an adoptable age? That's what I did....

The kittens are in foster care elsewhere. I have eight adult cats from a hoarding situation. Sort of socialized adult cats, some without teeth, are a hard sell and I suspect I will have some of them forever. These eight are in addition to the six I already had.

we who have rescued animals are right there with you. Some weeks are so hard. Sometimes, it's hard to just keep your heart and mind in check and not go after some two-legged *asstard with a baseball bat.

I'm old now, and can't do the rescues I used to do. Mother nature seems to know that, and has stopped putting me in rescue type situations. But I still have 8 cats who couldn't find homes once I rescued them, and there's no reason, except for the plethora of cats and kittens. Because people will not get their pets spayed! (argh!!!) and don't keep them from roaming the neighborhoods. Three of my cats are from the same litter; one other is a member of the generation born just before them. I trapped, spayed, and released the cats from that neighborhood... but there are so many who have no homes and no one to care about them. That's where rescuers like you and so many of us on this blog come in. Even today, I would never turn away a cat (or dog) in need.

If you can find a rescue society or animal welfare community to work with they might be able to lighten some of your burden. The one time I did that, I ended up fostering animals for them! LOL!

These cats that absolutely no one else wanted have given me so much in return through the years. I wouldn't want to part with any of them now. Luckily, they're all growing older as I grow older, too. I've already lost 3 of my seniors (20+ y.o.) since the middle of last year. And my heart breaks for each one. As money grows tighter, being only on SS, we still figure out ways to get them what they need. Right now, one needs a $600 operation. I'm not sure how we're going to pull this off, but we will. Trust the Universe and know that your skills, talent, and heart is appreciated by It. May Bast bless you and help you through the rough times. Never doubt the work you do is necessary and important.

I feel lucky that I can afford to support 14 cats, but between my age and ongoing cancer treatment, I’m really feeling like it’s all too much. The litter boxes alone, oh, the litter boxes.

But each of them is a perfectly nice cat, even though the ones from the hoarder still have significant issues. That little adventure got me one spayed female, one neutered male, and six (!) tomcats. I can’t imagine living in a house with six unaltered tomcats, but the hoarders did it. But we got the cats all trapped and vetted and they’re beginning to settle in. One poor guy, estimated to be eight years old, had a mouthful of broken, infected teeth and a torn tongue. He must have been in horrible pain for years. He’s toothless now and feeling much better.

I'm lucky in that hubby, after all these many decades, has finally fallen in love with the cats, too. He's much more agile than I am, despite being older than me, and takes care of those. Anything that causes the cats fear, I deal with. My little Japanese Bobtail went through most of her life with few, and finally no, teeth, as well... like your 8-year-old. It never stopped her or hindered her in any way, but then I made sure everything she got was chopped finely.. minced, in fact. And she shared my Lactaid with me as a night time treat. She was over 20 when I lost her a few months ago. Wish we were close enough to help out... I'd probably take a couple of your older cats.. including toothless. Or at least find someway to help out. We who have rescued critters I consider a special breed; we need to stick together as much as possible. I'll keep you in my thoughts with regards not only the cats, but to your own medical issues, as well. May life smile upon you, Spin... and relieve some of the burdens from your shoulders.