Thankful Thursday....

Today we have something that YOU can be thankful for.....

Play this with the sound turned up and 

be thankful you don't have to listen to it several times per day......

we got da funk....

In case mom's life wasn't interesting enough, the pepper boys were acting kind of funky, so they got to take a trip to the v-e-t yesterday....

Jalapeno charmed the vet - she has a thing for tuxies. He was actually the one acting the worst over the weekend and had a fever at the office. The other two boys didn't have a fever, but Serrano was acting funky. No real diagnosis - just watch them and make sure they are eating.

Everyone got out to play a little and the tech had put some catnip on the floor for Mist - who ignored it. Poblano on the other hand managed to get a minor contact high.

Mom had the v-e-t check Mist's ears and she has a yeast infection so she is getting treated 2x per day for the next 5 days.

Mom is treating Emma for ringworm - just in case. Other than the spot on her ear, she is running around like a nut. She has gotten more and more active in the last week or so - guess finally weighing over 2 pounds makes a difference. And even if that what it is, it is treatable......

Ahhhh the life of rescue - snot, weird fever, itchy ears and a fungus among us. Oh well - at least everyone is cute. :)

Surgery today....

A little more Emma for your enjoyment. She ripped  up an envelope that was on the footstool and entertained herself chasing the paper. Mom dropped her off this morning for her ladygardenectomy. Emma's biggest complaint was NO BREAKFAST!!!!  how rude.....

 Update (8:40am EST): well that didn't work.....the clinic found a spot of missing hair on Emma's ear and think it is ringworm....which is actually a fungus. Her brothers apparently got it around Christmas when they were adopted and when mom got home from Florida she cleaned everything really well with bleach like she was told. And now, a month later, Emma has a spot. And they won't spay her either...... So mom is going to clean like a mad woman again this weekend. She hasn't been allowed in with Mist and the pepper boys, so mom isn't too worried about them. And as for us, mom said that ship has sailed so no reason right now to quarantine Emma from us. but mom is seriously frustrated.......

chillaxin'

This is how we spent out weekend. Mom said it got cold enough that was time to pull out the space heater.

Mo treated it like a long lost friend. It has not been very nice around here weather wise and Mo's sunbathing has been limited.....why the black cat feels the need to stay warmer than everyone else, we aren't sure.

Mom got the pepper boys out in baby jail a little bit too. Tim got into the bathroom and Mist wasn't too sure about him, so mom let Mist have some quiet time alone. The boys weren't too sure about the other cats and baby jail, so mom is taking it slowly.

an award!!!

The kitties and woofies from Pugs & Purrs gived us an award.....FANKS!!!!

The rules and instruction for this award are as follows . . .


1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.

2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them.

3) Answer the 5 simple questions. (see below)

4) Nominate up to 20 blogs for the award and notify each of them. we think most of our friends have gotten this one.....if not, feel free to grab it!!!  We feel this way about ALL our friends. :)

5) Display the award on your blog somewhere.

QUESTIONS:
1. If you could change one thing, what would you change?
   We kind of like the way things are here. Mom says she would like the house to have more space, and that would be nice for all of us too - and give the foster more room too.

2. If you could repeat any age, what would it be? Any year?
  No thanks....we like being us. :)  (though mom says she misses the afternoon naps from college)

3. What is one thing that really scares you?
  Something happening to the mom and mom says the same thing about us. She says the one thing that really gives her the chills is when she hears about house fires....she doesn't know what would happen if that happened here.

4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you'll be able to complete it?
   We dream of the day of no more homeless pets.....we hope it will happen one day and we are doing our part by fostering, educating, spay/neuter and making mom volunteer.

5. If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?
   we like being us....and mom says the same think  :)

Random Fridays....

We gotted interviewed by the Funny Farmers and it is posted on Mousebreath!!!  Thanks for thinking of us FFF and we had a WONDERFUL time.  :) And the graphic you made for us rocks!!!

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Remember last Thursday we told you about our favorite local clinic staff going to the Bahamas to hope Operation Potcake?  They managed to help spay and neuter 2315 dogs!!!!
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Most of you know mom supports Best Friends Animal Society and has been out to volunteer a few times. She saw this on their blog. For anyone who saw the show Dogtown on the National Geographic Channel, you will remember seeing Pat. Mom never interacted with him, but she remembers being in one of the cat houses when he came in and was talking to a manager about one of the cats (he wasn't just a dog trainer)... as he sat there, this shy cat from the top shelf in the office hung her head over the side of the shelf and slowly made her way down to Pat's lap. He was just that kind of guy from what we understand. Safe journey across the Bridge Pat - we know you will be well met.
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Some of you have expressed interest in seeing the set up for Allie. We have read on a couple of blogs (Love and Hisses being one of them) that you can use an auto windsheild reflector to make self heating pads. That is the next step. For now, we have carriers set up as shelters for her and her boyfriend. Mom is a little worried cause it is VERY cold here and she hasn't seen Allie all week. But she has seen Allie's boyfriend coming and going some....mom says she is going to try to trap him next week and get him neutered.

