Best Friends - part 1

Last week mom took off for another trip to Best Friends Animal Society. This is her fifth trip and if you have never gone and get the chance, she certainly recommends you go out to visit. It may not be easy to get to, but is certainly worth the trip.

Two years ago mom took her niece (aka the kid) out to Best Friends. They both had a great time and the kid let it be known she wanted to go again. They made plans to go this year and mom's parents went along too. Mom came back before everyone else (due to that job thing) and the kid and the grandparents are spending this week seeing the west and some national parks.

Monday morning mom and the kid went to cats. Mom left it up to the kid as to which house and she once again chose CalMar (more on that Thursday). Some of the cats will walk on leashes and others like stroller rides. Mom and the kid took Gus for a walk...which ended up being more of a stroll. As you can see from the coats, in the shade it was a little chilly.

 

taking a break from walking 

Monday afternoon all four of them worked in bunnies. Mom tried to get pictures but her camera was not cooperating. They cleaned pens, fed the bunnies some greens and cut apple sticks for the bunnies to chew on for their teeth.

Monday night was sleepover night. Mom and the kid decided to bring home two cats from CalMar. They knew grandpa wouldn't enjoy it, but whatever.....

 

Barney (left) and Fanta (right)

Barney (and his brother Beau) have been at the sanctuary for a few years. They are 5 years old now and pretty healthy. Barney is Mr. Social - making friends and being very sure his job includes escaping his room for the lobby at CalMar. He is a sleepover expert and they pair him up with other cats all the time. He did great.

Fanta is one of 4 juvenile kittens that came from a rescue in New Jersey due to their FeLV status. The kittens are all doing well and are almost a year old. Fanta did well on the sleepover too.

Mom and the kid agree the sleepover would have been much more enjoyable if they didn't spend most of the night worrying about the cats going over to grandpa's side of the bed though. MOL

 

Barney

 

hotel life is tough

Tuesday was Bryce Canyon National Park. Since it was an all employee meeting day at Best Friends, mom and her family took the day to go see this national park near the sanctuary. Pictures don't nearly do it justice....it was pretty amazing. There is lots of hiking for those that do that sort of thing, and for others, you can catch a park bus and get off at several different stops along a circular route and see the main sights.

 

 

taking a picture of grandpa taking a picture of the kid and grandma  haha

The whole canyon was under water at one time. At most of the lookouts, there is a pretty steep drop off right beyond the railings.

2 months old - flower kittens

Two months old

(we know - or 9 weeks this coming Wednesday - we didn't make up the weird math)

 

March 30, 2016

Muscari - 2 pounds 11 3/4 ounces

Still the big boy of the family. He is a lover with his mom, his foster mom and his siblings.

Orchid - 2 pounds 4 ounces

She is cuddly and super sweet - though playful and seriously outgoing.

Dandelion - 2 pounds 9 3/8 ounces

He is always looking for a sibling to play with and is on the go!

Amaryllis

 Once the kittens are gone, she will be almost ready to be adopted herself. She is young and playful and was a great mom.

Our mom was on vacation last week (more on that later in the week). Friday before she left, she was worried about Trillium and his continuing cough. She sent a text to the rescue and dropped him off Saturday morning so he could spend the week with someone who could keep a close eye on him. Mom got updates throughout the week and at one point he wasn't doing so well, but he rallied and while the cough isn't resolved, he is doing ok. He is with mom's friend Miss Beckie and is in great hands. Mom offered to bring him back here, but he is in with another sick kitten and Miss Beckie said she might as well keep him, which, while we miss him, is fine with us.

Since everyone has their first shots, are over 2 months old and weigh enough, mom will call tomorrow to get a time set up for their spay/neuter (except for Amaryllis who still has milk). From there it is to the adoption center and on to their forever homes. If you know of anyone in central Ohio who is looking for a great kitten (or two or three), let us know.
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We don't want to forget also that today is Memorial Day here in the US. We remember those who served and gave their lives. Thank you to them and to their families for their sacrifice.

cuties

No mama - I don't need a baff...I'm a big boy...I can do it myself.

so says Muscari

wordless Wednesday

Orchid and Trillium

Solid Gold food review - #ChewyInfluencer

We are part of the Chewy Influencer Group and receive no monetary compensation for our reviews. All opinions are our own. We did receive the food for free but it did not influence our honest opinion. 

Oh look - our first volunteer

This time we got the Sunrise Delight flavor of canned food to try from Solid Gold. At the rate the kittens are beginning to eat (especially that big guy above), mom was more than happy to add this to their rotation.

Come on lady, hurry up

Mom likes that it is grain free. And this variety is chicken, duck and pumpkin for those that are avoiding fish.

Crack a can of food and that momma cat will appear.

NOM NOM NOM

That being said, Amaryllis has made it clear on more than one occasion that she won't eat just anything. She sniffed this, tried a bite and walked away. (actually she walked over to mom to try to demand something different for dinner)

However, Dandelion and Muscari - the two kittens who are regularly eating canned food (Trillium and Orchid seem to prefer the dry) - LOVE this stuff. It was gone pretty darned quick.

