Random Fridays

clerical note - the mom is not only a techno-dork, she can't do math. Tuesday was Tim and Tom's 10th Gotcha Day. FYI - that means they will be 12 in October. Geez.....
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If all goes as plans (and heaven knows it rarely does around here), mom will take the spice kittens to an adoption event on Saturday. She intends to take a sign "we are ALMOST available for adoption. we are having surgery tomorrow and then can go home. feel free to fill out an application". Hopefully that will keep her out of trouble for taking unfixed kittens to an adoption event.

Anise is skeptical of mom's plan

They are doing MUCH better. Mom cut out all canned food and they seem to be doing about 90% better. What cracks mom up is that she can almost tell you their adoption order - Tamarind (the snowshoe) or Cinnamon (the fuzzy tabby) first and second. Then Anise or Tumeric. What gets mom is that Anise has the most outgoing, sweetest personality. They still aren't allowed out of the bathroom, but every time mom is in there, Anise begs to be picked up and if mom is doing something will come over and bump noses with her. And makes a constant and valiant effort to escape...mom was chasing her around the condo at 3am last night.

Surgery is planned for Sunday. Mom called the low cost clinic and they said their next appointment was the 18th. Really?? Mom asked the rescue lady and she said another mobile clinic would be out on Sunday. The plan is to take the spice kittens and London (and if London so much as THINKS about sneezing on the vet, mom might scream).
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The TNR kittens are doing great. Topeka is definitively the friendliest. She brushes by mom just in passing and loves to cuddle. The boys will cuddle but it has to be on their terms. But they are all super playful and healthy. Mom has had the smaller gate across the top of the stairs and someone moved it the other day just enough that the kittens could get around it. And they had a blast running up and down the steps.  Mom needs to weigh them, but she doesn't think they are too close to 2 pounds yet.

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Tune in Monday for another celebration. Mom didn't realize how many things come up in August until she started planning her calendar. :)

Have a wonderful and safe weekend!!

application

we now turn the blog over to the mom (for the moment)

I've read different blog posts and newspaper articles and online posts about how rescues make it "so hard" to adopt. Don't get me wrong....I truly believe that there are some rescues that do make it exceedingly difficult to adopt. Which makes me wonder what their ultimate goal is for the animals they rescue.

On the complete flip side, there are some organizations that don't check anything. No landlord, no vet, no nothing. And that frightens me. The job of a rescue IS to protect the interests of the animal.

Other rescues take the middle road. The one where I foster does check with a landlord (if you rent) and vet records. We ask for personal references but don't check them unless something pops up that we question.

Our application is 2 pages long: who are you and where do you live? how many people in the household? kids and ages? do you work and where? own or rent? landlord info if you rent. questions about understanding the commitment to having a pet. do you intend to declaw? if yes, why? animals currently in the household. vet info. animals in the household in the last 5 years - and where are they now. Which animal do you want to adopt and why?

I honestly don't think any of these questions are invasive or out of line. Let's go through some of them.

kids: we don't say a blanket no to kids. But we do ask ages so we can help you find a better match

rent/own: I am forever amazed by the people that put one, cross it out and then put the other. How do you not know this?? And don't lie...our county auditor is online and I check.
              **I went over an application recently for Morocco. He put that he owned the house. According to the auditor, he did not. I then had to call and ask for landlord information (plus there is the whole "he lied to me" part). He then ADMITTED he lied....because his landlord has a no pet policy. And that is why we ask....if we adopt and your landlord has a no pet policy and finds out you have an animal, what happens to the animal??? [he was denied]

declaw: the "yes" answer won't get you an automatic no, but we will give you the anti-declaw talk. If you are determined, we have some very nice cats that came to us declawed. Please choose from one of them.

current pets: again, no blanket policy on numbers (though it can be a consideration). But do they see the vet regularly? Are they spayed or neutered? If you have dogs are they are heartworm prevention?  We are looking for basic care issues. And if you have pets, give me your vet info...I am just going to call and ask for it.
                **I got an application for a kitten once where the dog currently in the house was not spayed. Everything else checked out so I called the owners. He said that the dog only went out to pee so they hadn't bothered (the dog was female so how they lived with her being in heat I have NO idea). I went over the health risks...and then said - what if she gets loose some day during a walk. It only takes once for her to get pregnant and now there are unwanted puppies adding to the population. He admitted he hadn't thought about that. I made this suggestion: I put a hold on the kitten and they make an appointment with our local low cost clinic to get the dog spayed. Once I knew she was there, we would set a date and time to finalized the adoption for the kitten. He called me the next day with the appointment time. I called that Friday to verify the dog was there for surgery....and the kitten went home on Saturday (we got an update about 6 months later and they adore him).

previous pets: Again, we are looking for history of care and well being.

