So... a while back, I adopted some chickens from a lovely couple named Tim and Arja who couldn't keep them anymore. Well today I heard from them again. Apparently this sweet black kitty has been showing up at their place, cold and hungry and looking for handouts. They can't keep her (I seem to recall a cat allergy) and were asking me for advice. I have somehow managed to con my husband into fostering this cat, because I know out local shelter is overflowing with cats right now, and black cats are particularly difficult to adopt out.
Then I get another email... Arja thinks this kitty might be pregnant (not surprising, given that she's a girl and a stray!) They said they could just take her to the shelter if she's knocked up but I said no way, if she's preggars, we'll deal with it and adopt out the kittens.
So I think we'll get her sometime this week, and a vet visit will be in order. She can stay in one of the cat rooms in the barn for now. I am serious about adopting her out, so if you are interested, let me know. If she is pregnant, I will keep her until the kittens are born, then get her fixed and find her a home (and the kittens too!) We already have 16 (!) cats and even I have my limits, but I really like Tim and Arja and I have a soft spot for black cats and unwed pet mothers (remember pregnant Ophelia the pig?) Kudos to my husband for agreeing to this. Gordon, I really mean it about trying to find her a home!!
I shall keep you all posted...
This is so kind of you, Natalie. I know our shelters are full to over-flowing right now, too and the black ones are always the last to be adopted. That is, if they ever do. Our Pet Valu store in town is a spot where the Ottawa Humane Society bring cats in to be shown to the public. They, too, say the blacks always take longer to adopt out unless they are wee ones. So....thank you from another cat lover for helping this homeless cat. I really do believe you will give finding a suitable home for her a shot, anyway. :) Lucky little gal. Deb
ReplyDeleteTHe OSPCA has a cat and kitten sale on right now. I wish people would damn well learn to spay and neuter and help stop all this suffering. :( I hope we can do right by this little gal.
DeleteWhat was that show called with all the kids? Seventeen (cats) and counting?
ReplyDeleteI TOLD you it was a slippery slope...did you LISTEN??? Noooooooooooo.......
bwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ssssssssh this is all your fault! You and your damn catio and kiddy-pool litter boxes!!
DeleteOh sure....blame Trish :) LOL
DeleteBlack cats really are the cat's whiskers...my three agree. Thank you for helping her.
ReplyDeleteJane x
I love black cats and yet we don't have one. yet! hahahhaha
DeleteNatalie - I just now heard from Shelly Dickie who runs a cat rescue here and she said of a litter of 8 kittens found in a taped-up recycling bin a month ago, all are adopted but the black one. :(
ReplyDeleteBlack cats are the best as far as I am concerned. I'd quite like a panther actually (in principle... and a friendly one).
DeleteBless you for taking this sweetie in.
ReplyDeleteI (a) hope she's not preggars (but if she is, we will deal with it) and (b) hope I can find a home for her so that she can be special and not just one of the kitty crowd! I am looking forward to meeting her.
DeleteOh Natalie I almost cried when I read this post. What incredible people you and Gordon are. I am so saddened to read that black cats don't easily get adopted. I don't understand that having known so many wonderful black cats. All I can say is this kitty fell on her feet being taken in by you and Gordon. Bless you both.
ReplyDeleteThe people who have taken her in and turned to me for help are pretty great themselves! But I think there are allergies involved, so they can't keep a cat. Plus hey, we don't have a black cat yet!
Delete"Adopted out"? Yeah right... The cat will be kept along with at least one of the kittens. You are not mad but you should perhaps turn you farm into a business opportunity. Animal Cafe... My daughter and wife pay good money to enter a local Cat Cafe and they have to book weeks in advance to get a place. And as an added attraction, in addition to all the animals, ladies of a certain age (for an extra fee) could visit at the "Pat a Bearded Lawyer" times.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I like the way you think!! And come on, I had to make some pretense of intending to adopt this cat in order to get my husband on side. Ssssssh!!
DeleteLove the café and lawyer-patting ideas!!
Our local cat cafe charges UK£7 per person just to get in for an hour, and of course customers buy fairly expensive coffee and cakes too. Imagine how much you could charge lonely ladies for the chance to stroke Gordon's beard and tickle him under his chin? (You could even let lonely old men have a look at your ass... and Emerson and the pigs, etc...). :)
DeleteI am charging more than UK£7 for all of THOSE exciting privileges!!!!
DeleteI'm charging extra for that!!
DeleteI wish you success in this venture. I hope you find somebody to help you with this poor old cat.
ReplyDeleteRed, I suspect she's staying BUT I SWEAR, this is it!! ;)
DeleteAnd I suspect it is not
DeleteBlack cats are beautiful! Thank you. :) :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a pleasure helping cats!
DeleteNot mad at all, simply a woman with a heart as big as the world. I hope things go well with the foster!
ReplyDeleteYou are so kind!! I just love animals so much. ALways have. :)
DeleteAwww you guys are just awesome.
ReplyDeleteOr crazy!! :)
DeleteThank gawd you have lots of room and a barn, piggery etc. That many cats with all that space seems right. A few more in the mix won't even be a problem, right? Makes me so sad about black cats. They're lovely creatures. So unfair. This one seems a beauty.
ReplyDeleteAll the cats seem to have enough space (especially in that 4,000 SF barn!) so knock wood, so far they all get along surprisingly well. There's the odd tiff, but nothing terrible!
DeleteShe is such a pretty girl. Heart breaking how many homeless, pregnant cats there are. You have a huge heart and I am in awe of you. I hope she can be well and her and whatever kittens there may be find loving homes. x
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased she was NOT pregnant after all, and is coming home today, all spayed and vaccinated!!! Thank you so much for your kind words!
