Monday, October 24, 2011

Week of 10/17/2011 - 10/23/2011

Relocations
Litter from Wal-Mart

RELOCATIONS: Total of 12 this week.

3 Barn in Lucus
4 Barn in Gunter
1 Trade to an Adoption Group
3 Shed in Bluff Dale
1 Garage in Flower Mound

A business was moving in the Dallas area. The employees were feeding 7 feral cats that had all been sterilized. They found a barn in Commerce to take all 7 – BUT – never could catch them. I have had caging for them set up in my dining room for a week. At the end of the week they discovered a lady at the other end of the parking lot was feeding the cats – no wonder they would not get into a trap! So, now the cats will stay there – which is always the best deal. Leave them where they are familiar! I hope the barn in Commerce will take some of our cats now.

Litter from Wal-Mart: We drove to Waco on Thursday to get FREE broken bags of litter from the Wal-Mart Return Center. We rented a cargo van so we could get 2 pallets. It was not very fruitful this time. 3 volunteers got scoop-able litter (including one from Animal Allies) and we got our usual clay litter. It will need to last us 3 months and I am not sure we got that much on this run. It is a crap shoot each and every time. We try to go once each quarter.

We have gotten out the winter hidey boxes and the long rugs since it has gotten cooler. At least the garage is organized but everything else seems to be a mess! At least the relocations have picked up.

See you next week…

Peg – Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog!

Monday, October 17, 2011

October 10, 2011 - October 16, 2011

Relocations – FINALLY!
Midnight
Feral Friends Auction

RELOCATIONS: Total of 19 this week – finally a week in double digits!

2 Barn in McKinney
1 Porch in Pottsboro
11 Kittens to an Adoption Group
2 Porch in Rowlett
2 Barn in Sasche
1 Barn in Aledo

We picked up “Penny” from Hickory Creek Animal Services just last Thursday. An email came in on Sunday from a barn owner in Aledo. Her 8 year old barn cat had just died…”Queen Anne of the Barn”. She wanted a friendly cat…so…”Penny” went to Aledo on Sunday. They have a big, brown llama for coyote control. Hope “Penny” has at least an 8-year life with them.

Midnight: “Midnight” is a giant black cat that we traded to the SPCA in McKinney over 6 months ago. We saw him in their adoption room each time we went there with the kittens from Valley View. Well – MIDNIGHT GOT ADOPTED IN SEPTEMBER! We are sooooooo happy for him. GOOD LUCK, MIDNIGHT! Live long and prosper!

Feral Friends Auction: The auction was great fun. I got two pieces of jewelry – one with a cat head, of course.

Peg – Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog!

October 3, 2011 - October 9, 2011

Relocations – Another Frustrating Week!
Blessing of the Animals
Feral Friends Auction

RELOCATIONS: Not much to update this week….5 placed.

2 Barn in Hickory Creek
2 Barn in Corinth
1 Adopted

Blessing of the Animals: Nancy and I went to The Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Dallas on Greenville for St. Francis Day. They invited folks to bring their pets for the traditional blessing. It brought back memories of the two times I have been in New York City for the celebration at St. John the Divine Episcopal Cathedral. They do the Paul Winter “Missa Gaia” (Mass for the Earth) and invite folks to bring their animals to the service. The processional is led by a full-size elephant followed by a giant snake (can do without the snake). This Dallas event was memorable because one of the female priests was dressed as St. Francis (brown robe, monk-looking wig, and a beard drawn on her face). That is the first time I have actually been to a Blessing of the Animals WITH St. Francis!

Finding Barns: Got a call from Graham this week AND her friends may want some cats. I hope this one comes through this week – it would be great. We have equipment to pick up in Van Alstyne and Pottsboro, too…the whole other direction from Graham. We have had the new vehicle for less than 3 months but have over 3,000 on it so far.

Feral Friends Auction: This Saturday evening is the Feral Friend Auction Fundraiser. It is always a good time. More info is at www.feralfriends.org.

Peg

September 26, 2011 - October 2, 2011

Relocations and September Close Out
Barn in Whitesboro
Finding Barns

RELOCATIONS: Not much to update this week….5 placed.

3 Barn in Allen
2 Traded to DFW Humane

That makes for a grand total in September 2011 of 35 but WAY BELOW the September 2010 number of 66…geez! If you look at a comparison of totals, we are only 7 down for the year. Looking back to 2008 (our best year placing 622 for the year), we are 87 down for the same period. We are guessing it is drought, fires, recession – you name it!

Barn in Whitesboro: I give up! I am taking them off my list. I will place the 10 Denton cats somewhere else in north Texas.

Finding Barns: Slow – Slow – Slow! We need a miracle.

Peg

September 12, 2011 - September 25, 2011

Relocations
Barn in Whitesboro
Finding Barns

RELOCATIONS: We placed 9 this week…not double digits but OK for now. That makes 26 so far for September which is way below the 2010 placements of 66. BUMMER!

3 To Feral Friends
6 Van Alstyne

We also picked up equipment in Denison, Alvarado, and Crandall. “Spaz” got sick in relo in Colleyville so we picked her up, got her a Convenia shot, and returned her to her new barn home. Glad it was close by in Colleyville! In Alvarado, we saw “Miranda” – she looks very happy – chasing leaves and playing in the garage. In Crandall, “Dakota” now has a new friend “Cronkite”. They have become “best buds” – chasing and playing together. The family loves them both. They are garage kitties in a subdivision in Crandall.

Barn in Whitesboro: I took in 10 cats from Denton because they had found placement in Whitesboro. Now, that barn location is not returning our phone calls. Geez! Hope we can connect this week. I have 12 cats in my family room, 3 in the dining room, and 3 in the master bedroom.

Finding Barns: Nancy and I spent several hours on Thursday looking on the internet for barns in Denton County. I sent out 20 flyers hardcopy and have another 30 or so email addresses. I have also asked Jamie to invoke Constant Contact using the email address of barn owners that have taken cats from us in 2010 and 2011. Repeat business is good because the sites have already been approved. We know all the cats do not stay, unfortunately.

Keep you paws crossed that the Whitesboro barn manager calls this week!

Peg

September 5, 2011 - September 11, 2011

Relocations – FINALLY!
Bad Traffic
Placements
Finding Barns

RELOCATIONS: Finally – the hot weather has broken. We got 12 placed this week.

