It may seem like I write a lot about lavishing sunflower seeds and peanuts on my furry and feathered friends, especially the squirrels.
But, please know that other people are concerned about how animals survive in brutal weather too, especially when they are DOMESTIC animals.
Not all cats have nine lives.
Last Monday when I arrived at the Park, I noticed a gentleman carrying a piece of tarp and a hammer. He was walking toward a truck. My interest was piqued after I noticed a small wooden shelter semi-hidden near the Creek bank. The man returned a few minutes later to the shelter. We chatted and he told me he is taking care of a feral cat in the Park and drives from Woodhaven (16 miles/26 kilometers round trip) daily to feed it. He had just made the shelter so the food stays dry. [I took all these pictures after he left.]
Here is a close-up of the shelter.
He told me the cat lives in a nearby storm drain and said “here, I’ll show you” and while I watched, he put a bowl of dry food there too. He had a small flashlight and peered into the opening, which resembled a tunnel and he saw it hiding there.
[Both dishes were empty when I walked the next day.]
Guinea pigs also were a topic of conversation that morning.
We walked back together to the wooden shelter. He mentioned he feeds a feral cat by his home and pulled out his phone to show me a photo of it. I told him there was a cat at the Park last Winter, crouched on the icy Creek, eating frozen fish. He asked what it looked like and I told him it was orange, but I never saw it again. He said this Park cat was also orange.
Then he pointed to this note that was hanging on a nearby bush …
… which I read, then said “I know about those two guinea pigs” and told him how I knew.
Now I’ll tell you.
Do you remember the baby squirrel that fell from a tree at the Park? Two girls and I tried to get it to eat sunflower seeds and the next day it was so weak …
… that one of the girls, Jennifer, took it home to feed it milk, then left it with a rehabber. I wrote about that story here if you missed it.
Jennifer and I became Facebook friends so she could send me some videos of this baby squirrel for my blog post. We have since exchanged a few photos of squirrels we feed and fawn over.
Last weekend Jennifer posted a photo of herself and “Blondie” one of two female guinea pigs that she believed someone abandoned near a storm drain at the Park. It was cold and windy, so Jennifer took them home and named them “Tucca” and “Blondie” but a note was left in case someone wondered where their pets were. This is Jennifer and Blondie and also a couple of photos of both new pets.
The gentleman left and I continued on my walk. Later that day I sent a message to Jennifer to tell her I saw and photographed the note and asked if I could use her picture in a post. She said “yes” … so here we are.
I also mentioned the man and the feral cat, so she asked if I had pictures. I said “no” but sent her a few from last year’s blog post …
… and she replied that was the cat that she and her mom fed. It would allow her to pet it, would step into the house, but run back out. She added that she and her mom feed all the neighborhood cats and she, Jennifer, kept a heated mat in her shed for over the Winter.
In today’s news, so often filled with stories about death and destruction, be it from mankind or Mother Nature, it is nice to find a few kindred souls looking out for domestic critters.
But alas, there are others who are not always so charitable – behold a few of the pesky peanut-eating geese at Council Point Park.
The ducks also sneakily gorge on sunflower seeds, but the geese are really a pain. A few years ago I wrote this funny post which you can read here about how the geese munch the squirrels’ peanuts and the squirrels’ reaction to those interlopers stealing their goodies. It seems nothing changes sometimes.
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Love the Emerson quote. I’ve had personal experience with that one! Who would dump guinea pigs. They are not suited for the wild.
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I like the Emerson quote too. I added the two guinea pigs’ pictures to the post tonight which she sent me after I sent her the post. Jennifer is keeping them as pets – they are lucky she and her family found them while walking at the Park. I knew you would likely remember the pics of the orange cat on the ice from last year. We had some brutally cold Winter days.
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An upliftingly positive post.
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Thank you Anne … it was interesting how these two people and their good deeds tied in together.
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I love that there are still people who care about animals and will actually do something for them. That was so nice of that young girl to take the guinea pigs home. I don’t understand how people can just dump animals somewhere. When my son was very young, we found two puppies in a culvert and we took them home until we could find them a place to go. I still think about them, we named them Dan and Ann after the dogs in Where the Red Ferns Grow book.
