New rescue**Update**

[mruffruff]

Tuesday night I saw a black cat in my front yard. Checked my crew and they were all there. So I proceeded to make a fool of myself by getting on all fours to look under the neighbor's truck. Yup, it's a new one! Totally black, scared to come out. Finally let me pet him/her, rolled around on the ground for a while, then left when the neighbor cat came out.

Time to pull out the cat trap.

Wednesday night I saw the same cat across the street. When I called, it came right up to me. Since I didn't know anything about it, I pushed it into a trap. I thought it was probably a female, about a year old and either in heat or had kittens in the past because of the obvious nipples. I named her Tootsie.

Took Tootsie to the vet for the "usual" (test, shots, spay/neuter) in the morning.

Tootsie is now Smokey, a neutered male about 2 years old, who has already been declawed!!!!!

He now resides in a cage in the cat room (so no one will beat him up) with the other 12 until I can find a home for this sweetheart.

Haven't seen any signs or flyers for a lost cat. How could his owners not be frantic?

[moosmom]

I'm so glad you got "Tootsie/Smokey" off the streets. Mainly because he's declawed, but also because Halloween is nearing and black cats are at high risk for animal rituals. It's a sad fact. That's why alot of shelters won't adopt out black cats for the entire month of October.

Great job Mruffruff!!!

[jenluckenbach]

Declawed and roaming about, how sad. I am also glad you got ahold of him.

[Sevaede]

I'm so glad you got "Tootsie/Smokey" off the streets. Mainly because he's declawed, but also because Halloween is nearing and black cats are at high risk for animal rituals. It's a sad fact. That's why alot of shelters won't adopt out black cats for the entire month of October.

Great job Mruffruff!!!

Who does rituals like this?

[AbbyMom]

Who does rituals like this?

I'm an adoption counselor for a cat rescue and we have strict rules and training about cats, especially black cats.

No black cats are allowed in the adoption center during the month of October because Bad People will "adopt" them and use them for real or imaginary satanic rituals or just plain old torture.



You are a sweet person and probably don't realize that there are evil people out there that do these things. But they are out there.



It's up to people like us to protect these innocent creatures.

[moosmom]

Wenisrubber,

All sorts of sick $#@%&* who get off on torturing and killing innocent animals.

[smokey the elder]

You should have kept the name Tootsie, in honor of the Dustin Hoffman character! Good job getting the kitty off the streets.

[mruffruff]

Smokey quickly came of the cage. He gets along well with the other cats simply by acting superior to them! The dogs are just large objects to walk around/under. I've given him full run of the house for the week end. He doesn't get on the counter tops, doesn't run for the door when it's opened and has no litter box issues. I think he'd like a better grade of food, but he hasn't been starving himself.

He hasn't tried to use the cat flap or doggy door. Likes to be stroked, but isn't interested in being a lap cat. He's quite satisfied to snooze on a chair or next to the big dog on a sofa. A very low maintenance kind of cat.

He has long legs, a flappy belly pouch and a few thin spots on his back legs and tummy. I suspect he's more than three years old, but who really can say?

Now to find him a good home.

[moosmom]

Now to find him a good home

Looks like he's already found one!!

[mruffruff]

Since I took in another stray Friday night, that would bring my total to 14!!!

I HAVE to find homes for some of them, especially Smokey. All of the others have claws but so far they aren't bothering him. On the other hand, Mac is. Mac is a 16lb gray tabby who thinks I'm his property. Smokey wants to be friends, but Mac hisses and smacks at Smokey.

The newest member is Tinker, who I trapped and vetted about a month ago. He is a sweet gray tabby with white chest and tummy. A real lap cat.

Both would make excellent pets. The rest need special work to overcome their various grades of fear of people.

[Freedom]

Bless you for taking in another one. What a lot of felines! I find 7 a handful. Wonderful work you are doing.

[krazykitties]

if the cat is male, what was the thing about the obvious nipples?

[mruffruff]

He has some bare spots on his tummy, but he doesn't seem to have a reason for it---no fleas, surgical scars, etc. When he was rolling around, I saw the bareness and 'assumed' female.

Smokey just left to go to a possible new home on a trial basis. Hopefully the cat at the new home will accept him. Smokey wants to be friends with every other cat, so it all hinges on the resident cat.

[Logan]

Mary, I'm sorry I missed this before. I do hope everything will work out for Smokey in his potential new home. We'll cross our fingers!

Thank you for being so diligent in saving these pets.

Logan

[mruffruff]

I had a report from the new purrents this morning.

The resident cat, Monkey, has come out from under the bed and they are playing

Smokey is settled in already and they love him. Yay!!!