Random Felines

wordless wednesday....

2012-02-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

(mom here - I have to say, that just doesn't look comfy.

But this is the same box Ivy was sitting in last week.

What makes it funnier is that Caramel & Mochas really don't even like canned food.)

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Also, our friends at I Have Three Cats (OK - there are really 4 cats, but who is counting), gave us this award. We love that people appreciate what we do here..... THANKS

We are supposed to pass it on but aren't sure who has gotten it or not....if not, feel free to share!!

Pillars of Strength.....

2012-02-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

The blogosphere is coming together once again to support a fellow animal lover. K keeps her human KB jumping over at Romping and Rolling in the Rockies. And now K is going through chemo and needs our support.....This blog is new to us, but we started reading and love it....not that is matters to give some love, purrs and support!

We know you don't think of mom as a "dog" person. We are trying to keep it that way too....MOL

However, her family had dogs when she was growing up. They were partial to white german shepards (the standing tall dogs - not the screwed up show dogs with the sloping backs....don't get mom started on that). Anyhow, while she was in high school, they had a white GSD named Hazzard (give you any idea how really old mom is??). He was wonderful....grandma did daycare and the kids LOVED him. They would lean on him inside to watch tv. Mom came home from school the one day to discover a pink chalk stripe on his one side and blue on the other....the kids had been playing and Hazz let them do it. He was as sweet as he was pretty.... He ran for the Bridge when mom was away at college.

So, could you take a second to run over to The Thundering Herd to check out the links to other blogs helping celebrate???? And then maybe leave a nice note with purrs and woos for K and KB??? Thanks!!

Ups and Downs.....

2012-02-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

As most of you who are involved in rescue know, there are always ups and downs.....Mom had a few this weekend.

Friday night was the great bloodhound drive (she says her left arm must now be about 3 inches longer than her right arm - MOL).

Saturday morning she got a call from Miss Beckie from the rescue about cats to go to Petco. Noah's Ark Vet Hospital helps out the rescue and wondered if we would be willing to help them get a kitty adopted. Big Callie was part of a TNR group and then the colony caregiver determined she was friendly. She was brought to the vet hospital, checked out good on everything and Mom picked her up Saturday am to go to Petco.

Saturday afternoon mom went to the shelter and a young guy (early 20s?) brought in a cat. He works at a local car wash and when they got to work on Saturday, there was a cat. They checked their video and saw a woman drive up in a van, put the cat out by their dumpster, put the litter box out as well and drive away. HISS!!!!

Anyhow, the workers at the car wash couldn't take her but did the RIGHT thing and brought her to the shelter. She should be checked out today and hopefully will be on the adoption floor soon. Long hair dilute calico girl - friendly too. Mom got to name her and she is now known as Bubbles. (hahaha)

Sunday was adoption event day. The snotty kittens went with for the cute factor. And....

Callie got adopted!!!!! Concats to her and her new family!

good dog news....

2012-02-11T08:51:00.000-05:00

First, mom just read online that Georgia from Best Friends has been adopted. For any of you that followed the Vick dogs and/or Dogtown on National Geographic Channel, you would have gotten a chance to meet her. She was dog aggressive and all of her teeth had been pulled - more likely that not due to her being a champion fighter and this way she could be bred without hurting the male dog. A tough life to say the least. But, she bonded with her care givers, got her Canine Good Citizenship, and is on her way home....

Also, mom drove another transport for Ontario Bloodhound Rescue. Boone is an 11 month old male, neutered but tied outside to a dog house for his entire life. Duchess is an adult female - used as a breeding machine. They hadn't met, so it was a bit of event in the car, but they settled in. However, mom got to the transport site before the next driver, so she was outside with both dogs for about 30 minutes. Duchess didn't like Boone and he was acting like a wacky teenager. He got in her face and she nailed him on the nose. So mom spent the next little while trying to keep them as apart as possible. But, they are now in foster and on there way to a much better life.

Mom didn't get pictures....forgot her camera, though she says she wouldn't get pictures in the chaos anyhow. MOL

Stay warm this weekend....it is pretty cold here.

Finally Friday.....

2012-02-10T09:40:00.000-05:00

Mom says it has been a long week.....

Martin is....settling in. Junior is completely ignoring him, which mom finds a little strange. We shall see. In the meantime, he continues to act like a petulant 2 year old kid. Mom was sitting in her chair watching tv and eating a snack. He wanted some and kept getting up and being nosy. She kept pushing him back on the floor. After the 3rd time - he ran down the hall, came back and got her - wrapped his paws around her ankle and bit her!! RUDE!!!! Did this sneak attack thing 3 times before mom grabbed him and he got a time out in the bathroom. Mom is hoping to let him out more this weekend and hopefully that will help him some.

Otherwise, we are taking it easy...hope you are all doing the same.

(Mo was getting feisty one night, so mom flipped him over and

shoved him between her leg and the arm of the chair. He must

have stayed there for about 30 minutes - purring!!!)

New guy.....

2012-02-09T08:53:00.000-05:00

First, Ivy would like to thank all of you for your support yesterday....brothers can be so bad!!

Tuesday night mom picked up a new foster from the shelter. (as a reminder, yes, we still have the coffee kittens from the rescue, but since the shelter doesn't "like" the rescue, we keep the fact that we help both under the radar).

Martin is a 10 month old male black kitten. He is....ornery. And he bites. Oh, and mom has seen him launch himself across the room at a volunteer. She was afraid he was going to get a person from the public (or worse a kid) so she offered to take him and see if we could teach him some manners. Turns out he has already been in foster twice. But, he got an eye infection over the weekend, so they asked us on Monday if we would take him for a few days.

He was pretty growly and hissy on Tuesday - even at mom.

But she let him out for the first time last night....he and Tommy exchanged a few words, but otherwise, we think he was just happy to run around like a nut....he didn't stop for more than a few seconds at a time.

Mom isn't leaving him out during the day since she isn't home until she is sure he isn't going to start something to get himself in trouble. She says he is like a 2 year old kid - ornery when he doesn't get his own way.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2012-02-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hahahaha.....remember when mom was talking about Ivy being undertall? Well, mom caught Ivy sitting in this box the other night and got her picture.....we think it is her best side.

What? She is coming???? Run for your lives boys......

Trouble Tuesday.....

2012-02-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

We weren't sure how many of you had heard about this, so we wanted to get it out there.

Loews hotels in Florida had a feral cat problem. One of their bellman - out of the goodness of his heart and his own pocket - started doing TNR. The hotel management didn't seem to care one way or the other. And the maintenance department even built feeding stations for the cats that matched the hotel. The colony population went from about 40 to 8.

Then a change of management and the cats became a "liability". Though we wonder cause they have never said how they came to that decision. Traps were set and the cats were going to be taken to a local shelter - and we all know they would have been euthanized. Riverfront Cats stepped up and was helping to keep the cats from the shelter. They are also helping organize people to let Loews know they are making a bad decision. You can check out their efforts to stop the move on the Facebook page.

Right now, they are organizing a letter writing campaign - if you can write a letter, sign it and scan it, please email it to Riverfrontcats@yahoo.com and they will cover the postage to mail all the letters together.

It bothers us....so many people are suddenly taking flack for doing the right thing to help these homeless cats and lower their population. Disney has a feral cat colony that is controlled. At least one casino in Las Vegas got help from Best Friends and now has a controlled colony (they choose to remain anonymous to keep people from dropping off cats there).

So, please like their facebook page and write a letter if you can. Loews claims to be "pet friendly" and a good corporate citizen - but that apparently doesn't extend to the cats that are living on their property.

Some of you may remember that Junior was live-trapped when we helped control our local colony...this was his 2nd day in the bathroom. While mom isn't allowed to pet him, he at least doesn't look this ticked off anymore.... But imagine him being trapped by this hotel and relocated (which doesn't always work) or euthanized....just for being born outside.

Mancat Monday....

2012-02-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Junior here....

It was a pretty slow weekend. Mom left on Caturday for a couple of hours to go see a movie - not sure what that means, but that is what she said. (mom here: if you enjoy Janet Evanovich, you have to go see One for the Money...that is what I went to see and it was great)

Anyhow, as you can see, I find this condo a great place to sit and look out the window. I can also use it as access to the new cat tree. I have been having fun chasing the kittens around as well. Mom said she was going to try to video some of our craziness on Sunday, but that we were moving too fast and it was just more fun to sit back and watch.

I think I finally have the hang of this hammock thingie as well...would be nice if it was just a LITTLE bit bigger....

Cat from Hell

2012-02-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say that mom LOVES watching Jackson Galaxy (as we know many of you do as well). First, she loves that they changed the intro - no more screaming cat (which made at least one cat here jump out of their skin).

But more important, it gives mom a resource to use with adopters. Last night he talked about declawing and reintroductions. Interesting since mom has met a man that afternoon who was looking at Bobo at Petco and talked about declawing. Mom said to wait and see what happens - since there are consequences like biting. Lo and behold - the guy had a lightbulb moment....their current female 4 yr old cat was front-declawed....and she bites. Interesting.... (side note: if they decide to adopt, they are going to call mom, but either way mom hopes she gave them something to think about)

So, love those kitties, keep watching...and know that mom loves that this show makes us look a LOT better.... hahaha

undertall

2012-02-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Mom has her DVR set to tape this show called the Chew everyday. Anyhow, she was watching one of the episodes last night and Michael Symon (mom loves him) made a comment about not being overweight but undertall. And mom cracked up....

See, she says the same thing about Ivy. When the vet weighed Ivy the first time they met, Ivy was just under 10 pounds. Dr Taylor said that wasn't too bad. Mom laughed and said "have you seen her walk - she wiggles. So, you are telling me she isn't overweight, just undertall?" And Dr Taylor laughed.

Of course, now Ivy weighs over 11 pounds and probably would be "overweight", which mom is working on.....but the comment still made her laugh.

Yogurt.....

2012-02-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

This is Tommy....

This is Tommy while mom tries to eat yogurt....in the kitchen....standing up:
mom here: tommy is obsessed with anything dairy based - so yes, in order to eat yogurt (or anything else) without a big tomcat in my face, I eat standing up in the kitchen. And this is the least vocal I have seen him (must have been the camera).

Things on Thursday....

