Tuesday, April 24, 2012

April 16, 2012 to April 22, 2012

HAPPY EARTH DAY – April 22, 2012

  • Relocations and In Take 
  • In the Works 
 RELOCATIONS and INTAKE: It was a slower week with 5 placed but with all out equipment out, we are having to juggle relocations based on the configuration of caging needed.
  • 2 Garage in Cedar Hill 
  • 1 Plant nursery in Flower Mound 
  • 2 Garage and greenhouse in Denton 
We took in 9 but remember the 33 placements from the week before left us with several empty cages in the cat rooms. At least I no longer have caging set up in my family and dining rooms!

Plus – it was time to return to Dublin (2 hours away) and pick up equipment...then clean it. Dirty equipment is the “hidden” part of Barn Cats. Barns are dirty places by nature. Our stuff is dusty, sometimes wet from turned-over water, specks of dried poop, etc., etc. Also, birds fly around in barns and poop on our caging…gross! That is all after 3 weeks in a barn environment. We take all the caging to a car wash to clean it. I drove over 250 miles to pick up our stuff on Sunday in Aledo and Dublin. Next week we need to return to East Texas (Pickton) to pick up at the dairy farm where we placed 13 on Good Friday.

IN the WORKS:
1. We need to get our website re-designed and I am trying to figure out how to pay for that. Also, it will take many hours working with the designer, revamping the current information, putting FAQs together, adding extra pages, and setting up a new donation system….geez….on and on and on. BUT – I think it will mean better communication with less phone calls assuming people will read it – HA HA!
2. Barn Cats was organized on September 5, 2003, so we start our 10th year this September. I hope to have a dinner on September 8th to thank the board, volunteers, and other folks for supporting and promoting Barn Cats, Inc.
3. I did a presentation at the Texas Unites for the Animals in March of this year. It is now time to submit proposals for presentations for the event next year. I would like to showcase various animal services organizations around the state that are working to place feral cats rather than just euthanize them. Considering the size (254 counties) of Texas, this is a big undertaking....

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. 

See you next week! 

 Peg

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 9, 2012 to April 15, 2012

Relocations and In Take – CHECK OUT THESE NUMBERS!
Poor Lucky


RELOCATIONS and In Take: WOW – 33 cats placed and 12 came in.
2 - Barn in the Crandall area
4 - To adoption groups
1 - Passed away (bummer!)
2 - Barn in Plano
3 - Barn in Fairview
3 - Barn in Fairview (just down the street from the first one)
14 - Barn in Flower Mound
4 - Barn in Sherman

I also picked up equipment in Leonard, Ector, and Coppell. I needed clean equipment to have enough for all those other relocations! GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE!

Poor Lucky: I have been working for several months with a policeman in Dallas to remove 3 cats from an abandoned police sub-station. I took him 3 traps again a week or so ago. He immediately trapped “Lil’ Ninja” but has been unable to get the other 2. One, “Lucky”, a friendly, older tabby with long hair had disappeared for several weeks. Last Thursday, she reappeared but looked bad…??? He asked if I could come by and get her to a vet. I did that about 4:30 pm which put me in rush hour traffic in Dallas…not pretty! At All Care they tested her (negative), gave her fluids, and put her in a cage for the night. On Friday, a vet took a look and recommended we do a “wait and see” before giving her shots. I took her home with me on Friday afternoon and put her in a clean cage in my old cat room. She was eating and drinking and using the litter box and I gave her a rub whenever I was in the room. Sunday afternoon when she went downhill and I found her passed away about 6:30 pm on Sunday. I took her body to be cremated on Monday.

We do not know what was wrong but she was LUCKY that she was in a dry, safe, comfortable environment for her last several days rather than dying under that abandoned building in a rain storm. Maybe she was lucky after all! Rest in peace, “Lucky”.

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

April 1, 2012 to April 8, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Full Moon Crazies!


RELOCATIONS and In Take: It was a good week with 20 placed and 10 came in.
4 - Mom and kittens to an adoption group
2 - To an adoption group
1 - Barn in Hickory Creek
13 - Dairy farm in Pickton

Full Moon Crazies: Well, you always know when the moon is full….and all those crazies have my cell number!

