One year ago today, Flower finally went into the live humane trap. One of my friends called Flower my white whale. Flower lived in the house next door and was kicked out when the dog was taken for neglect and abuse. She was outside for six years (at least) before I was finally able to trap her.
We lived across the street from people who were involved in a dog fighting ring using cats as bait and doing boom cars to advertise drug sales. I kept finding injured, spray painted cats. I had trapped four and got them to safety. Flower was the fifth and final cat I trapped. The neighborhood had really declined due to two houses across the street. When gunfire started, I knew it was time to leave.
I said I would not leave that house until I trapped Flower and got her to safety. I never thought that I would be her forever home.
The animal shelter that had helped me with the other injured cats I trapped and provided evidence for the dog fighting ring was full when I trapped Flower. They couldn’t take her. I said I would foster her. To be honest, it’s a good thing they were full. I am pretty sure that given Flower’s age and medical condition, she would have been euthanized. (At least one of the other cats I got to them had to be euthanized due to the injuries from the dog fighting ring.)
A few years ago, I saw Flower with a broken front arm. It was obvious it was broken. It was hanging at an unnatural angle. Even when she was hobbling on three legs, I could not catch her. Last October, she was limping along. I tried to trap again. Flower is extremely intelligent. She avoided the trap for years.
On November 3, 2024, she went into the trap. To this day, I wonder if she is happy, she went into the trap? I hope she is.
I had tried to find a home for Flower. The longer Flower was with me, the more I realized that she had chosen me as her human. Not only that, but I honestly don’t think anyone else wants to handle her. People are afraid of Flower because she hisses and hides. She only does that because she was tortured by humans. She’s traumatized by what happened to her.
When I trapped her and got her to medical care, the vt confirmed she did have extensive injuries. All four legs and her pelvis had all been broken at some point, along with other issues as well.
Flower was with me as a foster child for about four months when I thought I had found her a forever home. It didn’t work out. People were interested in Flower, but when they met her or learned about her medical needs, decided they could not handle her. That’s honest. Flower is a senior special needs cat who has been through a lot of trauma. She has “issues.” I lovingly call her “spicy.”
Flower has captured the hearts of many people on the internet and has fans all over the world. She used to get her own update on our social media sites daily, then twice a week. Now, she is in regular rotation as a permanent family member.
I am Flower’s forever home. She chose me as her person. After 6 years, she finally trusted me enough to go into the trap. I do believe she chose me.
Flower follows me around the house. Now that she has a ramp, she sleeps in my bed. She purrs. It took months before she started to purr. At first, it was barely audible. Now, her purr is quite loud. She loves sun puddles and looking out the window. She has never tried to escape the house or go back outside.
Flower is extremely intelligent. She is carrier trained and knows baby sign language. I read a bedtime story to Flower every night. Sometimes Jolene and Simon listen too. Flower’s favorites are Goodnight Moon and Toad and Frog. Those are the ones she seems most interested in looking at the pictures. She moves her head around to look at them.
I’ve known that Flower is a hospice situation due to her numerous health issues. I didn’t expect her to do this well or live this long. I never expected her to outlive Jude. Jude’s passing came out of left field. Jude was the one that Flower tolerated the most. Jude won her over. He was the only one of my three that Flower did not hiss at.
Given her medical condition, bones, and eyes, it is estimated that Flower is 15 years old. She has a birthday in April. She will be 16 in April 2026. November is adopt a senior pet month. I wasn’t planning on adopting another cat, but this time last year, Flower picked me out and went in the trap.
I fully intended when she went into the trap that I would get her medical care and get her into the shelter. I never anticipated that they would not take her and I would need to try to home her on my own. I also didn’t anticipate that that home would be me. She lets me pet her. She licks me.
Every day I wonder, “are you happy you went in the trap?” I don’t know. I hope she is. The hardest part of all of it is that I know she would do best as an only child. At the same time, I feel like she chose me as her person. Unfortunately for her, I had three cats when she picked me out.
Flower has been a trooper through the move. She is the one who did the best when we were in temporary housing. She did not seem as happy in our new house as she was in temporary housing until the ramp arrived. Now that she can use the ramp and get into the bed, I think she is ok.
I hope Flower is happy. I really do. She’s so spicy, it’s hard to tell.
Flower is a natural bobtail. She looks like a skunk from the back but a cow from the side. She is a beautiful cat. My heart breaks when I think of what she has lived through. I try not to think about it. I want to give her as much love as I can in the time she has left. I hope she knows she is loved.
Simon was adopted on November 1, 2017. He was a year and a half old when I adopted him. While Simon is the youngest cat in this home, he is the one that has been with me the longest. Simon has also been through two moves with me now. Simon moved from the apartment to our first house. Then, Simon moved from the hell house to our current home.
Simon is 9.5 years old. He may be turning 10 in the spring and approaching senior status, but Simon will always be the baby. He is pure innocence. I had Kip and Kitty from the time they were kittens. I called them the Dynamic Duo. I remember kitten phase and can’t handle kittens. Since then, I’ve said I would adopt adults. Simon is the youngest adult cat I have adopted.
