Hi Nina, thank you for welcoming
us. I'll describe our arrangements, and how we got
started.
Over three-hundred cats have come
through my home, wherever it was, in the past twenty years. In CA, so
many healthy cats are killed yearly because of overpopulation that I chose
to have the positives euthanized, so that remained my policy. In '96,
we returned from Zaire and moved to MA. We immediately became
extensively involved in rescue work. In '01, a co-director of a humane
society begged me to take in a litter of 8-wk-old kittens, six of whom had
tested positive for leukemia. We were their last chance. We
decided to take them. That was the turning point in our policy.
Initially, we kept the kittens isolated, but eventually integrated
them. The first kitten died at six months; the last, at 3 yrs.
10 months. The seventh is still negative.
In the mid-eighties, I took in
positives, thinking that the Felv vaccine was sufficiently effective to
protect my other cats. It wasn't. That's why I stopped keeping
positives. But now, although not foolproof, the vaccination is much
more effective.
We did our rescue work from
apartments until '03, when we bought a modest house. We had the
carpets removed and wall-to-wall vinyl flooring installed throughout the
house. The vinyl is imitation marble: white with gray
tracery, and shows anything that spills on it--hairballs, urine,
anything. We can spot anything and clean it up immediately.
We have eleven jumbo litter pans in several rooms, and change them
often. Our back yard is enclosed with cat-proof fencing; only
certain cats are allowed to go out there. Everett built an
outdoor enclosed, roofed cat porch behind our bedroom window. It
is accessible 24/7, 365, by an enclosed tunnel that runs to
it through the window. All the cats are able to
use that.
We have quilted calico cat-pads
throughout the house, on semi-high surfaces, for the cats' comfort and
privacy. We feed the cats on two enormous polished wooden tables
in our kitchen. This makes clean-up easier, and the cats enjoy
being on a high surface. We have a supplementary snacking
station on the floor. The kitchen is actually quite lovely.
Newcomers are isolated in our study,
a large room with a picture-window, until two weeks after they've had their
second FVRCCP/Felv vaccination and have been spayed etcetera.
Then they are introduced.
We live with thirty-six cats,
which is too many, but will go down through the sad attrition of
death. Only two are placeable. The others are feral or positive
or both. We have resisted taking in any more, unless the case is
extreme and there is no other alternative.
Alley Cat Allies recently asked me to
take in some positives from their hurricane rescuees. I couldn't do
it. I was devastated. We sent them twenty Tomahawk traps
and cash, but we're full-up and cannot adopt. They have a group of
sweet, feral positives they call the "Circle K's," who are fed in a store
parking lot. Does anyone want them?
Our cats get along beautifully.
I attribute it to the following. Careful engineering of the household
to reduce stress upon them. A combination of love and respect.
An attempt to understand them, and to meet them half-way in communication
styles. No anger, only gentle redirection. And total integration
of them into our lives. It also helps that I am home 24/7, a
luxury to most people.
Thank you for your inquiry,
Nina. May I learn about you?
Presto