daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

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.

Friend of Winnie’s Wish – 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.

 

 

Happy Holidays

If you read here, it must be because you love animals.   I want to take today to thank every single person who cares about my work.  The fact that you read here and care about all of the animals I write about is what helps me do the work I do.  I’ve always felt a strong need to help/rescue/care for our furry creatures who cannot care for themselves.  Over the years, those animals have included dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, livestock, and wildlife.  The most recent addition to my work has included my first-ever TNR colony.  Couldn’t have done that without all of the money that you gave.  (more on that situation in a minute)  There are currently 28 cats here at Winnie’s Wish.  It takes a ton of money and supplies to care for so many.   Your monetary and Wish List gifts help me so so much!  And as I’ve said many times – it helps knowing all of you are out there reading and caring about what happens to the animals that come into my life.  You daily dose folks are the best!

Let me give you a quick update on the TNR colony.  We have failed to get that big tom that the man saw a while back.  He is keeping an eye out.  I think this big guy roams and only shows up occasionally.  I will keep trying.  Also – all of the TNR cats have been marked (ear) and the man and woman on the property are watching for any cat that does not have a marked ear.  As I recently reported, 22 cats from this property are no longer able to reproduce.  I’m pretty excited about that.  But I’ve explained to the people that we need to keep watching.  They know they can call me at any time and I will come.  We will move forward on a one-cat-at-a-time basis.  I’m determined that this colony will be a zero-growth population.  Keep your fingers crossed.  It feels good to have so many cats sterilized.  Then there is also the dog on the property.  I got her spayed way back at the start of all of this.  And finally, the woman told me that they were getting too old to continue to care for their chickens.  She was able to give four of them to her daughter.  There were three left.  And it was MY daughter (Younger) who came to the rescue.  She has chickens (that she loves) and she took the final three.   We went and picked them up last Thursday night.  That felt really good, and I was feeling great about this property – cats, dog, and now chickens.  But while we were there, the man said he saw a gray-and-white, a black, and a tabby that he didn’t remember me having.  I said all of those sounded like cats we had already done and that if he could get close enough he could check the ears.  He said he would pay attention, but he wondered if they were new cats that hadn’t been done.  I sure do hope not.  I feel like these are ones that have already had their surgeries and that maybe he has forgotten.  But I told him not to hesitate to let me know if he saw ANY cat without the marked ear.  As I said earlier, Friends, keep your fingers crossed.

Here are the two little black kittens (from the property) that I’ve had for some time now.  They are nearly old enough to have their surgeries.  I’ve been calling the male “Cole” and the female “Raven.”  They are not nice friendly kittens who could be easily adopted.  But now that they’ve lived here for so long, it would be heartbreaking to return them to the property.  They play constantly with two foster kittens from my daughters’ shelter who are in the same room with them.

 

 

 

Last Tuesday I posted about Tad and Enoch being “Best Buds.”   Two things about that story.  One, I said that they were little Christmas angels, not bothering my decorations much or the tree at all.  Well, that has changed.  I guess they just had to warm up.  I replace ornaments every single day.  And some of the time, I find them IN the tree.  That’s a whole lot more normal than what I previously reported.  Second, I had to smile when a few of you commented on that post – you said you hoped they get to stay together because they are such good friends.  That decision is long over.  I’ll refer you to my post Double Foster Fail from back in September. 

 

Ginny – THANK YOU for your gift in memory of Mandy.

 

When I get back here in the new year, I have some changes to tell you about.  Until then, I wish all of you the best of whatever holiday(s) you celebrate this time of year.  See ya in 2019!

 

 

 

Best Buds

(Let me start with this.  Thank you for your sweet and supportive comments about the loss of our Mandy dog.  I always appreciate you all so much.)

 

Tad and Enoch were best buds from the very beginning.  They started out in my bathroom.  And they were immediately friends – eating, playing, and sleeping together.  I took no pictures of them together because I was advertising them for adoption on the shelter’s Facebook page.  Looking back, I wish I’d have taken some cute pictures of them together instead of always as singles.  This is about all I got.

