daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

Now the Computer . . .

I'm feeling good enough to get back to blogging now.  But several days ago our computer started doing some strange things.  It is now almost not working at all.  We will be trying to get it in for repairs this week.  I sure hope we can get whatever is wrong with it fixed, and I can start blogging again.  I have a couple of dog stories to tell before I get back to re-introducing you to the Wishers.   Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Wildlife Wednesday – First of 2019

Readers of daily dose know that my older daughter is a licensed wildlife rehabber.   She has dedicated a huge portion of every year to caring for injured wildlife and abandoned babies.   The middle of Winter is about the only time of year that she is not up to her eyeballs in wildlife.  Spring ushers in each new wildlife season.  This year’s season got started about three weeks ago.  After a serious storm with high winds, the person who contacted Older Daughter said three baby squirrels were scattered in her yard, eyes still closed.  Because I haven’t been blogging for a few weeks, I’ll be able to show you, in this post, several stages in these lucky baby squirrels’ lives.  We start with three tiny squirrels – two girls and one boy – so young that their eyes have not yet opened.  Older syringe feeds these young babies until (and during) the introduction of solid foods.   The following pictures capture about three weeks in these babies’ lives.   (Note the use of the incubator – many of you helped us raise the money for this extremely necessary piece of equipment.)   One of my favorite things about baby squirrels is when they are learning to hold and eat a piece of food.  Initially they aren’t able to balance in a sitting-up position.  So they hold the food in those little hands while balancing on their elbows.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that’s just cute!

 

Karen – THANK YOU.

Ginny – THANK YOU.

 

See you next week.

 

About to be Back

I have received emails from some of you inquiring into how I’m doing and wishing me well.  Thank you so much. 

As far as what has been going on . . .  I wrote this to a friend over the weekend.  I’ll just copy & paste that description here so as not to have to be at the computer any longer than necessary:     It has been quite an ordeal.  It began when I woke up one morning and could not get a deep breath.  I could breathe; I just could not breathe deeply.  Thinking that possibly something in my back had gone out, I started with my chiropractor.  But after only three days of never getting a full breath, I went to my primary care physician.  He explained that there could be multiple very serious reasons for my symptom, so he put me in the hospital.  I believe they must have done every test available.  Results were inconclusive.  However, some things were ruled out.  For instance, my heart is strong.  There is something going on with my back, and there are some lung issues for which I will see a pulmonary specialist this month.  During the course of days and days of not being able to breathe deeply, I developed an anxiety disorder.  I won't go into detail, but let me say I suffered as much from the severe anxiety as I did from the breathing issue.  It feels like it's been a LONG haul, but I am slowly getting back on my feet.  Certain positions make it more difficult to breathe - sitting at the computer has been one of those.  So I have not been at the computer except for a couple of brief times to put a line or two on my blog.

I hope that by next Tuesday I’ll be back to writing about the wonderful kitties of Winnie’s Wish.  But before that, I’ll be doing the first Wildlife Wednesday of the year tomorrow.  Older Daughter received her first babies about three weeks ago.

See you tomorrow.

 

Hoping for April

Thank you for your kind comments.  Unfortunately, sitting at the computer is still not terribly easy.  I hope to get back to blogging next month.  Miss you all.

 

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.