I received a call on Wednesday evening at 8:30 PM from a lady who had a cat in a trap and said “you don’t live far from me”….hummm…does that mean she wants me to come get it? Offered for her to drop it off at the vet we use in Coppell the next morning but that was too much trouble. Since she lives “close to me”, I called Flower Mound and Lewisville Animal Services on Thursday morning and located the cat. She had called Lewisville AS to pick it up. I went by and got “Bruno” about mid-afternoon and got him tested, neutered, and vaccinated the next day. Poor guy! He has an injured foot from some sort of old injury but he gets around great. I will see about a safe barn home for him.

Monday we met a student in a college parking lot and took a cat from her because she was moving. A little weird but most young people are not good at planning ahead when they are moving. She did the paperwork and we took the cat. Of course, it is 7 months old and never seen a vet! We got him tested, neutered, and vaccinated then traded him to an adoption group. Well – On Thursday, I received a message that the student had “stolen” the cat from a former roommate and she had filed a police report. Not exactly the entire story: She moved out in January and left the cat there. The police refused to take a formal report on it because it is a civil matter. I had no idea if this cat is or ever was her cat….no tags, no chip, no vet records. AND – the cat did not respond to the name she gave me over the phone. Well, that is the end of that one because the cat is now with an adoption group and will receive a safe, in-door home with a FAMILY – no more irresponsible students for him.

OK – the full moon cycle is over for now and time for things to settle down a bit.

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

Thursday, April 12, 2012

March 26, 2012 to April 1, 2012

Relocations and In Take
March Close Out
Barn Cats, Diamonds, and Cops – OH MY!
Texas Bluebonnets


RELOCATIONS and In Take: YES – FINALLY! We placed 22 this week but drove literally all over North Texas. In take was at 15 – we are still ahead!
4 Courtyard in Midlothian
4 Barn in Santo
2 Barn in Aubrey
2 Back Porch and Barn in Aledo
4 Barn in Dublin
6 Mom and kittens taken into the foster program at the SPCA of Texas (THANKS)

Nancy and I were out from 9 am to 4 pm on Tuesday with the Midlothian (south of Dallas) to Santo (west of Weatherford). It was a long day and the traffic was miserable.
183 Under Construction (mid-cities)
114 Under Construction (north of DFW Airport)
820 Under Construction (north of Ft. Worth)
I20 Under Construction (at Weatherford)
On Saturday, I did Aubrey at 10 am (east of Denton), Aledo (west of Ft. Worth), and Dublin (south of Stephenville). The Aledo to Dublin drive was L-O-N-G. I got home at 9:15 pm. The Aledo folks were not home until 2:30 – so their set up was scheduled for 3. That put the drive home from Dublin into the evening. At least the traffic has died down by that time.

March Closeout: To have started out so slowly, March turned into a pretty good month with 55 placed in 11 counties:
Colin Denton Fannin Palo Pinto
Cooke Erath Grayson Parker
Dallas Ellis Hunt

Barn Cats, Diamonds, and Cops: On Wednesday, I took 3 traps into downtown Dallas to meet a policeman who is trying to capture 3 cats whose shelter is being destroyed. He asked me to leave and return to see if he could catch any of them right now. I had to go about a mile north to deliver a trap to a lady who was meeting me in a Fiesta parking lot. I turned into the lot only to see 4 police cars in front of the grocery store. I went to the back of the lot to meet the lady, gave her the trap, and continued back to meet the policeman. When I got there, he DID catch one cat (Little Ninja) so I packed her up into the truck to go to get her shots updated. She is already spayed. Anyway, I asked him about the cop cars at the Fiesta. A robbery had just occurred at a jewelry store and the robber had run into the Fiesta! Geez – a little excitement for us barn cat folks.

Texas Bluebonnets: OH MY GOD! They were beautiful on Saturday on the Weatherford to Dublin drive. I had not seen any at the Shreveport drive the Sunday before….guess they are more prevalent around the DFW area and more central Texas. Ennis is where the Bluebonnet Festival is held each year. They have entire fields of them – REALLY GEORGEOUS!

OK – hope the good placement record continues!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

March 19, 2012 to March 25, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Successful Relocations


RELOCATIONS and In Take: Placed 10 this week.
3 Barn in Leonard
4 Barn in Coppell
3 Barn in Ector

In take added up to 4: 3 from Lafayette, Louisiana – from the Intercoastal Waterway and 1 friendly that went to Leonard. I had to drive to Shreveport on Sunday to pick up the last 3 of that group of 17.