Simon is the sweetest cat. He sleeps with me in the bed every single night. We were so fortunate that we were able to all stay together through this vert rough move we just went through. I was worried we would have to be separated for 3-4 days. Turns out, we had to be in temporary housing for 3-4 weeks. I am so grateful we were all together. The cars came through the ordeal better because we were all together. They are not unscathed, but better than if we had been separated.
Of the three cats, Simon is the one who has been handling the move in stride. It may be because this was the second move for him. The hardest part for Simon is that he is grieving Jude. Simon was with Jude from the day I brought him home. Simon and Jude were very closely bonded.
While Simon is also closely bonded to Jolene, bis strongest tie was with Jude. Simon is our Chief Cuddler. He just loves everyone and wants to snuggle everyone in the house. Simon gets as close to Flower as he dares to get once she is asleep. Flower hisses at Simon when she is awake.
Simon loves playing with small toy mice. He can often be seen on cat cam throwing them around in the air, batting them, and carrying them from room to room. If there are cat toys under appliances and furniture, it’s because Simon put them there. When we were in the apartment, I used to take a yard stick to fish out all the cat toys from under the refrigerator every week. I was regularly pulling out 20-30 toys a week. There are not as many toys under appliances in the house. This is a bigger space than the apartment.
Even the vet office says that Simon is the sweetest cat. He fully cooperates for his exam and vaccines. Simon is very loving.
His only downside is that Simon is afraid of everything. He is so sweet and innocent. He is easily scared. This made it extremely difficult to get him to safety in the old house both for tornado warnings and for neighbor attacks when we were being harassed and assaulted.
The other challenge with Simon is that he chews cords. I’m not sure if that is something from his kittenhood, but when Simon is being naughty, he tries to chew a cord or string. I must hide all cords as much as possible.
Everyone loves Simon. Sweet and innocent are the words that describe him best. “Simon is a good baby” is a phrase heard frequently in our home. Simon is a very good baby. He is such a precious soul.
When I adopted Simon, I had been approved to adopt him in October. I asked the shelter to keep him until November 1 before I picked him up. I did not want a new cat near Halloween and have him scared on Halloween on top of being in a new house. I thought it would be too much. I’m glad I made that decision, now knowing how scared he is of everything. It was the best choice for Simon.
This marks 8 years that Simon has been with me. He is the perfect baby. Simon’s name comes from three places. First, from The Saint so that Simon has a link with Kip and Kitty. Second, from Paul Simon so that he has a link with Jude (and now Jolene). Third, from the Chipmunks.
Simon knows his name, and it fits him. When I sing Paul Simon songs to him, it’s typically either “Everything about it is a love song” or “Loves me like a Rock.”
Simon is the only boy in this house now. It’s Simon with Jolene and Flower. It’s so strange. I’ve always had boys. Jolene was my first girl. Now, Simon is the only boy. There is a lot on his little shoulders. He is the youngest cat in the house but has the most “seniority” since he has been with me the longest.
Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! We love you! I am so honored to be your mom. Simon is a good baby. He is the most gentle and innocent soul.
August 24 is Jolene’s birthday and this year the Queen turns 11! Jolene brings so much life and love to our household. Jolene has my girl baby name. She is the first female cat I have ever had.
While she is small, Jolene made it apparent from when she first arrived that she oversaw Jude and Simon. Jude liked to cuddle Jolene and was cautious in playing with her. He was truly gentle with Jolene and played rougher with Simon.
Jolene and Simon play almost like kittens! Jolene is typically the one who starts the play session, and she likes to win. Often, Jolene and Simon will chase each other up and down the stairs. They also cuddle each other and are truly bonded.
Flower lives in her own little world and hisses at the house cats. Jolene is afraid of Flower and gives her plenty of space. Jolene does not go near Flower. Sometimes Jolene appears on cat cam at night checking on Flower when she is asleep, but it is more of a general “let’s check the entire house” than a specific check on Flower.
Jolene’s favorite toys are carrot and ghost bear. Her stuffies are moved around the house daily. Jolene enjoys transporting them to different places. Sometimes she even puts one of them in a carrier. You know that Jolene is feeling well and in good spirits if she is moving her stuffies around.
Jolene loves attention and will often arch up like a little horse for pets. She loves to be picked up. She is quite the work driver, as she likes to sit in my lap and knows what work times are when I should be sitting. She follows me everywhere. Jolene goes to the basement every morning to check the live traps for mice. She follows me down to supervise laundry and the emptying of the dehumidifier.
Whether at the vet office or at home, Jolene knows just how she likes things and has the nickname Miss Sassy Pants. She is adept at wiggling her way out of things and looking cute when she does not want something to be done to her – like her nails trimmed or her ears cleaned.
Jolene had been found dumped at the animal shelter in a box with her kittens when she was 5 years old. All her kittens were adopted first. Jolene was in a cage at the back in the corner on the bottom. She pawed to be let out, and the orange caught my eye. When I took her out of the cage, she hugged me and would not let go. She picked me out.
Each August, we try to use Jolene’s birthday month to bring awareness to adopt the moms. Adopt the shy cats, the seniors, the differently abled.
In addition to being a mom, Jolene is differently abled. She has a genetic condition that resulted in needing almost all her teeth removed. She has four teeth. She also gets motion sickness when traveling in the car. The motion sickness is unfortunate, as she loves traveling in the car. Thankfully, she does have vet prescribed motion sickness medication so she can enjoy car rides when needed without vomiting.
