But first, the cuteness.
The sun room’s heated water bowl was completely empty, so this little guy was using it as a butt warmer! This little boy allows occasional petting.
The stuff we do for the yard cats took on extra meaning today.
While we still need some work done on the truck, we’re at least at a point where we can use it without worry due to faulty sensors. Which means that today, my daughter and I were able to finally do a dump run!
The tricky part was getting the garbage and recycling bags out of the Old Kitchen, without Sir Robin sneaking in. He was very determined, even when my daughter was passing bags through the screenless window, rather than opening the door!
We got it done, though, and were soon on our way.
Yesterday was technically a colder day, but it was bright and sunny, with no wind, so a lot of surfaces had melted a bit. Today had a warmer base temperature, but the wind made it feel much, much colder. Everything that melted yesterday was now sheer ice! Especially on the gravel roads. Thankfully, they were very well plowed.
Once at the dump, our first stop was at the pit, and then we stopped by the recycling bins on the way out. They were very full and I made my way down the row with one of the bags before finding a bin at the very end that was only half empty, because one of the lids were closed.
As I moved around the bin to open the lid, I saw something dark on the ground near the corner.
Something dark and fuzzy.
My daughter had started to come over with a couple more bags and, once I realized what it was, I told her she didn’t want to be there. Just leave the bags and I’d take care of them. She was still at a distance, but she could still get an idea of why I was saying that.
It was a cat. Frozen to the ground, still mostly buried in the snow. A beautiful black cat. Likely a stray or feral, hunting around the bins for food, that got caught in that last polar vortex that hit us.
Once I was done, I went to the attendant’s shack and let him know it was there, so he could dig it out of the ice and snow and move it away from the bins.
My heart just broke for the poor thing.
Once done at the dump, we headed into town to refill a couple of water jugs. My daughter hadn’t had breakfast yet, so we stopped at the Dairy Queen for food (we had coupons), and then got a couple more meals to bring home for my husband and other daughter.
After we got home and unloaded, it was late enough that I went ahead and fed the outside cats for the evening.
Once settled in, I just had to message with the rescue that we’re working with now. We’ve talked before about how we need our own Furball Farm type sanctuary for feral cats in our area. The wild ones. The “un-adoptables”. That cats no one wants.
There is another organization that focuses specifically on getting ferals spayed and neutered that might be worth contacting. The thing is, this would be a major undertaking and would require significant funding. A suitable large building would have to be found. Something with a lot of open space, but also rooms for cats that need to be isolated and vet treated, storage space for cat food and supplies, a “kitchen” to prepare food dishes, sinks and tubs, and of course, lots of things for cats to climb or sleep on, lots of room for rows of litter boxes, an outdoor enclosure and so much more. It would require a lot of people, too. People willing to work with feral cats. There aren’t that many of them.
I don’t know how we could do something like that, and we sure as heck don’t have funds to start something like that up. It would be hard to get donations, when people can barely feed themselves right now. But our region has so many colonies like ours, and just plain strays wandering around, having to deal with hunger, illness, our bitterly cold winters and predators. Even with all we do to provide food, shelter and safety for our colony, losses happen, and they still struggle. Potato Beetle got a couple of vet visits for puncture wounds, likely from a coyote, before coming indoors, and is a very lucky survivor! We do the best we can, but the need is just so great.
There has got to be something that can be done.
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 