weekend update

It started Thursday night. Mom was taking pictures of the kittens. Ash was on top of the cat tree taking a bath and when mom tapped him on the head to get his attention she discovered an open wound (about 1/2 inch in diameter) where his leg meets his belly. After a moment of panic, she got in touch with the vet and off they went. It took 40 MINUTES to knock him out. He seems to have an amazing tolerance for drugs. The vet finally resorted to the gas mask. And now he is known as Captain Dingbat....and has 4 stitches. sheesh....  So he is here on the "injured reserve" list until he gets them out the end of the week.

Friday was pretty quiet around here. Mom did some laundry and cleaning and that was about it.

Coral is still here for a while. But the other afternoon she and mom took a nap together.

 Pearl has a home!!!  She will be traveling to Michigan this Saturday. Thanks to Miss Connie who posted her picture on facebook and that is how her new mom found her.

 Since Topaz had to be separated due to his test results, mom set up baby jail in the living room for Quartz and Jet. They have some snot but seem to be unfazed by the change in surroundings.

 Speaking of Topaz, mom's friend Miss Alyssa (who took the orange boy this spring) had kittens test positive for FeLV as well. She and mom went back and forth about how to foster the kittens. Miss Alyssa has a larger room, but she said she would take Topaz (who needs some friends - he is a lonely boy and it made him howl). Now they will all be retested every 4 weeks until they get to 5 months old. Hopefully they can all throw it.

Jade goes tomorrow to be spayed. YAY!!!  We know she will be glad to retire as a momma cat.

Amber, Cinco and Mica moved up to the adoption center on Sunday. It was fun having them here and they are on Petfinder, but we know that it will be faster to get them adopted when someone walks in and sees them in person.

The banging Friday night wasn't so bad except for the HUGE finale. Tim went under the bed. The kittens kind of freaked out when it started but calmed down when they realized no one else was freaking out.

Happy July 4th

We wish you ant-free picnics and lots of time with friends and family. And maybe a hex on the booming fireworks thingies......

HAPPY 

4TH

Jade and kittens - 12 weeks old

Ash and Pearl

Mica and Ash

Coral

why sleep in it when you can sleep ON it?

Amber

So, weights for the 12 week weigh in:
Mica: 3 pounds 4 ounces
Ash: 2 pounds 7 3/4 ounces (more or less - he didn't cooperate very well)
Amber: 2.3 pounds (official from her spay records)
Pearl: 2.6 pounds (official from her spay records)
Coral: 1 pound 11 1/8 ounces (getting closer)
        Be sure to keep up to date on her weight contest.

The smaller kittens are about 6 weeks old now:
Quartz: 1 pound 3 3/4 ounces
Jet: 1 pound 6 1/2 ounces
Topaz: see note below from the mom

Jade is pretty done with the whole kitten thing. Mom is going to try to get her in to get spayed next week.

The mom here: the little kittens had blood drawn on Tuesday to test them for FeLV/FIV. Normally they run kitten tests as a batch (ie mix the blood and run one test). In this case, the test came back positive for FeLV. Yes, I freaked out. However, they have been quarantined, so no risk to the older kittens or to mine. But obviously Jade was in there nursing. So, yesterday morning I hauled them to the vet for individual tests. Turns out the girls are negative and Topaz is the only one that is positive (darned alien boy). And it was a faint positive. Basically, the test runs over 10 minutes. The sooner the blue dot for positive appears or the darker the blue, the stronger the result and the "more positive" the result. For Topaz, a faint blue dot appeared around minute 8.

So, Jade will have to be retested, but I am not so worried about her. Topaz will be separated and retested in 6 weeks. Paws and fingers crossed that he can throw the virus and the test is negative that time (which does happen). And thank heaven that we work with THIS rescue that will give him that chance. We will keep you posted on him and everyone (as always). I debated putting this up here for freaking some people out, but then decided that I am not all about hiding the facts, and the more people read that things are always the "death sentence" that some shelters make it out to be, the better. Education is power and I want us to be a part of that. For last night he was in a crate in the entry way to the condo until mom can rearrange some of the kittens to keep him. He isn't really happy right now about being alone.

As to our girl Mae West - mom got her to the clinic on Wednesday. Turns out she had previously been spayed. So, she was tested and vaccinated and microchipped and now just needs her new forever home. She is negative for FIV and FeLV. She is up at the adoption center for the rescue. With the limited space here and having to separate the little ones, there just isn't anywhere here for her. Plus, seeing her in person makes it easier to find her a home.

video Wednesday

We hope you enjoy seeing videos:

This was before the new and not-so-improved baby jail turned into an epic fail

Yes, several kittens occupied that box before it got recycled (mainly cause someone barfed in it)

Opt to Adopt - Mae West

Today's post is a little strange. See, we have the cat, we are just a little short on details.

