Craig Street Cats

I was up at Pet Traders yesterday, and happended to see a notice on the kitten pen. It said “ask about George, our free cat”, so I asked about George. George, it turns out, is an absolutely lovely, young, ginger and white cat. Friendly, gentle, just a wonderful boy. So, why is he free?

George is FIV positive. That means that he must be adopted by someone who understands that he might have significant health problems in the future. He must also go to a 1 cat home, or a home with other FIV positive cats. Finally, George must always be an indoor cat, because the disease he carries can be spread to other cats through bite wounds.

George needs a forever home. He is currently living in a small crate in the back of the Pet Traders shop, and this is no way for a friendly fellow to spend his days. If you can offer George a forever home (really — this is a big commitment), please contact Pet Traders at 204.477.1616, or drop into the store at 1333 Portage Ave. You won’t be sorry.

Another batch of babies has taken up residence in my house. These ones came from the same place as the last litter — under my next door neighbour’s front porch. Unfortunately, these 5 are orphans. Their mom was trapped and taken into the Humane Society for spaying, but she wasn’t strong enough to make it through the surgery.

This crew is much younger than the last bunch. They were approximately 3 weeks old when I rescued them from under that porch. Four were rescued the same day their mother passed away, but the fifth managed to stay hidden for an extra 2 days. All of the babies are doing well, and have taken over my living room. I have to say that kittenworld in my living room is much better than kittenworld in my bathroom

These little ones are far too cute for words, so take a peek at the videos (they open in a new window):

kittens1 kittens2 kittens3 kittens4 kittens5

We started off bottle feeding, because they were so young, but weaning is progressing quite well. The litter is about 4 to 5 weeks old, now, and eating well, as you can see in this photo:

The group will be with me for another month, or so, then off to Pet Traders to find their forever homes.

Say hello to George, the second male to be part of our little TNR program. George was not at all happy to find himself in the trap, and had no difficulty letting us know about it. I was afraid he was going to break his teeth trying to get out of the trap!

As you can see, George is a sturdy grey and cream tabby, with green eyes. His coat is medium length, and his tail is long. He now sports tattoo #UA2638

Since the article in Saturday’s Free Press, many good and interesting things have been happening. Many wonderful people have come forward to donate food and supplies for this project, and others have contributed cash to help cover expenses. Still other wonderful people have offered to give time from their busy schedules to help work with the cats and take on fundraising activities.

Since it seems that my little project is going to be a long term undertaking, and dollars to keep going will be an ongoing concern, I’m looking at setting up a non-profit organization to deal with it all. This will allow for fundraising events and activities, and help take the financial pressure off my shoulders.

Still more good news: After the article came out, a generous person called the Humane Society to make a donation to cover sterilization fees for several Craig Street Cats. Aileen White (WHS Public Relations spokesperson) called to let me know, and to share the fact that the WHS was looking at the whole fee structure and whether or not it was having the intended effect.

Today Aileen called again, to let me know that Craig Street Cats will not be turned away simply because I don’t have the funds to cover the fee. We will be able to work together to provide sterilization for the cats, and the WHS asks only that I donate to the program as funds permit. The society also allows donors to specify how their contributions will be used, so anyone who wants to make a contribution to be used specifically for spay/neuter fees can contact the Winnipeg Humane Society and let them know that their donation is for the Craig Street Cats TNR program.

I would like to say THANK YOU to Aileen and Bill McDonald for their fast action on this issue. The WHS has responded to the situation in an incredibly positive way.