That is what I call this sweet 12 week old kitty who is having grand mal seizures. When I first heard about her, I asked if a vet had been consulted- the answer was no, the mom was a stray who had her kittens on their porch. I have been trying to get the kitten surrendered to me since and finally tonight, the woman said I could pick her up in the morning. It’s not in the budget right now, but I will take her to the vet ASAP. It is doubtful that she will survive this- but if there is a chance, our vet will find it. I understand the daughter got quite attached to this kitten who has been shunned by mom and littermates alike, but I hate to hear of animals suffering in any fashion and am glad I was able to finally persuade the family to turn her over to me. She is pitch black-

Speaking of trembles, I was a doing a good bit of trembling three days ago when a 10 inch cast iron skillet slid off the stove and landed on my foot. Thank God it was stone cold but it did some major tendon and tissue damage to my foot and it is hard to get around right now. Mike said he would cut it off for me! LOL  I know he was kidding, but at one point I almost took him up on his offer because it hurt like the dickens! Nothing is broken but it will be at least a month before it returns to normal according to the doctor.

They also have a dog-friendly webpage as well

Cat Friendly States

Yesterday, since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped by to check on One-Eyed Jack. I knocked on the door and someone told me to come in. I stepped through the door and looked over in the living room and started beaming. Jack was lying on the couch with his butt on one woman and his head on the other! They were both stroking him and loving on him and the look in his one eye was pure contentment! This kitty who was dumped in a trailer park has hit the lottery of love. He came right up to me and the woman said “Oh look, he remembers you.” I remember him too and he will forever be a part of my heart..

Found out yesterday that a check written last week for the adoption of one of the kittens has not been honored. I got the letter from the bank yesterday. I called the woman but she is not returning my calls. I am left scrambling to cover the $30.00 NSF fee and the other costs because silly me, I still trust people!

Just received a call from a childhood friend, her brother Reggie is diabetic just as Mike is on insulin not pills. He (like Mike) puts “Non-Compliant” through the wringer and right now is in emergency surgery in California. His leg developed gangrene and septicemia has set in. They are amputating the leg and they don’t even know if he will make it through the surgery. He is 62 years old- please pray for Reggie and for Avis. I know she will up all night in prayer as well. One thing that Reggie does that Mike does not is drink heavily which is what led to the gangrene. Thank you for your faith-

Tuesday update: I called this morning and talked to a worried Avis. She hasn’t heard anything since he went into surgery at 7:00 last night. I told her this is a GOOD thing if something had happened they would have called her immediately. She was relieved to hear this and said she would call me as soon as she heard how her brother is doing. He is in no way out of the woods yet- Mike’s worse time by far was after the surgery and they had him out for days on morphine. He was as goofy as a pet coon for about a week. He is still also facing phantom pain in the extreme which makes me sad. It usually goes away after 6 months but if it stays longer they say it is here for life. It is the first time I have seen him cry when it hit him that’s how intense it is. Amazing how the body and brain responds to the loss of a limb.

Thank the good Lord, other than having mildly diluted urine, everything else checks out fine. On a hunch, I bought a pheromone collar and put it on her and about an hour later she was perked up and running with the rest and eating more than two bites of food. I think her problem was the extreme way her life changed in an instant. She went from being a beloved pet in a home to having to deal with living here at the sanctuary. It doesn’t surprise me that her urine isn’t concentrated like most cats are- because she drinks a lot of water. I was afraid she might be diabetic. One in the family is enough for now! 🙂 But, the collar is working on her and she isn’t just sleeping in the same spot all day long. My hope is I can find her a home- she deserves to live out the end of her life in comfort. The vet said she is about 14 years old-

“Pretty” the cat who was just signed over to me has been renamed Gypsy. It has been clear since they dumped these cats on me that this girl is suffering. I am taking her to the vet in a few minutes to be seen. I suspect either Diabetes or liver failure based on the signs I have seen while she has been here. It may be why this whole situation came up- who knows. But at least now, the cats are legally mine and I can treat them. Buddy has been renamed Bugsby and he bolted outside yesterday when some medical equipment arrived. He’s hanging around with the other cats and not fighting. He was fighting with the cats indoors big time. I took the pheromone collar off of him this morning. I don’t like cats with collars especially outside unless they are breakaways.

Please pray that I am wrong about Gyps and she is just in mourning for her life that she had since she was a kitten. Will update when I can-

10:30- won’t know anything until the bloodwork gets back probably tomorrow

I went to visit One-Eyed Jack today and he is sitting pretty in his new home. He came right to me when I went inside and rubbed against me. It was nice to be remembered. They are busy spoiling him- he is getting only canned food. They said he wants outside badly- but so far they haven’t let him out. I asked them not to- he is at a disadvantage with only one eye and missing four claws. I can tell they really love him and that makes me smile.

I play this game mentally in my head each morning as I lay in bed waiting for that moment my feet actually want to hit the ground and my day begins. The struggle, the questions always remain the same. On one end, is my family and their voices that cast doubt on my so-called life. Why do I not have a career like I used to? Why don’t I earn a paycheck and help take the pressure off of me? How can I live with so many cats and where is the strength coming from to get me through all the heartache, drama and sorrow that rescue can bring. I can still hear my dad’s voice in the very last phone call we had before the angels came and took him away from us. Although he is the one who started me on this path early-on, I think even he was surprised that I stayed with it. I know that they consider me the black sheep of the family. Mike jokes and tells me that “It’s to BAAA..d they don’t really understand you.” I constantly worry about the cats, how will I find them all homes? How will I adequately vet them and provide for them without always having the vet debt looming over us.

It is usually about 4:00 a.m. when this game plays out. Then it is up to me to get up- gather the canned food for the outside kitties and go outside and start my day. Dry Kibble in all the trays, canned food to the seniors, fresh water in all the bowls. Pats and pets all around, scoop out the litter pans- refill and clean as necessary and all before 6:00 a.m. Then it is back inside to see to the house/sanctuary cats needs and also to take care of Mike and Quincy.

I was presented recently with an unproofed copy of a book by  Joann Chittister called Two Dogs and a Parrot. I set it aside for a few days. I’ve read a lot of books that are a collection of animal tales over the years. My life was a bit hectic for reading at the moment. But last week, while waiting at yet another doctor’s office for Mike. I took the book out and began to read it. The author, not only writes about the impact animals had on her while growing up, but she also nailed beautifully and accurately how they teach life lesson’s along the way.

Several passages resonated to me -this one in particular spoke volumes:

“Lao-tuz wrote: ‘Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them, that only causes sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.’ It is at the times of acceptance that our souls come to peace with the world. Acceptance becomes the sacrament of the present moment, the point at which our struggles become useless and the unknown becomes the next step in life. If we learn to accept life as it is, as it must be, despite our best efforts to change it-we can keep on growing, even when we least want to.”

I step into the unknown every day. What I do know is my phone will ring and someone on the other end will be needing our help. What I don’t know is what or if I can help this person but that I know I want to help the cat. Where the money comes from for that help is also an unknown- but somehow- in some mysterious fashion it all comes together in the end.

If you have ever stepped out of your comfort zone and helped a critter in need- I encourage you to read this book. It is inspirational, it is uplifting and just like a jigsaw puzzle sitting unfinished on my coffee table, it helped me put the pieces of my unconventional life together giving what I do meaning and depth. Very rarely does a book touch me on every cylinder but this book touches and uplifts me. It was no accident that this book was sent to me. I believe God had his divine hand in this delivery.

Hopefully, not as good a dance partner as I am! *G*  He got his new leg today- FINALLY!