Done In! Never Ending Project Turns Into Obsession!

The never ending under eaves cat run project has become an obsession.  The project has morphed.  I tell my cats, "Perhaps I will finish it in my life time and perhaps not."

It began as good intention.  Some cats can't get by the cats with issues through the narrow garage cat run to access the cat yard.  Yet they want to.  I have guard cats, who like to keep less confident cats from having some fun out in the yard.  So they attack them as they try to squeeze by in the narrow run out through the garage over my car.  Not cool!

So, I thought to myself, I better make a secondary access.

I thought about a zip line from the dining room window across.  How cool would that be?

I thought about creating side by side slides, braked with counter weight, sloped opposingly.  The cat would enter an enclosed platform.  A piece off the bottom of the platform would fit into a slit cut out of the side of a pvc pipe and attach inside the pvc pipe to a smaller short piece of pipe that would have a cable attached.  The cable would run at the top of the sloped pvc down another vertical pvc pipe and attach to a counter weight inside the vertical pipe to control speed (except for with one exceptionally fat cat, who would get a fast ride).  The platform and pipe would be enclosed in a circular wire tube, to contain the cat on the ride to the other side.  A similar contraption could bring them back, sloped from the cat yard down.

Spectacular?  Yes!

In the end, I decided on a cat run under the eaves, running under the garage from the corner of the cat yard, making a right turn to run under the house in front of the kitchen and then the dining room window, where they could enter and exit.

But that would take wood and wood costs money.

Then I saw a free wood sign!!!  And the wood looked for all the world like it was dropped from heaven, in preformed runs!  There were also old 2x4's from a dismantled fence.  I stopped!  The woman, who was building houses to sell there on the corner, was all too anxious to get that wood gone.  So she agreed to cut into 8 foot sections to accomodate my car.  Some sections were 30 feet long.  I hauled it all home in three trips.

Then they sat.  Rain had hit Oregon.  Deluges of rain. The rain lasted through June.  So I did very little work on the project.  Finally some breaks in the rain came and I began the task of painting everything.  I had many cans of paint given me by my tow truck company friends.  They were in the back of a truck and severely rusted so that you could not even tell what color the paint might be until you opened a can and stirred.  Some cans were no good, but most were ok, but I had no choice in the colors.  Free is free.

I ended up buying four 2x4's and a few hardware pieces but that's it.  I am also still using the unwanted Millersburg wood left in a scrap pile for me by a guy remodeling his house after it burned.

Now, the project might be nearing completion, but already I am thinking of more add ons.  Before I even get it operational!   I haven't even seriously hurt myself in the project.  Not yet anyhow.  I did accidentally drill a hole in my hand near my thumb, when the drill slipped.  That has healed now, with just a red scar remaining.  There has been cursing, black and blue fingernails, cuts, screws imbedded in the bottom of my foot, that sort of thing, but no broken bones or concussions.  That's a good thing.

Jack, the Embedded Collar Albany Siamese, I ran Into, Up for Adoption at Heartland. Plus, Cat Photos!

Jack

Animal ID 16707526 Species Cat Breed Domestic Shorthair/Mix Age 2 years Sex Male Size Large Color Cream Spayed/Neutered Declawed No Housetrained Unknown Site Heartland Humane Society Location Exam Room Intake Date 7/12/2012

	This pet also is eligible for 30 days of pre-paid pet health insurance. For more information please visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1-866-375-PETS. Visit ThePetangoStore.com for discounted prices on pet medication and supplies! Low prices on Flea/Tick, Heartworm & more! Receive a 10% discount on your first order. Jack's at Heartland Humane in Corvallis. Click here to go there. Alexi, from the Albany business colony, originally. Buffy, originally from Dead Car Field and the 120 cat BS colony, just outside Albany. Buffy again. Haley, from the Apathetic Albany Business colony. Posey, a little doll, from Spicer Origins colony.  I fear for the rest of her family.  Although fixed now, when I drive by, I never see any of them anymore. And dear Sam, originally abandoned in Millersburg, Sam is athletic, loving and insecure.  I love him! I'm still working on the under the eaves cat run project.  Project scope seems to have morphed. Window box floor pieces, cut from abandoned Millersburg wood and painted with paint abandoned in a towed vehicle. My dear Sam again.