Jolene brings so much love and life to this house. We love you, Jolene! Happy Birthday to the Queen!
April 9 is Flower Day. While we do not know her birthdate or age for certain, I am going based on information I know of her history and information from the veterinarian regarding her physical condition. Today, we are celebrating Flower’s 15th Birthday.
If you would like to participate in Flower Day, the ask is that you do an Act of Kindness in Honor of Flower to counteract the extreme abuse she has suffered in her life. I’m sure you have read the prior three installments of Flower’s specific story. In addition to the blog posts specifically about her, Flower has appeared and been mentioned on this website on and off for the past 6+ years.
Flower had another medical appointment back in March to look more into her physical injuries and to see if there are any other issues. The vet office was sure that they found Flower’s unicorn – a forever home with a person who would be perfect. It was an older woman in her 80s, whose cat just died from kidney disease and her home is not a home without a cat.
However, when the vet did a more thorough examination of Flower including extensive bloodwork, combined with her behavior at the vet office and the behavior I report that she does in my home, it has been determined that Flower is a hospice situation.
Flower will be staying with me until a decision needs to be made regarding her quality of life, pain levels, and euthanasia.
It is not fair for this other person who just lost their beloved cat to take on another cat who is at the end of their life. At the same time, it would not be fair to Flower for her to leave me now. She is terrified of other people. Flower growled at the vet office. She has failed every meet and greet with anyone interested in adopting her. Flower hides. If she goes to another home now, she will hide for weeks or even months.
How would that person know she is in pain unless they have a camera on her all the time like I do? How would they be able to give her the medication she needs daily if she hides from you.
If Flower only has a few months to live, it is not fair to her to have to spend her last few months learning to trust a stranger.
Flower is afraid of my house cats. Yes, it would probably be best for her to be an only pet. However, she is very attached to me. She rubs on me, licks me, and allows me to administer her medication every day. She does not hide from me. I have been working with this cat every single day when she was outside for the past 6 years before she finally went into the trap. How long would it take for her to get used to a new person?
Part of the reason why Flower is so scared of the house cats – Flower is going blind. This is one of her MANY medical issues. She is not blind yet, but her vision is very poor and getting worse. She can see them, hear them, and smell them. But I think sometimes they get close to her before she can register they are there, and her default is to hiss because she does not have enough time to decide if they are friend or foe.
The house cats have been nothing but patient and kind to Flower. No one has hissed or growled back at her. When Flower hisses at them, they run away or give her more space.
Is this a perfect situation? No, it is not. But this is the best situation for Flower knowing that she is at the end of her life.
The vet office has given Flower a medication for her arthritis to try to improve her quality of life. It can take 4-6 weeks to work – IF it works. At this point, I am trying to keep her comfortable and let her know she is loved. When it gets to a point where she is in pain from the arthritis and the pain cannot be managed or her quality of live decreases, it will be time to say goodbye.
I am still calling Flower a Foster. I never planned on having a fourth cat. I was completely shocked the shelter here would not respond to an injured cat. I truly thought she would only be with me for a few months and then would be adopted into a forever home. I didn’t realize this is a geriatric, medically complex cat. She would have died outside this past winter if she hadn’t gone into the trap last fall.
She is with me as a hospice until she passes. There are people who foster pets who are hospice. It is called fospice when that situation happens.
Flower is no longer available for adoption.
If Flower had been taken in by the shelter last fall, she would have been euthanized. She is truly a hospice situation. She is too medically complex for rehoming.
She will be staying with her foster family permanently until it is time for her to be euthanized from her injuries.
Yes, she would do better being with someone where she could be the only pet in a home. However, it is going to be more stressful for her to leave me and learn to trust a stranger at the end of her life. She is comfortable with me. I know her habits now, I’m home a lot, and she has a camera on her all the time. (Sometimes I wake up to 50+ 10-30 second videos of her just stretching or rolling over in her cat bed.)
I’m trying to show Flower all the love she never had. I’m treating every day like it may be her last. Now that I know she is hospice, I’m glad I took extra time to show Flower Santa on NORAD at Christmas and included her in our family activities. Will Flower see another Christmas? I don’t know. But at least I know she had one Christmas with me inside, warm, fed and loved.
I’m not sure if Flower will have other birthdays. I hope that she does. I want to show her all the love she didn’t have for so long. We will see. These things are beyond our control. It all depends on her ongoing medical status.
Today we say, Happy 15th Birthday, Flower! Please do an Act of Kindness for Flower Day on April 9 to push back on all the evil Flower has experienced in life.
Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! Today is also Jude’s 11th Gotcha Day. He was adopted on Valentine’s Day when he was two years old. Jude will always be my valentine. He truly took a sad song and made it better.
Jude was with Kitty for the last few years of Kitty’s life. Kitty passed away from cancer shortly before age 19. I had told Jude that he was going to be an only child. But he acted like he was lonely, so almost a year after Kitty passed away, Jude did get a sibling when I adopted Simon.
Jude is Lead Coworker in our house. After seeing me through my master’s degree years ago, he knows how to be the perfect coworker. There is a cat bed in front of a window right next to my workstation. It is one of Jude’s favorite places to be. He typically spends at least half the workday, if not more, performing his Lead Coworker duties.
