The Little Brother

 In recent days, this blog has been about Orange Kitty, variously called Reds and now, thanks to his injury and Bea's Mom recently watching Thor, Odin. But I've mentioned before that he's not the only special kitty who needs saving this Christmas, not even the only one in our situation.

Meet Scoots, aka Rascal, aka Loki.

 Loki showed up after Odin did, his "owners" apparently deciding that one cat that they didn't take care of wasn't enough. Both kitties got kicked outdoors once their "owners" decided they didn't want to deal with the neutering.

If possible, Loki is even more loving and sweet than Odin. He follows people around, mewing, asking to be taken home with them.

He'll flop over on the pavement (as you can see) and show his belly, asking for loooove. (Also, sunbeams. 'Cause it's gotten cold, even here in Phoenix.)

So while we seek a home for Odin, we also seek one for Loki.  The two aren't from the same litter, but they are a pair (they'll cuddle and play) so if you're looking for a perfect duo, two cats to entertain each other, these could be your babies.   

And finally, a quick update on Orange Kitty/Red/Odin: He still seems to be improving, although that is a guess from us, since we're not ophthalmologists, nor do we have fancy equipment. Unfortunately, the situation with Beatrice (who is violently angry and making herself sick because there is another cat in her house) and with her mom (who is not angry, but who is getting sick because there's just too many allergens in the house) has reached a tipping point. We are taking him to the vet to be boarded for a few days, in the desperate hope that we can find a foster home for him before either of us leave for the holidays. The vet will be equipped to care for his eye and he'll have a condo with a view (no, seriously, he gets a window.)  He'll also get vaccinated today, so that's a good thing.

But this is a very short term, very temporary fix.  Please, please, please, talk to everyone you know, even if they're not in the Phoenix area, because they might know someone who is, and who could take in this sweet, adorable, loving, injured kitty who has been abused and abandoned and yet is still so cuddly and desiring of human affection, even if just for a few weeks.

Desperately Seeking Foster Home

The generosity of friends and strangers is amazing.  Thanks to you-- those who could donate and those who spread the word-- we've raised enough money to cover Red's first (emergency) vet bill, his first ophthalmologist appointment (yesterday's) and, I think, his ophthalmologist check-up in 9 days.

If he needs surgery... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Bea's Mom isn't sure if he's doing better or not-- it's probably too soon to say-- but the eye isn't drying out (that's good!) and he's acting normal (that's good!) and she's managing to get ... most of his medicine in him (that's mostly good!)

Unfortunately, having another cat in the house has made Beatrice angry (to the point of making herself sick) and it's making Beatrice's mom sick.  (She's allergic to cats in general, although has gotten used to Beatrice.  Having another cat in the house has pushed her system past the tipping point and she's already gotten a rash and a bloody nose... Lovely, huh?)  And she's leaving town very soon, too, for the holidays.  So at this point, our biggest, most pressing, and most frustrating, need is a foster home.  (A forever home would be even better, of course!)

Please, please, please, if you can open your house and home to this skittish but very friendly and loving boy, let us know. We're in the Phoenix area, and can drive him to you. For a forever home, I'm willing to drive sooper far, but since we'd have to get him *back* from a foster home, I'd say only a few hours distance from Phoenix is logical.  If you aren't nearby or can't take him in, please, please, please keep boosting the signal of this blog and this need?

(Also, while Red's need is immediate, don't forget that his brother, sometimes called Scavenger Kitty, sometimes called Scoot or Rascal, a black medium-haired boy who wants attention like nobody's business, is also seeking a home.  Could you or someone you know be the holiday miracle for either of these boys?)

So, good thoughts that Red can keep his eye.  And good thoughts that we can get him at least a temporary home asap. 

Holiday Miracle Time?

As you may have noticed, after the debacle of the feral colony and the bullying management, I removed myself from cat rescue (including this blog.) Not that I'd ever gone *looking* for trouble before, but still. But once a sucker-- er, rescuer-- always one, I suppose...


