All nine ducklings rescued and taken to rehab. Sadly, we could not catch Amy, nor could we lure her to water by putting her ducklings in a visible plastic box. She went only half a block (distance was 1.5 miles) before flying away. After trying to catch her several times, and with the ducklings getting freaked out, we decided to put things to an end and take the ducklings to rehab. They will be at the facility today.
Here are two articles from Bored Panda and the Indianapolis Star about a cat rehab program for prisoners in Indiana. Click either screenshot to read. I’ve taken most of the text from the Star, and pictures from both sites. I’ve taken most of the text from the Star, and pictures from both sites.
From the Star:
Cats are unable to distinguish between street clothes and prison uniforms –– and that’s exactly what makes the relationship between the men at Pendleton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison outside of Indianapolis, and the cats that live there, so special.
For six hours a day, seven days a week, a handful of men receive unqualified love from the more than 20 cats that live in the prison as part of the FORWARD program, or Felines and Offenders Rehabilitation with Affection, Reformation and Dedication. In exchange for care and a place to stay before being adopted, the cats at Pendleton offer inmates untampered, non-judgemental affection.
In partnership with the Animal Protection League of Indiana, the program removes cats from a traditional shelter and places them in the prison’s “cat sanctuary,” a wide-open room with scratching posts, climbing structures and nooks to hide in.
The program houses them with incarcerated caregivers, who, incidentally, gain skills such as empathy, responsibility and self-esteem.
LaRussa, who is behind bars for conspiracy to commit robbery — which was botched and ended with accomplices murdering four people — has been involved in the program since 2017, when he fell for a 7-year-old cat named Clover. He and his wife have since adopted Clover, and she lives at home with LaRussa’s wife.
Every day, LaRussa and his peers start their morning by 7 a.m. They report to the cat sanctuary, where, like clockwork, the cats await them, dozens of tiny faces longing for the door to open.
The work, albeit behind prison walls, is a full-time job.
“I believe it’s changed me a lot,” LaRussa said. “I’ve grown, from even just the little time that I’ve been here until now. We’re all incarcerated. Whether you are selfish or not, you learn to care about something other than yourself. Now, it’s all about (the cats) and trying to help them in the best way possible.”
Tori Kypreos, the program supervisor at Pendleton, has watched inmates move through the program and evolve as a result.
“It teaches them responsibility,” Kypreos said. “It teaches them there are other things that are important than what they believe is important. The cats rely on them immensely, so just seeing that they’re dedicated to coming in every day to help and take care of these cats, to watch the cats grow, is very important.”
The cats and the inmates, both bound by prison walls and troubled pasts, mend each other day by day.
Duck suit!
***************
Firmoo is an outfit that sells cat-themed spectacles, at least in their Me-Meow collection. (“Purr-fect for your eyes”). Here are a few models you may want to consider (only women are shown wearing them). Click the screenshot below to go to the site.
Some examples:
They sell only frames, and they’re inexpensive, so have a look.
*****************
From LoveMeow we have the story of a polydactylous kitten named Macaroni born with deformed legs as well as many extra toes (toes are not a burden), but don’t worry—he’ll be all right. Click on screenshot to read the story:
Jacqueline “DeAmor” Santiago, president of Friends for Life Rescue Network, was apprised of a tiny orange tabby with an abnormality in his front legs. With her experience working with special needs kittens, she immediately offered to help.
The kitten, Macaroni, was polydactyl and had contracted tendons which caused his front limbs to appear “twisted”. He came into Jacqueline’s care when he was four days old, giving him the best advantage.
Newborn kittens have “exponentially better” chances of correcting their twisted legs.
“This is often caused by either polydactylism (extra toes) or by a small mom with not enough room in the womb for the legs to stretch,” Jacqueline added. Macaroni has extra toes on each paw, adding to their size.
“Their legs get stuck in the same position during development and need to be stretched over the course of weeks to help them grow correctly.”
“This is often caused by either polydactylism (extra toes) or by a small mom with not enough room in the womb for the legs to stretch,” Jacqueline added. Macaroni has extra toes on each paw, adding to their size.
“Their legs get stuck in the same position during development and need to be stretched over the course of weeks to help them grow correctly.”
Jacqueline started physical therapy on Macaroni through massaging and stretching. The tiny ball of fur whose eyes hadn’t opened, took everything in stride.
He was a champion eater and so brave with every massage session and leg stretching exercise.
The tabby boy is getting more active and playful each day. He relishes the company of his foster mom and the resident cat, Wolfie. His personality is emerging.
