vet visit....

I am lucky in that my vet comes to the house. She gets three of the cats in the fall and three in the spring. Mozart, Spud and Maestro were up last night.

Spud had to be caught (after running around the sofa and landing on Ivy several times). We tried to hold him but he ended up in the bathroom with the tech and the vet. Seems he settled down in there for them. He was vaccinated, microchipped and weighs 11 pounds, 10 ounces. I was amazed. That means he weighs more than Mozart and more than Ivy. She did put a mark on his chart - at least if he weighs a lot less next time we know this might have been wrong.

Mozart was being his charming self until he had to be caught. Then the squirming and complaining began. He was vaccinated too, declared healthy and weighs 9.15 pounds.

Maestro was up next. He has lost 2 pounds in the last year - not that he is skinny by any means, but being 15 yrs old, this isn't necessarily a good thing. So, rather than vaccinate him, she drew blood and we will see what is up with him - hopefully nothing more than being a little older.

Spud found his tail....

OK, I know what you are thinking. He is over a year old - should he know it is there by now? After watching him last night, I would have to say the answer is NO!

I see him running around and stop to watch. Yep - around and around in circles chasing the big fuzzy tail. He finally caught it at one point and pinned it down with one paw while he saw down to breathe. It was VERY cute.

I have seen my fosters do this before. And Bugs from the last group was fascinated with tails - probably cause his was so short he couldn't find it. But he has a lot of fun chasing everyone ELSE'S tails. :)

darned basketball.....

So my parents and I went to Indy on Friday morning to celebrate the beginning of March madness. Unfortunately for us, OSU won, and MSU lost. I never thought I would be yelling for Michigan to win, but I have to admit, the fieldhouse was OSU vs everyone else. And it was a wild game.

The reffing in the Purdue game was TERRIBLE!! I can only hope that both teams and schools complain. Bad enough the game stops every couple of minutes for commercials, but there were technicals galore and just some bad calls all around.

The MSU game was fun to watch - who knew we would end up in overtime?? Minnesota put up quite a fight and wasn't missing anything. Whereas MSU couldn't get a darned thing to sink.

We were going to stay for Saturday and Sunday but were able to sell our tickets so came home. We listened to the double overtime minutes of the Illinois/OSU game and Dad nearly drove us off the road a couple of times as we cheered for Illinois. Then got to watch the Purdue/Minnesota game at home. There is something a little less painful about losing when the team that beats you then goes to the next game and kicks the other team around too.

So - before the final game on Sunday - GO GOPHERS!!!

disheartening....

As time goes on, I discover that more and more volunteers are getting discouraged. There was a meeting scheduled to discuss with backroom walkers how decisions are made for dogs to get to the floor. I didn't attend and couldn't care less. Yeah, there are discussions and a behavior test, but it still isn't fair. And compare that to cats and it is even worse. I refuse to spend an hour listening to management justify their decisions.

We had a volunteer leadership meeting last night. I don't know why we bother....management is making it more and more clear that our services don't seem needed. Why have leaders if our opinions no longer matter? And the shelter is so management heavy. I told someone last night - I am willing to bet that no one in management could name more than one animal on the floor - and give specifics about that animal. Or list the five cats that have been there the longest. All we hear about is revenue and money. I know the shelter needs money to operate, but aren't we an "animal" shelter first???

Douglas

This is Douglas the kitty in his foster home with Ava the dog and Steve the dad. Douglas was rescued by CAHS CID officers. A lady had cats locked in dog crates in her backyard covered by tarps.

Anyhow, Douglas is about 5 years old and a true velcro boy. He was slated to move to a barn, but seemed too much like a house cat. So I convinced Nancy (married to Steve) to take him as a foster while we find him a permanent home (looks like he is home to me, but we will see).

Douglas and Ava have become friends in less than a few days. Nancy told me the other day that they were sharing an open window as she was leaving to volunteer. In this shot, Ava has crawled up in the chair with Steve, which is something she has done since she was a puppy. Douglas climbed up there too and Steve called Nancy to get a picture.

4:30 in the morning

Why is that all cats must be annoying so darned early in the morning???

I heard banging in the bedroom this morning. I had a bag hanging on the back of the closet door and Tommy decided he had to get into it (keep in mind that the bag has been on the door for over a month now). Banging on the door and being a general dork. I yelled at him and he stopped. For about 5 minutes. Threatened to get out of bed and he ran....and was back in another 10 minutes or so. After the 4th attack on the door, everyone got kicked out of the bedroom. WAY too early to deal with cat shenanigans.

