OGIS
09-23-2015, 11:35 AM
This is going to sound like a soap opera, but I swear that every word is true.
If you live anywhere within easy driving distance of Santa Ana, Orange County, CA, and love cats... do I have an opportunity for you!
Some background, which hopefully people may find amusing.
When my wife and I were homeless, we became friends with another homeless couple. They were an "odd couple" in that the guy, Ed, is a mid-30s "tough guy" of Filipino ancestry and the woman, Beth, is a mid-50s fun-loving (and very soft-hearted and loving) matronly ex-biker mama who "lived hard" in her 20s.
Soon after we found a place and got our finances back in order, they found a place: crashing in a run-down wreck of an office building in Santa Ana. The owner knows they are there; Ed helps another ex-homeless guy with maintenance and repair labor to the building, and they all get free board in exchange. This is, of course, highly illegal, since the building is not zoned for apartments.
A few years ago they found five abandoned kittens in the wheel well of a truck that someone had abandoned on the property. We took one of them, a small black piece of fluff with random individual white hairs all over. Totally a mongrel, but smart as a whip and absolutely loving. They kept the other four: two males and two females.
Unfortunately, they didn't have any money to get them fixed. So nature has taken its course. More below on that.
There is a church organization that has weekly dinners in the building parking lot. They also help this church with setting up and taking down the tables, food prep areas, etc. And they get food assistance from the church, both for themselves and the cats. But for some reason the church will NOT help with getting the cats fixed.
We tried to help several times, contacting various cat rescue groups, but for a variety of reasons (most involving fear of the SAPD) all of these initiatives have fallen through.
So now there four generations of cats, 30 in all, living in a two bedroom converted office space.
Yes, we know a real life cat lady.
Now, the building owner has sold the property, and the building is slated for demolition. They have to be out by the end of the month. Beth's "Plan B" is to somehow put all the cats into boxes and go back to living on the street. With the cats. There is no Plan A.
As Ed told me last week when I dropped by, they have three sizes: kittens, teens, and mature cats. Every single one of them is - strangely, given then inbreeding - in apparently perfect health. None of them have had any shots. All of them are totally domesticated (they all sleep in Beth's bed with her) and very friendly. None have ever been outdoors, indeed, outside of the bedroom they share with Beth.
I strongly suspect that any new owner(s) will have to deal with some emotional issues concerning new owners and new (and larger) environments. The only humans they have known are Beth and Ed, and the only environment they have known is a bedroom.
The cats are all mongrels, but there are brown tabbies, pale orange cream tabbies, and a full black cat. About 15 of each sex.
So..... if anyone wants one or more free cats, and are close enough to easily get to Santa Ana, send me an email, you can email me at catsandkittensforfree@gmail.com.
Thanks.
PS: also make a response here, so I see it on my regular gmail account.
If you live anywhere within easy driving distance of Santa Ana, Orange County, CA, and love cats... do I have an opportunity for you!
Some background, which hopefully people may find amusing.
When my wife and I were homeless, we became friends with another homeless couple. They were an "odd couple" in that the guy, Ed, is a mid-30s "tough guy" of Filipino ancestry and the woman, Beth, is a mid-50s fun-loving (and very soft-hearted and loving) matronly ex-biker mama who "lived hard" in her 20s.
Soon after we found a place and got our finances back in order, they found a place: crashing in a run-down wreck of an office building in Santa Ana. The owner knows they are there; Ed helps another ex-homeless guy with maintenance and repair labor to the building, and they all get free board in exchange. This is, of course, highly illegal, since the building is not zoned for apartments.
A few years ago they found five abandoned kittens in the wheel well of a truck that someone had abandoned on the property. We took one of them, a small black piece of fluff with random individual white hairs all over. Totally a mongrel, but smart as a whip and absolutely loving. They kept the other four: two males and two females.
Unfortunately, they didn't have any money to get them fixed. So nature has taken its course. More below on that.
There is a church organization that has weekly dinners in the building parking lot. They also help this church with setting up and taking down the tables, food prep areas, etc. And they get food assistance from the church, both for themselves and the cats. But for some reason the church will NOT help with getting the cats fixed.
We tried to help several times, contacting various cat rescue groups, but for a variety of reasons (most involving fear of the SAPD) all of these initiatives have fallen through.
So now there four generations of cats, 30 in all, living in a two bedroom converted office space.
Yes, we know a real life cat lady.
Now, the building owner has sold the property, and the building is slated for demolition. They have to be out by the end of the month. Beth's "Plan B" is to somehow put all the cats into boxes and go back to living on the street. With the cats. There is no Plan A.
As Ed told me last week when I dropped by, they have three sizes: kittens, teens, and mature cats. Every single one of them is - strangely, given then inbreeding - in apparently perfect health. None of them have had any shots. All of them are totally domesticated (they all sleep in Beth's bed with her) and very friendly. None have ever been outdoors, indeed, outside of the bedroom they share with Beth.
I strongly suspect that any new owner(s) will have to deal with some emotional issues concerning new owners and new (and larger) environments. The only humans they have known are Beth and Ed, and the only environment they have known is a bedroom.
The cats are all mongrels, but there are brown tabbies, pale orange cream tabbies, and a full black cat. About 15 of each sex.
So..... if anyone wants one or more free cats, and are close enough to easily get to Santa Ana, send me an email, you can email me at catsandkittensforfree@gmail.com.
Thanks.
PS: also make a response here, so I see it on my regular gmail account.