Post Forty-Nine: The Final Hurrah

And so, this is the end of my stint in the 2007 Blog-A-Thon. Let me recap a bit to those who have somehow missed it, or at least summarize the obvious: I'm blogging in memory of our Fonzie to benefit Alley Cat Allies, the number one national feral cat foundation.

The numbers are in. Thanks to all of you amazing sponsors, Feral, Not Homeless has raised:

$509.58

Thank you for all of your support. Each comment to cheer me on, each donation/pledge -- I haven't yet found the words to thank all of you. "Thank you" is just sounding so trivial in comparison to how grateful I truly am. In addition, a huge bundle of gratitude to Alley Cat Allies themselves for providing me with all of these great prizes. Congratulations to everyone who won a prize in the various raffles -- your prizes will all be mailed out sometime this week.



I know that a simple $5 is enough to get a bag of cat food and feed at least five-seven feral cat colonies. So imagine all that can be done with the whopping $509.58 that you have helped me to raise. Thank you for your faith in me and for caring so very much about these cats. I know that Fonzie's story has touched many of you and that he has taught you, like he has taught me, all about feral cats in general.

All of you sponsors should be receiving an e-mail from the Blog-A-Thon staff sometime over the next week letting you know how to donate. The e-mail will contain an online link to pay via credit card online as well as a mailing address so you can send a check or money order.

...And this, this is my final goodbye. It's been a great year. I can't wait to do it all over next year. Again, thank you. Have a wonderful week!

Post Forty-Eight

Well, this is the second to last post. My last official "blog" post, as the next will be the final rundown of how much Fonzie's memory has made for Alley Cat Allies. Basically, the next post will be the big finale!

But now? Now is my last time to blog. And so blog I will! My dear Fonzie, thank you for all you've taught us about feral cat care. This has all been for you and all of the other feral cats that I've mentioned during the duration of the Blog-A-Thon who I've met because of you. You are my sunshine, Fonzarelsie-Belsie. I will love you until the day that I die.

I hope that everyone checking in has enjoyed my senseless rambles (okay, so that might not be possible) or at least learned a lot about Alley Cat Allies and feral cats in general. I thought introducing people to some of the cats in our colonies might be a nice way to put faces to names, so to speak, making it more personal.

I feel so much more awake now. Taking a twenty minute nap in between blogs was a horrible idea! But, I've come back to life and am ready to finish the 'Thon with a bang. And so off I go to prepare...

Post Forty-Seven

One more hour to go!

There is a turtle sunning himself in the lake right outside of our patio window. A new day is underway!

Anyway, we're still going on over here! You should see all the bottles from the bottled water cluttering up our table. Cleaning will be fun!

Post Forty-Six

Check out those under-eye bags! I'm getting to the point where I'm embarrassed to show what I currently look like. Just when I think it can't get any worse...!

Anyway, our contests are finished and now we're coming up on the end of the Blog-A-Thon. I already can't wait until next year. We've done so much for Alley Cat Allies -- but I'll save all of that for my last post.

Aaron and the two kitties are already on their third nap! I forgive them. They've been huge helps in keeping me awake during this whole ordeal.

Post Forty-Five

Come on, second wind, you can do it! It's seven o'clock, and a beautiful morning here in Winter Springs Florida:



We still have a couple of prizes to give away, so we should get to that.



Cats Of Lamu book, Music For Cat-A-Holics CD, ALERT window stickers, feral cat fact sheets and feral cat ribbon magnet.

Congratulations to:

Laura Heer


Well, see you at seven-thirty.

Post Forty-Four

Well, it's officially daytime outside! The sky is blue and there are more and more cars occasionally driving by out on the 434.

Does anyone have any big plans when the Blog-A-Thon ends? Or is "sleep" the general consensus? Anyone still up...anyone?

Post Forty-Three.

Well, it's the six o'clock post. Three more hours and...well, that'll be that. Oh man, I'm exhausted. How is everyone else doing? Hanging in there?

Posty Forty-Two.

And it's coming down to the final blogs. In just a half an hour, it'll be six o'clock and soon the sky will be blue again. We're almost there.

I hope everyone is staying awake and hanging in there. Almost, almost.

Post Forty-One.

Four more hours to go. As much as I'm looking forward to sleep, I'm pretty sad. I've been looking to the Blog-A-Thon since it ended last year. I know that as it gets later, it's harder and harder to actually form entries that deal with my charity. But I've been loyally browsing the ACA website for some interesting information to share with you, dear readers/sponsors/friends/family, and came across something...interesting, indeed:

"An overwhelming majority of U.S. animal control agencies and shelters keep a firm grip on outdated animal damage control laws and species-inappropriate policies that result in the killing of over 71 percent of all cats--pet, stray, and feral--that enter their facilities. Virtually every feral cat that animal control traps or that enters a shelter dies."

