Sunday, August 29, 2010

Ava....

I got a text yesterday from my friend Nancy. "Ava is gone. Her back legs gave out"

It hasn't even been two weeks since the diagnosis of lymphoma.  And a week before that she was fine and happy and her daddy gave her a bath and didn't feel any lumps.

We here at Random Felines are sending our love to Nancy and Steve and Douglas the rescue cat.  You were well loved Ava and will be missed.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

We are doing the Q

You can see us participating in Monty's contest: http://doingtheq.blogspot.com/

Ivy is the best in our house (cause she spreads - MOL).  Tim sorta does it - and in the cubes too!!

Thankful Thursday

Pecan, Pistachio, Hazel & Walnut
We, the gang of 4, are thankful that the hots are taking a break here and the foster mom lady leaves the screen door open so we can smell the flowers and try to catch those bugs!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Scafflaw Week

Our buddy Fin at Housecat Confidential has started this and we MUST participate.  We have been up to no good for a very long time and find that one week may not be enough.  Plus we have gotten the foster kittens in on the act.
Everyone on the couch

Wally on the counter
Spud on the dining room table
Tommy on the dining room table
(Tommy says if mom uses it for storage then we can sit on it)
Pistachio in the kitchen sink
Tim on the end table

Monday, August 23, 2010

Prayers please....

We need to be thinking about Douglas' family.  His goggie Ava has some lumps and her mom and dad just found more and it is lymphoma.  With steriods the vet says maybe 30-60 days.  Ava is 6 years old....this is her with her dad in their favorite chair - Douglas jumped up after Ava did.  We love you Ava!!! (and Nancy & Steve & Douglas)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Round one - me; Round two - Junior

So he was fine Wednesday night out of the bathroom for about an hour. I even got to trim his front nails (which ended up coming in handy last night).



Anyhow, yesterday, I dropped the nuts off for surgery but they ended up getting bumped for some emergencies, so they will go back later. After picking them up, I got home and decided to try round two with Junior (I gotta change that name soon or it is going to stick). I wrapped him in his towel and went out to sit with him and watch everyone. Pecan hissed a little at him and Pistachio again had a hissy fit. He went nose to nose with Maestro and Tommy. Fine with Maestro but hissed a little at Tommy - which Tommy graciously ignored.

Well, I think I might have pushed him too far. At about the 90 minute mark, he got curious and was sitting on my lap watching the kittens. Something startled him and he took off. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to catch him. Around the condo...I was hoping he would duck into the bathroom and I would be able to shut the door, but no such luck. He went into the kitchen and in my overconfidence, I tried to grab him. Bad idea - he scratched me and bit my wrist. Entirely my fault. Then under the sofa. I managed to get him out and he went down the stairs to the front door. I took the towel and followed him. He was in the corner and I could tell he was freaked out. I tossed the towel over his head and he burrowed further underneath. We went back upstairs and back into the bathroom. I sat with him for a few minutes and he relaxed and was purring and looking at me with those cute baby eyes. <>

So, I have to remind myself to take it slowly. It is hard looking at the well adjusted foster kittens. But I have had them since they were 6 weeks old. They may be the same age as Junior, but he doesn't have the same solid background.

Keep your fingers crossed. He has potential. I just have to give him time.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Junior...

OK, so the name isn't great, but he needed one yesterday at the clinic.  And he looks a lot like his daddy (who we still have to catch and get neutered).

Anyhow, all the tests came back negative!!  Yeah - now we can work on getting him socialized and find him a forever home.  He is very sweet - pick him up and he purrs and has started to knead on me.  He even climbs up from my lap to my chest and will head butt my chin.

He isn't convinced that coming to me is a good idea yet.  And he is still spending lots of time hiding in the carrier, but that is about to come to and end...I need the carrier back.  :)  So, he will have his own space in the bathroom for now and slowly meet the rest of the crew to see how things go.

The fosters get spayed/neutered on Thursday and then come back to the house for 4-5 days to recover.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

We caught us a kitten....

Well, our neighbor put out the cat trap again last night.  And caught one of the older kittens!!  I went over and picked him up.  I am going to get him neutered and try to socialize him.  Keep your fingers crossed.  Carol saw the other cat that we thought was pregnant - and she is skinny, so we now suspect she had her kittens.  So we are going to hold up trapping until they get a chance to get a little older. (or if we can find them)  Which leaves the black cat (that might already be fixed) and the big orange boy.

Gotta come up with a name for the new guy.  I will be working with him right now, and once he is tested and recovered from surgery, I will start SLOWLY introducing him into the house and the kitty crew.  He seems freaked out, but not wild.  I know he came out of the carrier last night as things were knocked over in the bathroom, but he was back in the carrier this morning when I went in to get ready for work.  I can pet him but he won't look at me.  For now, I am OK with that.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Satisfaction

We have some community cats in our condo neighborhood (I don't really like the term feral since it freaks people out and doesn't always apply - Best Friends has started using this new term and I like it better).

Anyhow, a note was in the last newsletter asking for help for some TNR (trap neuter release).  I contacted another woman named Carol, and we set a trap I borrowed from my dad.  Monday morning we caught our first cat.  She apparently has been pretty friendly with some of the neighbors and one woman stepped up and offered to adopt her!  Chatty Cathy went to Stephanie's house last night and I got a call that said she is already adjusting very well.  She had to have been a pet that lost her home.  Well, now she is spayed and will be spoiled rotten.

I never thought it would be this satisfying - this is my first foray into TNR.  We are going to keep at it until we catch them all.... one big tomcat, a couple more girls and some juvenile kittens.

Monday, August 9, 2010

frustration...

I won't go into details, but I am no longer with the rescue organization I joined over 7 years ago.  After some thought I have found a group closer to my house.

Here is the frustration part: with some many organizations working toward what I would think would be a common goal of less lives lost in shelters due to overpopulation, why are so many groups badmouthing other groups???  I refuse to go there, which is why the circumstances of my change aren't going up here.  My family and my friends know what happened, and that is enough for me.  But over the weekend, I ran into a friend from another group and she starts (without knowing my decision about where to go next) about the group I intend to join.  It bugs me....  I think for me it is all about this adage: if you don't have anything nice to day, don't say anything at all.

That being said, I have to post a huge THANK YOU to my friends and especially my parents.  This change has been hard on me and they have been so supportive.  I remember when I first decided to get into animal rescue, my Dad (who is so NOT a cat person) made the comment that I was going to end up with a ton of cats and he thought this was a bad idea.  He has come a long way since then, though he will never be a cat person.  Last week when all this happened, he and my Mom were upset about everything.  There is a fund raiser this week for the former group and they are not attending.  I didn't ask - in fact I told them that I support the reason for the fund raiser and while I wouldn't be there it was fine.  Nope - they are supporting me and that is all there is to it.  I know in part it is a "parent thing" but it makes me feel good.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Chloe update


Unfortunately, her first adoption didn't work out so well. When she was returned, a spot opened up at Petsmart and I was able to take her up there.
In the meantime, I had emailed the family that adopted Minuet and Nocturne and let them know since they had asked about her.
Good news!! Chloe went home with her name family on Sunday. The neice of the woman who adopted Min & Noc went to Petsmart and saw Chloe and fell in love with her. She has two other adult cats and thinks it will be a good match. Plus I got to hear more about the adventures of the kids. Chloe seemed very relaxed with all of them and I am thrilled!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

nap attack

Mozart and Ivy say it is better to sleep with someone than sleep alone.
Or in Ivy's case ON someone.