daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

Hoping to Get Back Soon

I haven't posted to this blog for the last couple of weeks.  During the first of those two weeks, I was in the hospital.  Then last week I was home, but not doing very well.  I'll regain my strength and get back to blogging.  Only recently I had started updating you about the current Wishers.  I certainly want to continue their stories.  And, looks like we'll be getting back to some Wildlife Wednesdays.  Older Daughter has just received her first babies of the season.

In addition, something went haywire with Facebook.  I know some of you read this blog through that medium.  If Facebook continues to block my blog, I will try copying & pasting the stories.

In the meantime, please don't think I have abandoned daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee).  I certainly hope to be back soon.

Slate

I’ve started the process of re-introducing you to the cats of Winnie’s Wish.  I wrote about Smokey first, then about his biological sister Snowflake.   These two came here as part of a litter of four kittens, arriving a few months old and already mostly feral.  Toast tamed enough to be adopted.  So that leaves the final one of these four – Slate.

The three of this litter who have stayed here are quite afraid of anybody who comes into the cathouse (other than me).  Snowflake occasionally lets me pet her; Smokey loves, loves, loves me and wants my undivided attention when I am in his room.  Slate is somewhere in between.  He definitely wants me to pet him and enjoys any attention I give him.  But he doesn’t spend the entire time I’m in his room trying to get my attention (like Smokey).  He is very loving, and once upon a time he was chosen for adoption.

I explained to the person that Slate (like SO many of the Wishers) would require patience.  We discussed his background and his lovely temperament.  We discussed that he would need an extended adjustment period.  The young woman said she had a special way with animals and felt like Slate would do really well with her.  But after a few days in his new home, Slate was returned to Winnie’s Wish.  This was one of those times that made me study about what I was doing – sending feral-start cats into adoptive homes.  So very many times it worked out fine.  But when it didn’t, it always broke my heart.  Almost every time a Wisher was returned over the years, my heartbreak was because he or she was leaving a real home and returning to life in a “shelter.”   But that was not the case with Slate.  I was heartbroken because he had been so traumatized by the whole event.  The young woman who had adopted Slate said that he was climbing straight up the walls when they would go into his room.  She also said he charged at their toddler.  All I know for sure is that this adoption did not work out.  And that I couldn’t wait to get Slate back.  Husband and I drove to the halfway point to pick him up.  I wrote about it on this blog.  Here is an excerpt:   

I brought Slate into my vehicle to move him from their carrier to mine.  He was hiding under the blanket in their carrier.  When I got him in my vehicle and closed the door, I started calling his name and talking to him.  His head popped out from under the blanket and he started absolutely scream-crying at me.  Loud meows, one after another, over and over.  I pulled him out of their carrier and started to put him in mine, and he reached around and grabbed me and held on.  I kept talking to him and he kept meow-screaming at me.  I told him to just hang on a minute.  “Let me give them their carrier back, Slate, and I’ll be right back.”

I stepped out, gave the couple their carrier and adoption fee back, and thanked them for trying.  When I got back in my vehicle, Slate was at the front of his carrier.  I reached in and he plowed his head into my hand.  Husband started driving, and Slate started making the biggest muffins I’ve ever seen.  He purred and pushed his face against me and looked me directly in the face as the meows got quieter and quieter.  I was no longer bummed about anything.  I thought I maybe couldn’t love any cat as much as I loved Slate in those moments.  We did this for a while and then I eased Slate back into his carrier      . . .  with my hand still on him, Slate went sound asleep.  He slept all the way home.

Slate is extremely happy here at Winnie’s Wish.  One of his roommates is his best friend in the world - Finnick.  They have been inseparable ever since their introduction to each other.   Three and a half years ago, I wrote about their relationship.   They continue to be deeply bonded.  (I’ll write about Finnick next week.)

 

Slate with best friend Finnick

 

 

Slate -  Winnie’s Wisher since 2013.  When you support Winnie’s Wish, you’re helping to take care of Slate.  When you care about Winnie’s Wish, you care about Slate.