There is nothing more chilling than a statistic such as that. That is the backbone of this blog: Feral, Not Homeless. Feral doesn't mean homeless. Feral cats do not belong inside of a house because their home is outdoors. It's pretty scary, I think, how many beautiful animals suffer at the hand of man.

Post Forty!

Hi. My name is Lindsay. I need sleep.

But, I'm hanging on and having fun! It's already four-thirty. Soon, it'll be light outside again. It should be a piece of cake from here on out!

I'm pretty impressed with the fact that I laid off most of the sweets and caffeine products (I bought more Dr. Pepper than anyone should ever own, and only had a can and a half this whole time) and have been content with my watermelon slices and bottled water. Maybe that's the secret.

Post Thirty-Nine

So, I'm watching the local news -- and shivering, because Jagger and Aaron both stole the only available blankets and I can't bear to wake them up. Anyway, I'm watching the local news and there is a story about how this local pizza place donated 100% of their profits today to a foundation for this little boy who was recently burned when a plane crashed into his home. The little boy did die, and this happened just a few weeks ago, right down the street from where I live.

I wish I would have known this earlier, because I would have ordered our pizza from there instead of a totally random Pizza Hut. But it's nice to know that so many people showed up to eat pizza for a good cause. Charity is not dead!

Post Thirty-Eight

So, I've run out of exciting feral cat topics, stories, anecdotes. To tide you over, there is a picture of Jagger. She decided to sprawl out in front of me so that I could watch her sleep and know that I am unable to sleep until nine a.m.! I have to say, though -- I don't think I'm anywhere near exhausted yet. I remember last year being a lot worse by this time!

I'm kind of sad that the Blog-A-Thon ends at nine. Then, there's that entire year-long wait. I'm impatient.

By the way, I think I'm reaching that exhaustion point more and more with every word I type. Bad, bad, bad.

Game #8: I'm Wild!

The rules of the game were simple. So here is my favorite wild animal: the opossum!



No...really, I swear. ;)

Post Thirty-Seven

Okay. Got the computer problems tucked away and fixed. Thank goodness.

The above picture is of Odessa and Octavia. I've written about them much earlier, complete with super-cute photographs. They're such a goofy duo, those silly "we compliment one another but are so different" mother and daughter teams.

Jagger has flown off of the couch and over the coffee table, just missing the bottle of Perrier. That was a close call.

Post Thirty-Six

Technology issues, technology issues. The laptop needs a 30 minute rest, I think -- maybe that's what it's trying to tell me through the prehistorically slow speed and muttering and sputtering it's doing!

One quick thing:



tothejerseyside,
This feral cat TNR book, ALERT stickers and feral cat factsheets are now yours.

Game #7: I Collect

I collect vinyl. 45's, LP's. Ever since I was a little girl, my dad would dance with me to all of the oldies hits via the 45's on the jukebox or the albums on our record player. My dad's vinyl collection is huge and, inevitably, I've become a huge vinyl buff. I suppose I associate so many events, people, places, things in my life to certain songs and this is why I always strive to make my collection bigger. To be able to hear that song, the one that can define the way you feel, with the crackling of the vinyl as the record spins -- it's a priceless feeling.

Post Thirty-Five

2 a.m., here I come!



It's not too late to pledge your donations to Feral, Not Homeless!

The feral cats appreciate each and every sponsor!

Game #6: The Name Game

Feral, Not Homeless earned it's name due to one of the biggest misconceptions about feral cats. So often they are referred to as "stray" or "homeless." This is not the case. They're feral, not homeless.

Post Thirty-Four

Fonzie is buried next to his feline sister, Hadley. The two are buried in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Specifically, in the yard of my parents lake house. Fonzie loved to roam, he loved nature and he loved the outdoors. He was a feral cat, after all. We knew at once that he would have loved Howey-in-the-Hills.

Do you see that above view? It was taken from my parents dock. That's the view that Fonzie gets to see, day after day. When I took this photograph on Thursday, I was awestruck by the beauty. My initial thought was: "Wow, and Fonzie gets this all of the time."

Of course, the beauty of this view doesn't come close to matching his beauty. But he doesn't hurt now, and he isn't sick now. He is happy, he is peaceful, and he gets all of the beauty that nature can possibly give.

