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Paying It Forward: Feed The Kitties!

By Liz and Bill Spear

Real Estate Agent with Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com SAL.2002007747

June 26, 2011 02:52 AM

Paying It Forward: Feed The Kitties!

If you've been reading us for awhile you know we're animal lovers. We've been "found" by cats over the years and adopted a Chihuahua this year so we'd no longer be dogless :)

Well we've been "found" again by another mom cat and a trio of kittens. Two tabbies and a black/white mix, genders unknown! Our garage "kitty shelter" is already at capacity, so Liz is working with these outside cats to socialize and get them adoptable.

The local humane society, while quite good, is always at max capacity for cats, and the borderline feral ones like these have a "short stay" if you get our drift. And our local no-kill shelters are perpetually full. Unfortunately the human neglect of our furry friends by failing to spay/neuter just compounds the issue.

So our solution at this point? Well of course continue to look for people willing to adopt these cats, but also Liz has been working to socialize the outdoor kitties.

We've been feeding them regularly, and slowly but surely they're realizing we're not a threat to them. Not quite at the point to be picked up yet, but at least now they're allowing to be touched without immediately retreating under the deck!

And sometime soon, they'll be making a trip to the clinic for a quick "fix", so no more progeny from this little pride of cats.

Afterwards we'll continue to feed them & hopefully they whack some of the area mice, moles and voles in trade! Some sort of outside cat home for the cold months ahead is on our To do list unless we're able to find homes for them sooner.

So if you're local, and you'd like a cat, or know someone who would...you know who to call! And we'll pay for the spay/neuter if that makes it any easier! :)

A quote from our friend in North Carolina that captures the spirit and intent of these posts:
"I do not share my stories of paying it forward for recognition. I share them so that others might be inspired to do what they can, when they can, where they can. No more, no less." Tish Lloyd, North Carolina REALTOR®

Paying It Forward,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

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Peggy Hughes/pha logistix, inc.

pha logistix inc - San Francisco, CA

SF NYC LA

Thank you Bill & Liz for being so kind to these helpless animals. I have bad allergies to both cats and dogs but if I wasn't... I'd have to be very careful not to have too many!!

Jun 26, 2011 05:39 AM

Anita Clark

Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA

Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

Finding homes for stray cats is tough so it's really good to know you are going to have them spayed/neutered if homes don't materialize. Good pay it forward BLiz.

Jun 26, 2011 06:33 AM

Margie Kopp Sorrell

Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee Realty and Lake Country - Greensboro, GA

Lake Oconee Real Estate

Bliz-hearts like yours for animals are rare. There is always the person who says "oh I wish I could take another in, but..."

Bless you both for being so good to those cats!

Jun 26, 2011 07:50 AM

Craig Rutman

Helping people in transition - Cary, NC

Raleigh, Cary, Apex area Realtor

You guys are doing a great thing by "socializing" these strays and having them fixed. If only everyone took the time to do this.

Jun 26, 2011 07:58 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Amy, Liz's dad and mom took one of the kitties from our last group that found us, otherwise we'd probably have one more. It's that integration of different cat families that makes life difficult.

Brenda, I could tell you that, but I'd be fibbing. It started a few years ago with two mom cats and five kittens showing up at the top of our driveway. No takers, and we couldn't have them put to sleep, so our garage became the cat shelter. We have a few that come in the house for social purposes, some never leave the garage by choice. Hardwood floors throughout our home, so no problems with keeping the place clean. Lots of litter boxes that all get taken care of daily. Feeding routine down pat, everyone knows where they go :) I'd never heard of bipolar cats before!

Amy, We've got quite the interaction heirarchy amongst our indoor kitties. Definitely a pecking order in place! Don't mess with the mom cats :)

Sally, Cats are like summertime zuccini, just can't give them away :)

Juli, We can only hope! Come on social media, do your thing!

Michael, Outside mom had one last night. She wasn't "playing", it was quick.

Peggy, Fortunately no animal allergies here!

Anita, No such thing as a "free" pet. Spay/neuter is good for them, and if they establish and outside terriorty hopefully it keeps the other strays away from us.

Margie, We've always had animals of some sort, doubt that will ever change!

Craig, Liz has exceptional animal skills. For me, they duck under the deck unless I've got a full food dish in my hands! :)

Jun 26, 2011 11:18 AM

Tish Lloyd

BlueCoast Realty Corporation - Wilmington, NC

Broker - Wilmington NC and Surrounding Beaches

Animals are pretty smart when it comes to knowing where they're safe and if a person can be trusted! They are so precious and another opportunity to love one, or two, or three of God's creatures.

