I'm still waiting for MommyCat to bring her latest litter to the porch. She had them on March 14th, so they'll probably show up around April 25th-- although her last litter was weeks late.

After losing the two residents a couple of months ago, it's been quiet.

I've seen two black cats on the porch recently; Watcher and someone else. MommyCat was attacking the new one, so he/she may not come back again. 

The smaller fluffy cat who reminds me of my old friend, Pants, is still a regular. (And the featured photo this time.) I still don't know that one's sex, although I suspect it's a female because of its size. (I do miss those cats who I've lost in the past year or so. Or longer ago.) 

I'm running low on canned food just in time for the kittens to show up. I'm starting to ration it a bit more carefully until I can get more. I'm still OK on dry food for now. No one will go hungry as long as I can do anything about it!

I have given up on finding any vets or rescues who'll take in any ferals to be spayed and socialized for adoption. At least, for a while. It's just too frustrating. They either won't answer my messages, or they say if I trap the cats, take them to the vet, pay for their care, bring them back home with me, and take care of them until they are healed up, they'll "help". But they won't actually do anything I need them to do. It drives me crazy.

I'll continue doing what I can- feeding them and providing them with a safe area to stay out of the weather and away from dogs. It's up to them to accept what I offer.

I had a cat die on my porch last night. It was a white one with black patches that I've seen around for a long time (years), but he never was a regular to the porch until the past week or so. I suspected he was in his final days- he looked old, tired, and worn out. At least in his last days he got to eat and had a warm shelter (which is where he died). RIP.

MommyCat is getting larger in her most recent pregnancy. She avoided eating out of the bowl the dying cat ate from, which is probably why she's still around and looking healthy. I fed her separately when she'd show up.

The blind cat I named Greebo has vanished. I didn't find his body, nor did I see him dead on the side of the road anywhere. As with most of the porch cats, he simply disappeared. At least, the antibiotics seemed to have cleared up his infection. I wish he'd trusted me a little more, and had stayed inside my fence. I do what I can.

We got a big (6" is big for here) snow at the same time I got some donations to put toward vet care for the porch cats. The donations are really appreciated and have been helping.

Unfortunately, I have not seen either kitten since the snowstorm. I don't think they made it- if they'd stayed on my porch, I think they would have survived. This makes me sad. 

The loss of her kittens upset MommyCat. Since the storm, she has been extremely skittish and scared. Not spending time on the porch, or even really eating the food I set out for her. I haven't been seeing her nearly as much recently. She acts this way every time she loses her companions- which keeps happening. (When I do see her, she's sitting under the bird feeder, trying to catch birds to eat. I haven't seen her succeed yet.)

This isn't the only trauma she's experiencing, though. A new cat showed up right after the storm. MommyCat avoids any contact with him whatsoever, and I can't blame her for that.

This new cat was so sick when I first saw him, I expected him to be dead the next morning. His entire face was completely covered in pus and blood- I thought both eyes were ruptured. He would sleep on a pillow on the porch most of the day, and visit the food and water periodically. But he couldn't see anything and would bump into things as he tried to find his way to the bowls. His condition hurt me to see.

But he was alive the next day and he seems determined to live. He keeps surprising me. So I'm trying to help.

I saw him wandering out at the fence one day when it was very cold, so I thought I would go out and see if I could gently guide him back to the porch. Instead, he got scared and ran full speed into the bricks of the house. His poor nose started dripping blood. I hadn't helped at all.

He eventually found his way back to the sheltered porch and the food. 

I keep putting food out for him. I put a heating pad on the outside of the straw-filled shelter, to keep him warmer during the worst of the cold. He sleeps inside it most of the time.

I started trying to give him penicillin, hoping his disease is bacterial. But he didn't eat the pill pocket the first few times.

There was a day I didn't see him at all. I suspected he had died inside the shelter. The next day I was getting ready to open the shelter and remove his body when I heard him moving inside. So I left him alone and he later came out. Still looking horrible, but hanging on and eating.

The day before yesterday I tried yet another pill pocket with penicillin, but this time I buried it in tuna and canned food, trying to trick him with varied textures and flavors. It worked! He ate the penicillin!