Post Thirty-Three

Hi, everyone! Aaron and I just made a Wendy's run (hooray for living about two seconds from a Wendy's?). They unfortunately close at one a.m., and so now we are very much out of luck should I require any more energy/trips out of the apartment.

But I did get a Frosty float. Chocolate ice-cream with Dr. Pepper. Don't salivate too much. They were rushing to close and it really tastes like cold, cloudy water. Alas, it'll do!

Landon has decided she doesn't need to sleep just yet and so now our apartment is awake and avidly watching GUTS. It's bringing back memories of 1994.

Post Thirty-Two

Alright, let's do a raffle, shall we?



A copy of "The Cat Book" plus Alley Cat Allies ALERT window stickers and feral cat factsheets.

And the winner is...

Lydia Presley


Congrats! Again, all winners will be notified by e-mail!

Post Thirty-One: It's Midnight!

It's midnight! Everyone say hello to my handy-dandy monitor, Kathy! Kathy has been monitoring my blog all day and night, leaving wonderful comments and just being there as a head cheerleader of sorts! So, hi to you, Kathy!

Let's see...nine hours to go. I have a sudden second wind after my run with Aaron around the apartment complex. The sound of alligators mating in the lakes next to our apartment as we run through the pitch black was a little intimidating, but, hey. It kept us on our toes!

Aaron and I are now watching "Figure It Out." Old school, indeed.

Game #4: I Will Survive

Best tip for surviving the Blog-A-Thon? Well, I just dragged my fiance out of the apartment for a run up and down three flights of stairs, around the mailbox, around one side of the parking lot, and back up three flights of stairs. Now I'm pumped. (Of course, this is one of those "rinse, lather, repeat" scenarios. Give me an hour and I'll be desperate for another run around the complex.)

Post Thirty

...And post #30 has arrived. Aaron has dutifully reminded me that I'm in the fifteenth hour. Midnight will be fifteen hours.

I'm starting to get sleepy. I can't decide if a jog up and down the stairwell (we live on the third floor) will be harmful or helpful. Or maybe just a quick walk to the mailbox and back for fresh air. I'm sure sitting indoors for all this time in the same spot is making me more tired than I should be.

I've gotten a few e-mails about bloggers who have withdrawn and I feel bad. I know all I must do is picture those little furry faces and know that I must go on! Must...go...on.

(Don't get me wrong. The sleep deprivation hasn't kicked in yet. I'm guessing 2, 3 or 4 a.m. is when that will kick in.)

Happy blogging!

Post Twenty-Nine

One of the Alley Cat Allies prizes was a book called "The Cats Of Lamu." I love reading about and seeing photographs of other feral cats, especially historical colonies such as the Lamu cats. Or, you know, the Hemingway cats. The Polydactyl Hemingway cats are so wonderful. I'm so happy that Florida made us proud and is allowing them to stay. The more widespread knowledge on feral cat care becomes, the better life can be for all colonies everywhere.

Speaking of Hemingway cats, there is an adorable little Key Lime Pie boutique in Mount Dora, Florida. Everything in the store is Key Lime Pie related -- from flavored sodas to candies to cookies to barbecue sauce. They have these little Florida Keys Key Lime Pie cookies and the Hemingway feral cats grace the bags. I think they're the neatest thing.

The above photograph is one of our La-Z-Boy colony cats meeting a local raccoon who dropped in for some food. The raccoons, opossums, people and cats can all live together in utter harmony and yet, people find it so hard to live amongst one another. Not to mention how often humans fail at living among nature, too. I think we can learn so much from cats, and all animals.

Post Twenty-Eight

I'm watching American Dreamz. I'm almost ashamed to admit that it'll be my fifth time seeing this. It's absolutely ridiculous, yes. My family (minus myself!) are obsessed with American Idol and fall into all of the sob-stories of the contestants. So, this movie just makes me laugh.

“Every dog has his day - but the nights are reserved for the cats”.

It's ten-thirty and therefore the ideal time for us to be caring for the feral cats. I feel awful that they'll have to miss out on seeing us tonight, but I know they have someone else coming to feed them. Still, we've raised such an unbelievable amount of money for Alley Cat Allies and I know they'll appreciate it.

Post Twenty-Seven

Well, it's ten! The Blog-A-Thon is already more than halfway over. I'm finally starting to feel the sleepiness coming on. Time for a quick splash-of-water on my face and time to put in a movie. Time passes by quickly when you're watching something interesting and these old America's Funniest Home Videos reruns aren't exactly what I had in mind!

