Oh, I am crying now…please keep us up to date on little Lola.
I knew you’d keep her! How could you not? She stole a bunch of hearts here, and we haven’t even seen her!
I have a kitty who was to be adopted, so she was “The 'Lil kitten” Well, 'Lil is still here 2 years later. I’m glad she never found the right home… or actually, she did… Ours!
Its heart breaking that there are agencies who will care for the animals, but few or none willing to gently help the brothers. Go figure.
I read this thread yesterday and haven’t stopped thinking about it.
looks down, draws imaginary lines on the floor with toe of shoe
Hi, jay-c. I’m really glad to meet you. Will you accept a laurel, and hearty handshake? And give Lola a kiss on the nose.
Can we have official doper heroes?
jay-c is my hero, anyway.
Aww, man. You guys are embarrassing me! Anyway, here’s an update with the latest happenings.
The Brothers
My sister is a social worker, and she echoes the sentiments of the other agencies that I’ve spoken with. The best thing to do is have them arrested, and things will go from there. She points out that they will receive three hot meals a day, baths, and shelter from the weather while they await placement. I called the sheriff’s office and asked a bunch of hypothetical questions about what might happen in this situation. If I were to have the brothers arrested, they would be put in jail for vagrancy then referred to a homeless shelter or social service agency to get assistance.
Homeless shelters are overcrowded in Columbus, and the odds of two men being placed in the same facility together are slim to none. They’re probably going to be separated - strike one. Most social services operate on the principal that while they can offer assistance, people in need are always able to decline it. I’m afraid that’s what will happen in this case, so strike two. They’ll be filtered through the system, and end up right back on the streets. Brother #2’s adamant refusal to leave his dogs makes it seem to me that somebody at some point has already tried to remove him from this situation. Still between a rock and a hard place, I’m really no further along than I was on Monday when all of this started.
I’ve spoken with the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, and they pointed me to a soup kitchen that is just blocks away from where the brothers are living. I walked them there this morning (not alone, of course), and explained that they could get a meal there whenever they were hungry. To make sure they could get there unassisted, I had them walk me back to the home they’re staying in, then back to the soup kitchen. I left a bag of dog food with them too, to make sure doggies are being fed. I’ll try to make a decision this weekend about whether to call the sheriff or not. At least they and the dogs are getting food for the time being.
The Kitty
She’s doing well, though we did have to go to the vet(again) for an ear infection. She has gained some weight - she’s now a whopping 4.25 ounces! She’s starting to respond to my voice, and makes little chirping noises when I feed her. It’s adorable! She likes to sleep on my chest, and I heard her purring for the first time last night. My dog seems mightily confused by all of this - he doesn’t know what to make of this tiny ball of fluff, and most of the time just lays on the floor watching her. I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to find her a new home when the time comes.
My employer has been very understanding about the situation, and lets the kitty come to work with me. She rides around in a big pink straw tote bag stuffed with a heating pad and towels, and sleeps on my lap during the day. She’s got a Beanie Baby cow (that’s the only stuffed animal I had) that she sleeps on and snuggles up to. I’ll try to take some pictures over the weekend, and post them on Monday.
Thank you everyone for your kind words and good wishes.
This whole story sounds to me like you were at the right place at the right time. Very good 
You remind me of my husband, he just can’t turn away from any animals, or people for that matter, in need.
The cat we have is a stray that turned up at his job. His boss was going to take her out back and shoot her, but my husband quickly snatched up the cat and brought her home. We just call her Kitty. Had her for nearly three years now.
Our dog Twix is a stray someone found running down the middle of a highway. He was not even six weeks old when we found him, and we’ve had him for almost 2 years. He turned out to be this huge 50+ lb dog.
And then there’s Oreo, she’s the only one we planned on having heh. She’s the puppy of a stray though that wandered into a friend’s yard.
Thank you for the update. I think the soup kitchen idea was a wonderful one. I am really impressed that you provided dog food! However, I thought you said the dogs seemed well fed? How were they being fed before?
I was thinking that it might be a good idea to maybe check around vets and see if there is one that might sterilize the mother dog for free. Some of them do if it’s a stray dog. I wish I could help out! I go to law school at Ohio State, and wouldn’t mind making calls, but I’m in England for another two weeks. It was an idea I had, don’t know if it will help.