19 Local Cats Helped Yesterday

Nine Local cats, five from Lebanon and four from Corvallis went to Heartland yesterday to be fixed,while another six from the Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten Colony, plus four kitttens from there, went off to Portland.  Six were scheduled for the FCCO clinic, to be fixed, while a Portland rescue very graciously accepted the four very ill kittens from the Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten colony, including two only three weeks of age, one of whom had no apparent ability to see, due to probably calici virus infection.  He was a little love.

One of the Corvallis females, from the trailer park on 53rd, was euthanized at Heartland due to a throat tumor.  And once again, one of the Lebanon males tested positive for Leukemia.  That colony is disgusting and horrific in the fact that nobody seems to care if they are fixed or not except for me.

I left trapping at the colony, to deliver the five Lebanon cats to a Corvallis woman, on Thursday evening, who would deliver them to Heartland Friday morning, since I would be on my way to Portland with other Lebanon cats.  By the time I returned to the colony, the caretaker had filled every food dish, with both dry and wet food, negating hope of catching more, although I did catch another somehow afterwards.  I had scooped up the food he put out with my bare hands.  Why does he do this?  I don't know.  It's so disrespectful of my time and money.

I got to Portland yesterday morning exhausted.  I delivered the cats to the clinic and was going to sit inside the clinic with the bottle babes and feed them, since the woman taking the four Lebanon kittens could not meet me for another hour, but they have a new rule that no other cats can be in the clinic.  So I had to sit in my car for an hour, to wait for the woman.  Was not easy.  At least it wasn't hot, not til later.

Two sick teens, siblings of the gray tux with the exploded eye, from Lebanon, taken in by the Portland rescue.

Two three week old kittens, from the Lebanon colony, taken in by the Portland rescue yesterday.  The gray and white male, has two clouded over eyes and may be mostly blind for life, if he survives.

Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten colony big brown tabby male, fixed yesterday.

The brown tabby male again.

Buff orange male from Lebanon colony fixed yesterday.

Black and white teen, fixed yesterday from Lebanon colony.

Black male bob tail teen, fixed yesterday from the Lebanon colony.

Calico teen, fixed yesterday from Lebanon colony.

Lebanon male, euthanized yesterday after he tested positive for leukemia.

I followed her to her clinic then, which was on the west side, a little worried I would not be able to find my way back but I was able to, later.  The clinic appointment drug out and I was so tired. The vet quickly determined calici was likely the culprit, inflaming their eyes and giving them mouth ulcers.  The two older kittens, siblings to the bad eye gray tux boy, another boy and a girl, had bad URI's, ringworm, fleas, worms, ear mites but tested negative for FIV/Felk, which was a relief since two males from the colony have now tested positive for leukemia.

The two tiny kittens, a boy and a girl, were dehydrated, had fleas, worms, and ringworm, but it was the male, the long hair gray and white, whose eyes were both clouded over, with no apparent discharge and the vet said he is likely nearly blind for life.  It had to cost the Portland woman a fortune to have all four seen.  Those kittens are so lucky she offered to do that for them.  Otherwise, they'd all have died.

I drove back to near the clinic then and tried to sleep in a stinky filthy disgusting car.  It was humid by then, and it was difficult.  Finally the cats, the five who survived, since one tested positive for leukemia, were ready to come home.

I had expected the Lebanon woman who had brought the kittens and two adult males Tuesday night here, to pick up her carriers, which are filthy.  She had delivered the two adult males in those disgusting carriers filled with soggy rotted straw.  But then Karmen in Wilsonville offered to try to place them after they were fixed. I had called the woman and she was happy to relinguish them since she was trying to find them homes.  She promised to come get her carriers.  But she didn't Wednesday evening.  She promised she would get them Thursday and didn't.  Then promised to get them Friday but didn't.  I was exhausted and to come home and see those still in my driveway, when she had promised, made me very angry.  I felt like her garbage dump.  I took in the three boy kittens, who were alive in fleas with ears clogged shut in ear mite debris and worm bellies so bad they looked pregnant, which was not easy for me.  They are to go to Heartland today.  I help somebody out to that extent, taking in some terribly neglected kittens, finding a rescue to take two adult males, and they can't simply pick up their carriers?  I felt so used and stomped on.  Now I don't know what to do with those disgusting carriers.  It's just  SO WRONG!

