2007 Blog-A-Thon: Feral, Not Homeless

Post Forty-Nine: The Final Hurrah

2007-07-29T08:56:00.001-04:00

And so, this is the end of my stint in the 2007 Blog-A-Thon. Let me recap a bit to those who have somehow missed it, or at least summarize the obvious: I'm blogging in memory of our Fonzie to benefit Alley Cat Allies, the number one national feral cat foundation.

The numbers are in. Thanks to all of you amazing sponsors, Feral, Not Homeless has raised:

$509.58

Thank you for all of your support. Each comment to cheer me on, each donation/pledge -- I haven't yet found the words to thank all of you. "Thank you" is just sounding so trivial in comparison to how grateful I truly am. In addition, a huge bundle of gratitude to Alley Cat Allies themselves for providing me with all of these great prizes. Congratulations to everyone who won a prize in the various raffles -- your prizes will all be mailed out sometime this week.

I know that a simple $5 is enough to get a bag of cat food and feed at least five-seven feral cat colonies. So imagine all that can be done with the whopping $509.58 that you have helped me to raise. Thank you for your faith in me and for caring so very much about these cats. I know that Fonzie's story has touched many of you and that he has taught you, like he has taught me, all about feral cats in general.

All of you sponsors should be receiving an e-mail from the Blog-A-Thon staff sometime over the next week letting you know how to donate. The e-mail will contain an online link to pay via credit card online as well as a mailing address so you can send a check or money order.

...And this, this is my final goodbye. It's been a great year. I can't wait to do it all over next year. Again, thank you. Have a wonderful week!

Post Forty-Eight

2007-07-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

Well, this is the second to last post. My last official "blog" post, as the next will be the final rundown of how much Fonzie's memory has made for Alley Cat Allies. Basically, the next post will be the big finale!

But now? Now is my last time to blog. And so blog I will! My dear Fonzie, thank you for all you've taught us about feral cat care. This has all been for you and all of the other feral cats that I've mentioned during the duration of the Blog-A-Thon who I've met because of you. You are my sunshine, Fonzarelsie-Belsie. I will love you until the day that I die.

I hope that everyone checking in has enjoyed my senseless rambles (okay, so that might not be possible) or at least learned a lot about Alley Cat Allies and feral cats in general. I thought introducing people to some of the cats in our colonies might be a nice way to put faces to names, so to speak, making it more personal.

I feel so much more awake now. Taking a twenty minute nap in between blogs was a horrible idea! But, I've come back to life and am ready to finish the 'Thon with a bang. And so off I go to prepare...

Post Forty-Seven

2007-07-29T07:57:00.000-04:00

One more hour to go!

There is a turtle sunning himself in the lake right outside of our patio window. A new day is underway!

Anyway, we're still going on over here! You should see all the bottles from the bottled water cluttering up our table. Cleaning will be fun!

Post Forty-Six

2007-07-29T07:26:00.000-04:00

Check out those under-eye bags! I'm getting to the point where I'm embarrassed to show what I currently look like. Just when I think it can't get any worse...!

Anyway, our contests are finished and now we're coming up on the end of the Blog-A-Thon. I already can't wait until next year. We've done so much for Alley Cat Allies -- but I'll save all of that for my last post.

Aaron and the two kitties are already on their third nap! I forgive them. They've been huge helps in keeping me awake during this whole ordeal.

Post Forty-Five

2007-07-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Come on, second wind, you can do it! It's seven o'clock, and a beautiful morning here in Winter Springs Florida:

We still have a couple of prizes to give away, so we should get to that.

Cats Of Lamu book, Music For Cat-A-Holics CD, ALERT window stickers, feral cat fact sheets and feral cat ribbon magnet.

Congratulations to:

Laura Heer

Well, see you at seven-thirty.

Post Forty-Four

2007-07-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Well, it's officially daytime outside! The sky is blue and there are more and more cars occasionally driving by out on the 434.

Does anyone have any big plans when the Blog-A-Thon ends? Or is "sleep" the general consensus? Anyone still up...anyone?

Post Forty-Three.

2007-07-29T06:03:00.000-04:00

Well, it's the six o'clock post. Three more hours and...well, that'll be that. Oh man, I'm exhausted. How is everyone else doing? Hanging in there?

Posty Forty-Two.

2007-07-29T05:30:00.001-04:00

And it's coming down to the final blogs. In just a half an hour, it'll be six o'clock and soon the sky will be blue again. We're almost there.

I hope everyone is staying awake and hanging in there. Almost, almost.

Post Forty-One.

