Can’t stay long. Had a bicycle injury and sitting is not possible for any length of time. Was exercising Juno and a deer shot out in front of us on the trail. I jammed on the brakes, the rear brakes grabbed, threw me off the seat and I collided solidly with the handlebars. I’ll leave it to your imagination where I collided with those bars on my body. But all is good, no fractured pelvis which is what they were worried about. Just a beautiful Technicolor bikini I will never show off at the beach. LOL

Mike is planning a road trip without me. His good friend from grade school and Mike are going to hit the road in June and drive to Alaska for a two week fishing trip with his boys! Lots to plan for- lots to look forward to and this was just the motivation he needed to get out of his wheelchair and start using his new leg. I am sure it will be a trip he will never forget.

We are now almost to the printing stages for the 2017 Rescue Calendar. Glad for all the eyes on this project and if you want to buy one- the final price is $10.00 plus shipping. I can’t wait to see the final product.

Gotta go- sitting is dreadfully painful

Another goodbye today, this one so hard on our hearts. McGee recently diagnosed with cancer is now at peace. He was euthanized at noon and more then ready to meet up with friends at the Bridge. He had gotten to the stage where he was giving me more then subtle hints that he no longer wanted to be in this life. Although his appetite was strong- nothing stayed in or down very long and he was starting to show blood clots in his urine.

We initially got him at 2 weeks of age when a clueless a** threw him out a car on Hwy 20. He ended up with us. As he grew, he showed his preference to wanting to have access to the outside world, so we moved him into the patio enclosure. he quickly established himself as the Alpha of the outside clan and I know they will be lost for awhile without him. They will find a new Alpha soon- but there will be a temporary imbalance as they adjust to his disappearance.

I wrote a check on faith to get the dirty deed done, so hoping tomorrow when I check the donation boxes there will be the $50.00 there needed for this act of love. He would have been 14 in May.

Rest easy now Sweet Boy and for all the trouble you were- you will be so missed. You have no idea how much our hearts ache right now.

Please enjoy his life in pictures

Slade did not make it through the surgery. They did a quick necropsy on him and he had a malformed heart. He could not make it through the anesthesia and the only way that would have been caught was through blood work which I don’t typically do on young, reasonably healthy cats. It also might explain his inability to eat only the softest of foods the vet said.

I made two difficult calls just now. First to the woman who rescued Slade in the first place and second to the anon donor of funds. Not calls that are fun to make. The vet said it would have caught up with him eventually, the anesthesia just hurried the final result along. It is not common, but it does happen. At least he went quickly without pain- other stray cats don’t often get that option.

Someone who wishes to stay within the shadows of this blog has sent the monies needed for the extraction of Slade’s teeth. I will be calling on Monday to get him on the schedule and will have George help me capture him prior to his appointment. I am so happy for this kitty- he deserves to be able to eat all types of cat food- not just the softest most squishiest kind. I think it will also help his temperament. Once he travels out of pain, I know there is a sweet boy lurking within.

I am always so amazed when people contact me who have been reading this blog for years and want to help out. Sometimes, I just think I am talking to myself when I write something out and I get proven wrong every time. So thank you nameless one- Slade deserves a chance at a loving home, and you have helped in the first steps to make this happen.

Update: Slade goes in tomorrow morning for his dental work.(Tuesday)

Last night we had another wild storm- this one worse than the one yesterday. I heard frantic meowing from the gazebo and raced out to see what might be wrong with Slade. He was fine, but terrified by the high winds and the howling rain. I sat with him most of the night and by about midnight, he was huddled in my lap and I wrapped both of us up in a blanket and we slept. This morning, it was business as usual and he hissed at me when he woke up to discover he was still in my lap! LOL  Then he jumped down and demanded breakfast.

I also discovered a canned cat food he will eat. Fancy Feasts Medley collection. He really dives into this food so I can stop giving him baby food now. He is back to running from me when I go in there- but at least, last night I could offer him some comfort as the weather raged around us.

Last night, we had a bad straight line wind blow through. Limbs down all over the place- one of the limbs pierced the screen window in the bedroom tearing out the plastic trellis we put up to keep the cats inside and allowing Beetle to escape. I didn’t find her until this morning- she is now in Mike’s shop. She isn’t the type of cat you can just scoop up and take back in the house, so I have decided to just leave her in the shop and work with her gradually so she stops biting people who come close. Not the best option, but the only one that seems feasible at the time. It is going to take me months to clean up after this freak wind. Thankfully, no cats are missing this morning- except for Beetle who is no longer in the bedroom.

Here are three of the calendar pages. Also should anyone be interested there is room for ads on this calendar for $50.00. The ad is one inch high and 5 inches wide (just saying) *G*

Our September kitty Molly, we have decided to make her a resident here at the house and not search for any more homes for her. She sleeps with us nightly, grabs my lap whenever I have one available and follows me around the house like a shadow.  I am not a fan of keeping cats- but she has been out on 4 failed adoptions and enough trauma to last her all her 9 lives. She is officially a core kitty here at the Miller’s Outpost. 🙂

Yay it worked!

I am still a bit shocked that all this has come together, but the planets have aligned and God has smiled and CATS Inc., is about to embark on their latest fundraiser a 2017 Rescue Calendar. This came about in such a way that only one word covers it: miracle. A fellow cat lover has given freely of his time and considerable talent to take the photos that exist of the cats and kittens in our care and turn it into a lovely calendar. Some of the photos are before/after driving home what we are really about but the calendar is rustic and charming at the same time.

One of my past adopters, her and her husband are donating the money to purchase 200 of these calendars and we have secured a spot at a table at the upcoming Jamboree and with some local merchants to sell these around town. I will try to post a photo of one of the calendars months so you can at least see what I am trying to explain. I am still shaking my head in disbelief that this not only came together but there are local merchants interested enough in the project to buy an ad!

Today, Sydney went to live with a goat rancher on 102 acres and Slade has been moved into the gazebo enclosure. I think he will like it so much better as he has more room to roam around there. George put a screen door on it this morning for him so he can catch more air on good days. Slade is talking to me a lot more than he used to but still, he is only eating baby food. He has to have both his canines removed and the funding isn’t there at the moment. Sydney will spend about 3 weeks in a barn stall that has been closed off with pet screen and then she will become a barn kitty. Her bite quarantine is long over, but she just doesn’t wish to socialize with people at all. She is good with other cats and Louise has 4 other barn cats so all should be well.

This morning when I dared to touch Beetle and say good morning, she tolerated being petted for about a half a second and then nailed me good. She bit down into my thumb bed- can you say ouch? It is throbbing but I just took some aspirin and will watch it close for infection. It didn’t hurt when it happened- wish I could say the same now.

I took Juno to puppy class- I think the photo says it all LOL. The trainers were encouraging and told me they don’t see high aggression with her- just high energy. I felt like I owed the other moms in the group a steak dinner because she just wouldn’t let up! Thank God she doesn’t play with the cats this way! We start puppy obedience class on Monday and I will follow the trainers advice and only put her with dominant balanced dogs that I know. I am afraid at the dog park she would get hurt because she has no idea how to be a dog when she meets other dogs. She goes for the ears, front legs and mouth- she is supposed to smell the other end! She is now 4 months old and 30 pounds. This golden boy let her just chew him wherever she wanted and when she did finally stop and go lay down. He walked over and bit her in the head (not hard) and it was on again…sigh…high energy indeed!