Here is the bottom line.....depending on the rescue, more than likely the person looking at your application and doing the research is a VOLUNTEER!!  Please don't waste our time making us track down information. Please don't waste our time by lying to us. Please don't waste our time by making things up. In the land of technology, we can most likely find out and you are just making it harder.

The second application I processed this week - I called the landlord and he yelled at me because he just filed an eviction notice. Really??  Why is this my fault? I called the woman, didn't mention the landlord issue and she said she couldn't really afford it at this time. The application had been filled out less than 24 hours before I called her. She had to know this and did it anyhow.

We WANT adoptions. But we also want them to succeed. PLEASE....make sure you are ready for the commitment. Make sure that you understand that this is for life - not for whenever you get tired of having a pet. Make sure you have everything lined up and ready to go. Know that we want to approve people - but we want to make the right match and we want to be sure the pet isn't returned to us after a short period of time because you changed your mind. Returns for rescues are terrible....the pet doesn't understand and as those who process information, depending on circumstances, we feel like we failed to make the right decision. Don't make this harder for everyone involved.....please.

Oh, and do us all one final favor and don't complain about adoption fees. Those fees NEVER cover the cost of rescue, surgery, vaccines, medications and microchips. Heck, if you want to do a rescue a favor, overpay them for the adoption!

one word Wednesday

Toes

Tim and Tom Gotcha Day

11 years??? Wow - times flies.  :)  You can ready about how they ended up with us (the abbreviated version) here.

Tim is affectionately known around here as "Uncle Tim" - he is probably the most willing to put up with kitten shenanigans. He had to have most of his teeth pulled a couple of years ago due to stomatitis and will more than likely have to lose his fangs sometime soon.

Tommy is the fun police - unless he is the one having fun. He tolerates the kittens but will happily put them in their place. Though he has been busted a couple of times cleaning them....just don't tell anyone we told you. He is getting a little leaner as he gets older, but he is still head mancat around here.

Ivy's 8th Birthday

just as a side note, mom has been quoting Ivy as being younger than she is....

Ivy disapproves of mom giving out her age

the girl still has lots of play time in her

Ivy and her sisters as foster kittens - that one sitting up 

with the "look" on her face is Ivy

Time sure flies. Mom was checking her calendar for our events in August and realized that several of us are older than she thought. Not sure how that happens.....

Ivy came to us with her mom and sisters as foster kittens. Mom had no intention of keeping any kittens and yet somehow Ivy decided that wasn't happening and even after going back to the shelter where mom was volunteering at the time, Ivy wasn't getting adopted and mom decided to bring her back her and make her a permanent resident. For all of her crankypants ways, she can be so super sweet to mom and they have chats while Ivy sits on the arm of her chair.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IVY!!!

Dallas pop up Cat Cafe

HEAR YE!!   HEAR YE!!

Our friend Miss Tamar from I Have Cat is helping spread the word for a month long August Cat Cafe pop up in Dallas TX. For four weekends starting August 8th, there will be a pop up cafe located at The Cat Connection with adoptable cats available from Operation Kindness.

Below is their press release:
July 25, 2015 - DALLAS, TX - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


First Ever Dallas Cat Café at The Cat Connection


The Cat Connection, a locally based pet supply store and cat only hotel and spa, will be home to the first Cat Café in Dallas for four weekends starting Saturday August 8th, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.


The Dallas Café will be a first for the DFW metroplex and will feature adoptable cats and kittens compliments of various local rescue groups. Guests will be able to play with cats on a first-come-first-serve basis for up to twenty minutes. Operation Kindness will provide adoptable cats and kittens for the Grand Opening on August 8th, and be on hand to facilitate adoptions. Donations are not required but are appreciated as they will go to support local rescue.


For their launch weekend, guests will have the opportunity to indulge in specialty coffee drinks and treats in addition to meeting a special guest of honor, internet “celebrate” Sauerkraut Kitty.


While popular in Japan for decades, cat cafés have become a reality in the United States within the last year. These cafes appeal to a wide audience from those who can’t have a cat due to rental restrictions or an allergic housemate; to those looking to adopt and want to interact more intimately out of their cages to order to get a better sense of a cat’s temperament.


Errin West, co-owner of The Cat Connection believes the café will be, “A great opportunity for cat lovers in the area to connect with and interact with adoptable animals in a relaxed setting, hopefully increasing adoptions for local rescue groups.”


The Cat Café will be open on Saturday August 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM CT. For more event details, please visit www.TheCatConnection.com or follow them on social media. They are located at 14233 Inwood Road in Dallas.


To ensure both feline and human attendees have an enjoyable time, The Cat Connection asks that no outside animals be brought to the event. Children are allowed under an adult guardian’s supervision. A complete set of guidelines can be accessed at The Cat Connection's website: www.thecatconnection.com



About The Cat Connection: The Cat Connection is a women-owned business founded in 1985. The shop prides itself as being the premiere DFW resource for everything cat. from boarding and grooming to all-natural organic foods and hard-to-find toys and supplies.