2012-02-02T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hollie (at Petco - see Tuesday) is a tortie. Miss Beckie from the rescue called the store yesterday and she isn't hiding anymore and is coming out to greet people. Bobo is kind of whiny cause he is lonely. The plans to bring his brother over aren't going to pan out as his brother now has the snot. Poor baby...

Caramel went to see the v-e-t yesterday. The vet said that he was being undermedicated and that a higher dose of doxy should help. She was a little short with mom at first but did come around and realized that mom was doing what she was originally told. He weighs about 3.46 pounds now (holy moly) and should hopefully be sneaking up (silently) on his sister in about a week. :)

While at the v-e-t mom asked about Mocha - she asked if someone had a chance to look at the x-ray. A radiologist did look at it (no idea why no one called with a follow up). Turns out it isn't a birth defect (and in some good news, mom has been keeping track and it doesn't seem to curve in quite so far, so it does seem to be growing as she does). The x-ray showed 3 fractured ribs and lung contusions from a previous injury. Someone hurt this baby and caused that damage. We and mom are pretty angry..... mom would like to hunt that person down and kick them - though sadly, in this state, she would do more time in jail for that than the person would for hurting Mocha. At least now we know what happened and that she isn't going to suffer in the future. She did go with Caramel to the v-e-t this morning for "moral support"....she scratched mom and used some bad werds - we don't think that was very supportive.

Finally, the weather was nice today. Mom took some time off from work for "mental health" and....she OPENED SOME WINDOWS!!! It isn't supposed to stay nice around here, but the fresh air was a nice break for February.

One Word Wednesday...

2012-02-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

SNORK

New kitties.....

2012-01-31T09:04:00.000-05:00

First - an update on Gracie. Mom got an email that said on the last leg of her transport she was sitting UP on the carseat. And she got to her new foster home (with other dogs) and was relaxing already. YEAH!!!

Now - mom helped move some new kitties to Petco last night. We are so proud of the job they are doing and the number of adoptions. We aren't sure of the total number of adoptions to date, but it is pretty impressive. We don't think any cat has been there more than 30 days.

Meet:
Bobo - 4 months old, neutered male, medium haired gray. Sweet boy - he was born on a nice family's porch and the family agreed to keep the family until the kittens were big enough (mom was then spayed). He is WILD - one toy was already deaded before mom left him last night. But he HOWLED in the car. :) We have no doubt he will be adopted quick!!

Hollie is a year old female. And she only weighs about 5 pounds - TINY!! She is very shy but the staff said they will work with her to help her get more comfortable. She came from a foster home, so we know that she should be ok.

weekend wrapup.....

2012-01-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

Friday night mom did another transport. Normally these happen over the weekend, but they managed to pull Gracie from a high kill shelter to a foster home and needed to get her on another transport leaving Saturday. So mom did her part on Friday after work. Poor Gracie (they are calling her a boxer mix) was terrified and rode the entire trip in the wheel well by the passenger front seat. (the picture is of her on another part of the trip)

Any FYI - for those of you who have seen Oskar the blind kitten and his brother Klaus on YouTube - they now have a blog.

As hoped, we spent the weekend relaxing. Mom got out the wands and the treats, so Tim had to stop giving her the back of disdain. Mo and Junior decided to try out the new tree a little more. Tim tried the hammock part of it, but couldn't get himself turned around so he gave up. Plus mom has seen Mo and the kittens sleeping on the top shelf.

"ok - now how do I get down?"

"comfy - and Spud can't reach me up here"

"yep - just hangin'"

Caramel prefers the condo

Finally Friday.....

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

We are expecting a quiet weekend. Mom said she has a transport tonight but nothing this weekend. Weird.... And she said something about no basketball, so she won't be yelling at the tv (yeah!!).

The rescue has 2 kittens at Petco that are about 5 months old. One of them is coming down with a little cold and mom said he may come visit for a week instead of creating waves at the store. Plus he is a little shy, so the socialization might help him. We shall see over the weekend. (late note from the mom: I got an email back from the other volunteer that helps coordinate that store - both kittens have been adopted and are going home this afternoon....YEAH!!)

Tim has decided to give mom the back of disdain unless she breaks out the wand toy and some treats this weekend....

the crazies.....

2012-01-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

Mom tried to get it on video or get pictures last night, but it didn't work. Junior had a MAJOR case of the crazies last night and the kittens were right there with him. It makes mom laugh...ok, until Junior chased Ivy around the house and annoyed the heck out of her.... But up and down the hall, up and down the stairs.....

Mom has seen both kittens sleeping on top of the tree, so at least we know they can get up there.....

Otherwise, we were just thankful to be inside and warm......

Wordless Wednesday.....

2012-01-25T08:48:00.001-05:00

Quick Edit: there is a local rescue that has posted a request for signatures on this petition. The city council is planning to pay (a lot) to have a guy come out and trap and kill stray cats - but won't recognize TNR and won't help local groups.....

Beware - serious cute ahead!!!

Treesday....

2012-01-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

Mom has been saying that she was going to buy a cat tree. But, she was waiting to transform the other bedroom. Friday after work, she was getting groceries and saw a tree on sale at the grocery store. She didn't get it, but thought about it most of the night. So she left early on Saturday to get it and bring it back before driving the transport. Only by the time she got there, one of the two was gone and the other was broken (and not as stable as she would like). Drat....

Now she had plenty of time since she wouldn't be coming home. There was an Anderson's over there and she decided to stop. They have some pet stuff and she figured you never know. Well, they had one that was a decent height and not a bad price. It isn't quite what she wanted, but for now it seems to be working. She was going to put it in the spare bedroom but ended up moving her coffee table and leaving it in the living room.

She still plans to convert the spare bedroom into a foster fort and change some things around, but this was a spur of the moment thing....and seems to be working. :)

Not even that hard to put together

wow - and pretty tall (42")

Inspecting the finished tree

The mice are a big hit

But the box.....wow!!

Yep, Tommy approves of the box.....

weekend wrapup

2012-01-23T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, the snotty kids are still....snotty. :) Caramel just doens't understand why EVERYONE knows he is coming when he tries to sneak up on them (hint - the heavy breathing gives him away). Mom says he isn't the brightest lightbulb.
Hey - on that note, maybe that solves the Ivy mystery from Friday - she stands close to the light to get smarter.....hahahahahaha (sounds of feets running as their sister reads that part)

OK - while they are off whapping each other, I (the mom) will fill you in on the rest of the weekend.

Transport Saturday: Polo (boston/french bulldog mix) and Bunny (Rat terrier mix [though I think she may be more papillion])

Bunny

Polo

They are on their way from a shelter to foster home. :)

The snotty kittens are now on a different drug. Hopefully this one will work. Poor Caramel fell asleep on my lap on Sunday and has to breath through his mouth.

Otherwise, a slow weekend...we napped on Sunday.

We gots an award.....

2012-01-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

Star & Leo from Celestial Kitties gived it to us. Lief is "sweet" in Dutch. And we certainly think Star & Leo are very sweet indeed!!! Thank you so much for thinking we is sweet (mom thinks we have you fooled - MOL). We are supposed to give it to 3 other blogs, but we can't pick......

Mom has been laughing at the comments from yesterdays unsolved mystery!!
1. Mom doesn't think the lamp makes noise, but that is possible....
2. Mom hopes we aren't haunted and it isn't an angel kitty
3. An appearance by ceiling cat - considering this is Ivy, mom doubts that.... MOL
11. Mousie in the wall....it is an outside wall - could be, but unlikely
33. Bugs near the light - that is certainly possible.....and mom is ignoring it for the moment.
22.5. Sending code....that is possible...the boys certainly think she is an alien - maybe she is contacting the home world....

Unsolved Mysteries

2012-01-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

Mom had to think about this.....

We have some weird mysteries, but sometimes they solve themselves. Like - how was Tim getting his first collar off? Turns out one of the foster kittens was taking it off (swear to cod...we saw it happen). There are several minor ones that happen: who surfed the big box down the stairs? how does the crinkly tube get down the hallway?

But, right now, there is a bigger mystery. See, Ivy likes to sit on the half wall by the stairs. And then she does this:

And then this:

And the mystery?? WHAT THE HECK IS SHE LOOKING AT???? Drives mom nuts (which, knowing Ivy, may actually be the goal, but we don't think so considering how often Ivy can be seen doing this).

Thankful Thursday.....

2012-01-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

Mo is thankful that mom is gentle when she kicks him off the kitchen counter.... MOL She said she had to take this picture first cause of all the counter he could sit on, he parked his behind on the pot holder....

Mom met a very nice family last night at the shelter who adopted a young kitty named Rose. It was very sweet!!! Mom loves helping these kitties and families match up into their forever homes....and is so thankful that people are learning to ADOPT NOT SHOP!!

We thought we would get some sun puddles yesterday, but the sun was messing with us - showed up for a little bit but then disappeared before it could come in the windows.....drat!!

Miss Dollop could use some purrs. The other lady that mom is working with from the rescue emailed her today and said that Petco called and Dollop wasn't eating. Miss Beckie went and picked her up and Dollop got some sub-q fluids and did eat some canned chick-hen.....mom is afraid that the move to the store was just too much for this shy girl.

Oh - and the shelter has put up a Finally Home page on their website. Some of you may remember mom talking about Smudge (Mo Cats Day). Well, this was posted from his mom (it is longer, but this is the part that made mom laugh:

"Smudge is the second black cat we have owned and they are definitely unique. For some reason, black cats seem to act more like dogs and have this great fascination with water. I'm currently shopping for a kitty fountain for Smudge. I figure that it would be easier than trying to teach Smudge to turn off the faucet with his kitty paws. His love of water has progressed into a fascination with the washing machine. It's a front loader and everytime that I start a load of clothes, he runs down to the basement and watches the clothes spin."

Blackout Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

Two bills that are currently going through US Congress — SOPA in the House of Representatives and PIPA in the Senate. These are internet censorship bills that could destroy the World Wide Web as we know it and hamper our freedom of speech. Even though this is happening in America, these bills have far-reaching repercussions for the web as a whole. There are many companies against SOPA, such as Google, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and today we are joining the protest.

Tabby & Tortie Tuesday....

2012-01-17T08:41:00.001-05:00

Well, it was bound to happen.....the kittens got a b-a-t-h....