He is the first cat that I was able to carrier train, and It was completely on accident. Jude is VERY food motivated. Kitty was a slow eater in the last few years of his life. I started feeding Jude and Kitty both in their carriers so that Jude was not able to steal Kitty’s food and Kitty could take his time eating. Jude has been carrier trained ever since. It comes in handy when it is time to take him in for vet visits and for emergencies like last year’s tornado.
While not a snuggle bug like Simon, Jude does get along well with both Simon and Jolene. You often see Jude grooming his siblings and being groomed in return. Jude also plays with Simon. He thinks about playing with Jolene but then thinks twice about it. Jude is more likely to cuddle Jolene than he is to play with her. Jolene is in charge.
Jude pretty much dictates meal times and often ropes in Simon and Jolene to beg for food with him. He makes sure everyone gets plenty of treats.
When he is not working, Jude’s favorite place to sleep is on my bed. He sleeps in the bed with me every night. All the cats do. Jude also sleeps on the bed during the day. He has always liked to be on the bed.
As Jude ages, he is having some mobility challenges and signs of dementia. He is still strong in both mind and spirit. You know when Jude wants something! He is starting to struggle with stairs and sometimes with jumping. We do have pet steps to help.
The water bowls are all elevated for orthopedic reasons. Jude is the one of the three that does the best job of using the elevated bowls properly. He sits in front of the water station and has his drink of water. Simon and Jolene seem to be confused by elevated water bowls and climb up on the shelf to drink the water. The shelf helps Jude access water with his mobility.
As Jude has gotten older, he has become more loving. Jude was always a cat that preferred to sit next to you, not directly on your lap. In the past year or two, Jude has started to sit on my lap. However, he is very specific about his lap sitting. If I move at all, he is gone!
Jude does not like riding in the car and screams all the way to and from the vet office. Once at the vet office, he is fine. He just does not like to travel. I always tell any new vet techs that if they offer Jude food, he will be their new best friend. He is very highly food motivated.
Jude has been with me a long time through many ups and downs. He came into my life when I was having a very challenging time and made it better. He has always been here for me. I love Jude so much. He is such an inspiration and a great leader for our family.
Happy 13th Birthday, Jude! You will always be my valentine.
Jolene transporting her favorite stuffy, ghost bear. Ghost bear is moved daily.
It was 5 years ago today, on January 14, 2020 that Jolene came home from the shelter and joined our family. She has now officially been a member of our family longer than she was homeless. Jolene was 5 years old whe I adopted her. She had been found dumped in a box with her kittens. Of course, all her kittens were adopted first. Then Jolene picked me out when I was at the shelter looking for a cat friendly DOG.
Jolene is the Queen of our house and livened things up when she arrived. I never though life was boring, but when you compare life from before Jolene to life with Jolene – life before Jolene was boring.
Jolene gets both Jude and Simon to play in ways that they did not play prior to her arrival. Jude and Simon did play with each other. However, with Jolene around, they play much more. Simon loves playing with Jolene. They play quite frequently throughout the day. They love chasing each other up and down stairs and wrestling.
Jude prefers to play by himself. However, I have noticed that Jude plays more frequently since Jolene arrived. It’s almost like Jolene has given the boys” permission” to be playful.
Jolene moves stuffies around. Her favorite stuffies, ghost bear and carrot, are moved daily. She has to be sure that her stuffies are where she wants them before bed. She loves the cacti scratching posts and can frequently be found climbing them as well.
Jolene is our Lead Hedgewatch-er. She knows everything that is going on inside the house and outside. She keeps a diligent eye on all the birds, squirrels, outside cats and neighbors. She goes to the basement with me every morning to check the live traps for mice. If there is a mouse in the live trap, she bats the tube to bring it to my attention that a mouse needs to be released outside.
I always had boys cats prior to Jolene. She is my first girl and has my girl baby name. I could not ask for a more perfect daughter. She brings so much life and love to our lives.
She does coworker shifts with me during the day, sitting in my lap while I work. She sleeps with me every single night. She cuddles and cleans both Jude and Simon.
Jude is the oldest of the three. He likes to think he is in charge. Jolene is the one in charge. Jude does not play with Jolene very often. He thinks about it, then thinks better of it. Jolene is a lot smaller than Jude, but she is in charge and does not put up with his crap. Jolene gives Jude a look and Jude backs down.
Simon is the youngest of the three. Sometimes Jolene does treat him like a kitten. I did see her once grab the back of his neck like a kitten and try to drag him. She did not get very far, as Simon is so much bigger than she is. But Jolene does treat Simon like a kitten sometimes. She cuddles him like a kitten when they sleep on bed with me at night.
Everyone who has met Jolene loves her. She comes out of the box at the vet office with confidence. She acts like she owns the place! Jolene is very particular on what she likes and doesn’t like. If you do something she doesn’t like, I call her Miss Sassy Pants. She makes it known when she doesn’t like something.
Jolene is the life and the love of our lives. She makes this house a home. I am very fortunate in that I have a bonded trio. Both the boys love Jolene to pieces. We are so lucky she picked me out that day at the shelter.
Happy Gotcha Day, Jolene! We are so happy to have you as part of our family!