1 Crandall as a “friend” for a cat we placed there several months ago.
2 Alvarado as garage cats
4 Ferris for a barn / workshop area
2 Lake Texoma area for their “cat house”
2 Denison for a Polo Barn
1 Pottsboro for a shed / patio – friend for another cat we placed several years ago

Traffic: Well we all know traffic is bad during the week in Dallas but yesterday (Saturday) took the grandt prize. I-30 was totally closed down going West from Rockwall. If you know that area, it is over Lake Ray Hubbard and there is absolutely NO ESCAPE unless you have a “sail” on your car! I spent 1 hour and 40 minutes getting across that lake from Hwy 205 to the Dalrock exit. I was ready to kill someone! At least in the new vehicle the over-heating was not a problem. I have never seen that many 18-wheelers anywhere else except sitting in a freight yard. I used to work for Central Freight Lines in the mid-70’s.

Placements: Several of the barns that contacted me in July and August, have either put out poisons now (no cats until that is gone) or are not returning my calls/emails.

It is going to be a bad SNAKE year (due to the dry weather) – so, get those cats now and let them start doing their job.

Finding Barns: For many years, Barn Cats has sent press releases to small town newspapers in order to find barn homes for our cats. Well, those options are drying up. It appears that many of them have “gone away” – bought out or just disappeared all together. I did a series of press releases this week and many have been returned. I need to think of “Plan B” to get the word out. Any ideas are welcomed – info@barncats.org.

Peg

August 29, 2011 - September 4, 2011

Relocations & August Totals
Ring Worm – Geez!
Auction for Barn Cats
Waxahachie Animal Abuse Case

RELOCATIONS: This weather is killing us. The August totals are pathetic! 14 – all trades. That makes 344 for the year. We placed only one this week….

1 Senior-for-Seniors Program with Kitty Save – “Becky” - Great place for her. She lost her previous owner who died. Hope it all works out!

Ring Worm: Remember Peaches who went to the SPCA? Well, she was returned now with RING WORM! Here is the good news: She likes the medicine and will eat it all when mixed with canned food. She is so sweet and very social. Glad this is working. The SPCA will take her back when she is clear of the fungus.

Auction for Barn Cats: Nancy and I have been working hard on the up-coming meeting and auction to be held the day after Thanksgiving at 3 pm at my home. We start drinking at 3, have a meeting (sort of), discuss all kinds of cat issues, and then go to dinner at Grotto in Highland Village. Coming to the meeting/auction is FREE (all the wine you can drink) but the dinner is $40. It is open to anyone who loves cats and maybe needs Christmas presents for their cat friends. It is always a great time!

We got all the bid sheets prepared this week and the items sorted and packed. We also took all the prints that need framing to Michael’s to take advantage of their Labor Day specials. Got packets of frames for 2 for 1 – YEAH! Now we need to get pillows for the tapestry pillow covers (Mona Lisa Cat, King Henry the VIII Cat, etc) and make baskets. It feels good to be this far along so early in the process.

Waxahachie Animal Abuse Case: Animal Services in Waxahachie is investigating an abuse case. The woman was taking cats from shelters and giving out a rescue group Paw Pals in Haltom City – They do not know her! Anyone having information should contact Officer Warren Howe in Waxahachie. The main number is 972-937-1802. There were 5 nursing mother cats WITH TIPPED EARS!

Weather is supposed to “break” early next week – Keep your Paws Crossed! Peg

August 22, 2011 - August 28, 2011

Relocations
Hot – Hot – Hot!

RELOCATIONS: We still cannot relocate any cats but managed to do some trading:

5 Picked up mom and 4 kittens in Seagoville.

The family moved out and abandoned them. Kitty Save took them on Friday afternoon.
1 Traded a cat from Flower Mound Animal Services to the Coppell Humane Society. Noah is a GIANT black/white cat with a white tip at the end of his tail…beautiful boy. Glad he will get a safe indoor home.
3 Traded 3 for 1 to the SPCA in Downtown Dallas. YEAH! This was a mama “Opal” from the Valley View hoarder and the LAST of the 26 kittens “Elsa” – a cute tabby girl who had been fostered by Nancy. After “Elsa” was spay, both went immediately to their adopt-a-pet center at PetsMart. “Peaches” came from a hoarder in Leonard, TX and she was the third to go to the SPCA.

HOT – HOT – HOT!
It is only 108 today – OUCH! I got two barn calls this week and added them to the list. We currently have over 30 cats waiting for placement – waiting for the weather to change. This cannot last forever.

Hope to get a cat place with the Kitty Save “Seniors for Seniors” program on Monday. Keep your paws crossed this works out. We have several senior cats in house.

Stay Cool! Peg

August 15, 2011 - August 21, 2011

July Update with 2011 Totals
Our new vehicle!

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 52 in July. That gives us a yearly total of 330 for the year.

Part of that number is the vet work we did on cats from a Persian breeder who was keeping the cats in cages in her HOT garage and no longer breeding them. They are living with a rescuer in Garland now.

It is still too hot for relocations. We are just maintaining the in-house cats and doing some trading as requests come in. We have 3 going to the SPCA and one to Coppell Humane Society next week.

We still have 1 kitten and 3 adults in house from the Valley View Hoarder. One mama “Opal” and the kitten “Elsa” will go to the SPCA on Monday along with a young adult from Leonard, TX, “Peaches”. I hope Coppell Humane will be interested in one of the other moms and the other mom is feral. All have tested negative which is such a relief.

Ford Transit Connect: There is no way to describe how great it is to have a working Barn Cat vehicle once again. “TC” is a terrific addition to the Barn Cat family. I just made the first of “many” payments this week but that is the way it goes. We will be getting new magnetic signs for the vehicle next week.


I am now back from vacation and glad to be “back in the saddle”. Three weeks is a long time to be gone. Unfortunately, I had to have 2 of my personal cats put to sleep on Friday due to on-going health concerns that intensified while I was out of town. “Ian” was 9 and “Clyde” was 13. They were best buds. We will all miss them…but it was the best thing to do. I hope they will be reincarnated together in the same litter of kittens.

Stay Cool! Peg

July 18, 2011 - July 24, 2011

Relocations this Week
Update: MANY KITTENS from Valley View
We have a new vehicle!

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 10 this week:
2 kittens to Lost Paws for a trade
5 kittens to DFW Humane for a trade
2 additional kittens to Lost Paws for a trade

1 adult to Lost Paws (they already had an adoption set for her – DMH “Cashmere” from a hoarder in Leonard)

It is still too hot for relocations. We spent the week picking up equipment from:
Rockwall (3 cats)
Crandall (1 cat for garage)
Wills Point (4 cats)
Waxahachie (2 locations) (6 cats total)
Parker (2 cats)
Melissa (3 cats)
McKinney (6 cats)
All that made for lots of dirty equipment to clean.

