This morning, when I went to feed, I found a lot of blood within the food tray. The food was gone, but whoever was injured left a lot of blood. Using my flashlight, I tracked the blood trail but I lost it once it went off the table and down to the ground.

There is a mom racoon who comes to feed around 2 a.m. she has five babies (so cute) It could be that one of them lost a tooth, but it seems to be a lot of blood for a tooth loss? I’ve washed up the mess to keep the flies and yellow jackets from coming in. The only cat not accounted for this morning is Crazy Eyes. Everybody else came in to eat and say good morning. I don’t know who or what got injured last night, but it was crazy out there on the highway. The Jamboree is in full swing and the town is full of mostly maskless strangers, drinking and having a county-western good time.

I went to Safeway yesterday morning (wearing a mask) and the store was packed. I saw maybe 6 people with masks on- all employees had their masks on. Oregon had recently 1,000 new cases of Covid. They don’t break that down at all, how many were hospitilized/ tested for/ exposed to? You would think after all this time of learning about Covid they would have better tracking measures..

They keep sounding astounded that this corona virus can morph into so many other variants. Cats are born with the corona virus, that’s why they get URI. This virus can sit in their systems for years and morph into the fatal FIP without warning. What did they really think the coronavirus would do to people exposed?

Everybody please stay safe-crazy weather, crazy virus, crazy world..

We have had to substantially cut down the amount of canned cat food (and dry) that we are feeding the cats here. Monday, Weds and Friday are canned cat food days. But now, we find ourselves completely out of canned food and only $20.00 in the Kitty to buy any more.

For some reason, in our town I was told there is an aluminum can shortage? So canned cat food- Friskies and Fancy Feast are just not attainable right now. If anyone can help us out- please do-

I will try and straighten out my wish list on Amazon to make it easier, but if you need our physical address you can reach me at mothermary55@comcast.net

Thank you for your care and concern regarding the rescues here-

Early in the morning, even before my world is awake, the kittens have taken it upon themselves to wake me up. This early morning alarm clock can “go off” anywhere between 1:00 a.m.-4:30 a.m.

This morning, the alarm was a sudden crash of items hitting the floor. I jumped out of bed and turned on the light only to discover my bulletin board where I hang my jewelry had been displaced from the wall by active kitty paws. They were playing among the necklaces and earrings pretty happy to have found yet another toy to amuse themselves with. I, however was not all that amused.

I rescued my cosmetic jewelry that had dropped around their necks before it caused them to suffer a panic attack. I scooped up all the jewelry out of harms way for now. I will have to figure out another way to store them so the kitties don’t think they are play toys.

Lately, if I wake up before the kitty alarms are sounded, I will lie in bed and softly call to Ash. I say her name almost in a whisper, twice, two times in a row. Generally, she is laying with Kota between his front paws, so I know she is close.

She will jump on the bed and walk over to me, lay down close to my face and lick my chin. I learned quite early during this ritual that I need to stay perfectly still and not pet her, She will explore my face, nuzzle my ears and neck and when she is satisfied, she will then jump down and go snuggle with her buddy Kota. I call this my sweet spot in the morning.

I also learned during this time, to call to her only softly, because if I call to her in my normal voice, Magoo will come up and intercept our moment. He is quite jealous and that is when I will get bit. Both kitties are getting so big now- they will be a year old soon. They have several issues still based on what they experienced before arriving here. Both of them will get one mat on their back in the exact same place. Quite strange. They will not groom themselves or each other, the only thing I could hazard to guess about that inaction, is their fur or skin must have absorbed some of the toxicity of the smoke a year ago? But oh my, they love to be brushed. I could brush both of them 24/7 and they would never leave my side.

(Magoo who is an excellent flyswatter). His prey at the time? A mosquito!) He caught it and ate it too. LOL

Speaking of fires, there are currently 308 active fires in Oregon. One of them, the Bruler Fire could ultimately threaten my town. It is burning in the mountains on the other side of town and it would have to jump the lake to threaten people. Right now it is 10% contained and they just started putting sprinklers on the edge of the fire- drawing water out of the dam to soak the trees bordering the flames to stop it from spreading. Thankfully, we have not had triple digit temps in over a week and the winds have died down. This fire was caused by humans and it arrived three months earlier than the Holiday Fire last year.

The worst fires are up by Portland and also on the border of California and Oregon. My heart goes out to everyone caught in the line of fire, both two-footed and four footed. My eldest stepson called this morning, he was worried because the smoke has arrived where he lives in Alaska. I assured him that for now, we are safe. But fire season is upon us and it is concerning.

I have been concerned in the last few days, about how the 4th will affect the burn babies. Afterall, two kittens who will run in terror when I put a bag of groceries on the kitchen floor, or turn on the coffee grinder – how will all the whiz bang that goes on after dark. How or what will it manifest itself as on the 4th?

