Our beloved vet friend, Dr. Kim West, has been volunteering at the Humane Society of Delaware County learning new spay and neuter techniques and assisting Dr. Melanie deHaan from SOS of Ohio, who also volunteers at the shelter. Dr. West has seen a lot of things since she’s been going up to the shelter over the past few months. The most heart breaking, by far, however, was the cat that came in on December 22 with an arrow through her body.

Dr. West did emergency surgery to remove the arrow. She called OSU to get assistance as she performed the delicate procedure. The metal arrow was completely through the cat’s body. Not only that, but Dr. West said it had been there for at least a week. It was an old injury. The poor cat had somehow been surviving with it in her body.

Because she was worried about infection, Dr. West took the kitty home with her to recover. The one-year-old tiger, tabby female was named “Sparrow,” because she was “spared the arrow.” She is now doing very well and Dr. West thinks she can be adopted into her forever home.

I cannot understand how anyone could do this to a cat or any defenseless animal. Dr. West said it was not an accident, but appeared to have been done intentionally. It truly makes me sick to my stomach.

When I searched for the 10TV news stories about Dr. West’s kitty online, I found several disturbing stories about cats being shot with arrows in Crawford County. A cat was found on Christmas Eve with an arrow through the head. She also is expected to live. There have been five such cases in the Galion area since July. You can read the full story HERE.

A teenage boy has since been identified for shooting the cat in the head and will face charges of animal cruelty. You can read that HERE and HERE.

Sparrow’s assailant is still out there, however, and no charges have been filed in her case.

Miss Sparrow continues to make a full recovery at home with Dr. West. If you are interested in adopting Sparrow, please contact us or go ahead and fill out one of our adoption applications on our web site, www.bandocats.org under “How you can help” and “Adopt.” Once you have been approved, we’ll put you in contact with Dr. West so you can meet lovely, little Sparrow, who is super, super sweet (and young). This kitty will be going to a forever home where she will never, ever be in danger again! You can count on that.

Watch the video of Dr. West on 10TV HERE.

Read the 10TV follow up story HERE.

Now, I’ve heard of feral cats getting a tattoo on their bellies or in their ears to show that they have been fixed, but now you can get a tattoo to support those same kitties. Envy Skin Gallery, located at 528 Bethel Road in Columbus, will be hosting a “Paws for the Cause” Tattoo Benefit for Colony Cats on Saturday, November 5 from 10 am to 2 pm.

For $40, you can get a paw tattoo of your choice (up to approximately one square inch) and 100% of the proceeds will go to Colony Cats to help them provide medical care and low cost spay and neuter services for homeless and abused cats and dogs in the Central Ohio area. If you’ve always wanted a tattoo, but were a bit afraid to get one, now is your chance to get tattooed for the animals.

Sadly, my husband, Joe, has a thing about tattoos (and to be honest, I am a bit of a germaphobe and a “woose,” so I would never get a tattoo on my own, either). But from the time I first met Joe (practically on the first date, I think), he told me that if you had a tattoo, the police could find you more easily–as if either of us would be doing anything that would require the law to be searching for us. I can just imagine the all points bulletin over the police radio: “Assailant has a small cat paw print tattoo on her left arm. Be warned, she may be carrying potentially dangerous feral cats in her vehicle.”

Although I will never have a tattoo, I think this tattoo benefit is a really neat idea and one that I have never, ever heard of before to raise money for the animals.

The other thing that Colony Cats is doing to help homeless animals is opening a “Kit N Kaboodle Boutique” where people can bring new and gently used items for the group to sell. All the funds made from the boutique will, of course, go for services for the animals. As anyone knows who has cleaned out an attic or basement, it is sometimes hard to find a place to take all the items you no longer want. And, as we all know, organizing a garage sale can be a nightmare if you don’t have an expert like Carol on board. So check out the boutique wish list and guidelines HERE. Then donate the next time you have unwanted junk…err, treasures in your closets.