When I saw him a little later, it was obvious he was getting over his illness on his own, though. For the first time, I saw his eyes. I couldn't see their condition, but they weren't caked over and he was looking around. He could see! The fur is missing around his eyes and he still looks terribly sick, but for the first time, I see some hope. He took his penicillin again yesterday, and I gave him more this morning, but I haven't checked to see if he ate it yet.

If he keeps improving, maybe he will stay around.

I need to find someone who can foster MommyCat, and maybe this new guy, if I can get them spayed/neutered. I can't do it because I can't risk exposing my indoor cats to any diseases they may be carrying. So far, I haven't found any takers. 

Everyone keeps telling me which vets will "fix" strays, but it's always the same story: I have to trap the cats, transport them to the vet, pay for the surgeries, and then house the cats as they recover. I can pay for the surgeries now (I had to spend some of the money on food, medicine, and other cat supplies, but I can still cover the surgeries if I can make them happen before they need more things), but I need, at least, fosters for after the surgeries. I won't risk the health of my indoor cats. Fosters for strays/ferals are really hard to find around here. But I'm trying some other avenues now.

And that brings you up to date.

Thank you!

We lost the black kitten. It disappeared a few days ago after getting goopy eyes.

I contacted the rescue again, but she says she's still too full to help.

The remaining kittens and MommyCat are doing OK. The white kitten had an infected eye a few days ago, but it looks better now.

I've gotten the shelters ready for them, but haven't seen them go inside. Maybe it's not cold enough yet.

It's pretty discouraging, but I'm doing what I can.

The picture is of the white kitten playing in the backyard next door. I wish they'd stay inside my fence so I could help keep them safer, but they won't.

I had a disappointment this week on the kitten front.

MommyCat started bringing her kittens to my porch a week or so ago. As soon as they were here much of the time I texted the woman with the cat rescue who had said she'd help me.

She can't help me now.

She's full of rescues at the moment. She said she might be able to help later. I'm not going to count on it.

MommyCat has three kittens this time: a black, a dark tortoiseshell, and a white. I was hoping to get them rescued soon so the food supply wouldn't be eaten quite as fast. That may not happen.

My campaign keeps getting unpublished. 

It’s not just about the donations, but about keeping the supporters up to date.

 I’ll write a proper update soon. For more I just wanted to get the campaign back up.

Today MommyCat's newest litter is 6 weeks old. I haven't seen them yet, but they could show up with her any day now. The last litter was a couple of weeks late. I had decided she had lost them before they came around. She lost them all later.

I'm still feeding just the 3 porch cats. MommyCat (when she shows up, which is not at every meal), Minnie (or Mini), and Watcher. Minnie is the most regular- she rarely misses a feeding. 

Minnie has started "talking" to me when I feed her. She was silent up until a few weeks ago. Now she meows to me and doesn't run away when I go out with food. She doesn't get close enough to touch, but she doesn't seem particularly scared anymore. I'm working on her.

Other than waiting on the newest litter, not much has happened. I'm still going to text the cat rescuer who had said she'd help just before MommyCat disappeared to give birth. Maybe I can break the cycle.

At the moment, only MommyCat is a regular on the porch or at feeding time.

Sometimes Mini and/or Watcher will show up-- as they both did yesterday morning.

MommyCat still looks lonely and depressed- I know I'm probably anthropomorphizing but she acts differently now, and not in a good way. I'm still trying to make friends with her, but she is skittish as ever. She meows and sometimes hisses as I approach the food bowl- I think she's overwhelmed.

She spends a lot of time napping on the front steps, but she does still wander away from the porch.

I'm doing what I can for her.

GiveSendGo unpublished this campaign due to a lack of activity. I republished it but in case it disappears again, here's my Patreon page with the same campaign: https://www.patreon.com/kentforliberty

Saturday morning I discovered Scooter, the fluffy orange porch kitten, dead on the street beside my house. She'd been hit by a car.

Someone had the decency to move her body to the curb, but from the blood stain, I know where she was hit.

That means Grabie is the last surviving kitten from the July 10, 2023 litter.

