RIP Shaun

 The community lost a great chef and Irishman yesterday.  Shaun Brady was THE chef at Irish Fest which always runs over Labor Day Weekend.  After mass on Sunday he served breakfast, only this year there will not be any breakfast.  He was killed yesterday evening trying to stop a carjacking.  He was only 44 and had a wife and 2 children.

I had the pleasure of meeting him this summer.  My Monday knit group went to his restaurant Brady and Fox for our summer Dishcloth Swap.  There were not many people in there and he came and spent some time talking to us.  Prayers for his family and the Irish community as they mourn the loss of Shaun. 

Licorice Is Home

 

 Last Thursday I came home and checked the deck just to see what was going on and there he was.  Licorice was sitting on the 2nd step down and he looked good. I immediately put out food for him, he ate and left.  He has been up every morning since then.  I think he forgives me for what I did but it is for his own good.  He remains about 5 feet from me, so the progress I made with him is still there.  I hope to be able to pet him one day but we all know cats live on their terms, not ours.

Meanwhile I am trying to get Lila but she is not cooperating, I need to get her in and get her fixed and then keep her in.  My tom keeps talking to her and the other day I opened the door to feed her and he comes running and nose bops her.  I told him to tell her to come in so we can get her fixed and she can become an inside cat. 

Happy Granny Square Day

 Making granny squares is kind of like making socks for me, very therapeutic.  My grandmother who taught me to knit and crochet could make a mean granny square.  I love to make granny square afghans for babies, easy to make and so many colors you can put together.  

The only bad thing about making one is all those ends to weave in.  

The other day at knit group we were wondering if you can knit a granny square, and yes you can, I found a video and free pattern over there from Frankie Brown.  I have printed out the pattern and maybe this winter it will be my let's see if I can do this project.

Go get some yarn and make a square or 2 or 100 and enjoy.

Waiting

 I got Grayson last night came up by itself and I jumped at the chance to trap.  I got a cancellation apt this morning so he will back this afternoon and released tomorrow afternoon.   

This will make all the kittens and the dad fixed.  I have not seen Licorice since Saturday when I released him. I know my back yard was his safe space and I violated it by trapping him.  I am hoping after he gets over the experience he will come back, he knows there is always a bowl of dry food and all the love I can give him.

This week each of the kittens have come up on their own to eat which is a good sign.  My week next is packed and so Lila will have one last week outside and then the next week I will concentrate on bringing her in.  

I feel like I can breathe knowing I have the 4 fixed and then get Lila in.  It has been a stressful summer with all of this but I hate that someone dumped her and then she had kittens and now....I will have a little feral colony.

Trust me I am NOT giving up on taming the kittens and eventually bringing them in.

3 Down, 1 To Go

 Finally got Licorice trapped he is in surgery today to get neutered.  I would put tuna in the trap and he would only go halfway. Last night I tired Sardines and he was like NO.  So I put his regular food next to the Sardines and bam, trapped.  He is gonna hate me for a few days, but he will be much healthier as a feral not getting into fights.  And no more kitties from him.

I have the tabby left, it is tough trying to keep 3 out of the trap and get the right one in.  I have made some progress with the tabby though, who I think is a male.  He sat at my feet last night and ate out of the tray I put their food in.  This morning apparently I was  not moving fast enough to get food put down and he mewed at me like hurry up it has been 8 hours since I last ate.  The kittens are getting closer to me, have not been able to pet them yet but....

Lila will be coming in soon, I think she is pregnant again and I am not going to let her go through that again and I do not want to deal with kittens again.  

Please do not dump your animals.  Take them somewhere, I know the shelters are full, but.... I hope there is a special place in Hell for people who dump animals. 

2 Down, 1 To Go

 I got Chunky Monkey trapped this morning and he is resting in one of my spare bedrooms.  He has grown a lot this past week, He is not quite so chunky but then he is going to be a long hair as well.

The tabby is left and is much larger than Chunky, it's name is Grayson, I though it was neutral not knowing what it is.  This one will be very tough to catch.  The face melts your heart.  I am not sure this one will ever be tamed but time will tell.

Charcoal is so small you would never know the 3 are the same age.

And So It Starts

 Yesterday I finally got the runt trapped.  Surgery is today and then the socializing/taming starts.  I know I will have my hands full trying to tame the 3 kittens but it will just take time.  The shelters are overflowing and I can not let them back out after being fixed.  I was only going to bring Lila in and adopt out the rest.  I still on planning to see if I can find the kittens homes, but I have a feeling I am going from 1 to 5 in a matter of a few days.  

Lila is such a sweet girl, she lets me pick her up and cuddle her like a baby, she follows me through the yard and if I am not right by her when she is on the porch she follows me and cries.  She is not spoiled.

My tom has been sitting at the front door talking to them.  Once they are in they will be separated from him for a while to socialize them and they will all be fixed along with shots then the slow introductions will start.  I hope it goes well but we are talking cats here.  

