Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic

Motherhood is a sacred institution, but not if you're a cat. Motherhood means that the cat will likely be given to a shelter. Not many people want to deal with a cat's offsprings as well as the mama-cat. What's worse, are those who have cats, never get them spayed, then wonder why they're always pregnant. They pay little attention to kittens being born, they're just animals, after all. Did they see four in the shed and now there are only three? Do they wonder where the other one went or what happened to it? Most likely, it's a passing thought at best, while those animals are struggling to survive.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Tansy with daughter, Pattycake. Patty and her brother, Moonpie were adopted by a big family who spare no expense on their care. They are so lucky. Tansy is loving life with her Mamas in North Carolina.

Motherhood is the worst thing I could wish on a cat that isn't a purebred show cat (and I won't get into what I think of THAT right now). It pretty much means they're going to die soon if they're in a shelter. Most shelters aren't equipped to deal with pregnant cats, especially because their offspring can so easily and quickly get sick, then spread that virus through the shelter. They treat the newborns like hot potatoes-MUST get them OUT of the shelter BEFORE it's too late! My own foster cats are a very good example of that. They were born in a shelter and by the time they were 3 weeks old, they were so sick, it will effect the rest of their lives. If we hadn't gotten them out the day we did, they all would have been euthanized.

©2009 Henry Co. Care & Control. Cupid with “Santa's Team.” By the way, Cupid, gained 5 pounds after rescue-she was almost killed by over-nursing kittens. She is adopted and with a family who loves her dearly. Her best buddy is her Nanny, yes she has a Nanny and she's pals with the family dog.

There's no heart for a mama cat within the concrete walls of animal control and the people that work their have their hands tied. I KNOW they want those cats (and dogs) out, but the numbers are rising so fast—especially this time of year, how can they keep up? Where's the town budget to add a quarantine room for newborns? Who would happily see their Property Tax go up to make this happen? Where are the guards at the doors that tell people with pregnant cats they shouldn't even step foot inside a shelter!

©2010 Henry Co. Care & Control. Our own Mazie with Chester, Polly & Cara.

I go back to square one-we all know this: the mamas don't get to BE mama's if they're spayed. There's simply NO excuse not to do it to your cat. There are low cost Spay & Neuter clinics all over the country. Many Humane Societies and Municipal Shelters will offer low cost vouchers. You're doing your cat (or dog) a HUGE disservice leaving it intact. Not only is the cat apt to get mammary cancer and tumors in the uterus and ovaries, but spaying avoids birth complications (DUH!) and no need to find homes for kittens when there aren't enough homes, already! Your cat will greatly reduce its chances of getting FIV+ or FELV! But most importantly, you're preventing MORE cats from being born into a world that cannot handle them-there are TOO MANY CATS and NOT ENOUGH HOMES. That's why SO MANY people who do rescue, end up with more than a handful of cats.

©2009 Robin A.F. Olson. Rose, Poppy and Daisy.

We've got to stop this nonsense. We've got to make sure our neighbors stop this nonsense and take care of their cats, females AND males. We have to tell our neighbor why they MUST do the right thing and make sure it gets done. It takes more than a village, but even if it's just a handful of people who do this, it's a great start.

Maybe someday, not in my lifetime, but someday, we won't have cat overpopulation and allowing cats to have kittens will be thoughtfully controlled. Until then, we need to truly revere Motherhood and respect it and respect the fact that some times NOT being a Mother is the smartest and most appropriate thing we can do.

©2009 Robin A.F. Olson. “Last Chance”-Angel with her son, Spyder.

Today, I sit here feeling sick. I already know there are thousands of Mama cats who have already given birth now that spring is here. Personally, my little rescue group can't even take ONE family in unless we get some foster homes. As for the other rescues, they are full up, overloaded, scrambling to help as many as they can, but with thirteen new mamas at ONE shelter in Georgia and half a dozen at another, WHERE are these cats going to go?

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson. CallaLily and her babies. Callie is doing great in her new home.

I can tell you. They are not going anywhere. They won't even live to see Mother's Day. Is this the legacy we want to leave, as a society?
Where we're overjoyed if a woman is “expecting,” but if a cat, or dog becomes pregnant, odds are, if those animals aren't in a safe and loving home that will care for them, they'll be given up to a shelter and soon, we'll kill them.

©2009 Robin A.F. Olson. “Huggy Mama”, Dash & Snuggles. All got adopted TOGETHER! Yes, all three!