Scooter was nearly always waiting for me at feeding time. I take comfort in knowing she never went hungry. She was healthy after she got past her kitten infections. She seemed happy and playful. I never managed to pet her-- she'd never get close enough. I offered my hand to sniff, but she never did. She'd just wait under the scooter where White Kitten loved to wait, for me to fill the bowl. I respected her space.

She and Grabie were playing hard the day the above picture was taken (April 12). I had given her a little foam rod that White Kitten loved to play with, and she was having fun with it. Grabie wanted to play and he attacked her and they spent several minutes chasing and wrestling with each other while I watched. I wish I'd made a video of that.

In other news, Pants is sick. Gunky eyes, congestion, and a little thin. I hope he pulls through. MommyCat should bring her new litter around sometime in the middle of May (so we can start the whole thing over again). Oliver has been a less frequent visitor-- only showing up a few times each week recently. And not looking quite as healthy when he does. 

The disease vector may be a black fluffy cat I've nicknamed Booger-- she always has bad cold symptoms and a really snotty nose. She's been like this for 6 months or more. She's very friendly and has been hanging around for food more regularly. She'd push her way in the door if I weren't careful. I feel bad that I can't let her come in, but I can't risk the health of the indoor cats.

I've seen Watcher quite a bit. He still has a limp, but seems to be doing pretty well. He has been jumping from the steps up to the rail, which is probably 3 to 4 feet. 

There have been a few other transient visitors. including a really cute, friendly white w/black patches cat that hung around for a few days before disappearing. She or he left the day I mowed, even though I left his/her napping spot intact. I guess it was just too much disturbance.

Trying to help the cats is heartbreaking. All I can do is to make sure they have food. I can't convince them to stay in my fence where it's safe.

Sunny's vet bill is higher than expected, because they removed more teeth than they expected to. Plus she had an ear infection. 

It's $887

I'm going to have to max out the CareCredit card and scrape together every cent I can find. If you can help, I'd appreciate it.

The porch cats have been different since White Kitten died. They weren't steady about showing up at feeding time for a week or two. I'm not sure what was upsetting them. Or if White Kitten was just a uniting force for them. She was special.

They are coming back to eat again, but only Grabie has been napping on the porch regulatory. Scooter, the orange kitten, has been more skittish. Oliver was scarce for a while, but was napping in the yard yesterday-- it was the first time I'd seen him in a couple of weeks. I'd been afraid something had happened to him.

MommyCat is showing her pregnant belly again. Pants is still his friendly (as long as it's feeding time) self.

Watcher is still around, and still limping from his injury. I guess he's learning to deal with the handicap-- I wish there were something I could do for him. There have been a couple of other visitors, including the fluffy black cat who always has a snotty nose.

I'll keep doing the best I can for them all, under the circumstances.

White Kitten died overnight. I don't know what else to say.

I'm sorry I couldn't give you the life you deserved, little one.

It wasn't what I wanted to hear.

I did get White Kitten to the vet this afternoon, thanks to those who helped. Her report could have been better.

White Kitten is FeLV positive, so I can't bring her inside with the other cats. Which leaves me really disappointed. This wasn't the outcome I wanted.

She also has a touch of pneumonia, along with the upper respiratory infection.

She got a long-lasting antibiotic shot, a steroid shot, and an anti-nausea shot after she threw up the oral antibiotic the vet gave her But she still threw up the oral antibiotic I gave her this evening, so I don't think I'm going to be able to give her that one. I'll keep trying.

She's confined to a cage on the porch so I can keep trying to medicate her. She is lethargic. I hope it's a side effect of the medications and she gets better by morning. She has food and water, and a small bowl for canned food. She has a pillow and a litter pan-- and she's lying in the litter pan. The cage is multi-level so she can get some exercise if she feels like moving. I've covered a couple of sides with an old bath towel, to keep the sun off of her, if she wants shade. She'll need to be confined for 10 days, or until I run out of/give up on the oral antibiotic.

I know FeLV is pretty much a death sentence (RIP, Kirby!) but I'll do my best for her as long as I can. If I ever find someone who wants to adopt her and make her an indoor cat for the rest of her life, I'll jump at the chance.

We had a bit of a snow overnight. I knew it was coming, so I made sure the cats were taken care of as much as possible. They seem fine this morning, although they're spending most of their time inside the shelters.

