I had a really rotten day today. But I am thinking good thoughts that it will get better with the help of other people doing what I cannot do.

On October 1, one of our former adopters called to tell me that Lydia, or Lilly, as the family now called her, had slipped out the door when friends came over to visit. He wanted to know what to do as Lydia was wearing “soft paws” and had no way to defend herself.  Additionally, he had no idea where to look for her since they had just recently moved into the apartment.

I told him to contact neighbors, to post signs with her photo on it, to call Capital Area Humane Society with her information so they would know someone was looking for her. I also told him to post for Lydia on the web site Pets911 (www.pets911.com), which allows people to post for lost and found pets. Since Lydia was microchipped by our group, I also told him that if anyone found her and took her to a shelter, they would scan for that.

I had not heard anything from the man and assumed that he had found Lydia and just forgot to call and tell me.  Then yesterday, I went on Pets911 myself and saw that the listing for Lydia was still on there, so I called him.

No, he had not found Lydia.

But, he told me, a neighbor thought they had seen her out by the dumpster behind the apartments.

Poor Lydia came, with her three other siblings, from a rotten neighborhood in downtown Columbus, where people threatened to feed her and the other kittens to a resident vicious dog.  And now, she was once more loose and scared in a downtown Columbus neighborhood near campus with the weather growing cold, no food, and soft paws on her nails.

I had to hold back tears.

Lydia and her siblings were my fosters.  Lydia and her brother, Freddy, lived in my bathroom while they took medicine for campylobacter.  They used to greet me at the door and would scamper out to harass my cats.

When Lydia first came to us, she was very timid and hid behind the toilet most of the time.  I have a photo of her peeking out at me from the toilet, cautious, but hopeful that maybe everything was going to be better now.

I promised Lydia that she would never, ever have to worry again.  That she would always be safe.

I lied.

With some work, Lydia became a sweet, love bug, but she still reverted to shyness in new and scary situations. I can only imagine how scared she must be now and how she must be hiding and wondering what has happened.

All of the books I have read about missing cats say that they, unlike dogs, do not travel far. They usually hunker down and hide close to where they escaped.

Knowing this, I decided to go over to the apartment complex today with a humane trap and try to find my missing girl. I showed the man how to set the trap and then I stayed for over an hour, driving around, watching the trap, searching for her little face among the weeds. And crying.

But I had to leave without her.

Then the man called to tell me that someone stole the trap.

How were we going to find Lydia without the trap?

Later in the afternoon, I had another call.  The apartment complex management had found the trap.  They thought I had been trespassing on the property, so they confiscated it. With another phone call, I explained the situation, and they said I could have the trap back.

That still leaves me without Lydia, however, and no way to find her as they do not want me to set the trap on their property.

So I need everyone’s help reading this.  If you know anyone who lives near University Village in the 500 block of Stinchcomb Drive off of Olentangy River Road near the Ohio State University campus, please send them the link to this blog or to the Pets911 link that I have listed below. Have them read about Lydia and be on the look out for her.

She is a petite calico/brown and white female cat who becomes shy when scared. She is microchipped and spayed.  She was wearing soft paws on her nails. She is only a little over a year old.

If you see her or even think it might be her, please contact me at bandocats@columbus.rr.com

I promised Lydia she would always be safe on my watch, that after coming into our organization, she would never be scared or lost again.  I need to keep that promise.

Here is the Pets911 listing for anyone who would like more info:

http://www.pets911.com/services/lostandfound/animal_details.php?uniqueID=3306300&page=

Lydia when she was first adopted,

Constantine camping out in his new home.

Just this past week, we had updates from both families who adopted Milton and Constantine.  Both boys are doing well in their new homes.  As you can see, Constantine is being pampered and spoiled by his new mom.

Milton on the other hand is making friends with everyone he meets. Cats. People.

Milton shares the window ledge with his new cat friend

Even dogs.  Although, it looks as if he is telling the dog how things are going to be now that he is in the house.

Milton tells the dog, "Bring me some treats, pooch. The tuna flavored kind."

Where's my dinner?

We had a nice email from the Swider family today telling us how their little colony of cats were doing.  These two decided they liked being outside kitties more than they liked the comfort of the Swider basement.  Kim tried unsuccessfully, after these two came back from neuter surgeries as kittens, to tame them enough to make them inside house cats. While they are still wild and will only come close enough to be touched, they never miss a meal, as you can plainly see.  These are some well fed kitties.  You’ll also notice that they are ear-tipped.

This is what feral cat caregivers want everyone to know.  Feral cats do not live sad, horrible lives. They can live long lives outside with someone keeping an eye on them, getting them spayed and neutered, and providing them with their daily chow.  They do not deserve to die just because they cannot be made into a lap kitty. 

Feral Cats Rule!

For all our adopters, there is a contest being offered through “Guideposts” magazine asking for “Inspiring Tails” that would encourage others to adopt from a shelter or a rescue.  All you need to do to enter is submit your full name, mailing address, email address, and daytime phone along with a short tale (500 words or less), and a photo of your inspiring pet to InspiringTails@guideposts.com.  Or you can also mail it to Guideposts, Attention: Advertising Marketing Dept, C/O The Inspiring Tails Contest, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel, NY 10512.

If your inspiring adoption story is chosen, you could win a $500 American Express Gift Card along with a pet gift basket for your adopted friend.  There will also be three runner up pet gift baskets awarded, as well.