I really want to see pictures of the little ball of fluff with her stuffed beanie baby cow. I can’t wait until Monday!
jay-c, let me join with the rest in commending you for all you have done for the Two Brothers and Lola. In a world where we no longer jump at gunshots and step over homeless people, you are wonderful.
Have you contacted any of the neighborhood churches about the Brothers? They may have some type of outreach program that could assist. Or, talk to the director of the soup kitchen and see if s/he has any resources that could assist. Just making the people around aware of their existance may help them.
The dogs looked well fed, but what the heck have they been eating? I assume garbage. Sure, a dog can survive on garbage, but is that really the most nutritious food for a nursing mom? I left food so the dogs would get the right type of nutrition, not just junk.
I’ve already disussed this situation with my veterinarian, and she’s willing to spay momma dog at cost. The problem is how to get Brother #2 to understand that someone will be taking the dog and returning it to him later. I can see a fight happening. Thank you for the offer though.
Little Miss Princess Kitty is sitting on my lap at work, busily charming anyone who enters my office. I don’t have my camera with me, but I do have a camera phone, so I took a grainy low resolution photo that will have to suffice until Monday. Here she is, peeking out from under my keyboard drawer. Compare the size of her head to the size of the keys. She’s tiny!
Ohhhhh! Kitty!
Now I am sad…my keyboard has no kitty.
Aww! Wook at de widdle kitty!
/sugar-induced swoon
You said your vet was willing to do it “at cost?” Or did you mean “at no cost?” I would think it was the latter, but just want to make sure. I don’t know how you’re going to explain to Brother 2 about taking his dog for a few hours, since he is a bit slow. Maybe he could talk to the vet? Is that asking too much?
Email me if you need help, or think I could do anything, or if you just want to have some coffee. It’s in the profile 
With all the kitten threads and photographs around here, I’m missing my two little girls even more (not so little anymore, sadly enough, they do get bigger).
If I end up spending the weekend visiting animal rescue shelters looking for another cat, it’s all your fault. 
jay-c - You are my new hero. I hope if I ever happen into a similar situation that I have the heart to follow your example.
Rescuing the cat and treating the brothers well is nice enough, but a special trip to deliver dog food and show them the soup kitchen is above and beyond the call of duty. I can’t say how impressed I am!
(Cute pic too.)
sooooo very cute. i’m so glad one of the kittens made it.
by the way… you’ve got mail.
Oh how SWEET! (I’m still crying over the Brothers and the poor little kitties…it’s just too sad.)
I usually don’t like people, but jay-c, you’re alright.
Okay, it’s Monday. Where are the fuzzy wuzzy pics?
Impatiently bounces up and down in seat
Wanna see more kitty pics! Pics! Pics! Pics! You said “Monday”!!!
Okay, okay. I know I promised pictures of the little fluff ball, but I had to go to a wedding out of town all weekend. Kitty traveled with me, and I smuggled her into my hotel room. She attended the ceremony on Saturday (appropriately attired in a large purple bow, natch), and attended the champagne brunch reception on Sunday. She was the life of the party, and got nearly as much attention as the bride. Personally, I think Kitty was the prettier of the two, but maybe I’m biased.
An utterly charming Englishman (why do we American women swoon at the sound of an accent?) at the wedding attempted to steal her away across the pond, but ultimately decided that catching rats on the tube wouldn’t be as fun for her as letting her remain with me. Besides, smuggling kittens into hotels is one thing, smuggling them into another country is another. I can see that trip through customs - it’s not pretty. “Do you have anything to declare, young man?” “Is that a kitten in your pocket, or are you just happy to be going home?”
At any rate, I arrived home late, with a digital camera full up with wedding photos, so I will need to download those before taking more pics. Kitty’s become quite mobile in the past few days, so I’ll try to get her to hold still long enough to get off a few pictures. Later this evening, I promise I’ll have pictures to post.
jay-c, I must first commend you for all that you’re doing for all involved (feline and human). And I, too, wanna see pics. So there.
Meanwhile…DungBeetle, this line still cracks me up:
I call sig line! 
Gee, thanks. :o I’m flattered!