I saw Watcher yesterday at a house across the street (where he usually stays). He's still unable to use his leg. 

White Kitten is still sick, but she's getting more friendly. She wants to be petted when I go out to feed them, and she purrs and seems very happy when I rub her little head. She's so tiny.

Orange Kitten and Grabey (Gray Baby) are doing well. They are twice as big as White Kitten.

I haven't seen Pants in a few days, and have only seen MommyCat or Oliver a couple of times. I'm hoping they are over at the neighbor's house. The weather may have them hunkering down somewhere.

I got a load of canned food a couple of weeks ago, which may last a month or more. I had to pick up a bag of dry food yesterday, but that should last me a while, too.

Everyone is doing as well as can be expected. 

I was plunged into depression as soon as I went out to feed the porch cats this morning.

The "regulars" are doing OK-- other than White Kitten's chronic eye, nose, and ear infection.

What upset me was the cat I call Watcher. He's a black cat with a small white dot on his chest. He was limping along the outside of the fence, crying in distress. He was holding up one of his back legs.

I don't know if it's broken or just otherwise hurt.

He won't let me get close to him, but I talked to him from a distance. He sat fairly normally, so maybe the bone isn't broken.

Watcher rarely comes inside the fence. If he would, and would stay, I could at least keep him safe from cars and dogs, and keep him fed.

I don't have a cat trap, but neither do I have the money to do anything about it if I trapped him. I don't really want a cat trap for that very reason. I feel so useless in these situations.

Basically all I can do is feed them and give them shelter. Anything else is out of reach. Which is why White Kitten still has the infections.

This is a picture of MommyCat (on the right) and her three surviving kittens (born July 10, 2023). White kitten is a runt, as you can see.

As 2024 begins, I am currently feeding Pants, MommyCat, her three surviving kittens, Oliver, and the occasional visitor.

At the moment I have enough canned food for 3 weeks-- after some difficulty finding the food at an affordable price, it has been available fairly consistently for the past month or so. I try to stock up every chance I get, if I have the money to do so. That hasn't been an issue recently. (Now, if the store will keep it in stock.) The dry food is easier to come by, and I have a month or so of that left.

The kittens are using the straw-filled shelters, at least at night. The days haven't been cold since the little cold snap we had a month or so back.

I still don't know the sex of the orange kitten or the white kitten, but if either of them is a female, I know I'm in for more kittens this year-- above the litter MommyCat will inevitably have. The surviving gray kitten is now larger than MommyCat, and is male (I think). The kittens are still too shy for me to get a good look at-- at least from behind, which is why sexing them has been difficult.

I really appreciate the help I've gotten toward taking care of them-- both on this platform and off. They are good cats and deserve all the help we can give them.

We had a couple of wet days when I didn't see much of the kittens. The food would still be mostly gone by the next feeding, but the porch cats were mostly staying sheltered inside the straw-filled shelters I provided for them.

Yesterday was dry again, and at the evening feeding everyone was present. But the calico kitten was very skinny, sick, and weak. And there was nothing I could do about it, as I've detailed in other posts.

This morning I found her dead beside the house, and I buried her near Tobbles, Kirby, and her gray adopted littermate.

I'm so sorry I failed you, little one. If I'd had any way, you would have been brought into the house weeks ago.

The porch kitten that reminded me of Tobbles hasn't been around in a long time. Not sure if something happened to it, or if it went back where it came from. The calico that showed up at the same time (presumably a littermate) was fully adopted by MommyCat and is still around with her and her kittens.

But I lost one of MommyCat's kittens.

I hadn't seen the smaller gray kitten in a few days, so I searched this morning and found his body in one of the straw-fulled shelters I set up for them last week. He was already starting to smell bad. I buried him near Tobbles and Kirby. I'll wash and air out the shelter as soon as the water in the hose thaws, and put new straw inside. 

It makes me really sad to lose one. He had gotten friendly enough that I could pet him sometimes.

I'm going to need to stock up on food soon-- just so I don't get close to running out again. I'm struggling through tons more medical bills, but I can't let the cats down.