The boutique, which is set to be open Fridays through Sundays from 10-5 pm in an area next to the Cat Adoption Center at 2740 Festival Center Lane off of Sawmill Road, will also need volunteers to help man the shop, tag items, and pick up donated furniture. If you would like to help, email kitnkaboodleboutique@yahoo.com. Please put “Volunteer” in the subject line.

You can click on the Tattoo Benefit flyer above to enlarge it and print it out.

Free kittens. Free puppies. Free to a good home. Free. Free. Free.

These notices pop up everywhere. In newspapers. On bulletin boards. On the internet–especially on Craig’s List.

People won’t give away their old junk, holding yard sales to sell their attic and basement “treasures.” Yet, they will give an animal, a living, breathing, feeling creature, to someone, even a stranger who they know nothing about, for free.

I used to see lots of “Free kittens” signs posted in yards or at the end of driveways, especially in the spring as we entered another round of “kitten season.” I don’t see the signs quite so much any more. At first, I thought maybe our spay and neuter efforts were making a difference in our area. But the more I thought about it, I came to realize that the real reason for the decrease in homemade signs attached to mail boxes is because people are so technical now that most of them advertise their free animals to a much larger audience on the internet. Why only catch the attention of a neighbor or the local house wife driving on errands when you can reach out to people all over a metropolitan area or even a large portion of your state?

Where are these good homes the puppies and kittens and other unwanted animals go to? Well, some of these “good homes” are research labs. Known as “bunchers,” there are people who actively acquire as many “free” animals as they can to sell to laboratories. These people make a profit and a living by selling animals into a life of untold misery, suffering, and eventual death.

They are called “bunchers” because they take animals in “bunches.” Most people are only willing to adopt a single animal. But the bunchers are eager to take three kittens, four puppies, or even whole litters (mom included). Usually, it is hard to find anyone who wants the animals, but suddenly there is a person who wants to take them all off your hands. That is when you should be suspicious.

There are other people in the world, too, besides bunchers who acquire free animals. These include people with mental disorders, deviant personalities, and other bizarre behaviors who take free animals for their own purposes. I have dealt endlessly with several people who acquire free animals from Craig’s List when they are in a manic mood. One lady only looks for purebreds–Siamese, Persians, pugs, a Yorkie. When she becomes depressed, she forgets to feed the animals, letting them live in their own filth, reproducing and creating more unwanted animals, until I either remove them from the situation or they die before I am informed.

Some of the people acquire the animals as “food” for their exotic pets–crocodiles, snakes, and other wild animals that require a steady diet that must be provided to them when they are housed in an apartment bathroom and cannot “hunt” on their own.

Some take free animals to become “bait” for fighting dogs. These poor free innocents are used in horrendous ways to teach other animals to fight for their lives.

So how do you make sure a cat or a dog (or even a rat or a bunny) goes to a good home?

Always charge a fee.

We often post cats for people on our Petfinder site. Petfinder.com is a wonderful site that allows rescue groups, shelters, and individuals to post homeless animals for a national audience. Animals cannot be given away on this site. When we post for someone as a “courtesy,” we then screen anyone who applies to adopt the cat, ensuring that the animal will go to a good home. Even after we’ve checked the person out, however, calling their vet and references, I always tell the owner to charge a fee, as well, and even go to the house and visit where their animal will be living.

I learned all of these things about free animals the hard way.  A few years ago, before I was involved in animal rescue, someone dropped off a mother cat and four kittens at my house. I tried various avenues to find homes for them, but with no luck.  Someone advised me to take the kittens to a Columbus pet store.

I cringe now at the thought.  In fact, I can hardly bear to write this.

The pet store sent me next door to the clinic that checked out all their animals.  One of the kittens had a cold in his eye.  Because of this, all of the kittens were deemed too sickly to be taken for sale in the pet store.

If only I had walked out right then.  If only I had taken the kittens and left.

Instead, just as I was headed for the door, one of the ladies in the office stopped me.

“One of the girls who works here wants some kittens for her parents’ farm,” she said.  “Should I call her?”

I nodded my approval.

