Home2Cats | Newsletters | Photos | Lynx

THE  SCRATCHING  POST

Issue #40, by Barbara Stanley, home2cats@aol.com
Home 2 Cats, P. O. Box 752671, Memphis, TN  38175-2671
~ Summer 2009 ~

Mews to Peruse

Happy Birthday Home2Cats !!!

We are so proud to be celebrating our 10^th birthday as of June 1. Our survival and success as an organization was made possible by your support, both financially and emotionally.

We have had our sad and happy moments in those 10 years and you have shared some of those moments with us through this newsletter. The words of encouragement from many of you have helped us through those emotionally difficult times that, unfortunately, go hand in hand with rescue.

 

- -  H o m e 2 C a t s . o r g  - -

 

Cat Tails

Rachael

During one of our appointments at the animal clinic, Dr. Carolyn McCutcheon half jokingly asked if Larry and I would be interested in crawling under an old house. Gosh, sounded like fun to us. How could we possibly refuse such an inviting invitation especially in the dead of winter with outside temperatures dipping below the freezing mark?

Of course, there was more to the story. A stray cat had made her way under a house to nest and have babies. The owner of the house had passed away and a client of Dr. McCutcheon’s was house and dog sitting until the family was able to settle the estate.

The owner had four large dogs in the back yard. The momma cat had managed to elude them and gain access to the crawl space under the house. Momma then entered a broken dryer duct and in that warm tube she delivered her kittens.

Momma cat was in grave danger as the dogs were not cat friendly. The house/pet sitter had temporarily fostered out two of the dogs and was frantically trying to find additional foster care for the two remaining Rottweillers.

Appeals went out to several organizations for help in rescuing momma and kittens. One organization did go out to the house but, after assessing the situation, declined to help due to liability concerns. They were concerned about any damage that might incur to the house during the rescue. They were given full permission to take apart anything under the house to rescue the furry family without liability for any damage. The group still refused and left.

We met the sitter that evening. Before we entered the back yard she secured the dogs in the house. She showed us the small muddy access hole where momma cat had entered. She pointed to an area of the dryer duct where she had been able to isolate the soft sounds of the kittens. Besides the fact that the ground was cold, wet and muddy, there was no way either one of us could fit through the small entrance momma had chosen. We located another access towards the front of the house that one could belly crawl through. This entrance at least had the added attraction of being dry.

As Larry crawled under the house to assess the situation, momma surprised him by entering via her entrance from the backyard and crawled through an opening in the dryer duct. We were somewhat stunned, as we had assumed that momma was already in the duct with the kittens.

(Lesson number one—never assume!)

This cat was an amazingly dedicated mother. She had been exiting her safe haven under the house daily trying to outwit 4 dogs and do a ‘death defying dash’ through the backyard and over the fence in search of food and water. We couldn’t imagine why she had chosen this particular backyard but regardless, Rachael, as she would eventually be named, was definitely dedicated to her babies. Maybe Rachael sensed that for her brood to survive the cold winter they would require warmth and that to her was more important than the danger.

The dryer ducting was 8 " in diameter. Rachael was so dedicated that to feed her babies she would position herself over the kittens with her back touching the top of the duct and would stay in a crouched stance for the babies to nurse. There was no room for her to fully stand nor could she lie down. This was exactly how Larry discovered her after he dismantled a section of ducting to reach her nesting spot.

We had no idea if Rachael was a friendly stray or a feral cat and if she would attack to protect her babies. Larry was sporting a thick pair of gloves that might possibly offer some protection from an enraged mother. I was lying down under the house behind Larry with a kennel. Larry began softly talking to Rachael. For conversation purposes he decided to explain to her what his plan of action entailed. I chuckled when I heard him say, " It would be nice if you didn’t bite me but I want you to know if you do, I understand."

With that said, Larry began reaching through the duct and passing little furry bundles to me. We worked quickly as the kittens were being passed from a warm nest into the cold damp air under the house. When all the kittens were in the kennel I heard Larry make a calm request to Rachael, "Please don’t bite me" as he quickly scooped her up. Rachael never said one mean word to us. She was exhausted and thin and, I would venture to say, grateful for the rescue and help.

When we arrived at Home 2 Cats we transferred our new family to their private quarters. During the rescue under the house we were trying to work so quickly to keep the babies warm that neither one of us paid attention to the number of babies. Once safely at Home 2 Cats we discovered that we had just rescued six precious kittens.

I admire Rachael so much. She was willing to put her own life at risk so that her babies would be safe and warm. As you can see by Rachael’s picture, this dutiful mother still loves to check out her girlish figure by seeing if she can still fit into tight places. I don’t have the heart to tell her that a few things have shifted with age (as with all of us). Rachael deserves her fantasy.

 

- -  H o m e 2 C a t s . o r g  - -

Animal and People Recognition

While losing a companion is one of life's greatest sorrows, never having one is to miss out on years of loving companionship.