My friend, Beatrice's Mom, had neighbors with two cats. However, because these neighbors didn't bother to get these two cats, both male, neutered, they sprayed indoors. So the cats were kicked out. And the cats were not treated well when they were around the humans anyway. And then the humans stopped paying rent and were evicted and they left these two cats behind.


The cats are incredibly friendly and desperately want attention. They'll follow me partway to my car when I've been visiting. Bea's Mom and I did what we could to keep them comfortable-- Bea's mom has been feeding them, and once it started to get cool (and sometimes rainy) here, we made them snug little shelters. And they were scheduled to get neutered this week. We hadn't had any luck finding homes, but at least we were making them as comfortable as possible.



Warning-- the next part is gross.



Well, two days ago, one of the cats, Red, showed up having clearly been in a fight. Remember when Sir Percy got away from Bea's mom and was attacked, coming home with scratches on his face? Poor Red was like this, only worse. His right eye was bloody and weeping, and Bea's Mom was certain that the eye was actually *gone*.  She managed to catch Red last night and take him to the emergency vet in Gilbert.  $200 later, she was sent home without much in the way of answers (but with some painkillers and antibiotics) and a stern recommendation to keep Red inside and to get him to an ophthalmologist asap.

Eye Care for Animals actually has Saturday hours in south Scottsdale, and they squeezed Red in between surgeries.  (We're grateful to them-- by squeezing us in, we didn't have to pay the after-hours cost which would have been $200 more.)


Red will probably never regain vision in his right eye. There's clearly been a lot of bleeding in it, and there's swelling.  To complicate matters, there's a corneal abrasion, too, which means that the best treatment for the swelling (steroids) can't be used because it'd pretty much melt the eyeball. (I'm paraphrasing.) The good news is that his left eye is perfectly fine, meaning that if he doesn't have vision in the right, he'll still be able to get around just fine. Also, the bleeding seems to have stopped, also good. Oh, and while the emergency vet thought that the eye pressure was quite high, by this afternoon at the ophthalmologist, it was down in the perfectly normal range. 


So we were sent away with many meds (painkillers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, a lubricant and ... something else. Perhaps Bea's Mom can fill me in on the last.) And now we wait-- we'll go back in 10 days or so to see if things are improving. If he seems comfortable, blind or not, then that's good.


But if he's not-- if things get worse, or if pressure builds, or the eye dries out, etc., then the eye will need to be removed. Please send your prayers and good thoughts to Red, that he heals up quickly and healthily.

The emergency vet cost Bea's Mom $178. Today's ophthalmologist cost $259. Surgery would cost $1500. If you can help with Red kitty's eyes, please contact Bea's Mom at Flurije@gmail.com


AND, even more importantly, frankly, is finding him a home. (And ideally one for his brother, a fluffy black kitty, too, although it doesn't need to be the same home.)  We're looking for a Forever Home, but we're also looking for a Foster Home. Bea's Mom is leaving town very soon and anyway, Beatrice is a dominant cat who is making life miserable for everyone in the house because of Red's presence.  If you're in the Phoenix/AZ area and could take in a poor injured kitty even just for a few weeks, that would help us (and the kitty) immeasurably. 


Even if you can't help him financially or by providing shelter, it'd be a great help if you'd boost the signal on this post, spread it around.  Getting this kitty healthy and finding him and his brother homes would be a really spectacular winter holiday present to them. They've had a really raw deal from humans so far.

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

You're probably already familiar with the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, or, if you're not, you should be. Once a year, that site and its current foster kittens raise money for the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society. This year, they're trying to raise 50 squillion dollars, and area almost halfway there.  Obviously, it's a great charity to donate to.

But even better, all money raised today (Wednesday 29 June) will go to the spay & neuter programs.  This includes a low-cost program for pet owners, but also a spay & neuter program for ferals in that area.

