This morning, I went out to feed the cats before sunrise. It was foggy and damp and cold. I turned on the overhead lights over the feeder and out of the corner of my eye, I see a Siamese with kittens near the barn! I think I counted 5 kittens before they scattered. I ran over, shut the barn door and slipped inside. They were hiding in the straw and so I put my traps out- managed to catch mom (pregnant) and one kitten. A beautiful long-hair 3 month old. I dropped them at the vet to get mom tested (negative) and to get her spayed (tomorrow).  I had words with one of their girls about the huge bill and I finally told her that we have been clients for a very long time, and yes, I know the bill is high- but it has been high before and if they look back in all the years- have they ever even had to send me a late notice for payment? She admitted they never had to and so I made her a promise. I told her, I would get the bill paid off somehow by the end of this month. I just hope I can deliver on my word. My word is important to me, but we aren’t talking just a few hundred dollars here.

When I was in Alaska the cats we rescued were ones that we went out and captured after someone called us about them. No one, not once dumped an animal on our porch, in our yard, our car nothing. I am so tired of the apathy around cats in this part of the world. And that people think nothing about dumping cats on us- washing their hands of their care and giving all their problems to someone else. I’m not alone, I know this- yesterday in fact, I learned that a woman in Lebanon (the next town over) dumped 40 guinea pigs in a ditch! She got caught thankfully and most of the pigs have been rescued. But what the heck?

I go back to the vet in a few hours with Pumpkin. I just hope I don’t get any flack about that appointment. Time will tell