Let's make it a better world for our cats and show them how much we really DO respect and care for them by making certain they're ALL spayed and neutered.

When you take on the responsibility to provide a home for a companion animal, you owe it to that animal to give them a safe, clean, loving place to live for the rest of their life. There is no excuse to do anything less. It's one thing to live in spoiled surroundings, yourself, but it's another to force an innocent creature to do the same.

Home Soiled Home.

That's exactly what some people in McDonough, GA have done. They lived in a perfectly nice home and slowly, but surely, drove it into ruin by their lack of care or concern for anything other than themselves. They didn't care to take out the trash. They couldn't be bothered with putting food away in a cabinet or making the bed. The things we do in our daily life, that we don't even think about, these people couldn't be bothered with. Were drugs involved? It's likely, but I don't know for certain.

They couldn't be bothered with providing their animals with ANY vet care. The cats had litter after litter of kittens. Who knows what happened with the dogs? I can't be compassionate about these people for what they've done to their pets. Frankly, if they want to mess up their lives, that's their path, but to drag their pets into it-that's where I get mad.

You know you're white trash when...

I don't even want to refer to these people as people because clearly they live like animals and that's making animals sound bad. They're disgusting, self-centered, thoughtless. Their animals roam free, not ONE of them is spayed or neutered. Two of the cats are pregnant. Two of the cats, somehow are not, yet.

What would you do if you lived near these people?

The windows are too dirty to photograph through.

One of our own, found out. Our foster mama, Maria lives next to this house. She saw the ruin, the filth. She knew if she called animal control the animals would be put down fairly soon. So, she started a campaign to get these people to do the right thing for their animals. She told them there are low cost Spay/Neuter clinics. There are vouchers to take to any Vet. She offered to get the cats vetted and pay for it! It's not that tough to do right for your pets, but there was one excuse after another as to why it couldn't be done. It was plainly clear that they didn't even understand why taking their cats and dogs to the vet was even necessary.

Maria's blood boiled.

And this is the nicer part of the house.

I spoke to her at great length about what to do. The people were moving. Their current house was foreclosed-no surprise there. They said they would get the cats taken care of after they moved-saying they should have some money by then. Right. I'm sure they were really going to do that. Maria sensed the same “BS.” Maria pushed, asking to, at least, let her get the two that were not pregnant, spayed.

Looks like Christmas got out of hand.

After she thought about the life these cats would face if they stayed with these people, she realized that the only thing she could do was to offer to take the cats and find them a good home-the LAST thing Maria has time or space for, but Maria followed her heart.

Such a contrast. Warm, friendly, yellow walls that are surrounded by garbage.

It's not convenient or easy or cheap to take on two more cats. Maria really struggled, especially because a few of her cats have needed emergency trips to the Vet and it took a big chunk out of her finances. I'm sure she wished these people would step up and do the right thing, but she knew they wouldn't and in fact, just as they were going to move away, they changed the date to a few days earlier, which turned up the heat on Maria. She HAD to act NOW. She couldn't save all their animals which made her feel terrible. She didn't really have the ability to take on these cats, but she did it-she took the cats into her home.

Introducing, Muddles & Cuddles! Which one is which?

Their names are Muddles and Cuddles. One look at them and you'll fall in love. Despite the dreadful living conditions they've been exposed to, they are very affectionate four year old silver tabbies. How these cats managed to not become feral or fearful is a testament to their fortitude. They've suffered for years at the hands of "people" who had no concern for their well being. I doubt they had anything decent to eat and they certainly did not have a litter pan to use or a CLEAN place to sleep.

They were taken from a box of free kittens at a Walmart to live in a dump for the next four years of their life. They deserve far better than this.

They love each other so much!

As with many animals who've faced dire situations, these two siblings are too bonded to separate them. We're looking for a needle in a haystack—someone who would love to adopt BOTH CATS.

Muddles & Cuddles have been completely vetted, are negative/negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV+. There is no adoption fee since this is a private adoption. The cats have been in 2 week quarantine so they can be safely transported out of state. They are located in central Georgia.

Maria tells me they're SO AFFECTIONATE that their tails POOF out when you pet them! How funny is that? They crave attention so if you want to be completely adored by two sweet sisters, then this pair is for you.

She still smiles after all she's suffered. What a great kitty!

We WILL provide transport. What we would ask of you is to fill out a pre-adoption application on Kitten Associates web site and we'll process your application and make arrangements for you to adopt these extraordinary cats.

