Old Cat Lady.
An observation:
If I were to decide that my niche is OLD CATS… that would make me the OLD CAT LADY.
And perhaps, then finally, I might FULFILL MY DESTINY.
Conveniently, I already have the perfect outfit:
FANNY PACK
SHIRT WITH CATS
It’s like I was born ready.
I’ve taken (in succession, not simultaneously) four adult cats; two of whom were waiting at the shelter OVER SEVEN MONTHS.
Can you imagine sitting in a box, in a room with no windows, FOR SEVEN MONTHS?
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
The three below GOT ADOPTED!!
(the fourth is hiding at my feet, under the desk as I type!)



It’s easy to overlook the adults at the shelter, in favor of ERMAGAWD SQEEE DA FWUFFY FWUFF PANTS… but the shelter is not overrun with munchkins (yet) AND my life is going through one of those all-you-can-eat-stress-buffets where you are just COUNTING THE WEEKS UNTIL IT CAN BE OVER.
So I gave my task-list a break and took some adults. And I have to say that fostering adult shelter cats is ZERO work, in comparison to the kittenmonsterbabiesofdeliciousness who somehow REQUIRE ALL OF YOUR BRAIN ATTENTION BECAUSE KITTENS.
We also had a new scruffy stray grey guy show up at our house; he is SO good-natured!
Considering his age and obvious/long/adult life as a tomcat, (adult, un-neutered males develop a distinctive head and thicker body), not to mention a face full of scars! I’m certain he is VERY USED to roaming; I assume we are close to whatever territory he lived in before he showed up here.
So I don’t think getting him adopted somewhere else is the best solution for HIM… and he has already settled right in with my other full-time porch-cat.
I got him fixed, but not his ear tipped, because as soon as he sees me, he RUNS to me calling– hello! hello! There is no doubt that he is definitely mine now! I have been inviting him in, and he will come in just to the doorway, so we will see if he wants to have an inside home by next winter.
Also for what it’s worth, our porch is not a horrible place to live! Here is the index of our porch renovation… or here is the finished/after.
Also, the staff here makes the porch cats shelters with heated mats that are heavy-duty design for use outside.
BUT! So MANY stray animals DON’T have an old cat lady’s porch to live on with heated mats!! They brave freezing weather, lack of food, and very short and hard lives… PLEASE HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF HOW IMPORTANT SPAY AND NEUTER IS!
On top of that, almost ALL of the kittens who are euthanized at shelters are born to the stray, feral, and other unfixed cats who live outside in our neighborhoods… TNR prevents the suffering of kittens born to a very hard life!!
If you love animals, please get involved with TNR programs!
Trap. Neuter. Return.
If there isn’t one near you, BE THE PERSON WHO STARTS ONE.
Don’t JUST be an animal lover!
Be an INVOLVED animal lover!

I just did these two boys!!
I caught BOTH of them in one cage! Had them fixed and their ears tipped and sent them back to their clan… who will keep me busy for the next however-long-to-catch-them-all.
Because AN OLD CAT LADY’S WORK IS NEVER DONE.
We’re like The Knights of the Round Table, but with pajama pants and oversized handbags.
❤🐾💕amo feles pavitant finguntque 🌱🐯🐒
April 9, 2018 @ 10:45 am
Thank you.
April 9, 2018 @ 10:47 am
I love all your magnificent beasties, especially your handsome grey lad; he reminds me of one of my own late lamented boys. I loved him so. I’m glad your boy found you!
You’re doing a wonderful job with your fostering, and thanks for your work with TNR, to.
April 9, 2018 @ 10:49 am
The Princess picture?
F A B U L O U S!
Well, I love them all!
April 9, 2018 @ 10:51 am
Love this! We were left with two pregnant momma kitties when we bought our farm 12 years ago. All babies, (and eventually the mommas) were caught, spayed/neutered and are all still with us. We feed them good quality cat food and in return we have zero mice and snakes. A small price to pay, and that comes with furry cuteness and no vermin.
April 9, 2018 @ 10:58 am
I’ve always been an animal lover and definitely always have had our cats and dogs neutered. Your dedication is inspiring. I’m embarrassed to say I never thought of catching a cat and neutering it and then letting it go. Please tell me, what does “tipping the ear” do? Or is that an identification of a neutered animal? I just hadn’t heard of that before? Thanks for your good information.