 

 

As they grew and ventured out of the bathroom, they explored everywhere and made friends with our other cats.  But they have remained best buds.

 

See two lumps in the couch cover?

 

Here are those lumps revealed.

 

 

 

 

Many of you have had the experience of a kitten in your home.  Maybe that experience even included what it was like at the holidays . . .    kittens and Christmas decorations usually don’t mix well.  Tad and Enoch have been little Christmas angels.  Except for rolling a glittered pine cone around a couple of times, they have not bothered the decorations or the tree.

 

 

 

Speaking of Christmas, let me share with you the spirit of the holidays.

Winnie’s Wish received this gift from Alyssa for Giving Tuesday.  Alyssa has supported Winnie’s Wish for a very long time.  She even gave the greatest gift of all – a home for a Wisher (Bobo).  The gift came with a note that said – Happy Giving Tuesday! Love Bobo and Family

 

Alyssa and Family – THANK YOU.

 

Also received a paypal gift from June.  The note said – “Could not forget the Wishers on Giving Tuesday!”

June – THANK YOU.

 

See you next week.

 

Mandy

Mandy was 14 years old.  She had struggled with a hip problem for months.  Of course, I had her on all of the meds appropriate for the condition.  About three weeks ago, I noticed that she started having trouble with the front leg on the same side with the bad hip.  That was rough.  It started to become difficult for Mandy to pull herself up and walk.  But once she got going, she did ok.  I worried, though, that this might be the beginning of the end.  She had “old dog body,” if you know what I mean.  She still had a good appetite, but she had very slowly lost weight over the last year of her life.  I knew, at her age, that we didn’t have lots and lots of time left.  As I’ve said on this blog before, I tend to wait too long before assisting an animal to The Rainbow Bridge.  I always hope I will know when that time comes, but I have definitely waited longer than I should have on more than one occasion.

Mandy was a swollen-bellied, mange-covered, skinny puppy with two sister littermates in December of 2004.  My daughters were exploring in a wooded area close to our home when they came upon three tiny puppies hidden in the root system of a great big tree. (That story here.)  They got the puppies on a Sunday, and on Wednesday it started snowing.  It snowed throughout Wednesday and Thursday.  The storm set a new 24-hour record.  We got 20 inches, and North winds produced drifts up to five feet deep.  Interstates were closed. People were stranded all throughout the region.  The blizzard brought record cold, too.  Temperatures were as low as 10 below zero on Christmas morning that year.

The three pups – Mandy, Mindy, and Muffin – stayed cozy and warm with us.  I got their mange under control and wormed them, of course.  They put on weight and learned not to fear humans.  Muffin lived her entire life with us.  Mindy was adopted.  Mandy was adopted, too, but her adopter died from cancer, and Mandy came back here.  Muffin and Mandy lived out the rest of their lives together.  Then in July of 2017, I lost Muffin to lymphoma.  Mandy marched on.

Last Friday, I had to coax Mandy to eat.  This was a new development.  No matter what else was going on, Mandy always loved to eat.  On Saturday and Sunday I had to lift her to get her on her feet.  Out in the yard, she struggled to hold herself up while she took care of her business.  On Sunday evening, I had to hold her in place (which she did not care for) because she couldn’t hold herself up any longer.  That night I told Husband that it was probably time to help Mandy leave that old, broken-down body.  But I said I just couldn’t do it yet.  She doesn’t stand at her raised food dish to eat anymore – I said - but if I hold the food in front of her while she stays lying down, she still seems to want it.  I hope I don’t let this go on too long.  I hate this part.

The next morning she was the same.  Walking had become impossible without help.  And she could no longer stand to eat.  I worried all day that I shouldn’t be keeping her alive.  It was clear that her pain meds (now increased) were not keeping her pain levels down.  I knew that this would be the week, but I didn’t make that call.  Not on Monday.

