Saturday, April 30, 2011

A quickie....

Lots of stuff going on this weekend. We will post a weekend update on Monday since loading pictures to the home computer is a pain - we let mom load them at work and we use those.

No adoption for Chiclet. <> One interested lady but she is "looking" and reporting back to her husband.

Swizzle is eating like a champ. However, she growls as she eats, but mom hopes she will get over that as she puts on some weight. Mom reintroduced her to the kittens and they are bonding as we speaking....paws crossed that Swizzle can teach them the kitty ropes better than mom was doing.

And now we has to abandon the 'puter room - Junior used the box.....all we can say is be glad none of you have smell-o-blogger!!! yeesh....

Ivy....

We know - mom makes fun of her sometimes. However, despite not liking having her nails trimmed or her butt scratched and being convinced that Spud is out to get her (which he might be...), mom loves her and Ivy can be lovey.... 

She loves to come running when mom leaves for work and rolls over on the stairs looking for love. She has taken to rolling like this on top of the wall at the top of the stairs and mom is sure Ivy is going to roll off one day.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Light a Candle

A Light in Silence & Remembrance 2011


Join the CB  and the Three Tabby Cats this weekend to remember all those we have lost:
We remember....Butterscotch, Tigger, Bandit, Hazzard, and kittens: Sage, Willow, Seasame & Sultan
 
Purrs to all our furends who have had their pets cross the Bridge.
 
But we also want to remember all those we and others were at the CB have helped to save - sometimes it makes the loss a little easier!

Never more than you can handle....

We don't follow a "religion" much, but we believe there is something out there. And there is a saying about never being given more than you can handle.

Before we get to that, a Swizzle update. Mom was so excited last night when she got home and Swizzle had eaten an entire 3 oz can of food (in fact she was so excited she had to tell someone so she sent a text to the Katnip Lounge). Mom opened another and Swiz started in on it. Another can over night and mom put one out for her this am as well. Off to the vet in about 45 minutes for the blood draw and get her tube out.

As to handling things, let us give you a little background. The shelter where mom volunteers has minimal staff and relies on volunteers to do a lot. Their adoption counselors are all volunteer and there is a team lead each shift for dogs and cats. Those people are now trained to do intake of animals. There are restrictions. The team lead last night is also the president of the board. (which kind of makes it funnier for mom)

Anyhow, 2 cats and 2 dogs came in. The first cat was front declawed and very nice and the lead started the paperwork. As she finalized it, she realized the cat was 7 years old. We know, not that old, but over the age cut off for this rescue. Too late, she thought and finished everything. Then a friend of her husband's came in - he and his daughter had found a kitten. Mom followed part of it but asked what was going on when the lead came into the adoption room looking for kmr. Come to find out the other cat was in fact a kitten - a tiny kitten. Mom figures he is about 14 days old or so. Eyes open, but not much else. The lead knew she was in trouble but couldn't turn this baby away. Mom offered to take him. The lead said she hasn't had a bottle baby but would figure it out. They compromised....mom brought him home last night and will take him to the shelter this morning and then the lead will pick him up this afternoon and get more instructions from them. Mom has pictures, but doesn't have time to load them this am - he is tiny and pitch black. And purrs so loud.....

He slept like a champ too - mom would like him to give lessons to the crew in the bathroom. Mom is going to check with the vet this am to see about letting Swizzle have some access to the kittens and hopefully help with weaning 101.

BTW - yes, Minnie is a great pyrenees. Off to the vet, the shelter and then Petsmart - wish Chiclet luck!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

That isn't a puppy.....

We got an email from mom's SIL. Minnie is doing very well in puppy class. Mom sent them a weiss walkie to use on her. We hear in one class they were working on "recall" and Lanah stood across the room and called Minnie - who came right to her - at top speed. Rob said the trainer almost had a stroke when she thought Minnie was going to mow down Lanah. :) (fyi - Minnie is about 5 months old now)

Mom said she is getting them a saddle for Catmas this year.  hahahaha

Thankful Thursday.....