The Leonard barn had gotten 3 cats from us in 2006. One disappeared immediately, one disappeared in 2009 and the third had moved on to a neighbor’s barn. he family redecorated their barn as a “Man Cave” complete with sectional sofa, giant screen TV, and a bar. That 3rd cat did not like all the commotion and moved next door. Well – that was a good excuse for us to place three more with them. I wish them the same luck as that third cat – a long life!

Successful Relocations: On Saturday, 3/24, I placed 3 in Ector near Bonham then picked up equipment in Sherman, Durant, and Valley View. Each pickup location had a good story to tell:

Sherman: All three cats have stayed around and are leaving rodent bodies around (and/or rodent parts).

Durant: This was the second group of 2 cats I had put out there. The first group is now hanging out in a neighbor’s barn…guess they have better food! The second group has stayed where I put them.

Valley View: When I cannot take a cat due to space, I tell the cat’s owner “If they can find a barn, I will place their cat in the barn they find.” That is what happened in Valley View. The family wanted a friendly cat…so I went out with our equipment, set it all up, and the cat’s owner brought her over. t all worked out fine and Tabitha is having a great time with the family’s children.

Next week is looking good for cat placements….keep your paws crossed!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

March 12, 2012 to March 18, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Texas Unites for the Animals – Austin, Tx March 17-19, 2012


RELOCATIONS and In Take: We placed 9 this week and only took in 1…finally the numbers are moving the right way!
4 Barn in Dublin
1 To an adoption group
4 Barn in Plano

That Plano barn had inherited 3 of our cats when they purchased the property in 2005. Little by little they have disappeared. SO – time to move in with additional cats. They took 3 ferals and 1 friendly cat.

Texas Unites for the Animals: This is an annual conference held for animal services personnel, rescue folks, and shelter employees. It is presented by the Texas Animal Shelter Coalition. I was there to present the Barn Cat Story – “Got Rats? We have Cats!” he session had 42 attendees and they all had many questions. I just hope I gave all those animal shelter folks some insite on how to handle feral cats and encouragement to start a barn program. Rebecca P put the event together. It is her husband, Rich, who created the Barn Cats, Inc. logo:



I think our logo “says it all”. Cats chasing rats…working cats!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

March 5, 2012 to March 11, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Chunky Monkey
Scaring Up Some Barns

RELOCATIONS and In Take: Same Story – second verse -- We placed only 3 cats this week into a barn in Sherman. But we also had one death in the Barn Cat in-house family…see below.

Chunky Monkey: On 8/22/07, I asked Judy B to go to Sherman Animal Services to pick up some cats that a judge had awarded us on Monday of that week. This was NEW NEWS! I was sitting at the DFW Airport waiting to board a plane for a week assignment, when a court clerk called my cell phone that we had been awarded 9 cats from an elderly ladies household in Pottsboro. She went to the hospital and asked a neighbor to take care of her cats. Well – the neighbor discovered these 9 cats living in the house with no shots, etc. and EVEN WORSE no litter boxes! Imagine the smell! Sherman Animal Services picked up the cats and a judge gave them to Barn Cats – THANKS! Actually, most turned out to be friendly and were traded to adoption groups. Two (Bentley – the Chunky Monkey – and Julie) were both too old for either an adoption group or a barn. Plus, Bentley was a black Manx (no tail). Manx cats sometimes had a problem pooping and it gets stuck to their bottoms. That situation would attract flies in a barn environment. The vet said they were both “older than dirt” – so I kept them as “permanent” barn cats. Julie is still well and active so she is now “5 years older that dirt”. I will miss the Chunky Monkey. He got cancer and his blood work was a mess. Rest in Peace little guy!

Scaring Up Some Barns: I am starting to send out letters/flyers to barns where we have previously placed our cats. I am starting with the 2003-7 Relocation Agreements and sending letters addressed to BARN OWNERS. Hope it helps! This is the slowest March on record.

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

February 27, 2012 to March 4, 2012

Relocations and In Take
February 2012 Close Out
2006 Cats taken to Ovilla


RELOCATIONS and In Take: Snooze – soooooo slow! I placed only 1 cat this week. I tell folks if they can find a barn for their cat(s), they go to the top of the list and their cat gets placed in their barn. That happened on Saturday. A lady found placement for her cat in Valley View (south of Gainesville), so I went there to put up a cage so “Tabitha” can had a good relo. At least no other cats came in!

