First I want to thank someone who knows who she is, for her gift from the heart. 🙂

Second, a cat condo manufacturer is running a special sale next Friday, July 16th he will donate 50% of any sales he gets from 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. to help out my kitties! The sales must be noted within that hour. For the money to go to the Miller Clan-

His website is felinefurniture

It has taken a bit of time, but the two van kitties are slowly coming out and joining me when I am in the room. Axle is a lot bolder than tandem, she hangs back a lot-

Here is Axle

And here is Tandem

After almost two years of suffering from the residual effects of diabetes- Mike has finally decided to get back to living. When we first moved here over twenty years ago, we converted one of the old barns into his shop. I could never get him out of it which was fine because he was busy building custom knives.

But with the ravages of diabetes on his nerve endings- Mike’s hands no longer work like they should. Surgeries that were supposed to correct the problem, turned out to make things worse. Months ago, Mike decided to sell his knife equipment and we listed on Craigslist and his passion was gone in days.

But he has decided to finally fight back and yesterday finished his first project in years. He had help with it from a good friend but it just feels so wonderful to see him working in his shop again.

Here is his first chair- he made it to fit his large frame, but I have put it for sale in the shop where I work- just to see if it will sell. I think it will be a real boost to him if it does.

Today, he wants to build three more and is already out there working and it isn’t even 7:00 a.m.!

I am on my way in a few to take Riley to the vet. THey will have to sedate this barn kitty and explore why his paw is so massive. I think there is an abscess cooking- that is what it looks like to me, but every time I try to touch his leg- he gets cranky. Poor kitty- I am hoping it isn’t broken, but we need to address the problem and get him back to where he can walk again. I heard him crying this morning from inside the house. He hates to be confined. He’s in the intro cage right now.

Anyway- here is the chair Mike built-

Riley was sedated and his paw was clipped. The whole paw was in the process of turning blue as he does have an abscess cooking. We couldn’t find the entry wound, so the vet gave him a strong antibiotic shot and gave me some clinidrops to give him. I was a bit concerned when I was waiting for the vet to come into the room. Riley was alternately head-bumping me so hard he almost knocked me off my feet- then seconds later, he would turn around and growl at me. I wasn’t sure if he was going to bite me or not- I couldn’t read his signals other than he was in a great deal of pain and he still wanted me to comfort him.

The vet said yesterday, “Just ice his leg.” She was talking about Ripley my barn kitty who at 4 weeks old was placed inside a paper bag and tossed out of a speeding car like garbage. He landed in our shrubs where our dog found him.

That was years ago and after he survived the initial injuries and trauma, he has grown into a lovely, sleek tuxedo kitty who loves to chase mice and bugs outside.

So, just ice his leg…okay..

He is caged at the moment in the Intro Cage in the enclosure. This is a three level cage that I can actually step inside and deal with the cat easily. (I am 6 feet tall) so it is a large cage. There is a couch ottoman inside, then two levels of wooden platforms and ladders. Room for food bowls, litter pans and cat beds- it is quite comfortable.

His paw is massive this morning, so I took a baggie of crushed ice, an ace bandage and some duct tape and proceeded to try and “ice” his leg.

I now have seven deep scratches on my arm and a totally pissed off cat. He knows he is in pain, but he also knows that I am not going to put anything cold on his leg no matter what! I can’t afford to raise his stress level, so I quit after trying for 20 minutes to get him to allow me to ice his leg. I kept telling him it was for his own good and that he wouldn’t mind it once it was on, especially because it is supposed to be over 100 degrees today! But, he is cat and he made it clear that this was not on the agenda.

Why is it when I have a rare day off, I end up at the vet’s? Last night when I got off work and came home, I did my regular kitty check. Saying hello to everyone and making sure no one was overlooked to be petted and talked to. Riley was favoring his rear leg, so I took him aside and went looking for a source of the injury. There was no warmth to the paw, no swelling, no visible wound but he was doing no weight bearing on his leg at all. I took him upstairs, gave him some Metcam and checked on him this morning.

