Haven’t been blogging lately. Different issues in the background have made focusing on tasks hard. Mike’s leg is in crisis mode, George broke my trust in probably the worst way and a good friend is now in Stage 4 COPD fighting for her life in a Texas hospital. I know everyone has issues and this isn’t posted to have anyone feel badly for me. Mainly to try and explain my absence lately. Because, not only do I have God to lean on, but I have a Molly Cat as well!

She knows I am upset and that my thoughts aren’t staying connected and when I am inside the house, she never leaves my side. She sleeps on my arm at night and will bite (lightly) my hand every now and then. She doesn’t draw blood- and she makes sure that her head is right by my ear so she can purr me to sleep. Often at night, I will wake up and just see her sitting there staring at me. She’s not resting, she is watchful. She also chases off the other cats who wish to share the bed at night- something she has never done before. She is my great comfort right now.

On the kitty front- Morgan is holding her own. Showing no signs of FIP at this time. Solo, the big orange female who has lived outside her entire life is now inside one enclosure all by herself. I had taken her to the vet because her fur suddenly showed signs of massive matting and she is a shorthair! We didn’t find anything alarming wrong with her even after the bloodwork. She is about 12 years old. I have had her about 4 years. So I put her inside an empty enclosure where she can stay warm and safe and have been introducing her to grooming tools. Her tail will twitch the entire time I am brushing or combing her- and yet, I think she might like it a bit more than she appears to be showing me. She is at least less matted these days. Seam rippers work really good to get out tight mats and they don’t hurt the cat as much as a comb will.

Quinn is now in the house and has made friends with Cooper. They sleep together at night in Coopers open cage. Benson, the Siamese that was so sensitive to changes in his life, now is fully into the home life and he will creep into Coops cage and sleep as well. His sister Shimmer is also in the house but she isn’t an easy one to socialize. She will still take time.

We had a skunk get in the house a few days ago and spray. The wind had blown the outside door open without our knowledge and she came in and made herself comfortable and us very uncomfortable! Whew! I am in the process of ripping up the flooring where the spray settled and will have to replace it with all new flooring as well as pet proof vinyl flooring. I am in the process of interviewing contractors to see who is brave enough for the job! The smell thanks to nature miracle has dissipated over time, but is not fully gone. I also replaced the lock on the door so that doesn’t happen again. The person who installed the door originally, installed it incorrectly. The cats were fit to be tied trying to escape the smell- even Molly was out-of-sorts for a few days, but she still, never left my side. As I type this-she is sitting on my lap watching me.

Pearl left us this morning. It is suspected (although not proven) that she and her sister have FIP. She stopped eating a few days ago and this morning when I went in to see her, she let me pet her (she is full feral) she also let me pick her up and she was flat. She was gone before the medicine even reached her vein once we got to the vet. Her sister seems to be doing okay (knock on wood) but then about a week ago Pearl was doing okay as well.

FIP is such a frustration. There is no correct test for it, there is no cure and it is always fatal. It seems to accelerate under stress and once it was suspected these cats might be affected (based on their rapid dehydration rate) all attempts at socializing them stopped. Keeping them on a routine, no surprises I hoped to prolong their lives but Pearl was clearly suffering. Now she is not- she is running the grasses and playing with others who have gone before her.

Sometimes, when you believe wholeheartedly that something is so right. God steps in and says- “Wait a minute, not this one, not this time.” I am speaking of Kirby who was so perfect in many ways except one. I have only had him 8 days, and he has gotten away from me 4 times! He comes back, but not when I call him- when he wants to. I don’t think he is being deliberately a bad dog. I think he just loves to run. But yesterday, when in two shakes of his head, he was out of his collar. He ran into the highway and came so close to becoming road kill! I was screaming his name, and he didn’t get hit- but then he took off- headed to Sweet Home in a dead run! I jumped in my truck and as I reached the edge of the driveway, the mail lady came flying in honking her horn! Unknown to me, Kirby had come back and was under my truck tire. I would have killed it had not it been for the alert from the mail lady.

