Saturday, December 22, 2007

Great story...

... in The New York Times about working cats -- mostly adopted strays who work in small city markets keeping mice and rats under control.

Luis Martinez, 42, has managed his brother’s grocery in East New York, Brooklyn, for two years. At first, despite weekly visits from an exterminator, the store’s inventory was ravaged constantly by nibbling vermin.

“Every night I had to put the bread in the freezer,” he said, pointing at shelves filled with bread and hamburger buns. “I was losing too much inventory. The chips and the Lipton soups all had holes in them.”

Then, last winter, a friend brought Mr. Martinez a marmalade kitten in need of a home. Mr. Martinez, who was skeptical of how one slinky kitten could fend off an army of hungry rats, set up a litter box in the back of the store, put down an old fleece jacket and named the kitten Junior.

Within two weeks, Mr. Martinez said, “a miracle.”

“Before you’d see giant rats running in off the streets into the store, but since Junior, no more,” he said.

Junior sometimes brings Mr. Martinez mouse carcasses as gifts, which he said bothers him less than the smell that permeates his store when the exterminator’s victims die and rot under a freezer.


Sadly, though, the same New York City health code that bans food stores from having rats and mice also makes it illegal for them to keep cats. That's a shame -- you can tell from reading the story how much these owners love their cats and even how much pride they take in them.

“That’s Oreo,” he said, as he lifted a tiny black cat with white paws into his arms and carried her like a football. “No one’s ever complained about cat hair in their sandwiches, and if she weren’t here, you bet there’d be bigger problems than hair.”


There's a blog devoted to covering these Big Apple felines, called, appropriately enough, Working Class Cats.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Few words before the holidays








Thank you all for coming back to the blog - it means world.



Danica is more-less good; problems are present , the regular ones (food, never ending late bills), but as long as there are no new sick kitties, it can be called a period of stability. Little Gingerello rules: he is competing with the older cats, wants to be the chief, runs around the house like crazy, bumping into things, other kitties, and Danica, hissing like little devil. And still being the cutest one ever. Danica is simply keeping him in the apartment for now, for, at this point, he can not go down into the shelter , because, those are older, more experienced cats that go out, but they know what they are doing. She will see what she'll do. In the meantime, any donation is more then welcome. In a word - it is hard, but she is coping somehow for now.


Last but not the least: Danica and all the kitties wish you very Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Gingerello urgently needs home



The news is that little, extra cute Gingerello needs a home. Danica has been trying everywhere, and even her vet's office posted an ad, because even they , who deal with animals every single day,claim they have never seen such an adorable cutie!




Danica spent money in nursing him back to health, and the vet eventually gave him a clean bill.





He speaks all the time (extremely vocal little guy), he runs around like crazy wanting to play, he hisses at much bigger, stronger cats if he does not like the way they either play or ignore him... he is as cute as a button.

Picture tells all.

Monday, November 26, 2007

This is how she does it





People.

I just thought you should see this: Danica at the vet this morning: two cats in each carrier, and the little one (Gingerello), in the bag with pink stripes! It was pouring too, and she was on the bike. So, just do the math, as people say. Incredible.


The little one's veins could not take any more needles, so his therapy was left for tomorrow. Also, in all this horror, he sits in this bag, so unbearably cute and innocent. And sick. Let's hope for the best.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

It is a boy




Vet told Danica yesterday that little, yellow, extra cute Gingerella is actually a boy. Danica says she should change its name. He is also very sick, but the vet said that he may survive . He is on the antibiotic therapy, but introvenous. Danica also says he is very weak and scared.

Tomorrow Danica needs to take five(!!!) kitties to the vet. Sometimes, I can not even imagine how she does it.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

It is never that nothing is going on...




I have same bad news from Danica's shelter: three kitties are sick. Among them, Okac, the one who had all those eye operations, and a new yellow kitten , Gingerella. She was vomiting a lot, and today, does not eat. Danica had already taken her to the vet, and they gave her some fluids, and something else, so she stopped vomiting, but she does not eat at all today.
Danica also fell when she was tending to thee cats in the basement part of the shelter, and she really hurt her head.



Only good news: Viktor brought much food from Hungary, and I am posting a picture of it. So, at this moment, food is not a problem, the vet bills are.

As to the medicine, she has currently vitamin paste (Gingerella loved it before she got sick), and she has all kinds of fleas medicine, and also some de-worming stuff. She always needs some ear cleaning fluids, hair ball stuff, and medicine for older kitties, with extra sensitive tummies, but, basically, now the money is most important for the vet bills.