April 9, 2018 @ 11:05 am
My fault! That’s a great question!! The vet marks a fixed cat’s ear by taking the tip off… not great, but the lesser of two evils, which would be never knowing who is fixed and who is not! This way, you can see at a glance if you have caught someone who has already been fixed!
here is a quick overview on TNR! https://www.alleycat.org/resources/trap-neuter-return-for-community-cats-the-basics/
XOXO!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:06 am
I just love you!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:08 am
hang in there VEB,Spring is on its’ way and there will be Dalias! We had such a sad experience with our feral cat of many years. She had just started coming indoors with the cold of January-braving a 175 lb rottweiler,very tense acclimation period but worked out surprisingly well in a short time. GreyC showed up with a lump behind her ear that according to web was probably an infected wound. We managed to get some triple antibiotic cream and neosporin on it but kept growing larger. I did not believe I could ever get her to a Vet-just way too suspicious and skittish,however it became so invasive to her eye that I and my adult son managed to get her into a carrier and to the Vet. The growth was-sadly cancer and after sedating her and xrays the vet said she would treat it if treatable and euthanize her if not. So GreyC was at least relieved of her pain. My point in relating this is.. FYI -feral cats can be handled and treated even though it seems impossible. I find myself looking outside for her every day…RIP GreyC. We loved you.
h
April 9, 2018 @ 11:11 am
What attractive cats. I particularly like the picture of the cat entwined with the gilded mirror – I love a cat that appreciates GFTs. Happy Monday, xAllie http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
June 21, 2018 @ 6:29 pm
Dobra dan from Zagreb, Croatia, where I’m at the end of a vacation! Part of the trip involved 3 days in Kotor, Montenegro, where the unofficial symbol is the cat. There are cats here, there, and everywhere in Kotor. Stores full of cat chachkies. A Cat Museum. Cats on sidewalks, porches, benches, walls, tabls, windowsills…. CATS EVERWHERE!!
I knew this would be a difficult city for me to visit, and made up my mind in advance that I would hook up with a spay/neuter group (TNR? non-T NR? low income NR? made no difference), donate my chachki, gift, and souvenir money for the trip, offer support for the future. Hoped to be a decent tourist, and not just to feed the cats.
Guess what I discovered? THERE ARE NO SPAY & NEUTER GROUPS IN KOTOR, MONTENEGRO, OR ANYWHERE AROUND THERE. NOWHERE TO DONATE MONEY. NADA. NOTHING. Except lots of pregnant and nursing female cats. And lots of kittens. LOTS OF KITTENS. MIND-BOGGLING NUMBERS OF KITTENS.
I found ONE certified, real-deal cat lady who, in addition to feeding, is actually taking cats to be spayed and neutered. She gave me the name of the vet who does them relatively low-cost for her, and loaned me a carrier so I could round up a friendly little unneutered male where I was staying.
Since I was leaving town, the sisters who managed the house where we stayed agreed to take the little guy in for the neuter, (plus shots, flea treatment, etc.), talk to their vet about also doing low cost spays and neuters, and set up a system where by donations could be safely accepted and applied to spay/neuter surgeries.
I learned alot from the sisters. Caring for the community cats is strictly frowned on locally. Corruption is rampant. There are very few vets in the area….
But one had lived abroad for many years, and worked with a spay/neuter group. She was a wealth of information. And so it goes: one cat neutered; surgery prices arranged; another cat lady hoping to spay/neuter identified. Some TNR basics to build on.
I gave my husband (who stayed home caring for our critters) an anniversary gift I know he loved: pictures of little “our” little Luka before and after surgery, and the promise that he would not be traveling home with me.
I’d like to challenge all of VEB’s devoted followers to make a local spay/neuter program a part of any vacation they take!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:21 am
OMG…..I just got “Bermuda” TRIANGLE…
April 9, 2018 @ 11:21 am
I could not love you more or be more proud of you if I had given birth to you myself! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do for these sweet animals! I love the seniors, too…..!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:24 am
We adopted 2 brothers from the shelter last summer. They are 11yrs old. They transitioned so easily into our home & family, that it feels like we’ve had them for years. They are the sweetest kitties and we couldn’t have made a better choice!!!!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:28 am
Hooray! And thank you.
