daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

Wildlife Wednesday – Winding Down

Even though Fall brings a second squirrel baby season, this is the time of year when things begin to wind down for wildlife rehabbers.   That doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do.  There are all of the outdoor enclosures with juvenile critters in them.  Those enclosures have to be cleaned every day and the animals are fed and watered and given opportunities to learn how to care for themselves.  At Wild Angels, there are still a couple of baby raccoons too small to be released.  But the majority of the raccoons from this spring and summer are now free to live wild as was always intended.  Occasionally, a free raccoon or two come back for a little visit.

 

 

 

The two baby squirrels are doing great.  They have moved out of the incubator.  They are still receiving formula but are also currently being introduced to hard foods.  It is SO funny and SO cute watching baby squirrels learn how to balance on their haunches while holding and eating a piece of food.

 

 

 

 

I won’t be posting next week.   See you after that.

 

 

Rest and Relaxation

There happens to be a lot going on in our lives right now.  Rest and relaxation are a longed-for commodity.  Also, I simply do not have time to write much at this time.  But I like to post something on Tuesdays even if it’s mostly pictures.  Since I dragged all of you along when I didn’t know if my foster kittens would live or die, I love being able to continue to report that they are still doing really well.  The pictures today are of them relaxing.   I post these pictures because I do believe that pictures of kittens are good for our brains.  I post these particular pictures because I envy my kittens their restful bliss.

 

on a well-used cushion in the catio

 

 

first night in bed with us

 

 

 

See you tomorrow.

 

Wildlife Wednesday – Autumn Baby Squirrel Season

I have blogged about Older Daughter’s baby squirrel.  I explained that there are two baby squirrel seasons – Spring and Fall.  So even though it seems like the wrong time of year for babies, with squirrels this is normal.   The little guy that came in to Wild Angels had a rough start with what appeared to be pneumonia.  But he is doing really well now.

 

 

A second baby squirrel arrived just a few days ago.  She had dried blood around her nose and bruising on her belly.  It was not a given that she would survive.  But so far she is doing well.  Fingers crossed.

 

 

And now they each have a friend.

 

 

See you next week.

 

Orange Update

I haven’t had time to put together a blog post, but I did want to quickly update you on the orange foster kittens.  They are still doing very well.  I feel hopeful.

 

Mango and Butterscotch

 

 

Many of you know Timmy Tomcat.  This gift arrived “for Butterscotch and Mango” from Timmy and Dad Pete.

 

Pete and Timmy Tomcat – THANK YOU.

 

See you tomorrow.

 

Home with the Orange Ones

It all started two months ago.  A tiny orange kitten (Butterscotch) came into the shelter where my daughters work.  She had a brain injury (among other injuries) and no one expected her to live.  I said I would foster her if she did survive.  She did.  Another little orange kitten (Mango) came into the shelter.  This one was starving, dangerously thin, and suffering from liquid diarrhea.  He slowly started to improve.  I had each of these kittens here at my house over the past two months – sometimes one, sometimes the other, sometimes they were both here at the same time.  Each of them showed some initial improvement and each of them went steeply downhill during these past 8 weeks.  I fell in love with both of them.  Older Daughter and I talked about how they’d both had really awful starts in life.  My daughters told me to please brace myself for loss.  They have seen so so many cases of kittens who don’t make it because of their horrible beginnings.  I’ve stayed pretty bummed the last month or so.  But at the end of last week, Older told me that Butterscotch seemed to be rallying.  She came here.  Then on the weekend, Mango showed enough improvement to try it here as well.  We have a few days behind us now.  Both are putting on a bit of weight.  Both have more energy.  They’ve even played with each other a few times.   

I’m going to dedicate the rest of this post to pictures of these two sweet orange ones.  I appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers for these two little beings.  Oh, how I wish they would survive and thrive.  For sure if they do – they will be adopted into our home.  I'll repeat what John Bellen said in his comment:  I hope Butterscotch and Mango survive and thrive. They need to live for the others who didn’t.    FINGERS CROSSED!

Now here they are in all of their recovering glory.

 

Butterscotch and Rolly

 

Butterscotch between Rolly and Roo

 

Butterscotch playing with Rolly's tail

 

 

Butterscotch in a pile of dog toys

 

Butterscotch asleep beside dog toy

 

 

Mango with Roo

 

Mango with a dog toy

 

 

Mango with Enoch

 

Mango with Rolly

 

 

 

 

Before I close – in mid-August, Friend of Winnie’s Wish Maria sent a gift in memory of Tiny.  I posted a picture of her gift then, but another item arrived after I posted.

 

Maria – THANK YOU.

 

And now let me show you a gift that Winnie’s Wish received in honor of a previous Wisher – Kippie.  We brought Kippie back from Florida one year and Friend of Winnie’s Wish Shirley adopted her.  Shirley said in the note that came with this gift – In honor of Kippie’s upcoming adoption day.  We haven’t forgotten you and the kitties at Winnie’s Wish. We think about y’all often.  The gift came in two groups.

