The Opinionated Pussycat

Feline Resignation or “Rutting Season”: A Poem

  Good evening felinity assembled...

Elvira Mistress of Felinity, here, with a postscript of sorts to our recent kitten rescue adventure.

As readers of this blog know Houston has a serious stray animal crisis on its hands, a problem exacerbated by the fact that far too many dogs and cats, both stray and those with homes, are not fixed.

This got me to thinking of a way to express my concern about this issue via my talent for poetry.

Daddy Kiril has been reading a book containing the creative writing of the cat loving, 19th century British, artist, poet and storyteller Edward Lear so, at night, I have been finding time to read the book, too, while daddy sleeps.

One poem caught my attention and got me to thinking and writing...

This is the result:

 

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 6

After midnight....the morning of Sept.16, 2014....not long after Daddy Kiril came home from work.

 

 

 

Good evening, felinity assembled, Houston, all the Republic of Texas and beyond...

My name is Sneakers and I am the 9th Texian Tuxedo.

This post brings to a close a chapter in the newly begun lives of 3, recently born, kittens brought to Daddy Kiril last week.

(I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story, then parts 1 thru 5.)

 

 

Over the weekend Daddy Kiril, Elvira Mistress of Felinity and I came to the decision that turning the kittens over to BARC would be the best chance they would have to begin new lives in safe, loving, homes.

No, BARC, is not a no-kill shelter...it is the Houston city animal shelter and pet adoption agency.

  It is the only city shelter in Houston required by law to accept every animal that comes through its doors regardless of breed, temperament, health conditions, and circumstance (from owner surrender, stray pickup, rescued or confiscated animals).

 

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 5

  Good early morning, felinity assembled, Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo here...with what happened when Daddy Kiril returned with the kittens from our vet yesterday evening.

(First, though, I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story, then parts 1 thru 4.)

When he came in the door he set the carrier down in their safe haven and called Elvira & I into the kitchen for the update reported in the previous post.

The 3 of us had spent the morning finalizing our choices for names, once the sexes had been determined, and now it was time to bestow them...

The task fell to me, as the Texian Tuxedo, and I made it a solemn experience to better impress this occasion on their young minds for all time.

 

 

 

Once this ceremony was completed, the little ones suitably attentive and impressed, eyes wide as they listened and swore to not forget their names, I settled down to tell them what I called a "nap time story"...the stories behind each of their names.

Then Daddy Kiril returned them to their safe haven for a rest before feeding time.

It had been an eventful afternoon and they were very tired.

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 4

Good evening, felinity assembled, Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo here...with what happened when Daddy Kiril took the kittens to our vet, Dr A, of Lakeside Animal Clinic, this afternoon.

(First, though, I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story, then parts 1 thru 3.)

Daddy took them on the bus and the kittens were a curious, well-behaved, little group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once at the vet, however, opinion seemed to be split on what to think as they waited to be put in a room for the check-up.

 

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 3

  Good morning, felinity assembled, Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo here...with what happened once Daddy Kiril came home from work, late at night, after leaving Elvira & I to keep watch on the kittens.

(First, though, I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story, then parts 1 and 2.)

When Daddy Kiril came home from work he decided to go around by the building, with his camera, to see if the Mom Cat was around.

 

He found himself chatting with a black human who said he first saw her while she was still pregnant, going into the 2nd floor space, 3 wks ago.

 

After they parted daddy walked past the 1st floor wall to the sidewalk and almost smack dab into a black cat trotting toward him between 2 parked cars. The cat dashed under a car and waited for him to walk away. Watching from a distance he saw the cat trot to the stairs and ran over with his camera just in time to see it go up the stairs to the 2nd floor. No time for a shot of any of this.

 

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 2

Good evening, felinity assembled, Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo here...with what happened once Daddy Kiril brought 3, recently born, kittens home yesterday.

(First, though, I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story, then part 1.)

Like you the photos in this series are the only looks Elvira & I have had at the little ones.

We can hear them, though, and hear their interactions with daddy.

He put them in the walk-in closet, after moving things around a bit, then brought a water bowl and made a make-shift litter box out of a baking pan, with low sides.