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I agree with you Susan. It was so nice to be able to tie both of these people’s good deeds together and it appeared, although the orange cat lived in the storm drain, more than one person was helping it to survive. I thought it was just a stray cat neighborhood cat when I saw it on the ice last year. I hope those puppies eventually found their “furever” home with a loving family.
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I hope so too, we ended up taking them to the Humane Society but I’m sure they went to a home as people always want puppies.
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I follow our City’s Resident Facebook page and there are lots of strays that people pick up, post a photo but usually take them to the animal shelter as they already have pets. Those are adult dogs, but occasionally there is a lost puppy and, as you say, there are lots of people want to give them a furever home.
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Guinea pigs?? Oh my. We have 2. They would never make it outside around here. Hawks, dogs, coyotes… how wonderful that she took them in. Love the cat shelter. So thoughtful. We took in a couple of female cats awhile back- they had babies and no one would take any- so we have several cats. Ha.
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You are an animal lover too Jessica. I added pictures of the two of them that Jennifer sent me tonight. She now has two new pets who likely would not have made it through the night as it was bitter cold that night.
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Heartwarming that you and this fellow connected on a good Samaritan level Linda! Far better running into people like this then the haters!
Hearing about these animals made me wonder how many animals are abandoned and do not make it through your harsh cold winters?
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I wanted to ask his name and take a picture Wayne, but I didn’t really know him and didn’t think it was right, so I didn’t. He was so dedicated to this cat. He said he visits at different times and checks to see it with the flashlight in the storm drain. That was a nice shelter he set up, very sturdy. I wonder too – you remember the two large domestic ducks back in the Winter of 2019? They came right up to me, nuzzling my knees. Matt, who runs the Michigan Duck Rescue & Sanctuary told me if I saw them again to tell him and he’d sent out someone or come himself – I never saw them again. I hope someone took them home.
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you still can ask him his name Linda as I’m sure he won’t be going anywhere. That is sweet that he cares about these feral cats!
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I was going to ask him if I saw him the next day, but I didn’t see him. I did tell him I had a blog where I wrote about walking and that many of my posts were about Council Point Park. Just then he mentioned the storm drain and wanted to show me where it was (not far away). I think it is sweet too – that’s a long drive to feed the cat. Very thoughtful of him.
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A rare Tuesday post!
Jennifer sounds like such a kind soul – taking care of lost and abandoned critters. I can not understand how anyone could just dump off an animal (or animals) and think they will fend for themself. That is so cruel!
I wrote a blog post one time about my oldest son and his wife finding an abandoned puppy when they were camping in the middle of nowhere. That puppy is still living the high life in their house 12 years later!
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Yes I agree Laurie. [I think I made a boo boo by adding the two guinea pigs pics which Jennifer sent to me a few minutes ago after I sent her the post earlier today … I think it published twice.] I agree with you – it is sad to read these stories. I follow the Michigan Duck Rescue & Sanctuary on Facebook and Matt and his wife and trusty team of rescuers go out at all hours of the night/day and even to other states to rescue abandoned domestic ducks (Pekins mostly) and other waterfowl who have been injured. I contacted Matt after I saw two large ducks at the Park. They came up to me nuzzling my knees and I had nothing to give them. They were there a couple of days and disappeared – I worried about them all that Winter.
That’s a nice story about your son and his wife taking care of that puppy – I like seeing animals that were once abandoned and are now a treasured part of someone’s family.
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The orange ferral cat looks well fed. Have you seen it this year. Glad to see you have help looking after the critters!
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Joni, no I have not seen this cat since last year when it was eating all that fish. I didn’t see the cat in the tunnel when I bent down to look in. The guy had to use a flashlight – it must have been way back in that tunnel. If I see the guy again, I will tell him what Jennifer said about feeding it and letting it into the house (even though it didn’t stay) and putting the heated mat in her shed. It is nice to know other people are being kind to the critters. I still feel badly for those big ducks back in December of 2019. If I had contacted Matt at the Duck Rescue & Sanctuary the first time I saw them, he or one of his volunteers could have picked them up. He said someone had just dumped them there and that’s why they were so friendly as they were domestic ducks.
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I especially like that closing quote. I put things off sometimes when I really shouldn’t.
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I like that quote too Eilene. It really applied in this case. It is easy to put things off, assuming things will always stay status quo.