You can read about it here: Spay & Neuter Day (and Hump Day!)  And I encourage you to donate if you can, since you, as readers of this blog, know about the plight of homeless and feral cats.

"If I had magic powers, I'd wish them compassion, so that they'd understand what they're comdemning these cats to."

"Your heart must be breaking."

Both the complex manager at the first meeting, and a MEB district manager (or whatever-- she never gave me her job title), at the second (and disastrous) meeting, informed me of this.  And yeah, of course I'm saddened (and oh boy, there are other words that come to mind, such as horrified, disgusted, disheartened in humanity, etc.) about the fate of these cats.  But in the moments that this phrase was applied to me I was actually far, far more angry than anything else.  And not even entirely about the cats, but about *people*, specifically *these* people who simply refused to listen to me.  I don't even mean that they refused to agree with me, I mean simply 100% refused to listen to me, as clearly as if they had put fingers in their ears and went, "LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEEEEAAAARR YOOOOUUU," like a five-year old.

I haven't written since that horrific meeting for a number of reasons-- not least of which because nothing has changed. (And the legal system, when it comes to animal abuse, is slow and overburdened, and so I have not yet heard back from the various authorities I contacted about MEB's illegal dumping of the feral cats.  And when I do, depending upon what I hear and what's happening, I might not feel comfortable putting it in such a public forum anyway. We shall see.)  But the other part is because much of what I've been thinking about and feeling is about me rather than the cats, and that wasn't, isn't, the purview of this blog.  That horrible, bullying meeting that day actually changed my worldview about people, and not for the better. 


"I'd wish on them compassion."

During this horrific process, I've been leaning on friends for advice and to simply listen to me rant and rail about the unfairness of it all.  Some of them have been feral caretakers and some of them are simply decent human beings, and I'm grateful to all of them.  And many of them have been *you*, those of you who read this blog, even if you don't comment. 

In speaking with one of said friends last night, Tam, she said something close to the title of this entry-- she'd wish compassion upon these managers so that they'd understand precisely what it is they're doing. 

"We are not killing these cats," one manager insisted to me several times (in both meetings, even.) The first time I pointed out that by taking the cats to the Humane Society, that was precisely what they were doing, even if she herself was not physically the person who took the life of the cat.  Theoretically (and I have expressed before why I do not have a baseline as to what to believe from these managers, no matter how much they insist that they are not and have not lied to me) they are now "removing" the cats and letting them "free" in some other location.  I attempted to explain what precisely that means to the cats-- territorial creatures who (with management's permission!!) had become dependent upon human provided food sources.  Even if the cats were relocated *correctly*-- which is a many week process for each cat!-- there's a strong chance that the cat would not acclimate to its new surroundings and would attempt to get back to its home territory (and likely get hurt or killed in the process.)  And we all know that they are NOT even attempting a proper relocation of the cats. 

These are not people who sit at home pondering ways to make the lives of these cats miserable, nor are they people who genuinely dislike cats (even the ferals.) [They assured me of this so may times that it became a mantra for them, although any rhetorician or speech writer will know that this is false logic given the particular argument has nothing to do with these particular people's feelings.]  These managers honestly believe, as far as I can tell, that they are doing the Good and Right thing by releasing the cats they catch (in really rather terrible traps).  Because their hands aren't the dirty ones, they are able to hide behind the thought that they aren't doing anything wrong, they think they are not causing suffering. And when I tried to enlighten them about the realities, they metaphorically stuffed their fingers in their ears and refused to listen. My wish is like Tam's, that they would suddenly understand what they're actually condemning the cats to.