PS - update this morning - Allie was in the garage so we know she is safe. YEAH!!

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The rescue that we help out posted this to their facebook page (we don't know what the intake numbers were, but this is great news):
Our 2012 adoption numbers are in....
With the help of our AWESOME volunteers and our fans here on Facebook...

778 cats, 65 dogs, and 1 bird found FOREVER homes in 2012!!!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone - we couldn't do this without you! And never forget, adopting one, saves 2 - the pet you adopt and a homeless animal somewhere who can be rescued because of space you helped free up!
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Mom decided to go with the pepper names for the boys. They are getting wilder by the day. And they have only been here 2 days. YIKES!! Mom thinks they are probably 5 weeks old - still blue eyed but getting around fairly well. And they are biters!

 Jalapeno (our tuxie boy) and Emma

Pablano and Serrano 

Serrano's head is a little bigger and he is the more feisty one (thus the fierier name)

Already????

Well, we knew it was going to happen.  OK, all of us except Emma - she was a little surprised. MOL

Mom came home the other night with our first "official" group of newbies for 2013. We have had a couple of spares that were moving around (Judy and Nurdle) but this is our first momma and kittens of the year.

Mom took the crate into the bathroom to get them set up and Emma followed her - cause THAT is where dinner is served. She and mom went around a few times before mom could get the door closed with Emma on the outside. (mom here: that kitten is slippery.....  haha)

A good samaritan brought in this group. Seems one of his neighbors moved out and left mom and the kittens in an apartment. The guy was concerned as it appeared mom wasn't caring for the kittens. They were separated when they first came in cause mom was acting like she was angry with the kitts. Well, mom ate 2 and 1/2 cans of food before slowing down. The rescue lady then reintroduced the kittens and mom was fine with them.

 momma cat - Mist (and yes, she needs a sammich or four)

trying to put the whappy paw on Emma (out of the shot)

kitten tetris

They are all boys. Mom thinks one of the black ones may have very faint stripes....we think she is gonna have a hard time telling them apart. No names yet....she is still working on that part of it. The tuxie is the bravest of the crew but we suspect within a couple more days the boys will be all over mom. Mist is a nice girl and loves her chin scritched. :)

Mom spent more time with the boys last night and they are FULL OF IT!!!  All over and biting her. She is leaning toward naming them after peppers.....more on that when she figures it out.  :)

Wordless Wednesday.....

OH - and the v-e-t on Saturday said "she is just little". OK....mom got her spay surgery scheduled for 1/29.

Tim on Tuesday....

Well, it has been a week since my teefs were stolen......  Mom says she doesn't think I am feeling "perfect" yet and she was mumbling something about dragon breath. But I feel much better and there haven't been as many fights around here in the last week. Not that I am saying ANY of that was my fault of course, but.....

I still don't open my mouth all the way - it isn't comfortable. I did let mom take a little look on Sunday and she said it looks so much better....though a little strange with no teefs back there. I am still eating canned food with Emma....she isn't so bad (OK - she growls at me a little, but come on, she is tiny). I hope that continues, but I am not sure mom is gonna fall for it forever.

Thanks for all your support and purrs and comments - they have meant a lot to me. And it is nice to know that other kitties out there have gone through this same thing and been ok with it.

Tim

Emma and I spent Sunday afternoon on mom's lap

weekend transport

Mom did another transport on Sunday. It was a last minute thing....the coordinator thought she had it all nailed down and then a couple of things went wonky and mom agreed to fill in.

This is Carmen:

Mom doesn't know much about Carmen. She is a Cane Corso - but one of the smallest mom has ever seen. MAYBE 50 pounds. And in serious need of a picnic basket of sandwiches.  But mom says she was SUPER sweet and a great traveler.

And mom said she got to thinking while she was driving. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs on the road every weekend on their way to forever homes, foster homes or rescues. And at least in the transports mom has been involved with, there are been rare incidents (and never anything really bad). So much is asked of these dogs - be good in the car, travel well, and be handed from person to person for a very long day in a car. And yet they go along with no problems.