If you have any questions, contact ME: info@coveredincathair.com

And pretty please, would you be so kind as to SHARE this post with your cat loving friends? We'd love to see these two get a great home soon and we can do that with your help!

For those of you wondering what the heck happened to me and why I didn't post this past week, it can be summed up thusly: Kitten Associates is (somewhat) Open for Business!

After weeks of preparation and endless head-scratching on how to set Adoption Policies, I finally have enough cobbled together where we can start promoting our group and sharing the kittens we have for adoption. Yes, the time has come!

Kitten Associates brand new main page. You can visit us at: www.ktitenassociates.org

This week I started getting Pre-Adoption Applications. I ask many questions on my Ap in the hopes I can understand potential adopters better and figure out if they'll be a good match for my kittens. I've been accused of being too picky or asking for too much. Maybe that's true, but I'd rather be able to sleep at night, knowing I did what I felt was right, instead of just trying to move animals out the door. I don't have a shelter and I'm not "open admissions" so I have the luxury of taking time...just not too much or the kittens will be too big.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. How cute is Cinnie?!

Speaking of size, the girls were big enough to be spayed this week, so I got myself over to H.O.P.E at a way-too-early 7:30AM drop off time (okay, it's 8AM, but I got there early). The person doing admissions and I had a little snitty conversation about what to feed the cats. Apparently, dry food is good for cleaning cats teeth (one of the biggest mis-truths out there) and dry food “has special vitamins and minerals that kittens need for optimum health.” Really? And what vitamins and minerals are these? Corn? Wheat? Sugar? I was so shocked...then she said I should be working with my Vet to make sure my cats aren't suffering or getting the wrong nutrition. As if VETS know about nutrition! My Own Vets both told me they did not get much of anything regarding nutrition when they were in school. I really wanted to slap this woman in the face, but since this is a low cost S/N Clinic, I had to bite my tongue-which would have had better nutrition in it than some of those kibble foods..blah. Hey, it's great for dogs, but dogs are not cats. I only wished Margaret Gates from FNES had been there with me to let this woman have it.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Sugar Pie shows off her hunting skillz.

The kittens are home now and doing well. I de-wormed them again and all of a sudden, they're starting to get a little padding on their frame-finally. They have been too skinny (probably because of the dry food I refuse to feed them...hmpf!), but now they feel REALLY soft (from the grain-free and raw food they get) and chubby. I love it.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel and her goofy little expression.

So my next task is to find homes. I've gotten many applications on Honey B. and Sugar Pie and I'm sorting through them. I already said; No, to a family-who felt I was being unfair saying no when I suggested they adopt a 5 or 6 month old kitten to a 1 yr or older cat because they have FOUR KIDS and a DOG. One of the kids is 3. Although they were a great family, just not for a tiny kitten. I think it would be too much on the cat and if the littlest child got hurt or bitten, then what?

It leaves me with a nagging question: How do I find homes where they won't EVER give up on these kittens? Where they will take good care of them for the rest of their life? Where they won't balk if it costs $1000.00 for Vet care should the cat fall ill. Where, if they break up with their boyfriend or husband or whatever, they won't give up the cat, too? I know. I can't solve all the issues, but how do I cut it down so that the fewest cats are at risk of ever being returned?

Two days ago I got a call from the adopter of two of Santa's Team, kittens. These were Donner and Dancer, the two kittens I felt went to the wrong home, who I tried to get back-unsuccessfully. Now they want to give up Dancer because she is "too shy." The one person in the family-an 18 yr old daughter, who was working with the kitten, has moved out and now the kitten only hides...this was one of the reasons, I wanted the cat back months ago.

So I told the person, I would help him either work out the behavior issues so he can keep the cat or he would have to return it to where he adopted it from...and that I no longer have a relationship with this group. He said he would call me back.

I haven't heard from him since.

Now I wonder...will the cat be given up, given to a shelter, let outside? I have no idea. This is what I face times 6 more cats...

This is the tough stuff. How to find great homes for little kittens who need more work than adults, more love (maybe?) and certainly careful guidance so they group up to be outstanding companions.

Where are you wonderful families and folks? Where are you? What question do I need the answer to to KNOW you will do right by my fosters?