MANY KITTENS: Only 1 kitten left. “Elsa” (brown tabby – very sweet) has gone over to Nancy’s house to play with her big “Smitty”. She is so loving – will make someone a wonderful pet. That is 25 placed! YEAH!

Ford Transit Connect: We have a brand new Barn Cat van…a Transit Connect. Sam Pack gave us as good a deal as possible and they were very nice to work with. Nancy and I almost DIED delivering the old van to the dealership for the trade in….no AC is a terrible thing when the heat it at 105! Financing, trade in, and delivery all took place last Monday, 7/18. We are happy campers with a new vehicle and WORKING AC!


I am leaving on vacation on Thursday 7/28 for 3 weeks. There will be no additional blogs until the week of 8/16. Stay Cool! Peg

July 11, 2011 - July 17, 2011

Relocations this Week
Update: MANY KITTENS from Valley View
Mobile Vet in Mesquite or Garland declawed a Feral Cat!
Van Shopping

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 9 this week:
1 to Aubrey
8 to the SPCA (6 kittens and 2 adults)

Well, it is just too hot these days for relocations. I have to be very careful of ventilation in the barns that are usually positioned to take advantage of natural air flow. I also want them to have a fan…but some barns do not even have electricity.

MANY KITTENS: 6 kittens went to the SPCA this week along with 2 adults (one was a mom to some of the kittens – Pearl – a calico with Turkish Van type coloring). She is very sweet. I was glad to see some of these kittens get to be 2 lbs. It has been a struggle! We have 10 left.

Mobile Vet: I received a call this week wanting me to take a feral cat. I agreed but the vet work needed to be done, first! So, they took her to a mobile vet AND (by accident) they DECLAWED HER! The folks were shocked when they picked her up. NOW WHAT? We cannot knowingly take a declawed cat. Those folks are going to have to keep her for the rest of her life. Geez – I thought I had heard everything.

Van Shopping: We have needed a new Barn Cat van for many months. The current Pontiac Montana overheats, the AC does not work well, and it now has over 194,000 miles on it. On Saturday, we went to Sam Pack Ford in Lewisville to drive the Transit Connect. It is wonderful and they gave us a good deal with even $1,000 for the old van. I need to get financing arranged this next week…but…this project is about to be over! YEAH!

Have a good week! Peg





Peg

July 4, 2011 - July 10, 2011

Relocations this Week
Update: MANY KITTENS from Valley View

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 8 this week:
3 to Melissa
1 to Crandall
3 to Rockwall
1 kitten adopted to an indoor home

While traveling from Crandall to Rockwall on Sunday, 7/10, I came across Barb and Gary. They make the wonderful birdhouses that we always have at our auctions. They live south of Greenville but set up along highways selling their goodies. Barn Cats ran into them about 6 years ago along Hwy 380 in Denton County. Now they are on Hwy 205 south of Rockwall. I almost always stop and say “hello” and, of course, buy something! I do recreational shopping.

MANY KITTENS: We tried to place 3 with the SPCA on Saturday – but – one of them sneezed when they were being weighed and that was the end of that. Maybe next week…

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Peg

June 26, 2011 - July 3, 2011

Relocations plus Totals for Year-To-Date
Update: MANY KITTENS from Valley View
Midnight: Poor Injured Kitty

I have returned from vacation. I took a trip to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize to visit Mayan ruins. It was a wonderful trip but strenuous…lots of hikes and climbing. I may have to wait for the Disney tram to come by next time!

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 19 this week:
3 to McKinney
4 to Wills Point
1 passed away (see story below)
6 to McKinney
2 to Colleyville
3 to Waxahachie

Thursday was the last day of the month. The total for June was 48 for a year-to-date total of 279. That is over our 2010 numbers for the same time of 238.

MANY KITTENS: We are still nursing 17 kittens. Plus the guy in Valley View still has 7 or 8 more. His Rottweiler killed one of the adult males last week….geez! He has still not gotten any of the others either in a trap or a carrier. My offer is still open but I will admit I am running out of patience. One mom here has been separated so her milk can dry up and two have now been sterilized. That leaves only one mom currently nursing. We decided to leave her with one kitten who is puny. Two in a cage are over 2 lbs but there is a 3rd one in there that has not reached that weight yet – but she is close! Man – they have a lot of energy…run, jump, pounce.It reminds me why I prefer adults!

Midnight: I received a phone call from a lady in Dallas on Thursday evening about 7 pm. She needed help with a cat that had probably been hit by a car. I got her address, looked it up on Mapquest, and took off for east of Walnut Hill and I-75. The cat was lying on her porch and had been there since Wednesday….poor thing! It was so hot that day. I gathered him up into a carrier and headed for the Emergency Pet Clinic in Carrollton. They stabilized him for over-night so All Care could evaluate and treat him on Friday. Well, he had extensive internal damage (lots of blood in his urine) plus nerve damage to where he could not urinate on his own. He passed away during treatment on Friday. At least he was safe over night at my house and did not suffer after the emergency clinic gave him some pain-killers. He was an in-tact male that someone probably moved off and left behind. Rest peacefully, Midnight!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Week Ending 6/27/2011

Subjects today: Relocations plus Totals for Year-To-Date
Update: MANY KITTENS from Valley View

I have returned from vacation. I took a trip to El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize to visit Mayan ruins. It was a wonderful trip but strenuous…lots of hikes and climbing. I may have to wait for the Disney tram to come by next time!

RELOCATIONS: We placed a total of 28 this week:
4 kittens to the SPCA for adoption
15 to SPCA from Siamese Rescue via Barn Cats
4 moved from Desoto to Ft. Worth
3 to McKinney
2 to Melissa

We picked up equipment in Weatherford where all 3 cats are hanging around, Krum where she has been 3 out of 6 cats….but several were black, and Ponder where 3 out of 4 cats are still there. One has become friendly and will let the barn owner pick him up and hold him in her lap. You never know!

MANY KITTENS: While I was out of town, we lost one kitten and another passed away Friday of this week. That leaves 18 still in house. The grandmother of all these cats is scheduled to be spayed this week on Tuesday. She had 2 abscessed teeth while I was gone.

I still have 2 nursing moms and one has gone into heat! The good news is that there are no un-neutered males in the house. She waves here “rear end” in the air and tries to entice one of my many neutered males to “get it on”. “Hey big boy – how about a good time?” At least she is not a SCREAMER!

I received an email from the guy that gave us the kittens. There are still 3 moms, 2 unneutered males and some kittens at his house. He is trying to trap them!

I hope to get 3 to Wills Point, 3 to Waxahachie, and 5 to McKinney this week. There are still 4 places to pick up equipment, as well…Oak Cliff, Waxahachie, Sachse, and Plano.