Flower has been mentioned in this blog on and off for the past six years. For the most recent post about Flower, see Last Stray Surviving. For more background about the active dog fighting ring and how I found out about it, see Clare’s Story.
The dog fighting ring has been reported, but nothing is being done about it. The SPCA and the Sheriff Department state that it brings in too much money. People bet on dog fighting. When asked about the cat used as bait for the dog fighting ring, both the SPCA and the Sheriff’s Department have said, verbatim, “cats don’t feel pain.” This is how they justify animal abuse. Of course, this is false. Cats do feel pain.
The local SPCA fired their humane officer and is set to close. While they have not publicly admitted it, I am wondering if this is due to their inaction about the dog fighting ring. I did not know there was a dog fighting ring here until I found a spray-painted cat (see Clare’s Story) taking refuge on my front porch. Since Clare, I have trapped and gotten four cats to rescue.
Flower is the last cat in this area to help. As described in Last Stray Surviving, Flower had lived in the house next door. The dog was taken for neglect and Flower was kicked out of the house, as the local SPCA does not care about the welfare of cats. Those neighbors have since moved. Flower has been on her own outside since being kicked out of her home.
She often takes refuge in my garage where I provide food, water, and insulated cat shelters to try to help the cats trying to evade being used as bait for the dog fighting ring. Members of the dog fighting ring often cruise throughout the village saying “here kitty, kitty” trying to trap their next victim.
A few years ago, I saw that Flower had been spray painted and had a broken front arm. She had been used as bait for the dog fighting ring. I tried to trap her to get her medical care. I was unsuccessful. I have trapped and gotten four other cats to rescue. It was always whoever went into the trap was rescued. Flower never went into the trap.
In addition to the SPCA that is closing and says, “cats don’t feel pain,” there is a small non-profit cat rescue in my area that is run completely by volunteers. It is the rescue from which Simon was adopted. They are the rescue that helped me with three of the cats I trapped. In fact, it is that small non-profit rescue who told me that cats were spray-painted when they are being used as bait for dog fighting rings. I never would have known there was a dog fighting ring here if not for that first spray-painted cat.
Anytime I trapped a cat to take to rescue was when this small cat shelter had room. They know I am trying to help the cats here escape the dog fighting ring so they are not used as bait. They would say they had a space. I would set the trap. Whoever went into the trap went to rescue.
The fourth cat, Kenny, was super friendly and young. She was one of two kittens that had been thrown out of a pickup truck here. I was worried about her being easy to pick up as bait for the dog fighting ring. The small rescue here that had taken the other three cats was full. Through the power of Cats of Twitter, I was able to trap Kenny and get her to a rescue about three hours away from me. She is now in a loving forever home.
Flower is the only stray left.
Every time I walk into my kitchen, I look out the window for Flower. When it rains, I see her taking refuge in my garage. I take fresh food and water out to the garage every morning. Flower hides under my car. I talk to her. We have been doing this for six years. Over time, she has gradually let me get closer to her, but did not allow touching yet.
About two weeks ago, I looked out the window, and Flower was noticeably limping. She was favoring her front right arm. She was struggling to run, which is a bad sign when there is a dog fighting ring looking for bait.
I contacted the small shelter that helped me with the other cats. They are full. They do not respond to injured cats. The SPCA that is closing is responsible for responding to injured animals. Their response? “It’s fine. She’ll adapt.” They also indicated that if they sent out a deputy that Flower would be shot as a mercy killing for an injured animal.
This cat should not be shot and killed. This cat needs help.
So Flower limped along and everyone in this neighborhood smiled and nodded seeing an animal in pain. The neighbors around me love seeing people and animals in pain. If you read my other posts about the attacks and physical injuries the neighbors have inflicted on me and my house cats, you know they are sadists.
Call me stupid, but seeing an animal in pain is very distressing to me. I could not just watch her limp and do nothing.
So even though the rescue is full and won’t take her, I set the trap. Flower is injured and needs medical care.
I honestly did not expect to trap her. I have not been able to trap her for six years. I was not able to trap her when she had visible broken bones after being used as bait for the dog fighting ring.
I must have caught every cat in the village in my live trap. Of course, I released them all. Some even had collars. No wonder I’ve been going through so much cat food for the outside cats! I’ve been feeding every outside cat in the village.
Trapping is very hard on me physically due to my disability. I said that after day five, I would stop trapping. I haven’t been able to trap Flower for six years. If I couldn’t get her now after five days, I would stop.
When the trap was set for those five days, the only food dish in the garage was inside the trap. I was literally starving her out. If she wanted food to eat, she needed to go into the trap. I know I am Flower’s only food source. I see her every day.
It was about lunchtime on day five when my security camera picked up Flower sneaking into the garage. Those days when they trap was set, Flower did not come around much. She gets overwhelmed with a lot of other cats, and there was so many cats coming to the garage for food and going into the trap instead!
I waited a bit and went into the garage on the afternoon of day five. Flower was in the trap!
I quickly brought her into my basement where I have a dog cage set up with cat pan, food, water, blankets, etc that I use when I trap cats. The cats I have trapped have stayed with me anywhere from 2-7 days depending on when I can coordinate transfer to the rescue, so that is where Flower went.
