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Special K Reports On Herself

National Feral Cat Day - October 16, 2008

Hi Everyone,

Yes, it's been a while since I've written, but with 28 other cats in our rescue home, I've just had my paws full trying to keep things orderly here in the Queendom.

But today, I just had to stop and write a word to you. Today is National Feral Cat Day, a time to pause and think about all the cats out there who, by choice or circumstance, live apart from humans on a daily basis.

You probably have seen a feral cat this week - in your yard, on the street, in alleyways, countrysides, trash dumps, or abandoned buildings. They are everywhere!

Feral cats, in the truest sense of the word, are cats who do not want any contact with humans. They can not be socialized, therefore they can never be adopted, although kittens of feral cats can be socialized if positively exposed to humans while the kits are young.

Taking a feral cat to an animal shelter guarantees that the cat will be killed, since they can not be adopted. Many feral cats are killed at the sight of capture, in the animal control truck, since there is no point in taking them in at the shelter.

But feral cats can live happy lives with a little human help. Check out www.alleycat.org for info on how you can help feral cats in you area.

Today, would you stop and pray for all the feral cats out there? Winter is coming, and many will not survive. Those that do will face harse and diffcult days trying to find food and shelter. These cats really need your prayers and support.

"Lord, I pray today for all the cats out there who will never know what it's like to live in a home in safety with good food and people who love them.

Lord, please look after all the feral and stray cats. Provide for their needs Lord, and stir up humans to help them and to plead their case.

Lord, where possible, grant these cats a home. Where it is not possible Lord, bring them into Your Home at Your good time. I know that Heaven will be a wonderful place because there are so many cats there.

Thank You Lord for people who care for cats. Bless them Lord, and help them as they deal with us and work to take care of us.

Help us to remember this week the feral cat who needs human help even if they do not seek human company. And perhaps Lord, by helping a cat, the humans will be a little more willing to help each other as well.

Thank You Lord,
In Jesus Name I ask these things,
AMEN"

................ SPECIAL K

In Memory of Homer - One Year Later

Hi Everyone,

On October 1, 2006, I lost a very special friend. His name is Homer. Homer was a handsome, black tom cat, very old and very wise. He was not with me and the clan for long, but he was very special. If you will, let me tell about my friend Homer.

Homer was owned by a lady who moved into a senior retirement center some years before. She took Homer with her. As she aged, she was moved to the Alzheimer's unit of the home. Homer went with her. When she passed away, Homer was adopted by the retirement center and remained on the Alzheimer's floor. He had his own room, a way to go in and out of the building, and complete run of the patient's rooms, the offices, and of course, the lunch areas.

But Homer did more than just live there. Homer worked there. Homer provided comfort and relief to many of the residents. By day, he would make his rounds, visiting each room, offering a rub or a soft purr. By night he would sleep in the rooms of residents who either welcomed or needed his attention or body warmth.

Homer served as cat-in-residence for many years. But then, Homer himself became ill. He developed cancer. The prognosis was fatal. Homer had just a little time to live. That's where we come into the story.

My Meow-Meow ( Her name is Wanda) was working at the retirement home and was well aquainted with Homer. She was asked to bring Homer to our home in hopes that she and my Paw-Paw ( His name is John) could make Homer's last days peaceful and comfortable.

Homer came to live with us around June of 2006. The change was hard for Homer. For weeks, he stayed in the human's bedroom and kept pretty much to himself. Slowly, he began to make friends with us cats. I liked Homer from the first time we met. He displayed a grace and humility that only comes with age and a first-hand knowledge of life's trials, tragedies, and triumphs.

Yet, through all the things he had experienced, Homer displayed a silent dignity. He said little, even when he was hurting, sad, or lonely. Mostly, he just wanted a chance to serve, to help us cats and our humans. What Homer really needed was to be needed.

The Lord answered Homer's need in a very special way. A stray cat named Midnight had given birth to six kittens. Five had survived. When Midnight first showed up, she was completely feral. She would hiss at my humans and run away. But she needed food, and as my humans began to feed her, she became more trusting, eventually allowing a few rubs, but nothing more. Midnight had another problem - she was very ill with upper respitory problems. Still, she would not allow my humans to help her. After having her kits, she moved them out of fear away from our home.

One night, about a month after Homer moved in with us, Midnight returned to our doorstep with her five kittens. She was so sick she could not care for them. She had no choice but to trust my humans. She ushered her kittens in and joined our clan. My Paw-Paw made a place for her and her kits, but she was in no condition to attend to them. The kits were old enough to be on solid food, but they needed love, guidance, and attention. They needed Homer.

