01/01/2023
We take this opportunity to wish you and yours a healthy and happy New Year.
Over the past 12 months CCMD has been in the background helping caretakers primarily with post-TNR cats. As there are several feral cat clinics currently available to residents, and as our clinics that started this movement are no longer in session, our energy has been directed to other facets of feral cat care. If you have ferals that need post TNR medical help, reach out to us and while our funds last, we will continue to assist.
January: Swirls, a previously TNRd kitty, was re-trapped by his caretaker, Ruth Canan, for a veterinary visit. He had skin issues, scabs across his body that caused his caretaker concern, and it had been several years since he had been updated for rabies. Our veterinarian determined his skin irritation was was likely a post flea infestation dermatitis and treated him with depomedrol (a steroid injection) and simultaneously updated his rabies vaccination while CCMD supplied the needed flea treatment. He went home, and after a short stay in his caretaker’s home for observation, was released back out to the colony.
January: Hunter, an extremely good looking classic brown tabby, showed up at Hans Ruppenthal’s established colony site in the City. Hans trapped him, but it was more like Hunter sauntered into the carrier, and CCMD helped by taking him to BARCS for a workup. Combo negative, not microchipped or neutered, we held him post-neutering for a temperament assessment and to see if anyone claimed him. This handsome boy turned out to be a lover, a once owned cat who found his way to a caretaker who was on the job. Renamed Hansel, Hans found him his “furever” home with Deb Cooley, her spouse and their two elderly dogs, where he would be cherished for the rest of his life. He certainly picked the right colony for a handout!
March through June: Mistoffelees’ caretaker Katie Heinemeyer, reached out to us for help once again. We had gotten this long haired black and white feral a dental in 2021. Now he was limping, and Katie was worried about his ability to stay out of trouble as he was flailing in his attempts to hop the 3.5’ chain link fence. She trapped him for several vet visits over the next few months, including x-rays and pain medications. Mistoffelees ultimately improved, but his condition was determined to be a chronic inflammatory one. Mistoffelees and his companions were all around 16 years old. Katie installed an outdoor cat enclosure with a ramp to her finished basement where the three feral ferals, Mistoffelees, Sissy and Tabs would take up permanent residency in her home, and where they had stayed throughout the winter using the cat door at their leisure. Mistoffelees and his friends Sissy and Tabs have a good life with her.
April: CCMD got a call from residents about a red tabby cat that had been hanging around a local grocery store. Employees had been feeding this cat at night. We went out with residents, trap in hand, to check out the site. This large red boy had zero interest in getting anywhere near our trap. He didn’t need to. He was being well fed by store employees. The situation did not look promising. We spoke with nigh shift personnel, gave them a phone number, and asked to keep in touch. Several days later we got the call. Shoppers had picked up the cat and wanted to speak with us. We drove to the site, microchip reader in hand, to assess the cat. He was chipped and things looked promising, or so we thought. When we got through to his “owner” we learned “Harley” as she called him, had gotten out of her home three months previously, and she had never searched for him. She assumed “someone had picked him up and adopted him”. She ultimately signed him over to us and this beautiful red tabby hit the “Furever” home jackpot. He was renamed “Oscar” and adopted by Robin Kantor, where he would be the center of attention in the lives of two adoring humans (and their two elderly canines). This was his lucky day/his lucky year!
May: Cinnamon, and elderly feral from the Baltimore City Station North colony was showing signs of age. He was slowing down and just wasn’t keeping up with his colony mates. We had him examined with blood work and found he had a heart condition. Caretaker was not going to take him to a cardiac care center for further diagnostics. It would have been too stressful not to mention pricey. CCMD took care of initial medical workup, but this specialty workup was beyond our ability. Cinnamon was updated on vaccines and seems to be holding his own with his 11 mates. They have a large electrically heated wooden building (seen in the attached photographs) about 9 X 9 and 7 feet tall, with shelves, beds galore, a cat door, food, water, and litter pans and are cared for twice a day. This is a nice setup for a group of 12 elderly downtown Baltimore City cats.
