood in order, but I haven't had time to go through old photos and scan them, so this week I'm sharing the newest members of the family with you.  Head over to Angela's blog for a list of this week's participants.

Practice Makes Perfect...

I decided to practice with Blogger In Draft today.  Yesterday I was having trouble getting pictures in the post, but strangely enough it's working differently today and I had no trouble.  This is a picture of Reid with Dad on Tuesday.  Reid is starting to regain a little of his lost energy although he still needs to rest often.  After the nursing home we made a couple of stops at some stores and he needed a nap by the time we got home.

And below is a picture of the feral cats that have taken up residence in our yard.  I believe I put this picture up before, but since this was taken we have managed to catch the mother and the little black and white kitten with a humane trap and they've both been fixed.  Two down and two to go.  Fortunately, we caught the two females first which means no more kittens in our yard.  Now we will attempt to catch the two boys.  We actually had the darker red one in the trap on Wednesday, but his sister managed to get in there with him and we aren't allowed to have two cats in a trap where we take them to be fixed.  So, my husband very carefully opened the trap door and the red one darted out and the black and white one went to the rear of the trap.  We were afraid they'd both run out and we'd have none caught.  Before we caught the two of them the mother went into the trap, but she was fixed last week and we didn't need her trapped again!  So we had to get her out of the trap and reset it.  Catching all these cats is very stressful for them and us!

Please spay and neuter your pets!  There are so many strays and ferals out there that need our help.

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Everyone is trying to stay cool these days. We heard all about the hot weather on the East Coast last week, but that kind of weather is normal for us until mid to late October when we'll start to have a day here and there where we can turn off the A/C. We did have a lot of rain last week which was nice. Anytime the sun is hidden behind a cloud we celebrate. They give us the heat index on the local weather. That's where they take the temperature and factor in the humidity and come up with what the temperature feels like...usually around 100.



Animals seem to instinctively know where to go to keep cooler. Like a shady spot on the driveway.

This is the feral cat and her kittens. They're three months old now and she still nurses them. They don't want you to bring in a cat to be fixed if she's still nursing kittens, but I'm afraid she'll go into heat before I get her in. Those kittens eat plenty of food, but they still nurse.



They enjoy sleeping under a tree in the backyard too.




The mother is always nearby.

Please do your part...

After the feral cat we had cared for for nine years disappeared I continued to put out food in hopes she'd return. She never did, but a very pregnant calico feral started appearing each day at meal time.

After a month she disappeared for a couple of days and reappeared much thinner. I knew she had given birth, but didn't know where. I tried following her down the street and saw her head up a driveway a few doors down. I asked if they had kittens in their yard, but they didn't. I had no idea where the kittens were, but she continued to appear at mealtime, quickly eat, and then head down the street. After five weeks I noticed that she started hanging around our yard all day. I feared that something had happened to the kittens. Imagine my surprise when I opened the back door one morning and found her standing there with a little black and white kitten. The next day I discovered two more kittens and the day after that a fourth kitten. We now had the mother and four kittens waiting to be fed each morning.

I decided to move my car out of the garage and the mother and kittens started hanging out in the garage, under the deck, and backyard. Then a few weekends ago my husband spent some time working in the backyard. We noticed that the mother kept pacing and was a little nervous. That night she disappeared with three of the kittens. The next morning she arrived to eat and a little gray and white kitten came out of hiding and ate with her. Then the mother left again, but the gray and white kitten was still here. Finally, I decided the mother wasn't going to bring the other kittens back and I'd better try and catch the one left behind. So, I set a humane trap in the garage and caught him and brought him inside.

We set the little kitten up in the extra bedroom and he proceeded to hide under the bed and not come out. We tried to lure him out, but he was terrified. Meanwhile, after a couple of days the mother returned with the other kittens. Since we weren't having any luck taming the one inside we considered returning him to the mother, but then he turned the corner and started slowly getting used to us. He's been inside for three weeks and is now quite friendly. Still a little cautious, but glad to see us when we go in there to play with him.

Here he is stalking the cord on my camera.


Got it!


Listening to the dog on the other side of the door.


Meanwhile, I've found a place that will "fix" feral cats for a reasonable fee. Soon I will attempt to trap the mother cat and the kittens that are outside and have them fixed. We will let them live in our garage and yard. The mother is still nursing the kittens even though they're now 11 weeks old. They seem to eat plenty of food, but still nurse and the place won't fix the mother until she's finished nursing. I am concerned that the mother will take the kittens and disappear once I get the first one trapped. I'm hoping I can trap the mother first, but there's no guarantee who will get caught first. And the mother always positions herself between me and the kittens and if a kitten is caught first I might be torn to pieces. She is a very protective mother. I still wonder why she left the gray and white kitten behind.

