Colony Leader

[tabbytom]

Yea, it's worse if you raised them from young and cared for through illness. Both cats and us have emotions and those emotions run deep.

You have a heart, bless you

 

[shadowsrescue]

I am so sorry about the loss of Brown Cat. You were a wonderful cat parent. Thank you so much for taking care and loving him. My thoughts are with you during this time of grief and sadness.

 

[MJO12]

I hope that through TNR you will see the numbers stabilize. You gave brown cat a comfortable home and care during his final year. That is wonderful. I understand being neurotic about the cats and sacrificing your own comfort for them. When I was a colony keeper in the city not far from my house, I drove in seven days a week, twice a day to feed the cats. I did it for three years and took only one vacation. I spent a lot of money, too. Fortunately, as I neared retirement, a no-kill animal rescue helped me place the cats, and I took the two most unadoptable. I am glad you are LIVING your vacation on your island. Listen -- take care of yourself. Your girlfriend needs you and the cats need you.

 

[MJO12]

I was interested in your description of Brown Cat's illness. I wonder if he the same illness on of my colony cats had. But 15 years is a long and healthy life. My cat was young, and the illness had actually eaten away part of her mouth. I took her to the vet and he discovered that the illness was advancing into her throat, so we euthanized her. I can't remember the name of the disease -- maybe granuloma. She had kittens about eight weeks old, and I read that the disease could be hereditary. The shelter took the kittens -- one looked exactly like his mother. I hope none had the disease. I really grieved about her. I called her gray cat. She had a sweet, loving nature.

 

[surya]

I loved your story. And I don't usually read long post's because I have a short attention span. Do you write for a living? I'm sorry for the loss of Brown cat, you gave him a much better life than he would have had without you. I look forward to seeing pictures of the Ewok Village and hearing more stories.

 

[maggiedemi]

I remember this thread! I was hoping for an update. Sorry about Brown Cat, that's so sad.

 

[annah8]

So sorry for your loss and thanks for updating us. You saw it through to the end and that's more than some would do. You also gave him the dignity and respect he deserved without any further trauma from a vet. My hope is you find solace in knowing you gave Brown cat a better life, as indicated by the trust he exhibited in letting you pet him. Be well.

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. Any updates on the kitties? It's been a long time...

 

[mikemiller]

Hi. Any updates on the kitties? It's been a long time...

Yes, it has been a long and very busy time. The biggest development happened a few months ago, before the tourist season. If you remember, I wrote about the bin kitties - they were a colony of about 10-15 cats who lived not far from my house. I fed them and gave them anti-biotics when needed and they were just lovely. Well, they were all poisoned; a complete massacre. This is Croatia, and many people here view cats in the same way they view rats... The police investigated. Reports were taken. A neighbor's dog was also killed by the poison. It was a neurotoxin and killed within 5 minutes.

My dearest, Rosie (we never found her body), had just given birth. A friend who lives near the bins called me to say she could hear kittens crying. My girlfriend and I jumped in the car and rescued the 4 (2 week old) kittens from their nest. We bottle fed them and raised them to 11 weeks. We found them homes in Germany and they are all living happy lives now.

As for the original colony, we've had a few new additions, and they're all happy and healthy.

6 weeks ago, some excuse for a human being put 5 kittens in a plastic bag (still covered in placenta) and tossed them in a bin in the next town. This made the local news and a benevolent woman took them in and raised them to 4 weeks. She lives in a small apartment and has children and a dog. She knew about us and asked if we could take them in and adopt them out since we had contacts in Germany. So now we have 5 adorable kittens housed in the summer kitchen that has been turned into a kitten sanctuary. In 2 hours I need to feed them again. All but one has a confirmed home.

 

[maggiedemi]

Thanks for the update. I'm so sorry about the loss of your other colony. I hate those poisons, they are just so dangerous to all animals....When you get the chance we would love an update on the original colony. Do you still have the Calico? I see you have a new little Calico kitten! She's cute.

 

[surya]

I'm sorry. I recently lost two of my colony cats and it broke my heart. ((Hugs)). The kittens are beautiful.

 

[mikemiller]

Do you still have the Calico?

Yes, she doesn't go far from home. She's still the queen of the colony and is served breakfast first, as is tradition. She was in-love with Brave Heart for a few months, but she friend-zoned him. She likes her privacy too much to be tied down.

The other additions to the colony include a 4 week old tabby kitten who stumbled upon us named, Yugi. He's now a young adult. At first he thought he could just prance up the steps in I-live-here-now fashion, but Persian went for his neck. So he needed to be protected from her. Now he's 10 times bigger than her and she leaves him alone.

A very big and aggressive feral cat showed up and wouldn't leave. We called him Hitler because he looks like Hitler and was mean. But like Darth Vader, I could sense there was good in him. So I had to have his balls removed. Shortly after, he reverted into a kitten-like state and he couldn't be more affectionate. His head is leaning on my leg right now.

2.0 (Two Point O). He was allowed to enter the colony without any trouble at all because he looks almost exactly like Persian (perhaps from the same litter). He walked right under the sentinels' noses. By the time they realized he wasn't Persian (a female), it was too late and they just shrugged. He's also known as the Peacemaker. Whenever 2 cats go head-to-head, 2.0 will put himself between them and just stand there until they forget what they wanted to fight about.

One Eyed Jack, all black. Jack is now about 10 weeks old. His right eye was blown-out due to infection. He's very healthy now and is just a regular kitten. Although he has trouble turning right, and sometimes bumps his head. He sleeps with me. I'm his man.

Anyhoot! That's what's happening. We're all just trying to beat the summer heat.

 

[maggiedemi]

Thanks for the update! Did you change Hitler's name to Darth Vader when he reformed?