Random Fridays

Juniper is sticking around for a few days to completely get over her cold. The boys got the OK from the vet, so mom took them up to the adoption center on Wednesday. Mom also got a text from the rescue about Hemlock and Sumac being pretty wild after their spay surgery on Monday, so the plan is to put them all together and hopefully the boys being there will help the girls adjust to a new environment. They have come a long way from how scared they were when they first came here, but they are certainly not bomb proof and will need some time to adjust to new situations. (that is where mom got the idea for the post for yesterday - anger torties and torbies - MOL)

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If you have been watching the camera during the last few days, you will notice the doors looked different. Alder and Juniper have figured out they can climb the door (that is the next project....) and escape. Liberty and Freedom are still in the tower, so no worries there. Birch just sits inside the foster room and howls cause he can't get out and there is no one in there with him.

Mom figured in an effort to save the screens, she would just leave the door open during the day (they seem to stay put at night). As mom watched the camera from work on Wednesday, she saw Mozart, Daiquiri and Junior all wander in and out. Too funny.....

However, with the boys going back to the adoption center on Wednesday, mom moved the tower back out and let Liberty and Freedom have the room. Juniper isn't sure if she wants in or out but is mostly out.

throwback Thursday

There are some things going on with the tree kittens that we will talk about tomorrow, but it got mom thinking about an Ivy story that makes her laugh (it shouldn't but it does). After some checking, she realized she never shared it on the blog (since Ivy was adopted before we started this), so for today's post, we are telling on the princess....

Ivy is the one in the middle

Ivy came to our house as a foster kitten with her sisters and her mom. When they were ready to go back to be adopted, mom decided (for reasons she still couldn't explain to you) to bring Ivy back home and make her a permanent resident. (this is when mom was still with the humane society....way back when)

When Ivy got to be about 6 months old, mom noticed a bump on her abdomen that was squishy. She asked the vet at the humane society to check it out and they decided it was an abdominal hernia - her internal spay site must have come open. So they agreed to do the hernia surgery and fix it since they had done her spay.

Mom dropped Ivy off one morning and then came that evening to check on her. As the story was retold, the vet students interning there tried to check her prior to surgery and came back out saying they couldn't touch her. Seems she then had to be caught in a net to be knocked out as she was one angry torbie. (and bear in mind that she was about half the size she is now....)

When mom stopped to check on her, Ivy was in the back of the cage, hissing, growling and all sorts of ticked off. Everyone agreed to just leave her for 24 hours and mom would return the next day to pick her up and take her home.

Day two mom stopped back after work and Ivy was still in the back of the cage cursing at anyone who came too close. Except mom had to get her to take her home..... what to do???

Mom screwed up her courage, tucked her fingers into her hand and stuck her fist in the cage for Ivy to smell. Sniff....sniff sniff..... And mom swears you could see something click on in Ivy's head....she climbed up mom's arm and perched on her shoulder (she was obviously MUCH small then - MOL). The other two people standing there - including the vet - were shocked. But Ivy knew her momma.....  Mom grabbed her quick and put her in the carrier before she could change her mind about being held.

don't even THINK about scritching that belly

And too this day, Ivy is NOT a happy girl about getting her nails done or going to the vet or any other such nonsense.

one word Wednesday

skeptical

patriot kittens

Last Thursday mom stopped at the adoption center to get some things and saw a pair of cuties that needed to go into foster. Since the boys were going for surgery on Friday and the girls were planned to go this week, mom said she would take the little ones. A lady had found them and said she would foster them for the rescue, but called back after 24 hours and requested that she be able to bring them in to the rescue. They tested negative and have had their first shots. They are a little jumpy and hissy but we suspect they will get over that pretty quick.

Mom set up the tower in the living room and that is where the new girls are staying. The lady who found them named them Liberty (brown tabby) and Freedom (brown and white tabby). Mom couldn't come up with a good hashtag for instagram and facebook, so she asked other bloggers for suggestions and Miss Jenny from As the World Purrs suggested the patriot kittens.

Daiquiri isn't too sure about the newcomers

Freedom

check out Daiquiri in the gingerbread house

she thinks no one sees her in there

Liberty and Freedom

For now they are going to stay in the tower. They are pretty little and they don't like being caught, so this gives mom a better chance to get her hands on them.

However, with Cedar being adopted and Sumac and Hemlock staying at the adoption center after being spayed yesterday, mom is thinking maybe rolling the tower into the foster room.

Oh and speaking of the foster room, mom checked the camera a few times yesterday and didn't see any kittens. She knows Alder can get OVER the doors (yep - up, onto a shelf, onto a chair and then out). She didn't think Birch or Juniper could do it, but apparently everyone has made a break for freedom. Ugh....
    **edit - as of this morning, if you check the webcam, the door to the foster room is actually propped open. The patriot kittens are still in the tower, but as mom was leaving for work Juniper got stuck on the top of the doors and Birch was howling and it just seemed an easier (and safer) solution to leave the doors open. Keep an eye out - you may catch a permanent resident on camera. MOL

weekend report

Junior was keeping an eye on things this weekend. Alder has discovered he can climb OVER the doors and get out of the foster space - he lands on some shelves then jumps on the chair. So far he is the only one and he does seem to stay in there overnight, but mom suspects unless he goes to the adoption center soon, she is going to be sleeping with an orange kitten some night.