Homer responded to the call with renewed vigor. He seemed to summon an inner strength that allowed him to run, jump, teach, wash, and play with Midnight's kits. For a while, Homer was his old self, serving the needs of others. At night, he would put the kits to bed, then confer with Midnight and update her on the kittten's progress. Then, he and I would settle down for a rest. He seemed content, but I worried about Homer. I knew the effort had to draining him. I could see the life force inside him growing dimmer. Homer knew it too, but he had chosen his path. He did not want to go out of this world being comforted, cuddled, or confined. He wanted to pour his life into the lives of others until it was finally spent.

By September, Midnight had recovered well enough to resume taking care of the kits, now about five months old. As Midnight resumed her motherly duties, Homer assumed a more fatherly role. He still played and cared for the kits, but now he took a back seat to Midnight, allowing the kits to form a closer attachment to her. By the last week of September, Homer had completely handed the parenting back over to Midnight.

I knew it was coming, but I never expected it to come so fast. The cries, the instability, the withdrawal. Homer had been experiencing some difficulties the first two weeks in September. I could tell he was hurting. His fur has lost its gleen and his eyes were dull. His steps were carefully measured and he stumbled often. He confined himself to the human's room again.

I will never forget that day. It was Sunday, October 1, 2006, around 5 PM. Our humans were making frantic phone calls. Homer was placed in a carrier and rushed away to an emergency clinic. He died at 6:25 PM. The looks of sadness on my human's faces said it all. We cats set aside a time of mourning for Homer. I personally mourned for two weeks in honor of this great, caring cat. He was my friend and an inspiration to us all.

Homer's body was cremated and is with us today. His ashes were taken back to the retirement center for a memorial visit, where his co-workers and the residents he had touched had an opportunity to remember Homer, give a word of testimony, and say goodbye. His ashes now reside in a special place of memorial in our home.

Homer has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and is now at rest. But his legacy of caring lives on. In honor of Homer, my humans hope to start an organization that will carry on the work Homer started - to care for the needs of humans as well as the needs of cats. We are not all that different - you humans and us cats. We both have the same needs. We want someone to love us and care for us. We need to be needed. And all of us at some point in our lives need a Homer to come along beside us and help us. Certainly, the world would be a better place if we all learned to live like Homer.

I hope you get to meet Homer someday in Heaven. Just look for the big, handsome black tomcat with fur that shines like the sun and eyes that sparkle like the stars. He will be surrounded by those who need him, and he will be doing what Homer always did - giving and serving.

Goodbye Homer, for now. We all look foward to the day we will be together again.

=Special K and the Clan

My New Mission

Hi Everyone,

As you may know from my last entry, things have been pretty stressed at the Kelly house. Preparations are underway to get our newest rescues through their vet checks and spay/neuter operations. The holidays are coming fast, which means more things for my humans to do and less love time for me. The change in the weather means my Paw-Paw (His name is John) is also going to be rebuilding "Kitty Condo," a place where outside strays can come to get a warm nights sleep, food and shelter. We are all busy, to say the least.

A few days ago, my Paw-Paw talked to us cats about the need to be involved in local cat rescue. Being rescues ourselves, it just made sense to him that we should speak for all those cats who are urgently crying out for help. All of the Kelly Clan cats will have a part in the effort. Each of us will get our own CATSTER page and report on the various aspects of our mission.

Which brings me back to my favorite subject - Me. I will be reporting on actual rescue efforts through the eyes of a cat. You will see that it takes a lot of effort on our part to tolerate the stress of an everchanging group of strays. Think of how you would feel if every week someone you knew was leaving, never to return. What if a total stranger suddenly was thrust upon you and was now sharing your food, home, and rest facilities. How would you feel?

Cats are creatures of habit. We like for things to stay the same. Part of my recent problem with Greybeard the Tabby is that I do not like having another adult queen in my home. Things have gotten better, but we still have to be separated into different parts of the house. Hopefully, all this will be settled when Greybeard gets a home.

Oh, Paw-Paw wants me to tell you about the Hopefuls. "Hopefuls" are the cats we have going up for adoption. You will see them here on Catster soon. And since I'm talking about something other than me, I think you will get to meet Precious next on Catster. Precious is our indoor Alpha-Male. He and his brother Coco Puff are preparing their pages now.

Precious is on mission to raise awareness of the needs of stray cats. He will speak on current issues affecting cats, including rescue efforts, laws, news, and real-life stories of feline drama. Coco Puff is beside himself because he gets to speak about how cool it is to be a cat. He will tell you all about the wonders of the feline species, answer questions about cat behavior, and in general remind you how lucky you are to have a cat in your life.

Hey, gotta go. I hear the rattle of a new bag of cat food. Come back for more cat drama anytime I'm not eating. Bye!

Special K