First, we want to say we are purrin' for those in the southern US that are having all those tornados. It seems very scary and we can't imagine losing our house.

Swizzle came home last night. Mom has her in an airline crate for now - which mom swears was bigger until she put a box, a blanket, 2 bowls and a cat in it. :)  Swizzle was lovey but didn't eat too much. The nice v-e-t left the feeding tube in just in case (though mom says that no one has any idea why it was put in - even the rescue lady doesn't know - seems the surgeon made a decision without bothering to ask anyone). Swizzle will go in Friday morning for blood work and they will take the tube out then. Mom gave her something different this am and she ate a little bit. We shall see how she is doing by the time mom gets home. Swizzle has to stay in the crate until the tube comes out so she can't get it caught on something and pull it out by accident. Paws crossed.... Mom was very proud of us all last night - we knew the crate was in the bedroom but basically left Swizzle alone and didn't growl at her or anything.

The kittens are still doing well. Mom just wishes they could tell her what they want. Midori was awake at 3am SCREAMING. Mom fed them all with the syringe and that helped, but Midori still screamed some when mom went back to bed. But, they are eating the food she is putting out - mom just thinks maybe they aren't eating enough to satisfy their bellies. And here is what we would all like to know - how can something  THAT tiny make THAT much noise for THAT long???? Wow - that girl has some volume. :)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I could scream....

Two things before we get to Swizzle:

1. Cat in the trap update - it was a boy. And the clinic said he had been neutered, and they think it was recent. But, they gave him a rabies shot and tipped his ear for me. If he was a house cat, someone got a surprise last night. Too bad....if you don't like it, put some id on your cat (yes, the clinic scans every cat for a chip, and no, he didn't have one). I let him go around 8pm last night and as I was resetting the trap....that calico girl was sitting at the end of the sidewalk. TAUNTING ME AGAIN!!! Checked the trap this morning - no cat. It is now my mission - I swear I am gonna get that girl!!!

2. Kitten update - they are using the POTTY!!! OK - so that may not sound exciting, but it is for me. A couple of accidents when I got home yesterday, but I cleaned up and added some cat attract to their box and no accidents this am. Plus, I have seen most of them eating the canned food. I syringe fed them again this morning, but they weren't as interested as they had been.

Now for the Swizzle update. Let me say up front, I know rescue work is hard and sometimes has to be about the money. And the clinic where she is now (Noah's Ark) has been WONDERFUL!!! They have been great about keeping me in the loop and letting me vent a little. As of this morning, she is lethargic, but head butting them and eating on her own, so that is good. She was spayed yesterday thinking that she may have retained some placenta from giving birth. However that wasn't the case. So they are now trying to determine what caused the fever and how to keep it from happening again. I told them I would call later today for another update and to see what they suggest for her continued care. The rescue wants her back in foster today - I am not willing to do that if it isn't in her best interest. I already covered the cost of her care from Monday thru surgery (I didn't pay for that) and I am willing to cover the cost of her continued care at Noah's Ark if they think that is for the best. (yes, that eep you heard was my credit card)

Now for the screaming part: the clinic that did her surgery was the same that did the emergency surgery on Chiclet last fall. They are high volume, so I am sure the rescue gets a very good deal on the cost. However, in Chiclet's case, they fixed her intestinal problem but did NOT spay her - so she had to have surgery twice. And just gave her to me with no instructions or anything -if I had been less knowledgable than I am, it could have been a disaster. Same thing yesterday....just handed me the cat and her paperwork. Noah's Ark asked me this morning if I had any idea why they put a feeding tube in Swizzle. WHAT???? No - they said nothing to me. She shouldn't have had one and sure didn't need it - she had been eating at the vet's office and had only been about 12 hours at my house not eating. What if she hadn't been going back to a vet clinic?? She could have died since I didn't know about the tube. I am lucky the lady at the vet was good, cause she got an earful from me this morning (and now that I think about it, didn't sound too surprised, so I suspect this may not be the first time she has heard it - both about the clinic and the rescue).

