City Mouse's topics - tribe.net

TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) in Lex....

Alyssum — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:41:18 GMT

A good model to try and get up and running in Lexington:

www.charlesriveralleycats.org

To get it going, we need some people to band together and commit to doing a few hours of work per month. Someone's gotta find a vet that would be willing to donate some time to this (preferably a few vets to distribute the surgery amongst them). Someone's gotta get in touch with the local government and push the idea (let's get it funded! let's convince them this is needed, helpful, and worthwhile!). Someone's gotta get ahold of or make some traps. Someone's gotta offer a garage or storage place somewhere for these traps/ and space for when the cats are recovering from anesthesia.

It doesn't take a lot of work, just time and committment. People standing up and saying "I really believe in this enough to work for it!".

I can't work on it right now, but when I graduate from vet school and come back to Kentucky, I'll do what I can!

posted in City Mouse - 8 replies

Biscuit's Story

sMel — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:30:07 GMT

Biscuit was found in a friend's basement this winter. I fully intended to have her fixed and adopted (she is only a year old herself), but she showed clear signs of pregnancy right away. She had her litter March 3rd, and although she's been showing signs of stress, her whole litter has been healthy from day one. The four are now close to being ready for adoption.

I posted their photos here. Keep us in mind!

posted in City Mouse - 1 reply

Cat Traps

Deva — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:43:21 GMT

Where can you buy traps for cats, and what's a good way to lure them? Food, I suppose. Maybe tuna? Are there better ideas in process?

I was thinking it would be good to have Igloos, those outdoor houses that I have seen for dog houses. They are supposed to be really warm, for winter. I would assume they would make small ones for cats as well.

There is no vet school here in Lexington, is there?

posted in City Mouse - 3 replies

Lecca, Patronizing Saint of Mecca

sMel — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:32:42 GMT

Y'all probably know Lecca's story, but she was such a successful rescue, I'd like to share it here.

While doing an out of town gig with Q, we arrived at the bar early to scope the space, get dressed, and--why not--have a few cocktails. Well, this skinny tortie bellies up to the bar, hops right onto the stool next to us, meows a pathetic little noise, and is immediately served a saucer of cream. She laps with satisfaction, glancing over at me on occasion to say, "you gotta problem, hunny?" Then she licks her wiskers and saunters off. It was as if she were approving the set up, not afraid of the hustle around her.

When people filed in, she vanished for a bit. And then would saunter back in and look over the crowd as if to approve of its girth, and sit and be content.

When we were leaving, one of the employee's who noticed we found her excitingly approachable, informed us that she would be going to the pound the next day. Did we want to take her? Of course I was crushed under the weight of such a guilt trip, and Q was kind enough to indulge me.

The car ride home was a dangerous event. Lecca does NOT like cars, and we did not have a carrier. She did eventually calm down (I think there were 5 minutes left to go) and I took her home. She lived pretty happily in the basement during the day, and would come out when I was home at night, but she is a one cat wonder for sure. She did not get along with the others.

Luckily...the studio I dance in was curious. Interested even. They took Lecca in, and it was as if she never left her public space of glorious freedom. She's since been altered, and has gained a generous amount of weight. She is the studio cat at Mecca. A nice urban tramp who found a place to rule.

Her tribe:
tribes.tribe.net/lecca

posted in City Mouse - 1 reply

Hi There.

sMel — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:41:35 GMT

Thanks for stopping by! I'm Mel, and I have a little project that is beginning to take shape in Lexington, Kentucky.

You see, I live just out of downtown, next to housing projects and once-spectacular parts of the city. My neighbors and I are not wealthy, and the city puts very little money into our neighborhood. There are industrial businesses on the next block from our house, a few junkyards, a railroad, and quite a few condemned buildings.

BUT, there are also families, a few old trees, songbirds, and blooming yards. Fate has brough to my doorstep quite a few animals that have been injured, abandoned, sick, or just wandering. This process has educated me on their needs, habits, and our mutually interactive lives.

Through this work, I've come to realize that our footprint in urban landscapes is the most important of all to be aware of. Wildlife and plantlife struggle for survival with humans on the most basic level--even without the harsh conditions of city lifelessness. Thus within the context of urban life, we must be sensitive to nature and its necessary movement. This conciensiousness is not just for idealism or moral obligation, but to improve the quality of life we all experience in the asphalt jungle.

With that having been said, I am focusing my work with animal rescue to improve the quality of life in my community--for all species. I call these efforts the City Mouse project. I have a few friends and relatives who help out, but I'm ready to expand this thinking and its operations into an active renaissance.

So...in this space I plan to post progress on success, failure, ideas, and desires. I welcome dialogue, criticism, organization, whimsy, and networking on every level of planning.

I hope this forum will lead to great things for all beings.

posted in City Mouse - 5 replies