Powder Puff, RIP, and More
Stephanie posted the first of a series of guest posts by yours truly about TNR and Project Treadstone over at her immensely popular site at Change.org. Thanks, Stephanie!
Speaking of Project Treadstone, Powder Puff, seen below, died over the weekend. Each time I saw him he looked sickly. Sometimes his eyes had discharge, sometimes his coat looked strange, and once he was sleeping and his head was kind of bobbing and it's hard to explain but his shape looked abnormal. He didn't look at all comfortable.
You may recall that when I took him to the vet (and at that time I thought he was a she) I asked them to check him out and they said he looked fine. And if he looked fine he wouldn't have been tested. And if he didn't look fine and was tested he probably would have been euthanized. So his suffering was basically prolonged because he looked good on that one day, and because testing is done only if there are symptoms. Hmm–that's an interesting one.
My only hope is that other kitties at Project Treadstone aren't suffering someplace hidden. Of course, when kitties are suffering they usually hide so that's profoundly unrealistic.
This week we are going to try to trap four cats for fixing, vaccinating, ear-tipping and microchipping on Friday. I haven't scanned the pictures from the week before last yet, but there were three pregnant females and a male.
And last night, a veterinary surgeon-friend of mine asked for help regarding ferals, and I believe today we are signing up a colony about five miles from me with 50 (!) cats, many of whom are pregnant. There is a Spay-Around-the-Clock coming up, and I'm signing up to volunteer. The new colony will use my appointments at the local vet and Project Treadstone will use the Pahokee ones until we are finished with them (Pahokee is very, very far from the new colony), and we'll trap and shuttle as many as we can from the new colony, around the clock, when that day arrives.
I'm not sure where I'm going to get the money for all of this, but if I do only a couple of cats a week, and try to get the females first, that's better than nothing.
Ah, poor Powder Puff. I'm sorry that he's gone, but it sounds like life was pretty miserable for him.
This newest addition to your efforts sounds ambitious. I'm impressed. Lots of work, but I have faith that you're up to it. If this is going to keep growing, is it time for fundraising?
(By the way, I choked on my tea a little when I read the first line–"immensely popular" is kind but probably pushing it a bit.:) )
Mary… Sorry about Powder Puff. Those blue eyes were certainly beautiful and telling of his "Siamese" breeding wouldn't you say?
And who knows his history? And how he came to be? Maybe his lineage came from a cat farm? They were all over Central Florida in the 80's – There's more mixes of stray Siamese types than anywhere else I've ever seen… Anyway, I'm sure his end came better under care/shelter than without.
Good luck on your next round of 50! Mary you're amazing! 🙂