Mom was doing her hair on Sunday (something about a gray color she doesn't like so much). And she grabbed the flea comb (with the really close tines) and ran it through both kittens. Found lots of dirt - and a couple of friends. YIKES!!! So, into the tub they went.

We have gotten questions....do all kittens get baths? When and why? And HOW???

Not all kittens get baths. We don't get them at all. We are self-cleaning, thanks!!! However, sometimes we have pretty tiny kittens that are....well....messy. So they baths. Mom says in all our kittens, she thinks there have only been 3-4 litters that have gotten the bath.

Bug and the black semi-feral girls got theirs in the kitchen sink. Then mom thought there had to be a better way. So now everyone goes in the shower....yep with her (we know, TMI). Works out pretty well...

They still sound pretty snotty, but mom says they are definitely getting better....

PeeEss: the kittens never leave the floor of the bathtub - mom isn't risking anything more than her ankles. :)

Weekend transport.....

2012-01-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

Mom loves those bloodhounds!!! (we don't mind them either so long as they don't decide to live here - MOL) They transport well - just get in the car and go "whatever"....

Mom says they were super sweet and she loved them even for the hour she spent with them. Penny (first two pictures) rode in the passenger seat up front with mom and Dixie (last 2 pictures) got the backseat to herself. They traveled from O-hi-O to Canada and New York to their forever homes through Ontario Bloodhound Rescue.

Cubist Saturday....

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Some of you may remember that mom bought us a cube to try to help with some of the weird stress around here (Spud hisses at Junior, Spud stalks Ivy who hisses at him, and Tommy chases Spud). Mom likes the cube where it is, but is appears to have been taken over by Mozart (that is his black behind you see in the picture).

So, she bought another cube and put it across the room:

And she keeps finding Junior in that one. Now, don't get us wrong, she is really OK with Junior finding a place where he is comfortable.

But, this was supposed to be about Spud.....

Oh, and she bought some calming treats. Tommy won't eat them.....

well, that's....weird

2012-01-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th....May all your luck be GOOD!!

As you all know, we got new foster kitts last Friday.....and they were SNOTTY!!! Poor trailer park babies - don't know what gushy fud is, have earmites and had fleas, nasty URI..... BUT - now they are safe and friendly and getting better....

So, Tuesday night mom was in loving on the babies. And she picked up Mocha and felt something...strange. Like the ribs on her one side almost folded in. Now, mom doesn't freak out about much anymore, but she was concerned. Did someone hurt Mocha? Was this going to hurt her as she grows? We needed some answers.

Mom is lucky that she works for a small office (ok, not so lucky in some aspects, but they humor her rescue stuff). She left early yesterday and got Mocha into see a v-e-t at Rascal. Everyone was very enamored by the cute!! :) The tech checked her out and felt her side...yep, strange. She took Mocha back to weigh her and when she came back said she had passed the vet and when they got their hands on Mocha agreed an x-ray was in order (which mom had presumed). So, Mocha got her picture taken (she was very good according to the tech). Then the v-e-t came in to see them.

"well, that's.....weird"

Great, mom thought....I paid for that?? But the v-e-t smiled and said that she thinks everything is fine. They will have a radiologist take a look to be sure, but the v-e-t thinks it is a birth defect. The ribs on that side curve over like they are supposed to but then sharply turn in toward her lungs. And the v-e-t said her floating rib was REALLY floating out there. Mom asked about effects when Mocha grows. The v-e-t said she doesn't think it should be an issue, but understands the concern especially for potential adopters. She said that as Mocha grows, her ribs should grow at the same rate and while they won't straighten out, they shouldn't cause any damage. No guarantees, but at least good news. Mom talked to the rescue lady and they all agreed better to know now and be able to tell people - or be able to fix something now when she is little.

Oh, and both kitts got their ears cleaned and medicated again.

awwwww

Caramel says "stay away from my dinner" (either that or he was pre-sneeze)

Mom let them out for the first time last night. Mocha played in the back bedroom. Caramel made it as far as the hall....and ran back into the bathroom when he saw himself in the mirror on the back of mom's bedroom door. MOL!!!

new girls at the adoption center

2012-01-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

Mom took some new girls to the adoption center at the local Petco. We thought we would introduce them to you:

Snickers is a 1.5 year old torbie girl. She is spayed and microchipped but the chip wasn't registered. She was found with a feral colony and they discovered her chip when she was trapped. The chip was tracked back to a Banfield clinic and while they couldn't find current info on the owner, they did say they got left with a vet bill as well. She is pretty sweet and was already sitting on the shelf looking out the front window of the store when mom left.

Dollop is about 3 years old and a gray/white female. She is front declawed and very shy. She was found outside and office and the guy took her in but called the rescue after she started moving stuff off his desk. sigh..... She is a medium sized girl and sweet - we are hoping lots of positive attention from the store guys will help her come out of her shell. Mom checked on her last night and she was UNDER the cat bed. But, she was out and looking around this morning when mom drove by, so hopefully it is more the commotion of the store that she is unsure about and will come around quickly.

We are happy to meet you girls and hope you quickly find your furrever homes from the store!!!

Wordless Wednesday....

2012-01-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

Quick update on the kitts: Caramel is BEGGING for attention every time mom goes in there and is very cuddly. Mocha is getting there too - she sat next to mom last night and didn't jump when mom picked her up - and she started to purr..... :)

And, now, for your viewing pleasure, the resident old man cat: Maestro

Oh nose.....

2012-01-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well, the head mancat's ninja sidekick got his....nose kicked!! (don't worry - it happens more often than you would think....about once a month Tim walks by mom and she notices that someone thumped him and scratched his nose)

We can't be sure, but mom suspects this may be the culprit:

Tommy says: nope, wasn't me. Nobody saw nothin'.

weekend wrapup.....

2012-01-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

Yep, those kittens are pretty danged cute. They also had ear mites, so their ears looked a little slimy in the last picture. Both are pretty sweet - Caramel just purrs when mom picks him up (ok - it is more like "purrrr snort purrrr snort"). Mocha is getting better about being picked up - mom says she doesn't blame her for being a little hand shy right now but knows she will come around. For now, they are eating (though mom laughs cause she put out the gooshy fuds which they are ignoring but they are eating the dry stuff) and drinking. Not much else she can do for them except run the vaporizer a couple of times per day.
(oh - and to Admiral's mom - our mom was thinking about you last night when she was loving on Mocha....)
Once they are feeling better, mom says they are going to get a b-a-t-h....yikes!!

Otherwise, nothing too exciting here this weekend. Mom bought some "calming" treats to try on us. Spud likes them, Tommy not so much. Figures.....

Mom also worked an adoption event on Sunday and 5 kitties went home. Now they need to "restock" the Petco tonight with new cats. 2 of the 5 were even a bonded pair - they were adopted after a week and a half in the store - mom said she was pretty amazed cause she was SURE it would take longer. And Cathie finally got to go home - her family had done the application a while ago but the pipes burst in their house and they are just now moving back in from a hotel. :) We are certainly glad to see all these kitties get their own homes - and that the adoption process at the new Petco is going so well....

500 Posts!!!

2012-01-07T07:15:00.003-05:00

OMC - we are kind of amazed we made it to this point!!!

And of course, to celebrate, mom brought home more foster kittens..... MOL

They are VERY snotty. Mom feels so very sorry for them. They are now on drugs and hopefully will be feeling better soon. The little tortie girl is kind of....hissy. :) They were found in a trailer part and are probably about 9-10 weeks old. Their ears are nasty as well...ewwwww

A few days in the bathroom (they have already found the doorstop) and they will be allowed out....should be entertaining. :)

So, let's meet the kitts: (mom was on a caffeine fit today, so they are named after frozen coffee drinks)

Caramel (male buff tabby)

Mocha (tortie female)

Finally Friday.....

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Mom says she is still astounded that a 4 day week can last so long. Nothing too exciting this weekend....mom has an adoption event on Sunday so she will be gone part of the day. The sun has been out a little bit the last couple of days, so Mo has been working on his tan in the sun puddles.

We hope you have a nice relaxing weekend.....

Thankful Thursday.....

2012-01-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

First, mom loved all the comments from yesterday. Carolyn asked if the boys pay rent - mom snorted and muttered something about "if only...."

So, we were thinking about all the things we are thankful for, and as we start a new year, we want to point out those people we think about alot....

THANK YOU to:
Those who rescue - be it for a non-profit or just on your own

Those who volunteer at shelters and rescues - they can't do it without you

Those who drive transports every weekend - those animals get out of shelters because of you

Those who foster - what an amazing start for these animals

Those who choose to ADOPT!!

And that leads to this: In April of 2011, a beautiful torbie girl came into the shelter. She was named Esmerelda.

She did ok at first, but mom said she could tell that Es was getting depressed the longer she was at the shelter. She moved from a cage to a real room with other cat roommates. But, she wouldn't greet people and just didn't seem to care.

About a week ago, she and another cat named Butterscotch went to Petsmart. And on this past Saturday, an application was faxed over from Petsmart for Esmerelda. Single middle aged guy. Owns his condo. Had cats before but no current pets. YEAH!!!

He was approved....seems he had been in to see her about 3-4 times. And when it came down to it, he couldn't leave Butterscotch, so he ended up taking both girls!!

So, today we are REALLY thankful for:

CAT GUYS

wordless Wednesday....

2012-01-04T06:21:00.001-05:00

mom gets all excited every time she sees someone new sleeping in the condos....

Tuesday Transport News.....

2012-01-03T06:08:00.001-05:00

Monday was a wild day for mom. She got up, started laundry and opened the curtains and used a word from the bad werd list.....there was snow on the ground. Not much, but it seems that no one living in this town knows how to drive....

She had a transport as well. Monday isn't a normal day, but with the holiday it worked out. There was a wienie dog/taco dog mix and a mini poodle dog. And there was a pair of kittens. All coming from a high kill shelter and going to rescue in NY.

And then mom headed over to watch more football. And....

SPARTY beat those Georgia Bulldogs!! Go State!!

And we are sure the Mom Paula from Sweet Purrfections is happy as her South Carolina Gamecocks won as well.

Mom came home later and rooted for those Badgers from Wiskerson.

Mom - you should really know better by now...