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Our old neighborhood in Colorado was remote enough to be a popular dumping ground for domestic animals (and couches). It pained me to see these animals wandering our dirt roads, knowing they were victims of buyer’s remorse. We took in a stray dog once and made futile attempts to rehab it from whatever poor care it previously suffered through. A daily 16-mile round trip, just to feed/shelter a feral cat? There’s hope for this world after all.
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It is sad Dave. You make a commitment to having a pet and that is for THEIR lifetime. I follow the good deeds of a charity called Michigan Duck Rescue & Sanctuary. Matt, his wife and volunteers rescue not only wounded swans, geese and ducks, but often they rescue Pekin ducks, the white ducks that grow up from the ducklings people buy for Easter. This time of year, Matt begs people not to buy their kids cute and fuzzy ducklings as the kids lose interest once the ducklings grow up and the ducks are often abandoned. That was kind of you for that poor dog. Yes, there is hope for our world when you read about the devotion of this man to drive 16 miles round trip daily to take care of a feral cat that lives in a storm drain and a woman who scooped up those guinea pigs without a second thought and has re-homed them as her own pets.
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Always nice to help animals – kindness to God’s creatures is a wonderful thing to do. I have fed many stray animals over the years. I found it unusual for someone to dump a guime pigs. I can’t see them exisiting outside in cold winter climates. You are such a kind soul Linda. ☺
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You are likewise a kind soul Peggy. Those guinea pigs would not have lasted the night. It was very cold that day. Our family found two dogs through the years and I was excited as my parents said “no more dogs” after we lost our last dog, who ran away and ate poison and had to be euthanized. My parents said if there is a “lost ad” in the local paper, we have to return the dog to them. In that case, both people were happy to know someone had found their pet. I’m glad to see you here Peggy. I know Arkansas had another bout of severe weather on Tuesday. We were supposed to have tornadoes today but it was just severe storms for which I am grateful.
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Our second round of bad weather was just severe. Had a few tornado watches, but nothing happened. So glad.
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What a relief for you Peggy … enough of the tornadic conditions for you. I hope you have good weather for a change. We had nice weather today and for the next 3-4 days.
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How delightful to hear about these caring folks you’ve met on your walks, Linda. In a time when anger, meanness, and even cruelty seem on the rise, it’s important we celebrate goodness and kindness to remind ourselves there are still gracious people in this world. Love the Emerson quote–I copied it into my journal! (Thank you!)
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It is heartwarming seeing and knowing about people who show kindness toward these poor animals who were abandoned. I agree it helps to make us feel better about the state of our world these days. That is a favorite quote of mine too Nancy – I am glad you liked it and kept it. I felt it suited these two people to a “T”.
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It’s wonderful that there are people who are willing to give time and money to help these critters that need special help, especially when it is bitterly cold. Thanks for sharing their stories.
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Glad you like their stories Rebecca. It was heartwarming to learn of two people in one day helping out these poor souls.
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The cruelty of some people is beyond my comprehension, but the kindness directed toward innocent animals, wild or domesticated, renews my jaded faith in humanity.
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I agree with you Ally … there are shelters aplenty. They take all animals and then find specialty shelters for some like domestic birds. We have had a rash of people beating dogs violently and video of them doing so taken by family members and reported to authorities. It is good to see kindred souls especially as cold, windy weather lingers.
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You illustrate the ugly side of keeping animals as pets – sometimes owners can’t be bothered and abandon them to chance. It is good that there are people like your friends.
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Yes, it is sad to see the stats on abandoned pets JP. Thank goodness for these kind-hearted souls … the guinea pigs are now living a life of Riley and they likely would not have lasted the night.
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It’s so heartwarming to know that you and so many of your kindred souls are here in the world to help animals in trouble. As Emily Dickinson wrote: “If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.”
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Barbara, I was happy to hear these kindred souls were helping out these poor domestic animals who do not know how to cope in these weather extremes we have now, not to mention that it was still cold the weekend the guinea pigs were left at the Park. I like that Emily Dickinson poem. I only am learning about Emily’s fine words through you as I never studied her while in school (unbelievably).
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I’m always happy to read about others who take care of the creatures in need. (On another note, those are some chonky squirrels!)
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I am too Linda. I have taken some pictures of my furry friends where they look fatter than that – they look like they are waddling along the perimeter path. 🙂
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