Hard action, late winter, the Swimming Pool Gang

Sheba (left, leader of the Swimming Pool Gang) says, 

"Dig in boys, we have to soldier hard tonight."

 

Lt. Gus checks out an abandoned enemy position

 on the southern part of the perimeter. No sign of him.

 

 

Lt Buddy says, "OK Captain Sheba, I'm off to take a concealed

position on the eastern side. I'll be there ready for rapid ambush if you need me."

 

Captain Sheba and Lt Gus observe from cover on the western flank.

  

 

 

The enemy shows his face, and the Swimming Pool Gang tense for action.

 

 

Before Captain Sheba can say, "Lt. Gus (after all you are my brother) be careful," 

Gus salutes (with his tail) and is off to attack, his blood still up, his 

whole body still smarting from the wound on his head from yesterday's fight.

 

  

The enemy cat saw both Gus and Buddy moving towards him and decided to leave 

the field of action, over the east wall of campus and into the shadows of the 

neighborhood beyond. Meanwhile, Sheba and Gus consolidate a more forward 

position--the smoking shelter that oversees the main avenue of approach and wait.

 

 

LIST OF ALL OUR CATS WITH LINKS

 LIST OF CATS WITH LINKS

WE ARE FERAL CATS: SEBASTIEN


WE ARE FERAL CATS: ORANGE BLOSSOM (OB-KUN)


WE ARE FERAL CATS: SHAUN


WE ARE FERAL CATS: TIGER BABY


WE ARE FERAL CATS: RAGI-MAMA


WE ARE FERAL CATS: PANCHO


WE ARE FERAL CATS: BOOTSIE-MAMA


WE ARE FERAL CATS: THE OUTDOOR CATS (WILLY, SHEBA, GUS, BUDDY)

Feral and hard stray/abandoned cats of Fukui (mostly Univ. of Fukui area) whom have been successfully placed with forever homes in the past three years

Feral Cats of Fukui / 福井の地域猫

Feral and hard stray/abandoned cats of Fukui (mostly Univ. of Fukui area) whom have been successfully placed with forever homes in the past three years:

PUSHKIN (female, grey and white)--now lives north of Fukui City.

MAYA GIRL (female, ginger and white)--now lives with a family (including a dog) in Tsuruga, Fukui-ken.

O'MALLEY (male, orange tabby)--now lives with a family near campus, that household also includes June (see below).

JUNE (female, calico)--now lives with O'Malley.

NANA (female, white calico)--now lives north of Fukui City (not that far from Pushkin actually).

PONGO (male, black and white)--now lives with a family near campus.

ELVIS (male, brown tabby, exotic longhair appearance)--now lives in Erie, PA, USA.

GRACIE (female, calico, longhair)--now lives with Elvis in Erie, PA, USA.

BABE (male, white with grey tabby)--former companion to Pongo, now lives with Elvis and Gracie in Erie, PA, USA.

SESAME (female, black and white)--now lives with a family in Mikuni, Fukui-ken.

EBI (female, brown, exotic longhair appearance)--now lives with a family in Kanto region.

BELLA (female, orange tabby)--now lives with a family in Fukui City.

LADY BABE (female, white with grey tabby)--now lives with a family north of Fukui City, not that far from Pushkin and Nana.

BIBI (female, grey tabby with white)--now lives with a person in Fukui City.

MICKEY (female, calico)--now lives with a family in Fukui City.

TOTO (male, black and white, tuxedo)--now lives with a family near campus, indoor-outdoor cat.

TONIO (male, white and grey tabby)--now lives with a family near campus, indoor-outdoor cat.

RICHIE (male, black)--now lives with the same family as Tonio, indoor-outdoor cat.

EMMA (female, grey-brown tabby with white)--now lives with a family just north of campus, indoor-outdoor cat.





GEORGE (male, orange-and-white tabby)--now lives with a family on the same street as Toto, and also near Tonio and Richie. 
 
Also:

LENNY (male, orange tabby)--was placed in AFN shelter in Niigata but they found a home for him.

Unfortunately:

MII-CHAN (female, grey tabby and white)--was placed with a family but she escaped and never came back (I looked for 6 months for her).

And:

BIGWIG (white and grey-brown tabby)--boss tom cat (now neutered), now retired to AFN shelter in Niigata.

DAISY (female, ginger tabby with white)--living at AFN shelter in Niigata.

And most sadly, these cats we were unable to rescue:

CARAMEL (male, orange and white)--deceased.

GWEN (female, calico)--deceased.

TIGER BOY (male, grey-brown tabby)--deceased.

SYLVESTER (male, black and white, tuxedo)--deceased.  

THE OUTDOOR CATS

THE OUTDOOR CATS

These four cats are the ones who are still outdoors. I have also sponsored other cats who are now being fed by families near the campus--that would include Toto, Tonio and Richie. And I have a cat with a foster home, Bibi. But these four cats all live outdoors and more or less depend on me. They are Willie, Sheba, Gus and Buddy.