MommyCat seems to have adopted yet another kitten. A little orange who looks like a small Tobbles showed up at the porch yesterday, hanging out with MommyCat and the kittens.

The calico and this new orange are more shy than MommyCat's litter. I suspect they haven't been exposed to humans as much. I'm wondering if these two newcomers lost their mom and have been looking for someone to take her place. They seem to love MommyCat and she acts like they are hers. She does her best to be a good mom. I only know of one of her kittens from previous litters that's still alive, and that's the one my son adopted a couple of years ago.

The orange is much more skittish than the calico; it doesn't come to eat until it's sure I've gone back in the house, and it often runs and hides if it sees me. Hopefully, he'll get more comfortable with me soon.

I love seeing how contented they are after a good meal. 

At tonight's feeding, Pants and Oliver didn't show up. Pants ate a lot this morning, and if I see him show up later I'll give him a little more. Oliver is the least regular, but usually shows up at least once per day. I'm still watching for him tonight.

I think MommyCat adopted a kitten.

A couple of days ago a calico kitten, the same size as MommyCat's kittens, showed up to eat. Today she was rubbing against MommyCat and looking up at her face. MommyCat seemed to accept her.

I have also seen her playing with the other kittens.

Everyone seems to be doing OK. Pants has been really hungry recently, and eager to be petted before he eats. Oliver is still shy and won't let me get too close, but he doesn't stay quite as far from me anymore. MommyCat meows and hisses, equally. She accepts pets on her head when Pants is with her, but not when he's not there.

I've been sneaking a few pets on one of the gray kittens. It comes up to the food bowl as I scoop the food into it and starts eating, and doesn't mind (or doesn't notice) when I stroke its back and head a little as it eats.

I think the white kitten may be lutino. It has some orange in its tail and maybe on its ears, but I think it has red eyes. That's not good news for a feral cat; it probably means it will lose its sight.

I wish I could find it a home!

I got really close to running out of canned food for them. The supply chain wasn't working. I finally got stocked back up-- at least a little. It's always a struggle.

I'm hoping to hear an update today on the kitten that got placed in a home a few weeks ago. If I do, I'll let you know.

MommyCat and her four kittens seem to be doing well. They are eating through my supply of dry and canned food really fast, which is a problem, but I'm glad they are eating well. I'm hoping I don't run out of food for them.

They aren't friendly, so it's hard to get pictures of them:

I love watching them play and nap.

If you can help me make sure their food doesn't run out, I would appreciate it. If not, I understand. I'll find a way.

I still wish I could get them all into a rescue that would neuter/spay and find a loving indoor home for them all. I love them.

I think the lone kitten got lucky. He's been adopted. The girl who originally brought him to me found a home for him.

The person was going to make him a barn cat, but after meeting him has said she may make him her indoor cat and get him fixed, instead. I'm hoping that's how it plays out. He is really loving. She's also going to give him some medicine she has on hand in case he has an upper respiratory infection

She believes it's a female. I think it's a male. Maybe I'm wrong.

I may never know what becomes of him, which is hard for me. But I kept him safe and fed him while he was here.

It turns out MommyCat had 4 kittens. A little orange one showed up just a little while after I posted about the litter. So she has 2 gray/striped, one white, and one orange.

Then, yesterday, a girl showed up at our house carrying an older kitten that has been hanging out by the school. She wanted me to help it. It is wearing a flea collar, but is very thin. It was obviously someone's kitten, but either ran away or got thrown out. He's friendly. Apparently, he has been on Facebook for several days, with people saying "If this is your cat, this is where he is". But no one came to get him. So now he's also on our porch.

I think he's about done.

FeLV has gotten the better of him.

I haven't posted updates because of other matters that have me distracted and occupied in unpleasant ways, but the past month has been rough on Kirby.

He suddenly got weak and sick one Friday evening. We rushed him to the vet the next morning-- as soon as the vet office opened-- and she said it was his FeLV. She gave him some injections and an oral pill (4 per day). He's been on the pills 3 weeks as of today. He improved for a while. But it didn't last.

She did say it was going to be palliative care only and that there was no way to know how long it would help. She hoped it would give him at least another year or more.

He keeps having relapses. But since he recovered after a day or so each time, I held out hope. But I don't think he's getting better this time.