About Sauerkraut Kitty: Sauerkraut is a special needs rescue kitty from Central Oklahoma Humane Society. Rising to internet fame due to her adorable scowl and struggles with Feline Hyperesthesia, Sauerkraut now serves as an ambassador for shelter cats nation-wide.

About Operation Kindness: Operation Kindness is the original and largest no-kill animal shelter in North Texas, saving more than 75,000 cats and dogs over almost 40 years. The organization cares for approximately 300 cats and dogs on a daily basis, with another 100 in foster homes.


For further information, contact:
Errin West
972-386-6369
errin@thecatconnection.com

spice kittens

Well, the meds are sorta working, but the kittens are eating and feeling pretty feisty, so that's all good. Mom swears if they were healthy, the boys would be big enough to be neutered.

Anise

Tumeric (tabby) and Tamarind (snowshoe)

Cinnamon

They desperately want out to run around, but that isn't going to happen until we are sure what is going on with them.

wordless Wednesday

new tower

Mom bought the playpen several years ago and it certainly served a great purpose. However, it is an odd shape, takes up a serious amount of space and it kind of hard to clean. So mom decided it was time to upgrade. She found a 2 story tower (and bought it using Amazon Smile so part of the money goes back to the rescue too...heehee) and decided to bite the bullet. It wasn't cheap, but for the amount of use it will get, mom decided the cost was worth it. Of course, once it was delivered, she had to get it UP the stairs....

Topeka is the assembly inspector

It took mom probably longer than normal to get it together. Due to the construction, it would have gone together much easier with two people - you stand up a wall, connect the front and back and the hope nothing comes undone. It did - a couple of times before mom managed to get it to stay together long enough to get up the second wall.  :) The shelves were included and so was the puffy bed.

Mom bought the hammock separate. Right now it is attached to the ceiling of the tower, but she is thinking about moving it a little lower. You can't see the doors, but there are double doors at the top and the bottom making it much easier to get in to clean and everything else. Tim has discovered he can stick his paw in to steal food, so mom is going to try to devise a way to block the sides of the tower so he can't get access.

Daiquiri has discovered she can get up on top. Mom says she may consider getting a flat bed or something to put up there to keep toes from going through the bars.

Mom was looking at the tower and realized that the kittens may not be able to get all the way up. After seeing baskets attached to the cage over at The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, mom decided to borrow the idea. We haven't seen the kittens in the baskets yet, but it gives them an added step. She got the baskets cheap and they are just zip tied to the back of the tower.

It has been a hit. The kittens have figured it out. Yesterday morning mom got up to find Topeka sleeping on the shelf with the bed, so they can get all the way up there.

lazy weekend

The spice kittens are doing better, but still kind of messy. They did get a bath on Friday afternoon.... mom says thank heaven for shower doors. They weren't very happy about it, but they are certainly cleaner. However, since they still have the runs, they aren't allowed out yet. But they are friendly and getting attention from mom.
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mistress of the stink eye (Topeka)

 

Spud

no, we don't get it either

 

Nashville, London and Topeka

 

when mom left the door to the play pen, Daiquiri would

sleep in there....

This isn't a great picture, but she is upside down...and quite comfy.

 

still more kittens in the basket

Mom has had that basket for years. It was the cat toy basket for a while but mom didn't like the size - it has a handle and big stiff bow on it. Mom moved our toys to a smaller basket that fits in some shelves. But she didn't want to just throw out the basket. So she cut off the handle, put a blanket in the basket, put it under an end table.....and it is a very popular sleeping spot.

Random Fridays

We got the REALLY hots coming this weekend, so mom says she has no big plans to do much of anything. She has a book from the library to read and a few books saved to her Kindle, so that should keep her out of trouble. We kind of like these types of weekends cause her lap is available for snoozing.

Nashville keeps finding London sleeping in this cup 

(a friend gave it to us)

and climbing in to nap together...awww

Reno and Topeka snoozing in the sun by the sliding door

The TNR kittens are still little but doing very well. They love being out and are all lovey and snuggly. Just don't stand too close when they get their canned food....wow they are a bit....aggressive. The other morning mom was leaving for work and they weren't quite done but she opened the door to the playpen anyhow. The boys ran out. Tim stuck his head in and Topeka growled at him. He of course doesn't really care, but mom was laughing as she walked down the stairs to her car.

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In case you missed it, Miss Andrea and the kitties over at Celestial Kitties are having another fun-draiser for Miss Chrystal and the Winnie's Wish kitties. We are stealing mom's magic card today and getting ours. If you haven't ever gotten some toys from her, they are hand made, wonderfully crafted and have the serious high test nip in them.