And the vet just called - nice guy!!! Here is the game plan - he said that just looking at her, you wouldn't know anything is wrong with her. Her temp went up last night and they gave her a shot of something they called "dex". It will bring down the fever pretty quick, but may cover up the cause, so they only use it last resort. However, with everything else she went through yesterday, they figured it was in her best interest. But, even after the shot last night, her temp was back to 103 this am. So, here is the plan - he is going to send her home with me tonight with 14 days of clavamox. Then run a blood panel Friday morning. He said they could run it in house or send it out - which is more expensive but would give them some idea if something else is going on since they look at the shape and number of blood cells. I told him I will cover the cost since I am worried more about her than the cost (there is that eep again). He said it could be something called hemobart or feline bartinella. Both are treatable and while she might have given it to the kittens, it would have been evident by now. So the kittens are less of a concern when it comes to this.

So, we shall see what happens and go from there. I sent a text to the rescue and she said she had somewhere quiet she could keep Swizzle. No thanks...I got it - she may "belong" to the rescue, but she is MY responsiblility - I am invested. ugh....

I did laugh - the vet said that there is a separate test for the bartinella (which I am probably spelling wrong)...I said should we do it and he said that it is a separate treatment, so see if she responds to the clavamox and then go from there. I asked about the cost - he said he thought it was about $60. I laughed again - hey, it has less than two zeros. :) (and they are willing to give me the rescue discount since she is a rescue - so that helps)

For now, she will stay with me in a crate in my room and get some rest. The kittens are doing fine. And Chiclet goes to an adoption event Friday and Saturday. Cross your fingers and paws....we could use some good luck around here.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Swizzle update.....

She was doing much better this morning, so the vet released her to the clinic to be spayed. I know - I wish it were otherwise. But, the vet where she was said she was doing better enough and obviously if her uterus is infected, spaying her will make a huge difference.....  Besides, she was certainly fiesty when I picked her up. She was backtalking the vet and told me ALL about it while we traveled. :)  Don't know where she is going to go for recovery.....I will take her back, but not sure if that will make things harder with the kittens. Gonna have to think about that....

THANKS as always for the purrs and prayers (and the indignation for mom)!!
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Katnip Lounge wanted to know if Swizzle would miss the kids. I don't know - and I wish I had an answer since I wonder about this sometimes. In this case, she was dried out from being sick, so I don't think she will miss them long. That being said, Chiclet was gone for a few days when her kittens were 6 weeks old to have surgery (don't we have such good luck with momma cats - sigh), and she was pretty interested when she got back. Of course, Chiclet took one look at these kittens and hissed, so we are sure she is over it now. MOL
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Oh, and for a laugh, mom caught a cat in the trap this AM. YEAH for her! And, while she was loading the trap in the car....the calico girl they are trying really hard to catch sat across the road and watched. Nothing like being taunted at 8am.....  Watch out girl - you are high on the list. MOL

Toesday.....

First, a mommy cat update: Mom called this morning and Swizzle is eating and being a little more active. The tech said she doesn't even act like she is as sick as she is. Mom feels a little better having heard that since she was kinda beating herself up. But, Swizzle is still running a pretty high fever. The rescue lady wants to spay her pretty quick, but the vet's office wants to hold off until she is a little more stable. Mom doesn't get a vote, so we shall see who wins that one.....

Baby update: more "whining" than "weaning". sigh..... And let's not even talk about what the bathroom looks like now. :)  However, mom is getting some kmr into them using a syringe. She tried the bottle, but no luck. She has put down a/d mixed with kmr hoping someone would get the idea. All we had last night was paw prints. (hey - maybe we can frame the sheet and sell it to make us some green papers - MOL) Anyhow, as of this morning, everyone ate some and Mojito and Midori did eat some off the plate, so there is hope. Mom thinks if she can get one of them to figure it out, the rest will follow. She did helps them to pee, but they is using the box as well.