Jun 26, 2011 11:42 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Tish, Sometimes we think there's a kitty bulletin board somewhere that says...."Go to the Spears for a safe place!". The first 15 years NONE found us, now every couple of years another group shows up :)

Jun 26, 2011 01:06 PM

Cindy Marchant

Keller Williams Indy NE 317-290-7775 www.marchantteam.com - Carmel, IN

"Cindy in Indy" , Realtor, Fishers Real Estate

I am so partial to cats...so glad you are not in Indy...I'd have to take the two tabbies.. I think it is great that you do the quick fix...that is not cheap! I pray someone takes them in...

Jun 26, 2011 02:30 PM

Susan Mangigian

RE/MAX Preferred - West Chester, PA

Chester & Delaware County Homes, Delaware and Ches

Thank you so much for your big hearts. It's so sad that people aren't more responsible and I so appreciate you taking these kitties on.

Jun 26, 2011 02:39 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Cindy, Hmmm., two hour drive?? If you hear anything meowing on your doorstep in the morning, it wasn't us!!

Susan, They're God's creatures, somebody's got to to do it! :)

Jun 26, 2011 03:35 PM

Endre Barath, Jr.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA

Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Liz & Bill, I am so glad to hear the latest updates about your finding forever homes for these helpless creatures.....as I came today from the Lange Foundation....we are getting ready for the Annual Fundraiser, I was so floored with the generosity of all the people who donated items for the fundraiser, if I told you you would be shocked... just to give you a small example from previous fundraisers, Frank Sinatra's piano from one of his .......

Jun 26, 2011 08:02 PM

Kristine Ginsberg

Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC - Short Hills, NJ

NJ Home Stager

Liz & Bill - I too love cats and applaud your selflessness helping these poor homeless kittens - they are all worthy of love, affection and finding forever homes. I know what you mean about no place to take them - all our shelters are full, especially in the spring when there are so many litters and they just keep multiplying. Best of luck getting them adopted!

Jun 27, 2011 01:22 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Endre, I expect we'll wind up with permanent outdoor kitties, but we can hope someone will adopt them! I'd expect something like a Sinatra piano would fetch a nice dollar amount for the Lange Foundation. Great for them!

Kristine, 'Tis the season for LOTS of kitties. A little spring weather and they get "frisky".

Jun 27, 2011 01:32 AM

Rita Fong

RE/MAX REAL ESTATE TODAY, Executive Broker 901-488-9590 - Marion, AR

Realtor - Marion Arkansas Homes for Sale

Bliz, they are so cute! I adopted my 2 kitties last year from my broker who found them under her deck in her backyard. We love them, and I hope someone will come forward to adopt those kitties you have, I feel so sorry for homeless animals.

Jun 27, 2011 02:34 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Rita, We'd love for someone to adopt any or all of these outside cats. We've done our duty for catdom :)

Jun 27, 2011 02:47 AM

Angelia Garcia

Pure Realtors - Dallas, TX

Hello there,

love the post. i have three myself. First it was Marci- momma, and I didn't get her fixed fast enough. All of a sudden- well you know. She had 5 kittens. Two were given away to strangers and two to a friend. well she couldn't keep two and gave one back. then the other one ran away. :(

I guess they were better off with me. I love all three because they are so different and make me smile.

Jun 30, 2011 12:33 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Angelia, They are all certainly unique to themselves! We'd always been dog people, so a bit surprising to wind up in our current circumstances!

Jun 30, 2011 01:12 PM

Stacey Smith

Keller Williams Realty - Aliso Viejo, CA

Your Orange County Beach Cities Realtor

All my animals that I ever had picked me out before I picked them out... Looks like those cats picked you out and adopted by someone else or not they know they have found a nice, safe place to live... :)

Jul 03, 2011 05:33 AM

Gwen Banta

Sotheby's International Realty - Los Angeles, CA

What generous hearts! God knows what He is doing by leading them your way. I hope they find homes as wonderful as yours!

Jul 03, 2011 07:09 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Stacey, This will be our third "finding" by a mom cat and her litter. Just back from Petsmart with another load of cat food :)

Gwen, I expect they're probably already home since cats are so tough to give away :)

Jul 03, 2011 08:46 AM