 

This gift arrived for Winnie’s Wish with a note that said – “Celebrating your new sanctuary status!”

Maria – THANK YOU.

 

And Ginny – THANK YOU again.

 

See you next week.

 

Snowflake

Now that Winnie’s Wish is 100% Sanctuary, I am writing about the Wishers in the form of an individual update on each one.   Last week, I started the whole thing off with Smokey.   In that post, I mentioned that Smokey had come here with three siblings – two brothers (Slate and Toast) and a sister.  That sister is Snowflake.   She became a Wisher in June of 2013.

Now remember that this group was already feral when they came as a litter of kittens.  They’d been without human contact for the first months of their lives.  I’ve learned over SO many years of dealing with feral litters that there is almost always one in the group who will tame to the point of being quite adoptable.  The others in the litter reach varying levels of tameness, with some not taming much at all.  This will come up more than once as I re-introduce you to the kitties of Winnie’s Wish.  I’ve had several groups like this.  The group that includes Snowflake (today’s highlighted cat) and Smokey (last week’s highlight) and Slate and Toast breaks down this way:  Toast tamed and was adopted.  You can tell by last week’s post about Smokey that he certainly decided that being MY friend would be just fine.  Like most of the cats here now, he is horrified when anyone other than me goes into the cathouse.  But he loves, loves, loves ME.  I’ll write about Slate next week.  He isn’t quite as affectionate as Smokey, but he certainly is not afraid of me.  Snowflake, unfortunately, is the one in this group who just never was able to fully trust a human . . .  not even me.

Now – she does occasionally let me pet her.    But when she decides that we can have an interaction, it is short and sweet.  And ALWAYS on her terms.  Of course, that is fine with me.  I’ve never cared how much attention a cat will give me.  I love them all so much.  I mostly admire Snowflake from a distance.  But I DO get to pet her now and then. 

She is quite happy living in her particular room in the cathouse.  She enjoys her outside deck (in better weather).  She still occasionally plays with toys.  And she is very photogenic.  Jeanne (Random Felines) loves that she has the tufts of ear fur.  It’s hard to see them in a picture, but still . . .  you can see what a cutie she is.

 

big stretch

 

allowing me to pet her

 

 

Snowflake -  Winnie’s Wisher since 2013.  When you support Winnie’s Wish, you’re helping to take care of Snowflake.  When you care about Winnie’s Wish, you care about Snowflake.

 

Ginny – THANK YOU for your paypal gift with note that said – “Keep up this great new cause.”

 

See you next week.

 

 

Smokey

A couple of weeks ago, I told you that I would start doing stories about the cats who will live out their lives here at Winnie’s Wish.  But before I start this first story, let me tell you how much it meant to me to have your support over the loss of my sweet, sweet Tad.  I was going to post another picture of him (here, today) but I find myself unwilling at this time to look at any pictures of him.  I had a real bond with Tad.  I miss him terribly.

On to happier things.  Winnie’s Wish is now a sanctuary.  The cats here will live out their lives in the comfort of one of the rooms in the cathouse or kennel, or in a dog run converted into a kitty condo.  Every single cat here has access to an outside deck (which they enjoy more when it is NOT Winter).

I guess there’s no real rhyme or reason for the order in which I will be re-introducing to you the cats of Winnie’s Wish.   I’m not even sure why I chose Smokey to be the first.  But here he is. 

Smokey came to Winnie’s Wish in June of 2013.  He was part of a litter of four, three boys and a girl, who were already about 3 months old when they were captured.  They’d had no human contact, and unfortunately they already had the ways of ferals.   As is SO often the case, one of this group tamed (Toast, and he was eventually adopted).  The other three (Snowflake, Slate, and Smokey) have lived their lives here.  Smokey used to live with his two siblings, but when another feral cat moved into that room, he started bullying Smokey.  So Smokey was moved to a different room in the cathouse.  He has lived there happily ever since. 

Smokey LOVES me.  I have some sort of a relationship with every Wisher here (even the three I can’t touch).  Some of the Wishers are quite happy to see me every day, but after a little attention and a few pets, they are off to do other things.  There are certain cats here, however, who really show their affection to me.  Smokey is one of them.

