daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee)

I’m Not One to Give Up

 

I do the yard sales on the parking lot of the shelter where my daughters work.  I have these yard sales on Saturdays when the weather permits.  I wasn’t able to have one last Saturday because of rain.  But the Saturday before, I had a nice hot yard sale.

Setup starts about 9 or 9:30.  So by that time on this particular Saturday morning, there was a lot going on.  My daughters don’t have to be at work until ten on Saturdays, but they go in early and help me set up (on their own time).  Lots of noise and chaos during the setup.  Then they head in to start their workday, and I keep setting up and arranging and pricing until the shoppers start showing up.  Cars are in and out, people are coming and going, talking and shopping.  The picture I’m trying to paint here is one of activity and noise.  Keep that in mind.

The day moved along.  About mid-afternoon, my daughters came out of the shelter to say hi and to see how it had been going.  They had their regular Saturday volunteer with them (a young teenager who loves being at the shelter and is good help).  They started walking towards me and I walked in their direction.  We congregated right at the edge of the shelter building.  Right next to the shelter are the two “yard sale” buildings – the small one that used to be the only one I had, and the new wonderful bigger one that has allowed me to continue doing the yard sales.  The girls were asking if it had been a successful day, and I was telling them about some of the things I’d sold and how many people had been there so far.  Right in the middle of our conversation the four of us all stopped talking.  Silence.  Then an undeniable sound. What was that? Didn’t that sound like a cat? A kitten? Wait. Where is that coming from?   The four of us realized at the same time that somewhere VERY close to us there was a kitten crying.  And within only a few seconds, the cry turned into a scream.  Over and over it screamed. 

There is a deep woods behind the shelter buildings.  To the south of the woods and directly behind the shelter is a “dog yard” – an area for the dogs to run and play in.  The four of us shot into action.  Volunteer and Older Daughter got on each side of the first yard sale building.  I got behind it.  Younger Daughter tore away and raced through the shelter and out the back to corral the dogs who were out.  We did not need a kitten to shoot through the chain link and end up in a yard full of dogs.  Younger hurriedly joined us then, and we managed to be on all four sides of the building.  Finally, Volunteer spotted it - an orange kitten creeping low to the ground under the building - moving in the direction of Older Daughter.  Older was ready to grab it, but it turned and darted the opposite direction.  Volunteer was ready, but it turned again.  It darted back and forth under the building; the four of us each guarded one of the sides.  We were calling quietly and making no sudden movements.  There was no way this little guy was going to escape us. 

And then he did.  He made a diagonal dash, shot out at a corner and straight into the woods.

We raced into the edge of the woods, but he was long gone.  We all just stood there.  As we walked back to the buildings, we started discussing how improbable it was that this kitten never said a word all day long.  There was no doubt about how it got on the shelter property.  This kitten was dumped.  (Unfortunately, this is something many shelters have to occasionally deal with.)  But clearly he had not been dumped at any point during this day.  People were everywhere.  He’d been dumped early that morning or even the night before.  But where had he been all day long?  With all of the commotion and cars and people and noise, was he just hiding out under one of the yard sale buildings?  Why did he start scream-crying at that particular moment?  Was it our four voices, calmly discussing the day, right beside the building he was under?  We don’t know.  It didn’t make sense.  And now he was in the woods.  That was not good.

The volunteer had her dad bring their cat trap.  Shortly after I left for the day, the trap arrived and was set.  By closing time, no kitten.  Younger said she would be coming back to town that evening and she would check then.  That would give some time for everything to go completely quiet on the shelter property. 

I’ll just summarize the rest of this because we went from hopeful to nearly hopeless over the next week.  The kitten never arrived into the trap.  It was set daily for days, left in the evening if anyone was going to be near town.  No kitten.  By the end of the week, everyone had given up.  This kitten was gone. 

But I don’t give up very easily.  (Remember my Wisher Theo? First tried to trap him during the month of June. Finally got him in December.) 