-----

I have a few more posts in mind for Project-Cat, general type stuff on ferals, on what I did wrong with the project and what feral care-givers should do different, and on how you can help feral cats in general.  I'll be moving from my current location-- for reasons that should be perfectly obvious to anyone reading this blog and man, I hope I never, ever see anyone affiliated with MEB ever again-- and I really and truly and fervently hope that there are no feral cats at my new home.  (Given the size of the feral cat population in this particular metropolitan area... well, fingers crossed at any rate.)  This means that this blog's nature, when I post, will have changed from updates on these particular cats to posts on ferals in general.  I do hope you still read and I do hope you still find something interesting here.  And I will update on specifics whenever possible. 

I promised I'd update

I don't honestly know what to say here.  As far as the cats go, it boils down to this: MEB refused to let them stay, citing health and safety hazards, and are removing them to an undisclosed location. 

If you're looking at that last part and thinking, "Um, that won't work," you're right. Cats are territorial and will do everything they can to come back here to this space.  If you're looking at that last part and thinking,  "Hey, that's illegal," you're also right.  Under AZ Animal Cruelty Laws, you cannot dump a feral cat-- you are not allowed to take them anywhere but the Humane Society.  But if you're also looking at that last part and thinking, "Well, at least they'll have a chance there, unlike the Humane Society," you will see my current dilemma.

A wonderful, kind, and smart feral-cat caregiver, a volunteer with the Foundation for Homeless Cats, was to come with me to this meeting.  She and I met and spoke ahead of time and I had a little bit of hope from this veteran negotiator.

False hope, alas, as when we got to our meeting I was completely blind-sided.  The complex manager had called in two higher managers from MEB and they refused to allow the volunteer to stay and talk.  This was, apparently, about a "resident concern" and thus for residents only. 

Let me tell you, guys, it was awful.  Imagine being taken to the principal's office with your teacher and your guidance counselor there, all of them thinking you're a recalcitrant child in need of severe behavior modification.  (Later, when I pointed out that I'd been blind-sided, they had the gall to say, "Well, you brought someone."  And I responded with, "Yeah, and you made her leave.")

Clearly the purpose of this meeting as far as these three managers were concerned was to get me to shut up and to have you all stop writing to them.  It seems that they honestly don't care what anyone thinks except their residents (and their residents have said only negative things about the cats.  I pointed out that angry people are the 10% who are vocal-- what about the 30% who are neutral and the 60% who are happy to let the cats stay?  They said that wasn't their experience.  Well... yeah, by definition of those other 90% not being vocal!) Not caring what potential renters might think? Seems short-sighted to me.

They've been taking down my flyers because they are "Solicitation." Since I don't try to sell anything, that would be completely untrue.  Not to mention, those flyers are posted directly next to other flyers THAT ARE SELLING THINGS.  So, uh, solicitation?

The only two resident complaints that they shared with me were one: a small child was attacked by a feral cat recently.  Uhh... No.  I'm not saying that the mother claiming this is lying (although she might be) but I think there must be a lot more to this story that we're no getting because that's not what feral cats do.  When I pointed that out, I was dismissed with, "well, maybe it was stray or a pet or whatever, but it can't be there." And they suggested that children may run after a feral, corner it, and get scratched.  My thought there, as I'm sure any responsible parent or sane person would have is, "Teach the freakin' kids not to chase strange animals!" but again, no.  And secondly, they complained about the smell near my building.  I will admit that Sir Percy's penchant for spraying made the area slightly pungent.  I pointed out his story, and that he's been removed.  They said that I couldn't promise that it was that cat doing the spraying.  I said, actually, that I could, because all the other males have been neutered.  They refused to believe me.

I tried everything I could, although I'm not a skilled negotiator.  They had all the cards in this situation-- a veiled threat not to let me renew my lease (I so don't care) atop the whole ganging up on me thing.  THREE OF THEM against me.  Sure, they had the temerity to claim that they were all there out of concern for me, because I'm a resident and had registered a complaint, but I'm calling them on that BS.

End result... not sure, precisely.  They claim that they took the three cats they've caught the Humane Society but that upon finding out that they were going to be killed, they did not leave them there but took them to a housing development elsewhere where they had permission to leave the cats.

