Blog 08/11/14 to 08/17/14  Blog on Vacation until Sept. 7th 

Relocations and In Take

Our Cats after Release

Bad Calls/Emails:   Elderly Lady in Keller   

BMG (Bitch/Moan/Groan):  Feral Cats in Denison

OMG (Oh My God):  Barn Cat Failure!

 

Relocations and In Take:   Placed 8 this week with intake at 1.       

1          Barn in Whitesboro (Chatty Cathy)

7          Bonham Rescue

The barn in Whitesboro (AIR CONDITIONED) asked for a second cat this week!

                                                                             

Our Cats after Release:  Picked up equipment in 5 locations this week.        

1.      Royse City:  Axle and Leo went to this barn.  The owner had seen Leo but not Axle until last Wednesday night – and there he was!  So – all is well in Royse City.

2.      Duncanville:  Pippa and Willa are both handing out at this backyard/garage in Duncanville.  Pippa has even let Clarence pet her. 

3.      Melissa:  Elvira and Sandy have both moved INTO THE HOUSE!   Way to go girls! 

4.      Celina:  Ms. Kitty was placed on this patio/store room in Celina.  All was well until last Wednesday.  She did not come home that evening and has not been seen sense.  Hope she goes home – it was such a nice place for her.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

5.      Lipan:  Kiki, Mommy, and Patches have not been seen but the food is disappearing and the litter box used.  This group was pretty reclusive but hope they show themselves soon. 

6.      Whitesboro:  Nemo is doing great and they even asked for a second cat! 

7.      Collinsville:  Camden, Blackpool, and Mama have acclimated to this garage/storage room in Collinsville.  Mama has even let the owner pet her.  So – great news!

8.      Collinsville:  Laverne, Shirley, and Rita went to this barn/Noah’s Arc.  Laverne and Shirley are following the owner around and bring very friendly.  Rita is under the hay and is taking care of business! 

Bad Calls/EMAILS:  Elderly Lady in Keller

This woman took in a kitten that is now 9 month old.  It is feral and has never “come around”.  She tried to pick it up and got severely scratch ending up in the hospital.  SOOOO – I received a call from an employee at a vet clinic who was just look for help for her.  I called a rescuer in Keller who will try to capture this cat early next week.  We shall see….  Elderly people are often difficult to work with because they will not quit feeding long enough for the cat to NEED FOOD and go into the trap after it.  Hope it works!  

    

BMG:  Feral Cats in Denison

I received a call from someone who has feral cats in her yard with kittens that are sick AND NO TRANSPORTATION.  You know…sometimes you just want to scream.  Denison is 1 ½ hours from Lewisville.  I gave her some more local resources but I’ll bet she did not follow through         

OMG:  Barn Cat Failure 

Received the following email:   “I have failed miserably in updating you on Tinker Bob, fka "Bobbi." Well, she has improved from a Vampire Kitty to a Stealth Kitty, and finally she has become a Family Kitty. She will brave the attentions of the three year old, if it means a good petting.   She sheds terribly but she's fat and sassy now. Where she used to dash between the rails of the baby gate to get to safety...well, now it's more of a squeeze and wiggle.  She won't jump on or over anything, either...the most she'll do is get on our bed. We still think she has problems with her hind legs.   She has even claimed her spot on the bed during the daytime and howls at me if naptime doesn't start on time.  She loves to snuggle up high on our shoulders, pushing her head under an ear, and when she gets tired of the exposed side getting all the petting, she rearranges herself on the other side. She's not stingy with giving us her attention, either.  Every few minutes she will get off my shoulders and go to her daddy, and a few minutes later, she'll return to me...over, and over, and over.  She's the first cat we've ever had that has had claws. Since she has such a terror of the outdoors, she will never be anything but an indoor kitty.   She hasn't torn up anything.  Actually, she lets me trim the sharp points off her claws!  She's truly a wonderful cat, even though she never accomplished her original purpose. She's made up for her "outdoor failings" by being an outstanding kitty indoors.  Thanks so much for your part in finding a good kitty a good home.”

“Thanks” for following the Barn Cats Blog.  See you on September 7th!          Peg

Blog 08/04/14 to 08/10/14     

Relocations and In Take

Our Cats after Release

Bad Calls/Emails:   Feral with a Microchip  

BMG (Bitch/Moan/Groan):  TOO HOT NOW!

OMG (Oh My God):  All Cages Now Full

Remembering Rebecca

Relocations and In Take:   Placed 9 this week with intake at 14.       

1          Barn in Whitesboro (Nemo)

5          Adoption Group (Sara, Alice, Ebony, Ellie Mae, Stripes)

3          Bonham Rescue

The barn in Whitesboro is AIR CONDITIONED!   Wanted them to take 10 cats instead of just 1!

                                                                             

Our Cats after Release:  Picked up no equipment this week.        

1.      Justin:  The barn owner brought back the equipment to us this week so I did not get to see Beetle Juice.  But, he is doing well and has brought Blossom out of her shell – GOOD JOB BEETLE JUICE!    