The day I caught Flower was a Sunday afternoon. I called the vet office first thing Monday morning and was able to get her in to be seen Monday afternoon due to her injuries.
The shelter is full. I never would have trapped a cat with the shelter being full except this cat is injured. I only trapped her because she is injured and needs help.
For the record, the shelter will no longer respond to me. They will not help with any advice or support for fostering, they are not helping to find her a home. Nothing. I am 100% responsible for helping this injured cat. I am responsible for her medical bills, care, fostering and trying to find her an appropriate forever home. I did the right thing and have no regrets, but way to shit on a person for doing the right thing. I’ve been completely abandoned by the shelter that had been helping me with the cats being used as bait for the dog fighting ring because they are full.
I cannot take on a fourth cat for multiple reasons. I cannot do this long term.
Here is what is happening with Flower medically and her status:
I am fostering her until I can find her an appropriate forever home.
Right now, I am so overwhelmed with her care, my three house cats, working full time, and just life, that I don’t have enough spoons to find her a forever home. I need help. This is a lot of time and energy for someone who struggles with their every day.
I was correct that Flower is the cat from the house next door that was kicked out and those people moved years ago. I thought she was about 7 years old. The vet said she is at least 12 years old. She is geriatric. She is a spayed female. Well, they confirmed female. They did not shave her to look for the tattoo for the spay, but there have not been any kittens. Based on what one of the children told me before they moved, I’m pretty sure she is spayed.
She is riddled with fleas. They gave her flea treatment, worm treatments, rabies vaccine, distemper, etc.
Flower is very gentle and sweet. She allows pets. She did extremely well with all handling at the vet office. They said they can’t handle feral cats how they handled her – this cat is NOT feral!
She just needs love and patience. They were able to do more for her than expected. We were there for a long time and it totally put the vet schedule off because they were able to do so much with her. She even behaved better than Jude when he goes to the vet.
They said her teeth are ok. She is missing an upper canine tooth.
They did a blood test for feline leukemia and feline AIDS. Both test came back negative.
She does not have a microchip. I told them I thought she would scan to the house next door, but there is no microchip.
They gave her medication at the vet office for her injuries. She ate it in baby food. They sent me home with medication to give her the next 3 days.
Injuries —
She has injuries to her hind legs up into her pelvis. The vet thinks these are old injuries. The limp I am seeing is that there is an injury to her right elbow. Again, the vet thinks this is an old injury. What it looks like is one dog attacked her hind end and the other one grabbed her right arm.
Anyways, the vet says that they are old injuries, however, the injury to the right elbow is what is causing the limp I am seeing and caught on video. She thinks that arthritis has set in, given her age, living outside and the weather getting colder.
Flower needs to be kept in an inside home. She will need a home that can handle a geriatric special needs cat and will need additional care to more properly ascertain the extent of her injuries and how to make her comfortable.
For now, she has pain medication and is fine in the dog cage with movement restricted. I did heat up the heat disc I had been using for her outside and put that in with her. I am trying to provide her with as much extra warmth as possible for arthritis. She is still hiding in the cat pan, which is normal behavior the first few days after trapping. She is traumatized with the whole situation.
The vet office does not normally help to find animals homes. That’s not what they do. However, now that they have examined her and see she is a geriatric special needs cat, they are going to try to help see if they can help me figure something out.
I am thinking that her issues are basically going to be mobility issues given her injuries, but I’m not 100% certain. At some point, she will need full blood testing for kidneys, thyroid, etc.
So, Flower is currently with me as a foster situation. For those of you who follow us on Twitter (and now Bluesky), I have been posting an Evening Foster Flower update daily. She has been with me for about a week now.
This obviously is an ongoing issue, which is why this is part one. Flower was injured. The shelter was going to euthanize her. I trapped her and got her medical care.
She will need a very special forever home who can handle a special needs geriatric cat who is completely traumatized from being used as a bait cat.
Despite her horrible life, Flower is a sweet and loving cat. She is very submissive and allows all handling. She will need a patient home with a lot of love.
Now that Flower has been trapped, I am no longer putting food and water out in my garage for the outside cats. Many of the cats who were in the trap had collars. They are not homeless. I am leaving the insulated cat shelters for anyone who needs them.
Yes, we have an active dog fighting ring here that is still looking for bait. I have now trapped and helped five cats’ escape. I can’t do any more. Especially now that I am fostering Flower, I just can’t help anymore. I am surprised and dismayed that there is no help for injured animals here. If you find an injured animal, you are 100% responsible for it. I do not regret getting Flower medical care, but trying to foster a fourth cat is very, very hard.
When Flower needs further medical care, I will probably set up a GFM for help. The extent of her medical issues is not yet known. This is going to be ongoing. Her initial vet visit was for the arm injury, vaccines, etc.
I will need help finding her an appropriate forever home. I am trying to think about what that looks like, the process for finding her a home and vetting a home. Right now I am so overwhelmed with the day to day.
The good news is, I no longer must worry about outside cats. I had been worried that if my house cats and I need to evacuate our home due to imminent risk of physical injuries from neighbor attacks, that I would not be able to help the outside cats. Now that Flower has been trapped, I only must worry about keeping everyone safe who is under my roof.
The neighbors are an ongoing problem and continue to threaten our safety daily.