Thanks to Nancy for keeping up with the emails and phone calls plus Linny, Julie, Peggy H, and Chris for taking such good care of the kittens and the cat rooms while I was out of town.

~Peg

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Week Ending 6/5 - No more until end of June!!!

Relocations plus Totals for Year-To-Date
Barn Cat Bash
MANY KITTENS from Valley View

RELOCATIONS: We relocated a total of 21 this week:
4 to Ponder
3 to Weatherford
4 in a Trade to two adoption groups
3 to Sachse
7 to Krum

The Spring has been good for relocations but it has now gotten so hot. In 2011 we have placed:
January 31
February 6
March 64
April 65
May 65
…for a Grand Total of 231 for this year. For the same period in 2010, we placed 163 but in 2009 we had placed 331. I guess this is a pretty good year after all.

Barn Cat Bash: IT IS OVER! We had 62 attendees and I just made a deposit of over $4,000 from the auction. Many thanks to our friends Cathy and Morris Salerno, owners of Grotto in Highland Village for the great food and great service. Special thanks to Barn Cat Volunteers, Nancy, Linny, Julie, Peg, and Chris for their help with set up, check in, and check out.

MANY KITTENS: Well the 19 kittens are still here…none are 2 lbs yet but we are working on it. All are eating well and drinking formula from a bowl. We will take the babies away from the 3 moms this week so they can eventually get spayed. One mom (a feral) was spayed this week and GUESS WHAT? She was already pregnant. YES – nursing moms can get “knocked up”. I am soooooo scared that the three others are also pregnant. We should know in about 2 weeks after their milk dries up.

I have 4 barns waiting but I am about to leave town on June 8th for two weeks. There will be no blog until June 26th. EVERYBODY STAY COOL!

Peg

Week Ending 5/29/2011

Relocations
MANY KITTENS from Valley View
2 Funny Stories

RELOCATIONS: It was a rather slow week for relocations due to the Memorial Holiday weekend, graduations, vacation planning, etc., etc., etc. We did place:
2 in Allen
3 in Dallas
2 in Farmersville
1 in Plano (backyard)
4 in Ponder
…for a total of 12 – but – any week in double digits is good!
We also got lots of equipment picked up….Lindale, Copper Canyon, Waxahachie, and Red Oak.

MANY KITTENS: I know: Barn Cats, Inc. does not take kittens. They can be carried off by a hawk or an owl. BUT – we got a call from Valley View just south of Gainesville with a “guy” with 6 or 7 litters…OUCH! We went to his house with the Chief of Police and the Animal Control Officer .. and SURE ENOUGH….26 kittens! We also got 4 nursing moms, one of which is feral. GEEZ! So, what causes this? NO SPAY NEUTER! This is unnecessary. There are 4 ferals in the house that he is going to have to trap. We left carriers and traps with the promise that we will get them sterilized and either barned or returned to his property. We have a TCAP appointment on Tuesday…but…if the babies are still nursing, we cannot get the moms spayed yet. The SPCA in McKinney will take them once they are 2 lbs….so….we feed, watch and weigh. Two of the moms are adoptable as well. He wants one friendlier female back after she is spayed. I am encouraging him to keep some of the ferals because there is bound to be a rodent problem in there. We did not go in! He took in carriers and brought them out. Some of the kittens had goopy eyes but we now have that cleared up, we think. So – hope a bunch of these get placed this week….we shall see.

#1 Funny Story: Right at the start of Barn Cats in 2003, we got a call to help move a group of cats from an apartment complex to a house with property attached in Oak Cliff. This is when I first met Bob. He had offered to purchase a tent to house the caging to the cats would have a successful relocation. YES – BUT – neither he or Diane had any idea how to put this tent together. I was no help, either! This was the Three Stooges go Camping! But, eventually the tent was up and the cages could be put inside. It actually worked well but was very amusing! The relocation discussed above in Dallas is with the same care giver, Diane, and she now is moving 3 cats to the same property.

#2 Funny Story: I put Jasper and Squealer in a workshop in Aubrey. This was the location where the kids came home from school and their LARGE trampoline was GONE! They found it about a mile away, over 2 fences, and holding down 2 cows! (no cows were harmed in this story) Last weekend, Squealer killed a LARGE RAT and then dropped it over the fence in the backyard for the dogs to “play with”. GROSS! The husband had to chase the dogs around to get the dead rat. Wish I had seen that one! BUT – Squealer is DOING HIS JOB!

Peg

Week Ending 5/22/2011

Not many cats were placed this week. We had too many other activities that distracted us from the relocations.

Monday and Tuesday I worked with the City of Lewisville on reviewing and evaluating the grant applications for 7 arts groups. The process has been run by GLAA (Greater Lewisville Arts Alliance) for about 10 years. Now, with the new MCL Grand arts complex, there is an Arts Board. This year is the transition year to get this activity completely run by the Arts Board by the next grant season, Spring of 2012. The formal review and recommendation will be made on Saturday, June 4th. There is about $154,000 to distribute between the 7 applicants. We will make a recommendation and then the City Council will accept, reject, or amend our recommendation. I will be glad when June 4th is over!

We had a death of one of our cats this week….Millie. She came from East Dallas on that cold Monday night when we picked up the cat that had been hit by the car. We got her later that week. Her 3 kittens went to the McKinney SPCA for adoption. When Dr. Clawson at All Care opened her up for the spay, she was “yellow” inside…not good. This was probably liver failure. BUT – the last 2 weeks of her life were in a safe environment rather than living on dirt under a shed in a backyard. She was just a young black mom but our hearts went out to here. Bye-Bye, Millie! Your kittens will get safe, in-door homes.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent picking up broken bags of cat litter from the WalMart Return Center in Waco. Each time we rent a cargo van from Enterprise and drive to Waco. They load it on pallets using a forklift and then we drive back and unload it. I am always glad we have that litter – it saves us a bunch of money….but….it is a real headache to get it done about once each quarter. Many Thanks to Kim with Animal Allies for getting us “in” on this opportunity at WalMart. Now we have the GREAT WALL OF LITTER in my garage.

Both Rhonda and I were in Anna on Sunday. She placed 3 cats and I placed 1. I had a “grand plan” to place 2 additional in Blue Ridge but that got postponed until the next Thursday. Dudley had come from Texas Cares and he does not “play well with others”. So, off to a barn in Anna went Dudley. It has a loft and he should be safe. So – only a total of 5 were placed this week counting Millie. I hope next week is more cat-productive.