A week later when Saturday had rolled around again, I didn’t go to town for a yard sale because it was pouring rain.  I texted my girls and asked if they were going to set the trap for the kitten.  Well, no, not with it raining so hard.  And besides, Mom, I’m sorry but we don’t think that kitten is around anymore.  I reminded them that I had trapped in every kind of weather.  Do it for your Mother. Just throw a towel over the trap – I said.  They did.  But no catch.  And there was rain predicted for days and days to come.  But I drove my daughters crazy and continued to go on and on about trapping anyway.  They set the trap on Sunday in the pouring rain.  No kitten.  They set the trap on Monday in the pouring rain.  No kitten.

And then . . .

Late on Monday afternoon, my cell phone started ringing.  When I saw that it was Older Daughter, I picked up right away.  (Odd for her to call rather than text.)  And she said – You know what you’re good at? - she asked.  No, what? – I responded.  Trapping! – she said.  We just got that kitten!  I’m gonna be honest, Mom, I did not think that kitten was even still around here.  And never would I have thought anything would go in a trap in the daytime in the pouring rain.  But we’ve got him.  And I couldn’t be happier.  Just like you, I had not stopped worrying about him.  And now it’s all good.

He’s a terrified little thing.  My daughters always ask me to foster the really scared ones and the really young ones.  So I have him here and we’ll work on becoming a little less afraid and a little more friendly.  The main thing is that this baby is not living in a woods all alone trying to fend for himself.  And for that I’m grateful.

Teenage Volunteer did the honors of naming him.  Here’s Brier.

 

in the carrier on his way to my house

 

in my kennel kitten room

 

 

Please keep sharing about the GoFundMe Spay & Neuter Campaign.  We really aren’t that far from GOAL.  See you next week.

 

 

The BEST Kind of News

Before I could launch my GoFundMe campaign to raise money for spays & neuters, I needed an estimate of the number of cats and kittens on the property.  While there, I noticed a young Russian Blue kitten.  I told Older Daughter that I knew a couple who was interested in that very thing – a Russian Blue kitten!  The woman feeding all of these cats had hoped we might be able to take some of the kittens off her hands.  Of course, there’s no place for them to go.  As I’ve explained, Winnie’s Wish is full and the shelter where my daughters work is full.  There are no shelters anywhere in my part of the world that have room for kittens.  But this ONE kitten . . .  Would it be possible that I had a home for him?

I hesitated briefly.  I knew that I needed to go ahead and get him while I was there.  That way I could start de-flea-ing and de-worming him.  But what if I brought him to a cage in my kennel, and then found out that this family had already found their Russian Blue baby.  This little guy would have to go back to the property and I knew it would break my heart.  I couldn’t get home fast enough.  Quickly opened my email and sent one off – Hey N, did you ever find the Russian Blue kitten you were looking for?  I think I just sat in front of the computer screen staring, hoping her answer would pop up.  I ended up sending another email with my cell number and told her to text me.  I got back to work, and it wasn’t long before I had a return text from N.  No they had not yet adopted their Russian Blue.  We began a dialogue and I sent pics.  She discussed this with her husband and said they were interested.  I was soaring at this point.  One little kitten saved from that life and about to enter The Good Life.

N and J are a couple who adopted a Wisher.  Annie (now Luna) went to her Forever Home just before Christmas last year.  At some point, N & J let me know they were looking for another Russian blue – a “sibling” for their Luna.  I already knew what great cat parents they were, so I had no doubt about putting a second cat into their home.  However, it was unlikely that Winnie’s Wish would find itself in possession of just what they were looking for.  Now months had gone by.  Yet here we were – a Russian Blue kitten on the property that I’d just discovered.  And a Wisher household looking for just such a kitten.

N tickled me by asking to get her new little boy as quickly as possible.  We arranged to meet halfway on Tuesday of last week and little Finn went to his Forever Home. 

