how do you do it?

[Lotte]

Hi again everyone -- My experience with Mr. X the Mystery Cat has put
me in touch with quite a few animal rescue people, most of whom seem
to have many many animals in their care. I find myself wondering how
on earth you manage? I mean, I have four cats and am at my absolute
limit of the number of critters I can care for, yet I read about
people who have 20, 30, even hundreds. I am awed by the obvious
committment taken on by these folks. How is it possible,
logistically? Do most of you with many animals have jobs, or is
rescuing a full-time thing? How do you keep so many animals -- do you
have pens, kennels, etc? How on earth do you pay your vet bills? I
just find myself curious about the logistics. I know a couple of
people who do animal rescue, one of whom has over 20 cats, and she has
built an enclosure for them, and of course she is a full-time rescuer.
I run my own professional practice, so that accounts for quite a lot
of my time, but I'm sure there are rescuers out there who also have
full-time jobs... how do you do it? I'd love to hear your stories. --
Lotte

[GFCARRERA]

(Lotte) wrote in message >...
> Hi again everyone -- My experience with Mr. X the Mystery Cat has put
> me in touch with quite a few animal rescue people, most of whom seem
> to have many many animals in their care. I find myself wondering how
> on earth you manage?

I have more than 4 (actually a few more than 4!), but less than 20.
They are all rescue cases and all indoor. In my backyard I did build
an enclosure which is about the size of a room so when the weather is
nice and I am home they go out. Unfortunately, in Pacifica
(California) where I am, the weather is seldom nice.

As far as keeping the house clean, I must say that's an endless task.
You really have to keep on top of it. Whereas most people clean once
a week, I spend about 3 hours cleaning every weekday and usually most
of the day on Saturday or Sunday. I dare to say that my house is
cleaner than some houses that have no pets. In fact, I am a bit of a
maniac when it comes to cleaning. When I don't clean, I have a full
time job with a split shift. I teach in the morning and in the
evening so I have the afternoons free , but that means that in the
evening, when most people are home watching TV, I am working.


Buying food and litter is really not that expensive. What gets you is
the vet bills. You need to find a vet who is sympathetici to the
plight of stray animals and who is willing to help you. Most vets
give you a break if they know that you do rescue work. However, it's
still expensive! Some cats are very healthy, but some are money pits.
My cat Nicolino who died at the age of 13 cost me about $8,000 in the
course of his life, but he was worthed every penny and I'd do it
again. How do I do it? I seldom go on vacation, and I don't spend a
lot of money on myself. Not having any children is a big help. If I
had kids, I don't think I could do what I do now with cats.

Living in a house is also a big help. I have two bedrooms upstairs
one of which is my "cat room". In this room I have a day bed and cat
trees, cat beds, cat toys and a door that goes to the attic...the cats
love to hide in the attic. I cleaned it out and made it into a
little cat "hidaway". IT's really interesting to see that they each
have their own roaming area within the house. There are some cats who
never come downstairs and there are some who never go upstairs.

Saving animals is very rewarding, but it's not an easy life. Not only
it's tiring and expensive, but it's emotionally painful. You end up
living your life in pain when you see what goes on in the animal
world. You give up a lot, but once you get involved with rescuing
animals, you can't go back.

I try to have a life besides trapping, recuperating, feeding colonies
(I've been doing that for 18 years now), cleaning etc. I try to visit
friends, go to the movies, go out to dinner, but there are people
whose life is completely dedicated to animals. I admire them a great
deal.

bye
GFC