February 2012: We placed 39 in February in 5 counties:
Dallas Collin Bryan, OK
Ellis Dallas

39 is about average for February.
2008 41
2009 69
2010 25
2011 9

Ovilla: I spoke with a barn owner in Ovilla south of Dallas. She asked how to get her barn cat we placed with her in 2006 to the vet to get shots updated. A trap is the only answer – but it was good to hear that one or our cats has lasted 6 years at their barn home. We always wonder…

Rats not yet Running: I asked the barn owner in Ovilla if she is seeing any rodents yet this year….NO…NOT YET! I think this is why we are not getting any barn calls.

I have completed the list of newspapers for the Barn Cat Press Releases distribution. I still need to call some that do not have emails addresses listed on the internet. BUT – at least the list is done!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

February 20, 2012 to February 26, 2012

Relocations and In Take

RELOCATIONS and In Take: Could it be any slower? Only 1 placed this week and that was to an adoption group. GOT NO BARNS! I guess the good news is that none came in either.

Truck Wrap: YES…we finally got the new Transit Connect “wrapped”. It took about 2 weeks to decide on the design and get it carried out. In the middle of the process, I got a computer virus and had to get it cleaned out. But, all is good now.

I’m still working on the Press Releases for Barns. Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

February 13, 2012 to February 19, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Relocation – I don’t think so!
You have got to be kidding!
Donkeys

RELOCATIONS and In Take: Placed 19 this week plus in-take was held to 4. YEAH! I had 2 additional to go to adoption – but – they both started sneezing. BUMMER!

6 Barn in Allen
4 TNR’ed to Dallas
2 Barn in Durant
7 Trade to an Adoption Group

Relocation – I don’t think so! We went to Pilot Point on Monday afternoon for a relocation scheduled for 1 pm. We took 3 cats. The appointment had been reset 2 other times…I understand that. All our schedules change. Nancy and I arrived with the 3 cats at 12:50 – 10 minutes early. When we called the barn owner, she said “I am just getting into the shower…it will be about 30 minutes.” OK – we proceeded to the area where the barn is located. t was raining but we made it on a paved road. We were followed by a large, Akita-looking dog who continued to bark and bark and circle our truck. OK – I’m not getting out until the barn owner gets here. 40 minutes later, she calls. “I’ll be there shortly…getting dressed now.” At the one hour point, I turned the truck around and headed for the front gate. I called her on the way out. “I just have all this long hair and it takes a long time to dry.” WHAT? IT IS RAINING OUT HERE! Anyway – “Call us if you decide you need cats.” HA! An average relocation takes 30 to 45 minutes and we have already waited an hour and placed no cats. Anyone who is worried about their hair on a rainy day, will not be good about taking care of our cats when they are in that cage for our 2-week relocation period. NO WAY! The cats went back home with us.

You Have Got to be Kidding: A guy called last week. He started to describe the situation but I was getting lost. I finally went into my office to get paper to take notes. It appears that a cat had 4 kittens 4 months ago. He took the kittens and placed them in his laundry room…but…he did nothing but feed them. So, 4 4-month old kittens who are not socialized and will soon be reproducing with each other…plus the mom (an outside cat) is pregnant again, of course. When I told him we could not take the kittens (hawks and owls look for rabbits and rodents and a kitten looks like a small rabbit) AND that mom had to be sterilized, he hung up on me. Folks want to wait until a problem reaches a critical point, even if it takes months and expect a rescue organization to swoop in and resolve his situation YESTERDAY. Well, couldn't do it this time.

Donkeys: The SPCA of Texas in Dallas has donkeys for adoption. Call them if you need one.

I’m still working on the Press Releases for Barns. Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

February 6, 2012 to February 12, 2012

Relocations and In Take
Dallas Bishop Arts District

RELOCATIONS and In Take: Well – it could not have been slower – 1 placed. AND – as if that is not bad enough, we took in 16. OUCH!