Then on Tuesday Mandy wouldn’t eat.  It was the sign I needed.  After sitting with her, trying to get her to take even one bite, I put the bowl down and just sat beside her.  I petted her and petted her and talked to her for a while.  I told her I knew she was in pain and that I would help her get out of that body.  I told her she would see Muffin again, and that I hoped they would romp and play together.  Then I went and called my clinic.

Husband drove and I sat in the back seat with Mandy.  When we arrived at the clinic, Husband went in and said we’d just stay in our vehicle.  Dr. O came out and gave Mandy the injection to make her drowsy.  I repeated what I’ve said to Dr. O so many times before.  This never gets any easier.  He gave us a few minutes and then came back out and we assisted Mandy to The Bridge.  She went peacefully.  I know she and Muffin reunited right away.  (This is Muffin on the left and Mandy on the right.)

 

Mandy – Farewell.

 

Blues

Two days from now I need four cats from the property to fill the surgery slots I reserved.  So far I have ONE.  This is making me quite nervous.  But at least I do have one.  On Thanksgiving morning, I heard from the man at the property.  He said he saw another gray one (there are several of these Russian blues) and he was pretty sure it did not have a clipped ear.  I went out there and sure enough, here was another unaltered cat.  I got her and she is safely tucked away in a cage in my kennel.  As I’ve been saying, it’s becoming more and more difficult to catch, or even find, an unaltered cat.  The man said that he did see a very large tom a few days ago – one he hadn’t seen in weeks.  So I certainly hope to get that one.  My concern, of course, is that we will miss one or two and the breeding will resume.  I have explained to the man that he can get in touch with me at any time, even way into the future, if he sees a cat who doesn’t have a clipped ear.  My goal is to make this a zero-growth population.  My dear Friends – keep your fingers crossed.

 

The only one I have for this week’s surgery spots.

 

 At this point in time, there have been 18 spays and neuters.  In addition to that, three kittens have been taken from the property – a little Russian blue on the first day I was there (more in a minute) and the brother and sister black kittens that are living in my kennel kitten room.  Then there is the blue that will have surgery this Thursday.  That’s 22 cats who will not reproduce.  I’m VERY happy about this.  Of course, I won’t rest until I know we’ve gotten them all.

Now just a word about the two luckiest cats from the property.  I told you that I took a little Russian blue kitten on the first day I went to the property.  I took this little guy even before I knew for sure that the people I had in mind would actually adopt him.  They did, and I wrote about it at the time.  (This couple had already adopted a Wisher – Annie, now Luna.)   They took little Finn into their home and started the introduction process.  Here are Finn and Luna now.

 

Finn & Luna

 

Then just last week I told you about an adult Russian blue who was adopted by Mell (who came from Florida to get her guy).  He and her other cat Mickey are adjusting to each other.  She says Kismet (the male from the property) is being quite good, but that Mickey is having a little more trouble with the adjustment.  However, she reports that there is less hissing on Mickey’s part now and that they stayed on the couch together for nearly ten minutes a few days ago.  Here is the other lucky property cat in his comfortable new home.

 

Kismet

 

 It’s probably unlikely that I will get three more cats by tomorrow.  But keep your fingers crossed anyway, Friends.  And hope with me that I will eventually get every single cat on this property.

See you next week.  

 

Kismet

Definition of kismet -  destiny; fate.

It’s possible you remember the story of my Wisher Kizzie.  I’ve always called him Kizzie, but the name I gave him was Kismet.  The way he ended up here was definitely fate.  Well, today I’m going to introduce you to another Kismet.  I guess “introduce” is not actually correct as you’ve already been introduced to him.  Last week’s blog post carried the title Long Shot.  I guess my story today is why you never give up hope.  There always exists the possibility that things are going to line up . . .   perfectly.

