Wendy's Kittens: Part One

Going through the drive-thru at Wendy's one night, my step-mom noticed what appeared to be a "large rat." On closer inspection, it turned out to be a small cat! In fact, there were several kittens and mom-cats hanging out near a large rock.

There used to be a barn on the property the cats are congregating upon, so it's not a leap to wonder if these aren't remnants of those who used to live there. Who had kittens, of course.

I found out that there was someone feeding them in that area, so I went back to the Wendy's a few days later to acquire any information possible. I told the workers that if anyone had any relevant information for me about the caretaker, give me a call, because these cats need to be sterilized to prevent a population boom.

I walked around a little, wondering how I would contact the woman feeding the cats. I ended up calling T, who suggested leaving a note for the woman to find. So I did. (see picture) I got a call a couple of days later, but was too afraid to answer. (I have social issues, I know) The second time she called, I didn't hear it, but fortunately, she left a message. I remember thinking, "That's funny, she sounds like Mrs. L" but didn't ponder any further on it. I called her back the next day, and guess what? It was Mrs. L! I was actually very relieved, because talking to someone you don't know can be a little nerve-racking, especially dealing with crazy cat ladies. We all know that when someone is passionate about a particular topic, s/he tends to think of him/herself as an expert. And when that individual disagrees with your opinions, it can turn into a situation where nothing gets resolved.

But...

Mrs. L told me that there are five female adults and ten kittens. She mentioned that she had been trying to socialize the kittens, but what they really need is to be fostered for a couple of weeks before they go into "forever homes." T had said previously that she would use her garage to socialize the kittens, so I told Mrs. L that I would see if she was still interested, but unfortunately, she was not. I talked to Dr. R about having them boarded for a week, but he said it wasn't really our area in which we could help. I went through all my contacts, even posted on the Cat Lovers LJ community for suggestions. Luckily, KB just got back from vacation and said she would take two in at a time to help socialize them before they go into homes. I also met someone through LJ that said she would put the word out for volunteers.

All the while, I was trying to find out the contact information for the owner of the property so we could trap the cats and kittens to be sterilized. Dr. R is quite adamant that the property owners are in agreement with us going on their land for such a purpose. Something that makes complete sense to me. So I went to the town hall, pointed out the particular piece of land (after much difficulty, I must say. I can't read a map for the life of me), and was printed out a piece of paper with the address of the owner and a picture of the store that resides on the land.

The store is actually now empty, which explains why I didn't recognize it from the photo. I was able to find a phone number online, which led me to another branch, in Buffalo, I believe. Which gave me another number to contact the receptionist of the owner. Who was out of town, so I left a message. I went to visit the kittens again that night and noticed a sign in the front window with a phone number. I called, but hung up when it started making a funny noise. And called again, but was caught off guard by the answering machine - and I didn't know exactly what i wanted to say. I mulled it over, then called again. And was surprised when I man answered a bit groggily. Explained my business to him, who then informed me that he's in Italy, that it's two in the morning. Which made me feel quite awkward for calling him three times. Apologized profusely, but he was kind in not making me feel like a total ass. He gave me the email address of his sister to get permission from. But, though I emailed twice and wrote once, I got no answer.

To be continued... (With more info on socialization, permission from land owners, and possibly pictures. If I can figure it out...)