There are holes in that story, however.  If they're using only one trap, how did they catch three cats and take them to this special location? If they caught one and found that out and took the cat elsewhere, then took he others elsewhere, that might make sense- but when I asked the manager last week she said that three cats had been taken to the Humane Society.  Today she said she hadn't known, and that since then they've changed their mind.  Well... that doesn't make sense.

And the larger problem-- dumping cats, even ferals, elsewhere is ILLEGAL.  No two ways about it-- it's part of AZ's anti-cruelty laws, as I stated above.  I said as much to them, and I was informed that their attorneys said it was okay.  Well, I don't know what loop-hole they've found, but it's not.

I suggested that I would be fine with everything if two things happened:
1. They removed the cats in a safe, humane, and effective manner--- which includes keeping the cats contained at the new location for several weeks.  (A 21 day period is suggested by this group, for example)
2. That they offer me some proof that they have permission to move the cats to this location.

They FLATLY denied both. Flat out. Offered nothing in return.  Claimed I was giving them an ultimatum (they said I was free to do whatever I liked but they were equally free to not renew my lease.) They said their attorneys wouldn't let them tell me where the cats are being taken (could this be the way they're getting around the fact that it's ILLEGAL!?) 

I said that between being blind-sided by this meeting and their refusal to listen, I had no real reason to trust any of them without some kind of proof.  They said they'd never lied to me-- well, a) first time for everything and b) ... isn't that what a liar would say?

Look, bottom line? I believe that they think that they're doing the right thing.  They honestly believe that they're at risk because of the cats and that by removing them they'll be fine.  (They're wrong, but nevermind that.)  And if they actually are taking the cats to some undisclosed location (or a sanctuary in Mesa, supposedly as their second location), they undoubtedly again believe that at least they aren't getting the cats euthanized. 

Because I heard them say that this is what they're doing-- all three of them said it at one point or another-- I could legitimately report them to the police's anti-animal-cruelty division.  But I'm terrified that if I do, they'll simply revert to taking the cats to the Humane Society.  And okay, that option's legal but equals death.  On the other hand, there's a reason that dumping a cat is illegal and considered cruel-- they're away from their food source, their familiar territory, and if they're just dumping the cats in the desert, well, they're just sentencing them to death anyway, but a longer and more painful one. 

So I'm at a loss. And the cats have lost, too.

Fingers Crossed

 I will be meeting with the complex management again tomorrow (today, for most people reading this, I should think, and technically "today" for me, too) so please keep the free-roaming cats and I in your thoughts and your fingers crossed. 

If you haven't written to MEB about the choice to kill the free-roaming/feral cats, now would be a *wonderful* time to do so (and please share this blog around-- maybe friends, family, or coworkers might like to chime in on this lousy situation?)  This kind of support could really help in tomorrow's meeting.  (The meeting is at 4pm AZ time and I'll try to post about it immediately after.  If you haven't emailed/called MEB by 4pm AZ time tomorrow, that doesn't at all mean that your call/email isn't helpful, it's just that it'd be more immediately helpful before hand...)

MEB Phoenix offices: 602-279-5515  info@mebmgmt.com

Links: Successful Feral Colonies

Since there's no news today (ie: MEB still trapping, still taking down my flyers, etc.), I thought I'd direct you to a couple of articles on feral colonies where everyone has learned to live together.  Most people who care for feral cats won't give away the location of the colony to anyone but another caregiver.  No one wants to encourage people abandoning pets there (or, frankly, anywhere), or call attention to themselves/the cats to be blamed for whatever feral cats are being blamed for today.  But here are places where free-roaming, neutered, managed colonies are successful-- with stabilized numbers and healthy cats.  And don't forget, of course, that feral cat colonies are, in some ways, very helpful-- they keep away mice, rats, voles, scorpions (for which I am grateful) and other things you usually have to pay an exterminator to come put down poison for. (If Villagio is successful in killing the feral cats currently here, they will find an increase in vermin.  Which will, in turn, attract more feral cats-- this time un-neutered ones-- and they will find themselves back to a full colony in no time.  See yesterday's post on the Vacuum Effect for more information.)