2007-07-29T04:59:00.000-04:00

Four more hours to go. As much as I'm looking forward to sleep, I'm pretty sad. I've been looking to the Blog-A-Thon since it ended last year. I know that as it gets later, it's harder and harder to actually form entries that deal with my charity. But I've been loyally browsing the ACA website for some interesting information to share with you, dear readers/sponsors/friends/family, and came across something...interesting, indeed:

"An overwhelming majority of U.S. animal control agencies and shelters keep a firm grip on outdated animal damage control laws and species-inappropriate policies that result in the killing of over 71 percent of all cats--pet, stray, and feral--that enter their facilities. Virtually every feral cat that animal control traps or that enters a shelter dies."

There is nothing more chilling than a statistic such as that. That is the backbone of this blog: Feral, Not Homeless. Feral doesn't mean homeless. Feral cats do not belong inside of a house because their home is outdoors. It's pretty scary, I think, how many beautiful animals suffer at the hand of man.

Post Forty!

2007-07-29T04:27:00.001-04:00

Hi. My name is Lindsay. I need sleep.

But, I'm hanging on and having fun! It's already four-thirty. Soon, it'll be light outside again. It should be a piece of cake from here on out!

I'm pretty impressed with the fact that I laid off most of the sweets and caffeine products (I bought more Dr. Pepper than anyone should ever own, and only had a can and a half this whole time) and have been content with my watermelon slices and bottled water. Maybe that's the secret.

Post Thirty-Nine

2007-07-29T03:57:00.000-04:00

So, I'm watching the local news -- and shivering, because Jagger and Aaron both stole the only available blankets and I can't bear to wake them up. Anyway, I'm watching the local news and there is a story about how this local pizza place donated 100% of their profits today to a foundation for this little boy who was recently burned when a plane crashed into his home. The little boy did die, and this happened just a few weeks ago, right down the street from where I live.

I wish I would have known this earlier, because I would have ordered our pizza from there instead of a totally random Pizza Hut. But it's nice to know that so many people showed up to eat pizza for a good cause. Charity is not dead!

Post Thirty-Eight

2007-07-29T03:26:00.000-04:00

So, I've run out of exciting feral cat topics, stories, anecdotes. To tide you over, there is a picture of Jagger. She decided to sprawl out in front of me so that I could watch her sleep and know that I am unable to sleep until nine a.m.! I have to say, though -- I don't think I'm anywhere near exhausted yet. I remember last year being a lot worse by this time!

I'm kind of sad that the Blog-A-Thon ends at nine. Then, there's that entire year-long wait. I'm impatient.

By the way, I think I'm reaching that exhaustion point more and more with every word I type. Bad, bad, bad.

Game #8: I'm Wild!

2007-07-29T03:00:00.000-04:00

The rules of the game were simple. So here is my favorite wild animal: the opossum!

No...really, I swear. ;)

Post Thirty-Seven

2007-07-29T02:58:00.000-04:00

Okay. Got the computer problems tucked away and fixed. Thank goodness.

The above picture is of Odessa and Octavia. I've written about them much earlier, complete with super-cute photographs. They're such a goofy duo, those silly "we compliment one another but are so different" mother and daughter teams.

Jagger has flown off of the couch and over the coffee table, just missing the bottle of Perrier. That was a close call.

Post Thirty-Six

2007-07-29T02:34:00.000-04:00

Technology issues, technology issues. The laptop needs a 30 minute rest, I think -- maybe that's what it's trying to tell me through the prehistorically slow speed and muttering and sputtering it's doing!

One quick thing:

tothejerseyside,
This feral cat TNR book, ALERT stickers and feral cat factsheets are now yours.

Game #7: I Collect

2007-07-29T02:15:00.000-04:00

I collect vinyl. 45's, LP's. Ever since I was a little girl, my dad would dance with me to all of the oldies hits via the 45's on the jukebox or the albums on our record player. My dad's vinyl collection is huge and, inevitably, I've become a huge vinyl buff. I suppose I associate so many events, people, places, things in my life to certain songs and this is why I always strive to make my collection bigger. To be able to hear that song, the one that can define the way you feel, with the crackling of the vinyl as the record spins -- it's a priceless feeling.

Post Thirty-Five

2007-07-29T01:58:00.000-04:00

2 a.m., here I come!

It's not too late to pledge your donations to Feral, Not Homeless!

The feral cats appreciate each and every sponsor!

Game #6: The Name Game

2007-07-29T01:49:00.001-04:00

Feral, Not Homeless earned it's name due to one of the biggest misconceptions about feral cats. So often they are referred to as "stray" or "homeless." This is not the case. They're feral, not homeless.

