I’ve spent over $250,000 feeding and providing medical for feral cats in the past 20 years. All abandoned, and then neutered/spayed, cared for and fed by myself completely out of pocket.

I am at a breaking point and cannot do this by myself anymore. 5 out of 9 individuals who I take care of need medical care. I’m raising funds for that plus food (I spend over $600/mo on their food), flea medication and other needs as they come up.

I have no more money to keep up with their medical needs (I lost my main form of income in mid May) yet I cannot turn away from these guys who have already been abandoned by everyone else.

These are their “bios”. (A little fun background with their medical needs mixed in.).

Patches:

Patches was one of the original inhabitants of this area. She was lucky to be under the direct tutelage of Mother Bee who was widely recognized as one of the best huntresses in all recorded history.

After the Grey Panther (the King Cat) passed on, Patches became the Queen of the Field and Farm, living a comfortably drowsy life alongside Ossells.

Patches reluctantly agreed to open the farm to others. She named it Aunt Patches’ Home for Wayward Youth, but would soon rue the day she opened the doors.

The first teenagers to arrive were young Scampi and Lady Coffee Cake. At first Scampi was polite but as he became older he starting lashing out, chasing Aunt Patches, quarreling with Uncle Ossells and showing up drunk late at night after his bar-back shift at the local tavern.

The abuse became so bad that Aunt Patches was relegated to living her life on a 4ft high railing- eating there, sleeping there for up to 16 hours at a time to stay out of Scampi’s reach.

Unfortunately, that meant she was eaten alive by mosquitoes, biting her nose to the point where it was bleeding and raw. She also now has a UTI or some other type of issue where she is trying to go to the bathroom but only a few drops of bloody urine are visible. She needs care for those two issues. She’s gotten a bit of relief since Mr. Fritz took over managerial duties, but her health has been absolutely impacted.

Mr. Fritz:

No one knows who tipped him off, but he showed up because he heard there were some wayward teenagers running amok.

Mr. Fritz grew up on the south side of Chicago, he worked for the railroad and lived through many wars. Though quiet and polite, he will not tolerate any kind of foolishness or chicanery.

Since his arrival, he has restored equilibrium to the land. Patches has a semblance of her life back: she can walk around freely, visit the field and even sleep in all of her usual spots on the ground. There’s still some tension, but Mr. Fritz has magically neutralized Scampi‘s bad behavior.

Sadly, Mr. Fritz silently lives in excruciating pain, either from stomatitis or an abscessed tooth. He waits till all of the others have eaten, then he creeps around eating what’s leftover because he doesn’t want the others to see him jumping back in pain. He tries to eat but barely can- he’s losing weight due to his mouth issue. He needs medical care immediately (antibiotics, possible tooth extraction) so he can eat again and enjoy his golden years.

Young Scampi:

Scampi is a young man who has a lot of emotional issues he’s working through. He is clearly the son of Tiberius, the new King who lives in a remote grove. Sadly, Tiberius will not involve him in his life at this time, mostly due to pressure from his new partner, Strawberry Bun, who attacks Scampi and urges Tiberius to do the same.

No one knows who Scampi’s mother is but there are rumors. After leaving home to find his father and being rejected by him, Scampi took to a life on the streets, dealing blackjack tables and menacing local citizens.

Thankfully, he found camaraderie working within the community at a bodega greeting customers early mornings, then his evening shift as a bar-back at the local tavern across the tracks.

His fights with Aunt Patches and Uncle Ossells have thankfully been reduced as of late as he found a new exercise regimen: chasing and attacking various stuffed animals. His tail has an injury that has since healed but he definitely needs flea medication and a bit more loving care to heal his deep emotional wounds..

Ossells:

Uncle Ossells, or Aussie as he was known in his rugby days, is one of the original inhabitants of the area. It’s believed he was forced off a riverboat gambling tourist vessel due to his unscrupulous behavior. He eventually made it through the swamps and settled here working in accounting and tree trimming.

After the Grey Panther was gone, Ossells was handed the mantle of King, a role he has matured into gracefully.

Now in middle age, he’s taken on more of a paternal demeanor, often retiring to bed to read before 10 PM. Besides trying to be a guardian for wayward Scampi, Uncle Ossells has to deal with roving interlopers.

In January, one of these ruffians attacked Ossells, resulting in a deep bite wound to the neck, plus shortly after afterward he came down with an upper respiratory issue where his nose is completely blocked up making it extremely difficult for him to breathe or eat. He went to the clinic twice over the last 3 months for antibiotics, but nothing is helping.

He’s absolutely miserable like this and needs to go back to the clinic because he might have a virus or a fungal infection that the antibiotics are not helping. He deserves to live peacefully and be able to breathe and eat normally. He’s also lost a lot of weight bc he’s struggling to eat with his nose completely blocked.

(UPDATE: he went to the doctor for a third time and got antiviral medication, which should be working, but he refuses to eat it. So we’re working on a way to mask it in food and treats and will update soon if the new medicine starts working.).