In addition to being in love with me, Smokey really likes all of the cats in his room.  He is absolutely huge and could bully any cat he wanted to.  But he is sweet (always has been) and enjoys the companionship of the other cats.  I’ve discovered him sleeping with various ones at different times.   Smokey has a favorite cat tree.  There are windows between the rooms in the cathouse.  Even though Smokey is in the third room, he sees me (through those windows) come in the front door.  He runs and jumps up on his cat tree.  That way he can be in position for his daily shower of love.

 

 

Smokey.  Winnie’s Wisher since 2013.  When you support Winnie’s Wish, you’re helping to take care of Smokey.  When you care about Winnie’s Wish, you care about Smokey.

 

Speaking of support . . .

 

Heather and Zach have TWO Wishers living The Good Life in their home.  And they sent this gift.

 

Heather and Zach – THANK YOU.

 

And Cynthia – THANK YOU for your paypal gift in memory of Tad.

 

See you next week.

 

Tad

Maybe you remember a little foster kitten of mine – Tad.

 

This is one of the first pictures I took of Tad.

 

He is now nine months old.  I’ve had him for eight of those. And I’m about to lose him.  I didn’t write about Tad’s illness at the beginning in early January.  I didn’t write about his continued illness as it drug on.  I didn’t write about it because I knew Tad would get well.  As each new stage appeared, I knew that we would beat it.  There have now been four weeks of vet trips, antibiotics, immune boosters, blood work, etc.  He has steadily declined.  Now, in this final stage, Tad is completely blind and deaf.  He hasn’t eaten on his own for days.                 Force-feeding him was torture – for both of us.  Now I will let him go.

All of you reading here know what it’s like to lose one of your furry family members.  I have written about loss many times on this blog.  It’s hard to lose a senior dog or cat.  So many years.  So many memories.  It’s also hard to lose a tiny kitten after only getting to know him or her for a few weeks.  But losing a cat that you’ve been with for eight months . . .  plenty of time to deeply bond, too short of time together.

When things got really bad, I railed against it.  But during these last few days of force-feeding, watching Tad in his silent, dark world has moved me to a new place.  I told my husband that if Tad could get well, but remain blind and deaf, we would accommodate him.  But he will not be getting well.  And he is getting weaker.  He continues to have around-the-clock fever.  This morning, he is crying in his sleep.

My heart aches with the pain of losing him.  But he will soon be at peace.

 

 

Tad – Farewell.

 

 

Winnie’s Wish Sanctuary

 

You Winnie’s Wish supporters and daily dose readers are the best!  Your comments and emails have contributed to the relief I feel about my decision to transition from shelter to sanctuary.  You can trust that the Wishers HAVE a home – right here.  Their comfort and happiness is my ongoing goal.

What I will do in the months to come is write about the glorious group of cats who call Winnie’s Wish home.  I will try to go back and find pictures of each one when they first came into my care, and I will add fresh new pictures as well.  I can tell you all about each one’s personality and their relationships with other cats and with me. 

But before I start re-introducing you to the Wishers, let me remind you how all of this started. 

The cathouse itself was once upon a time only a single room.  My husband and father built a tiny little one-room house for me when I took in a family of five that I simply could not add to our household.  This is how the cathouse started.

 

 

It wasn’t long after that I started blogging.  Early into that new endeavor, I rescued a kitten who only lived two days.  My blog readers at the time suggested I do something to honor her memory – something that would endure.  That’s when my rescue and shelter got its name.  The kitten’s name was Wintergreen, but we called her Winnie.  When she died, Winnie’s Wish was born.

It wasn’t long before my tiny one-room cathouse wasn’t big enough.  With the help of contributions, we added a second room on.  At that time, I thought surely I had enough space to last me forever.

 

 

As I moved forward in time, I started realizing that I needed a small space devoted to nursing moms and tiny kittens.  Without sharing this on the blog (because I knew you wonderful people would want to send your money and you had already helped me build onto the cathouse), Husband and I built a small room onto the kennel, adjacent to my office.  This was a place mostly for the foster cats and kittens that I took in temporarily to help the shelter where my daughters work.

