Helping Maya, Hugo, and CC start new lives

**Update 2/20/23**

We completed our mission of getting all three cats on W 70th off the streets (plus CC, the basement kitty Hugo led us to during his great escape attempt). Harry's story had a heartbreaking ending but that makes me want to fight for these other three even more. While they're all safe and in foster homes, that doesn't mean the expenses stop. I've spent well over $1100 since trapping Hugo on Feb 9 (his vet bill alone on 2/10 was $900 including a rescue discount). His basement escapade only got more expensive the longer he eluded us. The major medical expenses are (fingers crossed) over but the fostering expenses continue (I had to buy new carriers and supply food for each one).

Here's a few updates on each kitty:

Maya (all black kitty) is absolutely thriving!! She's at a foster home in Brooklyn and is a complete snuggle bug! Her foster family adores her and she cuddles up with them every chance she gets. She's such a little dreamboat! Maya's spay/vetting costs were almost completely covered by ASPCA but I had to buy a new carrier for her as well as supply food and litter when I took her to Brooklyn.

Hugo isn't thriving quite so easily. It's not surprising considering he was injured when we trapped him and then he escaped his crate and ran into the maze of a basement ceiling just hours after being neutered and vetted. I took him to a foster home in Brooklyn last Wednesday but once again had to provide a carrier, supplies, and food. We have an auto-ship set up for Hugo's food as his foster is providing her home (and an abundance of care and patience for him...he needs more work than any of the other cats) but I assured her I would cover the costs of his care until we can find him a forever home. He's showing a little bit of progress but is still hiding in the bathroom. I ordered him a covered cave bed that's being delivered to him today so that he can feel safe in a soft and cozy space instead of hiding in a bathroom cubby full of toiletries. He also has an extendable scratcher that his foster says he was frightened of at first, but once she started giving him head scratches, he relaxed, closed his eyes, and didn't fight it :) I sent him a catnip pickle toy yesterday that he seemed indifferent about at first but then his foster went back in to check on him later and he was curled up on top of it!

CC (Chimichurri) is the cat that was being held in the basement where Hugo was hiding while recovering from a gruesome head injury he got while living on the streets. Fortunately for CC, we were able to find a foster for him on NextDoor who seems like the perfect fit for him. And she lives just a few minutes from me which is so much easier to manage than Brooklyn! CC is very territorial of his carrier (it was his 'safe space' in the basement) so I was able to keep that with him and didn't have to buy a new one. But once again, I provided supplies and food. He's going to be a very happy cat and is adjusting pretty well but still gets overwhelmed with so much going on around him considering he had been alone in a basement 23 hours a day for a month! I most definitely was not wanting (or financially able) to take on another cat, but Diane and I both agreed we couldn't just leave him behind once we had successfully trapped Hugo again.

I can't thank everyone enough for their support through all of this. I don't "do" rescue but I also couldn't turn a blind eye to the cats on 70th street when people posted about them on NextDoor several months ago. I didn't even own a trap before the first post about Harry. The amount of time and money I've put into this is astounding when I go back and add it all up. I've started picking up Saturday shifts at work to try and offset some of the expenses, something I haven't had to do since 2019. I'm not a rescue and I don't have experience finding fosters, managing a cat once it's in foster, or finding forever homes, all of which take more work than I ever could have imagined. There's a lot of liability that goes along with it and I just don't have the time or funds it takes. I'm committed to Maya, Hugo, and CC until I get them into their forever homes but I can't do it all alone. Diane has put in just as much time into saving all four cats (including Harry) as I have and she's overwhelmed as well. Please share this fundraiser to help us get back some of the money we've spent trying to save and better the lives of the cats on 70th Street.

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Hey everyone! We finally trapped the black & white cat on W 70th last night!! This wasn’t the “plan” as we don’t have a foster lined up for him but we noticed earlier this week that he was hurt and time didn’t appear to be on his side when we saw him limping yesterday. Diane and I couldn’t let him suffer and decided we had to help him regardless of having a “plan.” He is now fully vetted (and neutered!) and his limpy leg is most likely a sprain and nothing worse! We also thought he might have a urinary blockage as he was struggling a few days ago but thankfully there was nothing of the sort!

While we’re thrilled he’s now healthy, his vet appt revealed that he’s “been through the mill” (their words!) as he has several old wounds that have since healed but also had multiple breaks in his bones (that have also healed). Somehow he managed to survive and he must have been great at scouring for food because he’s 14 pounds! The vet staff absolutely loved him and said they have never seen a cat like this. Even though life has treated him so harshly, he didn’t show any aggression towards the them! He had a few hisses when he was scared (expected) but never once swatted or tried to bite. They were also quite impressed with his muscles and even showed him off to another client! All while having teddy bear eyes! Hugo will never have to worry about being safe ever again ❤️

The vet clinic was amazing and even gave us a discount after hearing Hugo’s story. His bill came out to $900 (after the discount) but luckily there are no other issues that seem to be looming for him. He’s a healthy chap who’s ready for the good life! I went into this knowing I would be financially responsible for him but I’ll be incredibly grateful for any and all help. The goal is set at $755 (not $900) simply because 755 is my favorite number and it’ll make me smile every time I see it :) I’ll post updates on instagram (@jeterkitty_in_the_city) as often as I can!