And now - gratuitous baby video....cause we could all use the smile (and yes, the toesday caption fits - if you watch close, you can see Martini's mitten paws).

Monday, April 25, 2011

Swizzle update

Just got a call from the vet. She is septic, but no idea why. They are pumping her full of fluids and antibiotics. Temp still very high and they have her on ice packs to try to bring it down. She is eating some kitten food, so good news there. If she is stable enough, they are going to spay her tomorrow and hopefully the infection is localized there.....  We will keep you posted as we go.....

Monday Madness.....

Please stop over to visit Sweet Praline mom Paula. We are very sad here, but know she is at peace and there were other angels there to welcome her (include our angels Tigger and Butterscotch).

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Swizzle didn't eat much yesterday and nothing last night. Mom is done screwing around and Swizzle has an appointment with the v-e-t this morning....we will keep you posted.
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Mom read on Bunny's Blog yesterday about a petition that you need to check out on change.org. Seems a company created a "game" (and we use that term loosely) where you can raise, train and fight dogs. It will be sold for the Android phone. Please sign the petition and let Android and this game company know that these types of games are NOT OK!!! Blog Paws has a posting about it as well.
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12pm update: Got Swizzle to the vet. Her temperature is at 107 - normal is about 101. Scary stuff. They are running a blood panel and will call me with an update. On IV fluids and pain meds in the mean time. Took the kittens home - sryinge fed them some KMR and mixed KMR with a/d and left it for them. This will be weaning 101 the hard way for them. Mom called the rescue lady who sounded a little ticked that mom made the executive decision to take Swizzle to the vet first, then call. Mom says too bad....she likes the rescue lady, but her attitude can be a little "let's wait and see" and since the last time that happened, we lost Sultan, mom isn't willing to take that risk. Which ends up being a good thing since another day with her temp that high could have been very bad. Please keep purring for her and the kittens....it is going to be a long few days between worrying about her and trying to get the kittens to eat on their own.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Make Mine Chocolate....

We don't talk much about bunnies here cause we don't have any. However, with Easter being tomorrow, we wanted to get on the bandwagon (so to speak).

The Columbus House Rabbit Society (and other bunny rescues) every year has a Make Mine Chocolate campaign. So many people give bunnies and chicks for Easter. We don't think any pet should be a gift....give a certificate and let that person pick out their own pet. However, giving baby animals for a holiday is just a bad idea!!! So, give a chocolate bunny or chick and maybe donate to a great organization to support their effort to find homes for animals that need it. Or, if you want a bunny, get past the holiday and find a local rescue to help you set up your house for some bunny to love!!!  For example Emmy from CHRS.....

Friday, April 22, 2011

Goodbye Deebs....

Back in March 2006 (when mom was volunteering at that other place), a volunteer started their Bully Program to try to get more pitties adopted into good homes. The first two dogs were Diamond and Debo. Diamond ended up being adopted by Amanda (the leader of the group). Debo was at the shelter for a while and worked his way into everyone's hearts. He was more of an english bulldog looking pitt. And deaf as a brick. Mom said she was sure when she walked into the room where he was and there were 8 barking dogs - Deebs was asleep on his back, jowels flapping, snoring like an outboard. He didn't wake up until she had the door opened and touched his nose.

Like a lot of pitties, Deebs was a kid in a dog suit. His favorite thing in the world?? Mud puddles....mom swears he had more baths in his life than any other dog she has met.

He was adopted by a wonderful family who even tried to teach him sign language. They called him "fluffy" as a joke to his background.

Last fall, Debo was diagnosed with lymphoma. He did pretty well for a while. But, last weekend his mom and dad knew it was time and helped him cross the bridge.