Atlantic City Boardwalk Cats: This colony has been there since the 1880s.  Free-roaming colonies?  Not a new situation.

Coronado Cats of Phoenix: A neighborhood in historic downtown Phoenix which has banded together to take care of their feral cat situation using TNR.  You think the dozen or so cats at Project-Cat is a lot? They've already TNRed 250 (!!!) and aren't done yet!

Disneyland:At the happiest place on earth, feral cats keep out the unwanted mice -- not including Mickey!! -- attracted by the detritus of the average tourist.

The Los Angeles Flower District: Carnations were being eaten by rats, ruining heir stock, but they found a green solution in hiring feral cats to work for them!

LAPD:  (Also a second article on a different precinct) Rats and mice were destroying records, burrowing into bicycle officers' gear and generally causing an uproar -- until several stations installed FE-9 units to combat the problem!

For more information on Los Angeles area working cats-- feral colonies located in specific places  (after neutering, micro-chipping, etc.), visit the Voice for the Animals Foundation website. They seem like a really awesome program and I salute them! 

It seems that the  San Fransico ASPCA has a similar program for saving feral cats by making them "working cats", with some information available.

Sadly, I can find nothing similar in AZ.  So as per usual, the best bet for these cats is to stay right here, where they're happy and healthy and cared for. Tell MEB what you think about this colony: info@mebmgmt.com and 602-279-5515.

Meeting on Thursday

The apartment complex manager and I will be meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.  Please keep your fingers crossed.  And keep emails and phone calls coming.  MEB should know that they are in the spotlight for this, that people who care are watching their choice here.

I'm not sure that they care, mind you.  They took down my informative fliers less than 24hours after I put them up. Nicely done, MEB-- take down a community item  from he community board (covering up, might I point out, some rather truly offensive curse words etched into the cork).  There are no guidelines, no rules about the corkboards, no one has to look at them if they don't want to. People in the community advertise there all the time-- none of it is from management.  But my fliers?  Oh no, that's apparently bad.  Well, I have more.

Since there's nothing else to report, here's an interesting article on the Vacuum Effect--in other words, why Catch & Kill, as MEB is doing, doesn't work.  Read it here.

MEB: 602-279-5515
info@mebmgmt.com

Not Much to Report

I haven't posted this weekend because I've been dealing with a stomach flu.  (Seriously unpleasant.)  But you're here about the cats, not me, so let's see...

There has been no activity at the trap since Friday afternoon.

I have spoken with the founder of the Foundation for Homeless  Cats for advice.  Also, I received an email from the complex manager saying she was willing to take other solutions to the cat problem, so I have asked to meet with her this week.

I put up flyers just this evening (I wanted to do it on Saturday morning, but, uh, see above re: stomach flu) explaining to residents, in case they don't know, precisely what a feral cat is, where they come from, and how they've been managed (ie: TNR).

And really, that's all I can report at the moment, but I will post more when more happens.  Keep your fingers crossed, and if you haven't already contacted MEB to let them know what you think of their choice, please do so (info@mebmgmt.com and 602-279-5515)-- it'd be great if they had lots of messages to come in to Monday morning. 

The people who hate cats (feral or otherwise) tend to be the most vocal, but they aren't in the majority.  I think it's important that the apartment complex and the management company understand that.  (In fact, according to a poll that Alley Cat Allies conducted via Harris Interactive, more than 80% of Americans nationwide "believe that leaving a stray cat outside to live her life is more humane than having that cat caught and killed."  (14% wanted the cats put down, 5% didn't know.)  This is the kind of thing that the managers need to understand.