Thanks to Chewy for giving us a chance to try this out on our current tiny taste testers. Of those willing to try it, this got 2 out of 3 paws up. And Daiquiri said from the other side of the door that she would be happy to try some too, but no such luck. MOL

Remember all orders over $49 gets free shipping. And we use their auto ship for our regular food as well.

some fun facts

We have some interesting news:

This big headed monkey is official foster #

250

Mom thought it would be fun to go through her list and give you some facts about our fosters:

started fostering 8/06

70 litters or different individuals
17 momma cats

128 females, 122 males
27 medium hair, 223 short hair

colors:
  51 black or tuxedo
  68 brown or brown/white tabby
  6 buff or buff/white tabby
  13 calico or dilute calico
  14 gray
  37 gray or gray/white tabby
  12 siamese/pointed mix
  24 orange or orange/white tabby
  11 torbie
  7 tortie or dilute tortie
  7 white

Random Friday

Who knew, so many years ago, that the blue track ball would be such a great hit with so many litters of kittens? Mom says it may be the best $9 she has ever spent.

Trillium hasn't quite figured it out yet

Dandelion and Muscari contemplate where the ball has gone

Dandelion almost has it

Orchid and Trillium DARE you to touch their toy

Have a great weekend....we hope you find your own great toy to play with at your house.

7 weeks old - flower kittens

Orchid

weight: 1 pound 13 ounces

Muscari

weight: 2 pounds 2 ounces

Trillium

weight: 1 pound 8 ounces

Dandelion

weight: 1 pound 15 ounces

The kittens had a vet check today. Good news - the chest defect that mom felt on Muscari seems to be resolving as he gets bigger. The vet took an x-ray and his heart and lungs look normal. His chest still isn't "normal" but it shouldn't affect his lifespan or adaptability.

However, Trillium is still very congested. He's still eating and playing which is good news, but he has a continuing cough and his lungs are congested on x-ray. The vet we saw is going to talk to her partner and maybe have someone else look at the film. The main issue is there is a limit on what medication you can give kittens. But he is gaining weight and seems ok otherwise.

In a couple of weeks Muscari, Dandelion and Orchid should be ready for their spay/neuter surgeries. Then off to be adopted!

video Wednesday

Dog Bite Prevention Week

*a post by the mom

A few weeks ago a post was made on Facebook by a mother whose child had been bitten by a dog that went to work with it's owner. I don't know enough to make any judgments about the incident, but it did get several bloggers talking about dog bites and safety issues. Four bloggers have joined together to write separate posts about it this week. It does seem appropriate since this is Dog Bite Prevention Week.

I’m lucky that the rescue that I currently volunteer for is no-kill. In fact, our rescue pulls dogs from the kill list at our local county dog shelter. I also still work with dogs doing transports. That being said, I am not a trainer and I am not an expert. But I do have experience and that perspective is where this post starts.

bloodhound on the way from a high kill shelter 

to a foster home through breed rescue

Prior to this rescue, I volunteered for the local humane society. I didn’t work with the adoptable dogs on the floor unless it was to go out in public to an adoption event or special event (which I did a lot). At the shelter itself, I worked with the dogs in the back of the building. These could be dogs that just came in to the shelter, they could be dogs with issues or they could be dogs that were part of humane cases based on abuse, neglect or dog fighting.

What I don’t think a lot of people realize about certain organizations is that they mostly have a “one strike” policy for dogs and aggression. If these groups even suspect a dog is even a little aggressive, they won’t be deemed adoptable and will more than likely be put down. What this means for dogs that are “adoptable” and taken to events is that they MUST be on their best behavior. One misstep and their lives can be forfeit.

When I take a dog out from our rescue to an event, my first priority is ALWAYS going to be the safety of the dog. And knowing this, the public is by extension safer. This means keeping an eye on body language but also keeping a close eye on the public and making sure there are safe interactions. Keeping my dog safe keeps everyone safe.

I have had to ask more than one person to not touch a dog that we have had out because of something that I have seen from the dog while out in public (and yes, I reported that back to the shelter to make sure the behavior was noted and no one was caught off guard in the future).

Yes, asking people not to pet a dog at an event can be irritating for all involved. However, it is to protect the public from a possible bite. It is also to protect that dog from the consequences of what could happen if a bite occurs. I have taken dogs out of events if they act frighten or overwhelmed. Again – my priority is the safety and well being of the dog. That is my job as a volunteer. And honestly, the behavior of a dog at a public event is not an indicator of how the dog will do in a home. Most of these events had several rescue groups, with LOTS of people and LOTS of dogs.