Mell is a name you’ve read on this blog many times.  She has supported Winnie’s Wish over the years with dollars and Wish List gifts.  Mell and I have conversed on occasion about how she would like to adopt a Wisher.  One of Mell’s cats, however, was an older guy named Evinrude who would not have tolerated a newcomer.  Mell shared that Evinrude was lovingly given the nickname “The Rude One.”  Mell wanted him to be able to live the remainder of his life in peace.  Now let me go back in time for just a second.  Mell lost one of her kitty family members back in December 2016.  TC was a Russian blue.  When he died, Mell sent a big Wish List gift to Winnie’s Wish in memory of TC.  Well, last Wednesday Mell lost her Evinrude. After days of trying everything the vet knew to try, they decided to help Evinrude leave his suffering behind.  Mell sent a gigantic gift to Winnie’s Wish.  So much came that it wouldn’t all fit on my stairs in the same frame.  So the following TWO pictures are of what Winnie’s Wish received, with the note that said In memory of Evinrude, aka The Rude One.

 

Evinrude

 

Mell – THANK YOU.

 

Now here’s where the story turns a corner.  Mell lost Evinrude on Wednesday.  It was the day before that I had posted about two of the TNR cats that I hated to take back to the property.  A little gray-and-white fluffy female and a male Russian blue with bad ears.  The little fluffy female was feral but seemed to me that she could come around in the right home.   I knew I wouldn’t get any takers, but I put it out there anyway.  (She went back to the property yesterday.)  The gray tom was completely tame.  I was super surprised by this because as far as I knew, we had gotten the only six tame cats on the property when I collected  my first group for surgeries.  For some reason, this guy ended up with me weeks down the road, in the third group of surgeries.  I put him on my blog and knew that he would not be chosen either.  As the title of that post insured – it was a Long Shot.

When Mell read the post, she said she nearly dropped when she saw that first picture of the gray tom.  He was coming out of the crate he was staying in, and the picture I got was of him turning away.

 

 

Mell said her heart stopped because the first time she ever saw a picture of her cat TC (the Russian blue she lost two years ago) was an almost identical picture – TC was coming out of an enclosure and had turned away from the camera.   The details all started falling into place.  Evinrude had just moved on.  Mell had hoped to someday adopt a Wisher.  I happened to get this gray tom WAY after all of the tame cats from the property had already been collected.  I decided to post him (and the female) with really no hope at all that they might be Chosen.  Everything fell perfectly into place.

Mell emailed me.  We decided that this guy was already HER cat.  She decided to name him Kismet because it certainly seemed meant to be.  We started texting about how to get Kismet from me here in southern Illinois to Mell in Florida.  She would work from her end, and I would look into transport options.  Then while I was at the yard sale on Saturday, I received a text from Mell – Would you be terribly upset if I showed up on your doorstep Monday morning?  What?!  We texted all that evening and made our plans.  I would make a four-hour round-trip from here in southern Illinois to the Kentucky/Tennessee line.  Mell would drive up to the line FROM FLORIDA.  And that is exactly what happened.  Mell left on Sunday and drove up into Tennessee.  She got a hotel.  I got up early Monday morning and took off with Mell’s Kismet.  We met, and I sent a cat who would have lived his entire life on the property where I’m doing the TNR to a home where he will be loved and cherished.  Of course, it does not get any better than this for me.  THIS is the BEST!!

 

Taking off early Monday morning.

 

On his way to Florida.

 

In his new Forever Home.

 

Mell had Kismet to her vet yesterday morning.  There are a few ear mites left.  Once those are gone, he should stop scratching his ears.  Other than that he received a clean bill of health.

Mell – THANK YOU.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends.  (Can you imagine what I’m thankful for?)

See you next week.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m going to do my “Thanksgiving post” today.  But at the end of this post I’ll be inviting you back to my blog for tomorrow’s story.

For today, let me wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.  Thursday is the holiday.  The next day is Black Friday.  Then we have Small Business Saturday.  Then Cyber Monday.  Then a week from today is Giving Tuesday. 