Ivy's new best friend

I got home last night and discovered the heat was off. Electricity was on, but no heat. And it was COLD!!! I called the company but no one could get out until this morning. So I ran to Home Depot and bought a space heater. Ivy decided it was her new best friend. She spent most of the early evening curled up right next to it - I was honestly expecting her whiskers to get fried. And yes, her front paws are UNDER the heater.

Foster update

Honey was cleared today and I left her at the shelter to find a new home. I am going to miss her but she will love being in a home getting all the attention for herself.

Of course, then I went to help Debbie process some cats. Two very nice big black males - both came back FeLV positive. I went home after that....knowing there is nothing I can do to save them sucked the wind right out of my day.

I would love to get to the day where we have space somewhere and these cats can be saved. I know the shelter will never get to that point....it is just so frustrating.

black cats and dark garages...

Poor Mozart…

I think he spent the night last night in the garage. I noticed I didn’t see much of him after I got home, but didn’t think much of it. However, I didn’t notice him in bed last night and that should probably have tipped me off.

I went to leave this morning and as the garage door started up, I heard him cry. I stopped the door and called his name. He called back but didn’t come out. I freaked out – what if he was caught under the car? I called some more and he finally came out from under the car. I picked him and tried to cuddle a little and check him out, but he was WAY more interested in getting back in the house.

Poor baby…

Hey - it's dark in here...

I got an email from the foster coordinator last week saying the Honey (the girl from the last group) was snotty when they went to spay her. So, she is back with us for a couple of weeks to get over her cold.

Anyhow, she gets kind of whiny at night when she is put to bed in the bathroom and I get ready for bed. However, she settles in pretty well and things are quiet from there.

Except for Saturday night (OK - Sunday morning). I am lying in bed and I can hear her howling. I don't want to deal with it, but I roll out of bed and open the bathroom door - catching her as she runs out the door. And I think to myself - heck it is dark in here...and I know I just changed the bulb in the night lite. I reach back and flick the light switch - nothing happens. That explains it - the power it out.

I head into the kitchen with her tucked under my arm to find my cell phone. It is about 2am. So, I have two choices - put her back in a very dark bathroom by herself and listing to her howl about it, or leave her out.

I woke back up about 30 minutes later when the fan came on with the power. I was sleeping on my side and she was curled up on my hip. :)

Christmas Lights

OK - should there be an "epiration date" on taking down lights after Christmas? I was on my way to my parents house on Wednesday (about a 10 minute drive) and spotted at least 10 houses with their lights still up.

Don't get me wrong - it was pretty cold and we had some snow there for a couple of weeks. I wouldn't have wanted to be outside either. But do you still have to turn them on even if they are still up outside?

Just one of those random things.... I guess I just think that by mid-January you should have them down. Of course, what do I know when the stores have Christmas decorations out by Halloween and Easter stuff out in January. sigh...

Bandit memorial

February 1997 to January 2010

Bandit was Rob's first dog. He had been looking for a while and saw a picture and wanted this breed. I guess it was better than the Malamute he originally wanted (until I told mom how much they shed and she shut Rob down on that one).

Rob found a breeder in Toledo and talked me into going with him. There were two 3 month old puppies. He picked the one he wanted and off we went. And about 30 minutes down the road, the dog threw up on me....thankfully we were near a gas station and we could exchange shirts. :)

Bandit was a great dog. Rob took him to college where he was very popular. In fact, the guys in his house took to walking him for Rob to pick up girls.

He lived with Rob and Abby until Lanah was about a year old. By that time Bandit was getting older and they were afraid he might unintentionally snap at her as she was using everything (including the dog) to pull herself up to walk. So Rob called our parents and they agreed he could come live with them.

Bandit wasn't feeling so well over Christmas and last week Mom had to make the decision to let him go. He earned his wings 1/8/10. I know there is another angel over Rainbow Bridge waiting for us.

Maestro

Maestro is my old man kitty. He joined the family November 1994 as an 8 week old kitten. I was in college at the time. Butterscotch would have been about 2 years old. I was convinced he needed a friend. I brought home Maestro - though I knew Dad would have a fit. Butterscotch also wasn't convinced a new kitten was a great idea. He would pin Maestro down and chew on his ears until Maestro would cry. Then Maestro was neutered and they were friends from the day Maestro came back from the vet.