2012-01-02T09:35:00.004-05:00

So, Friday night when she was at the shelter checking on George and Gigi, someone dropped off a big black cat. The cat lead person brought him into the front adoption room and mom noticed the collar and shelter tag. She asked what happened and the lead said someone had walked in, shoved the cat at a volunteer and left. Mom asked who the cat is and they said Smudge. Mom left after the kitts were adopted feeling a little heartbroken that her boy had shown back up with no explanation. She called her friend Miss DeLynn and emailed the cat caregiver as well.

Now, in mom's defense, she didn't check anything, she just took this persons word for the id of the cat. Though she told us later that her first instinct was that Garth the office cat had escaped his office.

Mom was back at the shelter Saturday evening to check on the black kitty boy. Miss DeLynn grabbed her as she came in the door.

Turns out the cat wasn't Smudge. But, Miss DeLynn called Smudge's house to check (he was adopted the Friday before Christmas and he is a bit dorky so we worry about him). Turns out his new mom thinks he is awesome, he was sitting in the middle of their living room and they LOVE him. YEAH!!

OK - but then who is that other black cat??? They finally did what mom presumed the people did on Friday and, in hind sight, she should have done herself. They checked his tag number and microchip. It was in fact Falcon that was adopted this fall. So Miss DeLynn called his family and discovered that he had escaped Friday night when they opened the door to walk their dog. His mom came in to pick him up and our mom talked to her for a few minutes. They love Falcon but she is a little frustrated with the door jumping so mom suggested maybe an outdoor enclosure and harness/leash training him so he can actually go on walks WITH the dog. His mom loved the idea and said she would look into it.

So, Falcon was returned home, mom was reminded not to trust information without checking it first, and Smudge is doing great in his new home. We wanted to re-share the video mom took of him - we sure home Santa Paws brought him a fountain for Catmas.

This is how we spent our weekend - we hope you had a great one.

BTW - mom said that there is weirdness going on at work - which is where she reads lots of your blogs. She is going to try to keep up on our blogging and reading everyone, but her commenting may fall a little behind until things smooth over a little....never fear - we will still be here!!

Happy 2012!!!!

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

We thought we would share some of our Christmas cards with you (finally - that mom is kinda slow). She likes to tape them on the door to the pantry in the kitchen so we can all look at them. And we got WAY more than she did..... MOL

Happy New Year!!!!

2011-12-31T08:34:00.002-05:00

We wish you a very SAFE and happy healthy New Year!!!!

We would like to add to your celebration with the news that mom stopped at the shelter last night and.... George and Gigi were adopted - TOGETHER!!

Finally Friday.....

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-05:00

Mom says for only being 4 days long, it has been a long week. :)

She stopped to see the kittens last night. Miss Gigi is staying at the shelter and should be on the adoption floor today. Mom says she looked pretty hung over last night but was looking for love. And....Geoff (our meezer boy) was adopted!!

We don't have many plans for the weekend. Mom will go over to grandma and grandpa's house on Monday to watch the Spartans play football in their bowl game, so we don't have to worry about that (grandpa bought himself a new big flat screen tv, so mom says she is getting spoiled watching sports over there).

We will be taking it easy....mom said something about some fireworks on Saturday night - not sure why the new year has to be brought in with explosives. We are already making plans to hide under the covers!!!

We hope you have a safe and fun New Years!!

Thankful Thursday......

2011-12-29T09:51:00.001-05:00

We are going to let mom take this one today: A word on miss Gigi - she was dropped off this morning for her lady-gardenectomy and the cat person said she could just stay at the shelter. Mom wasn't quite prepared for that, but that means we should have a peaceful, kitten-free weekend. :)

It is getting closer to the end of the year (how did that happen??), and I have been thinking about this past year. It has been a wild roller coaster. The ups and downs seemed to never end. I experienced more foster losses than any other year combined. But, the highs have been amazing.

What am I thankful for? First, that my family and friends are healthy, happy and employed. Second, the kitty crew here is healthy and (mostly) get along. Third, all of you. I don't think I could have made it through all of this without your cheers and support.

And please know that while I post here about the cats and the fosters and the transports, I do read and following along with all of you as well. I cheer your successes, smile at the cuteness, and cry at the losses.

So, here is the year in review (these are just some highlights - it was interesting to go back and look over the blog for the last 12 months). I am going to try to stick to the positive things:

January - the chicken kittens came as fosters, Watson was found as a stray in the neighborhood (yes, someone dumped a persian), and my brother and sister-in-law got Minnie the Great Pyrnees.

February - our annual Purr-fur-mance review and the family Disney trip

March - the 2nd annual Best Friends trip (thank heaven for this)

April - Junior's 1st Gotcha Day, Swizzle and the kittens came as fosters, the adventures of Foxy the dog

May - TNR: Annie & Oakley...and the first of the Memorial kittens, and the sad news of Swizzle and FeLV

June - the rest of the Memorial kittens, negative test results for us, discovering that Tim is a great help socializing wild kittens, and BOX Day

July - Jasper & Soapy's transport (for Winnie's Wish), Chiclet got adopted!!!, Willow, Zander & Ebony joined us for a couple of weeks, Christmas in July

August - the gremlins came as fosters, Black Cat Appreciation Day (Mo would like you to know that he thinks this is every day), Mac (the 100th foster)

September - Mo Cats Day, the gray foster kittens (Cloud & Kiari), Tory & Trevor came as fosters (and then were adopted together), Martini got adopted!!!! (he was one of Swizzle's kittens)

October - Kletus came as a foster (this was good and bad), working cats adopted from the shelter

November - Danny & Mason came as fosters (and then were adopted together), Baloo & Mowgli came as fosters (and then ran for the Bridge), the G's

December - Ferris

We hope that you have a great 2012....we can't wait to see what happens!!

Wordless Wednesday (sorta)

2011-12-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

Update: Geoff and George are back at the shelter. Mom was afraid Gigi would be whiny without her brothers, but she was pretty good - just a few cries in the middle of the night. Gigi goes tomorrow for her spay and then back to the shelter early next week. The kittens curled up with mom yesterday before she took in the boys and mom got some cute pictures. And our boy Ferris (Thankful Thursday 12-22-11) has an upper respiratory thing, so he is stuck in the back of the shelter until he feels better.

Gigi

George

Geoff

let's see......

2011-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Santa Paws did visit us.....we got some toys and treats. Plus mom came back from Florida on Monday night, so we got to sleep with her too!!!

Some updated news: there were some great adoptions from the shelter before Christmas. One was mom's buddy Smudge (you can see video of him here). He was on the radio on Thursday (though mom didn't get to hear it cause apparently CD101 is actually on 102.5). Someone heard all about him and adopted him on Friday. YEAH!! We hope Santa Paws brought him a water fountain at his new home. :) Also, there were a pair of boys named Paramount and Baby. They were about 3 months apart in age, both moo kitties but had bonded like brothers. The shelter said they would adopted them separately, but everyone hoped someone would adopted them both. And someone did Thursday night!!!

Geoff and George go back to the shelter tonight. sigh.... mom is gonna miss the little boogers. Gigi should be spayed on Thursday and then go back early next week.

And now for some Christmas pictures: Mom says the weather was finally nice when they were visiting (normally it is yucky) so they went to the beach on Saturday and walked.

grandpa and lanah (mom's niece) building the annual gingerbread house

the florida family

lanah and the polar bear

(seriously guys, it isn't a polar bear - Minnie is a DOG)

too funny.....

2011-12-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Mom is on her way back from Florida, but we wanted to share this video with you. The polar bear from Florida (ooh geez - she is a great pyrnees) is learning how to speak. Sorta......

Merry Catmas!!!!!

2011-12-24T07:04:00.000-05:00

We hope you have a wonderful day and that Santa finds you tonight - and you were on the NICE list!!

Secret Paws 2011

2011-12-23T08:04:00.004-05:00

YEAH!!! We got our Secret Paws 2011 presents!! We got our from Penny and Tippy - known as the Meow_Girls....BUT they aren't online with a blog!!! Girls....if you are reading this - THANK YOU and get on the CB with us!!

We love the treats and the new toys. There were jingly balls and FEVVERS!!! The kittens got in on the action as well...

thankful Thursday...

2011-12-22T08:30:00.001-05:00

Meet Ferris. Last Tuesday he showed up at the office where mom works. He was still there on Wednesday. They fed him and he acted so very hungry. After talking, the girls at the office decided to take him to see if he had a micro-chip and then get him rescued. Mom called the shelter and they had an open spot, so they agreed to take him. This big orange tomcat was wearing a collar but not micro-chipped. And not neutered. They checked the local paper, craigslist and PetFBI but didn't find any ads about a missing cat like the boy.

Last Thursday he was tested (all negative) and neutered. Now he is just waiting for an open spot on the adoption floor. He is VERY handsome and such a lover. He traveled very well in the car, didn't seem very concerned about the dogs in the lobby at the shelter and is a chatty guy. Mom checked on him Saturday and he was doing very well and seemed very happy to see mom.

(check out those whiskers and tomcat head.....mom sighs)

We got an award.....

2011-12-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

We got it from Cat's Cats. They are pretty awesome and fun...and adopted 2 cats from Chrystal!!

"Liebster" means dear, dearest, favorite or beloved in German. The requirements of receiving the award are to link back to who gave it to you, paste the Award on your blog, then choose 5 of your favorite blogs to pass the award on to that are up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers, let them know by leaving a comment on their blog and hope that the 5 blogs chosen will keep on spreading the love by passing the award on to 5 more blogs.

1. Feline Rescue Cat Tales: they are a shelter in MN!! What can we say - show us a cat rescue and we are there! They do a great job of showcasing their cats.

2. The Maaaaa of Pricilla: goats, farm cats and chickens! (and check out their soap) They have been posting Christmas Carols over the last week which have kept us laughing.

3. White Dog Diary: the White Dog Army (of eskies)! Devoted to their rescue dogs, this zen blog also is fighting to help end cancer - in dogs and people!

4. Four White Paws: a true cat guy! Follow the adventures of the house cats and also as he helps his outdoor kitty BK.

5. The Thundering Herd: siberians - lots of them!! We love following their adventures....this week they are CAMPING!

wordless wednesday.....

2011-12-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

Resting up for Catmas....

Review for Tuesday....

2011-12-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

We got an email last week from an online pet food company. Now, we tend to buy from our local store - cause mom waits for it to go on sale (something about us eating her out of house and home). But, she was interested cause they offered her a coupon to use. And, never being one to pass up anything free, mom went to check it out.