1 Barn in Celina (took a heater)

Dallas Bishop Arts District: The daughter of a lady in her 90’s called but wanted to do trap/neuter/return….GOOD! I referred this one to Celia with Kittico because she has worked a lot down in that area with several other folks. Celia called the daughter and made arrangements to trap on Sunday evening (2/5). Well, Celia’s husband got sick and needed surgery, so Celia called and rescheduled for the next Sunday evening (2/12). In the time of that second week, the elderly lady fell and her son decided to “take the cats off”. elia was livid – and ME TOO! He told the family he took them to Wylie Animal Services (but this is in Dallas). A quick call to Wylie verified that they had not received the cats. Celia found them at DAS and she is to get them out on Monday. I went over there on Saturday to pick up the cats that were on her porch in a cage…4 of them. Today 2/12 Celia’s finds another lady in the neighborhood that is “looking for her cats”. It seems that these cats are taken care of by multiple neighbors. o, here is the good news (finally): Celia has trapped 5 more. They will be sterilized and returned on Monday. I will take the 4 I have to Kittico on Monday and Celia will return them to their neighborhood as well. GEEZ! A happy ending for a change!

We have 6 going to Allen on Monday morning, 3 to Pilot Point in the afternoon, and those 4 being returned to their Dallas neighborhood….I am tired already!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. I am still working on press releases to get us some barn sites for cat placements. Janet K has returned to Dallas from California and she is helping do the research for the newspapers. Keep your paws crossed!

Peg

January 30, 2012 to February 5, 2012

Relocations and In Take
January Close Out
Trinity Park Cats in Ft. Worth
Exxon Cats in Louisiana

RELOCATIONS and In Take: We placed 18 this week and took in 19…oops numbers STILL going the wrong way! Thanks to Jeanette L for getting us the 10-cat barn location!

10 Heated Barn in Pilot Point
4 Barn in Waxahachie
2 Barn in Aubrey
2 Barn in Palmer

January Close Out: We had a reasonable January with 20 placed in the following counties:
Dallas Tarrant Johnson Hunt
Denton Colin Wise Ellis
Kaufman Bryan, OK Parker

To compare January’s from previous years…
2011 31
2010 20
2009 84
2008 14
That 84 year was amazing – we moved a full colony from Ft. Worth to Wylie. That is the most cats we ever placed in a month in any year since we started 9 years ago.

Trinity Park Cats: Ft. Worth has been having community meetings to discuss feral cats. This has drawn a lot of attention to feral cat colonies. A colony has survived for 10 years in Trinity Park near the Arboretum and the Arts District. I have personally seen the cats of that colony. They were fed twice a day by dedicated volunteers…until…the media used the site and announced where it was located. About 2 weeks ago – poof – they are all gone…about 20 cats…all spayed and neutered. AND – here is the suspicious part – all their custom-built shelters are missing as well. The city says they know nothing about the disappearance. Feeders of the colony held a fundraiser on Saturday afternoon to post a reward for credible information and also hire a private investigator to see what they can find out about the cats. This is so tragic! They were safe and well-cared-for for 10 years – now this!

Exxon Cats in Louisiana: Exxon has closed down a site along the Intercoastal Waterway in Louisiana. With this, all the people are gone but a bunch of cats were left. Members of the Wild Cat Foundation in Lafayette went to the site (a 2-hour drive each way) and began trapping the cats. Then they get them tested, sterilized, and shots so they can all come to Barn Cats. On Sunday, I drove to Shreveport (3-hour drive) to meet two ladies that drove them north for 3 hours so I can bring them to Texas and find them safe barn homes. I picked up 10 on Sunday. NOW I need many barns to get them placed so the remaining 7 cats can be picked up. What a mess! There are no homes and/or other people to take up the care and feeding of these poor cats. THANKS to the Wild Cat Foundation in Lafayette for taking on this project and getting these poor cats into a better situation.

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. I am working on press releases this week to get us some barn site for cat placements. Keep your paws crossed!

Peg

January 23, 2012 to January 29, 2012

Relocations
Barn Cat Bash

RELOCATIONS: We placed 11 this week and took in 14…oops numbers going the wrong way!

A warm winter is making all this possible. Maybe we have already had the bad stuff in December….works for me!

3 Barn in Burleson
3 Barn in Aurora
1 To an adoption group
1 To a garage in Aledo
1 Barn in Royce City
2 Barn in Red Oak

The barn in Royce City was repeat business from 3 or 4 year ago. We placed 2 males there who were best buds. One was a “wanderer” and it appears got too far from the barn and it’s protective donkeys. Now the remaining black cat is lonely. I placed “Sunshine” there – an orange fluffy cat that loves to play with lots of toys. I think Sunshine will be a good friend for the remaining cat. Also, I don’t think Sunshine will be a wanderer!