Post Twenty-Six

Well, good evening. How about a couple of raffles?

$25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card:
Hannah Scarfeszcio

1 Month Netflix Subscription:
Melanie Jacks

Congratulations! Again, winners will be notified via e-mail. There is still a gaggle of more prizes here at Feral, Not Homeless to give out between now and 9 a.m. tomorrow morning! (Thank you, Alley Cat Allies!)

Thanks to everyone leaving comments to cheer me on! The sky is dark and it's time for those rough nighttime hours to begin.

Post Twenty-Five

Well, it's nine! Twelve more hours until I can sleep! Just kidding. I don't feel sleepy at all yet, which is a good thing. If anything, I'm merely sick of sitting on the couch and am thinking of where I can move to next -- maybe I'll sit out on the patio for awhile, maybe I'll move to the dining room. All I know is my legs are falling asleep from sitting on this couch.

The above gray cat is the one I mentioned back in the beginning, when I said the Tortie is a friend with the little gray cat. This cat, too, is from the La-Z-Boy colony. She's a silly little girl and is pretty curious about people. Again, it might be just us. By now, she knows who we are: the food people!

I thought the above picture would be cute in this instance: a kitty-cat yawning. It seemed fitting.

Post Twenty-Four

Aaron brought me home my favorite: a baked potato from Wendy's. It doesn't take much to please me other than that $1.09 potato. He brought himself home a salad and we enjoyed dinner while watching COPS. This was probably the worst paragraph I've ever written. Forgive me!

How are all of you other bloggers doing tonight? Things are still going well over on this end.

Post Twenty-Three

Here you see three paintings. The one on the left is of our Landon, the one on the right is of our Hadley. The one in the middle is of our Fonzie, our beautiful feral kitty who I'm running this blog in memory of.

(All three were painted by Jennifer McNulty)

I love the expression on his face, and how the corner of his little blanket is peaking through in the painting. Fonzie loved his blanket. He had cheap taste -- they were $3 from Walgreens. Which was good, because he got them dirty and I always had to replace them! He's buried with one of his beloved blankies.

I just thought I'd show off these beautiful works of art. I know having them means so much to me, especially when two of the three painted are no longer with us.

Post Twenty-Two

Above are some of the silly La-Z-Boy cats. "The Lazy Cats" as we call them, as their colony resides behind a local La-Z-Boy store (as I've, obviously, just mentioned). This is probably the fastest growing colony. I mean this in the sense that more and more cats keep joining it. It appears to be an almost dumping ground for unwanted kittens or unwanted cats due to the fact the colony is pretty well-known (they sometimes wander next door to a pet store and make themselves known).

They get along quite nicely and some of the feral cats at this colony have been there for what seems like forever.

Post Twenty-One.

I am watching "Bee Season." It just started. The little girl in it reminds me immensely of the little girl from "My Girl." Does anyone remember "My Girl?" Those were my favorite movies when I was a little girl.

I was reading a wedding magazine in which a bride was very passionate about her family's history of cancer. Instead of tacky wedding favors like almonds, she made up adorable little favors that contained a little note that in that guests name, $1 was donated to the American Cancer Society. The wedding had 250 guests, and so that was $250 donated to the charity. I thought it was a pretty awesome idea. I know if I went to a wedding, I'd much prefer something like that rather than a bottle of bubbles with a wedding date etched onto it. Something to think about for our pending wedding.

So, when we feed feral cats, there are these three or four homeless men who live in the woods with one of the colonies. They are very kind men and with whatever money that they manage to get, they always buy food for the cats before they buy food for themselves. When I heard that, it was so touching. Each time we go and I see the few pieces of food in their bowls or the leftover KFC scraps left in their bowls, my heart just feels so warm. One of the men told us he's been here with those cats for years and they mean so much to him. Cats have a way of making life go on when it seems like it won't. That much is for sure. (The people who say that that relationship is the difference between feral cats and house cats can think about that one for awhile.)

Post Twenty.

Raffle Time...



Alley Cat Allies ribbon magnet, feral cat button, ALERT window stickers and feral cat fact sheets.

And the winner is...

kclord



...My fiance, Aaron, is currently at our old apartment moving everything else over here to our new one. Our patio furniture is still over there. I'm having a hard time with this because that furniture belonged to Fonzie. Oh, I know it's silly, but it hurts to see it there and know he isn't coming over here with it.

...The rain has finally let up. It's 6:30 p.m.

Post Nineteen

I'm currently engaged in some Hannah Montana watching. My fiance left it on TV for me -- blame him. I did, however, make one of my newly famous eggcreams. You see, I've always been horrible at making my most favorite drink ever, but somehow between my mom's coaching and my desire to have an eggcream, I've perfected the craft.