Mr Chewy was very easy to view and to use. They just have food, treats and litter, but that is OK. The range of food was pretty impressive (at least for cats - mom didn't look at the dog food). There were only about 3 kinds of treats, but we could live with that. Ordering was easy - click and tell the amount. And the nice part was there was a running count at the top of every page with the number of things in your cart and your total - cause delivery is free over $49.00. Mom says she wishes she would have gotten an email with her purchase receipt rather than just having to save the last page of the order, but then we gots an email later that day with our order info telling us it had been shipped. So, if they continue to be able to ship the same day, that would be a good cover.

You can also set it up for a delivery on a set schedule (we like this part cause it would keep mom from looking in our food bin some mornings and saying bad werds when she realized the bin was empty). Plus, if you refer people to them, they make a donation to their partner charities: North Shore Animal League, Best Friends Animal Society and Bideawee.

Now, we don't think we would use the service - we live near a pretty big town, and like we said, mom waits for our foods to go on sale. But, if you can't get out regularly or live not near a big town, this would be a great idea. The prices mom saw are pretty comparative to the big box pet stores near us.

So, there it is - a good service. We did get the coupon, but this is still our opinion. And the coupon - we used it to send foods to Chrystal and the cats at Winnie's Wish. We think it is supposed to be delivered today, so don't tell her yet since we want it to be a surprise...... MOL

Mini Meezer Mancat Monday....

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

Geoff here: da foster mom left the laptop compooter thingie on so I thought I would tell you about our weekend. da foster mom left the bafroom door open caturday morning and we got to be out all day. well, most of it since we did go back in for dinner. da foster mom gave us the first dose of the ~~mede~~ ~~medi~~ nasty stuff on Friday. george didn't like it much and drooled. :) da foster mom cleaned our room on sunday and we again gots to play out in the whole house most of the day. we seem to like the back bedroom and keep her guessing as to what we is up to.

da foster mom said that we have to go backs to the shelter on fursday to be weighed and maybe gets our surgeries. but we will come back heres since we have to be on the nasty stuffs for a few days after that. we do enjoy being heres, but da foster mom says we has to get big enough to find homes of our own.

George & Gigi

Geoff (being a new blogger is hard)

Baby update.....

2011-12-17T08:31:00.000-05:00

As we posted Thursday, none of the kittens weighed over 2 pounds for their spay/neuter surgery. The shelter ran another test and they are positive for coccidia. yeah.... sigh.... At least this can be treated and they should be better quick. Weights and "maybe" surgery next Thursday. Mom is glad they figured it out (apparently the microscope at the shelter isn't strong enough to catch this on these guys). But, Gigi was in there last week and they didn't run the test and mom has been complaining about this since we got them. So, a little frustrated. However, at least we know what it is. New drugs starting Friday....

Spud & Ivy's Gotcha Day.....

2011-12-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe they have been here for 3 years.....

You can read their stories here: Spud and Ivy

Considering they were raised together, you would think they would get along better. Not gonna happen...we think Ivy considers Spud to be the ultimate pesky little brother.

Ivy loves to snuggle with Tim and Mozart. Spud is considered to be Tim and Tom's own personal stalker....but they tolerate him pretty much. Certainly better than everyone else in the house. Spud and Junior have never figured it out - Spud has no tolerance and Junior has no common sense. :)

But, we hope you can join us to celebrate their gotcha day!!! With all the sads recently among our friends, please kiss all your kitties and woofies tonight and take an extra minute to tell them how glad you are they are in your life. Mom has promised us extra lap time and some extra treats....

Goodbye Sweet Admiral....

2011-12-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Admiral Hestorb

The news is making its way around, but we were shocked to hear the Admiral ran for the Bridge. We know her mom is heartbroken.....and our mom is crying too......

Thankful Thursday.....

2011-12-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

As always, we are thankful all our friends. We are purring for all those that need it.....

Mom is continuing to volunteer - just limiting her interactions some. The kittens were scheduled for surgery today - however, no chance of that - they don't weigh enough: George 1 lb 15 oz; Geoff 1 lb 12 oz; Gigi 1 lb 5 oz. sigh...... The cat lady is going to talk to the vet and run another test for parasites - and then check into changing their diets. Raw isn't an option since they will have to go back to the shelter but we may try grain free.....
And, we are thankful especially for updates from adopters: we got an email from the lady that adopted Bat & Mohawk - now named Lucy & Linus. You can read about them here: release the gremlins Mohawk's adoption Bat adopted

They are doing very well. They love Peanut (the cat with cerebellar hypoplasia) and apparently the pomeranian has taken to giving them baths. Their new mom says they love snoozing with Peanut under the Chrismouse tree....

YEAH!!! We love adoption updates....and knowing our former foster kitts are doing so very well in their new homes. It really does make the craziness worth it. :)

Wordless Wednesday.....

2011-12-14T08:43:00.001-05:00

(mom was looking for something holiday related, but this cracked her up)

tabby Tuesday.....

2011-12-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

Mom bought ANOTHER new bed for our condos - so all the bottom rooms have bed in them. Mom says she hasn't seen anyone using the top bunks, but she may invest in bed for those anyhow.

Here is what is interesting - Junior LOVES the condo and the new beds. OK - that isn't interesting. But what is interesting is that he sleeps facing the wall. Mom is baffled. She thinks that with as jumpy as that boy is most of the time, he would sleep facing into the room so he has an escape route and can see what is going on around him. Nope - most of the time he is butt out and facing the wall.....

Weekend wrap up...

2011-12-12T09:16:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU for all the messages to mom yesterday. She is pretty frustrated by the whole thing. We know lots of you recommended a face to face meeting, but mom just isn't sure that is going to fix anything. This director lady seems to have her mind made up about mom....so she turned down the lead position and just plans to keep under the radar as much as possible. But we know the whole thing hurt her feelings and we cuddled with her to help her feel better.

She did have a transport on Sunday, but forgot to take pictures. It would have been pretty funny as she managed to get 4 medium airline crates in her Beetle!! She wasn't sure it was going to work at first - especially based on the sizes the sending rescue stated the crates were, but ends up the crates were a little smaller than stated. thank heaven.... and now 4 pups and one adult are safe in long term foster!!

The baking went....ok. Mom made oreo truffles suggested by Army of four. They turned out pretty well. But she also made 7 layer bars and isn't sure they turned out quite right - though she said they taste ok. :)

The foster monsters were out most of the weekend and up to no good. Last night Gigi didn't seem to be feeling well. She was much better for part of last week, but was moping about last night. And she is just still so bony. V-e-t appt on Thursday should hopefully tell us more....

explain this to me.....

2011-12-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Mom here - pardon me as I need to vent:

So I have been volunteering at the current shelter for over a year now. I came here after a bad experience with another shelter. Unfortunately, that director felt the need to call the one here and bad mouth me. It is a long story, but I was "black listed" and had to explain to this new woman why I wanted to volunteer.

A year goes by and I have not had anyone tell me I am doing a bad job. In fact, I have heard nothing but good things from the people I work with in the evenings.

Well, the one shift I work hasn't had a shift leader for several months. It seems they just finally realized it and decided to do something about it. A temporary replacement was found. And then several people said I should volunteer to lead the shift.

I had serious reservations....I knew the director would shoot it down. But the friday after Thanksgiving I was volunteering and the leader of the shift leads came to me and said at least a couple of people had recommended me for the position. I told her I had some reservations since I had a "past" with the current director. I was assured this shouldn't be an issue. I told her that I would be happy to help then. She said I would just have to go through the training.

And I never heard another thing from her. So I emailed her the other day about setting up a time for training. And got the following email from the director:

While I'm happy to see you volunteer for such an important leadership role at ******,

I do have concerns and reservations. 

As you know we have had some complaints in the past and I need to know that will not

happen in the future. 

Likewise, in the past we have learned that some adoptions didn't go through bases

on your recommendations. While we want to keep the animals safe and placed with a

well matched family we need to lean on the leads to only give recommendations

regarding an animals behavior etc that are consisted with staff notes/views.

Example: only tell an adopter a cat is not good with dogs,kids, etc if that is

noted by staff. Everything else needs to be answered with an honest "I'm not sure".

I realize this may be unclear so you can feel free to contact me after I get back

from vacation to discuss further.

Why do I bother??? She can't ever seem to give me an example - just "I have been told". I love volunteering, helping the animals, and working with people to find the right animal. But a major part of me so wants to tell her to kiss my @$$. I am just so frustrated....why is it that the people I work with there all the time have nothing but good things to say and then I get this....is someone stabbing me in the back? Is she just out to get her own way? Heaven knows she has never seen me at the shelter or working with the public.....

Finally Friday....

2011-12-09T08:59:00.000-05:00

Mom said something about today being a short day for her at work due to their chismouse party. So hopefully we will get some snuggling in this afternoon.

Mom smiled at yesterdays comments. Yep - we have meetings on the sofa. But none of us are cow cats - Maestro is the only one that is close and he is gray and white. Tim and Tom are brown and white tabbies and Ivy is a torbie. Mom just got weird lighting in the shot trying to get us all in one place (and notice Junior and Spud are no where to be found). MOL

We are relaxing this weekend - just like normal. Mom said she is going to try to bake this afternoon, so we may have to go into hiding - baking isn't mom's thing.

Hope you stay warm this weekend....

(these are Tim's toes under the blankets on the bed last night)

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

So mom emailed the shelter yesterday about the kitts. Apparently the last time they were tested they had a high parasite count and so the vet treated them for that again and wants to see them in another week.

This week we are thankful that we are inside cats and for all those people that help the homeless animals out there. The shelters are up for our neighborhood cats and mom hopes they are using them.....

Purrs to everyone who is hurting - we know there are a lot and somehow it seems worse this time of year.

Wordless Wednesday (sorta)

2011-12-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

We got drugs for the kittens but no note, so mom emailed the shelter to see if she could find out something else. The packet said "1/4 pill tonight per kitten. Should clear up in 2-3 days". Really??? sigh....

Anyhow, on to wordless wednesday - except if you turn up your sound, you can hear Junior (around the 1 min mark). :)

We shall see.....

2011-12-06T10:46:00.001-05:00

Mom dropped Gigi off at the shelter this morning so she can see the v-e-t this afternoon. Hopefully nothing serious.