He doesn't seem to be suffering; he just seems to have given up. Unless he shows huge improvement by Monday morning I think it's time to make the hard decision.

Next Friday would be his 1st birthday.

I'm crushed and I'm going in for surgery on April 4th.

I was afraid something had happened to Pants. I didn't see him around for a few days. MommyCat seemed more nervous and suspicious than usual, but part of that might be that Pants gives her confidence. Oliver wasn't coming around as often, either. Something was different. There were a few of the occasional visitors showing up, though. And Watcher, outside the fence.

But, after a few days, Pants showed up and seemed fine. Maybe he was trapped in a shed. MommyCat seemed relieved and more relaxed again.

Pants has gotten to the point where he demands to be petted a little before he'll even eat.

I'm starting to suspect he doesn't have teeth. I can't get a good look, and he won't let me lift his lips to see, but something about the way he holds his mouth looks toothless. At least it looks like he may be missing his front teeth. So I've started giving him more canned food.

I've wondered if he'd let me brush him. His long fur might be more comfortable if it weren't matted. I may try to introduce him to the idea when I'm petting him at mealtime-- he still won't normally let me pet him-- or approach him-- at other times.

I recently stocked up on food for them, due to a generous supporter's help. Next month is going to be a little tight, but I may have enough to get through it. Thank you all for your help, from the cats and me.

(I keep trying to upload a photo, but I think it keeps crashing the site)

For some reason, I've been unable to successfully post an update. Will try again later.

I've mentioned the small black cat who just sits and watches the yard. I finally got a picture of her (?) doing her thing. She's shy and doesn't let me get close, but she likes to watch me and the "porch cats" inside the fence.

Back when Tobbles was alive and Kirby and Whiskers would be in the yard playing with him, the little black cat would come right to the fence and watch. She'd move to different spots to get a better view, depending on what was going on.

I tried to invite her in-- for food if nothing else-- but she wouldn't come in. I've never seen her inside the fence.

She's welcome to come in to eat with Pants, MommyCat, and Oliver-- well, I welcome her. Maybe the problem is that the porch cats don't.

Pants actually raised up and bumped my hand with the top of his head yesterday morning. I took too long to pet him, I guess, and he got impatient. He still won't let me approach unless it's feeding time, but he's trusting me more all the time. MommyCat lets me pet her more, too, especially if I stroke her tail. But she still has to put on the feral act. Oliver still doesn't let me approach, but he doesn't run as fast or as far anymore. He just scoots out of the way.

Kirby is still doing good. He doesn't know he's scheduled to be neutered in a few weeks.

 I took Kirby to the vet Friday evening. The great news is that she says his eye doesn't need to be removed at this time.

Usually, when I need some donations for vet care, I can scrape by whether or not I get enough donations to cover the expense. Not this time, though. Due to other circumstances, mostly my own medical bills, Kirby is entirely dependent on donations to get his bad eye removed.

It's just how things are right now.

If you can help, I thank you. If you can't, maybe consider sharing this campaign with anyone you think might like to help.

Thank you!

Kirby needs to have his eye removed. The last kitten who needed the same procedure (eye removal and neutering) cost around $400 in total for the surgery.

If anyone can chip in, I would appreciate it. And so will Kirby (eventually, if not immediately).

Thank you!

Pants, the probable dad of Kirby and the longest-remaining current resident of the patio, has recently been letting me pet him more. He still gives me a shocked look when I touch him, but then he calms down and seems to enjoy it. While MommyCat (and sometimes Oliver) looks at him like he's doomed to be eaten.

I've been sneaky enough to give MommyCat a few pets while she's rubbing against Pants in her joyous anticipation of food, but if she notices she backs away quickly. And often hisses at me. I'll win her over yet.

Oliver never gets within several arm-lengths, so that's going to be harder to accomplish with him.

I'd still like to treat them all for fleas, but Pants' skin seems to be clearer now, like he's not being bitten as much. 

I hadn't seen Lari in quite a while, But she showed up again yesterday. I didn't get a picture of her, but she reminds me of Pants, but with fewer white patches and smaller. The shape of her head makes me think "female", but the shagginess of her fur makes it hard for me to see for certain.