In addition, for every inspiring tale that is submitted, $1 will be donated to Petfinder.com to aid in their efforts to get more animals adopted. We love Petfinder.com.  They have been an enormous part of our success in getting homeless cats into wonderful homes.

To find out more about the contest, go to: guideposts.com/inspired-offers

The contest ends on October 30, 2009, so submit your stories before the end of the month.

And if you win with a story about one of our kitties that you adopted, please let us know, because we would like to feature that on our web page, too!! Keep adopting and thanks for adopting B and O kitties.

We have signed up for the Macy’s “Shop for a Cause” on Saturday, October 17.  That doesn’t give us a whole lot of time to sell tickets, but if you would like to buy one, they are $5 and we keep all proceeds.  The $5 allows you to buy a Shopping Pass for exclusive savings in every Macy’s store on Ocotber 17th. You can enter to win a $500 Macy’s Gift Card as part of the shopping events.

If you would like to purchase a $5 Macy’s Shopping Pass, please email us at bandocats@columbus.rr.com and we will make sure to get a ticket to you.  You can also purchase tickets at Plain City Druggist, 480 South Jefferson Avenue, Plain City, across from Der Dutchman Restaurant on Route 42.  The pharmacy is open 9-6 Monday to Friday, closed from 1:15-2:15 for lunch, and Saturday from 9-12.

We will also be selling tickets at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing located at 5043 Tuttle Crossing in Dublin from 7-9 pm on October 17, the day of the event.  We will be located at the main entrance doors to the mall, so look for us. We will be wearing our Black and Orange Cat Foundation t-shirts and cat ears–you won’t be able to miss us. We want to make sure you can find us so you can be assured that your $5 will go to B and O!! The mall will be open that day from 10 am-9 pm and Macy’s is open from 10 am-10 pm!

Black and Orange Cat Foundation is entered in America’s Giving Challenge giving us a chance to win $50,000!!  

All you have to do to help us is donate (no matter how big or small) by going to http://www.causes.com/donations/select_donation_method?m=566209a4&cause_id=302509

For us to win, between now and November 7, Black and Orange Cat Foundation has to get the most donations to our cause (you can donate once per day and have it count as a unique donation). We can also win daily awards of $1,000 or $500 if we can get the most people to donate in any 24-hour period.  The best thing is, it doesn’t matter how much you donate, but just how many people we can get involved in our cause.  So ask your friends, family, and neighbors to make a donation–even if it is only $10–which we recently learned is the minimum amount that can be donated. 

We all have tons of friends on Facebook who could make a small donation for B and O. You can do other things, too, though, to get the word out–put our cause in your email signature or organize other people to fundraise.  There are tons of other ways to help us win. 

Check out the Giving Challenge at www.causes.com?m=566209a4

Let’s win $50,000 for B and O!!

We will be participating this year in the 9th Annual Magical Night of Giving on November 15th from 6-9:30 pm at the Polaris Fashion Place.  The event is family oriented and will feature door prizes, entertainment, “Santa’s Grand Arrival Parade,” and discounts for ticket holders that are not offered except for this one night.  There will be a tree lighting in the Lifestyle Center at 6 with Magical Sales beginning at 6:30. The parade will start at 7. 

Tickets to the event can be purchased from Black and Orange Cat Foundation for $5. We keep 100% of the funds generated from the ticket sales.  So not only do you get to attend a fun event, but you also help support us with your $5 donation. 

If you would like to purchase tickets to this event, please contact us by email, bandocats@columbus.rr.com and we will arrange to get the ticket(s) to you for each $5 donation per ticket. We will also be selling the tickets at our next adoption events on October 24 at the PetSmart on Sawmill from 12-2, on October 31 at the Pet People in Powell from 12-3, and on November 13 at the PetSmart on Sawmill from 12-4. Please stop by any of our adoption events and purchase a ticket for this fun evening. Tickets can also be purchased at Plain City Druggist, located at 480 South Jefferson Avenue in Plain City (across from Der Dutchman Restaurant).

Polaris Fashion Place is located at 1500 Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit their web site, polarisfashionplace.com

Called “America’s largest day of doing good,” Make A Difference Day is sponsored by USA WEEKEND, HandsOn Network, and Newman’s Own to encourage people to get out in their communities and do something to help others.  According to the web site, www.makeadifferenceday.com, in 2008 3 million people volunteered throughout their communities.

Projects can be as big or as small as you choose.  You can go online to the web site to register your project.  Once you’ve registered, people can then search through the database of projects and choose something they would like to be involved with as a volunteer.  By participating in the Make a Difference Day, charitable organizations can also earn extra monetary awards and honors from groups such as Newman’s Own.

Additionally, you can receive updates and find inspiring stories by joining the Facebook site: facebook.com/makeadifferenceday.

Black and Orange Cat Foundation will be participating in the Make a Difference Day this year with an adoption event at our local PetSmart.  Since this was our regular adoption event day, it made sense to focus some of the efforts for this day on the fact that others nationwide will also be trying to make a difference in their community.  We are registered in the database and we will be doing our part to help our foster kitties find new homes on Saturday, October 24, making a difference in not only their lives, but the lives of their new families.

So please come out and support us and all the other groups, large and small, that will be doing their part to make a difference.  When you stop by to see us at the PetSmart on Sawmill from 12-2, we will also be dressed for Halloween, wearing our cat ears in celebration of all that is good about life!!