Update on our Beloved Mrs. Gray

 

Those of you who have been with WIFCaP from the beginning in 2011 and most of the following years of our TNR journey, know and love Mrs. Gray.

She is the heart of the organization.  She and her little family of five were the ones that spurred me to dive into TNR and begin a quest to help community cats.

Pictures and stories of her and her sweet son, "Z" graced our Facebook page nearly every day for years.  They along with Mr. Nelson were key to our engagement with our donors and supporters.  

In 2016 when it I had retired from WIFCaP and began spending winters in Texas, it was impossible for the cats to stay on my porch.   We were so happy when we found placement for Mrs. Gray and in turn, "Z"

Fans of the kitties inspired me to write a little book about Mrs. Grays life and so I did.  At the end of the story,  Mrs, Gray says: "So if a fairy tale is learning about love, caring, nurture and trust, then my life is a fairy tale, and for me, my life is a 'happily ever after' tale."

I wish that was the end of her story and that happily ever after was in fact the case. My hope for her was that she would grow old wrapped in a little circle of gray fur, with sweet dreams of the red porch swing and bringing me an occasional mouse as a gift.

Her story has taken an unforeseen turn.  The family that took her in, in reality was not adopting her.  They were hoping we would find permanent placement for her.  I don't know how everything regarding that played out, in the form of agreements or plans, as I was no longer working with WIFCaP and not kept in the loop.  I had several chances to visit Mrs. Gray and she seemed happy.  It is a busy household with small grandchildren present and other foster animals.  This is not something Mrs. Gray was used to, but things seemed fine.

In April of this year, I was contacted by a supporter asking how Mrs. Gray was doing.   I asked and was informed that Mrs. Gray was no longer at April's.   They had begun to allow her to go outside and one day, she didn't come back.  The plan was to keep an eye out for her and once she presented herself, WIFCaP would take her in and find new placement for her.  She has not been seen since late January.  

I held on to hope that I would get a message that Mrs. Gray had returned. But when two days ago, another faithful supporter asked how she was doing.  I feel it time to let her followers and fans know what is happening with her.

WIFCaP's response to the question on Facebook: "As far as we know, Mrs. Gray has moved to a different colony in April's neighborhood. The neighborhood has many generous feral cat feeders.  The last time April saw her, she was fat and happy and her normal confident self.  April has an eye out for her and when we see her again, we have plans to place her in a different home."

I can't really even put into words how I feel about this.   We don't know where she is.  We don't know if she is alive or dead.  Is she being fed?  In a few short months its winter again and she again will be outside on her own.  Maybe someone took her in?  So many questions.

I am sad and angry that this happened and there is nothing we can do.  

I know rescues do the best they can for each and every animal they oversee.  And when things happen that don't go the way they should, I always hope that note is taken, and new policies are put in place to prevent the same thing from happening again. Let's hope that has happened in this case.  

WIFCaP has done a wonderful job with TNR but I feel like we failed Mrs. Gray.  I take some of the blame for not keeping closer track of her.  In my attempt to step back and allow Lois the freedom to run WIFCaP her way, I neglected Mrs. Gray and for that, I feel guilt.  I own it and I ask God to forgive me. 

My final words on this:

My sweet dear Mrs. Gray,

I am so sorry!  My prayer is that you are fat and sassy, sleeping on someone else's front porch or better yet, inside on an overstuffed chair with a blankie all your own.   I hope somehow you know how much I love you and that you know there are hundreds of others that love you too.   I watched you rear your children all alone in a dank and dark basement of an abandoned house.  I saw the fear in your eyes when we first met and watched those green eyes soften as you grew to trust and know that I would not hurt you. I promised to take care of you, and I failed.  Please forgive me.  Wait for me at 

The Bridge, if that's where you are.   You'll know my voice and you will see my tears of joy. I will know you by your velvet green eyes and your stubby little tail. What a happy reunion that will be.  I just know there is a red swing there waiting for us to sit, share space and reminisce.  And if by some miracle, you are alive and we find you, I WILL make sure you have a home.

The Sweetest Sewing Buddy

 Lucy is my sweet kitty who has been with me now for over 14 years.   She is the best cat ever.   She has lived with up to 3 other cats and now that she is the solo feline in the house, she is flourishing.   She enjoys being an only cat and is in every definition "catty".   

She is as passionate about quilting as I am.

I hope you will indulge me when I share an occasional pic of her amidst my projects!

**Please note:  When I made this post, I neglected to note that Lucy was ill.   She had a tumor in her nasal cavity, and she was having increased difficulty breathing, eating, swallowing.  Our vet prescribed a steroid injection that seemed to help for a little while.  She got worse and sadly on September 25, 2021, I held her as she gently crossed the rainbow bridge.   To say I miss her would be an understatement.  This sweet little soul has been my friend for a very long time.  She is the last of a string of kitties that occupied my life and my heart for 15 years.  My house is empty without a cat...but I'm not ready.  Lucy still takes up too much room in my heart.  

Final Donation to Project Linus for this Season

Here is my Lucy, "helping" me sew one of the flannel baby quilts

Again, Sweet Lucy, keeping my flannel blanket project warm while I went to lunch!

These little blocks and extra fabric was found among some scraps given to me.  I just finished it up!

 My sister Kris and I took a trip to the Country Sampler yesterday to deliver a load of baby quilts to Project Linus.   I took 4 flannel and one pieced quilt as my final donation for this season.  Although I forgot to take pictures of all the finished quilts, I do have a couple of in progress and a picture of the finished pieced one.   

This donation has about depleted my flannel stash so now what???    It's just a bit humorous when I think that I want to use up my stash, but when the stash gets low, I begin to get a little nervous and a bit sweaty....and go on lookout for a good bargain!  

It's fun to have a project my sister and I can work on together.   This scrap infatuation we both have is so enjoyable and creative.  We don't agree on much socially, politically or spiritually, so having this connection is great glue to hold our relationship together.   I need her in my life.  She is about the only family I have left and she is just too important.

Rest my Ricky-boy

I'm here to write about a cat.  My cat who was killed on the highway on March 21, 2013 .  I've been looking at this blank page for days and cant think of a thing to write.  I want to memorialize him, to remember, but that hurts ...a lot...and I'm not sure I'm ready.  Then today my dear friend Cheryl Canada sent me this poem, written by an unknown author...originally written for dogs, I have substituted cats...

"It came to me that everytime I loose a cat,

they take a piece of my heart with them.

And every new cat who comes into my life

gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough
all the components of my heart
will become as generous and loving as they are..

And so its hard to be ready when the hole that his loss left in my heart is open, raw and still unoccupied.  The thought came to me that maybe being "ready" has nothing to do with producing a memorial.  Maybe the pain holding me back from sharing who this furry little boy was, is a selfish thing...If it's my emotion, my broken heart, my hurt that keeps me from writing, then he will be forgotten or never known.  Ricky deserves to be remembered and known.

Ricky was born during the spring of 2007.  His known history began when he was about 2 months old when he and his sister were found in an abandoned trailer in a town close to ours.   Skinny, full of fleas and worms, he and his sister were rescued and brought back to health. Then his waiting for a new home began.

My husband and I had rescued an abandoned kitten a year earlier (Possum)  and I felt that she needed a buddy.  Having had a male cat before, I longed for the affection and fun personality that I knew a boy cat would provide.  I had let Avoca Veterinary Clinic know that I was looking for a male kitten.

The day I got the call from AVC is like yesterday for me.  They basically said they had a little boy cat and I was instantly in the car and on my way to get him.  What his color was, his size, his age...none of that mattered.  I had found my boy-kitty and I was going to get him and bring him home.   The carrier sat on the counter at the clinic and I remember peering in and seeing not two brilliant blue eyes, but four!  Two frightened kittens were peering back at me...both near-white with seal points.  I immediately saw that they were Siamese mix and they were beautiful.   One was a male and of course he was the braver and came right to me.  I scooped him up, put him in my carrier, completed the paperwork and headed home.  Two blocks from the clinic, I called my husband to give him the good news of our new baby.  When Larry asked me how it went, I said "The hardest part was leaving his sister behind"   His reply will be a gift to me forever...."How much harder would it be to have 3 cats as opposed to 2?"....I headed right back to the clinic to get his sister.

Ricky and Lucy became part of our family that day.  Lucy is my beauty queen  and Possum is my quirky, plump sweet girl that is every one's favorite because of her independent mind!  But Ricky was my boy....my Ricky-boy!

Ricky was boy through and through and wanted outside from day one.  Trying to keep him inside was like trying to keep flies off the watermelon!  He made himself quite clear that going out was of great importance to him.  He would smack nick-knacks off tables, try to swipe pictures off the wall and wail like a sick cow until he allowed out.   A very verbal boy, I knew when he wanted in or out, a snack, a meal or attention.   He was as annoying as he was endearing. He could open cabinets to get to his treats, could eat through Styrofoam to get to the feral cat food and he could steal my heart by curling up on my lap for a long afternoon nap or by allowing me to cradle him and nuzzle his tummy.  I chuckled at his "squinty eyes"...he would lower them when he wanted something, sit straight as a stick and stare! A statue model should have been his career!  A great communicator, I always knew what he wanted.    We had a game we would play at supper.  He would come to my chair, lay down and kick the chair leg with his back feet.  I would reach down grab both feet and say "I'm gonna get your feet!" and I would shake them gently back and forth.  As soon as I stopped, he would kick the legs again until I took his soft little feet in my hand again and played our game over and over...

And so for nearly six years I enjoyed the presence of this sweet little soul.  Our morning routine included a full breakfast dish...a litter box run and a short visit to the outside. The morning of the 23rd, I had to go to Omaha for the day.  I let Lucy in, but Ricky didn't enter.  I intended to let him in before I left for the day, but I forgot.    I got the call in the late afternoon that he had been found.  The trip home feels like a dream.  I was so happy that my neighbor and my friend took care of him and took him to the vets office.  I was able to go the next day to see him.  I decided to bring him home and let my girls say goodbye...and I needed to see him, touch him and love on him just one more time.

Watching the cats say goodbye will stay with me forever.  But they are at peace, knowing that he is gone and not lost.  Not waiting by the door wondering where he is. I am still trying to find peace.  Ive known the risk of allowing him to go outside.  We've talked about how we realize that his life may be shortened because of it.  But he was so happy to be out there, to chase bugs, and butterflies....to play in the snow...to lay in the sunshine...to be a cat in every sense of the word.  I don't regret that.  I only wish we could have had more time together and I pray that he didn't suffer...that he wasn't mad at me and sitting the porch with squinty eyes...waiting for me to let him in.

Rest peacefully, my Ricky-Boy, mama loves you my little man!

Too cute Not to Share!

Well, he's done it!  Gibbs has wormed his warm little heart into ours and whined long enough to gain entrance to the house.  He is the best cat ever!  A big baby who just wants to be loved and live inside!  Im giving him short visits for now.  Soon he will be a regular and maybe spend the night in the house even.  I still havent seen him use a box and until I see that, I harbor some distrust.  MUST USE BOX...but like my bff Pam says, he is a smart boy...He wants to fit in and he will.  The other 3 are getting used to him.  Lucy is the most resistant, but her nature is to not like any change AT ALL, even if it involves her brother and sister.  Possum seems to like him the best.  They lay close by each other and just hang.  I think soon they will be touching. 

I guess if you are going to live in the country in a big old house, one might as well have multiple cats!  :)

My Life as A Cat Lover...

Having 3 cats has had its challenges, but the love and comfort and humor they bring to our lives makes the expense and the sharing of the bed well worth it.

I have set my limit at 3. I've been tempted during the past 3 years to take in another one. But I have respected the limit I have set for myself. I found homes for 2 very tempting felines and have seen a few be taken to a shelter in hopes of finding a fur-ever home or to a friendly farmer's barn for mousing...It truly has not been an issue...until Gibbs.

This little guy blended right into our feline "family".  I was seeing glimpses of him, thinking he was one of my 3, until one day I realized there was actually a 4th out there.  He was very frightened and hid beneath the porch.  When I saw him sitting out in the rain, I knew he was stray and most likely hungry.  I began leaving a bowl of water and food out for him and each morning the bowl was licked clean. 

After several days of putting a full dish of food at his hiding place entrance, he decided to emerge and say hello.  Still a bit skittish, but very thankful for the food I was bringing. It was the beginning of my new love affair with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, my gray haired - blue eyed, handsome man.  This kitty must have belonged to a family.  He is so tame and loves people once he knows he can trust them.  He's a lap cat and has the most comforting purr.

He's had his "visit" to the vet, so he can't become a daddy and he has had his shots, worming and flea medication, so he's set!

He isn't allowed in the house, but he has a cozy bed on the front porch.  He loves to be held, brushed and follows me around the yard like a shadow!

The hardest part for me is NOT letting him in.  The other 3 aren't sure yet if they like him.  Our limit is 3.  Seeing him outside, wanting in, breaks my heart.  We have months of warm weather ahead and I'm sure he is safe out there.  But when colder weather comes around, I don't know what we are going to do.  Limits...ick.
For now, I will make frequent "dates" with my buddy.  I take a cup of tea and a book and sit with him.  A good excuse to take time out of my day and relax with a cat. You should try it.  Proof positive that a cat brings down your blood pressure!

Another Cat Story!

This little baby should be named MIRACLE or LUCKY. I don't know what her name will end up being, but she is really one fortunate kitty. Maybe her name should be Cookie..like fortune cookie...LOL! For the purposes of this blog and until she is properly named by her new owner, that is what I will call her.

The stray little one got up into the undercarriage (frame) of a pick up truck that came into Walnut last Thursday morning. She was crying her little head off but in the hoop-la of the day, no one could hear her. ANOTHER stray cat that hangs downtown and is a new mama with babies hidden in places unknown, literally took us to "Cookie". The mama kitty fretted and cried and ran back and forth from the shop to the truck until someone finally got down low enough to hear the baby.

They got her out and who do you suppose they called with their kitty crisis? Yep! me. I was working all day, so I took her home, sequestered my kitties to the basement and made a nice little nest for Cookie in my butler's pantry. She was so frightened, crying and shaking...poor baby. Since I had to work all day, she had a good chance to relax and feel safe in a darkened, quiet space. When I got home, this pictures shows how and where she was!

She has found a new home with my nephew, David and will be going to her new home on Saturday.

I really think "Cookie" fits her...She is sweet and certainly she and anyone who comes in contact with her is fortunate!

Been busy...My heart is always open to a new kitty..but

This is Little Miss Tippy-Toes. I happened to go into the Humane Society a few weeks ago. I like to go there and just look around. Not to shop, as I have 3 kitties and that is my max! I like to think that my going in there, saying "hello" and maybe giving a few a loving pat will help their day be a little brighter. It warms my heart to think they find some happiness in that.

Tippytoes was in her cage, laying sort of miserably there, with her spay scar showing...her ears flat and a look of pain and lonliness in her eyes. Even tho she was behind glass, I spoke softly to her and basically fell in love with her on the spot. As I was speaking to her, I realized the scar I was seeing was not the incision from her spay, but in fact, it was the place where her left hind leg had been.

A note on the window of her cage stated the leg had been injured beyond repair and had to be amputated. Poor baby! I went home, wishing I could take and wondering who I knew that might be looking for a beautiful little torty. My Friend Pam came to mind. I called her and, in a nutshell, we went and got her. It took a few days to get the deed done, but little Tippy is now at home with the Witt family.

As you can see from these pics, Tippytoes is just as happy as can be. I must say she is the most loving cat I have ever been around. She just melds into your body when you hold her and her favorite place is in a lap. Her vet check went very well, and we found out that her leg was injured by another animal. So we know, that Tippytoes went thru a horrible ordeal. For her to be so trusting and loving is a miracle. She is calm and purrs softly all the time. She is happy to be alive, and so are we!

**Adendum: Miss Tippy Toes passed away in January 2023 - a beloved family member of Pam Witt and her family