In other news, the boys have figured out the gate. Mom was in the kitchen last night and heard "meep meep meep" looked down and there was George. She figured someone knocked the gate going over (since Tim and Tom like to go into the bathroom for kitten food), so she took him back. The gate had moved a little, though not really enough to afford an escape.

A few minutes later "meep meep meep". sigh.....and then Geoff came marching down the hall. Leaving Gigi by herself in the bathroom screaming to be let out too (she is just enough shorter than her brothers that she can't reach to get out). Since mom isn't sure she trusts them just yet, they got locked in today. :)

BTW - we left the bed in the condo last night and have been using them regularly - Junior especially loves them. MOL

George

Geoff & Gigi

BTW - mom is trying to comment from work today and after having to delete her "cookies" she is having problems accessing some accounts....sorry!!

new beds

2011-12-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

Mom was working an adoption event this Sunday and bought us some donut beds. Normally she doesn't have those cause we are a little bigger than those and our Angel Butterscotch used to pee on them. However, she thought she would give it another try.

And she decided to try them in our condo!!

And then came out this morning and found this:

Mom is taking Gigi to the shelter tomorrow to see the v-e-t. Everyone still has runny poop but Gigi isn't gaining weight either....

Random Stuff.....

2011-12-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

We were locked in jail last night FOREVER!!!!
Mom: oh please - it was the 2nd bedroom with all of your stuff and it was an hour while the cable guy was here changing our service

And Spud and Ivy didn't have to be in here either!!!
Mom: cause I couldn't catch them and they don't like strangers anyhow

Whatever mom.....

The kittens got their booster shots yesterday and checked out ok. Weighing in at 1 pound 10 ounces, 1 pound 9 ounces and 1 pound 6 ounces (we think this is Gigi). For now, they are out for some time in the evening, but mom has been blocking off our room with the gate (which Ivy hates since she can't get over it). Mom said she may leave the gate off tonight and then maybe tomorrow while she is shopping with grandma she may let them out - unsupervised!! They go back in 2 weeks for boosters and maybe surgery - mom won't give them breakfast and they will see how much everyone weighs.

We plan to nap most of the weekend. Mom is going over to grandma and grandpa's house on Saturday night. Something about the 1st Big Ten Championship football game. She is going to yell for our Spartans to beat them Badgers.

GO GREEN!!!

dis foster mom are belonging to me

look what we got.....

2011-12-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

Mom bought us a new cube....

Mom: hey guys - I bought it for Spud to help him be more comfortable.

Sure, whatever mom. As you can see, Junior checked it out but it was mainly Mozart that decided it now belongs to him.

Spud did check it out at one point, but then Tommy walked up and Spud ran off. The cubes were $15 at Walmart, so mom says she may have to invest in a couple more and put them in a couple of different places. The one she saw a few years ago had a hole in the front and the back and this just has a hole in the front - so there is less escape routes. However, it is worth a shot. She is also going to check for something to add to our water to help with stress.

THANKS for all the great advice we got. We will keep you posted.

Oh - and Ivy LOVES hand lotion - apparently just not spearmint. MOL

Two Word Wednesday

2011-11-30T08:50:00.000-05:00

MY spider!!!

Ivy: Mom says I have a minor obsession with hand lotion. Anyhow, she got home the shelter last night and put some on while she was watching TV. I couldn't resist. What was that smell? (mom: ecalyptus spearmint) I ran over to sniff and when she moved, I reached up and grabbed her wrist with my front paws. I stuck my tongue out and tasted it. YECH!! I backed up and made a face. Mom asked "taste funny?" and I fell over. Mom laughed and laughed.....

We need some ideas....

2011-11-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have heard mom complain about the relationships around here that revolve around Spud. For the longest time she thought it was just Spud and Ivy doing the too-close-in-age thing. Spud gets Ivy cornered, she hisses, he won't back down and the chase is on.

Then it evolved to Spud and Junior. If Junior got too close to Spud's personal space, then a battle would ensue. The problem with most of these battles is that the others can't just watch - Tommy especially feels the need to engage. And it doesn't help that Junior doesn't have the sense to back away slowly. :)

Mom asked the v-e-t Dr Taylor about Feliway. She said it sorta works but not reliably enough to justify the cost. She suggested more vertical space, so mom cleared out one of her shelves - and of course the only one she has seen up there is Mozart. (and mom won't medicate Spud - he is skittish and she is afraid of making him even more tense by trying to catch him everyday)

Well, it got worse over the weekend - mom has now caught Tommy stalking Spud across the living room. She distracted Tommy a few times, but other times he got away and would chase Spud down the hallway.

Poor mom often thinks that Spud might do better in another home but she won't put him through that. When she took him in as a kitten it was with the intent to get him big enough and then take him to the shelter to be adopted. But he looks a lot like our Angel Tigger and mom has some guilt issues, so Spud stayed.

Plus she knows that 7 adult cats in 1000 square feet isn't ideal either.

But, here is where is gets more interesting....Mom caught Spud sleeping under one end table last night. She thinks he ended up there cause Mo was sleeping on the/spud's floor vent. MOL But she got to thinking....what about putting one of those soft cubes under the end table for Spud to sleep in? He would have his own space (assuming someone else wasn't sleeping in it). But she is afraid he will feel cornered. We think if Spud had his wish mom would leave him in the bedroom all day by himself, but she doesn't like that option for a number of reasons.

So, anyone have any suggestions? There is a limit to how much cat furniture we can put in the living room. Mom is considering turning part of the 2nd bedroom into a foster fort and that will clear some floor space for an elevated bed or another tree, but that may not happen until later this winter. Mom just worries about the stress this causes everyone here. All ideas welcome.....

Mini Meezer Mancat Monday....

2011-11-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

OK, take a moment to admire the title - mom has been dying to use this one for over a week.... MOL

Anyhow, as some of you may remember, the shelter where mom volunteers took in 3 kittens that were related to Mowgli and Baloo. They joined the household on the 17th. So far they have been in the bathroom, but they were tested on Friday and got the all clear. The first few days were peaceful but then they discovered the joy of escape - at 2am. Kind of fun to watch mom dance down the hall trying to find a missing kitten while not stepping on anyone to avoid turning on the lights. :) They haven't gotten complete freedom from the bathroom yet....still kinda tiny.

So, introducing (oh, and the cat caregiver at the shelter keeps naming the kittens - we take no responsibility):

Geoff

Gigi

George (formerly Ginger but he is actually a boy - MOL)

Mom is laughing at them everytime they eat - they are a little....agressive. This isn't the best video but it is cute.

Easy like Caturday...

2011-11-26T06:35:00.002-05:00

We are taking it easy this weekend and hope you are all doing the same - sorry about turning off the Thanksgiving comments - mom thought she would give you all the day off.....MOL

We have some very good adoption news to share:

Danny and Mason were adopted last Sunday together.

Mom took the gray kittens back to the rescue adoption center last Sunday. She got back to check on them Wednesday and Kiari had already been adopted by a woman who adopted a tortie from the same rescue about a year ago. :) Cloud is working on his cute routine, so we hope he will be adopted soon!!

Mom helped the shelter with their Black Friday sale. There were 7 cats & kittens adopted on Friday including 2 adults who have been there a while and needed to be only cats!!!

We needed the good news and knew you would all appreciate it as well.

Happy Fangsgiving!!!

2011-11-24T07:52:00.004-05:00

May you table be topped with turkey

and your fridge be filled with leftovers!!!

Something to think about.....

2011-11-23T08:39:00.000-05:00

"What is it about these creatures that just seeing them, knowing they're all right, makes every petty worry fade? Faith mused. Is it because they give us back ourselves? That with them we are not judged, need not pretend, can allow the emotions we must hide in order to survive to emerge freely, in all innocence, without fear?"

from Best Friends The True Story of the Worlds Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary

From the mom: I have had people ask how I can continue to rescue and foster after seeing bad things. I think the better question is, how can I not continue? Does my heart break with every loss? Sure. But, I rejoice at every save and every adoption. Every transport and every post about good news lets me know that there is good out there - even in the bad times. I don't think you can get into rescue and expect everything to go perfectly and no animal to suffer - but you have to focus on doing the best you can for that animal in that moment (and if I could get that tattooed on me without being wordy, I would).

Happy Gotcha Day Maestro!!!

2011-11-22T08:56:00.002-05:00

Seventeen years ago mom was home on break from college and was convinced that the resident cat (Angel Butterscotch) needed a friend. She knew grandpa would be unamused, so she went to the local shelter and picked up this tiny gray and white kitten (we would love to show you a picture, but mom has NO IDEA where she put the old prints). Anyhow, Butterscotch HATED the new kitten...until after he came back from being neutered.... :)

Maestro has traveled to grad school in Michigan, an adventure in Texas and now to our home in Ohio. He is the senior mancat of the house.

Happy Gotcha Day!!!

Mom couldn't get him to wear the hat, so she settled for the silly collar.

No party is complete without treats - hope you can join us!!

We decided to come back to answer a question: How did Maestro get his name? Mom doesn't like to use people names (and before you say anything, Tim and Tom had their names when they got here). Mom was in college when she gotted Maestro. She is into music and the maestro is the conductor of an orchestra - it just popped into her head and stuck. And has been baffling people with the spelling ever since....MOL

We have the sads.....

2011-11-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

Mom went to check on Baloo this morning and he was doing very badly like last weekend. She took him back to the vet and his white blood cell count (which should be about 5) was 0.7. After talking to the vet and spending some time with him, she knew that the right thing to do was to help him across The Bridge. He is now safe and healthy and playing with his brother Mowgli.

We think the 3 kittens the shelter took will be fine - they all appear to be very healthy.

We are going to spend some time this weekend with mom doing some cuddling and will be back on Tuesday with a special post.....but we are taking a couple days break until then....though we are sure mom may be reading and commenting.

Thanks as always for your love and support...

A twist of fate....

2011-11-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, mom got an email from a friend she used to work with. Miss Lisa is living with her mom who has Alzheimers. They have 6 cats between the two of them and her mom had been feeding some cats behind her house. The neighbor is now feeding the adults but brings the kittens over to Lisa and her mom (we aren't sure why and didn't ask). Anyhow, we had mom tell Lisa about TNR and they are going that route with the adults.