Bear with me:


Cup.


Seltzer and chocolate syrup.


Milk, stir, and enjoy.


Oh man, heaven in a glass, I tell you. I've decided I can make it through the Blog-A-Thon on eggcreams alone. Maybe I can add an espresso shot or two...

Welcome to the evening hours, everyone! Let the blogging continue.

Post Eighteen

For those who don't know, every October 16th is National Feral Cat Day. Last year, we went out in full-force to care for neighborhood feral cats in memorial of Fonzie. I feel so lucky and grateful to have raised all of this money to benefit feral cats all over the country without it even being NFCD.

I'd like to address one other big feral cat misconception or concern. I hear it a lot: "Watch out. You could stumble upon a rabid cat." "I'm sure they're all sick, those feral cats." But the truth is feral cats contract diseases at the same low rate that indoor cats contract diseases. And even the most well-cared for cat can contract something in utero easily, as was the issue with our beautiful Hadley.

Many feral cat caretakers opt to vaccinate the feral cats upon releasing them back into their habitats. In this instance, these feral cats have more medical vaccinations on their side than most house cats.

Post Seventeen

Thank you, Pizza Hut of Tuskawilla. Your quick and prompt delivery of pizza has given me that little boost of energy that was required.

I'm now watching "Little Miss Sunshine" and getting pretty excited (and nervous) for the evening hours. So far, time is flying by!

Okay.

The 3 Winners of the $10 Starbucks Gift Cards are:
DanielleWhitmoore
Elizabeth Merritt
Brie Baker

Congratulations! Winners to also be notified via e-mail.


It's still thundering and lightning pretty badly. Having it so dark in here from the weather outside isn't...helping...this...premature...sleepiness...

Post Sixteen

It's time for that 4:30 p.m. post. It's a shame that time doesn't go this fast when I'm at work! It's been a really great day so far. This years Blog-A-Thon has been so successful!

Have you seen the list of everyone blogging this year? There are some great causes. Bloggin' For Ferrets is blogging for Ferrets Unlimited. I'm also blogging for The Marley Fund at Positively Loved: Blogging For Hadley. There are so many others blogging for so many great causes, from cleft palate to the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Anyway, in the above photograph, you'll meet Spike. Spike, too, is a McKitty. He and his absolutely identical siblings (I call them all "Spikes", as in "the Spikes") are the most playful and friendly out of the entire colony. Maybe it's because they've known us pretty much their entire lives?

Post Fifteen

I've mentioned TNR briefly throughout most my posts here thus far. Let me clarify: TNR stands for "Trap, Neuter, Return." Alley Cat Allies works very hard to make it so that this non-lethal way to control feral cat populations is observed. Trapping is done via humane traps which can be rented from pretty much any local humane society, SPCA or rescue group. Then comes neutering/spaying. Some people find a veterinarian who cuts them great deals or who works with feral cat organizations to reduce the cost of the spay/neuter significantly. There are also many "free spay/neuter" clinics as well as humane societies who do spays and neuters for cheap (think $15-30, most cases). Then comes the returning process. This is when these cats are returned to their colonies and chosen homes.

A lot of volunteers devote their lives to monitoring colonies of feral cats and keep records of who has been neutered, who has been spayed, who suffers from some medical condition, etc. Most humane societies or vets offer to "ear tip" the cats who have been neutered/spayed to set them apart. "Ear tipping" is the removal of the tiniest-tiniest tip of the ear, where they cannot feel a thing, to set that cat apart from another cat who has not yet been altered.

It sounds like a lot of hard work, and it is. But it really is worth it when you watch a feral colony who has been together since birth experience their adult-life together. Whenever you see a happy and content cat scamper off into the woods it's chosen as a home, it's great.

There are a lot of people who recommend feral cat relocation to cats who have chosen a residential area as their home. I am an expert about receiving eviction warnings for feeding feral cats. But, I firmly believe that being a good neighbor means caring for your neighbors: so, feed some feral cats, lend them a helping hand. Be a good neighbor!

Alley Cat Allies provides a ton of resources. If you know someone getting angry about feral cat feedings or care, your local representative or volunteer will know where to relocate or who to call. Make them your number one resource for feral cat information. They can provide you with a list of volunteers, nationwide.

Just remember: TNR WORKS!

Post Fourteen

And the winner of the next raffle is...



(A Music For Cat-A-Holics CD, TNR book, Alley Cat Allies button and ALERT window stickers)

KitschKat

Congratulations!