Barn Cat Bash: Due to some scheduling conflicts, we are moving the spring fundraiser (dinner and auction) to Sunday, June 24th at The Grotto in Highland Village, TX. It is counter-productive to schedule our event the same day as another group – so we will move our date this year. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! It is a buffet dinner and endless wine. It is this time of the year we put our Goody Goody Liquor charge account to use.

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Keep your paws crossed that this week will be good for placements like this week has been. Any week in double digits is a good week!
Peg

January 2, 2012 to January 22, 2012

We’re Back!
This entry covers January 2-4 then picks up again on January 19th

Relocations
Adopt-A-Shelter – Shopping that makes Barn Cats $$$

RELOCATIONS: We placed 8 during this period.
1 Garage in Little Elm
2 Barn in Kaufman
2 Garage in Southlake
1 To an adoption group
2 Barn in Durant, OK

Thanks to Donna W for returning phone messages and Nancy P for handling the endless emails while I was out of town. We receive about 12 phone messages and 75 emails each day…it never ends!

Adopt-A-Shelter: This is a SHOPPING SITE – you go there, click on TEXAS, then select BARN CATS from the list, then go to where ever and shop, shop, shop! The vendor will send us some money. YEAH! Easy Money!

Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. We will be making many placements next week AND adding many, many cats into the program! Peg

December 26, 2011 to January 1, 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Relocations
Blog Schedule
End of 2011 Update Letter

RELOCATIONS: Placed 3 this week – 2 through adoption and 1 to a garage. The garage is in Little Elm. The cat came from Baylor Hospital and will now have a home along Lewisville Lake. The home owner works at Baylor and wanted that cat – so it all worked out. The placement was on Sunday -- a great beginning to 2012.

Blog Schedule: I will be out of town for a couple of weeks. The next blog entry will be at the end of January.

End of 2011 Update Letter: This is a copy of the update we just mailed this week. Fundraising never ends. It is a constant struggle:

2011 was a good year for the cats at Barn Cats. We are now in our 9th year and have relocated 3,287 feral or semi-feral cats that would have been euthanized if they had been taken to local municipal shelters.

We also worked with many adoption groups to trade adoptable cats that we get for unadoptable cats that appear in their programs. We work with the SPCA of Texas, Operation Kindness, Feral Friends, New Beginnings Cat Rescue, Classy Cats, DFW Humane Society, HS of Lewisville, HS of Coppell, Animal Allies of Texas, Lost Paws, Siamese Rescue, CLASP (Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets), Kitty Save, Kittico, Cool Cats, Casa de Critters, and others. We also take cats from municipal animal services locations in Hickory Creek, Tri-City (Duncanville, Desoto, Cedar Hill), Flower Mound, Irving, Dallas, Fort Worth, Weatherford, Addison, Trophy Club, Bedford, Farmer’s Branch, and several others.

Hoarders continue to be a problem. In late May, we received 4 nursing mothers and 26 kittens from Valley View, TX (just south of Gainesville in Cooke County). …and WE DO NOT TAKE KITTENS! Our great volunteers worked with the moms and kittens to get them old enough and healthy enough to all go to adoption groups. Believe me: We were all glad when the kittens were placed. We still have 2 of the moms – one is semi-feral and the other has neurological problems…but both are sweet!

In July we purchased a new vehicle – a Ford Transit Connect – this year making a $7,000 down payment donated to us from our spring campaign. The former Barn Cats Van had 194,000 miles on it and the AC did not work – not good for this last summer for sure!

Barn Cats also has the best set of volunteers on the planet: Nancy K, Peggy H, Julie F, and Chris J. They show up every Saturday to clean cages and scrub litter boxes. Barn Cats could not operate without their help! Linny H, our resident artist, is on temporary leave and we miss her terribly.

I consulted on a book “Defending the Defenseless” by Allie Phillips this year and Barn Cats, Inc. was featured in the February issue of Cat Fancy Magazine. That article was written by Dusty Rainbolt of Flower Mound and it won a prize at the Cat Writer’s Convention.

See you guys at the end of January and thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

December 19, 2011 to December 25, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Relocations
Website Troubles
Hospital Cat

RELOCATIONS: Placed 2 this week in a barn in Argyle. It is insulated and we left a small heater for the girls. These are two older tortishell cats that we call the barn walruses because they are so big. One was causing problems in my cat room with some former hoarder cats and it is good to give them an opportunity to be placed. Barn Cats had these cats since March looking for just the right setting for them. I had a garage for them in the spring but the lady never called me back.

