For the love of cats!
Our Rescued Cats
March 2021
I started this Shop to raise funds to help us care for our crew of cats, plus any others who show up in need.
Augustus
Augustus showed up on our porch in the middle of winter in desperate need.
He was starving, freezing, frightened, and sick.
I sensed he was not a feral, but had been deliberately left behind by someone from the camping facility near us. The first thing I did was offer him lots of food, which he very nervously gobbled up.
I set up a warm insulated bed for him in our other, unheated building.
An electric poultry heat pad is useful for this, and also to keep wet food from freezing.
I wanted to give Augustus a chance to get to know me before trying to catch him and bring him indoors.
It takes a while for a frightened abandoned cat to trust.
I went in at least 3 times a day, talked to him, left food for him. Eventually I took a chance and began to brush and then touch him.
I was very worried about his health, and knew I would have to be tough and grab Augustus and drop him into a carrier, because he seemed to be savvy to the humane cat trap we have on hand.
I put Augustus in our laundry / cat room.
He remained very frightened for a couple of weeks. Then one day, while I was brushing him, he started purring loudly. A thrilling moment. It probably felt good to him, too. I am guessing it had been a very long time since he last purred. I thought his purr mechanism might have become rusty. Nope.
I spent a lot of time with Augustus, just sitting, stroking him. His purring would change, and it seemed as though he was letting off tension, from his traumatic experiences of abandonment, starvation, and having no warm, safe place to go. It was as if he was quietly sobbing. And then he'd fall asleep. I'd stay with him, so that when he awoke, he would see that I was still there. He also started to put a paw on my hand or arm.
He has a huge scar around one of his ears and cheek. It suggests that he endured an attack, possibly from a predator, such as a fox. Not only is he lucky to still have an ear, he is lucky to be alive. He is real survivor.
Augustus is unable to jump up on anything. He has to pull himself up onto chairs.
I suspect he may have been kicked viciously, and has sustained permanent injury to his back legs.
We could not get him to the vet, yet, for neutering, because of the Pandemic. But we allowed him to explore the rest of the house, and get to know the other cats.
He did pee on the floor in several places, but we were not going to get mad at him.
He seemed afraid, though, that we would get mad, because he always scurried away afterwards.
The vet clinic altered their Pandemic policies to accommodate neutering of male cats, so we were finally able to get him fixed. He also had a few rotten teeth, and needed them extracted. A very extensive procedure.
We held a fundraiser to help cover the costs of getting him neutered. I made a wonderful friend this way, too. Dianne Strickland. She has the honorary title of Kitty Aunty.
Augustus has gained weight, and, with the balanced raw food, and supplements I use for strengthening the immune system, his health has improved.
He loves to bathe any other cat who is willing to accept his attention.
Tomàs
was dumped in our driveway along with an open bag of kibble.
Probably about 2 months of age. It was by pure luck that we found him.
I could clobber the dumper.
We decided immediately that he had to become a member of our family. With a Pandemic, there would not have been any place to take him. All shelters are overflowing, and many were closed.
He turned out to be the perfect anti-depressant, anyway.
He had a bad respiratory infection. My usual approach with immune-system-strengthening supplements has addressed this.
Tomàs is a cheerful and charming little person. He chirps. A lot.
Augustus adores him. So does Rosa, who was a feral, 3 years ago.
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Rosa
came here with her sister Yolande.
They were part of a feral colony in Montreal, under threat of being poisoned. The rescue organization, Educhat, in Montreal, saved this colony.
Educhat put out a call to people in the country with out buildings, who could take on a pair, or more, of ferals as Working Cats. Fixed and vetted.
I accepted a pair. A bit of an overwhelming prospect, but hey, we love cats. And Educhat is run by wonderful people. It has been a learning experience.
With a heat pad in our other building, and a big insulated bed/nest for them, Rosa and Yolande became part of our home.
During the requisite confinement period for new cats to gain familiarity with their new home, I built a cat bridge between the other building and a catio I built at a window of our house.
Rosa was very fast at discovering it, and the flaw in my construction where she could escape. I became distraught with worry, because it was freezing out. But while I was making repairs in the flaw, she showed up, looking at me with an expression that I interpreted as: “Hey Lady! I like my freedom, But I am cold and hungry. How do I get back in?”
She was by far the more curious of the two. And the most talkative. Yolande was very quiet, and very scared of us. I could play with Rosa, from a distance.
After a year, Rosa discovered the house, where we leave the door open during the warm season. She moved in, and eventually wanted to be part of the cuddles we give out. She is still skittish, but now incredibly tame. She is like a perpetual kitten. A total goofball. And a sweetheart. She and Tomàs play a lot together. They like to gallop through the house.
After Rosa moved in, I worried about Yolande being on her own, during the winter. Cats need other cats to stay warm together.
I decided to try to catch Yolande and bring her in the house, and set her up in our laundry / cat room. I hoped she would eventually become comfortable with us. We let her wander around the house, which she did, bravely. But she remained very wild.