Stay tuned
Peg

Week Ending 5/15/2011

Topics: Barn Cat Dog
Silent Auction Tips and Tricks
Placement Update

BARN CAT DOG

Sorry – this is not a happy ending! While at Dallas Animal Services waiting for the mom and kittens from last week’s blog, a young lady came in with an injured dog. It was a young dog (6 months old approximately – mixed breed). It was laying in a yard in south Dallas with ants crawling over it. She wiped off the ants and put the poor animal in her vehicle. She spoke to a neighbor who thought the dog belonged to the home owner where the dog was found. However, the home owner (despite bowls for food and water in the house) denied ownership. She called the SPCA who told her to take it to DAS. Well, we have all heard the stories of injured animals languishing in a cage at DAS for 5 days waiting for their “time to run out”. Well – OVER MY DEAD BODY! We took the dog to our vet who scanned for a chip (none – of course) and then began treatment. She had no movement in her rear end….no tail movement, could not stand, could not control pee or poop. She stayed there overnight while we consulted with an orthopedists and a neurologist. The prognosis was nerve damage. The decision was made to put her to sleep. We all cried…but she was no longer suffering. During the entire 2 day ordeal, she never snapped, barked, or whimpered. Just a perfect lady! We named her Molly – the first Barn Cat Dog!

SILENT AUCTION HINTS AND TIPS

1. If you ever set up an auction or even attend an auction, the value of an item is not what it cost – but what the bidder is willing to pay for the item. If you list a “Buy It Now” price, that amount should be well above the cost of the item…like $100 or $200 over. If someone wants it that bad – good news for your auction! If they don’t, then the bidding continues and may get well over the actual cost of the item. REMEMBER: “Buy It Now” removed that item from other bidders and not you have one less item to keep everyone interested.
2. The goal of an auction event is to raise money for the organization. Be careful of having too many “distractions” that take attendees away from the biding. An occasional door prize is okay because it gets everyone’s attention for a FREE something but it also gives you their attention to steer them to unique items or no-bid items. Lengthy announcements, presentations, and other vendors take away from valuable bidding time. FOCUS – FOCUS -- FOCUS
3. Displaying is always a problem. Make sure all the items are at eye level or a little higher. Putting items in chairs is loose/loose….nobody can see them! We have a problem at our auction location – Grotto – in the spring because we only use the front room. The auction then takes away sitting area for attendees and puts it in a corner of the restaurant. Grotto is dark even on a sunny day but at least we are by the windows. All we need to resolve this problem is about 30 or 40 additional attendees so we can reserve the entire restaurant…HA HA!
4. All the fundraising books say to mail out invitations 3 weeks ahead of the event. In today’s environment, that is not enough lead time. I send them out 6 weeks ahead. This year we are giving out a door prize to the person who sent back the invitation FIRST just as an incentive for attendees at future events.
5. Door Prizes: Usually you pick a ticket and give a prize. Well, what if it is something that person does not want or need….hummmm! This year we are putting together a BIG BASKET with wine, boxes of Russell Stover candy, and nuts from the Texas Pecan Factory. If your number is selected, you get to PICK your prize. I think folks will like that much better.
6. WINE: YES! The more wine the better. As folks get more and more tipsy, the bids go higher and higher. Giving a limited number of drink tickets sounds cost effective but can cut down on your total profit from the auction. So, pour, pour, pour and bid, bid, bid!

PLACEMENT UPDATE

It was another weird week:
6 to SPCA Downtown – mom and 5 kittens
1 “dog” – PTS unfortunately with nerve damage to her spine
1 declawed cat to a home in Plano
2 to Lindale in East Texas
4 to a garage in Prosper
7 to a polo pony barn in Denison
2 to Waxahachie
TOTAL 23

Week ending 5/8/2011 (this is a big one!)

I am glad this week is over. There were so many “out of the ordinary” things going on that it was exhausting.

Monday – I received a call about 6 pm from an elderly lady that there were 3 kittens out in the cold and the rain and that another cat was injured (probably hit by a car) in East Dallas. The 3 kittens she could get into a dog crate. The injured cat (this sent me over the edge) she put in a dog crate with no door, put a black plastic bag around it and left it by the side of her house. I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her. I rounded up Nancy from across the alleyway and we started out in rush hour traffic to rescue these cats. The injured cat was in bad shape. I contacted Dr. Patty Weber on her cell and she advised euthanasia at the Carrollton Animal Emergency Clinic. The 3 kittens were about 5 weeks old and could eat solid food. The mom was around but could not be caught – we needed a trap but did not think to take one. We took the poor injured cat to the clinic and then delivered the 3 kittens to a cage in my cat room. They ate well and quickly fell asleep. I was surprised the next morning when they “had” used the litter box!

Tuesday – I took the 3 tiny kittens and 3 adults from Barn Cats to the McKinney SPCA. Our 3 friendlier cats had come 2 from an apartment complex and 1 from Dallas Animal Services. THEN – I drove from McKinney to East Dallas to take the elderly couple a trap. (We are in desperate need of a Barn Cats helicopter). That evening the mama cat was caught and now I will need to go back to East Dallas on Wednesday.

Wednesday – I took one cat to All Care to be spayed early in the morning and then started AGAIN for East Dallas. I picked her up and returned to All Care to get her spayed, as well. When I returned home, Nancy and I went to lunch then I settled in to return phone calls. There were 2 calls from a guy in North Dallas who has a mom and 5 kittens. Last Monday evening during the severe weather, this mom came in through his doggie door carrying her kittens one by one and left them in his house. He rounded them up into a dog carrier and started calling folks. I advised him to contact the McKinney SPCA but they could not take any more kittens. SO – he leaves me two phone messages (I am not home) and then at a little after 11 am, he takes mama and the 5 to Dallas Animal Services! He does not even give me time to call him back…because…the downtown SPCA now has a “trade”….so we can get his cats in there and Barn Cats gets the un-adoptable cat. I would have been so smooth – but now we have to wait until next Tuesday to get the mom and babies out of “jail“. Update next week…

Thursday – Today we provided caging for 3 cats to be moved from Love Field to a backyard in Rockwall. Also, at a recommendation from Barn Cats, Little Elm Animal Services got 2 cats placed with the downtown SPCA and Ken with Hickory Creek Animal Services placed 5 with the McKinney SPCA. I think we have invented a new task – CAT BROKERING!

Friday – We picked up equipment in Garland from a warehouse. Both cats are doing well. Took in 4 from Ft. Worth to be relo’ed on Saturday and then picked up equipment in Northlake. Ileana is doing well in Northlake, as well. She originally came from Kitty Save as un-adoptable.