Carmen turned around once when mom handed her off, but then got in the next car and she was off. Amazing......

Caturday.....

We plan to relax today and take it easy......  The cold is back here and we are glad to be inside. Mom worries about our feral momma cat Allie. She always worried about any being that has to be out in bad weather, but she said it is somehow worse since Allie sorta lives with us and mom sees her and gave her a name.

Junior getting a good cleaning from Tommy

And no, mom is not allowed very close to Junior....thank heaven for the zoom on the camera.....  but she says he is darned cute and it is hard to resist. :)

Random Fridays......

Mom found a new website: Micro Chip Lookup  It is a universal lookup site where you can enter any chip number and it will give you the company information so you can contact them for owner information. Tell your rescues about this.....
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There is an auction being schedule to help Sallie the Romance Puppy.

If anyone has anything, they can email a picture of the item, a short description and a suggested started bid to Marg. margaretmsan@gmail.com
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We have good adoption news......Judy went home on Monday with her new moms. They have two dogs (ages 12 and 6) and are going to give her all the time to adjust. And Nurdle went home on Wednesday night with a very nice young couple.

Judy's new mom called our mom on Wednesday night. Judy's new name is Smudge and she is doing very well. She has had one meeting with the dogs - not so bad - she gave them the halloween cat routine but the dogs were on leashes so she was fine. They are going to work with everyone more over the weekend but are committed to making it work. YEAH - we love those kind of adopters. :)

 Judy and Nurdle.....just awwwww

Gin and Maxine at Petco - Max is still looking for her home

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Mom gets emails from Tucker (former known as Whiskey) about how he is doing. And she had asked mom a few times about Gin. Mom emailed her earlier in the week to let her know that Gin had been adopted.....and she sent us this picture of Tucker (apparently that bed used to belong to his big brother):

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Allie the momma cat (before her release)

Mom here: I have a story to share from the other morning. Let me start out by saying this - I love my Dad. He doesn't always "get" what I am doing with rescue, but I love him.

He and my mom are trying to buy a piece of property and I am faxing the documents back and forth for them. Dad called Wednesday night and said he had one more thing and he would bring it over Thursday morning. He called when he was close and since I was ready to leave for work, I headed down to the garage. My normal routine is to open the door into the garage, yell good morning to Allie (our feral momma cat to the alcohol kittens) and then open the garage door (then feed her and leave). When the door went up, she was sitting in the middle of the driveway - which is pretty typical. I tied my shoes and told her she needed to move since Dad was coming.

She back up to the sidewalk when he pulled his truck around. We spoke for a couple of minutes and then I stuck my head around the front of the truck to be sure where Allie was before he drove off. I told him it was ok to go cause the feral I care for was sitting on the sidewalk. Dad looked out the window of the truck at her, looked back and me and said "I thought it was a cat."

ummmmmm, yeah. Without laughing (though I couldn't get the grin off my face), I explained that cat is her species and feral is her temperment and that across the drive was as close as we got but that I care for her. And then of course there was the obligatory "dad lecture" about making sure not to leave the garage door open too far.
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Thankful Thursday.....

We know we have talked before about the local clinic that does low cost spay/neuter and helps out lots of rescues.....

Mom forgot that Tuesday was Blog the Change so she decided to add it to Thankful Thursday and tell you about the latest efforts of SOS of Ohio.

Some of the staff and some of their volunteers are in the Bahamas this week helping out with Operation Potcake. You can see pictures from their facebook site here.

They are using local businesses and spaying and neutering dogs - for free!!!  From what we can see, they did 299 the first day and 262 on day two.

From their website: "Potcakes are local dogs, a mix of many different breeds. They may resemble a typical pariah dog or have hound, mastiff, spaniel, terrier, or retriever characteristics. Although appearance varies, potcake dogs generally have smooth coats, cocked ears, and long faces."

We couldn't be prouder of our local vet, techs, staff and volunteers who are taking time out to help these animals in need.  They are already running over the money they have on hand, so if you are someone you know has some coffee money you haven't spent yet, please let them know and donate.  Their goal is to spay/neuter and medically treat at least 2,000 animals in 10 days.

SOS and all the volunteers helping Operation Potcake - YOU ROCK!!!

Wordy Wednesday

Thanks for all the well wishes for Tim. He seems to be feeling much better. Mom noticed that he wasn't rubbing his face on things quite so much last night, so it may have been the drugs. MOL

Plus....she found a toy drowned in the water dish this morning so he MUST be feeling better (he is the only one she has caught doing that).   Mom hasn't tried to take a look yet so no news there. Dr Tom cleaned his front teeth and sealed them, so we are hoping that those get to stay. For right now he is still eating canned food (what a hardship) and will go back for a checkup on Feb 5.