I gathered him in my arms and realized how bad I was shaking- so last night, I rehomed him to a lady who swears she can keep him safe. I’m betting not (because we are not careless dog owners) but if he does die, it won’t be on my watch. I couldn’t bear it.

When I took him there last night, she was waiting anxiously at her door and I had him on a tight, tight collar and leash. I had forgotten something of his in the truck and I went back to get it. I felt one tug on the leash and thought OMG NO! He was gone! I had squeaky frog in my pocket and I squeaked it and back he came- tail wagging- wanting to play! I looked at Frankie watching all of this from her porch and said “This is what I was talking about. This dog is a runner.

She works in a locked facility- memory care and she is going to take him to work with her- she is admin there. I know he will love the people and I told her how he alerts to people who are sick. So maybe, although it was meant for me to rescue him- it was meant for HER to be the true owner. I am sad but it would have destroyed me to watch this dog die.

On the Hanna front, her new family is on their way to us now. The woman has adopted from me in the past, so a home check is not necessary. I am so astounded she wants another cat from me- because she had the misfortune of adopting Sterling (the Russian blue mix from that horrible hoarding situation in Albany). Sterling died from FIP according to the necropsy and he wasn’t even a year old! Robin did everything she could to keep this kitten alive while vets scrambled to find out what was wrong with him. I am thrilled she wants to take a chance, and Hanna has been given an excellent bill of health from the vet. I took her in and had everything done I could think of to be sure I wasn’t giving Robin another potential timebomb waiting to explode! Hanna is lucky- so much love and care is waiting for her today.

Here are some photos of Shimmer the calico that I still haven’t been able to find a home for- Cooper my amazing three legged buddy and his new friend Kirby the dog that I recently rescued.

Kirby (the little dog) alerted to a kitten this morning. Turns out, kitty is sick with a UTI. I have to wonder if Brandy had a paw in this rescue-

This made me feel warm all over:

This morning, when I was at a local restaurant checking my donation box (which was surprisingly stuffed full with money!) One of the waitresses came up to me and told me the owner of the restaurant has an 8 year old granddaughter visiting her for a few weeks. The girl (Emma) was in the restaurant the other day helping out: getting waters, cleaning tables, fetching small stuff. The patrons loved her and were giving her some great tips. At the end of the day, before this little girl went home, she went over to my donation box and dropped all her tips into the box! $55.00 worth! I told the waitress to please give this little one a warm hug from me and the cats.

On the Raleigh front, something happened to him at that place that was not good and now he is aggressive to everyone and everything but me. I have him out in the shop now- where he has the whole building to himself and warm cat bed, plenty to eat and drink and he seems to like it out there. I closed off the cat doors so he wouldn’t be surprised by a visitor and decide to beat the pound out of the cat who dared to trespass. Makes me sad, because he was such a loving cat before he left. I suspect that he was pulled out of hiding and made to accept pets and cuddles from the lady because “oh she loves him so much!” He would only tolerate actual holding for a short period of time, but I think he was forced to endure it longer even though I told the woman that he didn’t like it much. I tried a pheromone collar on him but he didn’t like the collar at all so I had to remove it. It is not a breakaway. He also attacked both Cooper and Kirby at the same time when they were playing- so something is wrong. He is eating and drinking and using the litterpans so I think whatever is wrong is behavioral and not health related.