I'd like to find a good home for the gray and white kitten we've managed to tame. He will also be fixed. I still have to have him tested for feline leukemia and I'm hoping he'll test negative. Feline leukemia is present in about 10% of the cat population and more likely in ferals. There's nothing that can be done if he's positive and I still don't know what I'll do if that happens. He won't be adoptable and I'm not sure the mother will take him back at this point.

No matter what all of these felines will be fixed. I read a statistic in the newspaper recently. Every unspayed cat that goes into heat three times a year - along with her offspring - could produce 4,948 cats during the course of seven years. This time of year shelters are overflowing with kittens and cats.

PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. The life of a feral cat is usually not an easy life. Domestic cats were not meant to live in the wild. They ended up there because somewhere along the line someone wasn't a responsible pet owner. I believe this mother cat was not born feral. She waits at the backdoor each morning for her food.

I open the door and she's waiting, but usually greats me with a hiss. She will approach me, but I'm not allowed to approach her. I have to be careful when I set down the food because she'll come over to get it, but scratch me at the same time. So, she's kind of used to people. Normally ferals won't come close and will hide until the food is set out. This all leads me to believe she probably was socialized with humans early in her life and then abandoned and became feral. Her contact with humans was probably only for a short period of time, but long enough that she isn't totally freaked out around them. However, she has taught her kittens well. Whenever she hisses they run and hide. I might have tried to catch and tame them when I realized the gray and white one was coming around, but that was during the time I was taking Reid down for radiation every day and it just wasn't possible. So, we'll just try and give them the best life possible.

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago before the gray and white kitten was brought inside. This is the mother with two of the red kittens. One is eating on top of the container and the other one is behind the post.


This is when the gray and white kitten was still outside. You can see him on top of the container. There's also a black and white kitten.


Meanwhile, I've put the trap outside and have the door propped open so it won't close yet. I've done this so they can become used to it and when I'm ready to catch them it might make things easier. They have no idea and sometimes go inside the trap and play. It looks as if I could just run over and close the door, but they'd be long gone by the time I got there. When they're done nursing and all are old enough to be fixed I'll use food in the trap. That's the mother's tail you see at the bottom of the picture. She always manages to position herself between me and the kittens.


Please do your part and spay and neuter your pets. I just can't stress it enough. There are so many homeless animals out there. If everyone did their part we wouldn't have this problem.

Four Months Today

For four months I've been hoping our feral cat MaMa would return, but so far she hasn't showed up. As I've mentioned before, she ran off when workmen came in the backyard to do slab work. I still receive phone calls and within the last two weeks I checked out two possible sightings, but the cats I saw weren't MaMa.

MaMa lived in our yard for nine years and during that time we had other workmen in the yard and she never ran off. That's why I feel pretty confident that she probably hid under the deck when she heard them and then panicked when they starting pulling up the boards.

I just feel so bad for her. I wanted her to live out her days peacefully in our yard where she was safe.

The life of a feral cat is never easy. I had no idea there were so many out there, but I've spoken to quite a few people that are feeding them just within a half mile of my house.

I read on a website that if your cat is missing you should continue to put out food. In fact, they said to put out a kitty buffet in hopes the food will attract other cats and your cat will follow those cats back. It sounded like a plan, so I continued to put food out. I now have another feral cat living under the deck with her four kittens. At first I felt guilty continuing to feed her, but my son reminded me that she was hungry too. And I'm also hoping that someone is feeding MaMa for me.

I'm planning to try and catch this mother cat and have her fixed like we did with MaMa. She can live in the backyard and if MaMa comes back they can be companions. MaMa always enjoyed the company of neighborhood cats. If we can tame the kittens it's possible they can be put up for adoption, but it might already be too late.

Updates on the latest happenings...

REID

Reid had his doctor's appointment at MD Anderson last Friday and on Saturday he had another chemo treatment. He's now slightly more than half way through. YEA!

I am so grateful that he's in remission, but the treatments continue to be difficult for him. It's difficult to see him so sick every other week. And he's very tired. I think everyone that goes through chemo complains about the constant fatigue.

He'll be scanned again after the next chemo so they can be sure the mass continues to shrink. Yes, he's in remission even though he still has a mass. That's what makes Hodgkin's Lymphoma a unique cancer. Only approximately 1% of the mass was cancer and that is believed to be gone now.

He'll finish up with the chemo in May and then radiation will follow. I have no idea how long that will take.

His walking has greatly improved and all he needs is a cane now. There's been a lot of progress since the tumor in his spinal canal was removed. YEA!

MAMA

Our feral cat MaMa has been missing for three weeks today. Earlier this week I passed out fliers to everyone on our street, and today I visited animal control again in hopes she had been picked up. She is afraid of people, so she's likely hiding somewhere and I still have hope that she'll return. She's lived with us for nine years.