Mom completely forgot yesterday was Blog the Change (can't get mom to remember anything these days), so we are combining it with our Thankful Thursday post tomorrow.....

Tim and the v-e-t.....

Well, Tim tried to escape his fate, but mom grabbed him yesterday morning and shoved him in the PTU. Then is was off to the v-e-t. Even his warrior songs in the car did not deter her.....

Dr Tom is a very nice man - he was very gentle with Tim and answered all of mom's questions. Plus he was the first to give her a good explanation of why the stomatitis started and everything else. Our v-e-t Dr Taylor had said she suspected an abcess in the back where he had his molars stolen. Dr Tom said that in some cats, a dental is done and the gums are exposed and the plaque gets in there as it is cleaned off and the body reacts by causing an overwhelming infection. So......

Tim lost all his teefs but the front ones. The infected teefs in the back are being rubbed by his lips and that is aggravating it even more (mom saw pics - it was ugly - poor boy). He will be on anty-biotics for a while and rechecked in 2 weeks. Hopefully he will get more comfortable and be back to his normal lovey self soon.

While mom liked Dr Tom, Tim didn't seem as impressed and at one point even tried to climb into mom's shirt.

Mom was kinda smart last night when she brought him home. She put him in the bathroom with Emma to get some dinner and left him in there for a little bit (she had an appointment). When she let him out, he smelled like home and less like the v-e-t. He seemed pretty comfortable and there was no hissing or anything. Though he does keep rubbing his face on everything like he has an itch (which he probably does).

Fanks for all the comments and purrs for our boy. We have read the sites recommended and know he will be fine.....though mom's wallet can't say the same thing. :)  She is mumbling something about someone around here having to get a job.

wet toothpaste.....

Mom had mentioned before that Nurdle needed a bath. We don't know what he had been into before he got here, but holy smokes he didn't smell so great.

So, Nurdle got a bath....no, there is no pictures of the event or video - mom is the only person here and you need two hands to bathe a squirmy kitt.

lady, you are just rude

I got my lasers on you foster-mom-lady....

it is gonna take me forever to get all my furs dry

He was pretty good for the whole thing. Whiny but didn't put up a fight. It took him a little bit to get all his furs back into place - and Judy walked around him sniffing him.  Problem solved.....

Mom has discovered a new thing about Nurdle....he has NO sense of personal space. He wants to be up close and personal with mom!!  At least he is little, cute and purrs (loudly).  :)

He seems to be having a great time being at Petco with Judy and Maxine. And strangely (at least to us), Judy has had a LOT of attention but Nurdle not nearly as much. We aren't sure why - mom and the staff at the store sure seem to be enamored with the little guy.

Tim is seeing Dr. Tom the v-e-t dentist today. We will give you a full report tomorrow

It's a miracle.....

At 8 months old, after weeks in foster care and MONTHS of waiting......

were they really this tiny?

 she did love snoozing with others

GIN GOT ADOPTED YESTERDAY!!!!!

So, for all the moaning and groaning and wait and everything else, Gin is the last of the alcohol kittens to get a home.  And it was worth the wait.....she has a new mom and dad and three kids to spoil her rotten.

Mom did get a laugh out of the adoption part of it too. When mom called the woman yesterday afternoon, the lady asked if they could meet in the afternoon as they are Turkish and their oldest son is taking language lessons. Sure...no problem. Mom got their a little early to do the paperwork. When the family got there....the lady and the daughter have their heads covered. And there is mom is all her glory: capris, messy hair in a pony tail, tattoo on her arm, and adopting out a kitten named after alcohol. Gotta love it. :)  They are renaming Gin....her new name is Mulberry. The lady got her out and Gin relaxed into her arms. And that makes it ALL worth the wait.

Oh, and we are back to just Emma here. Mom took Nurdle and Judy with her and left them in the cages at Petco with Maxine. Plus, mom put Emma on the treat scale there and it (very) unofficially says that Emma is (finally) over 2 pounds.

Maybe....

Well, mom is taking the kitts to Petco again today for a couple of hours. It isn't the normal adoption weekend, but these guys need the exposure when they are little. Mom put up a sign with the other cats but seeing them in catson makes a difference.

Thanks for all the comments yesterday.....we understand about retesting and everything. Mom was hesitant to post about it, but was just so frustrated with the lady's attitude.  But we knew you would understand and mom would feel better once she got it out of her system. :)

We had another all out cat fight last night involving almost everyone here.....the kittens and Maestro was safe. Mom discovered later that Tommy lost a toenail - pulled out all the way to the quick. No idea where his nail ended up. ugh.....  We hope some of this can be solved with Tim feeling better.