On the Mike front he is was in the hospital for 9 days and he came home diagnosed with congenital heart failure and cellulitis. On the day before his discharge some bonehead doctor decided to put him on warfarin. Warfarin is not only a bad drug, but it has been prescribed for Mike in the past with dismal results. The man should have read the chart! They watched mike for 24 hours after giving him the drug and then released him because nothing happened (Duh! He was bedridden there). I asked his friend to bring him home because I couldn’t find anyone to pick up the cat food donation. Ron brought him, deposited him in this chair and left. About 10 minutes later, Ron calls me and he sounds frantic. He says “Mary Anne, there is a lot of blood on the floor of my truck!” Dang it! I race over to where mike is sleeping- peel back his sweats on his leg and all I see is blood. It is dribbling through the bandages and there is a lot of it. I get all I need for a change and pull the dressing off and he spurts blood all over the living room. An hour later when it still won’t quit bleeding- we are back in the ER of yet another hospital (Corvallis this time). I had taken a picture of the huge wound on his leg and I jumped out of the truck into a very crowded ER and told them that I needed help as my husband had lost a lot of blood. I showed them the picture and suddenly there were countless orderlies around me and they raced to the truck and took Mike directly back into the bay. They gave him Vitamin K- applied a pressure dressing on  him but he still wouldn’t quit bleeding. 🙁 They finally put this special dressing on him that acts kind of like a tire patch does. When the bandage finally falls off on it’s own it leaves behind an artificial scab over the wound that I was told NOT to remove. Only a doctor can remove it.

We are being referred to a closer wound care clinic on an urgent basis and are just waiting for the call to come in. His leg is still bleeding but not like it was thank God. I am watching it like a hawk and if it flares up again we will go back to Corvallis (30 minutes away) and I am sure they will probably admit him this time. If I don’t hear from wound care by tomorrow, I will call them and see if I can light a fire under someone to see him.

Kirby has been such a comfort. I wonder if maybe he might me my EWS (early warning system) because the other morning, I took him with me to get a coffee at my friend’s coffee stand. Patti has COPD and has had surgery for lung cancer (although she has never smoked a day in her life) and she is prone to some pretty severe asthma attacks. I had the window down and Kirby was in the passenger seat when all of a sudden, he jumped on my lap just focused on Patti- I mean intently focused. He started to whine and paw at my leg- all the time looking at her not me- when suddenly she just went into a severe attack. Right before it started- he started barking and wouldn’t quit. Looking all the time at her. He didn’t stop until she used her inhaler and could breathe again. So maybe that’s why he’s here now. He and Cooper have their issues. Coop goes nuts when Kirby jumps in my lap and they have toy wars frequently- although before the arrival of Kirby, Cooper wouldn’t touch any of his toys (wasn’t interested). Now what one has, the other wants. And God help me if I give one a snack and don’t let them finish it before giving the other snack out- or they go for the snapping fight- geez- but I haven’t had him that long- he lays with the housecats but chases the outside cats if I would let him when the run. He’s not aggressive with them- I think he just wants to play. He does come back when I call him off them but not right away. We are finding our way with each other- all four of us.

Raleigh is sitting in my lap at the moment. This has been the craziest start to a New Year in my entire life. It started off when I was moving a cabinet out of the house, it slipped and fell and shattered our big bay window! I had to use cardboard-duct tape, boards, a blanket and a tarp to stop the inside cats from not only getting outside, but getting cut on the shards remaining. They came to fix the window after two days (bad weather stopped them) and one window dude made a comment to his co-worker that he wished he had known so much duct tape was going to be purchased he would have bought stock! LOL

Then that stray dog German Shepherd surprised me late at night- coming into the yard and trying to kill not only Cooper- but also all the yard cats! She loved people (thank God) and I managed to rope her and get her to the police department. Animal Control came and got her.

The very next day, I was on an adoption run and out in the  middle of nowhere, I see this beautiful German Shepherd limping along the road. I stopped, and called “Puppy. puppy puppy!” She ran right to me, ate the handful of cat kibble I offered her and jumped into my truck! Oh my she stank to high heaven. I took a run down the road looking for a farm a house- nothing- so I took her to the vet. She had a chip- she has been returned to her neglectful owner which made me sad. Her ears were so infected, she has severe dermatitis all over her body- she is about 5 years old but her claws, on my word- they were so long they were curling under! I told the vet that I wanted her with all my heart and to tell the owner that- but he took her back. I do hope the return came with a stern lecture about how to care for a dog!