--



Rusty-James says it's nice to meet you, sponsors and cheerleaders. He's the most handsome darn kitty to ever grace Orlando (he says "the world"). He's even cooler and more handsome than his namesake, if you can imagine such a thing. Anyway, Rusty-James is part of the "McKitties" and he's a dear friend to Robinson, who I've already written about.

Rusty-James and his fellow feral friends again want to thank everyone.

Post Thirteen

Oh, goodness, the rain! How is everyone else's weather around the world? The fiance and I just placed an order in to Pizza Hut for some belated lunch/early dinner. Does anyone else find themselves eating to stay awake? No? Just me? I know living across from a Dunkin Donuts (24 hour coffee!) saved me last year but since we moved to...oh, the middle of nowhere, this is going to prove to be tougher than I thought! But, we'll worry about that when the times comes. I'm still pretty excited. Not to mention, today begins my paid vacation time from work so, technically, I am being paid to blog for twenty-four hours...

...I also want to say that I adore OnDemand and Netflix for their gracious attempts at keeping my sanity in check. I just finished watching "Kids" which was pretty much the most disturbing film I've ever seen. I guess I give myself too much credit when I say I "watched" it. "I shielded my eyes through 'Kids' because it was horrifying" would have been a more honest statement.

Anyone else ready for Life After The 'Thon? I know tomorrow, right after the Blog-A-Thon ends, I've got a full day of family bonding and a barbecue for my aunt's birthday (my aunt being a huge 'Thon supporter -- hello, Aunt Melanie!) so it'll be fun going on no sleep whatsoever! Hey, that's what makes life exciting.

More feral photographs to come. Wow, talking about cats for 24 hours? I'm in heaven!

Post Twelve

The last time I saw Fonzie, I held him in my arms and told him he was too beautiful for this ugly world. It was probably the truest statement I'd ever made.

It's hard for many people to understand what it really means to love an animal, to accept an animal as part of your family. It's even harder to explain to people that these cats belong to no one but themselves, live outdoors and yet you still love them because they are part of our family.

Thanks to the mighty powers of Catster.com, Alley Cat Allies and this little website called LiveJournal, I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of people who make me understand that I am not at all crazy. Sometimes I feel sorry that people will never be able to experience or understand that unconditional kind of love. That kind of love is what my pets have always given me and what I have always given them.

So, let's hear it for pet owners, for pet lovers, for people who understand the pets are part of your family. Let's hear it for those who have been loved by or who love those little furry-creatures like there is no tomorrow. This entry serves as a tribute to us, us "crazy cat/dog/insert-animal-here people."

In other news: It's thundering and lightning in a terrifying manner. So far, no rain -- but the sky is so black it seems like nighttime in here. Uh-oh! Must stay awake!

Post Eleven

This is one of the three calico beauties who wound up at the gas station colony recently. We're not sure how they got there, but the three of them had appeared; one pending kittens.

The three girls, post-spay, have acted like mother figures to most of the other cats in the colony, especially the younger ones. They're absolutely beautiful, graceful, elegant cats -- and princesses, indeed. They love getting their pictures taken and know right where to look into the camera.

Post Ten

And the winner of the second raffle...



(The Cats Of Lamu photography book, window/emergency alert sticker and feral cat fact sheet from Alley Cat Allies)

And The Winner Is...

WebKittyn



(Each raffle winner will be announced by their Blog-A-Thon usernames and address requests/e-mail notifications will go to e-mail address you've registered with at blogathon.org.)

Post Nine

Meet Robinson. I'm so excited to make this post because it's a happy one. When we first began caring for feral cats, Robinson was so covered in mange that you couldn't even tell he was a cat. I mean that literally. Watching this little...thing hop across a dark parking lot was crazy. Was it a bunny? A really big bug? What was it? Upon closer investigation, it was a cat. A cat with no eyes, because the mange had eaten his entire face. A cat that couldn't use its back legs because they were so infested. He appeared deformed due to the level of mange on him and he was so bad that we couldn't even tell what color his fur was supposed to be, save for a couple of tufts of black or white here and there.

We reported Robinson to the original colony caretakers who have been with Alley Cat Allies for years. Due to some love and care, Robinson slowly began to heal. Each night, he looked more and more like a cat. Within four weeks or so, he was completely healed and mange-free.