After several months, when it became warm again, I let her have access to the catio, which is off the cat room. And then I opened the catio door so that she could get outdoors. She would always return. But then one day, she did not.
Some of our other cats were not welcoming of Yolande. They seemed fine with her when she was outdoors only. But this dynamic shifted when we brought her into the house.
Rosa and Yolande both behaved as though they were inferior in status (but Rosa has more courage and curiosity). If Yolande had not had this in her personality, I think she’d still be with us. I did catch sight of her once, up in the forest, after a couple months’ absence. But I was with one of our other cats, who promptly chased after her. We haven’t seen her again. It is very sad.
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Rufus
We had just lost a beloved cat named Davey to cancer.
Davey had been left behind at a house that a friend had just bought. Our friend asked if we would like to have him. We said yes.
If we had not taken him I doubt he would have lived much longer.
He had been forced to live outdoors, including during the freezing winter. It is far too cold here in Quebec for a cat to live outdoors.
He was such a sweety. He seemed to adore Daniel. He would gaze at Daniel as Daniel moved around a room. His meow was more of a bark. He loved to go for walks with us. When winter would finally end, and we would head off into the forest with him, his delight was wonderful.
He ended up with advanced inoperable cancer. I suspect his addiction to our millet bread may have contributed, because I learned that carbohydrates can feed cancer. I had stopped feeding kibble to our animals, but I let Davey have millet bread sometimes, because he loved it so much. I will never do that again.
A nice thing was the kindness of the vet who did exploratory surgery to confirm the cancer (we wondered if the lump might have been a mass of worms, instead - very expensive surgery, but we needed to know). She was so amazingly kind to Davey. She helped make the whole miserable ordeal less heavy. But it was still a truly horrible ordeal. Davey was so young. I still miss him like crazy. I miss ALL of the others like crazy.
Davey's death left a vacant position and we wanted to fill it. We had room, and there are millions of cats in need of homes.
We never think of this as replacing a beloved friend. It is about giving a home to another being that is in need. And there are so many in need.
I contacted Educhat, because I wanted a cat who would be an indoor/outdoor cat. Most shelters don’t permit this. Educhat agrees that, if circumstances are safe, cats should be allowed to enjoy being indoor/outdoor cats.
Rufus loves to come for walks with us in the forest. He talks a lot while we walk. It is almost the only time he will be cuddly, when I find a place to sit, and invite him on my lap. I call it Rufus Time.
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Mitou
was an abandoned stray who wandered into the business establishment of friends of ours. Our friends suddenly found themselves in a crisis and were losing their home. They asked us if we knew anyone who could take Mitou in.
It was my birthday, I was in the garden, working, and Daniel came out and asked me if I wanted another cat. “YES!”
When a cat comes into your life on your birthday, you say “yes.”
Plus, his people have always been generous to us, and they are valued friends.
Mitou is a big sweety, and currently our only lap cat. He loves to come for walks with us, too. He and Rufus are wrestling buddies.
That is our Rufus on the homepage!
Russell
was dumped at our place when he was only 3 months old.
One morning, we could hear a sound that we thought was some kind of power tool in the distance. Later, while we were eating lunch on the porch, a little kitten showed his face. The “power tool” had been him, crying, over and over. For four hours.
I immediately took out the piece of meat I had in my mouth and gave it to him. Then scooped him up and brought him in.
For two days I wondered in my mind if we were going to be able to keep this little guy, or if we would have to turn him over to a shelter, because at that time we had very little income.
Turns out Daniel had decided, in the instant of this little kitten showing up, that he was staying. I wish I had known! His sweet little face showed anxiety during those two days.
I suspect he had been dumped by someone leaving the campground near us.
I despise people who are that callous. What if we had not been home?
I knew very little about kittens, that they must eat all the time. I think my lack of knowledge about this may have caused him to become food obsessed. That and his being so hungry for at least four hours after being dumped before he courageously showed himself to us.
Russell also enjoys accompanying us on our forest meanders. Although often he will hang back, and cry, as if saying: “Wait for me! I don’t want to come!” But he needs the exercise. Sometimes, if it is just him along for a walk, he seems to really enjoy being the only cat.
Before more cats joined the family, which seems a bit stressful for him, Russell would burst into the house, when the door was left open, and announce himself: “I’m HERE!” I hope he will start doing that again.
It is awfully funny.
He likes to help me in the garden. He adores eating June beetle grubs. When I find one, I yell “Russell! FOUND one!” And he comes running enthusiastically for his rich little snack.
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Arielle
A week after our beloved Shashi died, age 15, probably from heart failure, Daniel called me from work to tell me that a friend, who volunteered at a shelter, had alerted him to a cat, named Arielle, who had been dumped at the shelter, aged 10. She had been there for a month, and had stopped eating.
Daniel asked me if he should bring her home. I said “YES! When can you get her?”
It would not be for another couple of days. I was terribly impatient (as well as heartbroken about losing Shashi). Daniel went to the shelter to look at her. He felt she was begging him to take her home. He called me to tell me he was bringing her. I started to cry.
