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This is my Mother, Judith. She was one of a kind.

Happy Mother's Day, Mother.

We just got back from visiting OC. He's doing well and his back is healing nicely. He hasn't had his dental yet, but will soon. We gave him a mousey toy covered in cat nip (of course!), which he liked to sniff, but he certainly preferred being petted or held. He has a quiet, but sweet purr.

It's too early to make any declarations that OC is spoken for, but, at least, a potential adopter is considering coming to visit him today! Cross your paws or fingers for OC. Hope he finds his way to a loving home soon!

I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that I don't have any word on Orange Cat today. I'm very pleased that so many folks have written, expressing their love and concern for both OC and his former owner. It's just one of thousands of sad stories across this country, but that doesn't diminish the sharp pain of this situation for all involved.

I can tell you that OC was slated to have his broken tooth removed yesterday. Not sure if that was done yet or not. I can also add that I'll be going over to pick up some meds for my kitties today, so I will stop by and visit OC while I'm there-if I won't be in the way.

Until then, I'll keep hoping we find a good home for this sweet kitty. Please contact me if you want to know more about how you can adopt or foster Orange Cat!

This is one of the saddest things I've ever read. I can feel this person's pain in giving up their companion, Scotch. They must have really been in a tough place to have to make such a decision. At least he or she was compassionate enough to hope that by leaving their cat in a crate by the door of my Vet's office that he would take in this homeless cat and give him the care and shelter he desperately needs. I'm really proud of everyone at my Vet's office for going out of their way to give this guy the medical attention and love he needs.

I realize you could look at this note and think that the person who wrote it was cruel, but I don't believe that. I believe they didn't realize they could ask for help and that there are many people who could have stepped in so this person didn't have to lose their beloved friend.

If I could talk to this person, I'd tell them that their cat is being looked after. His broken tooth will be removed and his bad allergies to something are being treated. In good time and with any luck, he'll be looking great and feeling great, too. If you had to surrender your cat, at least you did what you could to be kind to him, as it's obvious this cat has known love.

Orange Cat, as he is called now, perked up when I first met him. He started to "knead" the floor of his cage before I even petted him. I'm told he would rather be petted than play with any toy. He seems to be very mellow and sweet. He even "chatted" with me a bit when I spoke to him.

Orange Cat is between 8-9 years old. Is neutered and UTD on his shots. He's being treated for dermatitis, which may or may not be something his new owner will have to work with. Other than that, he's robust and sweet and outgoing.

Let's find this Good Boy a home. If you'd like to know more about Orange Cat, or make arrangements to meet him, please use the "Contact Robin Here" link on the bottom left of this page. Orange Cat is located in western CT.

This is my little wild child, LuLu. She's one of five kittens born to a very feral Mama. I don't know the details, but perhaps because Mama wouldn't let anyone NEAR her babies, all the kittens are throwing
hissy fits when humans get close.

Mama has been spayed and released to a loving caretaker, who'll look after her needs for the rest of her life. We've been trying to socialize MaMa's offspring, but they aren't havin' NONE of that!

In hopes that we can turn some of them around, our Director removed the sole female and brought her to me. She seemed the best of the "worst"-having the most potential to be successfully socialized. Her brothers are being worked with, too, but they are so fractious, it doesn't look good. It's Tough Love Boot Camp time!

I don't like to separate kittens, but this little one is already about 10 weeks old. She was spayed yesterday and if I'm going to turn her around, it better be soon. I'm pleased to say that she's already become more relaxed with us and she's even started to purr.

Okay, Sam got her to purr FIRST, but only after I got her warmed up good!

Sadly, LuLu's brothers will probably be released to the same property where their Mama is living. We have some very awesome socializers who feel that they just can't get through to these fellas. It's a shame. LuLu may be the only one of the litter who stands a good chance of living a comfortable life with a good family. Ultimately it's up to her. We'll see how things unfold.

It's been less than a week since I saw a "Tweet" (less than 140 character update) from one of my contacts on Twitter. The message was a desperate plea for rescue groups or potential adopters to get their asses down to Georgia, where KILL-Shelters are everywhere and many animals had less than 24 hours to live.

I couldn't sleep for thinking of the PUPPIES, litters of KITTENS, frightened adults, that are all either dead by now or on death row, with only days to go before their time is up, too.

Even though I have a level of awareness about these conditions, I realize I can't fix it by myself, so I tell myself it's just going to happen and I have to accept it. But just because I can't fix it myself, doesn't mean I can't do MORE to fix it.

The big question here is HOW do we FIX this problem? Is the answer to outlaw KILL shelters? Sounds good to me. When do we, as a country, say to ourselves, this has GOT TO STOP. THE KILLING HAS TO END HERE AND NOW. It is NOT acceptable to kill animals solely with the excuse that there's no room, no homes, nothing we can do. Once we reach that point, the killing stops, until then, does it really help to offload the crowded shelters where they DO euthanize or does it just give them more vacancies to fill and more animals on the list to be killed next?