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Mom has the spice kittens on new meds. So....today they will be getting baths and then she will be cleaning the bathroom (again - for the bazillionth time it seems). Hopefully the kittens will be on the upswing. The meds seem to be starting to work, but they will be on them until next week. They are eating like mad and WANT OUT!! (which is so NOT gonna happen quite yet).

BFF Chewy review

Our friends at Chewy.com asked us for our honest review again this month. There were several different choices, but with kittens in the house mom decided to pick the variety pack of BFF canned food. Here are a couple of things:

  Pros: we like the idea of a variety pack available. It's all grain free and organic when possible. Mom likes that they offer a 10 ounce can size (not in the variety pack but you can at least BUY bigger cans....).
  Cons: most vets don't suggest feeding tuna on a regular basis. While there are different varieties of this food, tuna is an ingredient in every variety.

The TNR kittens thought it was pretty awesome. They have tried a couple of different varieties and give them all 3 paws up. Of course, right now they also try to beat the daylights out of each other over canned food, so we aren't so sure that their opinion counts. MOL

So mom gave some to London. As you can see above, Spud decided to make an appearance and steal some from London. Mom has to stand guard so the kitten can eat in peace.

The spice kittens have had a couple of cans as well and like one but not another. They have decided they like more gravy please and the tuna and chicken (mom thinks) was more compact and they weren't so interested in that.

So, mom isn't sure this is something she would stock up on, but it sure makes for a nice treat for everyone. (well, everyone that GOT some)

**we are part of the blogger review for Chewy.com. we get the items involved in our reviews at no charge, but our opinions are still our own.

wordless Wednesday

London and Uncle Tim

going going gone

9am edit: no neuter today. He still has a baby cold....brat - he cleared up over the weekend but apparently heard about the appointment and decided to mess with mom.
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Over the weekend, mom spent some quality time in her favorite chair reading a book (or two). London came up looking for attention and eventually wedged himself in the corner of the chair. For reference, the top of the picture is the arm of the chair and the gray is mom's hip. Be sure to check out those orangey bunny feet. It has been interesting to watch his colors change. His tail is definitely orange. His ears are faintly orange along with all four feet. But there really isn't any color on his face. His eyes are still siamese blue but heaven help us, he CAN hear. And has the siamese voice to go with it. MOL

London is being neutered today.....tomorrow he heads up to the adoption center. We doubt he will be there very long. He started out kind of shy with us but has turned into a sweet lovey boy. While we know that his looks will attract someone first, whoever adopts him will get a very sweet (mouthy - did we mention that?) kitten.

not sleepy

ok maybe

fighting it

and he's out

weekend report

Not much going on here this weekend. Laundry, the evil dyson....and TNR kittens all over the living room.

We could use some purrs for the spice kittens. As mom says, they are a hot mess. Mom has given them a couple of meds, but they have the runs in a bad way. Once everything gets cleared up, they are so getting a bath. Mom cleaned the bathroom once but it is still kinda messy. Not sure what is up with them, but we are working on it.

 

Nashville on the move

 

Topeka - checking out the living room

 

Nashville checking out London

London goes tomorrow to be neutered. His snot cleared up pretty quick this time.

He will come back here Tuesday night and then to the adoption center on Wednesday.

 

We're pretty sure Ivy didn't know Reno was that close.

Random Fridays

Good news!!!

Cairo was adopted on Sunday. He was actually neutered on Saturday and when mom stopped in to check on him Sunday, he was still on the intake side of the rescue. She went and brought him over and put him in with Blanco (which resulted in some minor name calling...silly boys). Anyhow, there was a family there looking at kittens, and the daughter fell in love with the boy. Mom left before they made a decision, but found out Wednesday night that Cairo went home that same day!!

In other city kitten news, London is doing much better and mom is going to try to get him in to be neutered next week. Of course now that this is in print, we are sure he will spend the weekend sneezing on the mom. He has been out 24/7 and enjoying himself. He has found his favorite spot to sleep at night - right on mom's pillow.
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The other little kittens are doing well though not gaining weight as much as mom would like. We have given them a couple of different meds and tried some different foods. We shall keep an eye on them. The TNR kittens get out at night when mom is home. Mom tried putting the gate up for the spice kittens but Cinnamon can climb over, so they won't get much free time until this weekend....and boy won't that be fun. (or not...holy moly)
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We currently have the hots here again so thank heaven for the a/c and the cold air vents. As far as we know mom doesn't have plans for the weekend, so other than her regular chores, there shouldn't be too much more excitement than the regular kitten chaos. 

poor London

London

poor guy was pretty snotty over the weekend and mom caught him
sleeping in this position a few times

It may help him breathe a little easier
but it sure doesn't look very comfy