May through August: We helped a most dedicated caretaker and former CCMD clinic volunteer Diane Brocato with Faith. You may remember her from 2021, the lovely long haired elderly kitty we helped with a dental. She had gone so long without that good dental that other deteriorations in her system were inevitable. By May of 2022, her mouth, although without any teeth, was inflamed once more. We sent her for treatment several times over the following months, and by August 30, 2022, her caretaker said goodbye. Faith had been adored by her caretaker, but at this point, there was nothing more any of us could do for her.
June through November: In June we helped Nube, a friend of Cinnamon from Station North, with an exam and rabies update. In August, we assisted Caramell, Jean and Munchkin, all friends of Nube with the same medical care. By November, friends Pimlico, Tank, Puma, Bubby, Maria, Janice, and Chester also went to our vet for these updates. These exams and updates were done as the colony cats had not been vetted since going through the CCMD TNR program and the caretaker was moving. She needed to get everyone’s paperwork, vaccination status, up to date for the move with her to their new home.
June through August: In June we helped Hans Ruppenthal again, this time with Bobby, a domestic short hair black and white boy who showed up at his colony site. That Baltimore City site seems to be a popular place for lost cats to congregate. After all the area is secure and there is a human passing out food. Bobby was reticent about getting near any of the colony cats, whereas Hunter had no such problem. While he stayed 15 to 20 feet away from the regulars, he was eventually trapped and taken to BARCS for the standard TNR treatment, with an additional combo test and microchip insertion. You see, we thought he might be a friendly. Bobby also had skin issues and we followed up with visits to our own vet. We did hold him for the caretaker, and he was friendly, with a bit of a twist. He did not feel comfortable around other cats, to the point where he would go after them. If he was alone with you, he was a dream house cat, attentive, playful, and loving. Put another cat in that space and all hell would break loose. The skirmishes got so frequent that we reached out to Baltimore City Animal Control for assistance. They picked him up, he was evaluated by BARCS and determined to be the attentive, playful loving cat we had seen, when he was alone. They held him and adopted him out to a family without other animals.
August: We helped Ruth Canan, a dedicated City caretaker, with her elderly feral boy who had been through so much pass over the rainbow bridge. In 2014, when she brought Sam to the CCMD clinic, it was clear that he had a problem. His nasal passaged were damaged/deteriorated and he was positive for FIV which meant he could have immunity issues. Sam suffered with persistent upper respiratory issues, and constant nasal drainage and was treated throughout the years to ameliorate this condition. The caretaker’s persistence had paid off and he was symptom free for a few good years. But by 2022, the sniffles came back, he had eye issues and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. It was time to say goodbye to this 16- to 19-year-old feral. Ruth made the difficult decision we helped her take care of Sam.
September: An Essex caretaker told us about a feral she had recently neutered. Charlie was an extremely aggressive feral who the caretaker feared was blind. She wasn’t sure what to do with him, put him back in the colony or something else? We offered to have him seen by our vet for an evaluation. Unfortunately, there was a “mix-up” in the instructions. Instead of bringing him to our vet in a trap, as is the standard policy for feral cats, she brought him in a cat carrier, and she did not bring the paperwork showing he had been vaccinated. When the techs opened the cat carrier, he blasted out, trashing the veterinary exam room and biting one of the veterinary technicians who tried to restrain him. This was not the scenario we expect from our caretakers. Traps are mandatory, and paperwork is as well (if it exists). Bringing the cat in a trap makes it clear that this cat needs special accommodations. The technician needed to go to the hospital for rabies shots, and the ultimate medical evaluation showed that although Charlie’s vision was a bit limited, he was not blind. He went right for the tech. Ouch.
November: A new cat showed up at Ruth Canan’s City colony. She named him Angel and trapped him for evaluation. We had him seen at our vet as Ruth wasn’t sure about his status. This beautiful long haired blue and white boy was Combo negative, friendly and un-neutered. Ruth has hopes that she can find a home for him, so he won’t have to live on the street. He will be neutered at BARCS shortly.