The good news is : the new one (Danica calls her Jane Doe) is pretty well. I am also posting some of the pictures of her together with Gingerella, and a latest picture of poor Okac (has pneumonia).

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Another kitten...where do they all come from in the winter?!




Danica , looking for a lost kitty from the shelter called Tigi, found another kitten . Actually, this kitten found her, because he (or she - Danica still doesn't know), simply approached her and , Danica says, almost begged her to take him... Danica says it was painful to watch and she could not leave him to freeze to death ( it is snowing over there and is very, very cold).

The little one was fed and wamed up, and as you can see, is sharing currently a cage with little Gingerella. She does not mind - on the contrary, likes to have a friend.. Danica can not name him yet, for she does not know kitty's sex.

Fortunately - Viktor is going tomorrow to Hungary, and will bring some good, but cheap food. I sent some money today, because some nice people sent donations. The new one was given some badly needed vitamins that Frank sent.


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I do not know how cute I am...




I could not resist posting more pictures of the new one - Danica will call her Gingerella...Danica sprayed her today with Frontline and she did not like it.

Let us enjoy the photos of Gingerella.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Unbearably cute new kitten



Needles to say... Danica was bringing home , on her bike, Marponi from his cortisone therapy (he is really sick), when close to her house and the shelter she heard pitiful meowing...and meowing...In a car's engine there was a kitten, screaming...For half hour Danica was under that car, trying to get the little one out from the bottom side, and she managed.

With no unnecessary words, I am just posting the photos of the little one, after she had brought him to the shelter, gave him a warm bath, and food...Next step - trying to find him a home, and, fortunately, and like everywhere else, it is little easier to find a home for a cute kitten then an adult cat, no matter how nice.


Let's keep our fingers crossed.

p.s. She says that Frank,s catnip is still the most wanted thing among the kitties! Everyone is going crazy about it.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Have they ever heard of catnip?




Danica says that the cats went absolutely nuts about catnip that Frank had put into the medicine - vitamin package! However, Zule (the big yellow and white male), kind of grabbed everything for himself and it almost led to the real fight when other kitties came attracted by the grass.

Futka, (bushy black haired young girl), got so offended that eventually jumped up on Danica's knitting machine and refused for hours to come down...

The pictures are self explanatory.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Frank's package has arrived!


I am posting some delicious pictures of the Upper House members (those who are currently in Danica's apartment for various reasons, instead of downstairs in the shelter), discovering the joy of a new package from the U.S., but more then that - the ever growing tension and fuss about who is going to get into one of the boxes first!




Danica is very happy, because now she has a decent stockpile of good medicine for cats. Again, she thanks Frank from the bottom of her heart.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Oh, that cardboard box...




Until we get new pictures with happy kitties all over the medicine & vitamins package that Frank had sent - here are some pictures of some food that Viktor brought from Hungary...

Anyway, as you can see, they are happy and curious about the food, but - and anybody who knows cats will nod with a big smile- they are even happier because of a big upright cardboard box that Danica needed for something... Well, whatever it is that she needed this box for, she can not use it, for, there is a huge line of kitties waiting to take high rise position in this magical, wonderful box! Is there anything more cat-ish then loving to get into a cardboard box?

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Waiting for the U.S. package to come



There is not much to report - except that Danica is looking forward to the package of medicine and vitamins that Frank had sent. She is extremely excited, and so , so happy!
In the meantime Viktor called one day just to say he is leaving next day to Hungary - so, she could not do anything else but order cheap food from him, a lots of it.
The only other news is that Marponi - the senior citizen with the mouth problem -is little worse off, and Danica is taking him for some new therapy. Well, as long as he lives, she will heal him, there is no other way for Danica.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

After the bath



As I promised - here are the absolute latest photos of the shelter tenants right after the massive flea baths...Most of them, as Danica puts it, very, very offended, their pride and feline feelings insulted and hurt by , well, baths...


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Just a little update



We are sending a package of kitty medicine and some food to Danica urgently, primarily because she claims that Alla died because of the useless de-worming medicine. Probably so. So, we are sending some serious de-worming medicine, and some flea medicine, because, every shelter inhabitant has fleas again! Danica had to give them flea bath, regardless of how good that bath is, saying the situation is such that she can not even wait for the new flea medicine. She then made me laugh saying that she thinks she needs a flea bath too!

I am posting some new pictures of old tenants, until Danica sends newer ones (after bathing them). She sounded as if she is finally doing fine, after being so upset with little Alla's death.