After introducing the kittens to the mysteries of taking a whiz and a dump in litter...he dashed off to the market for a couple of cans of Friskies turkey & giblet pâté.

The poor little cuties were STARVING!

The one on the left took right to it, while the others dug in once daddy got them to lick a bit of food off his finger.

Daddy posted the news on his social sites, sent an email to some friends and called his friend Mom Chandra, of Life From a Cat's Perspective.

He also called our vet to set up an appointment, which will be Friday afternoon.

As first time visitors the kittens will get looked at free, which is a blessing for daddy, under our present situation.

Daddy was rushing about, like this, because he had to go to work and soon.

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports 1

  Good evening, felinity assembled, Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo here...and boy do I have some exciting news to share!

(First, though, I hope you will read the introduction, I wrote, to this story.)

Yesterday morning Daddy Kiril was sitting at the computer, with Elvira, watching as she worked on the Carnival of the Cats and I was napping...when a knock came at the door.

A worker at our apartment complex had something he wanted daddy to see.

 

 

He said he thought of us because he knew of Elvira and I and believed we and daddy could help.

  He took daddy down to the courtyard and introduced him to 3 very tiny, very chatty, kittens!

Daddy stood there, stunned...but only for a moment; he bent down to look at the little bundles of energy, too young to realize the gravity of their situation and knew what he had to do.

He got the kittens into the carrier and asked the man the obvious question...

 

Where the heck did you find them?

 

 The man said he was walking by a wall, at a building in another part of the complex, when he heard tiny cries from within.

He busted a hole in the wall and pulled out the 3 kittens, uninjured, frightened and hungry.

The next obvious question was...

How in the world???

It took great patience on daddy's part, but he eventually got the story out of the babies.

When you see the full photo of this spot and realize what happened...you, like us, will wonder how they survived and how many of their , combined, 27 lives were used up to do so.

 

 

Amazing, simply amazing...

Daddy Kiril & 3 Kittens: The Texian Tuxedo Reports - Intro

 Good evening, felinity assembled, Houston, all the Republic of Texas and beyond...

My name is Sneakers and I am the 9th Texian Tuxedo.

You may have heard of the Texian Tuxedo, if you are a feline of a certain age...

If you are a human most likely you are scratching your head in puzzlement, just as Daddy Kiril once did.

The stories are legion...and legend...you just have to know where to look to discover them.

So, even if you are a native Texan, don't feel bad.

I turned a year old last week and have done a lot of thinking about my future and just what being the first Texian Tuxedo in this, the 21st century, means.

My predecessors were all independent, curious, strong-willed and opinionated; storytellers, poets and passers on of news from the human and feline worlds wherever they went. None made their homes among humans, at least not permanently, always finding some reason to move on.

They actively engaged in helping their fellow felines in many ways as well.

I am the first to take up permanent residence as an indoor cat, as well as the first female.

The age of the internet, Daddy Kiril has explained to me, allows for those who use its tools, both human and animal blogger, to do things in ways their ancestors could never dream of doing.

Daddy posed us with a new lanyard he had made, last month, waiting for the right moment to début them.

After the events of yesterday Elvira told me it was time for me to share MY photos; She would wait to share hers when the moment, mention earlier, finally occurs.

 

I am learning to be all those things the lanyard describes, just as Nikita was and Elvira learned to be; She and daddy have taught me so much and helped me think about a lot of things.

It's National No Kill Day: Educate Yourself and Your Human

 

 

Today is National NO KILL DAY! 

 Click on this link to learn more about it, including how to support and help this effort.

 

Elvira Mistress of Felinity, Daddy Kiril, and I, wish every day could be a NO KILL DAY for all shelter animals.

 

In April I wrote a series of posts on the No Kill Animal Shelter Revolution.

 You can read it, beginning here

 

In our sidebar, under the heading of Rescues & Shelters, you will find a collection of No Kill related links, and links to some important exposes.

 

JUST ONE DAY....

FNN SPECIAL REPURRT: No Kill Series Sequel - PETA

Good evening, Felinity Assembled!