A few weeks ago we heard mention of a cat around that we hadn't seen. And then mom got a look at her, but was leaving on vacation. The neighbors across from us are young but were willing to leave their garage door open a little to let this girl inside. Well, over the weekend the neighbors (who are renting and can't take the cat) said the calico was friendly. Mom got home last night from work and sat outside. She spoke to the cat but the girl was a little scared and wouldn't come out. So mom set the trap with food and came inside to feed everyone here.

About an hour lady one of the neighbor ladies came over and lo and behold - one chatty calico in a trap.

At this point we would post a picture, but mom's camera won't cooperate with her computer at work, so use your imagination.....

Mom got the girl set up in a crate in the entry way to the condo and will take her to the spay clinic tomorrow when she takes Amber and Pearl to be spayed. Mom is calling her Mae West (she has some curves). Mae is friendly, wants attention and appears healthy. We will have more details once she is tested, vaccinated, spayed (if necessary) and checked over.

weekend wrapup

Mom did two transports this weekend.

Moses was being sent from a shelter to a foster home. 

Buster Brown was pulled from a rural shelter and going to rescue - we hear he may already have some interest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The kittens are getting bigger and are generally up to .... something. :)  When they aren't going this:

There is a calico girl wandering around outside that mom is trying to catch. She isn't feral and it appears that someone moved and left her....grrrr  More on that as we get more details.

Otherwise mom spent the weekend doing laundry and some cleaning. We got the hots here so we mostly lounged around. MOL But we hear it is a short week for mom so we are planning a nice relaxing weekend next weekend.

Weight day Caturday

We are running a little behind with this week's weigh update due to mom's vacation pictures. However, here we go.

Ash and Mica were neutered on Wednesday as they are big enough. Amber and Pearl are scheduled for next Wednesday.

Mica weighs: 3 pounds 3 1/8 ounces (holy moly)

 Coral weighs: 1 pound 6 7/8 ounces

 Pearl weighs 2 pounds 1 1/8 ounces

Ash weighs: 2 pounds 8 ounces

Amber and Jet refused to cooperate with the pawparazzi.  Amber weighs 1 pound 15 3/4 ounces and Jet weighs 1 pound 6 1/4 ounces. Amber is a lover and just gets SO close to the camera. Jet is actually a little shy and mom is working with her. And yes, you read that right....Jet, who is about 6 weeks younger than the older kittens weighs almost as much as Coral.  MOL

Quartz weighs 1 pound 2 1/2 ounces

Topaz weighs 1 pound  1 5/8 ounces

vacation day 4-5

Thursday mom and the kid went to Morgaine's to work all day.

This is Arnie. He is about 3 years old and came to Best Friends when his family could no longer care for him. His back feet are both deformed but holy cats can he move!!  He had only been in Morgaine's for a couple of days and was making himself completely at home. This was his first stroller ride that he LOVED! And by the time they were leaving, he had an application for adoption!

This is Duncan getting some love.

(we tell you - mom says every time that kid sat down,

some cat was in her lap)

oooo.....scritch my ears

mom says she isn't sure who this is, but she looked up

and all she saw were feet sticking out of the box and

it made her laugh. :)  these boxes are all over each

room in every building.

and then there are these cuties!!!

kittens are either put in foster care or kept in their own quarantine

until they are bigger or adopted (whichever comes first)

these guys (and their sister) were in the quarantine rooms

mom and the kid were able to see them from outside (everyone has a catio)

and both the boys stood up and were yelling. the one on the right

is SERIOUSLY crossed eyed, which adds to the cute.

Friday morning mom and the kid said goodbye to everyone and packed off to Las Vegas since their flight home on Saturday was pretty early. They were going to use the pool at the hotel but when they got there it was 108 degrees F outside!!! Mom said it was "melt your fillings" hot. So they got some dinner, stayed inside and relaxed. (the kid found the Disney channel - she was happy)

From the mom: If you ever get the chance to visit or volunteer, I truly suggest you do it. The work they do inspires me to do better for every animal out there. They have picked up the mantle of "Save Them All" and are doing what they can both at the sanctuary and through partnerships across the US to make it happen. The animals, people and location are all pretty amazing.

We do have some sad news:

Harper, the little girl that slept overnight with mom and the kid on Wednesday and Thursday crossed the Bridge on Sunday. The vets and caregivers think it may have been FIP, but considering she was FeLV positive, it is hard to say. Mom had to break it to the kid and that was pretty miserable. Harper was so very very sweet.....we know she is happy and healthy over the Bridge. And we hope that those nights that she got to spend in the hotel were wonderful for her as they were for mom and the kid. Fly Free Harper.