Mom emailed the shelter to see if they could take the kittens and they agreed. Mom volunteered to foster them if it was a space issue. However, ends up there was someone else in line and she took the kittens. Mom was a little disappointed, but we got Mason and Danny for a week and that was fun.

Yesterday, mom got an email about fostering 3 little kittens. Sure she said...Baloo could live somewhere else short term and Kiari and Cloud will go to their rescue adoption center on Sunday (there is another adoption event on Saturday).

Well, mom got to the shelter last night and found this:

Dang, she thought, those kittens look pretty familiar. She checked their foster sheet and the names matched the ones that had been given to Lisa's kittens....

So, we now have Baloo's siblings with us. Mom emailed the shelter asking if they will accept Baloo and then we will go about re-introducing them. At least he will have company. We suspect the shelter will agree - these will be the smallest kittens in the system and should go fast once they can be adopted.

Thankful Thursday....

2011-11-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

Like a lot of others...we are purrin' that Kimo comes home soon - enough adventure already!

We are thankful for all our good friends here!! Baloo is doing much better. Mom had him out in the pen last night while she sat on the floor with him. He bounces around like mad. Mom has to remember to get the camera out.... Cloud wants to play with him and Baloo gives it right back. Kiari just really isn't sure what to think about him.....she growls and smacks him - and he gets right back in her face. MOL

The rest of us are just thankful for somebody warm to snuggle with....it is starting to get cold here!!

Not Wordless Wednesday....

2011-11-16T09:57:00.000-05:00

Baloo came home last night - you can see his nekkid front legs. He is eating like a champ and on 2 different drugs. No call from the vet yet this morning as to a definite parasite so we don't know if this drug will help or if we need another. But we think he is back on track. Oh - and he SO needs another bath....poor baby. :)

We all want to thank you for the power of the purr/grr.....we know it makes a difference and it certainly makes mom feel better to know she isn't worrying along....

PeeSee: Laura & Jet Dragon: we don't think the vet is so much worried about Ivy's hips - more about if her weight is effecting anything. Mom suspects it might at some point, but for now she says she likes her fingers where they are and will take a wait and see approach with our crabby girl.....

Baloo update.....

2011-11-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the good wishes.....we think they are working.

Mom called the vet's office and Baloo can come home with her after work. No test results back yet, but he will come home with some meds just in case.

Weekend Reports....

2011-11-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Baloo report: The vet isn't sure what is going on and we are hoping to hear more this morning. For now, he is at the vet so they can get fluids in him and everything. The problem with kittens this little is that they can go from good to ok to bad so very quickly and it is hard to get them back. So mom decided to leave him with the vet to give him the best chance possible. He was doing well last night and she is waiting to hear more this morning. One cute moment from yesterday - mom was letting Baloo wander around the exam room while they waited for the vet. He was walking around and would come over when mom called his name. He was about a foot from the door when it opened - he SHOT up in the air, spit very loudly and ran under the bench where mom was sitting. She couldn't help but laugh as she managed to get him back out and soothe him a little...... Mom did give him another bath on Sunday and got rid of the last of the fleas.....

Gray kits report: Adoption events both Saturday and Sunday. Everyone thought they were cute, but no real interest. Someone did take an application and info on Kiari, but no word from them yet....we shall see. Another event on Saturday and then mom will probably take them to the adoption center to increase their chances of being adopted. :) There was a HUGE storm that blew through last night. The kits were playing and then there was a LOUD clap of thunder - they both shot under the sofa.

adoption events are hard work

v-e-t report: Our vet came on Friday. Tim, Tom and Ivy were due for exams and vaccinations. Mom also weighed Maestro and he actually gained a little weight, so she isn't as worried about the old man. :) Tim and Tom were OK about the whole thing. Ivy was her normal screaming self. Dr Taylor did ask if Ivy was sensitive on the back end....mom laughed and said only when you touch her without permission. Then Dr Taylor asked if Ivy has trouble jumping up on things or if jumping seems to hurt (the boys lost a few ounces and apparently gave them to their sister). Nope mom said, Ivy's only jumping difficulty is that she is short.... Dr Taylor laughed.

It has been nice here for a couple of days, but the weather guy says that winter is on the way......

But, our Christmas cactus has bloomed again. Grandma says hers doesn't bloom every year, but ours does. This is about the only plant mom hasn't killed. Though she does keep it at the top of the shelves to keep it away from us....

Baloo update

2011-11-14T09:26:00.000-05:00

Normally we don't post twice in one day, but the post below was already planned...

Anyhow, Baloo is doing....OK. He has a vet appt this afternoon as he isn't eating like mom would like. He is active and lovey and everything else, but his gums are a little pale. We know they had bad fleas and mom is wondering if he isn't a little anemic and that is affecting his appetite. Mom has tried a few different foods and that doesn't seem to be it....

We have other updates, but we will do those tomorrow....

Third Annual Worldwide Moment....

2011-11-14T08:49:00.003-05:00

At exactly 11:00 PM (23:00) GMT on Monday, 14 Nov 11, turn toward the Skies and join together in One Silent Minute of Meditation, Contemplation, Reflection and/or Prayer…Whatever feels right to you.

We are going to light a candle and remember those from our house and so many others that crossed the Bridge this year and wish them a safe journey until we meet again.

Mom has been thinking back on this year. She wants to remember the good things: Chiclet got adopted!!! The memorial kittens were caught and found homes!!! The neighborhood ferals were (mostly) TNR'd (and Blackie and Annie are seen most days by the neighbor) - mom will be back on the hunt for that darned calico in the spring!!! There have been some great adoptions from the shelter and the other rescue mom helps. And the transports are always entertaining!!

But this has been a tough year too. Harder than mom can ever remember. Prior to this year, she had 3 fosters die here. This year we have lost 8: Sultan, Swizzle, Mimosa, Midori, Roxsas, Riku, Sora, Kletus and Mowgli. We know other fosters (and rescues like Chrystal) that have had major losses as well. In one week at the shelter there was an adult that had to be euthanized for illness, 2 hit by cars and 2 kittens died.

So, we are taking a moment to remember.....and hoping we can get through the end of the year and start fresh in 2012.

well crap....

2011-11-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

The vet just called and Mowgli ran for the Bridge. We know it happens with the little ones, but man this year has been bad..... They couldn't get his temperature and glucose to level out.

Baloo is now alone and that is a whole other issue as well..... And mom has to tell Lisa as well.....

Rescue Me Week - final day

2011-11-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

Once again, we are pawticipating in Mayzie's Rescue Me Week.

Today we are doing something a little different. If you have been following us long, you know that we foster kittens for a couple of different local groups. Mom also drives transports sometimes on the weekends. And sometimes she gets a phone call from a friend that needs some help....

She got one of those calls last week. She and Lisa used to work together. Lisa now lives with her mom who has Alzheimers and they have 6 cats between them. There are also community cats behind the house that her mom used to feed and the neighbor is now taking care of. However, the neighbor thinks that Lisa and her mom need to be responsible for any kittens (yes, we had the conversation about TNR and they are working on trapping the adults). The neighbor had brought over 3 kittens....mom emailed the shelter and they were able to take them. Well, on Monday mom got an email from Lisa and they found two more - mom told her to bring them over since Danny & Mason were on the way back to the shelter and Kiari and Cloud were at Petco. The kittens came on Wednesday:

Mowgli

Baloo

Now, we could use some purrs for Mowgli. Mom gave them both a bath last night due to fleas. She worries that she didn't get him dry enough and warm enough cause when she checked on them around 12:30am, Mowgli was wobbling around and cold. Mom FREAKED OUT!!! She called the 24 hour vet that helped with Swizzle and took him up there. He was so cold his temperature didn't register. They got him warmed up and some fluids under the skin. Mom and the vet agreed to leave him there overnight - mom has some skills, but he was better where he could be closely watched and eventually they could get an iv in him. Mom called this morning (took her 30 minutes to work up the courage) and he is still alive....thank heaven - we don't think mom could stand one more heart break right now. They got his temperature up to normal and an iv in him. But they aren't sure he is completely out of the woods and able to regulate his own temperture quite yet (the guess is that they are about 3-4 weeks old). So he is still at the vet and mom is stopping after work to get a space heater for the bathroom (we are a little jealous).

So, this time it is about rescue kittens that WE helped rescue. These boys will be in the bathroom for another few weeks - have to get them tested once they are a little bigger. We are hoping to get them into the shelter system since they will get adopted so much faster, but mom says we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

We want to add our thanks to everyone who commented on our posts and everyone that posted....we know how important even just a little more knowledge of the animals out there.

Rescue Me Day 4....

2011-11-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

Mayzie is still hosting Rescue Me Week. She mentions today that it is a little hard to see all the pets that still need homes - but we hope bringing attention to it will get at least some of them adopted!!!

Today we would like to talk about returns. Almost all shelter adoption contracts we have ever read have a clause about returning the animal to the shelter if you can't keep it for any reason. Having been in rescue for many years now, mom says she has seen it all. Her thought is this - if you can't keep the animal, bring it and back and be honest about the reason. Don't make up something so that YOU feel better....your comments have consequences for these animals. It is hard enough to go from a shelter to a home and then back to the shelter. But if you say the cat isn't peeing in the box, that cat may not make it back out to an adoption floor. If you don't tell the shelter your dog bit someone and it happens again, the shelter ends up looking bad. Bringing back the animal isn't about YOU - it is about trying to help that animal.

These kitties are all from CHA.

Bach was adopted a few months ago with his brother Mozart (no, not our Mozart). Mozart was returned about a month later as the person said that he was peeing outside the box. She did say she took him to the vet (most people will admit they have not done that) but she was pregnant and had two little kids and.... You get the picture. So Mozart came back (and was adopted again last weekend). About 2 weeks ago she came back with Bach and said that he was running around the house and wouldn't settle down and was just too much work. (um, yeah cause he is a teenager and he is bored since you returned his brother....)

Falcon was adopted 3 months ago and just returned due to family allergies. Falcon is an ACTIVE boy....constantly on the run and would need a playmate in the home to keep up with him. Mom goes both ways with this excuse - she saw a dog returned a few years ago due to family allergies and the kid had serious hives (the mom and kid were together). Other times mom wants to suggest they take a pill. But, we guess it is better to have the animal back in the shelter's care than with a family that isn't willing to make some accomodations.