And then, finally, it was decided that my cathouse needed to expand again to accommodate the growing number of Wishers.  You helped me with that endeavor.

 

I have since turned my kennel office and some kennel runs into comfortable living spaces for Wishers.  My goal has always been to make EACH individual cat here as happy as possible.  This has required me to find creative ways to house cats of all persuasions – those who enjoy the company of other cats and those who do not.  I spend my mornings and evenings attending to the 29 Wishers in all of their various locations.  At this time, I find them to be quite content.  And as this year moves forward, I will share with you the stories of each and every kitty living here at Winnie’s Wish.

 

See you next week.

 

 

 

 

The TNR Project

Let me start with this.  THANK YOU for your VERY kind and supportive comments on my blog post yesterday.  I deeply appreciate what you wrote, and I feel extremely blessed to have you wonderful people out there in the world caring about what happens to the cats of Winnie’s Wish.

 

Next, a Wish List gift came over the holidays with no ID. Mystery solved.

Tracey and Kevin (and Gracie & Ava) – THANK YOU.

 

Ginny – THANK YOU for your gifts to Wild Angels and to Winnie’s Wish (to help with the spay of the newest Wisher). 

 

I hope, if you contributed to my TNR fundraiser, that you are reading here today.  I’d like to ask those of you who gave your money to this cause if you are OK with what I would like to do with the balance of that money.  The elderly couple on the property report to me that they have not seen that last tomcat any more.  I was hoping still to get him, but he seems to only pass through occasionally.  I also had the couple on high alert for ANY cat they saw on the property that did not have the marked ear (meaning that cat HAD been spayed or neutered).  As far as I can tell, we managed to sterilize all of the cats in this colony, with the exception of the big elusive yellow tomcat.  The last two to have their surgeries were the two black kittens that I have had for a couple of months now. 

 

 

 

I have almost $400 left.  If those of you who gave to this cause agree, I would like to put that money aside and periodically buy food for the elderly couple feeding this colony on their property.  But I don’t want to use all of the money for food.  I’d like to keep a little chunk saved back in case we are ever able to get that yellow tom, or any other unspayed/unneutered cat that might show up there.  If this is agreeable to everyone who contributed, I will hold that money for a possible future spay or neuter and use some for the occasional food delivery to the property.

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU you wonderful people – for being the kind of people that you are and for reading here and supporting me in my mission to create better lives for as many animals as I can.  See you next week.

 

 

2019 - Transition

Last month I mentioned I would be sharing with you some changes that would be taking place here.  I want to do that today.  This may not come as a surprise to some of you.  I’ve talked differently about Winnie’s Wish during the last year or two.  Winnie’s Wish has been a rescue and shelter for all of the years of its existence.  Something I was never willing to do was to overcrowd.  On any day I could have gone out and easily discovered a cat or two (or a dozen) who needed to be rescued.  There is no end to the number of cats in my part of the world (and nearly everywhere) who need to be rescued.   To give every Wisher a good life while waiting for the possibility of adoption, I did not allow my place to become overcrowded.  Of course, this limited the number of cats I could save.   Any time I was at my ceiling number, I couldn’t save any more cats or kittens until some of the Wishers were adopted.  That worked for many years.  But over those years, I rescued some cats who were not terribly “adoptable.”  Some of those (like Hope and Spritz) were adopted anyway.  Against the odds, those cats stayed in those homes because of amazing humans who didn’t give up.  At the beginning of this month, I received a message from a years-ago adopter who took two of those “less adoptable” kitties.  Mary sent me a message via Facebook.  It had been years since I’d heard from her.  As with ALL Wishers, I now and again wondered about Sunshine and Orange Juice.  This is what Mary had to say –

Sunshine and Orange Juice still love each other and I love them. Sunshine is definitely my sun and brightens my day. Juice lets me pet him and really enjoys it but picking him up makes him so nervous so I just respect his space and what he can allow in his life. There is no reason to stress him. But, the brothers are still bonded and love each other very much. I love my boys. They are both the sweetest boys. Sunshine is a blessing. And OJ blesses me in his own quiet way. I can pick him up but I can feel his tension so I don't push it. I am thankful he lets me pet him and he will lay at the foot of my bed. I let him determine the comfort zone.