We shall miss you sweet Deebs. You were a joy, a gentleman and such an ambassador for your breed.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

mom's "duh" moment....

Maybe some of you have seen the ads on TV where people say they have had an "aha moment". Well, we are calling this mom's "duh moment".

But, let's back up.....she got home last night and went through the normal routine. Feed us (she calls us the yammering crowd - can you believe it??) and then check on the family in the bathroom. Swizzle had cleaned her dish and was calling for more. In the hopes of avoiding the a/d, mom opened another can of food (she has now sorted them to avoid the one Swizzle didn't eat before). Swizzle started to eat and mom played with the kittens.

Mom came out and got some dinner for herself and did some stuff around the house. She settled in to watch Mythbusters and decided to bring a couple of kittens out into the living room to get them to walk around. Walking for them is hard in the bathroom since they slide on the tile. Mom grabbed Mimosa and Mojito and noticed Swizzle had eaten everything again. hmmmmmm

Anyhow, the kittens walked around for a few minutes with mom sitting on the floor with them.

         Side note: I was cracked up by poor Junior. The kittens stuck pretty close to me and he sat just outside the arc of my legs. He wanted to desparately to sniff the kittens and yet couldn't get up the courage to get that close to me. He whined a couple of times and leaned in, but finally just laid down and watched them closely. :)

Mom took the kittens back to the bathroom and discovered she had made a mistake.....she forgot to write down on the calendar to deworm Swizzle again (she got one dose from the vet that saw her before she had the kittens, but mom forgot to do it 2 weeks later). We won't give you the gory details on how mom realized her mistake, but suffice to say Swizzle got another dose of dewormer. Mom fed her again and it was gone this morning. She ate another 1/2 can while mom was showering so mom opened another can for her to have today.

Maybe we have turned the corner.....and mom is going to try the kittens on food in another week. She noticed tiny baby teeth in Martini this morning.....

Dinner time - and yes, Miss Malibu is hanging upside down.

left to right: Midori, Mimosa, Martini, Malibu, Mojito

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

that girl....

Mom got all excited cause she put out a can of food before she left for the shelter time and when she got back Swizzle had eaten the whole thing - in like 3 hours. YEAH!!! So she put out another can and it was mostly still there this morning. SIGH!!! (after reading the labels, mom realized that the two were different flavors) Mom is beginning to think she is picky....which isn't good when she is feeding kittens. The kids are now 3 weeks old, so if we can get her to keep it up for another couple of weeks, mom will start trying to convince the kittens to try kitten food. She is still very good about nursing and being with the kittens. Mom has found her sleeping next to the bed a couple of times, but those kittens look to be bed hogs so she may just want to stretch out. She is also gonna break out the science diet a/d tonight - she has a few cans she got from a friend. She has yet to find a cat that won't eat that. Cross your paws everyone..... If she won't eat that, then mom is calling the vet that helped with Bug and Sultan.

"What you lookin' at?"

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

shhh...babies sleeping

Mom is a little concerned about Swizzle. She is just so skinny. It could be another couple of weeks until the kittens are eating on their own....but they are getting bigger and are more active. Swizzle just doesn't seem that interested in eating anything.....sometimes she will eat everything in the bowl and other times she will eat a little. Mom has given her some options and she seems to pick and choose depending on the day. :)

Oh - and someone made a comment yesterday about jumping from the balcony - we live on the second floor. Our condo is a "carriage house"....we live above all the garages. Mom would prefer we not even hang over the edge of the balcony to look down. Though it could be worse - our neighbor across the way has 3 cats and Carter likes to walk on the railing to the balcony....he gets yelled at a LOT!!

There is one in every crowd trying to be different. (that is Martini going the wrong way)

We have no idea how Mimosa can sleep like that - but mom said she was out cold.

How many kittens do you see??