She went in the back and made a phone call.  She came back out to tell me the girl would take all four kittens for her parents’ barn.

I didn’t ask any questions.  I didn’t get a phone number or name or anything.  I just handed those kittens over to a complete stranger.

At the last minute, I decided to take the kitten with the runny eye home with me.  I was afraid he wouldn’t receive medical treatment for his eye and would go blind.  If I had those worries, why did I give up his sisters?

I saved the runny-eyed kitten’s life.

I feel almost certain that I gave those poor kittens to a buncher.  I can only imagine what kind of horrors they have been subjected to because of my stupidity.

I tried to call back later to check on the kittens, but no one in the office could tell me anything about them.  It was as if those free kittens never existed.

I read Jim Willis’ essay about “Free Kittens” a few months after this happened. In the essay, a litter of free kittens are given to various bad homes.  Some end up in research labs.  Others go to uncaring owners.  But they all end up dying in their “good homes.”  Reaching the gates of heaven, God tells the joyful bundles of fur, “You are finally free, kittens.”

Notice how the placement of a comma changes the whole meaning of “free kittens.”

If you’ve never read Jim Willis’ amazing essay, “Free Kittuns,” please have a tissue ready. You can access it HERE.

The only true way to end the suffering of animals given away for free? Spay and neuter. If there are no unwanted litters then, eventually, we will reach a day when there is a short supply of animals and no one will dare toss them out like discarded garbage. I dream of a day when animals will be so valued that people will gladly pay any price to have that adorable kitten or elderly dog in their life.

I recently had a family who was looking to adopt a female kitten. They wanted someone friendly and loving for a companion for their son. I offered what I thought was the perfect kitty for them–one who loved people, purred when touched, and was going to be an “outside” kitty before we decided to help her find a home. I sent the family to PetSmart to meet Heidi and when I excitedly inquired what they thought, I got this response back:

“We don’t like black cats.”

It didn’t matter about Heidi’s personality, her loving nature, or how well socialized she was even though she came from a bad situation. All that they could see was her color.

Happily, Heidi found a wonderful home with former adopters who were looking for a black cat. They’d always had a black cat in their lives and they knew how hard it was to find homes for black animals. They wanted to help out and adopt a kitten that perhaps others would not want.

I have never understood why people will bypass the friendliest dog or cat just because they are black. But it is a fact that the animals most commonly euthanized in shelters are black. In fact, if you were to look at the cats we have listed on our Petfinder site, you would see that approximately 1/3 of those are black cats. People just overlook them time and again in favor of cats of a different color. Any color. Just not black. I read once that the reason there are so many black cats is because they get along so well with other cats. That feline friendliness leads to more black cats being produced. Black cats are the same with their humans too–loving, easy going, and laid back.

These loving, but unwanted black cats will purr and rub against the staff at kill shelters even as they are being prepared to be euthanized. It makes me sad.

Petfinder knows that some cats and dogs are “less adoptable” and they are celebrating those animals with “Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet” week from September 17-25. Not only are black animals chosen less, but also animals with special needs, those that are older, and cats that have tested FIV positive.

Our poor Exodus! He has a ton of things working against him. Even though he is the nicest cat around, he is black, FIV+, and special needs. Three strikes against him! His special needs label comes from the fact that his jaw was shattered when we first got him. Although it has since been fixed by Dr. Tom Klein, his mouth will never close completely, and he will always need to eat soft food, because his jaw just cannot accommodate hard food. He isn’t the prettiest cat around with his torn ears and tongue sticking out of his mouth, but he is a lover. You can click HERE to see photos of Exodus and read his story.

Petfinder points out some of the pluses of adopting “less adoptable” animals:

Older pets are mellower – you don’t have to worry about your lamp getting knocked over!

Physically challenged pets are often unaffected by their handicap – but you still look like a hero!

“Bad reputation” breeds – you get the chance to prove people wrong with your great dog!

Dark-furred pets make it easy to accessorize – black goes with everything!