Website Troubles: The saga continues…
The email address info@barncats.org is NOT WORKING. We have changed the address to my personal one patkerson@verizon.net. Use that one for communications to Barn Cats.

Hospital Cat: Someone dumped a cat at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. I talked to someone about the cat in late summer but they could never catch him. Well – it finally happened. I named him Sparky. I am going to move him to be a garage cat at the home of one of the employees this weekend. Sparky will get a new home on New Year’s Day – YEAH!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you guys next week and thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

December 12, 2011 to December 18, 2011

Relocations
OOPS!
Website Troubles

RELOCATIONS: 8 placed this week – pretty good for a holiday time!

3 To adoption groups
2 To a barn in Aubrey
1 To a barn in Aledo
2 To a barn in Sachse

OOPS!: I took a cat on Tuesday to Aledo. It is a good barn and they already have an 8-year old cat. “Sierra” came from the Tri-City Shelter (Desoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville) – a kill shelter. I wanted to get her to Aledo on Tuesday because it was suppose to rain on Wednesday. I went into the cat room, packed her up and went on my way (about 1 hour) to Aledo. She did not make a sound which I thought was odd because she screamed all the way from the shelter just a week ago. The set up of the cage went fine and she went right into the hidey box at the barn.

That evening, I went into the cat room – and – there was Sierra! I had taken the wrong cat to Aledo! She did not scream in the car because it was the wrong cat! OH GREAT – now it is Wednesday and raining like “cats and dogs” as they say. I called the barn owner and admitted my mistake. Sierra is very social and Monkey (the wrong cat) is not that out-going. The barn owner had not seen Monkey from the time I had put her in the cage. Sierra went right into the cage, wandered around to get the “lay of the land” then stayed out to watch what was going on in the barn. Monkey is now GLAD TO BE HOME. Sierra: Enjoy your new home in Aledo!

Website Troubles: We have now moved out website but the pictures seem to be gone. We are working to re-do it all anyway. NEW FORMAT COMING SOON!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

See you guys next week and thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

December 5, 2011 - December 11, 2011

Relocations
Website Troubles

RELOCATIONS: Only 5 this week.

2 Barn/Garage/Workshop in Princeton
3 To an adoption group

Rhonda got a barn and we placed 2 cats on Friday. He was able to put a heater in there so I was not worried about the cold weather.

The 3 cats transferred to an adoption group came from Ft. Worth. Their owner died last January. The executor just tossed the cats outside to live in the terribly cold weather we had last February and the extremely hot weather we had in August. A sister continued to feed them. These 3 cats slept with the original owner and woke her up when she was having breathing problems. The executor just does not care.

LESSON: When selecting an executor for your will, select someone that is “animal friendly” because your beloved pets could end up at a local KILL animal shelter!

The sister called Barn Cats because the property was being sold. Keep in mind this is now December and the cats have been outside for almost a year! These cats are 6 years old, too! I picked them up as I passed along Hwy 820 in North Ft. Worth. We did a cat swap in a parking lot. I got them into an adoption group that sent them immediately into their PetsMart Adoption program. SO GOOD! Best of luck MooMoo, Radar, and Pretty…you guys deserve a stable, long-term, in-door home.

Website Troubles: Barn Cats started in September of 2003. That December, I contracted with a web designer who put the website together. Now – I am computer savvy but web design is a “different animal”. There were few choices in web hosting sites in 2003. I left that up to the designer to get us a good deal. Well, each year when the renewal is due, this becomes a problem. The web hosting owner does not have any auto-renewal capability AND she does not send out any kind of bill. I got a call on Wednesday last week to PAY BY FRIDAY aaaannnndddd she wanted me to get cash, go to Walgreen’s, purchase a Green Dot Card for the amount owed, scratch off the section on the back and email her the numbers displayed. WHAT? How bazaar for a business to be conducted this way – especially a web-based business! …and that Green Dot Card cost me $4.95, too! Well, I decided to send her 3 months worth and then work to get transferred to a different service. Stayed tuned for the update next week…in…”the continuing saga of the Barn Cats website”.

See you guys next week and thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog. Peg

November 28, 2011 - December 4, 2011

Close out of November
Feral Cat Sightings
Fall Barn Cat Bash

RELOCATIONS: Only 4 this week.