Coffee Cake:

Coffee Cake is supposed to be America’s Sweetheart but she’s 40 pounds overweight and addicted to Temptations. She showed up skinny and having just given birth, but there were no kittens to be found. She was so young that she had no street skills whatsoever.

She’s kept inside the Ape Woman’s house like a prisoner most of the time, getting monitored outdoor time early in the morning and at sunset. She’s trained in tap and jazz, proficient in singing (alto-soprano) and acting (Mizner Technique) though her career was derailed due to her early teen pregnancy and the ballooning weight which no one has a diagnosis for. She was going to be adopted as a Broadway Baby in a fancy production, however, things didn’t pan out and she is now very bonded to her life here.

The Ape Woman brought her to the clinic with concerns of thyroid issues or diabetes due to her rotund proportions, but the doctors dismissed those concerns believing she was “just very heavy” even though she doesn’t eat that much. She definitely needs flea medication and at some point should get blood work to find out what is the cause of her exaggerated girth.. in the meantime, she does morning calisthenics and dance routines and has her own protected spot away from the primitive lifestyle of the others.

Dr. and Ms. Pepper:

Dr. Pepper and Ms. Pepper are actually siblings (both never married), who have lived in the surrounding area since antiquity. No one has any idea how they’re still alive or any estimation of their age.

Dr. Pepper is an herbalist and shaman, also skilled in mathematics, spending his retirement focusing on auto repair and weather prediction.

Ms. Pepper used to be on the board of the historical society, with a vast knowledge of rooftop architecture and iguana removal.

After 2020, they were left behind to fend for themselves. They have both lived extremely hard lives on the streets but somehow keep going with an even keeled demeanor. They know everything and will stare into you because they know everything about you as well. They seem barely able to walk yet have unbelievable bursts of strength and dodge every type of hazard.

They are basically living here in a hospice type situation as they are elder relatives of Patches.

Throughout the horrendous summers and uncomfortable winters they’ve lived crouching underneath cars and have accumulated oil deposits all over their fur. Ms. Pepper lived for about two years completely matted, made worse by smelly drool from her mouth. The Ape Woman finally was allowed to touch her, and she cut, combed and bathed all of her fur so she could live with dignity finally.

Unfortunately, Dr. Pepper also came down with the same condition of the smelly drool from his mouth. It’s most likely stomatitis or another type of mouth disease. They both are in a lot of pain when trying to eat. They eat only soft food but often jump back in pain.

Ms. Pepper was at the clinic recently and was given antibiotics and pain medicine which she responded to well, however, putting either one of them through a full dental surgery would probably mean the end for them.

They’re still eating, climbing fences, even killing small iguanas, so at this point they need continuing care to try making them comfortable in their last weeks or months of life. Dr Pepper could use some antibiotics as well as pain medicine. Both could use an oral medicine like clindamycin.

Whenever the end is truly near the Ape Woman needs to be ready to get them end of life care to let go of their bodies and return back to Cat Planet.

Tiberius:

Tiberius showed up a few years ago and immediately started making a name for himself in the region. He clearly had the leadership skills, street smarts and good looks to be the new King, but due to politics, the Grey Panther had to pass the torch to Ossells.

After a few skirmishes, Tiberius was forced to set up his new kingdom at a nearby grove where he became an accomplished blacksmith and devotee of Rastafarianism.

After living in the wilds alone, he befriended an injured lady named Stawberry Bun and they quickly realized they were soulmates. The two of them live in peace in their kingdom, however when Scampi showed up, it was clear he was Tiberius‘s illegitimate son and Stawberry Bun went ballistic, barring any contact between them.

Tiberius is addicted to catnip and Churu sticks and definitely needs flea medication.

Strawberry Bun:

Strawberry bun is a very high strung, wild and free spirit who hitchhiked her way here from Tallahassee. She grew up with biker gang parents, ran away and settled here with a very religious family. Sadly, after 2020 she was left to fend for herself.

She suffered some type of accident to one of her feet, which healed but still leaves her with a noticeable limp. She refuses to go to a clinic and insists she can take care of herself with yoga and Pilates.

She met Tiberius and they have been bonded as a pair ever since. While she loathes his catnip addiction, she loves being the queen of their distant grove. She’s a very standoffish and demanding lady, she definitely needs flea medication and at some point another type of care could help with her lifelong injury.

*******I will be breaking down the various medical costs as I get information with the initial vet visits. But as for now I’m estimating it to be over $5000.. As just one complete tooth extraction per cat is usually around $1000. And doing one round of bloodwork is usually about 3 to $400 per cat. Then factoring in medications or any other tests, plus flea medication, which is extremely expensive. *****

Thank you all!

~Amy (the ape woman)

Photos below are : Tiberius, Ms Pepper, Strawberry Bun, Coffee Cake, Ossells, Patches, Scampi , Tiberius.. Mr Fritz and Dr Pepper are in main gallery.