Pets with behavioral issues allow you to form a tight bond as you overcome obstacles together!

Big dogs are easier to find when it is time to go to the vet!

So if you are looking to adopt, please consider an animal that perhaps no one else wants. And, although no one else may want that cat or dog, believe me, that cat or dog wants you desperately.

I recently received the September 2011 newsletter from the folks at the Humane Society of Madison County. As I had told everyone before, the shelter has acquired property and a building where they will be moving off of State Route 142, about 10 minutes from Plain City (can you read my excitement that they are going to be so close to us?), but in the West Jefferson zip code. Renovations have been going on and they hope to be moved in to their new “digs” very soon. The latest newsletter updated some of the things that are going on with the move.

If you click on the page from the newsletter to the left, you can enlarge it and read about the new shelter and what is going on now.

Additionally, I’ve included the entire newsletter link at the bottom of this posting. The newsletter includes lots of good information and photos of the renovations.

I wanted to include in this posting, however, an invite from shelter director, Betty Peyton, to come take a look at the new building and also help out with some of the renovations on Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18. Below is the information on this volunteer opportunity:

On Saturday, September 17th, starting at 9:00am until ???, we need volunteers at the New Shelter located at 2020 ST RT 142 NE, West Jefferson, just a quarter of a mile south of I-70. Volunteers are needed to help finish up painting, wash windows, clean, build stuff, etc.

On Sunday, September 18th, starting at 10:00am until ???, we will finish up all we can.

We think we may already have folks who can build the playpen wall and shelves in the cat playpen area, but there is plenty more that needs to be done.

We are also looking for folks who can help with the landscaping in the front of the shelter. There are a couple dead bushes and others needed trimmed up. We would LOVE to have some fall plants if possible.

All volunteers are required to fill out a volunteer form which can be done that day. If you are under 18-years-old, a parent or guardian is required to also sign the form. Folks can pick up these volunteer forms at the current old shelter at 1357 ST RT 38 SE, London during open hours of noon to 5pm Monday to Saturday or wait until the day of volunteering and fill out at the new shelter.

Come and be a part of the New HSMC Shelter.

I was also happy to read in the newsletter that Madison County is now doing all their spays and neuters in-house and will eventually move to doing public clinics. Because they are up and running with “Neuterville” for the shelter animals, they do have a wish list of needs. You can read the entire wish list by clicking on the flyer to the right to enlarge it and print it out if you would like. There is also a regular shelter wish list on this page, too.

Please help HSMC in any way you can. Once their public clinics get started, we will be able to send Plain City and Madison County people there to have their cats fixed, as it will be very, very close.

To read the entire September 2011 HSMC newsletter, which features lots of photos of the new shelter, click on the link below to open it in PDF format.

September 2011

A friend of ours is kitten crazy. Betty loves newborn kittens. She likes to take care of them from birth until they are old enough to venture forth to new homes. She is kitten obsessed.

The problem is that Black and Orange has been working with Betty for over three years getting all the cats in her neighborhood and at her brother’s trailer park spayed and neutered. Our goal: no more kittens.

So Betty and B and O are at odds about our missions.

Betty stands firm sometimes, declaring that she doesn’t need any more cats to feed. At that point, I think I’ve finally gotten her over her kitten addiction. She also always calls me when a new stray shows up and brings it for clinic to be fixed. I think I am making headway in turning around her kitten infatuation and then she launches into a new litany about the merits of tiny kittens. I don’t see the appeal like she does. I am more of an older, less hyper, no climbing-the-curtains type of cat person.

Betty seems to think I hate kittens. I don’t. I’d just like to see a day when “kitten season” is not a season and there are no unwanted babies being born and dying in misery. I’d like to see a day when everyone celebrated kittens like Betty, instead of dumping them along roads or in trash cans or in abandoned houses where they can’t fend for themselves.

Betty believes I try to keep her from fulfilling her kitten fix. She nicknamed me “Dr. Tiller” in reference to the notorious abortionist. She thinks I secretly take pregnant cats and abort their babies without telling her.