Saturday was an event sponsored by NBC/Telemundo called Clear the Shelters. There were 35 adoptions from Colony Cats (our rescue) and there were 5 local rescues participating and 190 adoptions total in central Ohio from those 5 rescues. The last report we heard was 45,060 total adoptions nationwide.

The thing is, adoption fees were requested to be lowered - but the fees were not subsidized like they are for some events. Which means that rescues involved in this event, even if they did lots of adoptions, took a beating on adoption fees and lost money. If ever you have considered donating, now would be a good time.

There were some concerns that mom saw online about people coming out just for the reduced fees. And while mom did hear some people say that, the adoption process for our rescue doesn't change...we still check people out and still will say no. A good number of people knew the event was coming and had filled out applications in advance so they came in pre-approved and just had to finalize adoptions.

Cedar was adopted along with another kitten from the rescue (Link was a short hair orange and white tabby). The family has a 1 year old female cat at home (we bet SHE was surprised) and 3 kids. He turned on the charm and the mom of the family couldn't resist him.

Alder and Birch came back home with mom after the event and then went to another one on Sunday at the store where mom cleans for our remote adoption kitties.

Otherwise, it was HOT and HUMID here....yuck. Fortunately we have a/c and that kept it cool inside.

Sumac and Hemlock were dropped off this morning for their spay surgeries. Juniper was acting kind of snotty, so she will be sticking around for a few days.

Have a great week....drink lots of water, stay out of the heat as much as you can, leave water out for the animals, and please check on your neighbors.

random Fridays

Quick note - we finally remembered to ask and....the momma to the tree kittens was also an orange tabby. (explains a few things)

no, they aren't melting - the air conditioner is on  MOL

Hemlock has a skeptical

Juniper sees what you are doing there

Birch and Sumac

Notice the three girls in a row - the markings on their faces actually makes it pretty easy to tell them apart. The boys....not so much. Mom can do it (mostly) in person, but pictures throw here. She knows it is Birch in the above picture because she remembers taking it (and the other two were climbing on her).

The boys should be at the clinic today being neutered and the girls are scheduled for next Wednesday. There is a big event in our area on Saturday sponsored by NBC stations called "Clear the Shelters" and if the boys get done, mom will take them up there. The hitch is the clinic....the one where they are scheduled is very weird about runny noses and if they see any little thing, they won't do it. Mom is begging the boys not to sneeze on anyone.
   *side note - the boys are being neutered today. The "shiny new" vet came out and tried to give mom the snot lecture, but mom said "surgery or not?". The vet said they could do it (blah blah blah) and mom left the boys. They really did look fine this morning, mom thinks this shiny new vet is just seriously over cautious.

Also, if you follow our instagram or facebook page, you will have noticed a couple of new tiny fuzzy faces. More on them next week. 

shelter tour

Mom loves seeing other shelters and how they do things. Being in rescue, you can never stop learning and sharing. The more we all know, the more lives we can save. Miss Connie fosters for the Animal Welfare Society in Maine. A nice lady met mom and the other cat ladies on Tuesday morning and took them for a tour.

This cabin is set back almost to the woods. It houses their feral colony and is also used as an introduction space if they take in a feral cat that cannot be returned to it's former location for what ever reason. If you look closely to the left, there are cat trees made of wood that gives the cats something to play with.

This girl sat by the corner and watched everyone - until they got too close and then she took off. They have a black cat that comes out to greet transport vans. 

A donor wanted to do something for the shelter in memory of their cat. Seems their cat loved their patio and so the money they donated went to create a catio type window outside of the cat rooms.

Inside there are a couple of rooms with cages for new intakes, cats with medical issues or those cats that do not get along in a group setting. There are then 3 open space rooms. One closed off, and the other divided by a sliding door that can be opened or closed depending on the space needs. There are steps to upper walk ways and nice big windows.

There is also a separate building with its own catio for their barn cats - those cats that aren't really feral but may do best as working cats.

They also have a huge fenced in back yard space for the dogs. They try to make sure each dog gets outside for enrichment and play dates each day.

A few interesting things mom learned:
 - They have a partnership with a local pet store that takes all their small animal surrenders and adopts them out from the store.
 - They have a fund set up to help with spay/neuter across Maine. The hope is to get into areas that need help based on income and help those that need it. From what mom understands, it is set up on a certificate basis and then participating vet information is given to those who request certificates.
 - Because their adoption rates are so good, they are able to import animals (mostly dogs) from the south and get them adopted out relatively quickly.

They are working on expanding their medical space to include more impact on spay/neuter but to also provide everyday medical care to pets based on a sliding income scale....trying to keep pets with their owners by reducing costs.

We certainly wish them the best of luck on all their endeavors. 

wordless Wednesday

Maine vacation

Last week mom abandoned us went on vacation to Maine. She stayed with Miss Connie from Tails from the Foster Kittens and also got to meet and spend time with Miss Robyn from Love and Hisses and Miss Kelly from Whiskers in the Window (mom and Miss Kelly have met before).