If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I would have never believed it. I’ve never witnessed it before. They ran to the chaos. They were fascinated with the noise and the lights. Instead of running away and finding a place to hide (that I wouldn’t locate in days) they loved the show!

Both of them stayed together, almost hugging each other and went to the windows and doors looking out into the night sky that was exploding with color and noise.I was texting a friend (in disbelief) at the time. She asked me what I thought they were thinking? I considered the comment for a moment and typed back:

“I think they feel like after all they have been through, this is a walk in the park.”

This morning, they are still hugging bodies and sitting at the front door looking outside.Maybe they are waiting for the second act to begin? We got lucky this year, all my neighbors went elsewhere to celebrate. That never happens, generally they hold big family gatherings and shoot off till morning. But there are other homes on the highway and they were certainly celebrating as loud as they could. It was just astounding to me watching their curiosity grow at every bang they heard.

It never gets any easier, even when you know that it’s just right around the corner.  That day when you have to make a very difficult decision regarding the euthanasia of your cat. Baker started slipping quickly downhill two days ago. It started with continuous vocalization- lasting even through the night and morning hours. Repeated visits out to his enclosure, only made him more agitated in his tone. He stopped eating, drinking, peeing and yesterday he vomited blood.

I had been holding on for a miracle. The prescription food was working for awhile, but just like the medications, they couldn’t keep what was already in motion from happening. I suppose in the long-run, while I was praying for a miracle  God delivered an unexpected one this morning. When I called the vet and told the girl what was going on, I was given the only appointment left open for the holiday weekend- the emergency appointment at 9:00..

I held Mr. Baker in my arms, as he was sedated and drifted off to sleep. I laid his 19 year old body  gently down on the table.. The  process continued. When the plunger hit home, he stopped breathing.

19 years ago, someone tossed him out of a car from the highway. He was just a baby kitten. He scrambled up one of our trees and Mike climbed up the tree to fetch him. That’s how long ago this arrival has been. He’s been with us ever since.

Now, I am praying for a second miracle, there was only $3.63 in the kitty. I wrote a check for $250.00 and they are holding it until my check comes on the 17th. I have been taking my own budget and buying food and paying the vet from its meager content. It’s what I do, they always come first.

I suppose, I could have put off this decision until Baker really started to suffer- but what kind of rescuer would that make me? Not a good one, I am afraid.

So Baker is gone and he will be sorely missed. My neighbors would get the biggest kick out of him as he did his daily walk-abouts only on our land, and then when he was done, he would follow me back to the enclosure wait till I opened the door and he would go in. Just like a well-trained dog. I never taught him this. It was just his way of saying good morning- and now good night to his world.

Yes, he will be missed…..

Oppressive heat has settled on the Pacific Northwest. I have lived here for over 30 years and I have never seen it hit triple digit numbers in my backyard consecutively. Yesterday, I drug out Kota’s old kiddie pools (there are three of them all have holes.) I stacked them up together, filled them with water and put the pool in the middle of my backyard. I put several large boulders in the pool so that the birds and other critters could get a much needed bath or drink. Our Little Creek is quite little- it is completely dry.

Last night, I woke up to these strange sounds outside.so I looked out the back window. Most of the motion detector lights were on by the barn, and the glow reflected the most amazing sight. There were several critters in the pool! A skunk was bathing, a racoon was washing his hands and a possum was perched on one of the boulders drinking.

I knew that my cell phone camera light wouldn’t carry that far, and if I turned on the porch light, these dehydrated critters would scram. So, Kota and I perched at the window for about 20 minutes watching this wild pool party taking place. Kota was a bit out of it- I had to take him to the vet yesterday as his allergies had gone up into another level. They have him on an antibiotic, a painkiller and prednisone as well as a special antiseptic spray for all his inflamed areas of skin. The pred makes him over-pant (just what he needs right now!) it makes him eat more and sleep more. I was glad he didn’t bark or react. From the look of the critters in the pool, they seemed to really be enjoying the exposure to the pool.

Today it is 111 degrees F and I have refilled the pool and added a few more rocks. I went out to check on the cats earlier,  two of them were perched on the rocks drinking out of this pool. They have bowls of water all over the property but maybe they just wanted to get their feet wet.

We are supposed to continue with the hot weather all next week. At least the local wildlife know where they can come and take a dip without worrying about traffic when crossing the highway on their way to the river.

Kota and I set out fairly early in the morning (before the heat hits) and go for a walk. It helps me to clear out the cobwebs that accumulate in my brain. I talk to God and try to find His answer in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. So much is going wrong so quickly right now with our rescue. The challenge is to find the balance within to solve the problems that have developed in the last 72 hours. I found out that I stand a strong chance of losing my place if I can’t make the much-needed corrections (according to my insurance company). I have managed to make it on a list for home repairs- but I only have one year to get my carport rebuilt. My contractor did not finish the original build. He claims he ran out of money. I wanted to have the carport demolished, but three contractors (one retired and just offering his advice) have all told me that if I do that, one section of my wall of my home will just collapse.