 

In Memory Of Animals

In memory of a beautiful cat that I had never seen before and who was evidently hit by an automobile during the night. This beautiful cat crawled to my carport where I have four igloos (two for my cats) and two vacant for visitors, and crawled into one of the igloos and died. It is so sad: this beautiful animal all alone and in pain, but she did somehow know my home was a friendly place for animals.
--Wayne Ashford

Fulton
--Chris & Amy King

Madison
In Memory of Madison who loved his empty soda boxes but could never fit in them no matter how hard he tried.
Beloved Home 2 Cats resident.
--Auntie Ellen

Mandy
In remembrance of Jim & Lynda Sheppard’s "Little Mandy, the Tiny Dog with the Big Heart".
--Ellen Lentz

Mollie
Beloved dog of Joan Senhausen.
--George & Linda Bond

Phoebe
In memory of Phoebe my shy scaredy cat. I will miss her the rest of my life.
--Ruth Blann Cartledge

We also share the loss of Phoebe Catus, a very special rescue cat. I believe it was more than coincidence that brought Ruth, Phoebe Catus, and Holle Noel into our lives. We have enjoyed a special friendship over the years and they have become such a part of this organization.  Like Ruth, we will miss her dearly.
--Larry & Barbara Stanley

Raider
Beloved dog of Mary & Kurt Lindquist.
--Steve Meyer

Sage
Beloved canine family member of Michele, Jens, Hannah and Hayden Brewer.
--Bob & Dody Cordes

Sammy
In memory of our beautiful Sammy cat. The saddest thing about acquiring cats & dogs is that along with the happiness of getting them comes the sorrow of their short lives. Sammy was between 17-19 yrs, a long life I think for a cat, but I’m never ready to lose one and he was a treasure.
--Dr. & Mrs. Murray Heimberg

Scudder
Beloved cat of Mary Bowen.
--George & Linda Bond

Schubert
Much Loved dog of Laura Vandenburg.
--Rosemary Rodd

Violet
Remembering ‘Violet’ who will always be ‘Vivian’ to me.
Beloved Home 2 Cats resident.
--Ellen Lentz

Yodie
Beloved Cat of Steve Meyer.
Yodie was the best contortionist and could always put a smile on your face that warmed your heart.
--Larry & Barbara Stanley

Remembering Yodie who was loved by ALL who met him.
--Ellen Lentz

 

In Honor Of Animals

Katie & Abbie
In honor of Katie & Abbie Gregory, the best friends in the world.
Loved dogs of Kimbrough & Susan Gregory'
--Laurin Gregory

 

In Memory Of People

Ted Cartledge
Beloved husband.
--Ruth Blann Cartledge

Jim Walkner
Beloved brother.
--Ruth Blann Cartledge

LaCeile Thompson
Beloved Mother of Carole Thompson.
--George & Linda Bond

LaCeile Thompson
Beloved Mother of Carole Thompson.
--Sharon Thompson

LaCeile Thompson
Beloved Mother of Carole Thompson.
--Kay Joest

LaCeile Thompson
Beloved Mother of Carole Thompson.
--Cecelia & Billy Howell

Elizabeth Stanley
Beloved Mother of Larry Stanley.
--Larry & Barbara Stanley

Elizabeth Stanley
Beloved Mother of Larry Stanley.
--Jo Levy, Julie, Woody, Miss Levy and Mrs. Levy & kids.

 

In Honor Of People

Hannah Brewer
Happy Birthday Hannah!
--Bob & Dody Cordes

Jackie Ross-Guerrero
Humane Society of Stillwater, OK.
A wonderful person and cat/animal advocate.
--Ruth Blann Cartledge

- -  H o m e 2 C a t s . o r g  - -

A WORD FROM HOME (2 CATS)

This Last Quarter

This last quarter has been difficult for many of our supporters and us, as we have had to say farewell to special people and animals in our lives.

The end of May, Larry lost his beloved mother, Elizabeth Stanley, who was a wonderful caring person and her smile always brightened everyone’s day. She will be truly missed by family and friends.

Home 2 Cats had to say farewell to some of our dearly beloved long-term elderly, handicapped and special needs cats. We will miss our blind cat Violet’s conversations of chirps and chatters along with the lovable Madison and his ever-changing personality, which always kept us alert, and on our toes.

There was also our little gangly neurological Fletcher who with legs flying in different directions could out run the best of us when it was time for his medicine. Then there was three-legged St. Francis who never quite figured out the real use of a litter box but his sweet disposition always melted our hearts and our good boy Smokey, who suffered from chronic sinus and respiratory problems all his adult life.

We will miss all of these precious animals that were part of our daily lives.

With time, we are slowly getting back to ‘normal’. Of course, I am not sure what normal really is for any of us here at Home 2 Cats. I guess it’s what feels right in your heart and soul.

 

- -  H o m e 2 C a t s . o r g  - -

- -  H o m e 2 C a t s . o r g  - -

Home2Cats | Newsletters | Photos | Lynx

Please send email to:  home2cats@aol.com

Or write to: Home 2 Cats
P. O. Box 752671
Memphis, TN  38175-2671

And, as always, our sincere thanks for images from:

actioncat.com
Graphics from CatStuff
Microsoft Office Online: Clip Art
*NaNcY*'s Cat Animation Gallery
Lucky Cats portraiture by donaldmoon

Please bookmark this page and come back often!
This page was last updated 12/31/10.
Webmaster donaldmoon@aol.com