This is an update to our situation as described in The End of Our Feral Colony.
First, I owe this community a huge debt of gratitude. You were part of an effort to provide us with the financial means to rescue our outdoor colony of some 35 cats, many of whom are 10 years old or older. We haven’t reached our goal of $5000 on GoFundMe yet, but we’re a hell of a lot closer than I thought we’d ever get. That will allow us to find a suitable place and transport the cats. It’s a huge relief to know that we are going to actually be able to do that. Especially since I now want to cat-fence anywhere we go, not just to keep our guys from roaming the new neighborhood, but also to keep the neighborhood dogs and roaming coyotes out.
Now for the news, which is generally good, thank God, Goddess, Bast, Ceiling Cat and who/whatever else is out there:
- My wife went to the rezoning meeting tonight. I tend to write about her like she’s a cross between Joan of Arc, Xena and Shiva, God(dess) of Destruction, but she is a very emotional person, too. She was terrific at the meeting. She stood up with strength and passion, told the zoning committee exactly what was going on, and neither broke into tears or slapped someone silly. The committee was not pleased that we had not been given the legal 60 days’ notice. One of the members is a cat person, and said she was not going to let anything go forward until she knows our cats are safe.
- She met the developer who is going to have this house bulldozed. Turns out he is a) a decent human being, and b) an animal lover. Who woulda thunk it? She spoke with him during the meeting. He agreed to give us until the end of May to move, and in return for that commitment (on the record, including being electronically recorded), she dropped our objection to the rezoning. He also says he will take some of the outside cats to his 30-acre farm in Pender County, where they can live in his barn, chase mice, and be cared for with the other “barn cats” he has. He got emotional outside the chamber, and teared up while promising he would do everything he could to keep those cats happy and safe.
- Her boss's husband is a former bank loan officer, and he wants to help us find a way to do “unconventional financing” to actually buy a house instead of having to rent. We’ve also talked to several realtors and people who rent who are solidly committed to helping us find somewhere for us and the indoor/outdoor guys.
- Our contact through one of the local cat organizations has found a cat sanctuary, again in Pender County, who will take 8-10 of our outdoor guys.
There’s still a lot up in the air, and so far there’s been a hell of a lot more talk than actual action, but considering we’ve known about this for less than two weeks, I consider this progress. My wife is positively radiant; she’s talking with a very good friend on the phone, and I just heard her describe herself as “slaphappy” with relief.
I give so much credit to you guys. Not just for the financial support, but for the tremendous positive energy, light and love you have showered on my family (two-legged and four-legged). That’s been a huge help, and I know it will continue to sustain us until we get everyone happily ensconced in all of our new forever home(s).
Thank you.