Happy Mother’s Day to all our readers! We hope you’re all enjoying family time on this day.
Our Mother’s Day story for today comes from a shelter in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where a four-day-old sphynx kitten was brought after her mother rejected her and her litter mates. The others died but little Cleopatra clung to life as staff at the Helen Woodward Animal Center nursed her back to health.
Six days later the shelter welcomed a heavily pregnant stray they called Ballerina, and three days after that, Ballerina gave birth to a litter of three.
Ballerina is an “extremely affectionate” mother, so staff thought there was a good chance she’d look after Cleopatra. Within minutes of meeting, the mom cat “adopted” the orphan kitten. Photos show the little sphynx kitten nursing from her new mom alongside her furry siblings.
Ballerina “didn’t just take to her, she fell in love with her,” shelter foster supervisor Erin Schmitt said.
“Animals are amazing,” Schmitt said. “It’s as though Ballerina sensed a need in Cleo and decided to not only provide her nourishment but provide her all the love she’d been missing.”
Ballerina and her litter will be available for adoption soon. We hope she gets taken into a new home with at least some her babies. Anyone in the San Diego area interested in adopting can find adoption applications here, or call (858)756-4117.
Bad call, dude
The top law enforcement official in Licking County, Ohio, proposed “a feral cat season” to help control the number of free-running cats in the county of almost 177,000 people.
Bill Hayes, the county prosecutor, offered the “solution” during a forum for county commissioner candidates. Hayes, who was previously a lawmaker in Ohio’s state legislature, is challenging the Republican incumbent for the executive role.
While his opponent recommended trap, neuter, return programs and cooperation with local shelters, Hayes thinks shooting cats is a viable way to deal with the approximately 130 cat colonies spread out over the almost 700-square-mile county in central Ohio.
“This won’t be very popular,” Hayes conceded. “We have a squirrel season, various seasons. It would seem to me if you’ve got an animal that’s not a pet for anybody, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make the situation better.
“A feral cat season if you need to. You gotta do what you gotta do.”
Staff at the county’s Humane Society pointed out that harming cats is illegal in Ohio.
“We encourage Prosecutor Hayes to review the Ohio Revised Code sections regarding animal cruelty,” the Licking County Humane Society wrote in a statement. “Feral and homeless cats are living beings and they deserve humane solutions to their overpopulation problem.”
The reaction to Hayes’ comments was swift and condemnatory, Licking County Humane Society Director Lori Carlson told the local newspaper, the Newark Advocate.
“I think the community was pretty stunned by his comments,” Carlson said. “People are very passionate about animals in our area and that is not a humane solution.”
Hayes apologized to the community and said his “words were poorly chosen. I know we can’t go around shooting cats.”
“My solution was not a good one,” he said, “not even feasible.”
Pain In The Bud 
The sphynx kitten is beyond adorable! The politician is a piece of human-shaped garbage. Fortunately he doesn’t seem to have many supporters.
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Wonderful story! That kitty is going to have a nice life!
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I’m generally not big on sphynxes, but Cleo really is cute. I asked Bud if he’s as wrinkly underneath his fur, and he assured me he is not, mostly because of his huge muscles.
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My cats aren’t nearly as muscular as Buddy (i.e. flabby and fat), and whenever their fur is shaved the wrinkles are visible. So are the spots corresponding to their fur colors, which makes for a hilarious look esp. on the tuxedos! I’ll bet Buddy is ripped under his lush pelt! 🙂
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lol. Now you have me wondering if he’s got subtle tabby stripes under his fur. So tuxedos are tuxedos even without their fur?
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Ballerina probably was saying to herself, “Oh, this poor baby was born without a coat, so I have to take extra care of her.”
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Sounds like the most likely explanation!
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Mee-yow wow!! Ballerina iss such a sweet Meowmy to ‘dopt little Cleopatra! Wee love storiess like this! Wee wish them an tHE other Kittss all THE best.
BIG ****HI$$ESS**** to Mistur Bill Hayess! How ’bout wee have a ‘huntin seeson’ fore stew-pid moron Hu’manss who want to kill deefenceless 4 leggedss?
Sorry Buddy an Big Buddy butt this iss pawfull on efurry level.
Mee was a semi-feral…..thinkin sum Hu’man cuud point an aim an shoot mee dead beecause mee cuud NOT get innto mee home at THE time makess mee dizzy with sadness….
Say Big Buddy seein as yore both Meowmy an PawPaw to Buddy Happy Meowmy-PawPaw’ss Day to you 😉
**purrss** BellaDharma an ((hugss)) BellaSita Mum
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I grew up in Licking County; though it’s not prosperous, people have good hearts. I’m ashamed of Bill Hayes and assure you he’s not representative. BTW Licking County still had bobcats last I knew, and shooting them would be an additional injustice.
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Bill Hayes ought to be ashamed of himself! He should also know better than to even suggest something that’s obviously against the law, but people will say anything to get elected.
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He’s the equivalent of a district attorney and he’s a former lawmaker, which makes it even more bizarre that he didn’t know the law and thought he could just declare “cat season” for hunters.
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I doubt there’s any kind of poll data available for a county commissioner primary race (there isn’t public poll data even for most congressional races these days), but I can’t imagine Hayes did himself any favors with that idea. As the local newspaper noted, the community wasn’t happy with what he said.
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The community is better off without his service.
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Yeah it would piss off lots of animal lovers not how to handle things
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Yes,the tuxedo pattern is visible on the skin. Not sure about tabby stripes but tigers do have striped skin. Since Buddy is very similar to tigers in appearance and ferocity his skin may be striped, too!
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I don’t care if that person took his submoronic comment back. It still came out of his mouth!! As we’ve seen in past political forums, once a completely stupid thing comes out of a person’s mouth, someone who’s IQ is even lower, heard it & now will think it’s hunting season for feral cat’s. This kind of thing just gets me twisted. Words can be sadly be taken back but there’s always one a*hole who will think it was a great idea & act on it.
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You’re right. A magazine (Field and Stream, IIRC) wrote about it and endorsed the idea of cat hunting season.
Poor stray and feral cats. They have such tough lives, and they don’t know if people are kind or if they’re going to do something awful to them.
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It’s awful & to be the target of violence & it just hurts me. I can’t help but being able to shake that feeling.
Your older blog post about cat abuse & future criminal abuse was also one that stuck with me. This has actually been common knowledge forever yet if we look at the USA as far as animal cruelty laws we’re so far down on the food chain it’s horrible.
I was proud for two & half minutes when NYS declared that the declawing of cats was inhumane but it’s just not enough.
Our farming practices are heinous. Our laws are lenient & are in no way enough to curtail animal abuse so it continues…
It’s just a feeling of helplessness that I’m feeling. I mean Buddy & Oreo have it so good but what of all the others? For what it’s worth your blog is pretty amazing & shines a light on how things should be & for that & for you & the Buddy I am sincerely grateful.
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