I'm just sick

[spinbaby]

You may remember that I was bottle feeding two tiny kittens who were in bad shape when I got them. They’re doing great—no worries. Yesterday we found two more from the same litter—underweight and covered with fleas and fly strike. They needed lots of cleanup, warmth, and feeding, but look like they’ll pull through.

Today we found the fifth kitten. It wad too late for this one because the flies had hatched and the maggots had started eating it alive. All I could do was rush it to my vet to be euthanized.

These kittens are from a kind of grey gardens hoarding situation—think hoarded decaying mansion with old people who feed cats, but do nothing else about caring for them. I’ve been trapping and fixing their cats for three years now and will never catch up. They have some unknown number of indoor cats, too, some of whom I’ve also fixed. Everything is horrifyingly unsanitary. And there is, I’ve discovered, no agency that will do anything about any of it.

[shenmue]

1. Oh dear

[skylucy]

2. That's so horrible. Bless you for all you do to help and for helping the fifth kitten cross the

Rainbow Bridge.

[Phoenix61]

3. Different states have different laws about what is

considered animal hoarding. Animal control should respond to hoarding situations. Should being the operative word. They are good about responding where I live but I’m sure that’s not the case everywhere.

[spinbaby]

8. Not here

We’ve contacted both the humane officer and adult protective services.

[Evolve Dammit]

12. What state are you in? That sounds like an opportunity for Humane Society or others??

[SheltieLover]

4. Ty so much for helping them

[onecaliberal]

5. I'm so sorry.

[spooky3]

6. Thank you--are there rescue groups (not agencies) in your area? Nt

[Bayard]

7. How horrible!

Thanks for saving the ones you could. And helping the last little one along.

[Karadeniz]

9. I've rescued several maggoty kittens. I've been lucky, but it's a bad situation. It could be that

with that one, your purpose was to stop its pain. So sorry.. I know this won't keep you from continuing your much needed work. By the way, a flea spray with pyrethrine will kill maggots if the wound isn't so deep that you'd just be poisoning the poor thing.

[spinbaby]

10. It was bad

The vet said there was no alternative, but I knew that the second I turned it over and looked at its backside.

[MontanaMama]

11. Oh my. That must have been horrifying.

Thank you for what you’ve done for the little ones…and for helping their litter mate to the other side. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.

[japple]

13. Bless you for what you have done in this situation and for the cats that live in this sad condition.

I hope you can find like-minded souls to help you. Are you TNR'ing the cats or trapping/fixing/ and sending to local AC, humane shelters, or rescues? My heart breaks for all of these innocent kitties who are born to such a sad life. I work in cat rescue and this season has been murder. So many cats and kittens being surrendered to AC because people adopted them from shelters, didn't get them fixed, and now the kittens are being given up. I took 15 cats from the county AC to a rescue group today. The rescue was able to help only because another rescue had to cancel 20 sp/neuter appointments and she jumped in and got them. They will be the lucky ones.

[bluboid]

14. OMG - what you describe is absolutely heroic!

please always take care of yourself when you work with animal rescue. my heart goes out to you & all the critters you've rescued!

[rubbersole]

15. Express ticket to nirvana for you spinbaby.

[housecat]

16. You should be happy that you were able to save four of them! Many years ago

a little kitten followed my husband home, so of course he brought it inside and handed me an adorable gift. The kitten had markings resembling a South American margay, so we named him Margay. He had a maggot that was so deep in his neck the little guy had to have surgery to remove it. While he was there he got fixed. We had sixteen years together before he had to be euthanized. When we returned home from the vet, still crying, we saw something amazing. Margay's climbing tree had pink blossoms. Inside the garage there was a long ribbon of pink blossoms from the cat door to the middle of the floor. It was Margay letting us know that he was ok. Of course we call it the Margay tree.

[barbtries]

21. this happened to a friend of a friend.

Last edited Wed Sep 14, 2022, 10:17 PM - Edit history (1)

she had a dog for many years loved it madly and when it died, she buried it in her backyard. Within days there was a kitten sitting on the dog's grave. She adopted the kitten of course and had that pet furrever.

When my friend told me this story, I immediately said, "Her dog sent her a kitten so she wouldn't be lonely!" and my friend, ever skeptical, said, well, that's what my friend believes too.

Explain it otherwise. A turtle showed up out of the blue in my son's backyard - on my daughter's 23rd birthday. I worked at a glass shop for 18 years and at one point in all those years, we had a mouse in my house. I complained to my co-worker that "what we need is a mouser." Within 10 minutes a cat showed up at the door of the office. I should have named her Mary Poppins but I did name her Tinkerbelle and she was indeed a great cat who kept the mice out of our house. except for that one time when she brought one into the house to show her babies - it was still alive

these experiences keep me believing in spirit despite my atheism.

[housecat]

22. These stories make perfect sense. There are dimensions we humans only know in dreams.

But animals are freer to visit them, probably because they don't have the baggage humans are burdened with. Spirituality is very real. Religion is not. Perhaps what you call atheism is a rejection of the bullshit about God or gods or whatever people can use to control others in the name of "religion." IMO Western religion is about social control and has nothing to do with spirituality, and you seem to know that.

[barbtries]

23. what i usually tell people

is i don't believe in any gawd that gives a rat's ass about me personally.

i believe in love though

[housecat]

24. I can't define love, but I know it is so powerful it crosses lines between dimensions and species

[cate94]

17. Thanks for helping

If not for you, all of them would have suffered the same fate as the last kitten.

[Hekate]

18. Board of Health? Animal Welfare? Elder welfare checkup? Any of those 3 could enter the house...

I’m so very sorry — you are doing good and kind deeds — I know sometimes it has to be frustrating as hell when it seems no one will take action.

Take care of yourself, too.

[Sky Jewels]

19. Oh gawd, how heartbreaking.

Thank you so much for helping them. You're prevented untold suffering.

[barbtries]

20. you're a hero

to those cats. thank you! don't dwell on the poor little lost baby, it's a great thing you did saving the other 4 of them and hopefully they'll be cared for and adopted out to loving homes, healthy and fixed.

[peacebuzzard]

25. thank you, dear rescuer.

You are an angel.

So sad that so many critters unseen are consumed by maggots, CWD, starvation, poaching, and climate disasters that cry and succumb in their desperate pain, alone.
But thanks to you, it matters to these little kitties you have saved and awarded these babies with a chance at a better life.