Added to that pressure, the DIY flooring that I so proudly accomplished myself, well it was not “approved” and therefore, I need to replace it with approved flooring within a year. This all slammed into me a few days ago. I am still trying to sort the issues out in my head. Walking and talking to God helps. One of the other benefits of wearing a mask is you can talk to yourself and no one will notice.

We are also spending $152.00 every two months for prescription food to keep some of the seniors from dying  of kidney issues. The dry food is working, but it cuts severely into the budget for the regular dry and canned food and paying the vet debt. But, the fight continues, and the walking helps.

Yesterday, this was our walk-about. The one thing that I regret is my cell phone ran out of charge. I missed taking a picture of the deer coming down to the river to drink, the immature bald eagle tearing open a trout and the gathering of over a dozen swallowtail butterflies that came down to the river to get water. That was amazing. But here are the photos that I did take for those of you still in lockdown. We are almost a week (supposedly) of opening up all the way here in Oregon. I’m not holding my breath though, because it seems like every time the Governor decides to open up, people get sick and we shut down again.I wish we had taken a page from Australia’s attack on the Coronavirus. But everyone is doing their own thing (or so it seems).

At any rate, I hope you enjoy the photos as much as Kota and I enjoy our walk-abouts. in the very last photo, Kota is alerting to big Crawdad that was busy burying himself into the mud.

As always, stay safe and keep loving and living-

Working with PTSD kittens has its many challenges and bumps along the road. Yesterday, it was time to de-flea everyone. I generally use Revolution as it not only kills fleas, but also earmites. The clinic was out due to Covid, so I switched to Advantage and administered all the doses. No problem until it came to Ash’s turn.

A few minutes after she received her proper dose, she let out this shrill series of meows and started foaming at the mouth. Still screaming, she raced through the house, foaming as if she were rabid and poop just flying out of her rear. I have never encountered such a reaction. Foaming, yes, if they lick at where the application spot was located, but she was dosed (as were they all) on the back of the neck. It took me 45 minutes to corral her into the bathroom and examine her.

She was in a high state of agitation, pawing at the ground, shaking her head. I was scared. I grabbed the DAWN and gave her three baths in a row. Needless to say, she was not compliant in getting a bath although they had many baths when they first arrived here due to the exposure of the ashes and toxins from the wildfires.

I sat down on the floor and dried her off. She was violently shaking for about 30 minutes after the bath even though she was bone dry at the time. I promised her it would never happen again. I apologized over and over for hurting her. She was not impressed. All she wanted to do was escape her jailer. When I opened the bathroom door finally, she streaked out and ducked into her cave,

I don’t like putting chemicals on cats, but I also know first-hand the real damage that fleas can do to kittens and cats, Just that knowledge, cancels out my feelings about these flea treatments. I’ve tried the natural remedies,  most of them out there do not solve the problem effectively when you have so many cats- some of them being unapproachable.

I didn’t pursue her, nor did I force her out of hiding and demand of her  to stay on my lap. I just let her be and let her decompress from her horror. She has not once since being here, jumped on my lap or even made an appearance from her cave until sunset. I wanted so badly to comfort her, but I also knew that forcing things on her is a bad move.

I had fallen asleep in my chair when I felt a cat jump on my lap. Woke up and it was getting dark. I figured Magoo (who just recently started testing out my lap) was asking for food. I turned on the light and to my surprise, Ash was on my lap! I did not make eye-contact, just turned the light off and waited to see what she would do next. She laid down on my lap, I covered her up with my lap quilt. It was 3:00 p.m at the time. I put my world on hold and sat with her until 8:00 p.m.She wasn’t trembling, I got the sense that she was thanking me. She did not try to bite me or hurt me. On her own accord, she jumped down at 8:00 and ran over to the food bin. It was past time for dinner.

This morning at 4:00 a.m. (always my wake-up time to feed the ferals outside) She jumped on the bed and woke me up by walking up to my chest, snuggling down and kneading her way into my armpit. It hurt like the dickens to be kneaded there, but I took it all in and thanked God for this “breakthrough.”

As i sit here processing the events of yesterday and this morning, I have to wonder if her sensitivity to this chemical might have something to do with the toxins she inhaled during those awful first days of her life? I can’t figure out a few things:  How when they both were trying to survive, searching for mom (who died in the fire), they both suckled the environment around them. Unhealthy as it was, it was the only thing available for them to eat. Although both of them (when first stimulated) were pooping ashes, dirt, gravel and small twigs- Magoo was never as sick as Ash. He was also able to be stimulated and fed without vomiting up the formula or trying to shred my hand and going ballistic anytime a moist cotton ball was placed on his rectum. Their eyes were still shut  when they first arrived here. Perhaps Magoo had been able to get some nutrition from mom before Ash did? We will never know.