DeleteDo you think Gordon can have a little chat with Dave... re: "letting the wife have all the cats", I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want another kitty but he keeps saying no :(
ReplyDeleteWe need to knock some sense into Dave's head!!!
DeleteBless you! I know you will be blessed by this little one, even though you are bursting at the gills with kitties. Black cats (and blue eyed Siamese mixes are my favs.) In fact when I took in a little preggers calico six years ago I was hoping for a black kitten (KITTEN) to keep. She managed to give me two and I planned to keep both to add to my two house kitties. My oldest kitty (a blue eyed hemi mix) was getting older and I thought a kitten would be good for my other kitty in case he passed away. Well, my plan continued to go astray. As soon as they got their eyes open the little torti told me she was mine and going nowhere. I gave away their orange and orange and white brothers....and got them back a month later as they 'weren't working out'. Add their calico sister and one thing leading to another and I have eight cats in the house now...because my little old kitty is thankfully still going strong at 18! :-) The kitties (real) mommy got the best end of the deal as she shares the house with one other kitty at my Moms. Talk about spoiled! Anyway. Sorry for the ramble but you are one of the few people I know that has more kitties than me and I love it! ha I know this little girl has fallen into good hands! My two black kitties are named Verity and Chaco and are quite the characters.
ReplyDeleteTammy
No need to apologize, I love hearing stories about crazy cat people like me. ;) I think cats really do choose their humans, and we are stupid to resist!
Deletewe know she (and any minions) are in good hands!!
ReplyDeleteTHank you!!! :)
DeleteShe looks exactly like my Sima :)
ReplyDeleteIf her pregnancy is not too far along she can still be fixed. I know heart breaking, but might be a better option :(
Well, I had it done and yay, no kittens, so no tinge of guilt! :)
DeleteI came to say what Pasha's Mommy said. it is something a lot of people don't like the idea of, but with millions of cats being killed every year for a lack of a home, it seems more humane to take the life that hasn't started, than the one that is already here.
ReplyDeleteActually, my vet mentioned it today. I think we are taking her in tomorrow and we'll see how far along she is. I don't think I could handle it if the babies were imminent but otherwise I'll consider it!
DeleteShe looks a sweetie and I am sure her kittens will be cute :-)
ReplyDeleteI miss our neighbours black cat who for some time had taken to sitting on our front doormat. She passed away earlier this year and I still look down at the doormat (where she used to sit) as I leave the house in the morning.
I find lots of people have the old black cat is bad luck or brings evil myth in their heads and so black cats aren't wanted as much . I hope all goes well for you and this cat and if she is preggers then the kittens are all fine and can be adopted to good forever homes . Thanks for sharing and for doing what you do for all these animals your farm is their safe haven . Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteThat must be a regionally variable thing because here (Scotland, UK) black cats are always regarded as lucky, especially if one crosses in front of you as that supposedly foretells of good luck. All rubbish either way, of course, but I still cannot help but feel pleased whenever one crosses my path. If I get another cat I would like a black one (so Knatolee will probably be making plans to send me a few already :)
DeleteDefinitely regional, Andrew. In North America they are considered (STUPIDLY) to be bad luck and both black cats AND black dogs are the hardest to adopt out at shelters. So ridiculous. I love black cats and have wanted one for a long time!
DeleteCG, thank you for your kind words. You always have something nice to say to me! :)
DeleteAnyway if one crosses your path it clearly means: "Lucky you - you have a new cat!"
DeleteGosh, you remind me of ME! haha....we have 14....all 'rescued' and adopted. There have been 22 but some have gone their own way...but 14 are still here! She's a beauty, your black kitty....best of luck to all...and happy homes for all!
ReplyDeleteps...and my hubby is on board with it all, too....which I never thought would happen. And some of them love him the most...haha....
DeleteIt makes me happy to know there are people out there who have actually had more cats than we do right now. :) Yay for your hubby! I think after cat #4, Gordon caved. I still do him the courtesy of asking before taking in a cat, so as to preserve the illusion that he has a say in the matter!
DeleteKudos to you for taking in the black cat! As you know, most of the ferals in our neighborhood are black... and good looking cats! We have a special place in our hearts for them. Of course our house is full with our inside kitties, but the ferals are welcome in our yard. Some have been caught and neutered, their kittens brought to the Adoption Room at the Animal Shelter, some haven't... but they are all still welcome.
ReplyDeleteYou are so good to your kitties and especially your little feral friends. YOu do good work!
DeleteI love black cats. I love them for their beauty and elegance but more than that for their personality and intelligence. Once you have one you're hooked for life.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really can't see this one leaving our place but I have to quit collecting cats at some point!! :)
DeleteI saw a TV report about a lady with more than a thousand on her farm that became a cat shelter while she didn't notice. You are a mere beginner.
DeleteI have a soft spot in my heart for black kitties. My first ever kitty was all black. but I live way down in Georgia so no adoptions from here. Deb sent me to visit and I love your blog, your wonderful outlook on life and your love of animals!
ReplyDeleteLinda
THank you Linda! Deb is great too. :)
DeleteNatalie, I envy you being able to adopt and comfortably house all your beloved animals! If I lived in the country, I would be the same way....you cannot have too many companions!! Did you know black cats, in their makeup, are healthier than other patterned cats? Something in the "black" makes them able to ward off diseases easier than other types. We have 8 in our house, 3 are black, and 5 outside (all spayed/neutered/shots). Bless your heart for making the lives of these animals worthwhile and giving them all the love you and Gordon give them.
ReplyDeleteGlenda from Kansas
I didn't know that about black cats! Amazing! And kudos for you for being a kitty-saving warrior. :)
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