April 9, 2018 @ 11:28 am
Please! Please! Please! Cats are killers and are wreaking havoc on our songbird population. I am not saying ban cats or poison feral cats. They are awesome house pets, but belong in the house. Otherwise they are an invasive, predatory specie. We can get rid of feral cats with catch, neuter and release programs (like you’ve mentioned here) and by neutering our pets but right now, if we could just start keeping our sweet, fluffy, invasive little killers inside.
It’s not just gross when they “bring you a gift”, it’s destructive.
April 9, 2018 @ 2:34 pm
Education. Please read:
https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/health/cats-chicago-rat-patrol/index.html
http://www.saveacat.org/debunking-the-myths-and-misinformation-cat-predation.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/02/03/170851048/do-we-really-know-that-cats-kill-by-the-billions-not-so-fast
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/07/12/working-cats/103275816/
April 9, 2018 @ 11:29 am
My cat is so skittish that there’s no way I can consider bringing in another cat. He seems to be fond of me, sometimes now, and even has begun to tolerate other people, but any sudden noise puts him on full alert, even if it’s a sound he hears all the time. Alas. I’d love to foster kitties! And yes, kittens are cute but demanding! Boy, I do love you.
April 9, 2018 @ 11:39 am
Big Head Ted, Miss Fry, Chip, Weasel, Russell, Fancy, Brad.
These are my formerly ferals. One by one they came…and stayed. (However Miss Fry was a foster and she stayed too long for me to be able to say goodbye)
They are all now members of a new and carefree tribe (a spayed and neutered one). A close knit tribe with all the food, water …and smooching …they want.
They have their own barn where they pass the daytime hours in sunny slumber, should they desire, and they have my home in which to spend their nights …in a sizable and snoring furry cat lump on my leather furniture. …Beautiful furniture i would love to look at …but alas, it is covered with cat blankets.
How could i ask them to lay on slick cool leather i say to you?
It is a delightful feeling to know i can offer a permanent home so they need wander no more.
They are the lucky ones…and so am i.
April 9, 2018 @ 11:52 am
Thank you. Too often the adult cats are overlooked. We just adopted a 2 year old cat (2 isn’t even old!) who had sat in the shelter for a YEAR because he wasn’t a kitten. He’s the friendliest guy you’ll ever meet, and like you said, adult cats are zero work compared to kittens!
April 9, 2018 @ 11:54 am
“We’re like The Knights of the Round Table, but with pajama pants and oversized handbags.”
Possibly the best quote ever 🙂
April 9, 2018 @ 11:56 am
I’m an old lady who loves old cats AND old dogs. My oldest kitty is beautiful Blossom, adopted at 15 and now approaching 24 years. Seniors are THE BEST. Babies are cute and funny but seniors know the score, enjoy the creature comforts offered and show their acceptance of the human providing them with purrs and head-butts. Welcome to the Old Cat Lady Club. We are a blessed bunch!
April 9, 2018 @ 12:00 pm
Been doing TNR in my New Orleans neighborhood for a year or so now. Finally trapped the guy I named Harvey Weinstein (for obvious reasons!) and got him neutered -you’re welcome every female kitty in a 10 block radius!
It’s a never ending process here but it’s so worth it to know these babies will not keep having more babies. As I tell the gals that I catch- This is a feline version of being pro- choice. It’s my choice for you to have a better life.
I have a front porch kitty or 3 as well! Main one is sister to my 2 feral back porch kitties who seem to have banned her from their club.
Keep up your efforts in PA!
April 9, 2018 @ 12:01 pm
Where can you get heated mats? I am not familiar with them. Good job with taking care of all those kitties!
April 9, 2018 @ 12:21 pm
I’ve used this brand for years. You can get them on-line, at a farm supply store, or some pet stores.
https://www.khpet.com/lectro-soft-outdoor-heated-bed.html
April 9, 2018 @ 2:40 pm
For weatherproof outdoor SAFE heat, look for livestock heat pads – usually they are pig heat pads or sometimes you’ll see them for chickens or actually for cats/dogs. I have this one, have had it for well over 10 years and it still works perfectly: http://www.barnworld.com/cattle-guards/?product_link=5F0FE792-A31D-4F43-8625-02FEE2574E12
Google pig heat pad or something similar!
Here’s one for dogs:
https://www.chewy.com/kh-pet-products-original-lectro/dp/54425?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=K%26H%20Pet%20Products&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItp3M3-qt2gIVGIGzCh2pbQhWEAQYAiABEgIAD_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds