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Not on My Watch: BUSTED!!!!!

Last night was a CRAZY barrage of emails going back and forth. Things were lining up to rescue this mama and her little babies! I had a transport, I had someone to pull the cats for me, I had a place for them here, but I didn't have a two-three week foster home or place to board the cats until they could leave the State and head northeast! All pets have to be quarantined for about 2 weeks before they can go anywhere to help prevent the spread of disease. Finding a place to keep them safe is really tough-espeically when you live 1000 miles away!!!

Somehow things just started to click...

I decided to try and ask for help. Our new BFF, Maria, saw my plea. She actually LIVES in the same town where the shelter is located! She DOES cat rescue for RescueCats! She HAS an EMPTY foster room! She even is prepared to de-worm the kittens! This lady knows her stuff! Oh yeah...and Maria contacted me and offered to help! She made all the difference in this rescue even being possible.

So did our DEAR friend Bobby, who graciously offered to drive over to Henry Co., sign out the cats, take them to the Vet and wait with them while they are being checked out. You'd think that would be enough, but Bobby offered to help in other ways, which I will tell you about later! There is more news ahead, but I have to wait until I know that mama and babies have passed their exam (so to speak) and can go into their foster home. There is the gut-knot-worry that their "Combo" test to determine if they have FIV or Feline Leukemia will show a positive. We do NOT want this to happen and it's the last real serious hurdle in this rescue.

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Bust 'em loud and bust 'em proud! BUSTED OUT!

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So as of this moment, Mama and kits are NO LONGER IN A CAGE ON DEATH ROW. THEY ARE BUSTED OUT! NEXT..combo test result. OK? Or NOT? Can we jump up and down for joy? Not yet, but maybe a little “yippie!” wouldn't hurt.

Comments

Yippee. ;D

I am so happy. ;D

*crosses fingers for neg/neg*

Way to go! You rock at organizing and saving!

You are an awesome lady. I saw your FB postings and had no idea what you were involved with at the time. As a rescue Mom of 9 formerly ferals I cannot tell you how much I respect what you do. A woman I know runs a rescue group here in Seminole County FL where I live and said this is the WORST kitten season EVER. In the month of June there over 400 cats and kittens euthanized in just my county alone and only 14 adoptions. In Orange County where Orlando is located the number was over 1200 euthanized.

PetSmart is great at least down here and instead of selling high-priced pets they use their pet area for rescue group adoptions and allow them to set up on weekends. The sad part is that there are not enough Moms and Dads who offer forever homes as there are furbabies who need them :-( Why do people also not realize that taking two is better for everyone. It keeps the babes happy and occupied and helps keep them alive. Cats are like potato chips, you cannot just have ONE!

IF ONLY more people would at least help with programs to capture to spay and neuter cats. The colonies that live here in Florida are part of the huge problem here but so are ignorant people who do not have their own animals tended to when it comes to this situation.

Just a few weeks ago the woman I know with the rescue group (she is tough as nails usually) was in tears. People came to PetSmart to dump ONE kitten from a litter. She asked about the others and they said they were keeping the others and the Mother. She offered to take all four of them, spay and neuter all and return the Mom to them. Needless to say, the last thing she needed was more mouths to feed or place but it was the thing to do for the wee ones. The people refused.......so now there are four more cats out there who will be pro-creating in a few months to leave unwanted and unloved babies to fend for themselves.

Robin....if I ever won the lottery I would create refuges for these babies where people could come and play and love them and the cats could just live in peace and never have to worry again. IF someone wanted to take them home and love them that would be OK but if not.....the cats would be fine just the way they are...will you help me if my dream ever happens?

God Bless all who love cats and do all they can for them. Love them all whether healthy or not.....even an FIV or FelV baby needs love as do other challenged babes. Sometimes the challenged ones do not know they have issues. It is PEOPLE who have the issues about the health problems of them.

HUGS to cat lovers everywhere

Dawn

Dawn,

Your post was so heartfelt and sad, kind and loving. I've heard it's terrible in Florida, pretty much the same as it is in all the southern states. Between never having a "break" of cold weather that would normally stop cats from breeding and people just NOT spaying or neutering their cats and dogs, it adds up to a horrific mess. There are so many people crying their hearts out, trying their hardest to save the few they can.

On Friday, when I was FINALLY able to cut through the red tape to pull just THREE cats from Henry County, later that night I found out that MANY cats were euthanized that same day. If I hadn't pulled the few I did, they would be dead, too. I look at my own baby. He was from the same place and faced the same fate. He is the sweetest cat I have ever known. To think his young life would have been wasted, too...

I'm with you. I buy a lotto ticket every week. The best I've done is matched 2 numbers which doesn't even win a prize. I only want to open a sanctuary and find a way to keep helping the cats in the south while my peers in the northeast often give me crap about what I do.

A life saved, is a life saved, regardless of where it is from. I'm starting to do some things that might make a bigger difference for these struggling shelters. I can't talk about it yet, but cross fingers it will work out.

If we could also pass legislation that S/N is mandatory as well as to make it against the law to sell pets in a pet store, we would be well on our way to making a big difference. Make friends with people in politics and lawyers!

Thank you for your support and good wishes. My best to you and your family.

Robin :-)

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