Winn was adopted and returned due to aggression on the part of the family cat. In this case, the family did try several things and Winn was just taking the bad end of the deal. So, he is safely back at the shelter. Mom says she is ok with this one so long as the family makes some attempts to make it work. But the ones that make her nuts are the "we took the kitten home and just let it loose in the living room and our resident cat hates it and it has been 24 hours and we can't do anything else". Mom wants to hand out intstructions about introducing cats....none of which involve taking them home and opening a carrier door and hoping for the best.

Anyhow, sorry about mom ranting a bit today.....

We hope Rescue Me Week is helping animals get noticed and maybe adopted!!!

Rescue Wednesday.....

2011-11-09T08:25:00.001-05:00

PHOTOBOMB!!!

Kiari

Danny

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again, we are pawticipating in Mayzie's Rescue Me Week!!!

Danny & his brother Mason are available for adoption from CHA.

Kiari & Cloud are available for adoption from Colony Cats.

Danny & Mason went back to the shelter last night. Which was good cause Mom was told the night before at Petco the store manager (not the rest of the staff) would prefer to have adults since the kittens are "too much work to clean". Mom didn't want to create waves so she contacted the other ladies and they all agreed to remove the kittens. So she dropped of Danny & Mason, worked her shift and then picked up Kiari & Cloud. She did try leaving them out of the bathroom last night but that only lasted about 30 minutes before they were driving us all nuts and she put them back in for the night. :)

Lovely adoptable girl.....

2011-11-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today we are going to pawticipate in Rescue Me Week!! (for more info, click on the tag on our sidebar)

Esmerelda is an adorable 2 year old torbie currently at CHA. She has been there since this summer and would love her own home. She is doing OK at the shelter but doesn't like it much and would do so much better in a home of her own (but then again, who wouldn't do better in a home of there own).

Here is what the shelter wrote about her:
Esmeralda is a lover through and through. She thrives on attention and loves to be pet. CurrentlyShe loves to have visitors come and spend time with her. She really likes to be softly talked to and always starts to purr when people talk to her and rub under her chin. Esmeralda likes to be held and cuddled. She loves cat treats and is very smart - She had a treat dispenser in her cage at the shelter that she quickly learned how to use. She would push it around her cage in order to get treats and would meow at staff when it was empty. Esmeralda likes to be held, but then she loves to be put down and to go off and explore. She gets along pretty well with other cats at the shelter and especially likes to roll around and play with kittens. She would make a great companion for another cat. Esmeralda loves visitors, so come see her today!

Hooligans

2011-11-07T09:18:00.000-05:00

hooligan (n): a rough lawless young person

Danny

Mason

Mom has come to the following conclusion about 4 month old kittens: they have the attention span of fruit flies, the speed of hummingbirds, the energy of the Energizer bunny, and the combined brain power of an artichoke. But they have been fun - and fortunately they follow mom into the bathroom at night for dinner and don't complain about spending the night in there....

Mason seems more content to run around and play. Danny seems to want to be into everything. And Junior is having a blast with kittens he can play with. Mom says she likes the tiny babies, but Junior definitely likes the ones he can chase around and play with.

Danny & the pink mouse

Danny & Junior

Easy like Caturday....

2011-11-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

We are taking it easy this weekend, but mom said we had to share some good news with you all.

Danny and Mason were adopted together last Sunday.

Mom took the gray kitts to the rescue adoption center on Monday. She got back to check on them on Wednesday and....Kiari had already been adopted. :) A woman who adopted a tortie about a year ago came back in and was looking for a tortie/dilute kitt. YEAH!!! Cloud is still there but he seems to be putting on the cute and we hope he will get adopted quick.

Mom worked at the shelter yesterday for their black Friday sale. There were 7 cats and kittens adopted - included 2 older cats that needed to be the only cat in the home. :)

Indiana: The Land of Orange Construction Barrels

2011-11-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

If that isn't there official slogan, it should be. Mom spent the day driving to Indiana to meet Chrystal to help get Bagheera to his forever home with Cat. It should have gone smoothly....except for the million orange barrels and the 45 mile per hour speed limit......

But, Bagheera traveled like a champ. He was chatty with mom for about the first hour and then dozed for the rest of the drive. Cat was pretty excited to meet him and we know he has found a special forever home.

There is cute, and then there is this...

2011-11-04T09:15:00.002-04:00

blogblast-for-peace-2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A kitten was brought to the shelter about a week ago. Medium hair gray tabby - in that "my hair won't lay down" stage of kittenhood. Mom was pretty enamored.....

Anyhow, somehow over the weekend, the end of her tail was shut in her cage door. Not broken, but it bled some and she wouldn't leave it alone. So the staff contemplated their options. She needed a cone, but most don't come that small - and she needed to be able to eat and get around. So they decided to do this:

Yes, that is a bowl - one of those you would use at a picnic. They cut a hole in the middle. Works like a charm.....and makes her about 500% cuter!!!

Oh, and cause you can't never have too much chaos at our house, mom picked up these guys last night - Mason and Danny are about 3 months old and recovering from the tail end of an eye infection....it must have been bad since one of them (mom can't tell them apart yet - she didn't get good info) has a corneal scar that covers his whole right eye. Mom mentioned something about letting them out tonight...we better get our naps in now....

About that time....

2011-11-03T10:08:00.001-04:00

Well, there was an opening at Petco after an adoption, so the rescue asked me to get them microchipped and take them over there. So mom is going to do that tonight - we have grown to like these two although they are a pair of drama queens...Kiari was hollering this morning when Junior jumped on her.

Here is some video to enjoy....we will keep you posted on their progress.

Wordless Walking Wednesday....

2011-11-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

Featuring Ivy, Tim, Spud, Mozart, Tim (again) and Junior.

Book Review.....

2011-11-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

We are sure a lot of you have met Fin of Housecat Confidential but if not, check her out.

Anyhow, she wrote a book with her mom and our mom just managed to get her copy read. :) Mom got to meet Fin's mom this past spring, so reading it was extra fun...she even read some parts out loud to us (she said she didn't read some parts so as not to give us anymore ideas).

Anyhow, mom says she gives it 2 thumbs up!!!

weekend wrapup....

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well mom spent Friday with grandma. Grandma was in some pain most of the day, but by Saturday they seemed to have a better handle on it. Mom took Kiari over with her on Friday to snuggle with grandma. She took both Kiari and Cloud on Saturday....and they slept together in the other chair. MOL

Friday was apparently a bad day all around. The volunteers got to the shelter on Friday and found one of the kittens dead - no idea what happened. Then someone brought in another hit-by-car that had to be helped across the Bridge. And then mom found Kletus and had to call the director. Not a good day for anyone. But the director told mom the same thing that mom has told others.....yes, it is heart breaking, but when it stops affecting you, then you need to be doing something else. We want to thank you all for your kind words.... mom knows there isn't anything she could have done, but to have him go from fine to not-fine to gone in 24 hours is just hard.....it helps to know you all care and understand.

We snuggled with mom Friday night to comfort her. She got up early Saturday to help this woofie get to his forever home. As mom says, no matter the heartbreak, life continues on and there is always another animal to save. She drove this run in honor of Kletus.

Murphy, 2 yr old cattle dog - on his way to his forever home

And then Sparty imploded Saturday afternoon and got run over by the Cornhuskers. sigh.....

So mom decided to crack open a bottle of Witches Brew

We did manage to get some good news on Sunday. Our foster Daffy/Gizmo (there was a paperwork screw up - MOL) was adopted with our friend DeLynn's foster Mozart on Saturday!!! Yeah....

Mom spent Sunday doing some cleaning. Laundry....clean sheets on the bed...and....THE DYSON MONSTER!!! Run for your lives......

OK - too much excitement for the kittens....time for a nap:

Have a safe and Happy Halloween - we managed to avoid any costumes this year!!!

Show us your treat jar.....

2011-10-29T09:16:00.002-04:00

The cyber-sibes are having an event today:

Mom will be taking some of our extra treats to the local shelter. And here is our treat jar.... nothing very exciting, but mom says the important part is that the lid SCREWS on so that some cats can't get it open. sigh....

RIP Sweet Kletus.....

2011-10-28T22:03:00.000-04:00

Mom got home tonight and discovered Kletus huddled on the floor. His gums were white and he wasn't responsive. Mom called the shelter director and was told to take him to the nearby emergency vet. Mom spent about 90 minutes there. They finally got an IV in and were giving him fluids and dextrose. His blood pressure, blood sugar and temperature were all very low. The director of the shelter told the vet to take a couple of hours to give him a chance. She just called and said that Kletus was helped over the Bridge. The vet believes it was a liver shunt....so there isn't anything we could have done or could have known.....but mom's heart is broken. It has been a hard year for us and while mom says she will keep fostering, sometimes it sucks....

Finally Friday.....

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Mom is gone for the day taking care of grandma - she has weird reactions to anesthesia, so mom planned to take the day off and spend it over there. She is taking her laptop, but grandma doesn't have wi-fi and their computer is REALLY slow....so she may not be online much.

But, we thought we would share some cute baby shots....

Thankful Thursday.....

2011-10-27T09:15:00.000-04:00

First, we are thankful for the lady that came to the shelter on Tuesday night and put aside her grief for her cat that died to adopt and save a life. And since she couldn't decide, she adopted 2 cats. And her son and daughter-in-law adopted the third that mom put in the room with them. Makes us wonder how many we could have gotten them to adopt??? MOL

Second, we are thankful for the dog walkers on Tuesday. A family came in and said that there was a cat in a nearby parking lot that was hurt. Did they bring it to us? NO!! Did they take some responsibility for finding the cat?? NO!!! However, despite these people, two dog walkers grabbed a crate and some towels and brought the kitty back. We don't know much about him or how bad he was hurt, but even if he had to be helped across the Bridge, he spent the night safe and warm....not outside and suffering.

Third, as always, we are thankful for mom and for the CB....no matter the good news or bad news, people step up to give a word of encouragement and that makes mom willing to keep going, no matter what....

Our grandma is having surgery on her hand today, so could you guys send some purrs and grrs in her direction? Mom is taking tomorrow off to play nurse - grandma doesn't react so well to the drugs, so she needs supervision. :) Mom says that grandma's side of the family has parts where the warranties expire early and often. We aren't sure we get that, but it makes mom laugh when she says it.

OK, we are off to take a nap...being thankful is hard work!!