Saturday – Our new volunteer, Julie, went with me to Red Oak for the relocation of 4 cats to a barn. It was her first trip with Barn Cats. It went well – the barn – not the best and not the worst. The people are nice and the house is right next to the barn. We then proceeded further south to Waxahachie/Midlothian area to pick up some equipment from a completed relo of Casper and Abby. They are both sticking around. Julie and I got back in time to meet Nancy and Chris at Applebee’s for lunch.
I need to speak briefly about people who release cats to Barn Cats but cannot seem to “let go”. They call and text wanting to talk to the barn owners and/or go “visit” the cats. NOPE – That is a privacy issue. We will do the best we can for them.

Sunday – I am meeting Brenda from East Texas at 12:30 today to get a cat from Myra in Mineola. It is a friendly cat and should be easily traded if it tests negative. Keep your paws crossed!

More next week, if I survive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peg

Week ending 5/1/2011

We are starting May now.

That makes 64 saved in March and 65 saved in April. I have high hopes for May as well.

This week was busy but in a very different way. We did relocations in Northlake, Waxahachie and Copper Canyon but also dealt with a hoarder in East Dallas, an elderly couple also in East Dallas and Little Elm Animal Services…so…

Monday -- 1 to Northlake to live in the backyard

Tuesday – 10 from hoarder(all friendly) taken to the McKinney SPCA
1 to the McKinney SPCA from Barn Cats, Inc….friendly
5 kittens to McKinney SPCA from Grayson County

Wednesday – 6 (mom and 5 kittens) to McKinney SPCA
1 (Daisy) from Little Elm AS to McKinney SPCA

Friday – 2 to a barn in Waxahachie and picked up equipment

Saturday – 4 to a barn in Copper Canyon
1 to Kitty Save (friendly)

…for a Grand Total of 31 for the week…that is almost ½ of the entire month just last week. No wonder I was pooped on Sunday.

I did get the Barn Cat taxes filed on Sunday. The deadline for non-profits is May 15th. They have changed the ceiling for e-postcard filing from $25,000 to $50,000 so I just went online to the IRS.gov and got that accomplished.

Listen – the drive from East Dallas around I-30 to the McKinney SPCA is no picnic. Now our van can do it on auto pilot.

We went to Little Elm Animal Services on Wednesday to pick up two ferals. The shelter only had one additional cat…Daisy. After looking at her (long hair all matted, eyes matted as well) I could not just leave her there. She was so badly matted that she could barely walk! I got her out of “jail” and took her to the SPCA. But – here is the bad news – Daisy had oral cancer and they euthanized her. Geez! At least she did not suffer any longer in Little Elm. The other two cats are now waiting for their barn opportunity to surface. I hope it will be soon for them.

I hope the next week is more calm – but who knows! Stay tuned…. Peg

PS: We are working with a company to find a new van for us. Keep your paws crossed they find one soon.

Week Ending 4/24/2001

Greetings, Bloggers:

We placed a total of 13 this week:
2 at a warehouse in Garland
2 with an adoption group
3 at a barn in Sachse
4 in Ector at a GIANT RANCH
2 in Dodd City at a family farm

We also picked up a cat in Whitewright that a guy needed to place. He is a young orange guy, semi-feral that was born on the property. “Scotty” was the only kitten that survived….don’t get me started about kittens on a farm or a ranch! Anyway, the mom is still there. We just need to get her spayed and returned because the land owner probably never will and she will continue to have litter after litter.

We still have the upper respiratory going on the in cat rooms. It is like a kid in a kindergarten who sneezes and they all catch it. It is interesting because I put the sick ones in cages in my personal living space where they only have access to my cats. My guys have had their shots every year and do not ever catch this stuff.

Well it is now the Easter weekend. That means everyone is concentrating on family get-togethers and not on cats. Holiday times are always slow for us and for adoption groups, too.

I will be working with a couple of locations to get cats removed this week. I am told they are “tame”. I hope to quickly get them into an adoption group. More on this next week.

Take care and always remember to get your animals their yearly shots and an exam by a veterinarian. It really is very important. Oh – some people say “my animals never go outside or out of our yard so they don’t need shots every year”. But, what happens if you become ill or are injured and need to either board your animals or get them adopted outright? They will be around lots of other animals then and could catch any disease that happens to be around. GET THOSE SHOTS DONE!

Peg with Barn Cats, Inc.

Update on Blog

We haven't been able to log into the blog for a bit - having some technical difficulties, but I have been saving all the updates for you!!!

So, here we go - getting caught up and, hopefully, no more technical issues (all on our end, by the way).

Thanks for following and thanks for you patience!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Week Ending 4/17/2011

It has been a while since we have driven to Graham, TX. It is Barbara M. who lives there. Barbara moved to Graham from California about 2 ½ years ago. She has beautiful property with horses, geese, chickens, donkeys, dogs, and (of course) cats! Barbara’s business is helping people deal with problem animals and/or helping them deal with the loss of a pet – she is an Animal psychic! The business is www.animalstalk.com. (866- 978-2006). We first met her when she requested 3 cats from us over 2 years ago. One cat has taken up with a neighbor, one just passed away (looked like a heart attack), and “Ann” is still there. We took 6 to her this time.

We asked her how she decided to move from California to GRAHAM, TX….she consulted a location astrologer who advised her to move to Ft. Worth. She could not find property she liked there and she began talking to other people (clients) who lived in North Texas. She has two clients in Graham and that is where she landed. It seems to be working out for her.
We love Barbara but the trip to Graham is NO FUN! You just go north to Denton on I-35 and turn west on Hwy 380 until you get to Graham. I will admit that Bridgeport has grown up some in the last 2 years probably because of Run Away Bay. As we were leaving Graham – just outside of town – a coyote ran in front of the van. That was a shock!

Barbara gave us one of her autographed books for our auction AND a $60 Gift Certificate for 30 minutes of her consulting time. Those will be on the Silent Auction, June 5th at Grotto. That event is shaping up nicely but we need to concentrate next week on getting the invitation out.
We are still on the hunt for a new vehicle.

I HATE THAT PROCESS!

Stay tuned…

Week Ending 4/10/2011

We placed 15 this week but it was a “slow start”.
3 on Thursday
4 on Friday
6 on Saturday
2 on Sunday

Unfortunately, we also had to euthanize one of our older kitties on Thursday, Randi, who was in kidney failure. Poor thing…but the last 6 months of her life were safe and all indoors here at Barn Cats. She was living with Cindy, Larry, and Puddy in my Master Bedroom (the Elder Care Center). We call it “Larry’s Harem”.

The problems last week were caused by all the relocations coming at the end of the week with LOTS OF CATS coming in during the week. So – cages everywhere – at least for a few days.