A lot of cats from this are got help yesterday but it was kind of a breaking point for me.  The man over there, who has neglected to fix those cats or help terrible sick kittens that, as a result, are born, he makes it hard to trap too, and has not contributed even a dime to my gas or bait costs or to the FCCO for their costs fixing his cats. I feel embarrassed, leechy, when I take cats to be fixed at the FCCO, without a donation to hand them.   It's hurting my soul, but if I don't finish and stop the breeding there, there isn't a soul in that neighborhood who would lift a finger to do so.

Great Day for Local Cats. Local Cat Trapper Exhausted!

It was indeed a great day for local cats.   14 more made the trip north, after my sleepless night, to the FCCO clinic, a day after Obama visited Portland to raise tons of money.  I can't even wrap my mind around the amount of money that goes into political campaigns.  Dollar signs too big for me to comprehend.

I took up seven cats from the Peoria Road colony, two males from one Lebanon location and five cats from the Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten Colony.  One of those, an older gray male, new to the colony, was euthanized after testing positive for leukemia.

I also stopped in at a friend's place, in Wilsonville, on the way up, to pick up a cat she needed transported to the clinic.  She gave me chocolate!  I was already nibbling on a bag of blueberries given me by the Peoria road cat caretakers.  What could be better for breakfast?  Chocolate and Oregon blueberries!

I left behind, in my garage, three of the Lebanon teens I'd trapped, and a Lebanon kitten, eventually also headed to a Portland rescue to join his brother.  I had no room, and was already taking up one more than I was scheduled for.  Plus, I had to have room for my raft in the car, along with all those cats.

I left behind three orange tabby kittens in my bathroom, too little to be fixed.  They're going to Heartland tomorrow.  The two boys from the same place the kittens came from needed somewhere too and Karmen my Wilsonville friend offered to take them, once fixed, end of day,  when I returned the cat I transported for her.  So that settled that.  I called their caretaker to be sure but she had already told me they had to find homes.  She was very excited they could stay with Karmen until placed.

Lebanon muted torti male fixed today then taken in by a Wilsonville rescue.  His name is now Picasso.

Mufasso, DMH laid back orange tabby Lebanon male now with a Wilsonville rescue after he was fixed today at the FCCO.

One of three orange tabby kittens from the same Lebanon location as Picasso and Mufasa came from, now in my bathroom, but they are heading to Heartland.  They were alive in fleas.  They had earmites so bad their little ears were impacted with ear mite debris "rocks" and their bellies look like they are pregnant due to worms.  They're still pooping out worms from one worming!

The poor boys had existed on dog food out there.

After dropping off the cats, I headed straight to Forest Grove, via a new and very fast route taking 26 west.  I don't think it even took half hour.  Off I went then with a Forest Grove friend to Hagg Lake.  I had loaded my raft into the front seat of the car, the only place with any space left, intent on having some fun.  And fun we had in a rarely seen Oregon sun, on the lake.  We were silly! 

I had to stop at the rest area on the way home, to nap.  I got too tired to drive and took about an hours nap, propped in my car which had begun to stink badly.  The Peoria road big male had peed and whew!!!!

Once home, I napped for a couple more hours before being able to function enough to get all the cats settled for the night.  I have a cry baby amongst them, a little orange tabby teen from Peoria road.  So he's in with mom and his siblings who, worried over him, began licking his face once I put him in the cage with them, to sooth him, which worked.

And now my cats are going to sooth me, as I lay down to rest, after a great day, for the cats and for me, seeing some beloved friends, having some fun under the sun. I am done in! I bet I won't last two minutes before sleep and sweet dreams take me away.

Black male from Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten Colony, fixed yesterday at the FCCO.

Black tux female, fixed yesterday at the FCCO from the Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten colony.  Three of her four teen kittens, are in my garage and will be fixed tomorrow.  I hope to also catch the fourth tonight.

Charlie, a black and white male, from the Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten Colony, was fixed yesterday.

Gray tux female from Lebanon Bad Eye Kitten Colony, fixed yesterday.  She is mom of three kittens, one of them the Bad Eye Kitten!  I have the 2nd of her three now in my garage and he will be moving to a Portland rescue tomorrow.  I hope to catch her third kitten as the rescue will take him also and he would be so much better off away from that area.

Another male from this colony taken to the FCCO yesterday, an older gray male, was euthanized when he tested positive for Felk.

Too Many Cats!

I had reservations today for 13 cats.  I was taking six from Lebanon and seven, if trapped, from Peoria road.  Those seven were a dumped off tame calico, who had five kittens and the impregnator, thought also to have been dumped off.

