My name is Christina, I've been in the rescue business for about 20 years. I'm disabled and I have a heart for the less fortunate, especially animals. How it began. My dad passed away in September of 2019. Later that year, I came across 2 kittens. A tortie with a 'tude and a little ginger tabby. I took them home. I live in the country just outside Springfield Missouri. Then along comes CV19. I took the cats to get them altered at about 6 months old. Nope, saving supplies for humans. I get that, but no one sent the social distancing memo to the cats. 😑 So we started having babies. The first year I kept up with the demand of the supply, meaning I was able to rehomed most of the babies. Then it overtook me. Almost 2 years later we went from 2 cats to 14. Many people don't understand that cats can have babies 3 to sometimes 4 times a year (rare, but not unheard of) and up to 8 or more babies each time. My experience is 4 to 6 mostly. More when younger females. I learned quickly that it's impossible to force a person to take a cat, most people lie and say they are allergic (so I offer to shave the cat), and many people that say they can't have a cat will reveal they have one or more already, caught lying... awkward!! Tell the truth. Don't want one, can't afford it, too soon after my dog or cat died, my dogs would hurt them. Then you don't have to remember you lied. It doesn't offend me to be told no. Anyway, I digress. Having my own clowder of around 40 cats, just found more kittens, I have decided to make a sanctuary for the cats I have. I'm currently in the pen building stage. When the pens are built, I would like to invite people that can't have cats but want to visit them out for visits. I am also planning cat cams so people can watch the cats and donate, food, toys, supplies or even money to help the cats. So I'm inviting you on this journey with me and the cats here at Judah's Paw.

Summer time. Gotta love it. Well, it's much better than ice, snow and -40°F. Spring and fall are my favorites with spring being first. BUT..... With the new warmer weather comes a new set of problems. Mosquitos, ticks, fleas and an uptick in parasites. Here are some tips I've learned. METAL WAYER BOWLS. There's a rumor that cats carry toxiplasmosis. That's true. But.... So do dogs, humans, raccoons, opposums, skunks and any other mammal. Toxiplasmosis is caused by a worm type parasite. That parasite can thrive in plastic bowls. Especially when outside. Wild animals drinking from the same water dish as your pet can infect them and it can be, but not always is, fatal. FLEAS AND TICKS Ticks and fleas are always present. In the winter they live on warm blooded wildlife and hide there eggs in pilles of leaves. A study was done by the conservation department. A tick was put in an ice tray with water and frozen. That cube was thawed out a year later. The tick crawled off. So freezing does not kill ticks. Chickens and birds, turkeys, ducks and geese (these two do a good job with snails and slugs too. Opossums and raccoons also eat fleas and ticks as well as snakes. Putting a liquid on your pet or giving them an edible pill is the most effective at keeping ticks and fleas off pets, but it's only a partial fix. The fleas and ticks can still bite your pet and transfer a disease or cause an allergic reaction. The parasite will die, but the damage is done. Treating your lawn is important as well. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes will crawl under doors and windows. They hitchhike on shoes, walking pets, laundry (in a basket), packages, picnic blankets anything placed on the ground. Treating your lawn kills the parasites effectively preventing them from coming into the home. Lawns can be sprayed or granuals dispersed before a rain. Also diatomaceous earth works and peppermint planted around the perimeter of the home may repel ticks and fleas. The hotter the weather the more aggressive the fleas are to lay eggs. Those eggs can lay dormant for up to a year. When the heat reaches into the mid to upper 90°s those eggs hatch and begin to forage. When treating your house for fleas raise the temperature of the house so eggs hatch before you put treatment on, but don't have a chance to lay eggs.

I've not posted recently because I had some health issues. I really didn't get to officially start the group before I was hospitalized. I had foot surgery. I'm home now and healing very well. Thank God! Now I will try to start posting daily. So...here we go.

I’m excited to be here and grateful to be accepted into this amazing community. I joined because I truly believe in growth, learning, and building something meaningful online. I’m passionate about AI content creation, passive income strategies, and helping people create more opportunities for themselves. I love connecting with like-minded people who are focused on success, consistency, and personal development. I believe we can all learn from each other and grow faster together. I’m here to share value, learn new ideas, support others, and build genuine relationships not just to be seen, but to contribute. Looking forward to connecting with you all and learning from this powerful community 🚀 Drop a comment and let’s connect 💙

@Christina Deckard It is a privilege for accepting me into your community,and I would love to help in building a real and engaging community with the right audience if you're open to it?