Yep - those boys are going to be trouble....already trying to escape.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Mo's weekend report

As you can see, it was a pretty lazy Sunday. Mom ran some errands on Saturday, but was home the rest of the weekend. She says I was being "clingy". Not sure why that is a problem.

However, Friday afternoon was very nice when she got home from work, so she had a beer on the balcony and left the door open for us to check everything out. The spike from last summer died and she hasn't pulled it yet, so Tim & Tom gnawed on that a little. I kept sticking my head through the bars and mom kept freaking out. Maybe she needed another beer. As you can see, Junior came to the door. He did come out on the balcony a little bit, but didn't stay too long. Spud never comes further than the door. 

We are glad it was nice for this, cause the rest of the weekend was rainy and windy and yucky!!


And now, for some baby video:


Saturday, April 16, 2011

the joy of TNR

Well, the trap was set yesterday and we CAUGHT ANOTHER CAT!!!

One problem....we caught him last fall.

And he had been caught before and neutered.

We are going to need a "blackie proof" cat trap at this rate.....   MOL

Friday, April 15, 2011

Blog the Change

Blog the Change

We want to take a moment from the things we normally do to support this. Most of us support an animal cause (or several - MOL). Today we are going to tell you about Foxy. She is a 4 yr old, 33 pound beagle mix.

Foxy came into the shelter where mom used to volunteer as part of their Safe Haven program - which allows animals to come into the shelter so they are safe while their owners try to get out of domestic violence situations. Sometimes the owners can take them back, other times the animals are released to the shelter.

In this case, Foxy and her sister had been at the shelter for a year and the owner released them. Carmel went to Sheltie rescue and has since been adopted by a very nice retired couple. Foxy had some medical issues. The volunteers who walked her raised the money for her acl surgery. But the shelter deemed her unadoptable.  They did give the volunteers a chance to either adopt her or find her a private placement. They had until March 1.

You have all heard about our friend Kelly before. She went to Utah and Best Friends with mom and also helped us rescue Watson (sorry mom can't find the right post to link it here). Before they left in February, Kelly said no way was she going to let them kill this very sweet little dog. She got the email in Utah and agreed to take her.

Anyhow, trying to keep a long story a little shorter, mom tried to convince her parents to adopt Foxy. Grandpa said NO! However, a couple of weeks later mom asked if they would be willing to foster her for Kelly since she already has a dog that is a little wild and it was getting hard to deal with both of them. Grandma and Grandpa said yes so Kelly brought over Foxy and she has been with them for almost 2 weeks.

So, Foxy needs a home and mom gets to snicker at Foxy being spoiled rotten by her parents. Foxy has gotten to ride in the truck and she hangs in the yard with them. There is the option of them adopting her, but Kelly is still looking for a nice couple to adopt her. Just in case.....  MOL

(grandma & Foxy)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Official introductions

First, an update: Junior finally got his microchip last night. It took two tries and he now has a funny shaped shaved spot on the back of his neck (the vet said she was going to try to make it look nice and the tech was "just chip him already!" MOL). Oh, and he may never trust mom again.  sigh.....

THANKS to Judi and the crew at SAS for the name suggestions. Everyone seems to be doing well. Dr Taylor had to check out the cute last night and even she said Swizzle looks like she needs a sandwich. She is getting fed kitten food and Fancy Feast but not eating a ton. The kittens look really good though, so mom isn't too worried. A couple had some eyeball goop this am that mom is going to keep her attention on for right now. Anyhow, here is the official crew:

Swizzle & the kids

Midori & Mimosa (girls)

Malibu & Mimosa (girls)

Martini (male mitten paw)

Mojito & Martini (boys)

Could resist the last shot.....they love to sleep curled up around each other or of couse on top of each other. If you look close, you can see Midori's toothless state. :)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...


As you can see, the new yellow cube has taken a beating and may soon have to be declared DOA.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Toesday.....

Mom continually wonders why we all sleep with one leg sticking out....can't give up all our secrets can we?