Rose and Corrie

Mom said she had a great time. Maine is a lovely place and she got to spend time outside and with some great cat ladies that she knows and loves. Plus....kittens.

Monday, Mom and Miss Connie drove around and mom got to see all sorts of fun tourist places. Including this HUGE chocolate moose. Sorry - no real mooses showed up on her vacation. They did stop and see the ocean and have Pier fries....which mom says are drool worthy but that we wouldn't enjoy. Mom and Miss Connie and her husband all went out for seafood dinner that night cause that is a thing when you are that close to the coast.

Tuesday mom spent the day with all the cat ladies...they took a tour of the shelter that Miss Connie fosters kittens for (more on that Thursday). They did some touristy stuff and had lunch and played with the kittens. Mom says just being around other cat ladies that she knows (and meeting Miss Robyn for the first time) was the best part.

What we are wondering is how mom only took that many pictures.....
(actually she posted some using her phone to our Instagram account but still.....)

weekend report

About the break in - fortunately mom had about $1.75 in her wallet. Everything else was taken, but nothing was used before she got them stopped. More annoying than everything else. At least the car wasn't taken and Allie (our feral girl) was ok.
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Mom took Daiquiri into the kitten room again and thinks she is going to surrender that this isn't going to work out. Daiquiri liked the kitten food but wasn't thrilled about the kittens following her around and getting so close. She actually growled at them a couple of times - which they respected, but mom doesn't want to stress anyone out. Although - Birch didn't COMPLETELY freak out this time. He found a "safe" corner, put on his stranger danger suit and sat that.
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And unfortunately, we have some sad news. Trillium died last Wednesday. Miss Beckie had him since before mom left on vacation to Best Friends and his health was up and down. However, a couple of weeks ago the vet cleared him for neuter surgery, and Miss Beckie had even found him a forever home. Tuesday afternoon he started to have breathing problems however and she took him back to the vet on Wednesday. They took x-rays, which didn't look any different than the week before. She left him for a few hours but got a call that afternoon that he was going downhill. She came back and they made the decision to euthanize him rather than make him suffer. The upside is that through everything, he was a happy loving and spoiled boy. Mom's heart is broken and she is very sad for Miss Beckie and also for Trill's new mom who never really got a chance to give him a home - though she had meet him and loved him very much.

Blog the Change - FIV

Today is a day that pet bloggers join together to bring awareness to causes near and dear to them in the hopes of bringing about change in our world.

FIV in cats can get a bad rap. It is a virus that essentially weakens a cat's immune system. Rescuers tend to refer to it as the "tomcat" disease and it tends to be most commonly spread through deep bite wounds - which tends to happen when unneutered males tomcats are fighting over girl cats and/or territory. That being said, it can also be transmitted from mom cats to their kittens. However, kittens can "throw" the disease - meaning their systems fight it off - and can and should be retested to make sure their tests don't change.

Our rescue, Colony Cats does take in FIV+ cats (FeLV cats too) and tries to find them homes. Due to public misconceptions, these cats tend to be harder to get adopted than they should be. Studies have shown that so long as the cats in a home get along peacefully, FIV+ cats can live in homes with other cats and there are no transmission issues.

In an effort to get more of these cats adopted, a decision was made to turn part of the intake portion of the storefront that the rescue rents into a small room for FIV cats.

Wait....we know what you are thinking....if they can live with other cats, why have their own room?? Well, due to having immunity issues from the FIV, the rescue decided to have them in a separate space to limit their exposure to kitty colds or whatever that tend to appear in general shelter cat populations. The separate room isn't to protect the other cats from FIV, it is to protect the FIV cats from common diseases that can take longer for them to recover.

We got lucky - a local construction crew took a Saturday and donated their time to get the room built out, the walls up, and windows and door installed .

Once completed, it will have spaces to hang out and a board on the wall with names and descriptions of the cats. Last we heard, they were hoping to open the room by the end of July. We certainly hope it will go a long way toward dispelling some of the myths about these cats and helping them find loving homes. Mom says, cats get adopted faster when they are seen in person.

Additional reading:
Catster article by JaneA Kelley
Best Friends information sheet

wordless Wednesday - torties

BONITO #ChewyInfluencer

We are a member of the #ChewyInfluencer blogger group. We got the product for free in return for our honest review. Receiving the product did not influence our review - all opinions are our own.

This month we asked to review the Cat-Man-Doo bonito flakes. The package is (obviously) really light weight. And remember if you order over $49.99, shipping is free.

The nice part about this product is that it is exactly what it says....bonito (tuna) flakes. We know some don't serve fish, but we think this makes for a nice treat.

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 As always, if a plastic bag is shaken in this house, cats show up to see what it might contain.

 These were a hit with everyone.

Mom decided to see what the kittens thought as well.

 

his kingdom for thumbs

 

open the bag already lady

more more more

We have to say, the adults give it 6 paws up. The kittens give it 4 out of 6 paws - Sumac and Hemlock didn't seem very interested. Mom says she may add this to our rotation.