I honestly don't know. I'd like to know what other folks think about this. The people who work at these hellacious places-how do they LIVE with themselves? What have they told themselves so that they can look in the mirror in the morning and not hate what they see? I can't imagine a worse job. I have a great deal of compassion for their suffering. Personally, I don't think...no, I know; I couldn't live if I had to kill animals for a living.

So I was ready to drive to Georgia and grab a handful of animals. It would be like taking a grain of sand off a mountaintop. Instead, I spoke with some very nice ladies at Kat5. They have the know-how to do animal transporting and together we're going to come up with a plan to begin rescuing some litters of kittens. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Our group here in town will partner with Kat5 and depending on resources will aim on being a helping hand to the KILL Shelters during our slow months. That way we continue to help our community and extend ourselves whenever possible. I'll take on as many foster kittens as I can. It'll never be enough, but it's something.

We're also setting up to do our first transport of kittens from another struggling group in NY state. They rescue animals from kill shelters, too, so even though our first group will be from NY, the lives are no less important.

If I hadn't read that one Tweet, I'd be sitting in my foster room with a single feral kitten who needs socializing, thinking I'm doing my part. I realize now, that I'm not even close to doing my part. I have to find ways to do more, be more effective and save more lives.

...Cause baby, that's what it's all about. Getting the chance to live a decent life, with a good family, a warm, full belly and a heart full of joy.

Last year I wrote a post about Baby, a lonely stray who's being fed at a local business.

Some time after my post aired, I got an excited email from Trapper-Jeanne. She thought Baby looked VERY familiar. We spoke for a few minutes on the phone about where Baby was being fed. Jeanne had once fed a similar cat at the back of her family's hardware store. One day the cat disappeared. Jeanne figured, like most cats living outdoors, that the cat had died. Thankfully, Jeanne was wrong. When we compared photos, it was clear that the mystery cat was Baby and he is being fed about 1/4 mile from that same hardware store.

The last time Jeanne saw this cat was in 2006!

(2006. Behind the hardware store. Initial sighting. By Trapper Jeanne)

I just had a weekend feeding with Baby and it was great to see him again. He came right over to me, meowing all the way. He wouldn't get too close to me, but he did happily chomp down his food, once I took a few steps back. I'd love to trap Baby in the winter and see if he can be socialized further, but if it didn't work, I fear his release would be more dangerous for him. He's looks vigorous and healthy, even chubby.

Happy Spring, Baby! Glad you survived another winter.

It worked! Below is a crappy photo of a Tufted Titmouse grabbing a big wad of cat fur for her nest. Yay!

Part Two of Two.

I looked around and found Nora. She drives me crazy. She sheds so profusely that I don't even want to pet her for fear of covering the globe with her fur. I sat down next to Nora and began to brush her. She LOVED it. I brushed and brushed and I admit I should have maybe read the directions, first, because I ended up giving Nora a thin spot on the center of her back, but if you look, you'll see my first stab at what I got off her in just a few minutes.

Now I can make a new cat or a cat toupeè! Woohoo!

The Furminator is a pleasure to use. Most of the cats enjoy it, though I do have a slight reservation over using it on long-haired coats. Spencer's coat is so thick and long that it feels like he might be experiencing some pulling that would cause him to feel uncomfortable. I need to spend more time with him to really form an opinion.

For short-haired cats, I would not hesitate to recommend a Furminator. I think it's a fantastic tool and because the cat enjoys it so much, it can help owners have some nice bonding time with their companion animals, but as their web site suggests, groom your animal somewhere you can vacuum easily. Once the fur starts to come off, it can make a big mess. To me, it's a big HAPPY mess because I know once it's cleaned up, perhaps there will be less cleaning up in the future?

All the fur on the left is just from NORA (second brushing) and from the pkg to the right, is a mix of a few of the other kitties' fur.

While there's no perfect tool to work with all the issues of a cats' coats, for getting rid of that dense undercoat, the Furminator can't be beat. It's clearly a standout over anything I've used before and I certainly will not be parted from my Furminator, ever again (cue music!).

I've also coined a new phrase, for the "de-shedded" fur. I call them: FURMAINS.

Here's a fun thing to do with your Furmains: put them out in the spring for the birds to use as nesting material! Rather ironic, but it works!.

For more information on the Furminator De-Shedding Tool and where you can purchase one, visit their website: http://www.furminator.com

I need to take time to put my thoughts in order. Over the past 24 hours a lot has happened, and, with any luck, the beginning of something really positive moving forward.

In the meantime, please visit Nationwide Cat Rescue.

If you're considering adopting a cat, there you'll find listings, by state, of cats who are in dire need of placement into a foster home or forever home. Many of these cats are on Death Row and may only have a day or more to live before being euthanized.

I'd appreciate it, too, if you would forward this information to your friends, so they can get the word out. The more we post, the more chances people will step up and help these poor creatures before it's too late.

We need to take a stand and reach out, get involved. If you can FOSTER these animals, it would make a huge difference, even if you can't adopt them. Now get out there and save a life!