What I do know is that Ash will never have Advantage touch her skin again. In such a shared horrible experience for both of us, she has finally decided to trust me. I am also glad although she fought the multiple baths horribly yesterday, that I decided it prudent to give her three baths at once. Hopefully I got most of the toxin off her body before it did irreparable harm. I never purchase store-bought flea treatment. I always buy from the vet. Some of the flea treatments sitting on store shelves are counterfeit and can cause great damage. With the vets you know that it is coming straight in from the source. Yesterday, there was finally a breakthrough, but not one I would ever hope to experience again…

I believe that Ash is coming out of her shell. She’s such a funny duck. If I pet her more than a minute or two, she will sit up on her rear and box me with her front claws like Mike Tyson going in the for the kill. She has done that since coming back from the vet, the final time. Only now, instead of her claws being out and trying to bite me, she keeps her claws sheathed. (Thankfully) so my hands do not look like shredded meat.

If I keep the front door open to bring more air into the house, she stands guard at the security screen. Should Bentley or Twist come up to say hello, she will back up and charge the door. Funny thing to witness how brave she is when there is a screen door between her and the outside world.

It still feels as if there are no cats in the house. They both spend a lot of time still underneath the coffee table. If they jump on the bed at night to sleep with me, it is short-lived and they jump down almost immediately. Just working with them slowly so they can understand nothing here will hurt them. Both of them, I have discovered have the beginnings of stomatitis (gum rot). We have never seen one-year old kittens with such bad gums. It’s quite sad and painful to both. We need to get the special veterinary dry food- but $37.00 for a six pound bag is not attainable at this time. The challenge is how do you brush the teeth of kittens who already have so many private demons they are chasing? Especially Ash who is still deathly afraid of hands. We will figure it out.

The latest arrival, Maverick who arrived yesterday, dumped in my driveway did not make it. Her gums were yellow indicating liver problems and she went to the Bridge last night. But Life goes on, one day at a time.

Stay safe everyone-

Taking my morning stroll with Kota back to the creek (today in dense fog) I heard the flapping of immense wings. Straining to see through the mist coming off the creek, I looked up and directly over my head, I saw this beautiful grey heron. He was scoping out the creek (the water is over the level due to the last few days of heavy rains. Suddenly, he swooped down and carried off a fish for his breakfast. It was magical for me. The last few months have been so tough for so many. Some of us in lock-down, removed from the people we love and who love us.

Seeing this majestic bird slammed home to me why Mike and I bought this place. At the time (30 years ago) the house was in shambles. The outside stairs leading up the second floor, wasn’t deemed safe. But we fell in love with the land and all the creatures that came with it:deer, coyote, raccoons, possums, skunks and even cougars. Although most of the the larger predators have moved on, walking the property and pausing in the trees helps me find balance in my day. Two days ago, I saw an eagle in my back pasture. I haven’t seen a eagle at our place in at least ten years..

Today, the gas man cometh. My stove has grown to be quite bi-polar. Sometimes, it works but mostly it either won’t light on the right side, or it whooshes up. I haven’t been using that side of my stove for a few months. I’m also hoping that he will help me move my stove out. I have a sneaking suspicion that the contractors left another hole in my wall as mice are still quite prevalent in my kitchen. Magoo and Ash have honed their hunting skills and last night they were alerting to my stove. When I shone my flashlight between the stove and the cupboard, I saw a gray field mice running the line of the wall.

I discovered a few months ago, that they left a big hole open behind my refrigerator (which I plugged with a steel plate). I am hoping I find a hole behind my stove- otherwise, I have no clue where these critters are getting in. I keep trying to entice Twist into the house. She is full feral and my best hunter- but she wants nothing to do with it. She has been outside her entire life after she was offered up as bait as a young kitten to a boa constrictor. 🙁 Can I even blame her that she steers clear of humans? No, I cannot, but I keep hoping that just one time she will step over the doorway and take on the hunt.

I did buy a few of those “humane” mouse traps. The slogan is “The mice go in, but they don’t come out!” Yes they do come out of the trap all the time, except first they eat all the peanut butter you spread on the pad and leave their droppings behind. LOL I am being outsmarted by a mouse. Don’t waste your money buying them- they do not work.

Thank you to those who donated to our cause recently. We were able to buy 4- 30 can cases of Fancy Feast, 2, 40 can cases of Friskies and 4,  40 pound bags of Cat Chow. Also we put a few dollars on our vet bill.I wish I didn’t have to purchase the food through walmart (after they kicked us to curb a few months ago). But we needed the food now, not in a week which is what happens when we order online.

Have a safe and sane Memorial weekend.We are staying put here with the animals.