Mikes in the hospital so I was telling him about her and how she loved Cooper and the cats and he just said- maybe we aren’t supposed to get a German Shepherd. The very next day, after picking up my food for the cats, I was driving around the back of the building and I see this man just kicking this poor dog! The dog was cowering and trying to duck the blows. I stop in the middle of the road (not wise) jump out of the truck and run over and had some “words” with this homeless low-life. After he dropped a few F bombs, he looked at me and sneered and said “If you want this dog- you can  have him for ten dollars!” I quickly handed him the money. I had just ten dollars in the pocket of my jeans. My purse was in the truck. I picked up this “little dog” he dug into my arms and as I drove him to the vet, he was sitting in my lap the entire time!

He is at the vet now- I am calling him Kirby. He is being neutered, he is 2 years old and unless he turns out to be a cat aggressive dog- looks like Cooper might have a friend.  You look at him- he looks like a cocker spaniel and a dachshund had an affair. LOL He’s the cutest dog I have ever seen in my life. I wasn’t looking for a dog, especially a lap dog because I have so many lap kitties- but I guess he was looking for me. He’s pitch black and he stands on his hind legs and dances in a circle when you are holding a treat over his head. I was trying to see if he had any basic commands. I suspect he’s been stolen by the guy but he isn’t chipped and I looked online for anyone missing a dog of his description- but mostly people are missing cats. (I still can’t believe I found Raleigh last night!) I will post a picture when I can- but he is being neutered today- we vaccinated him and de-wormed and de-flead him. He smells so bad but he had so many fleas we decided a bath could wait. Me and a lap dog- who would have thought!

He ran away yesterday afternoon and the only reason I found out about it is I called to check on his status and see how he was doing. The girl was sobbing when she told me some of her friends let him out of the house! Even though it was late, I flew over there in my truck with food and his favorite toy (it chirps). I got out of the truck and rattled the bag, and called him in my kitty call and he came running right to me and leaped on my shoulders! I told the girl that he was just going to have to be my cat after all. I gave her back her adoption fee, and Raleigh and I just now walked through the door. That’s a scare I don’t need again! All the way there, I was praying that God would lead him to me. I know it sounds nuts- but I kept talking to Raleigh in my head, telling him to hang on, I was coming for him. it is supposed to get down to 12 degrees tonight! I found him within 5 minutes when the gal and her friends had been looking since he vanished.

The second girl (Morgan) was spayed today and treated for parasites, URI and anemia. She is home now and back in the enclosure with her sister. Now we have to start over- all trust has been broken, so it is back to square one with both of them. Riggs and Raleigh are now in new homes with Benson and Hanna waiting for this last storm to clear before they go to their new home.

That is what I decided to name one of the girls I got from meow village. I was successful in capturing her inside a carrier this morning and took her to be spayed. They treated her for a URI really bad earmites, fleas and worms. Her sister has now been tricked into the large cage but she is smart and she saw her sister go into the carrier and get carried away- not to return. I have Pearl on the patio right now to socialize her better. George will come over in the morning and if she hasn’t gotten into the carrier, we will convince her this is the way to go. *G*

Yesterday, I had to rush Mike to the hospital, but under the weather constraints, I took him to Sacred Heart in Springfield (27 miles from our home). I had heard some good things about this hospital and thought maybe getting some “fresh eyes” on his leg, might help us out. We waited 10 hours to be seen by a doctor. They apologized and said normally they have 5 bays of rooms open in ER but because of the weather- 3 of those bays were filled with people waiting for beds in the main hospital! All other hospitals in the area were going through much the same thing- so they couldn’t even transport anyone.

They have kept Mike for a few days. They are worried about his kidneys, his heart and his leg. I need to run some supplies to him today but snow is predicted along with another ice storm so I am not sure I am going to be able to leave the house.

This morning when I went to feed the two feral girls, one of them was inside the other cage in the enclosure!  I quickly shut her in and to her credit she did not bolt. I have since gone in and rearranged it to the point where the only place she can hide now in there is inside a carrier. If I get lucky and God smiles on me, she should go inside the carrier and I can take her in to be spayed! I’m about ready to go and check on her status in a moment as the clinic is about to open. I will ask the vet to tag her ear so that I can tell her apart from her sister once I let her go back inside the enclosure. Would have been nice if both of them were inside, but I will take what I can get.