In fact, the last few cats Betty brought for clinic already had had their kittens and had only a little milk left when they went to be spayed. I told Betty that there were kittens somewhere in her neighborhood and she needed to go looking for them. She wasn’t sure how exactly to do that, so I told her to follow the mother cats.

Which she did not do.

Instead, she implored the one mother cat, Madea, to bring her a baby.

Madea listened.

And this is what I read when that happened: “Guess what I just found on my porch? Yep, I know it is one of Madea’s kittens, because I talked to her for about two hours yesterday, telling her to bring them kittens over here (you already know I am crazy). Madea got stuck on my porch during a twenty minute hail and rain storm and was so scared I had to pet her the whole time. And, of course, I was worried about her kittens drowning in the downpour. I knew that soon they were either going to follow her over here or she would bring them to eat. I looked out on my porch and saw several of my cats very interested in something. It was this all black baby kitten. I cornered it and caught it…and got my butt kicked by a 5-6 week old FERAL kitten, but I hung on.:) I am so happy.”

A few days later Betty wrote and said, “I AM Falling in Love!!!” She then went on to extoll the virtues of her new little friend who follows her everywhere and comes galloping into the room when she calls. Betty wanted a baby and this kitten clearly wanted a mama. Madea, the biological mom, just wants food, according to Betty. She could care less about her offspring. She was probably thrilled to hand it over to Betty.

Last week when I wrote the story of my friend Cynthia’s mystery twin kitten, Betty told me that her kitten story was special, too, and why didn’t I write about that?  Mom, Madea, had graciously given Betty her baby when she could no longer feed it.

I agree that it is very heartwarming (and quite amazing that Madea listened) that Betty begged Madea to bring her a kitten and then received her greatest wish.

I told Betty I couldn’t write a story without photos, however, so she promptly sent me over pictures of Little Tiller, who she had named in my honor.

Little Tiller will also be going to clinic to be spayed or neutered once she/he is old enough. And that will, again, end another kitten cycle and dash more of Betty’s dreams.

I constantly assure her, though, that there are always, always more kittens looking for her.

I previously told everyone the story of my friend, Cynthia, who found two abandoned kittens by the side of the road just a short walk from her house. She named them Simon and Peter and began taking care of them. A few weeks after she had them, a stray tortoiseshell female cat showed up and pushed her way into Cynthia’s house. Strangely enough, this thin, starving, pushy female was the mother to the two kittens. Somehow, she had hunted those babies down and forced her way into Cynthia’s good graces to be reunited with them.

Maggie, the mom, was very happy to be back with her lost kittens. You can read that earlier story HERE.

Since that story, little Peter, the orange kitten became very ill and did not make it. So it was just Maggie and Simon. Poor Simon was very lonely without his brother to play and wrestle with. Although he had his mom, she just wasn’t as rambunctious as his playmate sibling.

Maggie and Simon have been to the vet, in the meantime, and are now spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and looking for a new home (although, Cynthia assures me they can stay with her as long as needed). I thought this was where the bizarre story ended, but Cynthia wrote me on Friday with another strange tale.

Cynthia emailed me and said that she had begun to question her sanity with Maggie and this litter of kittens of hers.

Here is the odd situation Cynthia recounted to me.

Cynthia had laid down to take a nap, little Simon curled up beside her on the bed. After she woke up, her neighbor came over and said she was returning Simon, who she had been “kitty-sitting” all afternoon while Cynthia was asleep. Cynthia wondered what in the world the neighbor was talking about since Simon had been napping with her. And then the neighbor produced a little black and white kitten that was an exact duplicate of Simon!

Where did this little guy come from? Cynthia keeps a close eye on all the cats in her area and this was the first time she had ever seen this kitten. He was friendly and socialized and seemed perfectly happy to be around people. How had he survived? Who had been feeding him and keeping him safe? How could he just appear and look so much like Simon? He has to be Simon’s brother. They are perfect mirror images. Except…mom Maggie wants nothing to do with him and hisses non-stop at the little guy.