“Mac is a big purr machine and loves to play already. He enjoys flailing his legs and trying to bite with his tiny teeth. He’s still ultra snuggly. We are hoping that once his paws are under him, he will start running around.”
In the weeks that follow, the sweet kitten will be able to put his legs to good use as he enters the boisterous kitten phase and navigates the world around him.
Here’s a video of a kitten in San Diego similar to Macaroni, with polydactyly and bent legs. (It was also missing an eye.) The improvement after treatment is astounding! Reader Marion said, “Here’s a video the San Diego Humane Society released of their treatment of a polydactyl kitten with bent legs. I imagine it will bring in a ton of money.”
*********************
Lagniappe: Click below to see a video taken from a CatCam, worn around a cat’s neck. And put the sound on:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1270687383871368
h/t: Ginger K., Marion
I’m sure that cats are perfectly able to distinguish prison garb from the many other forms of skin adornment that hoominz, hampered by their lack of grown-in insulation, adopt. They’re just utterly uninterested in the uniform, and the social signals it is intended to send to other hoominz, and that’s the point for the inmates.
The story about the … redevelopment of the kitten’s tendons is interesting. I know that such developmental distortions happen to hoominz too (I grew up when the Thalidomide story was developing) and wonder if similar techniques work with infant hoominz. Of course, the intensity of pre-birth monitoring is higher in hoominz, so such a developmental problem is less likely to emerge as a surprise.
Polydactyly (generally with perfectly functional forepaws) is fairly common among cats. As a result, Progressive thinkers ought to proclaim that the number of digits on cats’ paws (and on our hands) is on a spectrum. Sarge, a smart, independent, and friendly orange tabby who used to visit me all the time, was polydactylous. Hemingway was reputedly fond of polydactylous cats. Could it be that the mutations that affect digit development also has epistatic effects on cat personality?
Cats reforming criminals. If true it would be great, however, I suspect it is too good to be true in most cases.
Prisoners have a great incentive for appearing ‘reformed’: it may allow conditional release.
Still, better, way better, cats than religious ‘conversion’, I’d say.
Most people in prison are not psychopaths. Yes, prisoners have strong incentives to appear rehabilitated, and also to get the best jobs inside the prison. But (1) most prisoners are not emotionless monsters, and (2) prisoners who get good jobs usually do because they have been model prisoners to that point. It’s pretty damn easy to not be a model prisoner. It’s much more difficult to act for ten or fifteen years, or even longer.
Therefore, the test population to use would be those imprisoned without “prospect of release”, I think that’s the phrase”.
It’s really nice to see cats in need get a home with people in need. Most people in prison are not amoral monsters. They are perfectly capable of empathy and love, even if many of them have had their formative years deprived of these things and have acted poorly as a result.
ADVICE NEEDED
Regarding the cat with the mangled legs: We’ve had stray cats outside my house for probably fifteen years now. There’s a new litter every year. This year, one of the kitten was born with what appeared to be lame back legs. Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen the kitten first walk better and better on one leg, then the other, and now see her run short distances. Yesterday, for the first time, s/he managed to jump onto the bench outside, which is about two feet high!
I was worried that she was going to require rescuing, socializing, and fostering on my part, but since the mother seemed to be keeping her close over the last few weeks and she seemed to be making slow but steady progress, I chose not to intervene. I still worry that she won’t ever be 100% and thus unable to hunt effectively as an adult, but she still continues to show progress and seems nearly normal. I’d say she’s between two and three months old at this point.
So, what do people here think? Did I do the right thing?
EDIT: Also, she’s still very much part of the tribe and is out there every day with momma cat and her siblings. She seems healthy and otherwise strong.
AIUI, the “window” for socialising is about 0-8 weeks. It’s biological, so there’s at least 10% either way on that.
A 90% catling may be able to survive adequately. Not able to hunt efficiently enough to provide for a large litter of catlings maybe, but that’s a different question. For an individual, survival is a binary state. but for a litter survival is 1-in-litter-size, 2-in-litter-size, etc. A Bernoulli distribution of small-number ratios, but not a continuum. Move to grand-catlings, and the ratios of small numbers approach better to a continuum, but still it’s not binary.
Sorry, but I’ve heard so much wailing an gnashing of teeth about binary choices and spectra, it just gets annoying after a time. There are 10 types of people in the world – those who understand binary and those who don’t.
Please, please try to capture Mama cat and have her spayed! Many vets will do more cheaply. Check with shelters to see if you can get a trap. My mother had a colony of feral cats and she caught and fixed 32 over about 20 years. You then return the fixed cat to the colony to live where it won’t reproduce.
Sorry about the soap box!