A few weeks ago I told you about Roatan Renegade Rescue; the grassroots organization started by Penny Leigh.
Since then I have posted updates in the comments section RRR Comments The up-dates are heart wrenching and up-lifting at the same time.
Perp: The one who started it all. Found in Coxen Hole with an injured leg, on his own, hurt and hungry. His name has changed a couple of times, is now called Trouble (what does that tell you.) He is doing well with his adoptive family.
Blind Pedro: A Golden Retriever/Island dog fending for himself on West Bay Beach. He was rescued, a trip to the vet then fostered. Pedro ran into some problems when a nasty dog attacked him. Penny went and got him again, another trip to the vet, and the latest word is that Pedro is happy and healthy again.
Franky: A little girl dog, also fending for herself, this time in West End. She had had multiple litters and had become aggressive when her puppies continually died. Roatan Renegade Rescue picked her up (no easy feat) got her to the vet and it turns out she has cancer of the vagina. She has been transported to La Ceiba for treatment. Latest report she is responding to treatment, will be returning to the Island soon, and an adoption is pending.
Bruce: Still on the run. A little Island dog with a broken leg, RRR caught him once, but he managed to break free. There have been reports of him being seen back in West End, many attempts to catch him again…no luck so far.
Keith: A scrawny pup dodging traffic. All cleaned up now, and living the life he deserves.
Roatan Renegade rescue is doing exactly what it set out to do!
In the original story I posted Roatan Renegade rescue, Roatan Vortex Posting I shared my disappointment in myself for not getting something like RRR going. Then I went on to tell you how good it felt to have a way to help. I promote RRR every chance I get through my website and on The Roatan Vortex Show on Roatan Radio and as I follow the RRR updates, I consider that I could do more. So when Penny sent out the email, looking for someone to take on finding and fostering a mother cat and her three kittens, I decided the time had come!
This story began when Penny was contacted by Heather, a lady who had just returned to the US after a holiday on Roatan. While here, she fed a stray black cat that was obviously starving, and nursing a litter of kittens. If she could have Heather would have smuggled the whole brood back to the US in her luggage. With that not possible, she set to work searching for a Rescue Organization on Roatan. She found Penny and RRR.
I went looking for the mom and kittens…I didn’t have much luck. Fortunately, Tamara and Kristin also answered the call for help. They crawled under a building, took a few bites from terrified kitten’s razor sharp teeth and gathered them up. They loaded me up with a carrier to transport them in, cat food, and cat litter.
Off we went!
That was yesterday…today, all is good. Tinta (mommy cat, named by Tamara) has a full tummy and is contently, snuggling with her three babies. The babies still keep their distance from people and try to scare me away by hissing. But, Dave did manage to get one of them to let him hold it for a few minutes.
Tinta nursing two of her babies.
Yesterday, we arrived to the house and it seemed to start out okay, I got them all settled in the spare bedroom, begged them to use the litter box (which they all do…yeah!) They guzzled milk, and ate from the same dish. Tinta immediately made herself at home, rubbing against me looking for some affection. The kittens hid under the couch, but I was able to coax them out by dangling a string.
Then…Mona (my dog) came home.
I expected it to be a bit of a challenge to introduce them to each other. I didn’t expect that Tinta would ATTACK Mona, poor dog didn’t know what hit her. Dave got Mona upstairs and calmed her down, fortunately no serious scratches…but her feeling were hurt. I corralled Tinta into the spare bedroom, along with one of her babies…but where were the other two?
For over an hour Dave and I searched and search and searched some more, we were convinced they were gone! I was devastated…what kind of a rescuer was I!
Just in-case you didn’t know—kittens can hide in the tiniest holes and cracks. Dave found one of the kittens in a very small gap (he wore oven mitts to guard against those sharp little teeth.) The other missing kitten just suddenly appeared!
By 1 AM Tinta and all her babies were settled in the spare bedroom, Mona was over it, and I was exhausted!
In the morning Mona will head out for the day to play with her boy dog friends on the beach (she’s such a tart, a spayed tart, so its okay.) By day the house belongs to Tinta and her babies. I’ll just make sure they are tucked-in, in the spare bedroom by 10 PM–before Mona gets home!
Was it a fun first day…heck NO! Am I glad I did it…oh yeah!
Heartfelt thanks:
Heather, for caring enough to find a way to get them rescued and sponsoring Tinta getting spayed once the kittens are weaned, and offering to adopt Tinta (if we can get her to Atlanta safely.)
Penny, for creating Roatan Renegade Rescue, and giving me an opportunity to help.
Tamara and Kristin, for doing the initial rescue, and loading me up with supplies.
Want to help?
Check out Roatan Renegade Rescue – official website
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Genny Ross-Barons moved to Roatan, Honduras in 2007 where she shares a cabana with her husband and island dog Mona in Sandy Bay, Roatan.
She spends her day-to-day life and ‘positive initiatives’ on Roatan, sharing untold stories through her blog ‘Life & Writing, on Roatan’