I'm not sure she stayed around to eat. Unfortunately, I was mowing and she was not happy about that. She vanished into the cannas and I didn't see her again, but I'm glad to know she's still around.

Sunny came through her tooth extraction fine.

Monday, Sunny goes to the vet to have her bad tooth (or teeth) removed. She gave the vets trouble when we took her in to set up the appointment, so I hope things go better tomorrow. She's not the friendliest cat with people she doesn't like, and she really doesn't like anyone but me. With me, she's very sweet. She may be angry with me after tomorrow.

Second, I'm pretty sure Ghost ended up with Covid-- the household humans got it and he displayed similar symptoms to those the humans had. He was really sick-- much sicker than I was-- for days. He finally started acting a little better last night, but he still hasn't started eating yet (other than small nibbles once a day or so). I hope he feels good enough to eat soon.

Kirby is still doing great. Growing and playing. His bad eye doesn't seem to be causing too many issues, except that he has poor depth perception.

More updates on the "porch cats" soon.

About four years ago, we rescued a young cat who was trying to play with kids in the elementary school playground across the street. The teachers were screaming at the kids to not touch her; "It's diseased!" they said. So we took her in.

I think she was around four months old at the time.

Next Monday she has a vet appointment to remove a bad tooth that is causing her pain. She has a hard time eating right now, but at least she has a little extra weight to spare.

She's not the friendliest cat in the house. In fact, she really only likes me. I love her and end up holding her a lot. It has hurt me to see her in pain, but next Monday was the earliest appointment the vet had for dental work. I'll be glad when she is feeling better and can eat without screaming.

This is a small black cat who sits outside the fence and watches the other cats and people, but hasn't gotten brave enough to come and eat. Yet.

I think she (I'm not sure of the cat's sex) will eventually decide to come eat. If she keeps coming around.

She used to sit and watch me play with Tobbles and Kirby. She'd move around the fence to get a better view as we moved around the yard. I've tried to talk to her and get her to come in, but so far she hasn't.

Oliver is less trusting than Pants or even MommyCat. He always keeps his distance until I leave the food bowl. When Tobbles was alive, Oliver would sit and wait until I was finished petting Tobbles while he ate, then he would come sneak some food.

This morning he was lying on the front steps after breakfast and I was talking to him through the screen door. He was comfortable with that situation.

He looks a little rough. He has some scars. But I care for him even if he isn't convinced I'm on his side.

I've been so focused on Kirby, and upset over the loss of Tobbles, that I haven't said anything about the other cats.

Meet Pants. Originally I called him "the cat with pants" because his back legs looked like he was wearing pantaloons-- the way the fur was shaped and colored. I eventually shortened that to Pants.

He has been hanging around for a few years now. He isn't afraid of me, but he's not particularly friendly either. We have an understanding. I have petted him while he was eating, but he gives me a surprised look when I do. He'd really rather I didn't.

Tobbles liked him and treated him like a parent, but Pants only tolerated Tobbles. Tobbles would rub all over him when he'd come over to eat. He was OK with Kirby, but didn't want to play with him. Mostly ignored him.

He has a lot of flea bites (or something like that) on his back. I can feel the scabs under his fur. I'd like to be able to treat him for fleas-- and obviously, get him neutered. I believe he is Kirby's dad, and the father of the kitten I rescued last fall that my son ended up taking. There's no way he'd ever let me brush him, but his mid-length fur needs it.

He's a good cat. Pretty calm and even-tempered, from what I've seen. He's been on his own so long I doubt he'd ever take to being an inside cat, but if anyone wanted to give it a try-- as long as they brought him back if it just wasn't going to work out-- I'd love to give him the chance.

He's one of the cats you'd be helping. More to come...

Kirby got good news and bad news.

The good news is-- no eye surgery for now. Maybe never. His eye is covered with scar tissue from the corneal ulcer he had, but it's not infected and-- although he'll never see out of the eye-- shouldn't be a problem as long as it doesn't get infected again. 

The bad news is-- he is FeLV positive, which is also bad news for the rest of the cats in the house. There's no way to keep them separated, and is probably too late anyway. So we'll just have to deal with things as they arise.