I like to think Shashi brought Arielle to us. Shashi had been dumped on us by a former friend. Shashi was 13 then. She had been cooped up in a tiny city apartment. When she came to us, she was obsessed with the outdoors, and did not like to be brought in.
I sensed she was angry that, only now, at her advanced age, she had discovered the wonders of the great outdoors. She would take herself for long walks up in the forest. We would have to go and call for her in the evening. Often she would invite us to accompany her. I wish I had done more of that.
Arielle had been toe-butchered on all four paws. This barbaric sadistic practice is still allowed in Quebec.
Arielle had been dumped because she had supposedly “hissed at the baby.” I would hiss, too, if I had been so rottenly compromised.
I suspect she endures chronic pain. She cannot walk properly, she cannot jump up on anything higher than 12 inches, and she has a limp.
But she absolutely adores being outside. She gets very angry if we have to bring her in when it is not her choice.
I put up a fence to keep her safe on our property. We have 2 acres, so there is plenty for her to explore. I would love to take her with us on our walks in the forest beyond our property. But it is too dangerous. She cannot climb trees to escape danger.
I consider her to be highly intelligent. She seems very fragile, physically, but has a big spirit and tough personality.
She also has a tiny voice. She loves being in her basket or box on a lap. She will look up at me from her box on the floor and say her little something, indicating she’d like to be closer.
She is averse to all the other cats. I expect it is a self-protection because of being so vulnerable. She can be easily knocked over.
Augustus adores her. I think he senses her vulnerability. He will chirp at her, and she tolerates him following her around.
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Clementine
came with us when we moved from Nova Scotia, along with Max, whom we lost a few years ago to jaundice. A terrible, heartbreaking loss.
When Max became ill, we took him in to the vet, thinking it was a tooth problem. It turned out to be advanced jaundice. We were toldthe numbers were so bad he probably would not live another few days. We didn't know what to do. We deliberated for 3 hours in the vet office. Finally we decided we did not want him to suffer. We were there with him when he was euthanized.
If anyone tells you this is a painfree process, this is wrong. I could see in Max's face that he was frightened and in pain. We buried him on our property. And I was devastated. The next day I was in shock.
I then looked up alternative ways to deal with jaundice. It turns out I might have been able to save his life, just from completely changing his diet. I became deeply depressed, and very angry.
From here on in, we would no longer be feeding kibble. Everything I have learned since then tells me that the illnesses and early deaths of previous cats and dogs could have been prevented by NOT FEEDING KIBBLE. And, the food has to balanced raw, with NO carbohydrates or starches.
We adopted Clemmy after the distressing deaths of three other cats back in Nova Scotia. I found her through Kijiji. I was searching in secret, afraid Daniel would say we shouldn’t get any more cats. When I got up the nerve to show him the photo of her, he said: “What are you waiting for?”
I love you, Daniel.
Clementine came toe-butchered on her front paws. She has since developed bent ankles. She doesn’t walk properly, and cannot jump up high. She used to be able to.
She is a very affectionate kitty. But averse to the other cats. Probably for the same reason as for Arielle: self-protection.
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The Grey Guy
That is how we refer to yet another abandoned cat who sometimes makes his way to our porch at night for the food I leave out for him.
I hope one of these days to catch him and get him fixed. I don’t know what we will do then, because 8 cats in our very small house is about all we can manage. Never mind that a few of our present crew are having trouble with so many cats as it is.
The Grey Guy has survived 2 winters so far, out on his own, and it is possible that he does have a home of sorts. A neighbour down the road, who also feeds him, thinks he comes from someone’s home at some distance.
But he does have to be neutered.
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Our neighbours had a feral cat given to them by the person they obtained some hens from.
This cat was young, maybe 7 months.
We told these neighbours that they need to get her fixed. But they said they were unwilling to spend any money other than for food. These people are wealthy, compared to us. And, they viewed this poor cat as “only a barn cat.”
They expected her to survive in their unheated hen house.
We informed these people of the inherent problems with not getting this cat fixed. We emphasized the fact that they would ultimately end up with a major problem. If they see how it could adversely affect THEM, maybe they would think better about this.
We also gave them information about the prevalent cat over-population crisis.
We offered to try to catch her and get her fixed. They let us attempt this.
Unfortunately we were competing with a large raccoon. This raccoon could easily get in to where the hens were. It decimated four of their five hens. Very sad. And yet these people still did not change the coop to make it impossible for a predator to get in.
I ended up trapping the raccoon, and never saw the feral cat again.
I suspect the raccoon either killed her, or scared her off. Raccoons WILL kill cats.
I am very pissed off about this scenario, and upset that I was not able to help that young cat.
I can only hope that these people will take the information we gave them seriously for the future.
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Laszlo
is our current dog. I grew up with dogs, and value what they bring to my life. He is a sweety. A rescue, also. He can be neurotic, which I believe is a consequence of having been neutered far too young, at only a few weeks old.