That being said, as a member of the public at any event, please keep some things in mind:
1. Don’t approach a dog without making yourself known first. I don’t care if it is your friend’s dog or a dog with a rescue. Startling any animal puts everyone at risk.
2. Ask the handler if you can approach and pet the dog.
3. If the handler says no, PLEASE respect that. It is for your safety and the well being of the dog. I’ve had more than one person respond with “I have a dog” or “I work with dogs”. That’s great. But not with THIS dog. All animals are individuals and deserve to be respected and treated as such.

All this being said, please don't ever think that a dog that acts nervous in public or at an event is less than adoptable. I will be the first to admit that crowds make me nervous as well.

Additional reading: Safety First by Debby McMullen

This post is part of a collaboration between bloggers. Please check out the following blogs for additional posts this week:
Monday - Fidose of Reality; Wednesday - Mr N the Terrier; Thursday - Miss Molly Says; Friday - Savannah's Paw Tracks

weekend report

Mom spent the weekend at a big 2 day multi-rescue adoption event in our town. Rescues mainly from our county but surrounding areas brought in animals - cats, dogs, rats, bunnies - looking for new homes. We don't know the final numbers for the event yet as some rescues don't send home the same day. However, our rescue sent home 4 dogs (3 of whom we pulled from the kill list in the last few weeks from our county shelter) and 1 cats. Plus we have a couple of good applications for a couple of other dogs.

 

Skittles, Reese and Leo

 

Tucker

The head rescue lady has a couple of bottle babies and they came Saturday and Sunday too. Mom was responsible for them on Sunday and fed them twice....she had to make sure people weren't touching them since they are only about 3 weeks old and not vaccinated - most everyone was OK with that though a couple of people didn't want to listen (ugh).

Otherwise it was pretty quite....though it got CHILLY!!!  Mom even broke down and turned the heat on last night to keep the house warm. brr.....

The kittens are all doing well and running around like a bunch of nuts!

Random Fridays

It is always interesting to mom when someone comes over to the house. We don't have company very often though. Mom has noticed from the pet sitter updates when she is gone that the pet sitter doesn't say much about Daiquiri. When Miss Kelly came over on Sunday, Daiquiri went down the stairs with mom, saw Miss Kelly and took off....never to be seen again until Miss Kelly left the house.

 

Who me?? Nah....

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Mom "thinks" she may have fixed the web camera issue. (cross you fingers) A friend suggested a battery backup. She bought one and plugged the camera into it last Friday. That afternoon, the neighbors came home, their garage door went up and down and the backup started beeping. Mom reset everything and about 30 minutes later, they left again and the thing started beeping again. Which got mom to thinking that, since the condo is 30 years old, maybe it is a wiring thing. She bought a $4 multiplug, ran the wire around the room to a different plug with that new attachment, and the camera hasn't reset since. Gotta love it.....
   *that being said, it was running fine most of the week but went offline Thursday afternoon. sigh...
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There is a HUGE adoption event this weekend in our town...if you live near central Ohio and are looking to add a family member, check it out. We hope the Fetch A Friend event is a great success. None of our fosters are obviously ready for adoption yet, but there will be lots of cats and dogs from our rescue and other available. The event is free, parking is $5 (that is done by the location, not the adoption event organizers). There will be vendors as well as adoption groups. Be sure to bring ID, pet vet records and lease info if you are looking to adopt (please leave your current pets at home)!!  Mom will be at the Colony Cats booth (if you have some weird desire to meet her - MOL).
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6 weeks old - flower kittens

Hard to believe this happened just 6 weeks ago:

bottom to top: Trillium, Dandelion (facing away), 

Muscari (underneath) and Orchid in the back

They are mostly active and running around...until they fall over and are fast asleep. Everyone is eating either canned or hard food and using the litter box.

Trillium still has a pretty nasty cough and mom is going to talk to the head of the rescue about that. We aren't sure how many days in a row he should be nebulized. They have been on meds now for 10 days and everyone else seems to be fine. Trillium is still eating and running around and everything, so mom isn't too worried...until she checks the camera and can't tell by looking what he is doing. She has to go back and check and make sure he moves. MOL

Trillium

weight: 1 pound 5 1/8 ounces

Muscari

weight: 1 pound 13 1/8 ounces

Dandelion

weight: 1 pound 9 3/4 ounces

 

Orchid

weight: 1 pound 9 3/4 ounces

(this was going to be cropped closer

until we saw the goof in the background)

Looking closer at Orchid and Dandelion's pictures, mom was surprised how much their faces look alike. In person their colors are very different, and Orchid has that long orange sock on her left leg. 

wordless Wednesday

toys and more toys

The camera situation is a little better but not completely 100%....still working on that. However, when it is working it is fun for mom to be at work and see how much more active and playful the kittens are getting each day. She is trying to make sure there are more toys for them in there as well. The cube is still the most popular thing for them - after beating on each other of course.

"But what IS it??"

"Don't know. Smells kind of funny though."

"But what does it DO?"

"Is there anything IN it??" 

(nope, sorry)

Ready for lift off

Dandelion and Orchid love the trackball. This is Dandelion above playing with it (Orchid has an orange "sock" on her left front leg).