His lymph nodes are swollen, but that is probably from the eye infection and upper respiratory infection he had. The vet said it may take a while for the nodes to recover, and the FeLV may make it take longer. But that shouldn't be an issue.

He'll still need to be neutered, but that will come later.

The vet bill today came to $160.50

Losing Tobbles was a devastating personal loss. I expect a kitten with health problems to be at risk, but Tobbles was a healthy young adult. I was very attached to him and I haven't taken his death well. But, it's time to try to move beyond the loss.

I'm going to be thinking of this as The Tobbles Memorial Cat Rescue now. 

Tomorrow Kirby has a vet appointment. A check-up, probably some shots, and I'm expecting an appointment for an eye removal. Not sure what the full cost will be, nor whether inflation will have an impact. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Thanks for your support.

I lost Tobbles overnight. I'm pretty torn up over it right now.

Today is the birthday (or what I figured is close to it) of last year's rescue kitten.

I found Whiskers on the side of the street, sick and starving, on the morning of August 1, 2021. I figured he was about 5 weeks old.

Lots of medicine and 2 surgeries later (to remove an infection-destroyed eye and to repair a hernia) and he's the happiest cat in the house. Very loving. Altogether it cost around $600 to get him healthy, and it was worth it. Much of the cost was covered by donations, for which I am very grateful.

That's why I started this project. I'd like to have money coming in regularly so I could handle these situations without having to make an appeal every time.

I thought I had found a group that would help.

I was mistaken-- or was misinformed.

I found a lower-cost pet clinic that does spaying and neutering in the Big City 90 miles from here. They directed me to a group they said helps with TNRs ("trap, neuter, release") for feral cats. But after the group finally responded to my message, no, they don't come this far. 

They said I could trap the cats myself, bring them to their vet, stay all day and wait to pick them up in the evening, and take them back with me, and it would cost $100 per cat. 

That's a worse deal than the other place where I would still have to do all the same, but the cost with them is $35 (male) and $45 (female) per cat. Still way out of reach under current financial circumstances.

I also thought the porch kitten-- I'm calling him Kirby-- had found a home, but it looks like that has fallen through as well.

Not the best day for my efforts.

The porch kitten is now living in a cage on the covered patio. For his safety and my peace of mind.

The young adult cat who hangs out on my patio was starting to get a little aggressive (jealous?) toward him and I was worried.

The good news is, he seems to really enjoy climbing and playing in the cage. I think he feels more secure, especially since he doesn't see well. I still let him out to play, too, as long as I'm there. He's eating well, and the infection in his eyes seems to be clearing up, but it looks like his cornea is ulcerated. We'll see how that goes.

I'm still looking for supporters to help me help the cats. Do you know anyone who might like to pitch in?

Porch Kitten is so energetic and playful. A real ball of fire. His eyes are still pretty bad, and I think he's now mostly blind, but it doesn't seem to affect his mood much. I wish I could have gotten enough money for a vet visit when his eyesight might have been saved, but that wasn't to be. I'll do the best I can with the situation as it is.

I've started a Patreon for this project, too. Just to try more options. I'm not going to give up.

Getting a little monthly money to use to help ALL the cats would be great. Yes, the original goal to get the kitten to the vet would also be wonderful, but that won't solve the problem. I need to try to get the local strays neutered. And I'd also like to get something to help with fleas (or whatever causes the scabbing on some of the cats). And to keep feeding them.

It's a bigger project than I'm able to do on my own.

I found someone who says they rescue cats in my area, but... over and over they've promised they'll bring me some medicine for him, and then they don't.

They don't have room for another kitten at the moment, but they also don't seem too interested in getting back to me with the medicine, either.

So, I'm still doing what I can. His eyes actually looked a little better a couple of days ago (not the eyeballs, but around them). No further improvement, though.

If I can't collect enough money for a vet visit, I will spend what I collect on food and medicine for him. I'll do what I can.

I hate to admit it, but I'm getting attached.

The kitten is still doing about the same. His eyes don't seem to be getting worse, but no better, either. I've switched to a different eye ointment, hoping it might work better.

He's still playful. I want to give him a chance-- he deserves a chance.