A few weeks ago, I put into motion the rescue of my first group of cats under the Kitten Associates banner. They're comfortably housed with Maria, who lives in McDonough, the same town where Henry County Care & Control can be found which is where the kitties were rescued from. On Saturday, the cats are scheduled to be transported to CT by our dear CiCH friend, Izzy and her husband, Mark-who are going to GA to pick up their newest kitty and who offered to chauffeur a few kitties for me while they're at it! I think they will now have a zillion cats or 18, something like that! These guys have super HUGE hearts!

Maria has been one of the most important parts of this rescue. She stepped up, out of the blue, to take on these cats as fosters. It's been a lot of work for her, but she was always ready to take on one more foster if she could figure out how to fit them into her home. She's also been terrifically responsive to all my annoying questions. Monitoring the health of little kittens from over 1000 miles away is no picnic and I depend on Maria to provide me with a lot of information and be willing to go with the flow, as we have to figure out ways to react to this ever-chaning situation.

Pattycake and Moonpie are BIG. They're at 4 months old. Since getting them S/N in CT is going to be a long way off-it's very tough to find a Vet to do the job without a long wait list-so I opted to have them taken care of while in Georgia. As you may recall, Patty had a difficult spay. Her ovaries did not connect to her uterus. The Vet who did the surgery, also was concerned that Patty may have only ONE KIDNEY. She was not able to see both, but to be sure, she felt that Patty should get an ultrasound.

©2010 Maria S.-Pattycake.

I talked to Dr. Larry about doing the ultrasound here, but he warned me that it costs about $350 and he wanted to be sure the test was necessary before we set up an appointment. Maria, called one of the local vets. They have the equipment on site and can do the ultrasound for about $65!! Needless to say, Patty is having the ultrasound done today. Whew. I didn't want to do another fundraiser!

The next question mark is Bobbi. She got her Health Certificate on Tuesday, which surprised me. The Vet who checked her did not feel she had ringworm, but a dermatitis caused by the flea infestation she had. I've been on pins and needles, not knowing if Bobbi could be transported. She'd have to stay behind for a MONTH if her ringworm culture was positive. I talked with the Vet today. The culture is NEGATIVE so far. I have to check it again today. It looks good that Bobbi is safe to travel. Now, someone MUST have a broken scale because they also said that Bobbi has GAINED TWO POUNDS in barely a week!! NO WAY!

©2010 Maria S. Bobbi relaxing.

Then there's Cinnamon. The smallest of her litter. She doesn't even weigh one pound, while her siblings are a quarter of a pound, or more, bigger than she. At her dainty size, the Vet felt she was too small to safely be transported. That was on Tuesday. Today, Cinnamon goes to the Vet for a re-check. I'm not sure they understand that this transport is being done by cat lovers who know their cats and that they will have Nutrical with them, as well as food and water and that they will know to watch her carefully. Hopefully, she will be a pound tomorrow, so she can travel with her family. If she can't go, I'm not sure what I will do. Maria can continue to foster her (it helps that Cinnamon is Maria's favorite!), for awhile longer, but I have no idea how to get her up to CT if not this weekend. I'm trying not to pull my hair out, but sleep has been tough to come by, that's for sure.

©2010 Maria S. Cinnamon (left). Sugar Pie (right).

And with all this going on, I got an email from Izzy. Out of respect for her privacy, let's just say the trip was possibly going to be delayed for a VERY good reason. She and Mark were able to work things out, but it was all touch and go for a few days. In fact, they've already left for Georgia! They just don't know which cats they'll be taking from my group!

©2010 Maria S. Nap time with Sugar Pie and Honey B.

As Izzy and Mark drive south, I dream of the kitties coming north. Connie, who is going to foster Bobbi after she arrives, may drive to New Jersey with me on Sunday to pick up the kitties. She was just going to foster for a night, then bring Bobbi to Animals in Distress, but now has decided (with my suggestion) that a week in a quiet home would be better for her before she is moved again (or longer because Connie is so excited to have Bobbi live with her!).

I hope they can ALL make it. I have fears that we will leave one behind. I'll do what has to be done for the safety of the cats, but it will be with a heavy heart.

After all this work, it would really stink to have them miss the transport.

Mark your calendars. Sunday afternoon or early evening I'll be on my way to pick up the kitties. Then the fun really begins! If you pray, then please pray NONE of the cats break with URIs!!! I have PTSD flashbacks of “Santa's Team” ringing through my head. Please...not another 4 months of sick cats...and no dying cats, either! I ask a lot, but I'm only asking for their sake (75%) and mine (25%).

Stay tuned...