Post Thirty-Four

2007-07-29T01:28:00.000-04:00

Fonzie is buried next to his feline sister, Hadley. The two are buried in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Specifically, in the yard of my parents lake house. Fonzie loved to roam, he loved nature and he loved the outdoors. He was a feral cat, after all. We knew at once that he would have loved Howey-in-the-Hills.

Do you see that above view? It was taken from my parents dock. That's the view that Fonzie gets to see, day after day. When I took this photograph on Thursday, I was awestruck by the beauty. My initial thought was: "Wow, and Fonzie gets this all of the time."

Of course, the beauty of this view doesn't come close to matching his beauty. But he doesn't hurt now, and he isn't sick now. He is happy, he is peaceful, and he gets all of the beauty that nature can possibly give.

Post Thirty-Three

2007-07-29T00:55:00.000-04:00

Hi, everyone! Aaron and I just made a Wendy's run (hooray for living about two seconds from a Wendy's?). They unfortunately close at one a.m., and so now we are very much out of luck should I require any more energy/trips out of the apartment.

But I did get a Frosty float. Chocolate ice-cream with Dr. Pepper. Don't salivate too much. They were rushing to close and it really tastes like cold, cloudy water. Alas, it'll do!

Landon has decided she doesn't need to sleep just yet and so now our apartment is awake and avidly watching GUTS. It's bringing back memories of 1994.

Post Thirty-Two

2007-07-29T00:27:00.000-04:00

Alright, let's do a raffle, shall we?

A copy of "The Cat Book" plus Alley Cat Allies ALERT window stickers and feral cat factsheets.

And the winner is...

Lydia Presley

Congrats! Again, all winners will be notified by e-mail!

Post Thirty-One: It's Midnight!

2007-07-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

It's midnight! Everyone say hello to my handy-dandy monitor, Kathy! Kathy has been monitoring my blog all day and night, leaving wonderful comments and just being there as a head cheerleader of sorts! So, hi to you, Kathy!

Let's see...nine hours to go. I have a sudden second wind after my run with Aaron around the apartment complex. The sound of alligators mating in the lakes next to our apartment as we run through the pitch black was a little intimidating, but, hey. It kept us on our toes!

Aaron and I are now watching "Figure It Out." Old school, indeed.

Game #4: I Will Survive

2007-07-28T23:45:00.001-04:00

Best tip for surviving the Blog-A-Thon? Well, I just dragged my fiance out of the apartment for a run up and down three flights of stairs, around the mailbox, around one side of the parking lot, and back up three flights of stairs. Now I'm pumped. (Of course, this is one of those "rinse, lather, repeat" scenarios. Give me an hour and I'll be desperate for another run around the complex.)

Post Thirty

2007-07-28T23:26:00.000-04:00

...And post #30 has arrived. Aaron has dutifully reminded me that I'm in the fifteenth hour. Midnight will be fifteen hours.

I'm starting to get sleepy. I can't decide if a jog up and down the stairwell (we live on the third floor) will be harmful or helpful. Or maybe just a quick walk to the mailbox and back for fresh air. I'm sure sitting indoors for all this time in the same spot is making me more tired than I should be.

I've gotten a few e-mails about bloggers who have withdrawn and I feel bad. I know all I must do is picture those little furry faces and know that I must go on! Must...go...on.

(Don't get me wrong. The sleep deprivation hasn't kicked in yet. I'm guessing 2, 3 or 4 a.m. is when that will kick in.)

Happy blogging!

Post Twenty-Nine

2007-07-28T22:55:00.000-04:00

One of the Alley Cat Allies prizes was a book called "The Cats Of Lamu." I love reading about and seeing photographs of other feral cats, especially historical colonies such as the Lamu cats. Or, you know, the Hemingway cats. The Polydactyl Hemingway cats are so wonderful. I'm so happy that Florida made us proud and is allowing them to stay. The more widespread knowledge on feral cat care becomes, the better life can be for all colonies everywhere.

Speaking of Hemingway cats, there is an adorable little Key Lime Pie boutique in Mount Dora, Florida. Everything in the store is Key Lime Pie related -- from flavored sodas to candies to cookies to barbecue sauce. They have these little Florida Keys Key Lime Pie cookies and the Hemingway feral cats grace the bags. I think they're the neatest thing.

The above photograph is one of our La-Z-Boy colony cats meeting a local raccoon who dropped in for some food. The raccoons, opossums, people and cats can all live together in utter harmony and yet, people find it so hard to live amongst one another. Not to mention how often humans fail at living among nature, too. I think we can learn so much from cats, and all animals.