Sunday, May 29, 2016



Blog 05/23/16 to 05/29/16


BARN CAT BASH, Sunday, June 5, 2016
Bistecca in Highland Village, 5:30
Reservations Required (email to info@barncats.org for an invitation)

Relocations
Our Cats after Release
Bad Calls/Emails:  Community Cat Feeders
BMG (Bitch/Moan/Groan):  Monday Morning Bitch Out
OMG (Oh My God):  Duke – RIP – Brittle Bone Disease
Auction Items – LIVE Auction

Relocations and In Take:   We had 19 placements this week.  
2          Workshop in Roanoke (Silver, Spot)
3          Barn in Ennis (Sammy, Meara, Barney)
1          Garage in Fort Worth (Buster)
1          Backyard in Dallas (Raven)
6          Adoption Group (6 kittens from LVAS)
3          Barn in Prosper (Fran, Pretty, Amalie)
1          Pool House in Copper Canyon (Benny aka Benedict)
2          Barn in Frisco (Brute, Grayson)

Our Cats after Release:
1.     Double Oak:  Buddy, Bob, and Puddy went to this barn in the backyard of the family home.  Buddy is being spotted but Bob and Puddy are around all the time.  Those two got “attached” in the cat room in side-by-side cages….ahhhhhh!    Glad to know they are doing well.  Bob was trapped by a Barn Cat volunteer in her neighborhood. 
2.     McClendon/Chisholm:  Gracie and Sissy both are living in the garage and protecting the family from rodents and snakes from a nearby pond.  Both are doing well.    
3.     Flower Mound:  Bev and Bob are being illusive in this barn environment.  The food is disappearing but they have not been spotted. 
4.     Bonham:  Willow, Sky, and Mel are doing great in this workshop.  They have going to the family house and looked into the windows and even got an inside cat to come out to play!  HA!
5.     McKinney:  Sammy, Sheba, and Jasper have settled into feed shed in McKinney.  The two Great Pyrs are doing their job and all are safe in McKinney. 
6.     Copper Canyon:  Autumn and Sandy (now Godzilla) – Autumn took off and has not been seen in a week but may still be around who knows.  Godzilla is a great cat and the resident children love him.   GOOD JOB SANDY!

Bad Calls/EMAILS:  Community Cat Feeders
I appreciate people that do TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) and then continue to feed the colony cats throughout their lives.  HOWEVER, from time to time, friendly cats seem to show up at their feeding stations.  Some uncaring person has probably moved away and left their cats to fend for themselves.  BUT – those feeders DO NOT REMOVE the friendly cats!  WHAT?  Get them out of there and into one of the 300-400 adoption groups in the DFW area.  I have done this before about 5 years ago and took in 15 cats from a particular situation.  That same person called last night about some “cats in danger” and mentioned the friendly ones.  GET THEM OUT OF THERE!  When there are lots of cats, we take 2 or 3 each week until the problem is resolved.  Then the number you are feeding is diminished and they are out of danger.  This does not sound like BRAIN SURGERY to me – but I cannot seem to get it over to those feeders.   

BMG:  Monday Morning Bitch Out
The phone rang about 8:30 on Monday morning.  It was a lady who said there were 7 cats she was going to get sterilized on Tuesday but they cannot be returned.  OK – you don’t make a vet appointment without somewhere for them to go.  (just logical – I think)  She continued to talk and talk and talk and I could not get her to stop.  So I YELLED “LISTEN!” – then she called me some bad names and hung up.  OH WELL!  Sorry for the cats in her care. 

OMG:  Duke – RIP – Brittle Bone Disease
A month or so ago, we helped out a person with a cat with a broken leg.  We had her take him to All Care where a leg was removed.  It was broken in multiple places.  She took him home hoping to release him into her backyard.  She decided to keep him inside so he could heal.  SO he was in a bathroom by himself…no other cats!  She discovered ANOTHER LEG PROBLEM mid-week and took him back to the clinic.  Dr. Jill do x-rays and discovered MORE ADDITIONAL BREAKS!  This is never going to get better so Duke was euthanized on Wednesday.  We always do a cremation of cats that have come to us.  POOR DUKE!  But – he did not die alone somewhere without care.  RIP, DUKE! 