Now their Luna has been an only cat for these nine months.  I warned N & J that she would probably be quite offended by the intruder.  They would keep the two separated initially and slowly bring them together.  The first reports were pretty bad – Luna was so outraged that she wouldn’t even sleep with N & J the first night.  And there was LOTS of hissing and growling directed at the crack under the door of the room containing Finn.  I assured N that this was all normal.  I also explained that it can take weeks or even months for an established cat to accept a newcomer.  It helps that Finn is male and still a kitten. 

You can’t imagine my joy.  I know it is likely that the rest of the kittens on this property will grow up there.  I will see to it that as the kittens come of age they will be spayed or neutered.  I know this is only ONE kitten.  But for THIS kitten, life has changed forever.

Here he is in his new home.

 

 

Putting ANY cat or kitten into a loving, indoor home is the BEST that can happen!

If you are reading this, and you think you would be interested in adopting a kitten from this property, please let me know.  I know there is a long-haired gray-and-white older kitten there.  And I’ve seen two black kittens.  I will continue to learn more with each trip to the property.

 

The plan was for Older and I to go this past Monday evening to scoop up our first three cats for their scheduled spay surgeries at the end of this week.  But in the meantime, I was able to schedule three neuters as well.  So with the help of the property owners, we loaded up three females and three males.  All will have their surgeries this week.  I will be asking the clinics to look at their schedules for when I can bring more.  Here are the pictures of the first six in our project.

 

This first group was relatively easy to capture. These are some of the cats that go in and out of the house.  Many of those remaining are more feral and will present more of a challenge.  But we will succeed.  I am determined.

 

Before I close, I need to make an announcement about my GoFundMe campaign.  Ready?

WE JUST HIT AND WENT OVER THE HALFWAY MARK!!!!  (I’m massively excited)

 There are five more donors to thank:  Kimberly, Curt, Anonymous, Randy, and Mell – THANK YOU for donating.

 

See you tomorrow for an unrelated story.

 

Nothing But Good News

I have nothing but good news to share with you today.  Last week I told you about the property with all of the breeding cats.  This discovery came about because of a mom dog and her two pups.  The pups are waiting to be chosen for adoption.  And mom dog was spayed last week.  She will never have another litter of puppies now!

 

 

 I launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money to have EVERY cat (and eventually kitten) on that property spayed or neutered.  My daughters and I tried to estimate the number of cats and kittens on the property.  Our best guess is 30.  So I figured 30 surgeries at roughly an average of $100 per surgery (figuring spays would cost a little more and neuters a little less).  I set my GoFundMe campaign goal at $3000.    Well – I’m THRILLED to announce that I have been in contact with two different veterinary clinics where the costs will be less than I had originally figured.  SO . . .   (drumroll)   . . . .

I reduced my GOAL amount to $2000!!!!  

I believe we can get these surgeries done for that amount.  I’ve based my decision on assuming approximately half of the cats will be female, the other half male.    I’m feeling so much more confident now about actually reaching goal. I just know we can bring that much in and make the cat population at this property a zero-growth group!  WHOO HOO!!!

The next announcement of good news is that we have almost reached the first $1000.  Thanks to people sharing this campaign and contributing to our goal, the new total is $815.  PLEASE keep sharing, Friends.  I am going to keep spaying and neutering until the money runs out.  My deepest desire is that EVERY cat (and eventually kitten) on this property will be spayed or neutered and the   B R E E D I N G   W I L L   E N D. 

Now on the next announcement of good news.  Three female cats are scheduled for spay THIS week.  And (more good news) – my wonderful parents are sponsoring these first three spays!  These three are being spayed without me even having to pull the first dollar from the fundraiser.

And the final piece of good news - there were nine donations in the first 24 hours of this fundraiser.  Since then, another six donations have come in. 

Here they are:  The Poupounette Gang (Virginia), Terri, Pam, Heather, Myra, Betsy – THANK YOU.

Now - just in case that wasn’t enough good news for you, I have some of the BEST news still to reveal.  I’ll see you tomorrow for that!  And on Thursday I’ll be back with a story that is unrelated to the animals at the property and the spay & neuter campaign.  This story has brought me great relief concerning one tiny animal.