 

I can’t imagine much that can make me any happier.  But as happy as permanent adoptions have made me over the years, I have made some mistakes as well.  I have sent Wishers into homes where they were not cared for.  I have sent Wishers into homes from which they were returned.  This has only happened a handful of times, but each time was a complete heartbreak for me.  This might sound dramatic.  I hope not.  I can’t help how I am.   The stress of adopting out cats has taken a toll.   Sometimes Wishers went to people I knew through the blog.  This was such a relief.  But many times, adopters showed up through Petfinder.  I was never able to know FOR SURE that I was sending a cat into the kind of loving home I felt each one deserved.  Most times, these adopted Wishers ended up EXACTLY where they were supposed to be.  But it would be weeks, sometimes months, before I would know that for sure.  It was a huge emotional stressor in my life.  Of course, I had to do it.  I couldn’t take in more than I could get adopted out.  And for so many of these cats, their lives were deeply enriched by joining the families who adopted them.

One time, when I was really struggling (emotionally) with getting a Wisher back (Hope, before she went to her wonderful current home), one of my dear friends said to me in an email - Maybe Hope is already home (meaning here with me).  You see, that’s how I’d always felt. I never would have adopted out a single cat if it had been possible to keep them all.  The problem, of course, was that I could only take the number in that I could get adopted out.  So if I wanted to keep saving lives, I HAD to do the adoption thing.  And don't get me wrong.  It was the right thing to do.  I have gotten over 60 cats into good homes.  But the toll it has taken on me has been great.  And I can't do it anymore.  I am emotionally exhausted.

Back in October, I got Halo back.  And I may be getting another Wisher back as well (no final decision has been made yet in this situation).   The cats I have here currently are the types of cats who need VERY special people.  These are not cats who would be “easy” adoptions.  So I’ve made the decision to go 100% sanctuary.  I will no longer adopt out. That means I will not be able to rescue future cats.  This took effect on January 5^th.  There are currently 29 cats here at Winnie’s Wish.  I will care for them like my own (always have anyway).  I will take all of these cats through the ends of their lives.  The current Wishers are very settled, happy, and content here.  I am relieved, overjoyed really, that each of these sweethearts is staying right here.

I hope you, the readers of this blog, can understand.  I hope beyond hope that you will continue to support me.  The costs here will not change at all.  I will be providing for the same number of cats.  There will be no more spays and neuters as there will be no new intakes.  But there will be vet care, especially as this group ages. 

My plan for the blog is to begin to highlight the Wishers here.  It’s been a long time since I’ve written about most of these sweethearts.  I will write about a different Wisher every week, hoping you will fall in love with each one all over again and understand why your support is still so needed and so appreciated.

 

I’m going to be back tomorrow, briefly, to talk about the TNR project.  If you gave money to that fundraiser, please tune in. See you then.

 

The 29th and Final

I’m going to tell you a sad story today.  Well, it has a happy ending, but knowing that things like this are real is hard to take.  There is a hero in this story – a sixteen year old girl who is trying to do the right thing.  Let me start at the beginning.

This sixteen year old girl has a cat.  The family she lives with allows her to have her cat in the house as long as it stays in her room.  She loves her cat.  But there is another cat who lives outside.  This cat is not spayed.  She has had multiple litters in the past, and the girl has been worrying and worrying about the upcoming Kitten Season, knowing that this outside cat will be pregnant again.  In the past, the kittens have disappeared or gotten sick and died.  The girl wants all of this to stop, but the family will not get the cat spayed. 

I was made privy to this situation when my daughters told me the story.  We decided that the right thing to do would be to get this cat spayed.  The sixteen year old is feeding the cat, but she can’t afford a spay surgery.    I called and got the cat scheduled and she will be spayed tomorrow at my veterinary clinic.  This brought great relief to the girl who delivered the cat to my daughters on Saturday morning. 