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Kitten update:
Everyone is looking good. Momma is still pretty skinny. Mom thinks she is funny and has nicknamed her "swizzle stick". And then thought maybe call her Swizzle and name the kittens after candy....something to think about.  :) Mom gave her a can of Fancy Feast this morning - she just wants some calories in the girl.
Or not.....  MOL

Monday, April 11, 2011

Mo's weekend update....

It was SOOOO nice yesterday. Check this out..
Wooohoooo....And mom opened the windows and the screen door!!

Nothing too exciting. Mom did laundry and hung out with us.

Oh - and there is new squeaking from the bathroom. That is right ladies and gentlemen - we are back in the baby business. This is for the same group that rescue Chiclet and her kittens. The babies were born 3/29/11. Their eyes are mostly open and we have 3 girls and 2 boys. And one of the boys is a polydactyl (mitten paw) - the first we have ever had here.

But mom was a little sad....someone had front declawed Leia. Which means a vet did that but didn't spay her. We just don't understand how a vet could do that....and then her family either lost her or kicked her out. If the nice couple hadn't found her and taken her in, we think there is no way this family would have survived. The couple that found her gave us a donation and stuff to help out. They just aren't "cat people" plus the dog in the house was barked constantly at the door. They did everything right (tested her, vaccinated) and just needed some help. They even said if Leia can't be placed, they might be able to take her back.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Da fuzzies

Good morning - head alpha mancat Tommy hear....
         Give yourself that title handsome man?

Yep, I did mom. Anyhow, I have decided to grab the bull by the horns....wait, why would anyone want to grab a bull by the horns? Or get that close to a bull anyhow???
        Moose - FOCUS!!!

Sorry. Anyhow, I am here today to ask a favor of all our CB friends. See, we have several types of scratchers (and some of us don't use them for their intended purposes - see below).
(boy he used to be small)

But that isn't really the problem. The rope parts are fuzzing off the posts. Plus, mom can't figure out how to reattach them. I like that horizontal scratcher that the orange beast is sleeping on, but not everyone uses it. Mom bought an emery cat, but so far we like the toy more than the actual scratcher (and no, before you ask, using catnip to attract our attention didn't work).

So, we would like to ask: What kind of scratchers do you use? Do you have suggestions for something we could use on our posts to replace the rope (and where do you get the supplies)?

We hope you all have a great weekend. No plans here....though mom may have to fumigate. That kitty from yesterday was a boycat and the garage smells like unneutered mancat pee. :P
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What the "head alpha mancat" forgot to mention was the the sisal gets fuzzy and Tim chews on it and the horks it up around the house. What I would really like is an alternative to the sisal rope. :) THANKS - the mom 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Thankful Thursday....

Mom spent a lot of time last night trying to readjust her thinking about this week and coming up with things she is thankful for. It didn't take long to come up with a list, but....

Then she got a true "pick me up" this morning.

Mom has been working with some of her neighbors to TNR the ferals/strays in the neighborhood. It is tough since no one has volunteered to help monitor the trap or take it to the clinic. But, they have one neighbor who feeds a couple and can set the trap at night. She has some physical limitations though and wouldn't be able to pick up the trap and take it to the clinic. (it isn't heavy, but it is awkward and can be hard to handle with a ticked off feral cat doing the hokey pokey in it)

Anyhow, mom told Jodi to set the trap last night since it is finally not freezing at night and has stopped raining (for the moment). She went to bed last night figuring they wouldn't catch anything first time out.

