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• I resigned from my job of seven years. No more insurance.
• I terminated my lease six months early.
• I sold all but one of my furnishings and most of my books, movies, and music.
• I planned a move from a city I’d spent the past eleven years.
• My guy and I loaded a U-Haul, an SUV, a kitty gym, and Jasper and drove two days.
• We moved two states away to a  new city, which I had been to once (for one week).

This is absolutely heartbreaking. If you have any money at all to donate, even $25, please please do. If you have any time to donate to the WWF, please do. This is urgent. The polar bear is now an endangered species. I never thought I would see this in my lifetime.

Gatto Mimmo gufo, originally uploaded by Maccio Capatonda.

Friday evening I was at the metro station waiting for my train when I discovered (thanks to another caring soul calling across the tracks) that a kitten was stuck inside a wall.  I heard the meowing all the way across the tracks.

I called the Humane Society of Missouri.  They told me to call animal control. I tried the APA and they were closed. I tried Stray Rescue and was sent straight to voicemail (they are a volunteer-run organization after all).  I called animal control and they were closed; the message stated to call the police.  I did so, but they stated that they could do nothing.  I went to the other side of the tracks at the station to see what I could do.  The kitten was meowing in fear and so far as I could tell there was no way to reach him.

The other woman there trying to help and I were desperate to get the kitten out but unsure how to do this.  She had put out pieces of Fig Newton in hopes of getting him to come to her, but he did not.  We continued to wonder just how stuck he may have been inside the wall.  There was a way under and into the wall, where the kitten evidently had found his way in, but no way for us to get to him.

I decided to call my vet and see if she had any suggestions.  She said to call the fire department.  I called the fire department and the individual who answered was rude with me and said “We don’t deal with animals,” gruffly and dismissively.  I called my ex-boyfriend who is also concerned with animal welfare to see if he had any tools we might use or any ideas for how to get the kitten out but he evidently was too busy with his evening to be terribly concerned and had no suggestions either.

The kitten continued to meow, terrified, and we were at our wit’s end at how we could help.  We had informed, via an emergency call box and a Metro employee who came by as she noticed our situation at hand and no Metro staff were of help or came to our rescue, though we were told twice that they would send someone to help.  Eventually, 45 minutes to an hour after first coming across the tracks, I laid my head on the ground, looked up from the floor and into the wall space and saw that the kitten was actually free in there.

The kitten was simply terrified, of people and of the noise of the train and announcer system, and did not know where else to hide.  We decided to just go back to waiting for our trains as he clearly was okay and would come out eventually when it quieted down (once the trains stopped).  I worried he would end up harassed by drunks or dumb people, but needed to go home and he seemed okay.

It appalls me that people were so ignorant and passed the buck so much.  Even animal welfare organizations passed the buck.  I find it just sad that people could care less if a living being – a cute lil’ kitten, no less! – dies than doing anything to help it.  What has happened to us that we as a society think nothing of abandoning, abusing, and neglecting living beings, much less care nothing if living beings die. (And yes, I know, my vegan and vegetarian friends, that cows, pigs, sheep, and fish die every day so that carnivores can fill their bellies… I am not ignorant to the farm animals’ plight).

I do hope that the kitten has found its way, or will find its way, into a warm, loving forever home.  I have to believe he did, just to sleep at night.

Jasper has been surprisingly aggressive of late: first his pupils get very large, then he might growl, and then he bites. Hard. I was concerned that this might mean something serious, a problem in his brain or something. This just was not like Jasper, normally an affectionate and sweet cat.

I spoke about this new aggression with the vet this afternoon when I called to schedule an appointment for his vaccinations and she asked his age. I told her that he was 6 1/2 and she said that when cats get older (usually somewhere between 5 and 7) they become very rambunctious or aggressive. So it would seem Jasper has basically hit feline puberty. Oh yay.

The vet is coming by to give Jasper his vaccinations and to discuss weight loss options for him a week from tomorrow. She says we can discuss ways to nip his aggression in the bud so I do not have to simply endure it until his puberty has passed by. It will be nice to not fear for my flesh’s safety and to have my sweet Jasper back. :)

Oh and yes I did in fact find a vet who makes home visits. If you are in the St. Louis area and want her info, contact me.

Evidently Aztecs believed this bird’s beak was created from rainbows.  Toucans were considered messengers of the gods. I saw this beautiful bird at the St. Louis Zoo this Summer.

Yesterday was National Feral Cat Day.  St. Louis has a large feral cat population and I would imagine that the rest of the country has the same issue.  Please consider these animals, keep an eye out for them, as the weather changes.  With the cold weather coming soon, I would like to share some tips for helping the feral cat population to survive a crisp fall and bitter winter:

• Put out water in wide and deep dishes in the alleyway (wide and deep dishes will take longer to freeze).  Provide water consistently.
• Honk your horn before you start the engine, or bang on the hood, to ensure a cat has not curled up in your engine to stay warm.
• Support legislation that mandates adding a bitter agent to antifreeze (those on the market tastes sweet to cats) so that cats do not drink it and die.
• Provide dry and warm shelters for feral cats in your neighborhood – you can learn how to build one here.
• Set up feeding stations for the cats, away from activity (feral cats are often skittish), out of sight, and ideally a spot only known to you.
• If you have the time and are willing to make the effort, trap, neuter, and release helps to keep the feral cat population manageable.  Many communities have organizations that can be valuable resources.

(Most tips above are inspired by the Alley Cat Allies newsletter).

I love my boy.

Today is ASPCA Day.  This is a day to celebrate our animals, celebrate the great work that the ASPCA does for animals, and to do something ourselves for animals.  For those not entirely familiar with the ASPCA (from the ASPCA website):

The ASPCA was founded in 1866 as the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. The Society was formed to alleviate the injustices animals faced then, and we continue to battle cruelty today. Whether it’s saving a pet who has been accidentally poisoned, fighting to pass humane laws, rescuing animals from abuse or sharing resources with shelters across the country, we work toward the day in which no animal will live in pain or fear.

The ASPCA offers ten ways to celebrate ASPCA Day.

Animals depend upon us for affection, food, health care, and shelter.  I do all I can to take especially good care of my Jasper, spoiling him a bit some would say.  If I could, I would care for more animals without love and homes.

Let us be thankful for organizations like the ASPCA who make animals their passion.  I believe in them enough so that I now donate money to the organization.