Last month I presented a series of posts on the No Kill Animal Shelter Revolution.

In Chapter 7, I covered PETA, and its negative reputation in the Animal Welfare Movement, and my own correspondence with them, with regards to a single word. :-D

Several days after this post I got a couple of tips from a reader calling themselves "Ontario No Kill Advocate", who didn't leave a website for themselves, but shared some interesting links to more reports on PETA.

In March/April/May, Huffington Post Canada columnist Douglas Anthony Cooper did a terrific , 5 part, expose on PETA, culminating in a discussion of Nathan Winograd, & the No Kill Movement, as an altertanive to PETA, and the familiar Shelter procedures.

In Part 1 he writes: "Nobody does the euthanasia thing quite like PETA, Ingrid Newkirk's vaunted animal-rights organization. After long being dismissed as an outrageous slander -- just another right-wing slur -- this gruesome truth has finally gained traction in the mainstream press: PETA's headquarters in Norfolk has the highest kill rate in the nation. A rescued pet has the same chances of surviving PETA's sanctuary as it does of receiving genuine love and affection from Michael Vick."

His piece goes a lot further than just observing that nice Humans should not be taking off their clothes in support of euthanasia of pets at Animal Shelters. Fame and prettiness are potent gifts among the Humans, and should be flashed wisely, he says. nice Humans, he writes should not be convincing equally nice Humans to give their Green Papers to an outfit that "kills pets, indiscriminately, at a rate that would shock seal hunters."

Along the way he has a few choice words for even some of those organizations that lead the fight against PETA, apparently simply because their politics may differ from his, but I don't hold this against him, because he DOES acknowledge the good work they have done in exposing PETA.

He also provides links to exposes by other leading magazines.

READ: "PETA's Celebs: Naked in the Name of Mass Pet Slaughter."

In Part 2 he begins by sharing the truly touching story of how PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk rescued some Cats in 1972, and learned the shelter she turned them in to proceeded to kill them, leading her to soon found her organization....

"PETA, for reasons near impossible to comprehend, decided to devote itself to precisely the treachery that inspired Newkirk's mission in the first place. Her organization now routinely takes in animals, with the gentle lie that it intends to re-home them. It then exterminates them. Generally within twenty-four hours. All of them."

So what the hell happened?

Why does PETA conceal its intentions from rescuers?

Why does PETA do so much of what it does that is detremental to Animal Welfare efforts?

Why does PETA's literature "describe euthanasia in terms that can only be considered pornographic"?

Mr. Cooper goes into great detail, with links, to provide answers to these, and other questions.

His discussion of the beliefs of Newkirk, and how PETA  doesn't give a damn for the helpless, is an eye opener.

READ: "Ingrid Newkirk's Death Wish."

In Part 3, Mr. Cooper writes a link filled expose of Nathan Winograd, & the No Kill Movement he leads...

The best way to explain why he goes to such lengths with this part of his story is written in his own words:

"Nathan Winograd believes that PETA's founder, Ingrid Newkirk, is mentally ill. That to him is the only credible explanation for her monstrous compulsion to kill healthy shelter animals. In contrast, I have argued that she is fully rational: Her viciousness has its own internal logic; moreover, it is counterproductive to psychologize evil.

This is a significant difference of opinion -- it goes to the heart of an important moral issue. Winograd is the leader of the No Kill movement, and in fact I disagree with him about many things: We've been having a lengthy email conversation, and it's remarkable how much we differ on crucial issues. Why then would I follow this man to the ends of the earth?

The answer is that it's not about being correct. It's not about his argument trumping mine, or his having the higher moral ground. It's not about us at all. It's about the animals. If what we do is right for the millions of abandoned creatures consigned to shelters, that's all that matters. Everything else is unimportant. And I have determined -- I am convinced -- that Nathan Winograd's No Kill program is the best thing to happen to the world's domesticated animals in my time. Perhaps ever. It is a genuine revolution, of the sort that it is a privilege to experience: we are living in one."

READ: "The Humane Alternative to PETA's Pet Slaughter."