Bad Calls/EMAILS:  Feral with a Microchip

I received a text from a local rescuer who is vacationing in Montana.  She received notification from Dallas Animal Services that one of her cats was picked up and the chip traced back to her.  Now, because she is out of state, the cat could be euthanized because there is no way she can get it.  SO – Barn Cats to the rescue!   We will get the cat first of the week after the paperwork has cleared.  The bad news is that there is some sort of mix up with the microchips.  She does not chip her ferals but does for the friendlier cats.  It appears that is a friendly cat that was NOT chipped – bummer.  But – this one will be saved!

BMG:  TOO HOT NOW! 

I hate when it gets too hot (or too cold) to put out any cats.  We cannot put a cat in a cage in a 100 degree barn … unless it is air conditioned (one in a million – see above in Whitesboro), or there is great air flow (usually older barns were build to take advantage of natural flow), or there are fans everywhere.  It is just safer to wait, so that is where we are now.    

OMG:  All Cages Now Full

I am now putting people off until mid-September when the weather cools down.  Most take it well but some are pissed!  Sorry – just TNR and wait for cooler temperatures. 

Remembering Rebecca:  Many years ago when I was doing regular adoptions, I picked up a semi-feral mom with a bunch of kittens.  All the kittens “turned” and got safe indoor homes except for one, Ian (orange/white) that has some health issues.  Ian passed away on 2011 but his mom lasted until last week.  She was 14 or 15 years old.  She had a stroke over Tuesday night and died on Thursday 8//7/14.  Over the last several months Rebecca had become friendlier, sitting next to me on the couch and actually wanting to be petted.  Maybe she knew her time was limited with us.  I really miss her!   

“Thanks” for following the Barn Cats Blog.  See you next week!          Peg

Blog 07/28/14 to 08/03/14     

Relocations and In Take

Our Cats after Release

July Closeout

Bad Calls/Emails:   Release of Cats

BMG (Bitch/Moan/Groan):  Got that Cat from Animal Services

OMG (Oh My God):  Feral Cats in Gladewater, Texas

Relocations and In Take:   Placed 15 this week with intake at 8.       

3          Barn in Collinsville (Laverne, Shirley, Rita)

3          Barn in Collinsville (Camden, Blackpool, Mama)

3          Barn in Lipan (Mommy, Kiki, Patches)

2          Backyard in Duncanville (Willa, Pippa)

1          Barn in Justin (Beetle Juice)

2          Barn in Royse City (Leo, Axle)

1          Back porch in Celina (Ms. Kitty)

July Closeout:  We placed a total of 39 which is good because I was out of town for 3 weeks.  The county count was 7.

                                             Collin          Dallas        Denton        Erath       

                                             Fannin        Grayson   Hunt            

                                                                             

Our Cats after Release:  Picked up equipment in 5 locations this week.        

1.      Gunter:  Poppy and Mrs. O'Hara went to this barn in Gunter.  I did not see them but Poppy was spotted on Saturday night late.  GOOD! 

2.      Royse City:  Louie, Nikki, and Grace went to this barn.  It was raining and we did not see anyone. 

3.      Union Valley:  Susie, Chloe, and Daisy went here to this potting shed.  The property owner was not home so we did not get to go inside…just got the equipment (still raining) and went home. 

4.      Southlake:  Midnight, Callie, and Princess went to this barn.  The ranch manager had brought the equipment to the side of the house – so we did not get to see any of the kitties! 

Bad Calls/EMAILS:  Release of Cats

I am getting lots of calls from folks needing to release cats.  We help when we can but like everyone else we cannot take them all.  I have 18 cages and when they are full – we are full until some are placed in barns.  The other issue is that we never take kittens:  they can be carried off by a hawk in the daytime or an owl at night.  Also, we have to be careful this time of the year and not put cats in a 100 degree barn for a 2-week relo period.  If there is a fan, it helps but some barns do not even have electricity.  I am ready for Fall!

BMG:  Got that Cat from Animal Services

From last week, the cat from Lancaster Animal Services bit a vet tech at the clinic we use.  The clinic cat, Sugar, spooked her when they were taking blood for the leukemia test…so…now she is in 10-day rabies quarantine.  OH BROTHER!  She was at Lancaster for 2 months and we are sure she will come clean – but this is the law…so…Chatty Cathy stays at the clinic for 10 days. 

     

OMG:  Feral Cats in Gladewater, Texas

Gladewater is outside of our service area…2 hours travel time in and around Dallas/Fort Worth.  BUT – we will try and help out if we can.  Animal Services has told this lady to get rid of our outside cats and she has found a group in Kilgore to help her.  They have connections with a BIG RANCH with multiple barns in Gilmer.  I am concerned that they may not be familiar with the way to contain the cats so they have a successful relocation.  Barn Cats will go to Gilmer and use our caging if they need help.  We shall see if they call.   

“Thanks” for following the Barn Cats Blog.  See you next week!          Peg