 

Your Help is SO Appreciated

I have such amazing Friends who support Winnie’s Wish.  Recently, there’s been a string of Wish List gift deliveries.  I can’t begin to tell you how much these gifts are appreciated (and needed!).

This Wish List gift came several days ago for Winnie’s Wish.

 

Naomi – THANK YOU.

 

And you will remember that Andrea (Celestial Kitties) had a garage sale benefiting Winnie’s Wish, and a comment-a-thon to celebrate her three (Wisher) kitties’ birthday.  Well, Andrea made a donation of $100 for her comment-a-thon.  Thank you to everyone who commented.  And here’s the gift of Wish List items Andrea sent with the money she made on her garage sale.

 

Andrea – THANK YOU

 

Ginny sent a gift to Winnie’s Wish and to Wild Angels, and then donated to my GoFundMe spay & neuter campaign before I even had it up and running.   (She sent cash to me through her husband to my dad.)

Ginny – THANK YOU.

 

There have been nine donations to the campaign in just this first 24 hours totaling $700 so far!  Here they are (along with one anonymous donation):

Cynthia, Tori (Wisher Zen’s mom), Maria, Midori, Patricia, Hannah, June, and Mary – THANK YOU.  Patricia said in her comment with her donation - How can one person save 100 cats? JUST SPAY ONE!  You can access the GoFundMe spay & neuter fundraiser by clicking on the picture at the top of my sidebar (the words "GoFundMe" are underneath the picture of the black kitten).  Or you can find the campaign on Facebook - my personal page Chrystal Parker OR Daily dose of dogs (aka cats with your coffee) page.

 

I have three surgery spots held for the end of this month.  We’re on the way!

 

Keep your fingers crossed, Friends, that the spay & neuter fundraiser will be a raging success.   Please share, share, share.  See you next week.

 

I Have To Try

There are breeding cat colonies all across this land and around the world.  None of these cats and kittens deserve to live like that.  The males spend their lives fighting.  The females spend their lives continuously pregnant or nursing.  Litters of four, five, six are born only to have half or more die while still babies.  But there are always a couple from each litter who survive.  And they continue the cycle.  This is rampant.  We live in one of the wealthiest countries on Earth and yet we do nothing about this as a nation.  It is up to individuals to control one colony at a time through spay and neuter.  What I have said about my work through Winnie’s Wish is that no matter how many cats I rescue, spay & neuter, and get into homes, those efforts do not make a dent in the gigantic problem that exists.  BUT – for every cat spayed or neutered, life improves for THAT cat.  And if an entire colony can be spayed and neutered, the cycle of breeding, suffering, starving, fighting, and pregnancy is shut down in one small spot on this Earth.

I know this horrible situation exists everywhere.  I know it is all around me.  But THIS particular colony has come directly into my life.  I have seen the property.  I have seen the cats and kittens.  I cannot un-see what I’ve seen.  I cannot un-know what I know.  I have to try to impact this one spot in the world where uncontrolled breeding and suffering exists. 

Today I am launching a GoFundMe fundraiser for the spays and neuters for this entire group.  We do not have an absolute number.  Our best guess is 30 cats.  If I raise $3000, I am hopeful that this will be enough to get every cat on the property which is the only way to permanently stop the cycle.  We fear that there will be more kittens born in the weeks or months to come.  If enough money comes in, and if we have enough going forward, we will just keep spaying and neutering as soon as kittens come of age.  IF there should be any money left over after every cat is spayed or neutered, the money will go to help feed this population.  Most of you know me.  I will always be transparent as to where every cent of this money goes.

*You can go to my GoFundMe fundraiser by clicking on the picture at the top of my sidebar. The words GoFundMe appear under the picture.*

I hope you will help if you can.  And I hope you will share this everywhere.  But I have another request, too.  If you have ever wanted to adopt a Winnie’s Wish cat or kitten, PLEASE consider doing so now.  None of these cats or kittens can come TO Winnie’s Wish.  I am at maximum capacity.  They will have to live on this property.  But if anyone out there was interested in adopting, there are cats and kittens on this property who are tame and loving.  If YOU are someone who can open your home and your heart to one of these cats or kittens, email me and we can talk about the “adoptable” cats and kittens at this property. 

c3k@lazernetwireless.net     OR     chrystaldparker11@gmail.com

Friends – it takes a village.  Will you help me make a difference in this one spot in the world?