I wish you a joyful, peaceful, family-filled Thanksgiving.  I know many of you will be spending your Thanksgiving away from home, but some of you will be home with your furry family members.  Have a wonderful day.   Then for some, you will venture out into the throngs of people early on Black Friday.  This is not a day I participate in, but I know loads of people say they love it and wouldn’t miss it for anything.  Happy shopping to those of you who dare.  Saturday is for shopping at your community businesses and patronizing small online shops.  This year, I’ve made some purchases at ebay and Etsy shops – small businesses making a go of it.  I will always remember when I first opened my boarding kennel 20 years ago.  I’ve been a “small business owner” all these years and I can attest to how wonderful it is to have customers.  Then Monday is when people will be at their computers shopping online.  Might I sneak in a quick advertisement here?  I do have two books that would make great gifts . . . 

My books are daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee) and Nice Is Better, a children's book for teaching kindness (and discouraging bullying) in a world that has slipped off the tracks as far as common decency is concerned.  If you already have the books, would you be willing to advertise for me, please?  I’d love to get this children’s book into loads and loads of parents’ and teachers’ hands.  My books are near the top of my sidebar.  You can find them on Amazon.

 

Finally, next Tuesday is Giving Tuesday.  This is my favorite one in the series.  I hope you will all pick a wonderful organization to give your time, money, or gifts to.

Now take a look at this gift that Winnie’s Wish received for Thanksgiving.

 

The note that came with the gift says – Happy Thanksgiving Chrystal! I am thankful for YOU and your family!!  Maria – THANK YOU.

 And June - THANK YOU for your paypal gift which came with this note - Please use this gift for whatever purpose you need. Bless you for the unbelievable TNR work and the countless hours you spend helping animals.

I am thankful for all of you who read here and support me with your money, with Wish List gifts, and with your comments of encouragement.  As I’ve said to you many many times before – This work is hard.  Having you along for the ride is deeply comforting.

Now.

Make SURE you get back by here tomorrow.  This is a feel-good story you do NOT want to miss.

With love and gratitude . . .   Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Long Shot

Four of the six cats who had their surgeries last week have been released back onto the property.  I kept the very young gray-and-white, longer-haired female and one of the Russian blue toms.  I know chances are so slim as to be ridiculous, but I’m gonna ask . . .

The little gray-and-white female is young and she is beautiful.  She is feral, but not like so many of the others.  As I said last week, she growled nonstop for the first 24 hours she was here.  Now she lets me pet her.  She will be here for another week and then I have to return her to the property.  This one will be a challenge.  She will growl for the first day or so, and then it will be a process of her becoming your friend.  I do believe this one will tame, but felines with feral starts take LOTS of patience.  I just hate to take her back.  But she will be fed there, and she will not have a life of having litter after litter of kittens. If there is someone reading this who is SURE they would like to give her a home, please contact me.

 

 

 

The Russian blue tom had an open wound behind his ear when I got him.  This is from scratching.  There are scabs in this area from previous scratching.  The best guess for what is wrong is ear mites.  So I started treating him and the last treatment will be on November 19.  This guy is a real sweetheart.  I won’t be able to house him past the 19^th so if there is someone reading this right now who is SURE they could give him a home, please get in touch with me.  He is wonderful and I wish he didn’t have to go back to the property.

 

 

And just an update on the two youngest felines from the property.  I got the male black kitten first.  He was very sick. He is doing really well now.  Then I got the littermate – a little female.  I’m so glad they are back together.  I’ll just be keeping these two until they grow old enough for their surgeries.

 

 

I said last week that I wasn’t going to reserve any more surgery spots for the TNR cats because it adds so much pressure to get a certain number by a deadline.  But I asked in passing about spots here and there, and the clinic stays booked three to four weeks in advance.  So I reserved four spots for the next time they had openings.  That date is November 29.  Surely I can have another four trapped by then.  And if I should get so lucky as to get more than that, I’ll just hang on to them until I can get them scheduled.  Keep your fingers crossed.

And Friends, please keep this in mind.  Because of you, EIGHTEEN cats so far have been spayed or neutered.  Wonderful.

See you next week.