2 Shed in Dallas
2 To an adoption group

The weather has turned cold. What happened to Fall? We went from HOT to COLD with nothing in between. I do not like the cold weather. We have to be sooooooo careful putting a cat in a cage in a cold barn. The folks with the shed in Dallas ran an extension cord and put in a heater to keep them warmer through this cold snap.

November Close Out: We placed a total of 40 for the month. That puts us at a total of 463 placed in 2011. We are only 4 behind the 2010 total or 467 for the same period. HOWEVER, if this cold weather keeps up, it may be a slow December.

Feral Cat Sightings: This week was a pick-up week for dirty equipment when the relocation is completed. Because of Thanksgiving, some of it had been at the barn locations for a week or 2 longer than usual which makes for much dirtier stuff. I went to Commerce on Monday and Joshua, Bluff Dale, and Sidney on Thursday. In Joshua, I got to see 2 of our cats…Alex was in a dog-size crate hiding out but Craig (now Buster) was out and about wanting to be petted. They both looked so good. The third cat, Annie, hangs out in the hay barn so I did not see her. The barn owner says she sees Annie with Alex all the time so I am sure she is still there, too. In Sidney, I saw the black ears of one of the 3 black cats I placed there. He was hiding out on the top shelf of a cabinet just doing his own thing. The Sidney location is on an organic farm – a great match for our all-natural pest control!

Fall Barn Cat Bash: We had an eclectic group of crazy animal people here for a grand total of $5,000 raised for Barn Cats! It was a good day and a terrific dinner at Grotto. The new head of Dallas Animal Services, Jody Jones, was even here. She is new to Dallas but thought getting to Lewisville was like driving to Oklahoma – close but no cigar!

See you guys next week and thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog.

Peg

October 24, 2011 - October 30, 2011

RELOCATIONS: Total of 3 this week.

2 Barn in Double Oak
1 Garage in Lucus

Next week should be better. Scheduled are:
3 Waco area
4 Commerce
2 Highland Village
2 Joshua
1 Hickory Creek

Since we will be around Waco, we will be picking up litter again at the Wal-Mart Return Center. We will rent the cargo van again as well.

Moving Cats: An older guy called and asked if we could help he and his wife move 3 cats from one home to another. They had already moved but needed to move the cats. These 3 cats were sterilized with shots and had their own “kitty condo” in the backyard. The couple will be moving the condo as soon as the cats are moved. I offered caging but they decided to just release them in the garage until the condo was moved. The wife said she had one trap and would move them one at a time. She caught one cat the first morning she tried. BUT –now the others are being sly. Rhonda with Feral Friends offered to speak with them about “Trapping Hints and Tips”. Rhonda told them not to leave the trap set all night – but – they did that anyway. What they caught was a baby and mom raccoon. Now – here is the shocking part: Instead of calling animal services or a wildlife rehab group or even calling Rhonda or Barn Cats, they decided to leave them in the trap and DROWN THEM IN THE CREEK BEHIND THEIR HOUSE! WHAT? That is outrageous! Rhonda was in tears and I cannot blame her. These are seemingly educated people – drown them in the creek! People can be freaky!

I leave you with that.
Peg – Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog!

October 31 - November 7, 2011

RELOCATIONS: GREAT WEEK! Total of 20 placed this week.

4 Barn in Commerce
3 Barn in Lorena (south of Waco)
1 Into an adoption program
3 Barn in Joshua
2 Garage/shed in Highland Village
3 1 adopted and 2 to a group
4 Barn in Blue Ridge

That Blue Ridge relocation was hard. I had “The Triplets” (Peter, Paul, & Mary) since 7/25/11. They were in a cage in my family room. I have never seen such playing, chasing, wrestling even in a cage! BUT – I had to let go. They deserve a place to play and really enjoy their young lives. The Blue Ridge location was perfect. …I will always remember The Triplets!

Trial in Dallas: The former head of the Dallas Animal Shelter went on trial this week for Animal Abuse. A feral cat got loose and somehow got into one of the walls. He would not cut the wall to get the cat out…but…waited until it had DIED and then they tore it out to get at the body. This is sick! Hope they throw the book at him.

Next week will be tough – many relocations, many sites to pick up equipment, and many other commitments (meetings). Talk to you again after that week is over.

Peg – Thanks for following the Barn Cat Blog!