 

See you tomorrow for a quick update and some thanks.

 

Finding a Way

I didn't sleep much last Wednesday night.  (See yesterday’s post.) I started trying to come up with a plan.  I started thinking that maybe I can try to do my own fundraiser, try to get enough money to spay/neuter ALL of the cats.   Before I could start working out a plan, I needed a good estimate of the number of cats and kittens on the property. 

My daughters and I went to the property Thursday afternoon to take pictures and try to get a handle on numbers.  The woman says there are maybe 20 or so.  But Older says she saw closer to 30 that first evening.  If you figure roughly $100 per cat, we could be looking at three thousand dollars.  I'm wondering if I could raise that much.  Then my daughters and I would slowly start getting the cats, trapping any that are wilder, and begin the spay/neuter marathon.  The only thing that makes sense is to get every cat (and kitten as it ages) spayed or neutered and END the breeding in this location.  We are willing to do the work, and I am willing to do the fundraising. 

 The woman who has been feeding these cats and kittens does want help.  Of course, she would love for us to take some of the cats, but there's nowhere for them to go.  So the best possible solution is to get the breeding shut down and for her to continue to feed them.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I need to make a decision. I do not feel like I can turn away.  Several times I’ve felt overwhelmed by the thought of raising this much money and the actual process of getting so many spays and neuters done.  But I believe these are the things that matter in Life.      If you are reading here, you are a Friend of Winnie’s Wish and a Friend of animals.  What do you think, Friends?  Is this do-able?

I’ll be back tomorrow with some kind of decision.

 

Tip of the Iceberg (Two Black Puppies)

Get comfortable, Friends.   I hope you will stay with me through this entire story.  It will take more than one day to tell it.  And by the end of it, I’ll be asking for your help.

We have to go back about a year and a half to start this story.   In the Spring of 2017, I saw three black puppies on the side of the road in some S curves near where I live.  I knew they would get hit by a car on those dangerous curves.  I also knew I couldn't go to these people and ask if I could take the puppies (or so I thought at the time) because of an incident years ago.  I had tried to get a thin, rough-looking pointer dog, and I was not successful.  The girls and I stayed on the lookout for the three black pups.  Eventually all three became big puppies - almost adult size, but long and lanky.  And eventually all three were killed on that stretch of road.  They disappeared one by one.

 I never stopped being sick about that.  Then last Wednesday, on the way to town, we were driving through the S curves and I had to quickly alert Husband to swerve.  There was the momma dog with two tiny puppies following her right down the side of the road.  Now there were two more puppies whose fate would be the same as the three previous pups.  I called Older Daughter from the road.  She said she couldn't believe we were about to go through this again.  I told her that if the people could be reasoned with, I could take the dogs into my kennel.  We talked off and on all day, trying to think of a plan.  We decided the people would have to be approached.

 So Wednesday night Husband and Older Daughter and her husband went to the house.  When they pulled away, I stepped out onto my deck and looked east - the direction in which these people live. I stepped out there to calm myself and to hope that these people would let us help.  I knew this was our only shot at saving those dogs.  As I stepped out and around the corner of the house, there in the sky over the road was a rainbow.  There wasn't a raindrop anywhere.  I smiled so big it hurt.  It felt like a sign.  It felt like peace.  It felt like hope that this would go as it should.  Less than half an hour later, my family was back            .  .  .   WITH mom dog and both pups.  These were not the people I had tried to reason with years ago.  This family seemed to appreciate the offer of help.  They wanted to keep the mom dog and were willing to let us spay her.  And they did not want the puppies at all.  I was OVERJOYED.  I got mom and pups set up in my kennel.  I am going to pay to have the mom dog spayed, and then she will be returned to the family.  And sometimes the shelter where my daughters work can take puppies.  Luckily, they have no puppies right now – so each of these two sweethearts has a chance at a wonderful life.