Flower needs a forever home. I can’t keep her. Right now I am focusing on the health and safety of everyone in this house.
So this is part one of Flower’s story. I’m sure there will be a part two, as she needs a forever home that can meet her needs. I cannot keep myself and four cats safe from the attacks from the neighbors.
Today is Simon’s Gotcha Day. He was adopted from the shelter and brought home 7 years ago today. Simon was a year and a half at adoption. Today he is 8.5 years old.
I met Simon at the shelter in October and had been approved for his adoption. However, with Halloween on October 31, I asked the shelter if they could keep him until November 1. I did not want to have a new cat in the house getting used to new surroundings being further traumatized by Halloween. I figured it would be safer for him to just stay in the shelter until the day after so he could come home to a calm environment to get acclimated to his new home.
Kitty had passed away in the spring of 2017, and I had not planned on adopting again. I told Jude he was going to be an only child. However, despite playing with Jude every day and spending as much time with him as I could, I could tell that he needed more stimulation and interaction than I was able to provide. Yes, he mourned Kitty’s passing, but he was lonely too.
I had a student who was doing a job shadow at the animal shelter with one of the veterinarians. I had to do a site visit for the students doing job shadows. That was how I met Simon. Jude had been begging for a new companion, and when I met Simon, I knew he was the one.
Simon was 1.5 years old at the time, he was younger than I was thinking. After living through kitten phase with Kitty and Kip, I now prefer to adopt older cats. However, even though he was a young 1.5 years old, Simon was the perfect companion for Jude.
Simon is our Chief Cuddler. Everyone loves Simon. He gets along so well with both Jude and Jolene. Simon is very loving. He sleeps with me every night. He is often right next to my pillow or right up beside me near my shoulders.
The only challenge with Simon is that he is painfully shy. When he goes to the vet office, he behaves well. He is very sweet. He allows them to examine him and do his vaccines. However, Simon prefers to hide. He is very shy.
Simon is shy to the point that no one other than the vet has ever seen Simon in person. Anytime someone comes to the house, Simon hides. His preferred hiding place is the cupboard under the kitchen sink. I even had someone who came to the house once a week for a year when Simon was adopted to help me with things, and that person never saw Simon.
A few years ago, I was very ill. A friend came over to the house daily to help me with feeding the cats. She never saw Simon either. He would not even come out to eat. She had to put his food dish in the cupboard under the sink to get him to eat. She never actually saw Simon.
It worries me he is so shy because if something ever happens to me, I don’t know how Simon would cope. Obviously, he is okay with me and loves me. This is his home, and I am his person. But if something happens to me, someone is going to have to be painfully patient with his level of shyness.
Jolene goes right up to people. She is super friendly and must be in the middle of everything. Jude is food motivated. If you give him something to eat, he will be your best friend. Simon has never come out of hiding for anyone, even with people who visit regularly.
You would never know how shy Simon is based on his popularity on social media.
Simon is so sweet and loving. I feel so fortunate to be his human and that he chose to open to me when I met him at the shelter.
When I adopted Simon, I literally picked him up from the shelter after work on November 1, and we had a vet appointment for his first well visit. He went from the shelter to the vet to home. He was the cleanest and most well taken care of cat I have ever adopted from a shelter. When he had his well visit immediately upon leaving the shelter, he had no fleas, no ear mites, was neutered and up to date on vaccines.
Of course, I did the slow introduction process with Jude and Simon. It went easy and well due to the bonus fact that Simon was so healthy and did not need to be medically quarantined to avoid giving something to Jude.
In fact, Jude and Simon were playing “paws” under the door much more quickly than I would have thought. Their “slow introduction” process was the fastest of any cats I’ve had, and it was all on their schedule.
Simon is the baby of the family, and everyone loves Simon. He is such a snuggle bug. He also loves to play with both Jude and Jolene. He keeps this house full of love.
Simon is his own cat and has a unique personality. In addition to being painfully shy, he is also afraid of lawnmowers and thunderstorms. Simon hides when he is scared.
As baby of the family, Simon rarely performs coworker duties. When he does appear in the office, it is usually because it is close to mealtime or quitting time. Simon has started spending the last hour of work in the office with me. He knows when work is over, we all go downstairs, and it is family time.
Simon brings so much love to our home. I’m glad Jude prodded me into getting him a companion instead of leaving him as an only child. Simon is truly the heart of our family.
Happy Gotcha Day, Simon! We are so happy you are with us here in your forever home. I am very glad you chose me to be your mom. Simon is a good baby and we love him.
Happy 10th Birthday, Jolene! The goddess and queen of our household brings so much joy and life to our home. While physically smaller than the boys, Jolene is in charge of everyone and everything. Even at the vet office, she comes out of the carrier and into the exam room like she owns the practice, and everyone adores her.
Jolene was unexpectedly sick earlier this month and had to have an emergency vet appointment. During her treatment and recovery, there was a noticeable difference in our home. Without Jolene at her best, it felt like the life had gone out of our home. We are so happy she has fully recovered from her illness and is back to her cheerful self.
Jolene is extremely intelligent. She is one of the most intelligent cats I have ever met. Sometimes she behaves more like a dog. Jolene knows and responds to her name. She comes when called 99% of the time. The only times she does not come when called is when something is wrong – she is physically stuck somewhere, is guarding a mouse in the live trap tube, or is not physically well.