When I moved out of the house, Butterscotch and Maestro came to live with me. They were my friends through several moves and new homes. They even went to Texas and back.

Maestro is now the old man of the house. He is unamused by foster kittens, but has learned how to stay away from them. His favorite spot is on the arm of my chair during the day when I am home and curled up next to my pillow at night. He is my sweet bowling ball boy. :)

group shot

I finally managed to get them all in one picture - ok, so it isn't great, but at least they are all in the shot. :)
In order: Tim, Mozart, Ivy, Spud, Tommy and Maestro (with his back to the camera)

New Year, new fosters....

These are the new kids. Got them 12-19-09. The dilute calico is Honey. The boys are Bugs and Taz. Taz is a grey tabby and Bugs is a grey tabby with white chest and paws - and his tail is only about 1.5" long....and yes, he does bunny hop. We spent New Years Day curled up together in my chair with a fuzzy blanket watching the parades and football and taking naps. :)

my favorite Tim & Tom story

Not long after their adoption was finalized, they decided to get into a bit of trouble.

I was lying in bed one night and heard a crash in the kitchen. I got up and as I walked down the hall I could hear something hit the floor, and then crunching. Hit the floor, crunching. I turned on the kitchen light to see Tim on the counter next to a bag of M&Ms that had been purchased for my sister in law. The bag had been ripped open and Tim was hitting M&Ms to the floor one at a time where Tommy was eating them. <> Fortunately, I know he didn't get that many, so I wasn't too worried even though it was chocolate.

However, about a week later, I hear a similar crash. This time I am a little slower to get up. I finally do and find my pill box on the counter...open...and all the pills spilled out. Tommy was crunching on something as I walked into the room. I picked up all the pills and put everything back in the appropriate boxes. Only one pill missing. A birth control pill. That's right - my 5 year old (at the time) 15 pound neutered male tomcat ate a birth control pill. Ugh....

I called my vet the next morning. I had to explain myself twice before she put me on hold. After almost 10 minutes, the receptionist came back on the line. "I spoke to each of the vets and they said he should be fine. If he starts acting funny, bring him in. Or if he starts wanted to shop or anything like that." Yep - like I hadn't been hearing that joke all morning at the office. :)

He was fine - and now I hide the pills futher up.

The last group of kittens got adopted!!

OJ went home on the 22nd with a nice young couple. I had to laugh when I spoke to the adoption counselor. I guess the boyfriend was asking about our return policy and the girl looked at him and said she would make him leave before the kitten. YEAH!! Plus she works for a vet, so he is in good hands.

Cider went home Christmas Eve. The family lost their last cat in September. They were sure they wanted a dog, but after looking for a while, changed their minds. The kitten was a surprise for their 4 year old daughter. The mom has my contact info and promised to keep in touch.

Blackberry went home on Saturday with a nice family of 4 - 2 kids who are going to spoil him rotten.

It is a relief to have them all adopted and home so I don't have to worry about them.

Aida found a home!!

A very nice single retired guy took her home from Petsmart last night!!! Yeah - a great Christmas present for all three of us. She gets a home, he gets a companion, and I get the relief of knowing she is safe and loved and in a home of her own. He has no other pets, so no risk of her terrorizing another cat. :) He has my contact info and I assured him if anything happened, she will come back to my house. I am so happy for her!!!

Mo the mighty hunter

I was lying in bed last night reading when I heard Mozart. At first I thought he had gotten shut in a closet or something since his meow was muffled. (yes, his meow is so distinct that I know it is him) I listened and it got closer. I looked over and he appeared in the bedroom carrying a stuffed toy. I looked at him and he dropped it and meowed at me again. "Good boy Mo - you are the mighty toy killer." He jumped up and I scratched his ears for a little while before he took off for his next adventure.

Babies on the run

I moved the gate yesterday morning to give them a little more floor space to run around while I was at work. Then I left, heading to the dentist, work and then a shift at the shelter.

When I got home, I was met at the door like normal by my crew. As I got to the top of the stairs - SURPRISE!! Three little kittens sat there staring at me.

I went to check and it appears they shoved at the pen enough to squeeze through. Who knows how long they were out - probably most of the day. But there were no messes and they appeared to have had a good time.