Random Fridays

A note about Fred: mom is the one who gave her the nickname and mom is the only person allowed to call her that.....
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  Please go check on Marg and Ande - Ande is having some health issues. Miss Marg does so much for all of us here on the CB and needs our help....
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Eileen mentioned on Monday that she bets Emma likes Nurdle cause he is her size. Actually, for being about 3 weeks YOUNGER, Nurdle is actually BIGGER than Emma.....

Keep in mind that Judy and Emma are both about 12-13 weeks old. Nurdle is about 9 weeks old. hmmmmm 
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Our friend over at Feral Cat Behavior is eligible for a prize in the Shelter Contest....
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OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!

Remember Eclipse from this summer???? Well, she didn't like it at the shelter much - she would growl and hiss at the other cats and try to slap volunteers (she is front declawed). Well......

On facebook on Tuesday, mom discovered that Eclipse was ADOPTED on Monday!!! Concats to her and her new family....we are glad they saw past her scared attitude and decided to give her a chance. They commented on the picture and said she was very relaxed and sleeping already at the house. :)

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Thanks for all the comments about Tim and Tom on Tuesday.... (say that 10 times fast).  Mom says she isn't opposed to a full extraction, but doesn't want that to be the first option. Plus it sounds like everyone else out there is having the crazies, so mom says maybe the boys just lost their minds temporarily.  Hard to say.... at least we aren't telling. :)  Oh, and Tim seems to feel better some days than others, so yes, he was running around playing with the laser, but he is also still kinda hissy some times.....

Mom talked to our v-e-t Dr T yesterday and she wants mom to get Tim in to see a pet dentist. Cause even if it is stomatitis, that doesn't explain his reluctance to open his mouth or some of the other things mom has been seeing. Tim goes Monday to meet Dr. Tom.....(no, even we couldn't make up something like that...Tim going to see Dr Tom...hahaha)

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Mom was hesitant to talk about this, but wants to throw it out there. A couple came in last weekend and said they were interested in Gin. Everything looked good until mom was going over Gin's medical records. Since the kitts were tiny when they were caught, their mom Allie was tested. It is policy of the rescue that if mom is tested and comes back negative, the kitts are not re-tested unless something arises that would make us think they have been exposed to something (mom is negative, kitts are negative - they get their antibodies from her). The lady freaked out....no way was she bringing a cat into her house that hadn't been tested. Mom tried to explain and she wasn't listening. Mom thought about trying to make another option for this couple, but decided that she wasn't going to cave to this woman.  We understand that people want to see "the test" on their cat - but this woman wouldn't listen to mom's explanation. (and her husband rolled his eyes at mom behind the lady's back, so we suspect she may just be like this)

Which leads us to this....we understand that not everyone does rescue. We understand that not everyone knows the ins and outs. But WHY do people have to act like they are doing us a favor by applying and adopting animals???  We heard more people complain about adoption fees and policies that we should. So, the next time you go to adopt, please understand that rescues are all different but they do things for a reason.....and the protection and happiness of the animal is their first priority (or at least it should be - some rescues are better than others).

And so, Gin is still waiting for her forever family.

snoozin with the Bourb

Thankful Thursday....

We hear so many stories about kids being mean to animals or bullying or whatever.....

And then we hear stories about kids giving their allowances to shelters or birthday money or volunteering. Today we are thankful for ALL these kids - and the people who are helping them be animal people

So we wanted to take a minute to say how thankful we are for mom's niece. Mom calls her Fred and she has been sending the summers up here with grandma and grandpa for a few years now. And she goes with mom when she goes to the shelter and LOVES to come over to visit with the fosters here (she moves a little fast for us.....)

Fred and one of the alcohol kittens

 Fred taking Doc for a walk

Fred was having a bake sale to raise some money for the shelter too

Fred holding Whiskey at the vet's office

She and her mom go to the local humane society near them to pet and love on the animals as well.

We can work as hard as we want to save animals, but if we don't teach the next generation to do good things, then we have still failed. Mom is proud that Fred wants to help animals and is learning about what mom does - and still wants to help even when she sees the bad things. Fred lives with 2 kitties and the polar bear (see below)
   mom: really? we are still on the polar bear thing??

Fred's dog Minnie - she is a Great Pyrenees....

she wore the antlers, but we don't think she was having fun

Fred and Grandma (those antlers got around)