The topic of my most recent article for IDAHO Magazine is Storm, a blind foundling I plucked from the ditch during my morning walk. Storm was incredibly tiny when I found her and despite being gravely ill, she rallied and survived. She even managed to overcome blindness. But, what is really remarkable about this tale is that neither the veterinarian nor I killed her.
To explain that last sentence, I need to back up a few years. Continue reading
‘Tis the season to celebrate cats. Halloween cards and decorations feature black cats sporting witches’ hats, slinking through graveyards, and riding on brooms. Halloween is synonymous with fun—and frights, but for cats, Halloween tricks can seem all too real. Strangers slink through the neighborhood. Unusual smells and horrifying noises fill the air. Costumes turn ordinary people into monsters. Make no mistake, Halloween is a spooky time for cats. Those frights come with an even more frightening history. Continue reading
I am a gun owner and a cat owner. Judging from the reactions of the overly ferocious crazy-cat-lady NRA types out there, you’d think I owned neither.
Like the makers of this supper-cute video, I don’t want big mean strays in the neighborhood. Especially not the big feral tom cat that terrorizes small children and dogs. Nor do I want bump-stocks and AR 15’s in the neighborhood. Especially not in the hands of the delusional man on the corner who also terrorizes small children and dogs. Unfortunately, the gun-waving-crazy-cat-lady-NRA members of the world want you to believe people like me, who want regulations for guns and cats, want to eradicate all guns and all cats. And that simply isn’t true.
I may never understand why some many people believe guns and cats are an all-or-nothing issue when there are clearly options in the middle.
My story, Feral Cat Fiasco: Lovable Until They’re Not, is featured in the January 2018 edition of Idaho Magazine. There were several edits to the story so as not to offend the sensibilities of the magazine’s readers. However, I have no such apprehensions, so you can read a bit that was cut from the story below.
Also, to see more information about my troubles with feral cats, check out this post on Feral Cat Solutions.
The Cut Bit:
Well, if they want to maintain a feral cat colony, let them do it at their house, I thought. And that’s when an idea took root. Continue reading
This morning I met with the Latah County Commissioners. I have included my PowerPoint presentation here:
And you can see the letter I wrote to the County Commissioners which resulted in my being granted an audience here: May 18-Cats
Since submitting the SNAP application on May 15, 2017 I have managed to capture 3 kittens. It’s been a month and SNAP has yet to contact me regarding my application, so their statement that it may take up to a month to receive a decision is false. It clearly takes OVER a month. And in case you’re curious, that mama cat, who had the first litter last year, and another litter this year, is pregnant again. Obviously, taking prompt action to reduce the number of stray and feral animals isn’t much of a concern for them.