I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

I know that I have been really quiet on here, even though I said that I was ready to get back to blogging. There’s a reason behind it, and if you follow me on Instagram, you have probably already guessed it.

Upon moving to the island of Okinawa, I soon realized that the island is overrun with feral and stray cats. You can’t go outside your house without seeing at least one cat wandering around, and that’s a good day. On my first trip out of quarantine after we arrived, I went to a local convenient store and was greeted by not one but two cats. One looked like she’d just given birth and the other looked ready to pop. Both looked like kittens themselves. Since I didn’t even have a house yet (I was staying in temporary lodging), I couldn’t do anything about it other than love on them. It’s like that everywhere you go on the island, though. There’s even a location that’s along the beach that is known for being the dumping grounds of animals when military members leave the island and don’t take their pets with them. I haven’t been yet because I’m still focusing on my immediate area. However, I’ve seen photos of the colonies of cats scarfing down food that people toss them and it’s just so sad.

So, needless to say, I’ve decided that in the handful of years that I will be here, I’m going to make it my mission to help as many animals as I can. In the 3 months that I’ve been here, I have already helped seven cats. I take them in, get them medical attention, get them fixed (if old enough) and then either find a home for them, or release them back to their area if they are really feral. The Mr. and I even built a catio for the cats to hang out in while they get medical care and spayed/neutered. I wish I could bring them all inside, but I have two cats of my own that were not a fan of the few cats that came into the house while they recovered. They are much happier now that the catio is built and they no longer have unwanted guests staying in a room upstairs.

Kazu (white cat) was the first cat that I caught. He was in really rough shape when he showed up to our house. It looked like he’d gotten into a fight and lost poorly (swollen face, couldn’t open one of his eyes, and had a gash on his side). So I caught him (Pitbulls & Parolees style), brought him inside, got him to a vet, and a week later got him neutered. However, we soon learned that Kazu was not only deaf, but had a diaphragmatic hernia and couldn’t be released back outside. I had a home lined up for him and decided to take him to the vet before the adoption to get the hernia checked out. Turned out he needed emergency surgery. While he survived the surgery, sadly, he passed away in the night. That was a really hard loss for me, but his passing pushed me to help the babies out here before they get to that point. 😞

Jesse (black kitten) was actually brought to me the night I found out that Kazu had passed away at the vet’s office. Someone had found this kitten, but had a cat aggressive dog and couldn’t hold onto her. So they brought her to my house and I got her medical attention. Turned out she was covered in lice and had the flu, hence the shaved cat look. The person that was going to adopt Kazu, decided to give Jessie a home. She’s currently going by the name Lucy-fur and is being spoiled rotten.

Pipsqueak (orange & white) was actually the first cat that started showing up to the house when we got here. He has the squeakiest of meows and looks like he was the runt of the litter, hence the name. He seemed to be unsure of whether he was friendly or skittish. So, I took advantage of his friendly moment, put his breakfast in the catio and did the most easiest catch ever. He wound up being very friendly and a huge cuddle bug. I got him neutered and he’s back to living the life outside… on our back porch. Apparently, he has adopted us and has made our patio his safe space. It probably doesn’t hurt that he gets two big meals a day, a safe place to lay his head, and all the cuddles he could ask for.

Mama and babies (bottom photos) were the latest rescues. The location they were at, they were going to be captured and brought to a facility where they do gas chamber euthanasia. So, a friend and I went out and caught them. The mama was pretty easy. My friend was there before I got there and she caught the mom in a trap. However, the kittens were another story. They were hidden away in a storm drain system that had 4 different connections that the kittens could run to. It just so happened that they ran to the connection that a bush was growing into so it was heavily dense with roots and I couldn’t get to them. So… we waited a lot time for the babies to get curious and wander out. Let me tell you, kittens are cute and all, but those lil guys were ferocious. They ripped through my gloves and left marks on my hands with their teeth. Since I had Pip at the time, my friend took the mama and babies home and has been caring for them. She has a TNR appointment for the mama since she’s feral, but she’s trying to line up homes for the babies.

So yeah, when I say I have been busy, I have been busy. However, I am very fortunate to have a lot of people support me in my mission to do as much work with these cats as I can while  we are here. A friend of mine made me this image to share (because I’m awful with that kind of stuff). I’ve also had people donate supplies like bowls and litter boxes for the cats that I am fostering. So, I’m thankful that there are others out there who want to help these babies as much as I do. <3

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