Bella's Story

I had so much fun the past few days learning more about your guys and how they were named. Every comment I read was like an "ah ha" moment for me. Thanks so much for sharing more about the loves of your lives.


Today I want to let a guest author tell you a story about a cat who changed her life. I've introduced you to Jaydee before. It's an honor to know Jaydee and the work she is doing.




Scraggly Bella at Her First Week With Us!


Bella’s Story　
　
This is the story of how one special kitten named Bella changed our home.
　
Jim and I moved into our house in east/central Cincinnati in February 2008.　 It wasn’t long before we noticed our front porch chairs had become sleeping spots for a pair of homeless cats.　 I would often watch them snatch food from trash bins and dart into a neighbor’s shed in the cold.　 After a heavy snow that winter, only one of the cats emerged.　 How terribly sad.　 I took notice, and occasionally saw other cats around the street, but didn’t know what to do to help them.　
　
In June that year I was taking a walk in the neighborhood with my husband, my sister, her husband, and a puppy they had found.　 And there she sat – tiny little scrawny mess of a stray kitten – practically waiting for death to come. 　My brother in law said "well, hello…" and we scooped her up. 　My sister and I laughed and cried at the same time watching her dive into a dish of food.　 Bella was only 5 weeks old, starving, dirty, spotted from ringworm, covered in fleas, and happy as ever to have a bed and food and someone to play with.　 We kept the little grey and white kitty in her own room until she grew healthy, and although we were crazy about her, our two older cats were not thrilled at all.　 In spite of them she still made her way into our home and hearts, teaching us about the joy of seeing a sick helpless creature recover and thrive.　 She found her forever home in September when she was adopted by a family member. I was really sad to see her go.
　
Around the same time that Bella was adopted, the black and white cat that had survived the previous winter presented 5 scrawny little kittens.　 I discovered them playing under the neighbor’s bushes and started to sneak food dishes over to them.　 I wanted to catch them but had no idea how to do that.　 They ran away every time I brought food.　 I spent days on the phone, calling shelters and vet offices and pet stores, and no one could help me.　 I had coaxed the mom with food and often found her nursing the babies in the backyard, but they were all still so skinny.　 I don’t think that poor mom had much to give them.　 Some days she’d show up with a leftover chicken piece to share with them and they would all fight over it.　 I wish I had known how to help them.　 The day after the big wind storm last fall was the last time I saw the kittens.　 After that the mom sat in our driveway and cried loudly for about two weeks.　 It broke my heart.　 Then we never saw her again.　 I have no idea what happened to those scrawny kittens and their mom. 　
But I was determined to not let that happen again.
　
Sure enough, 3 grey kittens and their friendly stray mom made their way to our back porch.　 I made a bed in a box and planned to just carry the box in with the kittens inside, but the day I was ready to do that they disappeared.　 Eventually I saw them again, playing across the street.　 I did some research and found out that kittens could be trapped….so Jim and I set out one evening with a borrowed trap and some twine to pull the door shut from a distance.　 It was cold and drizzly and we hid behind a tree while the sweet mom hung around our feet.　 With her so close to us, the kittens soon got brave and came out to check out the canned food treats we left in the trap.　 One ventured in, and Jim pulled the door shut.　 We had one!　 I felt so bad taking it away from the mom but what a good feeling knowing we were saving that kitten from such an awful life.　 The next week we got another, and we thought the last one was gone until a few weeks later.　 He was snuggled up in the early winter snow one evening with his mom on our front porch chair.　 I knew my husband was supportive of all of this when he said "that’s not right"…and snuck out to the chair and grabbed the baby.
　
I looked up how to tame feral kittens and by Christmas had found homes for all three grey kittens.　 We found a home for the sweet friendly mom, too.　 By then we had caught another starving little one, whom we decided to keep.　 He is a beautiful and affectionate russian blue who happens to be terrified of everyone but us.　 Yet while he is terrified of most people he happily greets each shy cat or kitten that comes into our home and helps them to adjust.
　
All winter long there were cats that showed up near our house, since by this time I just left food dishes by the porch all the time.　 Most of them were feral and most of them had bite marks and frost bitten ears.　 Such harsh lives.　 And I still didn’t know how I was going to stop the kittens from coming in the spring.　 I just knew I couldn’t handle seeing so much suffering.　 I had found cats hit by cars, and a few of the cats never came around after the winter.　 It was heart-breaking to think about them dying alone in the cold.
　
In January of 　'09 I finally got in touch with a local cat rescue and learned that I was not alone.　 I got connected with a woman doing some trapping on the west side, and she told me about SCOOP’s voucher program.　 It is a program designed to assist people like me.　 Just in time, since spring was right around the corner!　 One of the cats we had seen for awhile, a grey bobtail, showed up with a bad limp.　 I was so happy when I caught him on the first try.　 I felt so hopeful that things on our street could change for the cats.
　
I continued to use SCOOP vouchers and OAR’s low cost spay/neuter clinic, and could never have done this without the support and encouragement that I found in Barb Wehman of SCOOP and the volunteer staff at OAR.　 One of them would often have just the right idea or tip to keep me going.　
　
There were still kittens this summer, and some didn’t survive.　 But I was able to trap or find homes for over 40 cats over the last year.　 10 of them were kittens who got a fresh start as family pets.　 Some were friendly strays that found great new homes, and some were ferals that are now fixed, vaccinated and returned.　 A couple of them are part of our family now because we couldn’t let them go.　 ALL are special and beautiful and have their own stories.　
　
Things are different on our street now.　 Last summer I was literally checking under my car for kittens each time I left the driveway.　 Now, there are only three feral cats that feed by my house every day.　 They are healthy and have warm beds and best of all they won’t re-populate the street.　 It’s sad to think about the ones that suffered but such a good feeling knowing the ones that have better lives now.　 I always knew that one person could make a difference….but the real difference is made when we work together toward a common goal.　 I have since found others in the neighborhood that care enough to provide food and have needed help and encouragement to start TNR.　 I love being a part of the compassionate solution and knowing that we can stop the suffering, one cat at a time.
　
I still miss little Bella squealing around our house…..but what a difference she made