As you can tell, Robinson became a handsome young lad (as seen in the photograph above). He is now the size of the rest of his siblings/colony-pals and one-hundred percent healthy. Robinson's colony-mate, Rusty-James, was sure to take care of Robinson and make sure he never lagged behind. Now? Look at him -- he's big, strong and so fast! He can run like the wind now, frolicking in the grassy area behind the McDonalds like he was never suffering.

Yes. Another happy story. Robinson received his name, by the way, because of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Robinson was a miracle.

Post Eight

Well, yes, that's my engagement ring. As much as I love to show it off and dance around in my "I'm getting married!" glory, there is a point to this.

If it's any indication about how important feral cat care is to me, my engagement/proposal story is all about feral cat care. You see, Aaron and I have been together since we were fifteen and sixteen years old, so the eventual proposal was going to be something special. And it was.

We were out feeding our feral cat colonies on May 19th, 2007, as normal. We were at the McDonalds Colony (or the "McKitties" as we call them), delivering their food. Aaron told me he had something to ask me and, to make a joke about the fact we were behind a McDonalds in the bad side of town at almost ten at night, asked if I was hungry. I declined and then he asked me another question: "Will you marry me?" Of course, I said yes -- and witnessing this were the McKitties: Rusty-James, Robinson, Spike, Annabelle -- the whole gang.

I couldn't tell you how meaningful it was to me to have them all there to know that my proposal took place while doing something that I care more about than most else: feral cat care.

Post Seven

Well, welcome to my little Blog-A-Thon world. For now, I am content with sitting on the end of our couch, in our living room, using Aaron's laptop. You see, my laptop decided it'd be a perfect opportunity to destroy itself right before the Blog-A-Thon. But, never fear, I'd never let technology win that easily!

I've decided that as much as I love our new apartment, I will go stir crazy by the time seven p.m. rolls around! Still, I'm excited. The thrill of it finally being Blog-A-Thon time again is so exhilarating!

In any sense, I thought this was a nice little "intro" of sorts to the area in which I'll be blogging. To those just checking in, I'm blogging from Winter Springs, Florida -- a little city on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. I think it's awesome how people are blogging from all over the world!

Post Six

Meet Odessa. Odessa is the love of my life. Okay, so I have a few of those. Anyway, Odessa lives in a colony comprised solely of herself and her real-life mother, Octavia. Recently, an older black cat has joined them but he isn't really too into making himself known to any of us.

Odessa is the only remaining kitten to her mom, Octavia. Because my fiance and I are newer to this, this is really all we know. Octavia and Odessa were spayed a couple of years ago and have decided to stick around and live life happily with one another. Odessa is sweet. She trusts us completely and will let us old her and pet her. She is blind in one eye and a little, well, daft. She is sweet but she isn't the brightest cat in the universe!

Whenever we pull up, she is hiding in the tops of a tree and jumps down to greet us. She has the most monotone, gravely "meow!" that doesn't match her petite and sweet persona. I love to care for Odessa like I do whenever something cute, furry and helpless comes along. Unfortunately, she isn't as responsible as her mama, who is always present so that I don't worry, and she often leaves right when we come to look for her. Odessa keeps these few homeless men company, and they live in the woods with her and her mother. She has made them fall in love with her, too, and I know that she is in good hands. Everyone watches out for Odessa.

I'm always captivated by her sheer beauty and her desire for life. She doesn't let anything get in her way. Another feral success story? Indeed.

Post Five

So, what I should explain in further detail is: why. Why I have chosen Alley Cat Allies to blog for for one of my blogs (I'm also blogging over at Blogging For Hadley). Why I love spending all of my time with feral cats. Why this is so important to me.

I knew nothing about feral cats as, unfortunately, most people do. All I knew was that my fiance and I had two beautiful cats who decided they wanted to come to our patio and check things out. We fed them and gave them water and they became used to this, always returning back. It got cold and so we put out boxes and blankets -- Fonzie, as seen above, loved his box and blanket. Rufus, "our" other feral cat, loved the patio furniture. Like most people, we did not know a difference between "stray" or "feral." In our own idealistic way, we thought Fonzie and Rufus could walk inside and be a part of our homes, or get adopted by a nice family.

A Google search lead us to Alley Cat Allies, and suddenly we understood. From that moment, feral cat care became so important to us. After all, we loved Fonzie and Rufus just like all of our inside cats. They were just as much a part of our family. Rufus has been gone for over a year. One day he just...left. We're unsure if this was colony relocation or he just decided to move on. It hurt, and it still hurts, but this is feral cat life. They aren't homeless, but they are free to roam. Fonzie, however, was FIV+. My other blog, Blogging For Hadley, is to benefit a foundation for FIV+ and FeLV+ cats. These diseases are obviously ones that have changed my life in the worst of ways.