 

 

 

So - great ending to the story, right?  Not exactly. 

There are no more dogs on the property, so that is wonderful.  But Older Daughter said the woman took her through the house to the back of the property.  Older said there are cats inside and outside – maybe as many as 30 or more.  The woman asked Older Daughter if she could help her with the cats.  Older went numb.  She said she could tell the woman wanted and needed help.  But Winnie's Wish is full.  And Older Daughter’s shelter is full.  And every shelter in the Midwest is overrun with cats and kittens.  She told the woman she would see if maybe she could find a way to get a handful of the females spayed.  But oh Friends!  The only way to fix this problem and end the suffering of these cats is to get them ALL spayed and neutered.  The only answer that makes any sense is to end the breeding.

Please come back tomorrow.  I’ll have pictures, and I’ll share my thoughts with you.

 

Wildlife Wednesday – Second Squirrel Season

I’ve mentioned before that baby squirrel season comes twice a year.  There are babies in the Spring.  And then there is a second wave of babies born in the Fall.  Nearly every baby squirrel that Older Daughter has ever had at Wild Angels is the victim of the same scenario.  Someone cuts a tree down and a nest is destroyed.  In this particular case, a group of young people were hired to move along highways in southern Illinois cutting trees near power lines.  Older Daughter received a call from a young woman who was working in this group.  She was only traveling through (with this job).  When the babies came down with the tree, she scooped them up and took them back to the motel the group was staying in.  She did some research and discovered Wild Angels.

Older was told by this young woman that they only had the tree-trimming trucks and she couldn’t bring the squirrels to Wild Angels.  So Older needed to drive the half hour to this town and pick the squirrels up at the motel.  Older’s husband was working that evening, so Husband and I drove Older to the motel to pick up the babies.  These are two lucky little squirrels.  They are doing great, living in the incubator for now.

 

See you next week.

 

Double Foster Fail

I had been beating myself up over a recent decision.  During one of my many ruminations, it dawned on me that I didn’t need to continue to feel bad about this.  I even scanned back through my Spring and Fall foster kitten blog posts.  Sure enough.  I had success WAY more often than I failed.

I’m talking about Foster Failing.  If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know that I don’t just have Winnie’s Wish, but that I also foster for the shelter where my daughters work.  I can’t begin to tell you how many dogs & puppies and cats & kittens have come here to be fostered over the years.  These precious creatures move on to permanent homes or back to the shelter so that they can be Chosen.  What happened THIS Fall was troubling me a great deal until I made myself look back over all the Kitten Season kittens who have been in my world and who then moved on from here.  There have been 25 just in the last two years.  And many many more in the years before that.   And guess what?  I did not Foster Fail with ANY of them except Trudi.

Now Trudi’s story was quite different.  She came here one Fall along with other foster kittens.  All eventually were adopted from here into a home.  Trudi was never Chosen.  She continued to live here, and I continued to run her on the shelter’s Facebook page.  But as Trudi aged, she started to show signs of chronic health problems.  She made multiple trips to the vet, went on antibiotics more than any kitten should have to, and had to have injections of anti-inflammatory drugs.  It was discovered that her rib cage was misformed and that she had structural issues in the roof of her mouth and the back of her throat.  She also never grew very big.  I vowed to keep her here through all of the health problems because I didn’t want to send her away while she was trying to become healthy.  And – no one wanted to adopt a kitten who already needed lots of extra support.  Well, as you know, Trudi never left here.  She never completely recovered and will always have problems.  We know all of her issues and will see that she is taken care of for as long as her little life continues (she is not expected to have a normal lifespan).

 

Pipes often grooms Trudi. (So does Evers. They take care of her.)

 

But back to the story.  The point in describing why Trudi is still with us is to explain her particular Foster Fail.  The current Foster Fail, the subject of today’s post, has no good explanation like Trudi’s Foster Fail does.  In fact, the only explanation is how my mental state is changing as I age.  (More on that another time.) 