when she taught us that change was possible for the cats in the neighborhood.


Bella Settled In!



Please visit two of Jaydee's favorite rescue groups!

http://www.theanimalrescue.com/http://
http://www.scoopcat.org/

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Names!

I was just emailing back and forth with Georgie (Tweedles mom) talking about some of our pets. I was telling her about Bud my Newfoundland. We were talking about Maddie and Annabelle. And of course we were talking about Tweedles.

It occurred to me, that I named all my dogs and cats people names. I think it's because as hard as I try, I can't think of my animals as animals. They're my family. I think of them as people.

Except for Annabelle, all of my animals have two syllable names. Annabelle is the exception because as a rescue, she came with a name. With all the abuse she'd already been through I figured she should at least have the comfort of her own name.

Tango is the only animal I have that doesn't have a people name. He got the name Tango because he was the movingest horse I'd ever seen. I had to dance with him just to get him groomed. Tango's name still suits him.

So, I'm just wondering...with all the cute dogs and cats I've met in the past few months....how'd you name your animal? Just curious about how their names came to be. From the photos I've seen, the names you've given your guys seem to be just right!

Oh! Before I forget it again...if you haven't already left your pet's photo in the guestbook at the very bottom of this page, please do! I'd love to see pets represented from sea to shining sea...we're getting there. Go look for yourself!

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We're Clean and More!

I thought she might forget about me if I hid under a chair but no such luck. Mom was bound and determined I was going to the groomer with Maddie. Do I look like I need a bath? Of course not. Guess I look like a Maddiesitter though. Hmmph! I decided I might as well get into the car and go willingly. There was no way to get out of the inevitable.


All in all our baths weren't so bad but when we got home Maddie and I were both tired pups. After all, we didn't sleep a wink in those stupid cages. Wouldn't you think Mom would let us rest a little before she started in on something else? No! Of course not.

She wanted us to pose us in a chair to get a picture of our sparkling clean little bodies. I tried to ignore Mom but she wouldn't give up. Maddie actually had to give me a lecture. "Quit chewing your toes and cooperate," Maddie told me.
"Hmmph!" I said again.



Finally, out of desperation, I threw in the towel and sat next to Maddie just to get the picture taking over with. What's a dog to do when her mother is obsessive compulsive? Not a darn thing except what I did. We do look sort of cute, don't we? Don't tell Maddie, but she's a little balder than usual. The girl's going to need a hat on her little clipped head!

But the best thing of all about that whole day was that Mom got the Heartfelt Award from Oklahoma Granny. She received it because of how much she loves animals. I guess it's okay to be obsessive compulsive about somethings...right?

Mom will be sharing this award soon!

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The Life of Freedom

Many of you wrote me to ask about how Freedom is doing now (story from my last post). I emailed the Farm Sanctuary and got the response below. Please watch the slideshow and read the rest of Freedom's story. Cry with me as you celebrate Freedom's amazing life and the wonderful people who loved her.

Hi Jan,

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we lost Freedom earlier this year to spinal cancer. We memorialized her passing in the story and slideshow below.

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/rescue/memory/cincinnati.html

You are welcome to reference this memorial in your blog. Many people loved and admired her, and she is greatly missed at our sanctuary.