DAD

In a little while I'm going over to see Dad at the nursing home. I saw him on Monday and he seemed alert and ate well. He just doesn't have much to say any more. Dad was always so talkative, but Alzheimer's has robbed him of that too.

Last night they called and said he had fallen out of bed. He sleeps in a low bed that is only around 18 inches off the floor. They were confident that he was OK, but had ordered X-rays anyway. Because he's a fall risk and a restless sleeper he has a low bed in hopes that he won't get hurt if something like this happens.

MaMa Is Still Missing...

It will be two weeks soon since I last saw MaMa our feral cat. When I went out to feed her early that morning she was waiting in the shed. She wouldn't go over to the bowl of food until I stepped back out. She often did that, but occasionally she'd let me pet her while she ate a few bites.

A couple of hours later the men arrived to work on our house. I had told them about MaMa so they wouldn't be startled if she ran out from under the deck. They had to rip out the deck and that was one of MaMa's favorite places to hide. I don't know if they saw her...they never said. They were here for around five hours, but I haven't seen MaMa since.

Last Saturday evening after dark we walked up and down our street calling for her. She's feral and not like a regular pet, so she wouldn't meow or come running if she heard us, but I was hoping she'd hear familiar voices and later come home. We deliberately did it in the dark because that's when she'd probably be more likely to move around.

I still put her food out twice a day like normal. The food is being eaten, but I'm not sure by whom. One morning I saw a possum and I know he ate the food that morning. I saw a cat in the yard this morning, but that was a few hours after the food had been partially eaten. (I put the dish out and check 30-45 minutes later to see if it's been eaten.) I'm hoping it's MaMa eating the food some of the time, but it's hard to tell. The shed is behind the garage which blocks my view.

Whenever I go out in the yard I talk to her. I'm hoping she's somewhere in the vicinity hiding and can hear my voice.

We've fed her for nine years, but she's not much tamer than when we first saw her. That is the sad reality of a feral cat's life. A feral cat is usually a kitten born to a pet that's been abandoned. We have apartments behind our house and I assume that's where MaMa came from originally. Someone probably moved away and left their pet. That pet hid somewhere and had kittens. If a kitten is not exposed to humans early in life they are feral.

Every other day I call animal control to see if she's been caught, but she hasn't and I really don't expect that she will. It's the not knowing that bothers me the most. I never expected her to run away like this, but I can only assume she was terrified when the men came in the yard. There really wasn't a choice. Our house needed slab work and we couldn't wait.

In the past she had disappeared for a couple of days at a time. When we trapped her with a humane trap and had her fixed she was gone for a couple of days after we released her. Then when my husband brought her in for Hurricane Ike she disappeared again but came back. But she has a long memory. My husband never was able to get near her again. We worried about what would happen if there was a hurricane again because we knew we wouldn't be able to catch her.

I thought after nine years she wouldn't disappear for any length of time because she's used to getting her meals here. I don't think she could survive on her own any more. When we first found her in the shed she had chicken bones. I'm assuming she was eating from the dumpster at the apartments, but she hasn't had to do that for many years.

So, I'm hoping she's nearby and still coming for meals. I will continue to put out the food and continue to call animal control indefinitely. I miss her and feel so sad about what's happened.

Please spay and neuter your pets.

WHAT I DID THIS WEEKEND

Yes, I know it's January 24, 2010. I actually considered leaving the Christmas stuff up and pretending I was ready early for Christmas this year, but Zoom had been climbing branches and the poor tree was looking pretty pathetic.

Jim took Reid to chemo on Saturday and I stayed home and started to take things down.

When he came home he helped with the disconnect.

And we packed and stacked boxes and containers.

God willing I'll get this stuff all over to the storage shed sometime this week.



Sunday morning Keith left for Austin with his cats. He works for the State of Texas and was here for work on Saturday.

Poor Keith. He probably won't like me telling you this, but his one cat always "poops" or "pees" in her carrier. I think she's trying to tell him she doesn't enjoy traveling.

After Keith got off I drove Reid down to MD Anderson for a shot that he has to get 24 hours after chemo to build up his white blood cells. (No photo...he doesn't consider this a photo op.)


And I'm worrying about our feral cat MaMa. I knew she'd be scared when we had the work done on the house Friday. I'm sure she panicked when she heard the workmen come into the back yard and I haven't seen her since Friday morning when I fed her. The food wasn't touched yesterday which surprised me with all the other neighborhood cats and possums around. This morning the food was eaten, but I don't know if it was her. Until I actually spot her I won't feel comfortable. I just hope she found a safe place nearby to hang out.