So this year I had five foster kittens in my kennel kitten room and five foster kittens in my downstairs bathroom.  I’ve already written about Enoch.  He was one of those ten foster kittens and he is now one of our own.  All of the other kittens have been adopted or are living at the shelter, except for Tad.  I expected Tad to be adopted just as the other bathroom kittens were.  All of those in my bathroom went from here right into a home.  The five kennel kitten room fosters went to the shelter and two of those have now been adopted.  I kept running Tad on the shelter’s Facebook page, but he was never Chosen.  So one Saturday, I took him with me to the shelter when I was there for a yard sale.  The plan was for me to deliver him into the shelter’s kitten room and then begin setting up for the sale.  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy – I don’t let go of the furries in my life very easily.  I worry and I fret and I am horrified that I can’t explain to them what is happening.  I ended up crying the entire thirty minutes to town.  I put him in the kitten room and started setting up for the yard sale.  I went in to check on Tad about every 45 minutes to an hour.  He was completely terrified, crouched in a corner, and physically shaking.  Each time I came into the room or he saw me looking through the glass, he would race out of his corner and run to me.  At one point that day, when Husband texted me to see how the yard sale was going, I told him I was falling completely apart about Tad.  He said – Bring that little guy home.  Enoch needs someone to romp with anyway.  I told my daughters what their Dad had said, and they both assured me that Tad would adjust in the shelter and end up being fine.  They said that in just a few days he would probably be running around playing with the kittens there.  So I tried all day to tell myself to give it a few days – that I would be hearing from my daughters that Tad had adjusted and was no longer sad and afraid.  At five o’clock that day, I went into the kitten room to try to tell Tad goodbye.  He clung to me and buried his face in the crook of my arm.  And I loaded him into my carrier and brought him back to my house. 

It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  I was happy.  Tad was happy.  Enoch was happy.  And I’ve been happy ever since   .  .  .  except for worrying about being such a Foster Failure.   Finally, I reassured myself by thinking through the numbers of foster kittens who have been here over the years, and realizing that only three of those did not move on.  I do have more to say about this.  But that will be part of a post a little later in the year.  For now . . .  our feline family has grown by two.  I’m releasing the feeling of failure and embracing the fact that my heart is full with the addition of these two new little kittens.

The first two pictures are from when Enoch and Tad first came to me. 

 

Enoch as a tiny baby

 

Tad as a tiny baby

 

right after Tad came back home with me

 

all three foster fail kitties

 

 

(I love our home full of animals.)

 

Before I close, here are the wonderful things that happened for Winnie’s Wish last week.  These sorts of things are happening weekly at the moment, and I could not be more grateful!

Virginia, #1 at The Poupounette, celebrated her Tenth Blogoversary a little while back.  What I did NOT know at the time was that Virginia had a comment-a-thon to celebrate and Winnie’s Wish was the recipient!!  Take a look at what The Poupounette gifted to Winnie’s Wish.

 

Virginia – THANK YOU.  And thank you to everyone who commented on that celebratory blog post.

 

The following two gifts also arrived here for Winnie’s Wish, but neither one had any identification in the box. 

 

Friends of Winnie’s Wish – THANK YOU.

 

See you tomorrow for a Wildlife Wednesday.  It’s second baby squirrel season.

 

The Mice

Against the odds, the five baby mice found in a bag of quik-crete have all survived.  Older Daughter knew these babies had a much better chance of survival if she could get them to the day when their eyes opened.  At about this time, they can start feeding themselves.  She fed them every three hours for FOUR days. (Rehabbers feed babies this small with a paint brush dipped in formula.)  The runt didn’t look good through this entire process.  But somehow all five mice made it to eye-opening day.  Older introduced all kinds of food – seeds, yogurt, banana baby food, softened dog food.  The babies are absolutely thriving now.  Lots of work and a few sleepless nights for Older Daughter, but the outcome made it worthwhile.

 

See you next week.