Simon, though, is pleased as punch with this new friend. The two have already become best buddies, playing and curling up to sleep side by side. After losing his brother, Peter, Simon now has a playmate and companion. Which led me to wonder if little Peter had not come back in another form to be with his brother again. Spooky! But, also, a sweet thought. The photo Cynthia sent (at the end of this posting) of the two asleep, bodies connected, makes me think there is some strange connection with these kittens.

In any case, this little twin will be taken care of, too, and will give Simon the wrestling pal he was missing.

It has been a couple weeks since we took in three very special cats, so I wanted to give updates on how each of them are doing.

First up is Exodus. Exodus, as I reported at the beginning of May, came to us with his jaw broken on both the top and bottom and with a hole in the roof of his mouth from a tooth being shoved up through the bone. He had been hit very hard on the underside of his jaw and his mouth was filled with infection. Dr. Tom Klein of East Hilliard Veterinary Services fixed our sweet boy. Exodus went back for a check up visit at the end of May and Dr. Tom put him under again to drain an abscess on his chin. He got another antibiotic shot and came back home with me to recuperate until the end of June when Dr. Tom wants to see him again.

Exodus actually looks like a cat now. His fur has grown back in–he was missing a lot of it on his front legs. Dr. Tom thought the hair was missing because he had been rubbing his hurt mouth with his paws trying to stop the pain. Thankfully, Exodus is out of pain now and has grown in a gorgeous coat of hair.

While his jaw is fixed, his mouth will never align perfectly now, so his lower left side still hangs down a little bit. He has learned to eat just fine, although, he does still sometimes get food all over himself and the floor. He loves his soft food and meals are very happy times. We are working now to put some weight on him, get him completely over the infection so he can be vaccinated, and find him a home where he will be inside and safe. Exodus is about the nicest cat you will ever meet. He loves other cats and people and just constantly wants to be with you. He so deserves a wonderful home.

Next up is Chaplin, who you will remember, came to us after being dumped at Capital by his owner. Chaplin was very angry and aggressive when I first brought him home. I am so happy to say that this is not at all his nature now. He is a happy, playful boy who greets me at the door with a loud meow and then proceeds to lick my toes and feet–yes, this from the boy who shredded my foot the first day I went in the bathroom to check on him.

Chaplin now rubs noses and gives kisses and loves to play. He is also very interested in my cats and has been sniffing them through the bathroom door. We are proceeding very slowly, because he has been through too much to just mess up our progress by scaring him again. I’ve also been playing with Chaplin and my “greeter” cats through the door and he loves that. I think that sometimes Chaplin plays a little too hard, because he was an only cat and he did not know that humans aren’t as tough as cats when they wrestle. I think that once he has a cat buddy to roll around with, he will work out a lot of his extra energy and that will calm him down even more. He has turned into a real lover who is so happy to see me. I am so glad this baby was given another chance.

Finally, I have to tell you about Charley. Charley is currently in foster care with Dr. Kim West, because I thought, after hearing the stories from his owner, that Charley had a ton of medical problems that would need fixed. His owner returned him to us at the middle of May, because she said he was not using the litter pan. Turns out, she had had Charley declawed, in violation of our adoption contract, and he was so upset and his paws hurt so bad, she said (emphasis on “she said”) he would not urinate in the litter pan.

Well, guess what? From day one, Charley has used the litter pan and regular litter for Dr. West. No problems. No accidents. Dr. West didn’t have to use special litter or litter pans. He just hopped in the box and did his business.

Charley also seems to be doing just fine with Dr. West’s cats who come to play with him under the door. We were afraid his former owner’s other cat had been bullying him and he might have a fear of cats because of that. But, no. He is fine with all the things we were worried about. Which just goes to show what a peaceful, loving environment can do.

Charley will be going to the PetSmart on Sawmill next as soon as the cage is free, which we are hoping will happen this week.

Thank you to everyone who sent love and good thoughts for these three special boys. Next on our agenda is to find them homes where they will stay forever and will not need us any longer.