Boy was she wrong. She got over there this morning and the trap door was down. And inside was a very ticked off short haired gray cat. Mom said she almost did the happy dance around the car (that woman is weird - all happy and dancing about catching cats in traps...sigh). It wasn't the one she was expecting to catch, but it is still a catch. But she is on a mission....she REALLY wants to catch Junior's daddy. :)
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What are we thankful fur?? The weather was nice enough last night that mom opened the screen door and the windows.
(Junior & Mozart)

(Junior)

(Maestro)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Give a little back

In honor of yesterday, I took the number of followers we have, divided by 2 and rounded up. And then I decided to sponsor Bob at Best Friends.
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Mom didn't have such a great day yesterday. We tried to cheer her up, but she said the weather was just nasty and apparently she got in "trouble" with the rescue where she volunteers and is just frustrated. Which, while she did fall in love with Bob when she was out in Utah, is part of the reason she is sending her money out there.....

But, she got a free cookie for dessert at the local restaurant where she went to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa....she saved it for a snack today. And we got treats to celebrate Junior's gotcha day.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Happy Birfday...

Happy Birfday to you...
Happy Birfday to you...
Happy Birfday dear moooommmmmm
Happy Birfday to...

Wait, what??? Oh no she didn't.

She was talking about the orange beast again yesterday and how long he has been on Petfinder.com.

So - she has been doing that since he moved in here.

But this time she was talking about it being kitten season and he is comfortable...wait, she is mumbling again....

Oh geez....there it is.

I have decided for my birthday that I am going to make this Junior's 1st Gotcha Day! As of today, Junior is now an official Random Feline!!!

Oh, well, he has been there this long, I guess we can live with it.

Happy Birfday Mom!!
Happy Gotcha Day Junior!!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

transports....

I got to thinking about this while I was driving this morning. I had dinner with my Dad last night (we go out for Greek when Mom is out of town). He asked what I was up to this weekend and I said a transport this morning (just got back) and then laundry and basketball. He asked if I got gas money for doing the transports - no, but my mileage is tax deductable.

Now, let me say this...my Dad was reluctant when I said over 8 years ado that I was going to volunteer at the local humane society. But, he has since seen that I enjoy this (despite the frustrations sometimes) and supports me. We actually got talking when we were in Disney in February about how people spend their money (I think there was a motorcycle show we passed). I said it was really no different than his buying wood working tools or me spending my money on rescue. Though I did say that I see people spending tens of thousands on luxury stuff and all I can think about if how many lives I could save with that money. However, he had to agree - do what you love.

Which also got me thinking about an ad I saw a couple of weeks ago for the season finale of Pit Boss on Animal Planet. Now, I don't watch, but the ad was interesting as it showed Shorty Rossi experiencing a serious case of burn out. I didn't see the results, but haven't we all been there???

Which brings me back to my conversation with my father and his question about why I do the transports.

And really, it is kind of simple. I know I can't save every animal. As much as I try not to dwell on it, it does bother me sometimes - and I am very lucky in that I have a group of friends and we support each other as we all experience the same feelings. As my friend Kelly said, we are all just lucky we don't breakdown all at the same time. :) However, I have developed a theory. While I may not be able to save EVERY animal, I can do my part. So, like this morning....I could help THAT animal in THAT moment to move toward a new life. And sometimes that should be the point.

And when I get overwhelmed, I think about those animals I did help to save in THAT moment when they needed it...Stanley, Aida and her kittens, Bug, Douglas, Junior and many more..... And those dogs that I transport as well....
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I posted this and then went out to read some other blogs I follow. I discovered that Shell has passed away. Which made the post all the more potent for me. Mary Anne took in this little cat with so many medical issues - and those on the CB followed along and loved Shell and tried to help with her bills. And now she is gone. But, she is one of those stories....we know we can't save them all, but for THAT one cat in THAT one moment, she was safe and loved and protected....which is more than she had before she was rescued.

And then visit Sam, Andy and Shelly for your positive thought of the day.

And then I read this post on House of Carnivores and got all choked up again.  :)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Finally Friday....

Mom says it has been a long week. We aren't sure what she means, but we are willing to take her word for it.

Mom said she is driving some dogs somewhere again tomorrow. Then it is laundry and napping for the rest of the weekend.

Oh, and mom says stay tuned for Monday....she has a surprise.