Losing Fonzie was just as hard as losing a family member because he WAS part of our family. He was everything to us and the world stole him away in the cruelest of ways. Immunodeficiency viruses have defeated me twice but we can't give up...

And, this is why I decided to devote everything in me to feral cat care. Fonzie would want me to. He would want the world to treat feral cats as we did, and for them all to get to live life as nicely as he did. Caring properly for feral cats is so important and I won't stop until the world knows this.

Again, this is why I'm blogging on behalf of Alley Cat Allies: in memory of a handsome boy, Fonzie. He sleeps eternally under a beautiful tree at my parents lake house, next to his feline sister, Hadley. We miss him with our whole hearts every moment of the day. I do see him in the faces of all of the feral cats we care for and he is my reasoning for never, ever giving up.

Thank you to ACA for all you do to protect others like Fonzie. It is my pleasure to be raising money for such a great foundation.

Post Four

First raffle winner...



Alley Cat Allies ribbon magnet, Alley Cat Allies button pin, Alley Cat Allies window sticker/in case of emergency sticker and feral cat fact sheet.

And the winner is...

far2beautiful4u


(Each raffle winner will be announced by their Blog-A-Thon usernames and address requests/e-mail notifications will go to e-mail address you've registered with at blogathon.org.)

I'm so excited that Alley Cat Allies gave us so many great prizes to raffle off to all of you amazing sponsors.



So far, so good. Time is moving quickly! Meet "Little Tortie Cat", as seen above. Okay, I'm guilty: she doesn't have a name yet, and that's just what we refer to her as for clarification sake. Somehow "Little Tortie Cat" just sort of stuck, as in "look, there is the little Tortie cat!" She's a beautiful girl and getting braver and braver. She recognizes my fiance and I as the "food bringers." She pals around with "the little gray cat" (okay, really, we'll redeem ourselves -- most of them do have names!) and they're simply adorable together. They're the smaller cats in the colony and stick together. The colony they are a part of is filled with old cats who have been there for years and so they're the younger generation. Without sounding like a broken record: thanks to TNR, they'll have long lives, too.

Post Three

Caring for feral colonies can be stressful. There are times when you won't see a certain cat and worry (I do this as if it's my job, this worrying). There are times when a cat is limping or you notice a bout of mange spreading. There are times when it's raining and the cats won't be there and you worry. There are times when you see kittens and know that a (formerly) pregnant cat has joined a colony and now there are kittens and a fertile female to worry about.

But it can be so rewarding. When that mange infested cat heals, when those kittens are still friendly enough to be adopted out, when that female is no longer fertile, when you form a relationship with these beautiful creatures. It can be so rewarding. I look forward to the days when my fiance and I can make our way to the most rough and tumble areas of Orlando that I have ever been to and look into the faces of these beautiful cats. Just pouring the food into their bowls and watching them run up and eat: happy, carefree. It makes everything worth it.

There are so many misconceptions about feral cats, from "aren't they rabid?" to "but they're wild! They're not like house cats." Oh, but these things are so untrue. These cats are feral, but they aren't homeless. The outdoors is their home and thanks to groups like Alley Cat Allies, they are able to live their full lives happily.

Being a feral friend with Alley Cat Allies has changed my life. I have learned so much and in turn, I have loved so much. Each little cat scampering through the woods or the back alleys of Orlando has a piece of me with them always.

Post Two

Meet Grumpy Gus (as seen above). He's a member of one of the feral cat colonies that my fiance and I feed each weekend. Gus is a sweetheart of an older cat who has made the back of the gas station on Colonial Drive a home for quite some time now.

Thanks to programs like TNR (trap, neuter, return) cats like Gus are able to live out their full and happy lives in the homes they've chosen, along with their other feline friends and family members. TNR is something that Alley Cat Allies strives for: a non-lethal way to control the population of feral cats and, as I've mentioned, giving them a shot at life.

Post One: And It Begins!

...And it begins! Post one is underway. Aaron and I have been to Publix for necessary caffeine products and snacks -- and, of course, to Barnies for my first Cool Cafe Blues coffee cooler of the day. (First of many, I'm sure.)

I'm pretty excited to blog for Alley Cat Allies and over the course of these next 24 hours, you'll surely understand why. Plus, I'll be picking winners to win all of the great prizes donated by ACA all day (night, and morning!) long so check back to see if and what you win!

Good luck to all of my fellow bloggers! Let the madness (and fun!) begin!

It's Almost Time!

You can still pledge your donations here!