All I can say, is I wish I had wrote it!

I found your cat, and she’s way cooler than you are. (Saint Augustine)

That title is a bit misleading. Your cat found me, actually. And she totally rocks, so I’m almost glad that you’re such a shortsighted idiot. She showed up about two years ago to eat out of a nearby dumpster, but she didn’t trust people enough to let anyone near her. Everyone in the area naturally assumed she was feral. It took about a year and a half before she would even let me get close enough to pet her, but then something strange happened; once she did let me pet her, she decided I was her human. She became really affectionate. Greeted me when I came home from work. More or less lived on our porch for the last six months. Once it started getting colder, she even took to jumping into our laps when we were sitting outside. It was a pretty crazy transformation from the skittish little thing I met two years ago.  So we took her to the vet earlier this week, (because it’s pretty obvious no one is coming back for her, and the weather has been getting much too cold for a seven pound ball of fur to just be left to the elements) and we found out the damndest thing. The vet found a little tattoo on her belly, and said that it meant she was not just spayed, but had previously been adopted. Now, that’s great news for us, because not only did we no longer have to worry about adding on the additional fee of getting her spayed to her tests and shots, but once we brought her inside, she loved it. I was worried she’d feel caged, but apparently this is the pampering she has been wanting for a while now. She sleeps on the bed, gets along well with our dogs, and loves to snuggle. She’s a great little cat. But I wanted you to know, if you figured you’d just abandon your pet when you moved away, and she’d be fine- you were right. She’s fine. She lived the last two years of her life eating out of a dumpster, afraid to let anyone touch her, and living off of lizards, mice, and (at least on one occasion that I witnessed) bats, but she’s fine now. She has been adopted, and most certainly has adopted us as well. I also wanted to clarify something for you. If you ever, “adopt” another pet in the future, that word comes with a certain promise. It means that, “I am your person, and you are my animal” you kind of belong to each other after that. It’s your job to shelter them, your job to feed them and keep them healthy, and if you can’t bring them with you when you move- it’s your job to find a new f@#%ing apartment that does allow pets. If you can’t handle that, maybe next time, you should adopt a damn plant. Don’t forget to water it, jerk.

These cats may have been buddies in the park, but they are not comfortable with each other (or anyone else right now) At food time this morning, a bad fight broke out. I grabbed a towel and threw it over the fighting boys and separated them. The orange boy is now in the Intro cage inside the enclosure and the black and white cow kitty male is in the deck enclosure.

The black and white kitty has a suspicious wound on his front paw .It almost looks like he had been eating or chewing on himself? It’s not a regular bite wound- with just two puncture marks- it is ragged and worked on and quite deep. I didn’t notice it before because he went immediately under one of the low tables to hide. I am taking him over to see the specialist tomorrow morning. I did put ointment on it- it looks pretty gnarly. She told me to start him on clinidrops- so I started the antibiotic.

George came over this morning and he rigged up a door where I can block off the catio if need be. It is just a piece of wood on hinges and a slide bolt, but it will help me a great deal once I start working with this cat to block off the small catio. He also (bless his heart) helped me weigh and de-worm the 17 kittens and Aurora in the bedroom. We cheated and instead of putting the kittens inside a large carrier after they were each dewormed- we just put them in the bathroom so I wouldn’t double dose the mackerel tabbies and torbies who are so hard to tell apart! Pumpkin now weighs 4 pounds!  He made a comment about how playful she is now- he saw her last when she was failing fast. I told him she is getting back at all the darn humans who stuffed her with drugs, ointments and yucky food to get her well!

They still have remnants of ringworm but as cold as it is, I really don’t want to dip them. I need to get some more antifungal ointment and use that. It gets them a bit damp but not as bad as the dip does. I ran out yesterday and this darn cold/flu whatever I got is keeping me home today. So they get a bit of a reprieve. But I have to have this black and white kitty looked at. It is a nasty wound.  I have some old x-ray films left from when Cyclone was x-rayed, so I made a quick e-collar to keep him from biting on his paw.

Also I got a phone call early this morning from Alaska’s new owner. She is so enchanted with this cat it makes me smile. Her 23 year old son who is autistic has become Alaska’s best buddy. Catherine said they are going to call this “kind, kind kitty- Isis. I told her Isis is a grand name for this cat. Isis gets irish lullabies sung to her at night and she now has a velvet cave she can curl up inside of. Morgan, the boxer has been curious about the kitty- but they have yet to meet up close and personal yet. Thankfully, Morgan is highly trained and obedient. I don’t see any issues. Alaska never seemed to mind B-Dog while she was here.

The beautiful calico that just arrived, went to her new home this morning. She now has a 62 year old woman and a 7 year old granddaughter to love on her. I couldn’t be more pleased. Melinda gave me $40.00 for a rehoming fee and I promptly turned it over to my vet. When I left their home, the three of them were cuddling on the bed. The calico’s name shall be Callie according to the granddaugther  whose name happens to be Chloe..