I picked the cat up that afternoon.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), I received more information about this cat’s life when I showed up to get her.  This sweet little cat is being treated horribly by this family.  A while back, her foot was broken.  I have not been told HOW the foot got broken, but my imagination has taken me to some dark places.  They did NOT seek treatment for the break.  So this cat went through that on her own.  The foot has healed and she is able to use it.  She does not appear to be in any pain.  It is slightly crooked.  The rest of the story is this – the people kick this cat off the front porch.  When she slips up onto the porch to get out of the weather, and the family members see her, they kick her off the porch.  I don’t mean that they shoo her away.  I mean kick – as in with their feet.  The only person in the home who is nice to her is the girl.  The cat has learned to run from everyone coming and going to the house except for the girl.  As I stood looking into the carrier at the cat while being filled in on the details of this story, I already knew I couldn’t send her back after the spay surgery. 

 

The front right paw is the one that was broken.

 

You can see that paw turning slightly in.

 

I spoke with the girl and she wants this cat to go somewhere else.  She wants her to have a chance at an indoor life, but more than that she wants the cat to live where she will be treated with love.  So it is done.  This kitty will not go back there.  She will become my 29^th (and final) Wisher. 

My plan for today’s blog post was to fill you in on some changes here at Winnie’s Wish.  I will do that next week.  This sweet kitty came into my life just in time.   Unfortunately, she is definitely damaged.  She is afraid of me (and many things) at this point.  But I will make sure that this sweetheart is allowed to learn that people are NOT going to be mean to her.  She will never again live outdoors.  And she will never be kicked again!  I know this kind of stuff is out there, but to come across it firsthand makes it too real.

Note:  For those of you reading this who are hoping that I will try to pursue charges against the family for animal abuse, I will not be doing that.  I will protect this sixteen year old girl by quietly taking in this cat and leaving the issue alone.  But I did tell this girl that she is a hero - a sixteen year old hero in the midst of “adults.”   I applaud her courage.   The girl was thrilled when I told her that when she is old enough to move out on her own someday, we can talk about her having this cat as her own.

 

 

See you next week.  If you are a supporter of Winnie’s Wish, please tune in.

 

Post Holiday Season

I hope your Holiday Season was spectacular.  Ours was great.  Younger Daughter made special (healthy) holiday treats for her dogs, our dogs, and Older Daughter’s dogs. 

 

(And no – those are not chocolate chips)

 

We only have the five dogs now – my two ferals Frank and Apples, my ancient Miracle, and Rolly & Ressie.  Rolly and Ressie are the only ones of our current group who play with toys.  So they each got a new Christmas toy. 

 

 

Our kitties got some new toys which were immediately batted all over the house.  But the favorite toys for our cats were the cardboard boxes that brought Wish List gifts to the Wishers.

 

And that brings me to the amazing gifts that arrived over the holidays for Winnie’s Wish.

 

The family who adopted Wisher Annie (now Luna) celebrated Luna’s adoption anniversary by sending this gift to the Wishers.

Luna and Family - THANK YOU.

 

This gift came with no id. *Mystery solved

*Tracey and Kevin (and Gracie & Ava) – THANK YOU.

 

Mindy Slimmer and mom CJ (who have THREE Wishers) sent this gift.

Mindy and CJ – THANK YOU.

 

Beth and Mike sent their annual Christmas gift to Winnie’s Wish.

Beth and Mike – THANK YOU.

 

Cynthia – THANK YOU for your paypal gift in memory of Mandy.

 

Karen L - THANK YOU for your card and gift in memory of Mandy.

 

There is one more gift to mention.  You all know Andrea (Celestial Kitties).  She and husband Greg sent a gigantic gift to Winnie’s Wish for the holidays.  It’s too much to get into one picture so here it is in three.

 

Andrea and Greg – THANK YOU.

 

I sure hope your Holiday Season was as wonderful as ours.  See you next week.