WILLIE

 Willie is a cat who also goes to a house down the street to be fed, but spends most of his time near the tennis courts. I believe he is another son of Bootsie-mama. He seems to be blind in his right eye, and I would like to bring him inside soon, in hopes that he can fit into the space where Bootsie-mama, Pancho and Tiger Baby are (although I would keep them separate at first and introduce them in a careful way).  I estimate Willie to be the same age as Pancho--5 years.

SHEBA

Sheba is a 5 year old female (now spayed) and the 'boss' of the campus gang of cats (which is down to three permanent members--Sheba, Gus and Buddy--with occasional visitors, such as an orange-and-white male I call George). She is brother to Gus (she is a longhair black-and-white, while Gus is shorthair black-and-white) and she likes Buddy (a black cat) and has allowed him to join the 'gang'.

GUS

Gus is Sheba's brother, but his personality is quite different. Sheba allows me to pet and groom her (which she needs every year before it gets hot), but doesn't like being held. Gus loves to be held (so long as there are no other people around), and he is not 'bossy' like his sister. They are very closely bonded and even wait for each other at dinner time to come and eat. Gus is somewhat timid and disappears on the days when sports clubs are active in the area where he, Sheba and Buddy live. All three are feral cats, but are quite used to me and could adapt well to indoor living. I think the key is to keep them together, since they are so closely bonded. I would like to bring them inside soon.

BUDDY

Buddy is one year younger than Sheba and Gus, so he is probably 4 years old. He has a brother who is also all-black who lives near campus--Richie, who spends his time with his own gang, which includes Tonio and Toto. I have got all of these male cats fixed, and the two groups overlap because Richie comes to visit the campus cats, and Gus and Buddy often go to visit Richie (although Tonio doesn't like them so much). Buddy has bonded very closely with Sheba and Gus now and spends most of this time with them, helping them to hold the territory around the gym and swimming pool. Late last year they seemed to accept an orange-and-white, George, but George went somewhere else for the winter. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back this spring. He too has been neutered.   

Sheba, Gus, Buddy having mealtime together.

BOOTSIE-MAMA

BOOTSIE-MAMA

Bootsie-mama is probably the same age as Ragi-mama--7 years old, as they are sisters from the same litter. Ragi-mama stayed on campus and had several litters there. Bootsie-mama moved to a location just north of the main campus of the university, around its tennis courts, although she and her family would come onto campus looking for food. She is very wary of people, as one of her litters was killed by a man with a hoe--Tiger Baby survived, but three other kittens were killed. That is one reason why Tiger Baby is so special to me because he survived that time. Bootsie-mama is doing well in the sanctuary. She was at first easy to panic, but now she is very calm and is happy surrounded by her two sons, Pancho and Tiger Baby. She is confident enough to allow me to be very close when she eats. She has many places to hide in the sanctuary, and likes to spend a lot of time sleeping in high spots where she can also look out the window.    

PANCHO

PANCHO

Pancho is the son of Bootsie-mama and older brother of Tiger Baby (I call him Uncle Pancho). He is probably 5 years old. He is a true feral and very shy around people. He doesn't like me to touch him, but he does allow me to be close when he eats. He now spends his time in the sanctuary with Tiger Baby and Bootsie-mama. This is for the best, as they are safe and warm there. The neighborhood where this family of cats lived was hostile. Someone actually killed Bootsie-mama's kittens with a garden hoe, so this has helped to make all three of these cats very wary of people. But they trust me and Tiger Baby even plays with me and lets me pet him. Which is remarkable considering how much they have been through. It's nice to see them safe and happy in the sanctuary now. 

RAGI-MAMA

RAGI-MAMA

Ragi-mama is the mother of many of the campus cats. These include: Maya Girl, Tiger Boy, Gracie, Caramel, OB-kun, and Gwen. Unfortunately, Caramel and Gwen disappeared from campus and are presumed dead. Tiger Boy was struck and killed by a car just north of the campus. I believe Ragi-mama is the sister of Bootsie-mama (Tiger Baby's and Pancho's mother), and estimate both to be 7 years old. She now lives on the ground floor of my 'sanctuary' building, in the space behind where Shaun and OB live.   

TIGER BABY

TIGER BABY

Tiger Baby is the last-born son of Bootsie-mama. He is about 4 years old and completely feral, except for the fact that when he was a kitten living outside near my apartment house, I played with him. When the other cats were around, he would react the way they did, with fear. But when they weren't around, I could pet him and even pick him up and cuddle him. Which was always tempting to do, as he is so cute. He now lives indoors in my 'cat sanctuary', with his mother, Bootsie-mama and an older brother, Pancho, born in an earlier litter (before I got Bootsie-mama spayed)--I call Pancho 'Uncle Pancho' because that is how he interacts with Tiger Baby.  

This is a recent photo of Tiger Baby in the 'sanctuary', safe, dry and warm. He has his winter coat on and it makes him look larger and heavier, but he is not a large or heavy cat.

SHAUN

SHAUN

Someone dumped Shaun when he was a kitten and he hid on campus near where Ragi-mama was raising OB, Caramel, Maya Girl and Tiger Boy. So he ate their food until one day I noticed that he was not Caramel (Caramel was orange-and-white too).