This has happened before. When my husband caught and brought her inside for Hurricane Ike she disappeared for a couple of days after he released her. It kept her safe, but she didn't appreciate it one bit. Here's a picture I took of her in 2004. It's not easy to get a picture of her since she tends to run when she see me holding something different in my hand (other than food). She's been with us for almost 9 years and I think she was probably close to a year old when we first spotted her. That's really old for a feral cat.

Please come home MaMa!!

Feral Cat Surprise

OK...I'm going to try again.

We had beautiful weather last week. I love it when they humidity is down. Most of the time there's quite a bit of moisture in the air which means in the summer it's hot and humid and in the winter when it gets cold it's usually a damp cold. I rarely use moisturizer which I guess is one advantage of living here, but I love a warm day without a lot of humidity and that's what we had last week. Perfect weather!

I decided to bring my camera along when I went out in the backyard with Sophie. She enjoys watching squirrels and would do it by the hour if I let her.



She's eight years old, but we've only had her two years. Her original owners were unable to keep her, but she's got a forever home with us.

We were both taken by surprise when our feral cat suddenly appeared. I guess we disturbed her while she was sunning herself in the ferns. I know it's difficult to spot her, but MaMa is behind the bike right up against the trunk of the tree.

It's not easy getting pictures of MaMa. She immediately becomes suspicious when she sees anything in my hand other than her dish of food. She's even more cautious since Hurricane Ike. The day before Ike hit my husband grabbed her and brought her in the house for the storm. It was a traumatic experience for her, but she was a lot better off inside than out in the storm. She didn't appreciate the kind gesture and my husband has the scars to prove it. I just hope she forgets before hurricane season arrives this year because we'd want to catch her again. (I hope my husband forgets too!)

I did check on her later in the day and she was back in her shed.

We've had MaMa for seven years now and I'm as attached to her as I am the inside cats. MaMa however is only attached to the food we feed her.

And poor little Zoom wanted to join us in the yard, but she's an indoor cat now.

MEET ZOOM...Our Newest Feline

In October I was walking out of Interfaith Caring Ministries Resale Shop on Bay Area Boulevard in Webster when a man came running after me. "Ma'am, could you do me a favor and drop this kitten off someplace?" I turned around and saw this tiny bundle of fur in his hand and "he/she" was obviously sick. Both eyes looked bad, but the right eye looked horrible. They were runny and red and the right eye had a white coating. He claimed to have found it behind the shopping center. I couldn't walk away. Instead I took the kitten and drove straight to my Veterinarian's office. I must have been wearing my Crazy Cat Lady sign that day or certainly the man would have chased down someone else.

She weighed only 13 ounces and was dehydrated. (Oh yes, it was determined "he/she" was a she.) She had an upper respiratory infection and a scratched cornea on her right eye which allowed the infection to get in. I was told there was a good possibility she'd lose her eye in which case they'd operate and sew the lid closed. So, I left with oral antibiotics, ointment for her eyes, and a package from Science Diet with kitten food.

We already had five indoor cats and a feral cat that's lived in our shed for seven years. I knew we didn't really need another cat. When I brought her in the house even my son said, "Mom, I'm not going to say anything about this one...she obviously needs a home." So, he helped me get her settled in the extra bedroom. After she had a drink and plenty to eat she went to sleep in a the cat bed. She hardly got up that first day, but after that she obviously started feeling better.

She ran all over the room and my husband soon named her Zoom. I wasn't sure how he was going to like me bringing home yet another cat, but she quickly won him over. Actually, he's now in the running for Crazy Neighborhood Cat Man. He's almost as bad as me.

She grew stronger every day and then got sick again. One day she stopped eating and felt very warm. Sure enough, the infection was back. They told me that's not unusual with kittens because of their immature immune systems. After another round of medication she was OK. Amazingly her eye cleared up.

Here she is in her cat bed. Poor baby must think it's her mother. She runs to that bed and sucks on the side while purring. This totally confuses our dog, Sophie, who hears the noise and assumes there must be food nearby that she's missing out on.


I hate to sound like Bob Barker, but please spay and neuter your pets. We have had all of our animals fixed (except for Zoom who's still too young) including MaMa (our feral) who we caught with a humane trap, had her spayed, and then released her back into the yard. That's called TNR...Trap, Neuter and Release in cat circles. For those who don't know, a feral cat is a cat that has had no human contact while a kitten and is untamed. Usually they're the kitten of a domestic cat that was dumped or abandoned. (I'll write more about MaMa at a later date.) Below is a picture of MaMa in the shed. If you'd like to learn more about ferals I would recommend reading An Unlikely Cat Lady by Nina Malkin.

Personally, I'd like to see all the humans that dump animals spayed or neutered too. They certainly don't need to be reproducing any more like themselves.

OK...I'm off my soapbox for today. Thanks for listening to something near and dear to my heart.