Jolene gets along well with both of her brothers and with every person she meets. She is curious, loves to explore, and can be quite the diva when she wants attention. She is loving and kind. I really could not ask for anything more. We are so blessed Jolene chose me when I went to the shelter – for a dog, no less!
It was estimated that Jolene was 5 years old when she was found outside the shelter in a box with her kittens. She watched all her kittens be adopted, then it was her turn. I had gone to the shelter looking for a cat-friendly dog. I wandered into the cat room to help socialize some kittens. I never would have noticed Jolene if she had not made herself known. Jolene was in a cube way at the back, on the bottom. She frantically pawed at the enclosure. The orange movement is what caught my eye. I saw her over in the corner on the bottom and took her out. She hugged me and would not let go. We went into a private “visiting room” at the shelter.
I had not wanted a third cat, but Jolene picked me out. I am so glad that she did. She has livened up all our lives. In addition to being an older mom, Jolene has a disability. She only has 4 teeth. All her teeth were rotten when she had been dumped at the shelter, so they had to be removed. Despite this, she does not let it hold her back. I thought she would need to be soft food only, since she only had 4 teeth. However, she kept stealing kibble from Jude and Simon, pretty much insisting on eating the same food as the boys. They get soft food for breakfast for liquid and kibble for dinner for their teeth. Jolene eats the same as Jude and Simon. You would never guess she only has 4 teeth.
Spending most of her life prior to adoption outside, Jolene is our Lead Hedgewatch-er. She knows absolutely everything that goes on both inside and outside the house from bugs to mice to birds to squirrels to the outside stray cats. She often runs from room to room to look out various windows to follow someone’s (usually a stray cat’s) progress as they walk about outside.
Jolene gives so much love to all of us. She has two favorite stuffies that she moves around every single day. She loves a beanie baby that looks like a ghost bear, carrying it around the house like a kitten. She also moves around a giant crinkle carrot toy quite a bit. I often find ghost bear in bed with me, and she also puts it in Jude and Simon’s carriers to show them she loves them too.
Every year for Jolene’s birthday, I like to remind people to adopt the differently abled pets. Adopt the older ones, the moms, the ones who are shy. Jolene sat in that shelter for a long time. Her kittens were adopted first. She was a 5-year-old mom cat with a disability shoved in the bottom corner at the shelter way at the back of the room. If she hadn’t pawed so frantically for me to see the orange movement, I never would have noticed her. I walked into that room to help socialize kittens.
Please take the time to visit the shy ones who hide, the older ones, the moms. They all have as much love to give as a cute little kitten. Just because a cat is older does not mean they are “set in their ways.” Jolene adapted to our routine. It just takes time. She brings so much love and joy and life to our home. It seems like things were so gloomy before Jolene entered our home. We were never unhappy, but she just brings that much happiness.
It’s like Jolene lights a fire under Jude and Simon and gets them to play. Jude would not play a lot until Jolene came along. Jolene truly brings out the best in everyone she meets.
We watched a documentary recently about cats on Nova and learned that orange cats were not common in the wild. Orange was a recessive trait. Orange cats could not camouflage and hide in the wild. Orange cats did not last long in the wild – they could not hide and were prey.
It was the ancient Egyptians who specifically bred orange cats, to honor their sun god. Mummified cats have even been found with orange fur. They were considered gods/goddesses. Jolene is definitely a goddess. She is queen of our home.
Adopt don’t shop. Consider the shy, the elderly, and the moms.
Today the baby turns 8! Simon brings so much joy to all our lives. He is our Chief Cuddler and is very loving to everyone. He snuggles and plays with both Jude and Jolene.
As the youngest, Simon rarely appears for coworker shifts. Usually, if he is in the office, that means it is getting close to mealtime or quitting time. His internal clock also tells him when work is over, and it turns to family time for cuddles.
Simon tends to be the indicator for when it is time to turn the heat on in the fall. Simon sleeps with me every single night. He is always right next to me, on top of the covers. When Simon is under the covers, it is time to turn on the heat! I made the mistake of turning the heat off this spring when we still had some 40F nights, and he indicated his displeasure by burrowing under the covers with me. I did turn the heat back on.
Simon rides well in the car and is perfectly behaved at his vet visits. Everyone that meets him loves him. Of the three, Simon is the shyest. He always hides under the kitchen sink if anyone comes in the house. However, the staff at the vet office always comment on how sweet and loving he is, once he comes out of his shell.
We are all kept young by Simon’s playful antics. He plays equally with both Jolene and Jude. They take turns chasing each other through the house and wrestling. Simon’s favorite toys are small toy mice, that are often found under the refrigerator. Every week I use a yard stick to fish out all the cat toys he has gotten under appliances.
Simon also loves catnip bananas and can often be found “calling his friends” on the nana phone. He is an avid bird watcher and loves doing his Hedgewatch out the kitchen window.
He embodies pure sweetness, kindness, and love. Whenever I get down about what is going on in the world, all I must do is look at Simon to see a beautiful soul.
We are so blessed to have Simon in our home. A phrase I often say is “Simon is a good baby.” It is true. Simon is the sweetest young man. Happy 8th Birthday, Simon!
rewindliveslow 