Series II of this floral heart-rat print is literally fresh off the press! This time, the colorways are both yummy gradients I mixed by hand. I also added a light wash of peachy color on the rattie ears and tails.
Available now, with free U.S. shipping. Thank you for your support!
Three weeks ago, I saw a cat trying to cool off next to some garbage bins on the street. I ran home to get some wet food, but when I came back, she was gone.
The next evening, I set a trap near where she appeared. Unbelievably, she went in without any prior conditioning. I think she was starving. I got her spayed, vaxxed, treated for fleas. The poor girl was also pregnant and had bad dermatitis 😭. Based on her health, it was clear she wasn’t a pet. She was feral.
Usually feral cats get returned (they sometimes don’t want to eat so you can’t keep them that long post-op). But this girl… she seemed to like it here. Instead of returning her, I put her in the Critter Nation to recover and waited to see what would happen in the coming days.
Fast forward to now, this girl meows for her dinner, lays down at my feet for scritches, and mostly stays inside even though there’s a cat door she can use. She may not have been a pet before, but she is one now. 😻 Her name is Tippy.
Big news: after borrowing some traps from a cat rescue organization, I gently trapped Penumbra. She is spayed!!
More later. Both she and myself are physically and emotionally exhausted.
This week, I trapped Nemi, Peach, and a “new” cat. Everyone is now fixed! I’m so happy!
I’m new to cats, but what I’m learning is that behind every cat helped is a long line of people.
The rescue that gave me gentle and clear advice.
A nonprofit that offers a free online course on TNR and loans traps to you.
A friend who helped me see the value in spending $$ to buy a larger trap of my own to use on those XXL toms coming around.
The person who referred me to a volunteer with extra traps to loan me that can hold me over before my trap arrives.
The clinic who performs free/affordable surgeries for community cats.
I flip-flopped between helping “my” three cats vs. the toms. In the end, everyone needs to be fixed, it’s not a versus type of thing.
So, now that Penumbra, Peach, and Nemi are asexualized, I think I’m going to continue to trap cats even though it’s so hard. I hate putting an animal through a traumatic ordeal, but some of them really do need help and that outweighs the difficulty of the task.
For example, the “new” cat I mentioned was initially mistaken for a male, but she turned out to be female.
And pregnant.
And had a hernia.
The hernia was in her umbilical area and it was likely going to get worse from the pregnancy.
Anyway, this is not what I planned for myself, but there are just too many cats here to ignore.
Paying another cat tax. The “new” kitty I mentioned above, that’s Schwartz.
She is kinda like Bigfoot, always seen in the distance, the only pictures you can take of her are really blurry.
Anyway, after I caught her, the vet performed her spay *through* her hernia. Closed her up with extra stitches to fix everything.
Schwartz was scared and probably angry. Refused to eat or drink (which is sadly just what happens sometimes, but I was hoping she’d take the free meal). I wasn’t sure she’d make it after her release. She had a lot done to her and not much time to recover. But my god, she thrived. I see her from time to time sleeping next to some bushes, hanging out with a chonky tom, and never getting pregnant again.
Is there a bowl holder that can attach to the Critter Nation (with ½" bars) that you’d recommend?
Long story short: One of the community cats I trapped for neuter & release turned out to be in really bad shape and the clinic asked me to keep him in a kennel for a month (!!) so I can continue to medicate. We’re at Day 1 so far (ahahahah *screams*), and he keeps knocking over his water bowl and soaking everything. I looked at cat/dog kennel bowls, but not sure they’d fit the narrow bars of a CN cage.
Ahh, how did I end up here? I’m a rat person!
Going through some of the cat posts, paying some taxes.
Yes, here is the feral cat, the neighborhood menace, the one that flips all the bowls of water, that had to be kenneled for a whole month for his severe ear mites.
It’s been a while! Here’s an old pic of Pewter and Barnaby.
My life has been taken over by the cats I mentioned, in the best way. I’ve trapped 12 (!) feral cats so far this year, got them fixed, returned some for release, and adopted a few sweethearts.
I’m pretty sure the ratties I’ve had over the years are the reason why I’m able to help these kitties. The Critter Nation has been the recovery space for several cats, and I feel a lot of my gut feelings about when something is wrong (or when something is right) is directly from what the ratties taught me.
Will I ever have rats again? I sure hope so. I am and always will be (forever and ever!) a rat person. I love rats. I will keep thinking about rats. I will draw rats, make art about rats, and tell people how rats are wonderful. One day, a rat (or six) who needs help will cross paths with me, and I will have rats again.
Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. Stay cool in this heat, be safe, hug your animals, and have a wonderful long weekend coming up. I will pay the cat tax in another post.
Is there a bowl holder that can attach to the Critter Nation (with ½" bars) that you’d recommend?
Long story short: One of the community cats I trapped for neuter & release turned out to be in really bad shape and the clinic asked me to keep him in a kennel for a month (!!) so I can continue to medicate. We’re at Day 1 so far (ahahahah *screams*), and he keeps knocking over his water bowl and soaking everything. I looked at cat/dog kennel bowls, but not sure they’d fit the narrow bars of a CN cage.
Big news: after borrowing some traps from a cat rescue organization, I gently trapped Penumbra. She is spayed!!
More later. Both she and myself are physically and emotionally exhausted.
This week, I trapped Nemi, Peach, and a “new” cat. Everyone is now fixed! I’m so happy!
I’m new to cats, but what I’m learning is that behind every cat helped is a long line of people.
The rescue that gave me gentle and clear advice.
A nonprofit that offers a free online course on TNR and loans traps to you.
A friend who helped me see the value in spending $$ to buy a larger trap of my own to use on those XXL toms coming around.
The person who referred me to a volunteer with extra traps to loan me that can hold me over before my trap arrives.
The clinic who performs free/affordable surgeries for community cats.
I flip-flopped between helping “my” three cats vs. the toms. In the end, everyone needs to be fixed, it’s not a versus type of thing.
So, now that Penumbra, Peach, and Nemi are asexualized, I think I’m going to continue to trap cats even though it’s so hard. I hate putting an animal through a traumatic ordeal, but some of them really do need help and that outweighs the difficulty of the task.
For example, the “new” cat I mentioned was initially mistaken for a male, but she turned out to be female.
And pregnant.
And had a hernia.
The hernia was in her umbilical area and it was likely going to get worse from the pregnancy.
Anyway, this is not what I planned for myself, but there are just too many cats here to ignore.