 

Quota Met

Let me start by saying thank you for the advice and confidence that came from some of the readers of last week's post.  Honestly it helps to know that you guys are out there hoping and believing as I continue to chip away at the feral cat colony where I’m doing TNR.

Last week was rough.  What I didn’t say when I posted last Tuesday was that I had come down with the flu on Monday.  I think of myself as a reasonably healthy person so I figured I had a couple of days of feeling lousy and then I’d have that nasty flu behind me.  NOT.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday . . .  fever, sore throat, headache, body aches, chills, runny nose, sinus pressure, and all-night coughing.  It was a lot of fun.  And what made it even more fun was that I couldn’t just stop trapping at the cat property because I had surgery spots to fill.  So I would go out to the property between bouts of fever.  Miserable.

Anyway, the effort was worth it.  I had seven surgery spots held.  And I got six cats! (Actually got seven, but one can’t go for surgery. Will explain in a minute.)  Woo Hoo!!  I’m over the moon happy about this.  I don’t have to put my clinic out by telling them I could only fill a spot or two.  And the most important thing – this is SIX MORE CATS who will never reproduce. 

On one of my trips to the property, the older man who lives there told me he’d caught one of the tiny black kittens.  (There are two.  They are littermates and look exactly alike.)   He’d caught this baby in a net and then managed to get it into one of the carriers I’d left on the property.  I hadn’t planned to take those two little black ones (yet) because they are still way too young to be spayed or neutered.  But when I looked into the carrier and saw the condition of that baby, there was no way I wasn’t bringing him home.  This little guy was sick.  And I didn’t know just how sick until I got him home.

 

  One eye was swollen and inflamed.  He could hardly breathe at all due to a severe upper respiratory infection.  He was also super skinny.  He would not eat a bite of food.  I knew this was at least partially because he couldn’t smell anything.  He did literally nothing but sleep for the first 24 hours he was with me.   Older Daughter talked to her vet and we were able to get an antibiotic injection into him the second day.  I discovered that I could pet him.  He was very much afraid of me, but I spoke softly and kept touching him.  I was eventually able to start holding him.  Just when I was sure that Older Daughter was going to have to take him and start force-feeding, I got him to taste some kitten canned food.  One bite and he started inhaling the food.  He consumed the small amount that I had prepared with Viralys mixed in.  An hour later, I fed him again.  And after that he even started crunching dry food.  He is now doing so much better.  I’ve been trying to get his littermate.  I’ve seen it several times.  It runs and hides, but I’ve seen its face enough to know that it isn’t crusty and infected like the one I have.  I’d like to go ahead and get it so that these two babies can curl up together.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Now here are the six that will be going for their surgeries this week.  Notice the last of the pictures.  ALL Russian blues.  There must have been an entire litter of these at some point and against the odds, several survived.  Also – please note.  The longer-haired gray-and-white one is now letting me touch her.  She is very young.  If you know of anyone who would adopt her, let me know.

 

This one is very tame. I set him out of his cage for this picture. The couple at the property might have a home for this one.

 

This is the little female who MIGHT be adoptable. She growled continuously for the first 24 hours I had her. She is no longer growling and I’ve started touching her. The one beside her is the one I showed last week here on the blog – the only one I had at the time.

 

Russian Blue number One (untouchable)

 

Russian Blue number Two (untouchable)

 

Russian Blue number Three (touchable and with terrible ears. Treating them now.)

 

 

[ADDENDUM:  Guess what has just happened?  The little black kitten littermate to the one I already had has been trapped.  It is safely here with me.  I don’t yet know if it is male or female.  It is NOT sick like its sibling was when I got him.  YIPPEE!!!]

 

I have not reserved any more surgery spots at this time.  The six adults I have now will go at the end of this week.  After that, I need to trap first and then try to schedule from here on out.  Hopefully my clinic will have a spot here and there as I continue this project.

 

Cynthia – THANK YOU.

Ginny - THANK YOU.

 

 

See you all next week.