So I caught all seven of those, including the big guy male.

The woman comes last night with the Lebanon six, four of them kittens I thought she had weighed.  But she'd only weighed them on a human scale. They were all under two pounds.  They come from the property where she boards her horse.  The old woman who lives there doesn't take care of them well, feeds them dog food, is apparently a stuff hoarder, is being foreclosed on, plans to leave behind any cats left when she moves out, maybe about November.

So the horse boarder is taking it upon herself to help the poor cats.  She gave away the kittens mother.  She hopes the people she gave her to are decent souls, not assholes, but she doesn't know.

The poor kittens were crawling in fleas, alive in fleas, and their little ears were overflowing and impacted in ear mite debris.  I called Heartland and they said they would take the three boys.  She's keeping the little torti girl.  The boys are in my bathroom.  I've already bathed them, flea treated them, cleaned out their ears and wormed them.  They have pregnant worm bellies.  They're much happier already, with the earmite debris gone.  They can hear again.

The two adult males she brought to be fixed are gorgeous, in color.  She brought them in the old woman's filthy dirty carriers.  She had told the old woman to be ready with them, and she had them in these disgusting carriers.  The one boy looks, in color, like a muted torti.  Most unusual coloration I've seen in ages.  They're tame and I wish I had somewhere they could go and not back there, because they have to go eventually somewhere else or be left behind.

So I'm down four in numbers because the four kittens are too small.  The Portland rescue who took the Lebanon kitten with the exploding eye said they'd take his siblings, in fact have been after me to go find them, to save them.  They and the vet they took him to think Oregon Humane investigators  should be involved in that situation and the negligance going on there.  When they say that I think of more than a dozen situations just like it, off the top of my head and know I could think of a hundred easily.  This county is bad for treatment of animals.  Very very bad.

I go over and the women who had taken out the bad eyed kitten, who live a few blocks away, say they took out two more, three weeks old, bloody from fleas.  The other three died.  The man, the caretaker agrees any kittens can be rehomed if rescues willing can be found. 

I grab the black sibling of the bad eyed gray tux quickly and put him in a carrier.  Cats are all over the place.  Many are fixed. I got them fixed almost two years ago.  The other neighbor drives by.  Young people.  They want them fixed but will not lift a finger.  A guy drives by when I'm getting a trap, rolls down his window and glares at me.  

Finally he says, "You better not be bringing cats here."  I don't know what to say.  His manner is mean and threatening.   I finally say, "I don't know who you are, but I'm a volunteer and I'm getting your neighbhorhood's cats fixed.  And it's not like you couldn't have done that."  He drives off.

The caretaker comes around the corner grinning.  He says he pulled the drop trap string and dropped the trap, which I'd just set up, on one of the unfixed mothers.  I panic and rush around, because the drop trap has to  be covered and held down or the cats can escape.  I get her transferred out into a trap.

I catch a gray unknown skinny male out front.  Then a flea ridden black male.  Then they all come out of the woodwork.  I'm running out of traps.  I didn't  bring many.  A young male goes under the drop trap along with two teen kittens.  I wait, because another mother, mother of the four teens, is nearby.  Finally, she strolls under with the yearling male and one of her four teen kittens.  I've already caught two of them.  I yank the cord and drop the trap.  But what to put them all in.  I have only one empty trap.  I use it for the mom.  I transfer one of two already caught teens in with the other and transfer the yearly male from the drop trap into that trap.  Finally, I take the black kitten out of the carrier and put him in with the two teens.  Then I transfer the black teen from the drop trap to the carrier.  I have to quit, even though one kitten, the sibling of the black kitten and the bad eyed kitten now in Portland, needs caught.  Also, one of the four teens, a black tux, needs caught.  Two more unfixed males have showed up.  And there is a third unfixed female I have not caught, the mom of the two surviving three week olds now safe.  Nine cats and kittens in all from this one colony, 8 of them fixing size, but I'm four cats over my reservations number for the clinic.

The only donation comes from the neighbor woman who has now saved three kittens from this man's yard and lives several blocks away. $5. All she had. The home owner, the caretaker, grunts and donates nothing.



Big black and white Peoria Road stray male.



Peoria road male orange tabby teenager.



The tame dumped off calico mom of the five teens.



One of three tabby on white teens from Peoria road.



Mom, with a second tabby on white teen in background.



DMH torbi teen from Peoria road.