Thank you for writing about her rescue and for all that you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Tricia Barry
Communications Director
Farm Sanctuary
P.O. Box 150, Watkins Glen, NY 14891
Office: 607-583-2225 ext. 233
Mobile:607-342-5744

Learn about our shelter residents and take action on their behalf -- sign up for our alerts and online newsletter today!
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/member/

Farm Sanctuary
Rescue, Education, Advocacy
www.farmsanctuary.org
A compassionate world begins with you.

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One of My Animal Stories!

As a writer, I've written a lot of stories about all kinds of animals. Last night I was looking through my files and came upon the one I'm going to share with you. I've changed a few of the words since it's already been published. As animal lovers, I hope you enjoy it. If you live anywhere near Ohio, you probably know the story already!

The Cow That Got Away!

Freedom is smarter that your average cow. She knew better than to hang around the slaughterhouse and await her fate! On February 15, 2002 she made her dash for freedom. Her escape is worthy of a book or at least a story!

It all began when the light-colored bovine taken for slaughter escaped. At age seven, she must have decided she needed to live longer. Could hamburger have been on her mind when she jumped a six-foot fence? It's hard to know what cows think. Whatever was on her mind made her run.

The escaped cow hid out for days. The townspeople were fascinated. They joked about her on the radio. TV stations set up "Cow Cams." For over a week the people of the city watched. They waited. Most people did not want the animal to be killed. They wanted her to have a happy life.
Offers poured in from everywhere. The former owner of the town's baseball team offered to give the beloved cow a home. A fast food restaurant offered 100 free chicken sandwiches for her safe return.

The police knew the cow was hiding in a park. They thought she was in thick underbrush and were worried she would get into the street and be hit by a car. The city closed the park to people. Joggers couldn't jog. Dogs couldn't be walked. Twelve days had passed and the cow needed to be captured.

City officials came up with a plan. They trucked in four other cows. They put the cows in an area where they thought the escapee was hidden. A fence was put up. Water and food was put inside the fence. It looked like a cow party at the park! Finally the cow was flushed out. She joined the cow party long enough to be shot by a tranquilizer gun. Most cows would have dropped. Most cows would have given up. Not this determined bovine. She ran some more!
The runaway cow ended up in a backyard. City officials shot her one more time. This time the sleepy cow fell down. Officials were able to load the drowsy cow onto a trailer. At times she was calm. At other times she butted her head against the trailer. She wanted her freedom back!

Some people who captured the cow called her belligerent. Others called her cantankerous. Most just called her brave. No one wanted this special cow to become meat. Everyone wanted a happy ending for this feisty female.

That's what they got. The cow girl was moved to the Farm Sanctuary in New York. Now she lives in a place like Disney Land for cows. It's also where she got her name -- Freedom. It's a name she deserved and certainly earned!
　
　
　

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Oh Brother!

I heard her. What a bag of wind that girl is! Maddie needs to go to the groomer because she's a mess! She rolls in the leaves. She digs in the mud. She pulls tulip bulbs out of the garden. She really is a walking dust mop...full of dust!

As for me, I'm clean. My hair is short. My feet aren't slippers. I don't roll. I don't dig...much. And I've never had a tulip bulb in my mouth. But guess what? I have to go to the dang groomer too!

Why?

Because Maddie's a scaredy cat that's why! Mom thinks if I don't go along, Maddie will freak out! So I have to go through the washer and drier right along with her. Is that fair I ask you? No it's not!

Besides that, I have to sit in the stupid cage and wait...and wait...and wait. Maddie takes twice as long as I do. It's all about Maddie. Poor Maddie pish shaw! Poor me!

Give my mom and earful. I do believe she's enabling Maddie and we all know that's not good!

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Maddie's Turn

You know, it seems like it should be my turn to talk. No Annabelle. No Tango.

I just heard my mom saying that it's time that Annabelle and I go to the groomer. Frankly, I like myself just the way I am. I was admiring myself in the mirror this morning. I looked adorable if I do say so myself.

If my mom had any sense, she'd like me that way too. In fact, if she gave it much thought, she could get rid of her dust mop and broom. Shoot...I have so much fur on the pads of my feet I could do the job they do in a heartbeat.

And I know how much Mom hates to clean. You should see her. She starts in the kitchen loading the dishwasher but before she gets to the floors she runs upstairs to get something she forgot. The next thing you know she disappears into her office and sits down at the computer.

Then the phone rings. Then she finds her riding boots and cleans the zippers. Then she comes back downstairs and opens the back door to shoo out a wasp. The woman can't stay focused!

Yep! In the time my mom wastes, I could do all the floors in the house. Besides that, it's getting colder outside. If I go to the groomer they're going to cut away all the nice warm fur off my feet. No slippers for me! What's a girl supposed to do?

Would you please try to talk some sense into my mom? She might listen to you!

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