His paw is massively swollen and hot. His temp 103.4 not alarmingly high, but concerning especially in this hot weather. I ran him to the vet where he was given an antibiotic shot that should hold him for two weeks. They couldn’t find an abscess, but I know from experience one is probably cooking right now and will explode in the next few days. They gave me more pain meds and I have put Riley inside the Introduction Cage in the cat enclosure because if I put him upstairs his brain would cook in short order! It’s hot up there even with the fans running.

I was going to put him in the hay barn. It is cooler in there, and being that he is a barn kitty, I thought he might be more comfortable- but then I noticed three bats in the rafters and dismissed that idea. All I need for him to do is start chasing prey and really hurt himself.

I left a payment at the vet’s office but at this point my bill resembles the National Debt! Riley was in such pain that his leg was trembling the entire time the vet was examining him- but he didn’t bite her- so I am proud of him.

Last night after work, I threw my new bra on the bed and fell to sleep. In the morning when I woke up, Tilt was asleep in the cups! LOL Spendy kitty bed!

The cats were absolutely nuts last night, as I suspected they would be. They are still a bit on edge today- but as the smell of the fireworks clears, their temperment improves. My neighbor was shooting off M-80’s that was fun! NOT

It is so heartwarming now to see all the kittens out and playing in the bedroom. Axle and Tandem have finally relaxed enough to understand they are in a good place. They no longer scoot under the bed when I step in the door. Tandem was the shyest of the two, but now she just lays on the bed and waves her paws at me. Oh but she loves those belly rubs!

One of my least favorite holidays because of the terror factor it leaves behind for all the animals- both wild and domestic. If your cats are inside cats and fireworks go off nearby- they will scatter in terror. Be sure that all your doors and windows are securely locked down before the fireworks begin. You can put your radio on static to drown out the noise of the festivities outside and that will help. Put up all breakable objects on shelves and dressers because cats will indeed scatter them. Don’t lock them up in one room- that just leads them to being more scared. Just let them hide- provide them dark places they can go- inside cupboards, use cardboard boxes and dark, heavy blankets to drape the boxes with. Take up any food bowls and water dishes, they will be to scared to eat. Sometime after the fireworks end- put the food and water down again. When they start eating they have calmed down.

If you are shooting off your own fireworks- change your clothes before picking up your cat(s) to comfort them- because your clothes will carry the residual smell of the fireworks. And pray for all the animals who will lose their life tomorrow night when they bolt in terror out into the roads and drivers will hit them either intentionally or not.

My one website felinexpress.com has recently picked up a sponsor. If you go to my homepage you will see the ad for felinefurniture.com. Anyone ordering this wonderful furniture off that link will enable my cats to get a percentage of the sale! I am so thrilled because I love these products. It is so nice to replace pieces of a cat condo versus having to buy a whole new set when it does wear out. All the products have been cat-tested and owner-approved- most by my motley crew.

Just wanted to share this news-

I received another rescue kitty yesterday, but he is leaving today. He is suffering from PTSD after being subjected to cruelty at the local lake. our 150 foot Fir tree is being taken down today and my settled cats are going to be in an uproar! I can’t imagine what Jet would do once the chaos starts. My friend Doris should be here anytime to take him to her home to work with him and find a suitable home over time. Right now he is hiding under the bed- and who could blame him.

it is going to be interesting once the workers get here and get to work. I have tried to create safe sanctuaries upstairs because i know that is the first place most of the cats will go. I have used all the dark blankets and towels in my arsenal and several cardboard boxes. There will be a 70 foot boom truck here, workers, and a crane. Once the fence is torn down, our cat enclosure will be visible from the road. I hope the workers trucks and equipment cover up most of it. I really don’t need any more people dumping their unwanted cats in my yard.

The power company should be here momentarily to drop the wires, but I called to verify and no one could tell me for certain that they were even coming! Great- we have one hot wire that goes directly to the pole and it is right in the way. It is going to be a fun time today.