So I call him their 'cousin'. He is about their age too--5 years. Like OB-kun, Shaun is fixed but has also tested FeLV+ (last year). Both OB and Shaun were in frequent fights with unfixed males who wandered on campus, so that is probably how they got this virus.

Like OB, he has no current FeLV symptoms and is a big cat in very good health. Shaun is a rogue and a charmer. For a complete feral, it is amazing how affectionate he is. He loves people so much. His nature is something like a puppy dog. 

ORANGE BLOSSOM (OB-KUN)

ORANGE BLOSSOM

(OB-KUN)

OB-kun is a classic 'orange tabby', about 5 years old. He has been fixed, but tested (last year) as FeLV+. He spent the first 4 years of his life outside, so this is not surprising. For a complete feral, he is actually very tame and friendly. He doesn't necessarily get along well with other male cats. OB was one our 'fighters' on campus. He lost his tail in a fight (so now looks like a 'bobtail'). He used to live very closely with his brother, Caramel (a lovely and very friendly orange-and-white male), but Caramel passed away two years ago. OB's sister, Maya Girl, is a successful adoption. His brother Tiger Boy, a lovely grey-brown tabby, was killed 4 years ago while living on campus, struck by a car when he wandered off campus a bit. So of that litter, OB and Maya Girl are the survivors. Their mother, Ragi-mama, a beautiful calico is also now living inside safely. 

SEBASTIEN

SEBASTIEN

He is a young male--maybe 3 years old, black-and-white. More white than black. His fur is medium long but a long medium long. He is fixed but tested FIV+. He enjoys overall good health. Sebastien lives in my office and is a wonderful companion cat. He gets along well with other cats, but older females might not like his friendliness. He is a rather large cat.

A three-level cardboard playhouse for the cats

Charles Jannuzi 
A three-level cardboard playhouse for the cats. Entrance/exit on opposing sides, top and bottom.

 

 

Sign the petition to get Frito-Lay to pull their offensive 'fan' ad for Doritos

Cat Galaxy Says Animal Cruelty Is No Comedy

http://www.catgalaxymedia.com/catfactor/?m=201202
http://www.catgalaxymedia.com/catfactor/?p=80

Cat Galaxy Says Animal Cruelty Is No Comedy

As the boycott against Frito Lay and PepsiCo continues, some that saw the Doritos commercial about a cat killing and found it amusing are telling those offended by it to lighten up or telling them “it’s just a joke.” Obviously, those crazy people thinking a commercial that clearly says that killing a cat is OK and is no big deal probably never have witnessed animal cruelty first hand. So, Cat Galaxy put together a video and posted it online to show that animal cruelty is no laughing matter.

The video called Animal Cruelty Is No Comedy shows a real case of animal cruelty which took place 3 years ago where a Mesa, AZ man tried to feed a 6 week old kitten to his snake. When the snake wouldn’t even bother the kitten, he then kicked her like a football until she died.
Cat Galaxy is hoping to the footage would make people realize that animal cruelty is real and that the Doritos commercial that aired during the big game sends the wrong message. It also asks those who laughed at the ad and see it as a joke to see if they still find the topic of animal abuse as funny.

After seeing the video will those who thought the commercial about a dog killing a cat is funny? We hope not.

You can find the video online at Cat Galaxy’s web site at www.catgalaxymedia.com.

JEARS FOOD DRIVE TO SUPPORT THE FUKUSHIMA RESCUES

Charles Jannuzi

Now that so many animals have been rescued, the need to take care of them and feed them didn't go away. JEARS has wisely arranged to be supplied from Costco Japan, where they are really making your donations go a long way. The strong yen combined with Costco pricing is really going to help the donations buy a lot of high quality dog and cat food.

http://jearsfundraiser.chipin.com/jears-food-drive

ChipIn: JEARS Food Drive

http://jearsfundraiser.chipin.com/jears-food-drive

Letter from Trixie

Hello dear Facebook friends,

This is Trixie here and I am sorry I look so sad in this picture. I have just heard some really bad news. Our food supplies at JEARS are running out very, very quickly and it doesn't sound like we have enough food to get us through February.

We are all very worried. Our caretakers are going to run a big pledge this week to see if we can raise enough money to keep both shelters in stock to get us through the winter.

We are going to team up with Costco as they have very nice quality food at very reasonable prices. Can you please help us?   A donation of $30 will buy a 40lb bag of dog food, $25 will buy a 20 lb bag of cat food and $15 will buy a 20lb bag of puppy food.

We are going to run the chip in for the next week and are setting a big goal of 1000 bags of food!! I am personally in charge of running the fundraiser and giving all of our dear supporters updates every day as to how many bags have been pledged. Please help me to make this a success so I don't get demoted (like Samu did hehe).

The chip in will also be available on the jears.net website so if you have friends who would like to help us but are not on Facebook they can make their pledge that way. Please share the link on your own Facebook pages so we can try and reach as many people as possible. It is hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since the terrible tragedy that hit us, and that so many of us are still without families. We could not have got through this past year without all of your love, support and generosity. We will never be able to thank you enough for the care and concern you have shown us but please know that in all of our furry hearts weare eternally grateful.

Love,

Trixie and The Animals