Yes, that was her typical expression - just added to the cute

vacation day 2-3

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More vacation:

Tuesday am was over in Dogtown. They wanted to go to the Puppy Pre School but it was full so went over to the Gardens to walk the young adult dogs. They walked 2 dogs before mom saw....a SNAKE. Yep - rattlesnake. So they sat for a while in order for one of the employees to come see if she could find it and move it (she did [yes, that is part of her job....ewwwww], caught it and the snake was moved out further in the sanctuary). It wasn't a huge snake, but between that and the lizards and the sand, the kid said "I have had enough wilderness". :) [for the record, the snake was maybe a foot long and the lady said maybe 2-3 years old - not huge but big enough for mom]

The kid communing with Nizhoni

(who was wonderful and is looking for a home)

This is Amy. She is an older girl and has cancer.

They are doing their best to keep her comfortable until she has to cross the Bridge.

Mom and the kid sat with her while waiting for the snake lady to show up.

Tuesday afternoon they went to the Bunny House. Mom had to take picture to prove the kid does actually know what a broom is for. MOL  Actually, the kid was wonderful and a great help. They clean cages and socialized some bunnies by hand feeding cilantro. 

There was even a guinea pig named Fritz. The kid got to cut up fruits and veggies for his dinner and feed him as well. They said that the guinea pigs usually aren't with them long as they tend to get adopted very quickly.

Tuesday night was another sleepover. This guy is Beethoven. He was a wonderful dog. Again slept with the kid. At one point mom said they were both sleeping sideways on the bed. And Beethoven is one of the dogs approved for eating on patios (the people eat, he just hangs out), so they went to dinner with mom's friends who live and work out there. They have him listed as a St.Bernard but he looks like he weighs about 50 pounds and certainly wasn't very fuzzy. He did bark at people outside the window, so they shut the curtains. Mom had to hush him a couple of times during the night when he heard noises outside, but he was a great dog.

Wednesday morning and they made it here:

The kid was thrilled - they got to meet a group of puppies that are Great Pryneess/Anatolian Shepard mixes (remember the kid lives with a Pry). Two of the pups were fuzzy and the rest were short haired. They were taken in from another shelter. All but one had applications as of last week and in fact one was being adopted and going home that week as well. They were 9 weeks old and just learning some basic trainining and how to walk on a leash (that is going to take some more work - most of the pups weren't so sure about those leashes).

Wednesday afternoon they went back to the cats. The kid requested they go back to Cal-Mar and that's what they did. It was getting way to hot for walks, so they socialized and did some cleaning as well. Mom says the kid appears to be well on her way to being the cat whisperer.

Here she is with Foley on the shelf and Barney and Bronte in her lap.

The lucky sleepover girl that night was Harper (seen above). She is SO sweet. She loved to snuggled and purred and slept right next to the kid all night. (mom said she was feeling a little deprived by now)

Mom's vacation

Mom met up with her brother and sister-in-law in Kentucky to get the kid and fly to Las Vegas and then drive to Kanab UT on the 14th. It makes for a long day of travel, but it was worth it. Mom and the kid stayed with friends who now live and work out there and on Sunday took the tour of the sanctuary and checked in as volunteers.

Monday morning they took a few short tours of different areas where they were signed up to volunteer.

There are horses and goats and sheep.

 Wild Friends has birds of prey and even ducks (the ducks and chickens are available for adoption).
Mom took these pictures thinking of the publicist over at The Maaaaa of Pricilla

 And then the Parrot Garden. They are available for adoption as well.

Monday afternoon they went and worked in Cat World in a house called Cal-Mar. This building houses their cats that have tested positive for Feline Leukemia (FeLV). The great part is they have to live in their own building but are available for adoption so long as you don't have other cats or have other FeLV cats.

 Barney going for a stroller ride

Bo is Barney's brother

(they were kittens when mom saw them last time she volunteered)

This cutie is Elwood. Unfortunately, mom got a note from her friend that works out that that he crossed Rainbow Bridge overnight last Friday.

Not only can you volunteer, but you can take cats on sleepovers. This big handsome guy is Foley. He was rescued by a group in West Virginia after he was found shot with buckshot (not sure if that is how he lost his eye or not). Then he tested positive for FeLV and Best Friends agreed to take him. He was super sweet and slept on the bed with the kid all night.

Cat World Domination Day

Time to Party!!!

It is Cat World Domination Day....and Sparkle's birthday.

What mom??? We still aren't allowed outside. But how are we going to help take over the world?

Drat....

Guess we will have to stick to taking over the living room.