One of the relocations was to replace Katrina Cats that had been placed in early 2006. The last one had passed away from cancer on Monday. I have always wondered if those cats would get cancer or some other nasty illness due to the slug they were living in for soooooo long in New Orleans. I kept one of those cats, Jimmy. His “colony” is now my house and he just plays, and plays, and plays! A nice boy but feral as they come. I can pet him only when he is eating. Once a year, I “wrangle” him into a carrier and get him in for his annual checkup and shots. Last year, a growth appeared on his nose that scared me. It turned out to not be cancer and that was a relief.

Saturday I drove from Midlothian to Wilmer – not bad – to place some cats but then headed North on I-75 to pick up equipment north of McKinney and in Van Alstyne. That is when I got stuck in a GIANT traffic jam south of Allen with the entire freeway closed down. With the van over-heating, as it does, I inched my way off the main road and spent some time on the access road. At the first possible opportunity, I got onto Greenville that is also Hwy 5 that goes north to McKinney (and beyond). Getting to the two equipment pick up sites was not a problem after that UNTIL I started home. I take the 121 toll road from I-75 to I-35E…but….both sides of that freeway were also closed down due to construction of the new overpass system connecting the Dallas North Tollway to the 121 Tollway. I could not win on Saturday!

Neighbor Nancy and I traveled into East Texas on Wednesday to pick up equipment in Gilmer and Lindale. We made a special stop south of Greenville to go to the home of Barbara and Gary Avary, the birdhouse people. About 6 or 7 years ago, Donna and I met the Avary’s along Hwy 380 in Denton county selling their home-made birdhouses. The houses are beautiful and well-made with even a pop out section so you can clean them out each year. After Denton county, they moved East still on Hwy 380, then to Hwy 121 near Trenton, and now are on Hwy 205 between Terrell and Rockwall. The problem is that they are only out on Saturday’s and we have not run into them in a long time. Well, I wanted some birdhouses for our auction in June and for the Metroplex Animal Coalition auction in May. I took some searching but we found a business card with their phone number and made an appointment to so some shopping. It was fun! They have several sheds / workshops with birdhouses everywhere!

Well that is about it. I love the spring with all the relocations….and…the bluebonnets are now blooming!

Week Ending 4/3/2011

You guys don’t know this but it is a good thing that BLOGS don’t have scratch and sniff! We had some of the smelliest equipment we ever picked up this week. We double bagged most of it but still had to drive across Dallas with the windows open. After unloading the feeders, waterers, and litter boxes, the rest went directly to a local car wash to get power washed….this was gross! The cats were all sticking around – that is the good news!

We only placed 4 this week but it was a really good barn north of Bonham. We had equipment to pick up near there, so it all worked out. Plus, that barn is part of a larger area with other folks that probably will want some cats.

This was also the end of the month on Thursday. March 2011 was good for Barn Cats, Inc. with 64 placed. We were also at all the extreme ends of our service area – north of Bonham, west of Weatherford, south of Waxahachie, and deep into East Texas at Gilmer. Wish gasoline prices would go down some.

We picked up some additional auction items for June 5th on Friday this week at two of our favorite places in Collinsville and Pilot Point. We now have several metal yard art pieces: big grasshopper, big ant, small green frog, and a big painted donkey with a bobble head. That donkey is super cute. His head sways with the breeze.

I am currently having problems getting in touch with folks. They contact us for cats but I can never seem to get with them via phone. This one person was responsive via email but never answers either phone number she gave me. AND – on one the mail box is “full” and the other does not have a valid mail box. Geez – what is up! I have asked her to call me “any time” – but that has not happened…yet...and we are one week into this situation. We cannot go out to a property and leave cats plus several hundred dollars of equipment and then maybe not be able to get back with them it pick our stuff up – needless to say that if they do not take care of their messages then they might not take care of the cats!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep June 5th in mind. We will be at Grotto in Highland Village for our annual “Barn Cat Bash”…great food, lots of good wine, and Silent and Live auctions. I will post more later. BYE!

Week Ending 3/27/2011

We placed 11 this week. Most of the relocations were reasonably close by (Bartonville and McKinney) except for a trip to Rising Star in Eastland County (central Texas). I know Rising Star because my mom used to live in Brownwood and Rising Star is just north of there. Brownwood, TX is about 30 miles north of the geographic center of Texas…and Texas covers a large area! It was an almost 3 hour drive. That makes it out of our service area but the property owner will be returning our equipment to the Dallas when the relocation is completed. Three cats were placed there.

Plus, I was lured to Abilene to visit a craft mall that used to have great bird houses. Abilene was just an hour away from Rising Star. That craft mall was no longer there…bummer…that lady made bird houses from cowboy boots and covered the tops with old Texas license plates. They were a really great auction item. I did come home with a terrific metal horny toad for the auction.

I need to publicly thank someone who sent us $500 (5 one hundred dollar bills) in an envelope with no letter or complete return address. That cash went into the Barn Cat Van fund…our newly opened savings account. In addition, we received a marvelous $1000 from Laura and we are VERY grateful. An additional $500 was received this week – so that puts another $2,500 into the fund. We appreciate everyone’s generosity especially in today’s economy. My old friend, Myra, sent us $500 that is a stretch for her, I know. And, our wonderful friend, Donna, has donated $400 so far.

We purchased wine for our auction this week, too. AND – we have now organized all the items for the June 5th auction and packed them all with their bid sheets. I cannot remember a time when we have gotten all the stuff organized this early.

Next week we will be picking up equipment from completed relocations that took place 3 weeks ago. There will be LOTS of DIRTY STUFF…that is the hidden part of Barn Cats. Barns are not clean, tidy places. The equipment comes back dirty/dusty often with poop on it from birds that live in the barn. I see trips to Desoto, Highland Village, Double Oak, and Sachse in our future. We will need to get to Dodd City (east of Bonham) this week, too….but….we have a relo of 4 cats to book in that same area…always good!
The trip on 121 to Bonham takes us through Melissa and RIGHT BY Kim’s Fudge Factory. WOW – the best fudge ever! Well – you have to have a good time when you can!

I know this will be another great week for Barn Cats.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Week ending 3/20/2011

We have had a whirlwind week here at barn cats with 22 cats placed!
6 to Southlake 2 to Highland Village 1 to Sachse (cat for backyard - cat does not like other cats) 1 adopted to an in-door household 2 to McKinney 5 to Gilmer 2 to Lindale 3 to a backyard in Dallas

We went to East Texas on Friday and got “confused” several times. It is not easy getting to Gilmer. Just out of curiosity, I made a list of the counties we were in….total 12:
Denton Dallas Collin Rockwall Hunt Hopkins Franklin Wood Upshur Smith Van Zandt Kaufman

Those are COUNTIES, people!