I just received a phone call from a manager at a local trailer court. One of their residents bailed 2 months ago and left behind two of her male cats! She has been back and forth in the park visiting “neighbors” and although her cats are living in the abandoned trailer, she has not stopped ONCE to check on them, feed them or do anything with them. When she is asked about what she is doing, she just snarls at the people asking. The manager said the neighbors were feeding them but they have their own cats to deal with so they quit. The cats are literally starving now and this morning, apparently one of the neighbors to this abandoned trailer came out on her porch and was attacked by the gold and white cat! He launched at her and scratched and bit her arms, she said he was trying to get into the house where her cat’s food was by the door. She fended him off and went immediately to the managers. If I don’t come and get these cats, I was told they were going to be dispatched in a miserable way.

The woman  who abandoned them had left the back window of the trailer open (about 8 feet from the ground) and the cats were running up the side of the trailer and into the window, but there is no food inside to sustain them.

Ok, so I go over there, and call them to the window, lift each one carefully out of the window and into a waiting carrier. They are bone skinny- oh my God and they are now in the deck enclosure. Are they aggressive? Not as bad as some, not as good as others. I did get scared once, but there is enough food inside the enclosure for 24 hours and perhaps by then, they will settle down. Interestingly as I was carrying them to my car, the woman who owns them drove right by and didn’t even glance our way! The neighbor told me the woman has hooked up with a real scumbag who hates cats- so I think Karma is coming her way.

I will do pictures later of these two, if I live long enough to take them that is! LOL  No, they are not that aggressive. They are scared and they are hungry and in cats, sometimes that is a lethal combination.

The very last female (calico) running our property has now been trapped. She is a beautiful dilute calico- reminds me of my Dad’s old Calico. She is pregnant so she is being spayed as I type. I also have a home for her- wish I could say that for all the cats here! But there is an elderly woman who lives with her son out in the country and she wanted a calico cat quite badly.

Here she is:

Queen Callie

This was a home where she was meant to be. When I got there with a load of potential adoptees, she crawled into this woman’s lap, settled down in her arms and just melted. Catherine (the woman interested in a “kitten”) began to cry and told me that she couldn’t just ignore Alaska’s need for her. They were meant for each other and Alaska is now living in a palatial home and she will be so cherished and loved. I can just see the two of them at the baby grand. Alaska sitting on the top and Catherine playing her Irish lullabies! It was magical!

We received four hits of interest on her but this is the home where she needs to be. I was smiling when I left.

So- so far this year, we have received into our sanctuary 53 cats. We have adopted out 26 and 10 went over the Bridge.  The roughest of the outward bound was losing Fiona- We miss her still and the last euthanasia of that found Himalayan. I still wish that had gone a completely different direction. It’s been an emotional year of both lows and highs but leaving Alaska asleep in Catherine’s arms- well that’s the icing on this year’s cake!

From the CATS Inc., gang in appreciation for all the canned food sent this year—

“Thank Mew!”

Hoping these three will be in a home before Christmas. It is Darcie’s turn to shine now!

You can truly see the PTSD in this beautiful, skittish kitty. But once he warms up to you- oh my heaven’s He is a love!

It is going to take a very special person to work with him and bring out the best he has to offer. I still get angry when I remember what the adopter told me about him after he had been at her home for less than a week- that he is a devil kitty!  He got scared, he reacted and she over-reacted. But, at least he is here, he is safe and he IS adoptable to the right family.

One of my good friends takes wonderful photos of cats and she came by today and worked her magic. Hopefully, these photos will lead to a loving, forever home for this deserving chocolate point in the days to come.

At the late night feed for the kittens, I noticed that Tweedledum was hanging back from the group. This beautiful tortie kitten’s head was hanging low over a water bowl and my heart sank. This is one of the warning signs of feline distemper. 🙁 All of a sudden she tossed her cookies and it was yellow and foaming (another sign).I have to admit, I said a bad word at that moment. I scooped her up and she was on fire. Woke Mike out of his sleep and he held her while I took her temp 105.3! She was fine at 8:00 p.m. but that is how this virus hits. I rushed her inside the bathroom and made her a tepid bath of lukewarm water and rubbing alcohol and went to work. I gave her supportive fluids, put her inside the warming cage and said a million prayers before trying to get some rest. I was up and down with her all night and this morning, I am so thrilled to tell you that her temperature has returned to normal (which doesn’t happen with distemper) and she is eating and back with the others. I am not sure what happened? Perhaps it was the ringworm treatment as the dip is sulfur based and I noticed after treating all the kittens that she was licking the others dry.

We have kept up with the vaccinations of the kittens against this awful disease but the vaccine is not foolproof and while they are here, there is always the chance they could become exposed. The disease hit us two years ago, the virus lives inside the house for five! I keep my prayers close and do all I can to guard them but last night, I was almost sure I had lost the fight. I am grateful that in this instance, I was wrong.

Tweedledum is a very shy Tortie around humans but she tends to mother the other kittens as she is one of the biggest kittens in there. I hope she won’t decide in three days time to once again lick all of them clean and come out with such an upset tummy as she tries to scare us to death!