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama, ID# 6/25-2567

Calico Mama, ID# 6/25-2567, with her sweet personality and affectionate nature, got under the skin of the Kennel Master at Henry County Care & Control. As other cats were euthanized, “Mama” was spared, but Robin, the Kennel Master, knew she could not give her much more time.

Barely two weeks ago, Mama was pulled from Henry County, along with her two offspring, who we call Moonpie and Pattycake. Instead of her kittens being adopted first, it was Mama who got the attention from Marian, a historian and author who lives in South Carolina. Within hours of her rescue, Mama was already adopted!

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama and Pattycake share some mother/daughter time.

Now that Mama has finished her quarantine period and gotten spayed, it's time for her to go to her new home and meet her new family.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Moonpie wrassles with Mama.

Although separating her from her offspring might seem to be a sad thing, from the many mamas and kittens I've fostered, I can tell you the Mamas are usually glad to be away from their kittens. Cupid used to go on a rampage and beat up little Blitzen every so often. Once in awhile the kittens would try to nurse after their teeth had come in. Can you imagine how that must have hurt? Saying goodbye is never easy, but Mama will not want for companionship, whether it be human or animal and will only know a loving home from now on.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Moonpie plays peek-a-boo.

In other news, Moonpie and Pattycake had their spay/neuter done today. Sadly, it wasn't easy going for Pattycake. I'll let you know more tomorrow. There was an unexpected complication during her surgery and although she got through it all right, she will be very sore for a few days. We may need to do some tests on her when she arrives in CT this weekend, but that remains to be seen. At least these two kittens are one step closer to their forever home.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Tail toy.

Now all I have to do is GET THEM HERE and hope they don't break with URIs once they arrive. Okay, I need to get on Petfinder, too and I need to get my web site up for Kitten Associates and I need to get some adoption forms put together. No problem!

No wonder I'm not getting much sleep and am so tired!

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama, relaxes before leaving for her new home in South Carolina.

Farewell, Calico Mama and Congratulations! You're our very FIRST completed rescue under the Kitten Associates banner! Hooray!

So the little cow kittens will be here in about 3 weeks. I guess they'll have some company. It's not my fault. Betsy should not have sent me photos from kittens that were brought in to Henry County on Friday night, just after our cow kitties were rescued!

She sent me this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

I also found out that the cow babies and their mama missed being euthanized by a few hours! A lot of babies died that day. Now these guys will have a few days, then their time is up, too. I know I can't save them all (yet!!!)

I asked Maria if there was any way to fit 4 more foster kittens into their own space in her house. She said, YES.

I asked Bobby if he could go to Henry and pick up the kittens on Monday and get them to the Vet.

He said: “Yes.”

Betsy asked me if I would rescue them.

I thought about it. 6 foster cats is a lot to care for and a lot of cats to be stuck with if they don't get adopted. These guys are so cute I think they'll get adopted quickly, but as with any rescue, just the basic costs to get them all spayed/neutered and rabies is $50/cat if I go to the low cost clinic. I also have to have them all vetted before they go into foster care, combo tested for FIV/Feluk, de-flead, de-wormed, and FRVCP shots.

Doing this is not cheap. And God forbid any of the cats get sick and we know they probably will, then it could go into the thousands.

So, when time came to decide on if I should rescue these cats or not...well, you know what I said.

YES to ONE!

YES to ALL FOUR!

I've paid for their initial vetting this afternoon. For the first time in my life, I'm going to ask for some help. I've got the first vetting on my dime, but now I'd like help paying for the cats to be S/N. I've cut my goal down as much as I can.

I don't have my Non-Profit status, so you can't write any donation off, but you CAN feel good knowing the money goes to the kittens. You can visit H.O.P.E's Website and see their costs listed there, so you know the costs are legit. I'm only asking for money to help get them S/N and rabies shot and a little extra in case I need a booster FVRCP. I've got their food, litter, any other vetting covered (if it's not astronomic). If you'd like to ChipIn a few dollars, that would be great. I promise to work on getting my Non-Profit so you can write the next donation off!

Yes, I'm doing this bass-ackwards. I should have a few big benefactors, but I don't have time to find them. These cats would be dead, so I just did what I needed to do.

Now I hope you'll join me and be an important part of this rescue! Run to your sofa and dig around for some spare change! Every dollar helps! I know you get bombarded by requests for donations, so I'm going to try to keep my request to a minimum

Thank you for your help and to everyone for all their supportive messages and good wishes. I hope to make you all proud of me and rescue more kitties in the coming days!