It was a long day but we got 7 cats placed. It would have been 10 but the Gilmer location did not have enough room for a third cage. We returned home with 3 cats and now we have to give them “frequent flyer miles”. And just think, in 3 weeks we need to do it all again to pick up our equipment.

Neighbor Nancy and I are working to get the Spring “Buck for Barn Cats” Auction organized and catalogued. The event is planned for Sunday, June 5th at Grotto in Highland Village. Charge is $40 per person for a buffet dinner and “endless” wine. The auction is shaping up to be fabulous, if I do say so myself.

If you would like an invitation, send an email to info@barncats.org and we will add you to the invitation list. We have cat stuff, dog stuff, birdhouses, jewelry, windchimes, paintings, etc., etc., etc!

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful warm weather. Leave that cold stuff to the folks that enjoy it – not me!

Peg

Week ending 3/13/2011

Hello, Bloggers!

Well – the cold has broken and the rats are running! Placed a huge amount of cats this week…
5 on Monday to Desoto 6 on Thursday
2 on Friday to Dodd City 2 on Saturday to Bartonville 4 on Sunday (3 to Whitesboro and 1 to an adoption group)
For a grand total of 19 cats placed this week! It is really nice to get a large groups of cats placed. I feel really positive about all the placements and wish all those cats the very best in their new barn homes.

Friday we also rented a cargo van and picked up broken bags of cat litter from Kim with Animal Allies of Texas who lives in Trenton. We were only a mile from her when we went to Dodd City (south of Bonham) with those cats. Now the garage is packed with free litter and my master bath shower is full of free food from IAMS! Now if we just had a new van, the world would be great.

Next week may also see a large number of cats placed….everyone keep their paws crossed.

I am finally able to pull in cats from my list from October! It has been a long, slow, cold winter. Things are picking up!

We sent out a fund raising letter and received enough donations to put $1,000 in a savings account for the new van. We have never had a savings account before. We also made enough money to pay the van insurance!
I also received an email from a group in Florida who wants to start doing some barn homing….GREAT! We now have 27 states with at least one group placing cats in barns plus listings in Great Britain and Canada. It is funny – someone made a check out to Barn Cat International one time…delusions of grandeur. HA HA!

Stay tuned for future updates.

It is looking like a great spring here in North Texas!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Barn Cats Van

Some of you may have seen the mail out that Peggy sent. But, I thought I'd take this opportunity (while she is out of town) to help out a bit.

In case you haven't heard, the van is on its third transmission and the A/C no longer keeps the kitties cool during August relos. We have been working on getting a grant, but so far, no luck.

If you can contribute anything to help out with the downpayment on a good, used van, please go to the chip-in page:

http://barncatsvan.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/bf880469697e39c8


You can also mail a check directly to Barn Cats at PO Box 293152
Lewisville, TX 75029

Thanks!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

February 8, 2011


I am sorry – this is Texas!   We should not be home-bound by snow and sleet for 4 days in a row.  

It certainly has had an effect on the relocations of our Barn Cats….NONE!  

The volunteers could not come over for the regular Saturday cleaning.  Neighbor Nancy skated over the alley way to help and we got all the cages cleaned in several hours.  The hardest problem was getting the bags of nasty, used cat litter out for the trash without slipping.  

Unfortunately, I am leaving Friday, Feb. 11th and will return on March 3rd.  Glad Neighbor Nancy will be here to answer the phones and the emails.  The blog entries will be suspended until I return.  I certainly am hoping for a fabulous March and April with 50 to 60 placed each month.  

Stay tuned when blogs will return about March 6th.  Byeeeee!    Peg

January 30, 2011


We placed 8 cats this week in Southlake, Argyle, Parker, and Weatherford plus traded one to New Beginnings Cat Rescue.  “Frannie” was originally found in an apartment complex with other older, larger cats beating up on her.  We are all glad she will now get a safe, in-door home.  

We have now begun taking in cats from folks that registered with Barn Cats, Inc. in October last year.  We had a slow placement time in the fall that just pushed the time on the list longer and longer.   We took in 3 of one set this week with 6 more coming in next week.  

“Katie” who was traded to Animal Allies a couple of weeks ago was adopted this week.  We love that!
There is only one additional day in January so we will close out the month today.   

We had 31 placements in January which is pretty good.   2010 was 20 but 2009 was 84 – best January and best month ever!  

I always worry about putting cats in cages in a cold barn…but it always seems to work out.  “Rudy” and “Opal” went to a barn with no electricity and both did fine.  We even saw “Opal” the day we picked up equipment this last week.  

Pam with Feral Friends was able to help start trapping a group of 2 cats in Glenn Oaks where the elderly caregiver passed away.  She got the male on Friday and will continue to try to get the female this coming week.   

PEOPLE:  If you have elderly parents, do not wait until they pass away and you then have a crisis.  Get those cats out of there BEFORE the parent dies.  It is much easier when someone still lives on the property and can help with the trapping.  I hope she gets that female – they are all in heat right now!    GEEZ – the world does not need any more kittens!

Jeanette, an independent trapper, wanted me to take some of her cats….but….I said “I can add you to the list for April – or you can call around and get some barns.”  OK – she is on it!   She had found several barns for us and I am very happy.  

THANK YOU, JEANETTE! 

Well, that is it for January.  I need to get on it and return the phone calls from yesterday.  Talk to you guys next week.               Peg

January 16, 2011


I have started telling all those folks on the list that I can place their cats “IF” they can find a barn.  Then, their cats would go to the top of the list.  Two of the cat folks have found barns so I have been out to deliver and set up the equipment for one of them this week.  The other could not be scheduled until next week….that is OKAY because it will be warmer.  

One is a feed store in Plano.  You folks that think Plano is an up-scale, high-dollar area are correct – but – there are still lots of barns, feed stores, and large animal veterinarians out there, too.  There is even a large dairy farm in Plano!  

I have had two calls for backyard cats, but each of those need to be friendlier cats.  Backyards are problematic because it is usually a covered patio where we would set up the cage for the relocation.  It may be covered but the sides are open and it can be very cold out there at night.   I have some plug-in pads that look like doormats that will keep them warmer and most patios have electrical outlets.  We will try and get that done next week when it is 60 degrees in the daytime.  It will be so nice in the spring to not have to worry about weather all the time!    

I was able to take in 8 cats from one location this week.  That guy had registered his cats with me in late September.  The list is so long now and it may not get cleared up until March. 

I hate this cold weather!