 

 

 

Shirley (and Kippie) – THANK YOU. 

 

And Ginny - THANK YOU.

 

See you next week.

 

Wildlife Wednesday - Summer

The good news is that the baby squirrel is doing OK at this time.  He appeared to have pneumonia early on, but Older and her vet have treated him and he is improving.  Fingers crossed.

 

 

 

The dove is still alive and seems to be doing well (so far).

 

 

 

The bad news is that Wild Angels lost another fawn.  So now there are four.  I would say that these four seem fine and all should go well.  But there was no warning with the two fawns who’ve died.  I feel very sorry for Older Daughter. 

 

The fawns have moved to a very large enclosure that has a small barn for shelter.

  

It’s been a long and busy Spring and Summer at Wild Angels.  I’ve said to Older Daughter many times that she’s had a world of success this year.  Unfortunately for her, it doesn’t feel like success when she loses any baby.   The raccoons are all doing great.  The dove and squirrel are good at this time.  The four fawns are all good right now.  Fingers crossed all around.  See you next week.

 

The Orange Ones

There are 32 cats here at Winnie’s Wish.  There are also years of our own personal cats.  For some reason, there just haven’t been that many orange ones.  We haven’t had an orange cat of our own at all.  And there are only three orange Wishers – Goldie, Peeta, and Prim (orange and white).  There are three more orange Wishers, long ago adopted – Sunshine, Orange Juice, and Percy (orange and white).  Even including the orange-and-white ones, there have only been six ever Wishers who have that gorgeous orange fur.  Maybe it’s not unusual that orange cats haven’t lived here in large numbers.  But I do believe orange is a common color for a cat.  I looked up cat coats to see what are the rarest colors.  Orange doesn’t make the top ten.  So if we assume that orange cats are common, it seems that there would have been more orange in the mix here.   For some reason, that color has been scarce in my world.   It so happens that orange cats always grab my attention.  It’s possible this happens automatically because they are rather rare here.  Regardless, I always find myself drawn to the beauty of orange felines.  [Just to clarify, however, I find ALL cats to be beautiful.  There’s not a color or hair length or size or shape that I’m not in love with.  It’s just that, for some reason, the orange ones really capture me.]

All of this sounds like the beginning of a story about the loveliness of orange cats.  But it’s actually a story about sadness.   My past and present consists of four orange foster kittens.  Two of those died before reaching adulthood.  The remaining two are hanging in the balance right now.    

Back in 2014 I had a foster kitten named Pilgrim.  He was dumped, in terrible condition, at the shelter where my daughters work. 

 

 

 

He fattened up nicely and seemed to be a healthy kitten.  But he was FeLV positive.  I worried a lot when he went back to the shelter to be (hopefully) adopted.  Instead of being chosen for a home of his own, he lived only to the age of six months – his short life lived in a shelter.  I never got over that.  I wished countless times that I would have kept him in my home.  At least those six months would have been with a family.

 

In the summer of 2016 I had several foster kittens.  They slowly all ended up in homes except for one.  Tad was a little orange kitten who was never chosen for adoption.  The day I took him back to the shelter was a yard sale day.  I went in and out of the kitten room several times and each time he was hiding.  He was SO young when he came to me as a foster kitten; he didn’t know anything but my home.  I was already struggling with taking him back to the shelter.  You don’t know how many times I thought of Pilgrim.  Tad reminded me very much of him.  I had taken Pilgrim back to the shelter and he had died at age six months.  He died in a shelter.  I knew there was no way Tad would die at age six months, but I just kept thinking about how much I didn’t want him to go from living in my home to living in a shelter.  At the end of that yard sale day, I loaded Tad up and took him back home with me.

 

 

 

At seven months of age Tad died of FIP (which is always fatal).  As I struggled with the grief, I wondered how it was that my experience with Pilgrim had so deeply influenced me that I ended up keeping Tad . . .  only for him to die, too.  It nearly killed me at the time, but I had one consolation – he died in a home surrounded by family.  He didn’t die in a shelter. 

 

This summer I’ve been on a roller coaster with my two little foster kittens.  You might remember the recent story about Butterscotch.  She was thrown onto pavement (from a moving vehicle we assume) and was severely injured.  She had a shoulder injury and scrapes on her head and face.   Also, she had a head injury and it seemed unlikely that she would survive.  But she did.  And she became a foster kitten here in my household.    There was another little orange kitten who was brought in to the shelter nearly dead from starvation.  He was dangerously thin and we feared that he might already be experiencing some organ damage.  He had no appetite and was suffering with liquid diarrhea.  My daughters had him in quarantine at the shelter and were doing everything they could for him.  But he just didn’t seem to improve no matter what they did.   

About the time that our precious Tiny dog died, the little orange kitten (Mango) at the shelter seemed to be improving a little.  You might remember that Tiny the dog and Butterscotch the kitten had become best friends and playmates.  It was sad to see Butterscotch look for Tiny when she wanted to romp and play.  So Older Daughter suggested I take Mango from the shelter as a playmate for Butterscotch.    I did. 

