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I would like to thank Jessie Skinner of Vancouver who
donated $300 recently to have Midnight's teeth cleaned
and the two necessary extractions done. Midnight also
had a checkup, her vaccinations updated, and an
Advantage treatment during her stay at my
veterinarians in Abbotsford, Clearbrook Animal
Hospital. As Midnight is at least ten years old and
this was her first dentistry we were pleased that her
mouth was quite healthy and she appears to be in good
shape generally. Midnight is doing well some two
weeks later.
Over the years Midnight will always brush by me but
would not let herself be caught or picked up. We only
caught her to get her spayed 8 1/2 years ago because I
was able to catch her second litter of kittens at four
weeks of age and Midnight went into the cage to feed
them. She won't trip a live-trap but steps over the
plate, so catching her for the dentistry was an
exercise in outsmarting her.
Update:
HELPING MIDNIGHT
Midnight is a short haired black cat with a dense coat. I first met her when I lived on Amadis Crescent about 8 years ago. She was feral and had already had one litter of kittens. One kitten was caught and tamed, one survived in the wild, and two disappeared. My neighbour, Marianne, and I had been keeping an eye on Midnight as we knew she was pregnant again. We could not catch her in the live trap as she had learned not to trigger the plate by stepping on it. Although she wanted to come inside around the date her litter was due, she could not bring herself to stay in and would slip quietly out again before we could get the door shut. We wanted this to be her last litter.
We were able to find out where the kittens were born, a cold place under the townhouses across the way. To prevent her from abandoning them completely, we left them with her until they were four weeks old and were starting on solid food. I caught them and moved them to a four by four foot pen on my deck and started to tame and feed them. When she went in the top of the pen to be with them after a few days we locked her in. that night we got her into a large carrier so she could be fasted, and the next day she went to the vet in the morning and was spayed. Spaying her probably increased her longevity by many years; she no longer had to support kittens,nor was she bred by multiple males who might be carrying disease we can't vaccinate for.
I fed and cared for her for the years after she was spayed and then Catsave took over for the three years it existed. When Catsave closed in March 2001 I was also moving, so a former neighbour took over feeding her with food I was supplying. Leaving Midnight was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. However, I don't believe that all feral cats do well in the crowded shelters we have available for the rescue cats.
There is rarely time for the one-to-one rehabilitation they need to make them truly tame. It is also difficult to find them homes where there is a good fit between owners and cats. Many end up with so-called cat collectors who even if they can truly afford to keep the numbers they have, certainly don't have time to provide affection after the cleaning is done.
If we catch ferals young enough though, most can be tamed and placed as inside pets. Midnight wasn't one of them.
Midnight will be 9 years old sometime soon. It is imperative that she have her teeth cleaned and any extractions that need doing seen to. Cats with poor oral health tend to have infections that spread to their hearts and kidneys. If you can help Midnight she would appreciate it. Her vaccinations will be updated, and an exam will also be done.
Catsave no longer has a chequing account, so cheques should be made out to the veterinarians, Clearbrook Animal Hospital, with a note on the memo line on the bottom left hand side, "Midnight." The total we need to raise including tax is from $225-$250 and will depend on whether extractions need to be done. It may also be necessary to give her an antibiotic for 10-14 days afterwards. This would be given in tinned food, which Midnight can't resist. Should we not be able to raise close to this amount by November 15/03 all cheques will be returned to the donors.
Thanks for your support.
Shelley Hlady