Stay tuned for the saga.

Exactly How I Feel

 

My cats live here, they’re here to stay.

You don’t like pets? Be on your way.

They grace my home, my food, my space.

This is their home, this is their place.

You will find fur on every chair,

They'll greet you with a curious stare.

They might approach and sniff your shoe,

A simple 'NO' will send them through.

It baffles me when you proclaim,

How can you live in such a way?

They scratch, they purr, they climb the walls.

WHO ASKED YOU? is what my mind calls.

They love me more than words can say,

Their purrs greet me at the end of the day.

They need just a glance from me,

And come to curl up on my knee.

When I’m down, they sense my blues,

When I’m joyous, they share my cues.

Their whiskers twitch, their eyes gleam bright,

They bring me comfort day and night.

So once again, I tell you true,

‘Come visit me,’ but know this too…

My cats live here, they’re here to stay.

You don’t like pets? Be on your way.

They grace my home, my food, my space,

This is their home, this is their place.

And Then There Were Three

 We are down 2 of the tabby's.  One was hit by a car and the other was a runt and the last I saw it it did not appear to be well.  So we have 2 black one tabby.  There is a black runt and what a pistol this one is, I think it will be the easiest to tame.  There is a chunky black one and it is hesitant but will come around.  The tabby with the sweetest face will be the hardest, very skittish.

Trapping is not going well at all, my anxiety and stress and worry over all of this I am afraid is passing on to them to not cooperate, if they only knew it was for their own good.  Lila I plan on bringing in sometime this week. I have talked to some people and they feel since the kittens are weaned, they know how to get to the food source on their own will come even if Lila is inside.  They have said catch them as you can and as my dad said in a dream You can't save them all.  

My tom has been dealing with allergies this week, lots of sneezing and you can tell he does not feel good. Got some meds and is doing much better, but with me in and out all day and the front door open all day so I can see if they are on the porch I am afraid I have been bringing and letting in the allergens.  Another reason to get them in quickly.

RIP little tabby's, I am sorry I could not save you.  

She Is Driving Me Crazy

 So Lila brought one of the black kittens on Friday.  This morning she brought up the largest one that looks like her and one black runt.  I sure wish I knew where the other 3 were.  We have had a lot of hawks/owls and other critters this week and I do not want to think about what may have happened but nature is often cruel.

This little black one looks pretty small.  He hangs right beside Lila most of the time. He can barely jump up on the front porch.

This one is gonna be a pistol. Look at the face. If this is a girl her name is:  Delilah Grace.  She may be coming inside with Lila.

 

The other day the squirrel was deciding if he should be brave or not and jump on Licorice.  He must have decided it would not end well for him.

Stay cool the heat index is gonna be way over 100 the next 2 days.  So thankful I have a new air conditioner.

Lila

 So I am not sure what game Lila was playing but her and the babies are back or never left across the street from me on the side of my house.  Yesterday morning she brought 4 up, where was the 5th one, it was the runt, did something happen? I hope not, she does not always bring them all up.

I contacted the animal adoption organization in town yesterday.  They gave me the TNR website. I completed the form to have them trap the kittens and Lila.  They will be fixed and then I will keep Lila and either give away the kittens or take them to a shelter.  I do not like the release into the wild part.  I also do not like when I see people let their cats outside.  There are so many dangers for them out there.  

Anyway I hope this trapping goes well. I think Lila is ready to come in, she keeps coming to the door when I open it and looks in the house like I need to get in there but I have kittens and they need me.

I know when I get her trapped and get fixed and bring her home we may take some backward steps but I need to get her inside where she is safe.  My heart has invested too much in her to let her go. 

Did Lila Move The Kittens Again?

 This morning I opened up the front door and it was just Lila, where are the kittens?  She ate and then headed up the street.  What, why are you going that way your babies are over there.  I decided to follow her.  The house across the street on the corner has a fenced backyard and I saw her scale the fence and up and over she went.

I have so many questions:  Why did she move them?  Why did she move them to a very busy traffic area?  Will she move them further away perhaps which would be across the street?  How am I going to trap them now?  

I am at a loss and feeling pretty defeated in figuring out a plan to trap the kittens and get her in the house.  

If she would just work with me.

I know nature but....

Flowers

 I love Spring and Summer because of growing and blooming and the beds look so pretty plus I have seen some bees and I have lots of hummingbirds and of course the finch are eating the salvia seed and will soon move to the Black Eyed Susans.

The tomato gets new blooms daily and the pepper plant has really shot up this past week.  The sweet potato has a ton of new leaves.  I had to re-pot the rosemary cos I think it was staying too wet.  We shall see if this works better.

Waiting for my Rose of Sharon to start blooming.

I love this shade of purple

The pink petunias really took off this week, it has got hot and they seem to love it.

By the way Happy Father's Dad, I miss you and love you.  We would have found a place to have a picnic lunch of fried chicken at some park today.