 

And now both Butterscotch and Mango are back at the shelter as a result of illness. 

 In the last few days, Mango is showing some promising signs.  Butterscotch is not yet failing, but she is not improving.   If only THESE two orange kittens could get well and come back here.  If only THESE two orange kittens could make it to six months old, a year old, and then years and years into the future – right here in our home.  I realize that these two kittens had terrible starts in life, but I choose to remain hopeful.   Dear Friends – please send your positive thoughts and prayers that these two kittens can survive, improve, and thrive. 

See you tomorrow.

 

Wildlife Wednesday – So Far So Good

I’ve mentioned here before that there are two baby squirrel seasons – Spring and Fall.  Well here is the first of the Fall season.

 

Here is the baby with the person who brought him to Wild Angels

 

 

In Older Daughter’s traveling incubator

 

 

Except for the youngest group, the raccoons are no longer being fed individually in bowls.  The food is tossed into the enclosure and they must scavenge for it.

 

 

The oldest group has just been released.  They are sticking around on the property right now.  This is usually the case and slowly they move on.

 

 

The baby dove that Younger Daughter and I found and delivered to Older Daughter is continuing to do well.  I’ve learned that you’re never completely out of the woods with a bird until you’re actually releasing it.  But so far so good.

 

See you next week.

 

In Memory of Tiny

My Butterscotch kitten is sick.  She is back at the shelter – being watched and cared for.  I have another foster kitten named Mango.  My intense hope is that Butterscotch will be back to romp and play with Mango.  In the meantime, Winnie’s Wish received a gift in memory of Tiny.   I’m still struggling with that loss.  It still seems so senseless.  In memory of Tiny –

 

Maria – THANK YOU.

 

See you tomorrow for Wildlife Wednesday.

 

Wild Pigeon? - No

A couple of weeks ago, Husband and I returned home from somewhere (can’t remember now) and Husband got out of the vehicle and headed for the lawn mower.  I stepped onto the stones that lead to our front door.  And there, right there on one of those stones, sat a pigeon.  A very beautiful pigeon.  I stopped cold and expected that I had startled the little beauty and it would fly quickly away.  But it did not.  And then I realized that it was very unusual to see a pigeon out here in the country where I live.  I crouched down and talked to the bird and it walked closer to me.  I reached out to see if it would come to me and that’s when it put on the brakes.  As long as I would stay about three feet away, it would relax and get back to pecking through the gravel.  It was SO intent on pecking that my immediate thought was that it must be hungry.  I called out to Husband to come quickly.  He promptly came back in my direction and there we stood with a pigeon at our feet.  I ran in and got some of my wild bird food.  I put a little pile in front of this bird and it ate like it hadn’t eaten in weeks.    Oh dear.   So I called Older Daughter and told her what was going on.  I didn’t feel like I could leave it to eat and fly away because it was at least semi-tame.  Older explained that there is a sport that uses pigeons to travel certain distances and return or something like that.  Anyway, these birds are used to being fed and not fending for themselves.  It’s cruel because they can’t operate like a wild bird since they’ve been raised entirely in captivity.  Older said she had placed a pigeon like this once years ago.  And she asked if I could get it into a box.  I said I’d try.

 

Husband and I tried and tried to pick up the bird.  But each time we reached for it, it scooted just out of reach.  I ran for a cat carrier while Husband kept watch.  We then performed the same dance over and over again with this bird.  Almost have it, scoot away.  Almost have it, scoot away.  But we did finally get this beauty and into the cat carrier it went.  I drove it to Older Daughter’s house and put it into the bird enclosure on her property.  I deposited another pile of seeds.  Older would tend to this situation when she got home from work.

I decided to research a little more about this “sport” thing that Older had mentioned. Here I’m quoting from an article I found on pigeonrescue.org:

The bird that you are helping is likely a victim of the pigeon racing sport. Many think it is a harmless hobby but lots of the birds used are injured, lost and/or die along the way. They are domestic birds, not raised to survive in the wild and, without the food and water that you are providing, he’d probably be dead already.

Here’s what the article said about leaving the bird to move on:

He may rest up and regain enough weight and strength to try and return to the home that he was taken from to race. He might even make it. That home may be a good one or it may be a terrible one. (Some pigeon racers kill or “cull” late-returning birds to eliminate them from the bloodline.) Or that home may not exist anymore. (Unwanted racers are often sold- some to be used for hunting dog-training or live, canned pigeon shoots–Or he may be killed trying to get back home or while hanging around your house (a lone pigeon is at terrible risk from all sorts of predators).

This was my first introduction to this “sport.”  I hate everything about it.   Can’t save all of those pigeons, but this one little guy now has a chance.  Older kept it until she found a GOOD home for it.  I’m grateful that this pigeon landed in MY yard.

 

See you next week.