Auction Items:  We have a live auction along with the silent auction.  There will be 8 items on the live auction:

  1.    Molded Plastic “Hello Kitty” Shoulder Bag
  2.    2 Pieces of Original Cat-Themed Art from China
  3.     2 Pieces of Original Dog-Themed Art from Hong Kong
  4.    “Sunning Kitty” Oil Painting by local artist, Gaye Kelly
  5.    Hand-Woven and Tied Silk Rug “Tree of Life” from China
  6.    Framed/Numbered Artist Proof “Dream World of Consuelo” by Atlanta Artist Mamie Joe 
  7.    Chef Dinner for Eight at Bistecca   




     
Thanks for following the Barn Cats Blog.  Hope to see you at the BASH!          Peg

Sunday, May 22, 2016



Blog 05/16/16 to 05/22/16


BARN CAT BASH, Sunday, June 5, 2016
Bistecca in Highland Village, 5:30
Reservations Required (email to info@barncats.org for an invitation)

Relocations
Our Cats after Release
Bad Calls/Emails:  Garage Cats
BMG (Bitch/Moan/Groan):  Another Group Doing Barning
OMG (Oh My God):  Equipment Pick Up
Auction Items from China and Africa

Relocations and In Take:   We had 11 placements this week.  
4          Shed in Fort Worth (Princess, Gypsy, Penelope, Olive)
2          Greenhouse in Flower Mound (Marbles, Tiger)
2          Adoption Group (Mocha, Sunshine)
3          Barn in Lucas (Bree, Gilmore, Keeper)

Our Cats after Release:
1.     Denton:  Skip and Roddy were placed in this workshop in the Aubrey area.  Turns out they did not get along but Skip is in the workshop and Roddy is elsewhere on the property.  All is well in Denton! 
2.     Howe:  Umi and Chi survived the Howe tornado and are not exploring the area under the container storage shed on the property where the rats are hiding.  The two Great Pyrenees will keep them safe.  Good to know they are earning their keep.
3.     Celina:  We placed Slim here to be a friends for Grace…except he has turned out to be a bully.  The barn owner is thinking about exchanging him for a different cat.  That is fine with us….trap him and let us know!


      
4.   Waxahachie:  Vegas, Chili, and Grasshopper are currently living in a large workshop area in Waxahachie.  The family keeps ducks and chickens so they are going to have rodents.  The “boys” are working hard and no mice have been spotted since there were released.  They are coming and going via an open window with a pool equipment container on one side and a freezer on the other.  EASY ACCESS!    
5.     Flower Mound:  Mouser, Thumper and Memphis went to the shed off a carport in Flower Mound.  The family has fixed a cat door from a shelf (up high) so other critters (raccoons, skunks, etc.) cannot get in.  The “Three Musketeers” are doing well.  The family is concerned with snakes because they back up to core of engineer’s property next to Lake Grapevine.  I would be afraid, too!  Hope our kids take care of the rodents that would attract the snakes.   

Bad Calls/EMAILS:  Garage Cats
An elderly woman has moved into assisted living.  She had 7 cats living in her garage.  All but 2 are sterilized.  The “family” just locked them out into the yard…thanks!  A friend and a neighbor are trying to get them placed.  They have one trap – I will take one a week until this is resolved. 

BMG:  Another Group Doing Barning
The last couple of weeks, I have run across groups who when faced with the “cannot be returned” say they will “barn” those cats.  They have put the word out on social media and placed 3 cats in a barn today.  I wonder:
1.     Do they know the right questions to ask a barn owner?
2.     Do they know what makes a good set up for the cats vs a poor set up?
3.     Do they recommend the property owner have something for coyote control? (Great Pyrenees dog, donkey, or llama)
4.     Do they have a cage set up that gives the cats some room to move around?
5.     Have they inadvertently set up the cats to fail?
The other issue is that no one person is in charge of this process.  Everyone is looking for barns.  The person I spoke with could not say who I should really speak with.  I told her this had been a problem with another group.  I starting getting copied on 10 to 20 emails a day about the same project and I had to get nasty to get that to stop.  Identify a focal point and give that person my contact info – then we shall see…

OMG:  Equipment Pick Up
We have been delayed on all sides by the continuing rain.  If it is a mud hole around the barn, we cannot get in to get our stuff.  ALSO – we advise the barn owners to not release the cats unless there are several dry days in a row.  The cats could lose scent if the ground is wet and they might not be able to figure out how to get back.  I would rather be late picking up the equipment than have the cats lost.  Enough is enough – let’s get some dry days now.  BUT – not this week either!!!!!!!!

Auction Items:  I will feature items from my travels this week.  Below are framed original art pieces from China, some jewelry from Africa, lucky Chinese coins and much more!


 



 
Thanks for following the Barn Cats Blog.          Peg