Time goes marching on....

Paris, London, and Orlando relaxing on the bed.

This seems to be almost like a trap, this promise I keep making to myself to make time to blog, because I WANT to often, but I become so incredibly busy with the things I have to accomplish and the time just slips away.  There's been a lot that's happened since my last post, and I'll do my best to share it all without rambling - lol!

Ramses is progressing well.  Since my last post, he doesn't hiss or trigger as much, and not once has he spun around to nip... not even a love nip!  This is huge progress, although when he does get startled or triggered, he still panics a bit.  Bis is with him, and he's actually shocked us by starting to allow us to touch him briefly.  He adores Ramses, and when Ramses seeks attention, it makes him curious, and he will allow some contact.  Maybe there is hope for him after all, although I don't think he'll ever be a cuddly cat or one who wants to climb in your lap.

Orlando - the gremlin?

The boys have been joined by a girl.....  Her name is Heather.  We were contacted by another rescue because apparently Heather has acted up and was striking out and attempting to bite her foster and other volunteers.    Most rescues are just not set up to deal with major behavior problems (not many people want to subject themselves to the possibility of a cat attack - OUCH!), and we were happy to take her on.  

Heather

I put her in with the boys because I thought they might all help each other.  I have been evaluating her behavior, and she does seem to get highly stimulated when she's really excited, but so far she's only whipped around to nip once, and she didn't actually make contact.  I think that despite her being twitchy, probably from a past trauma, she is recoverable.  So we will work with her, and in the meantime I will enjoy her pretty face, and the boys really seem to have taken to her.  It's a win-win. 

Orlando Ham-Fists posting for a pic!

Tia's kittens have gotten big!  They are 5 weeks old, and all little rock stars in their own right.  Orlando is most especially a little poser, and starts striking poses as soon as he sees the phone.  Not only does he have hamfists, but he flat out is a ham.  It should be interesting, I think there may be a battle when he's ready to be adopted.  There's a LOT of interest.   Paris and London are also adorable, and amuse us endlessly with their antics.  Mind you, it's less amusing at 3 am, and I will assure you, polys have more claws as well as toes!  Time to trim their claws.. again!

We acquired two other kittens a few weeks ago.  We got a call from one of the stores where we have cats... apparently someone left two kittens in a box outside, taped up with a few holes poked in it, and a note asking someone to take care of them, and listing their names, Olaf and Elsa.  They are absolutely wonderful kittens, and although it makes me angry that someone dumped them, I'm just glad they ended up in a good place.  They are now fully vetted, and available for adoption.  It's been a nice treat having kittens come in we didn't have to "fix", no behavior issues at all.   There's been lots of interest in both of them, and I'm confident they will find forever homes very soon!

Elsa - box kitty!

We have a few other kittens around, Jem, Seri, Houdini, and Duster.  Duster is very much like Bis, still very wild and needing work.  Poor Houdini (who Hubby calls boomerang because he's been back many times) was sick again, but is now on several types of meds and is improving steadily.  Here's to hoping that he gets better and out to a forever home soon.  He's a doll!    Seri is an HAC kitten who had been sick, but is now better and ready to be adopted.  She went to an event yesterday (as did the others who were ready), and no bites on anyone except Jem.  SHE may have found her forever home, and is going on a trial this week.  I hope it sticks, she really took to the girl who is taking her, and I have a feeling that once she's there, she'll be staying.   I love those kinds of endings.

Olaf - the other box kitty!

Another kitten, Bermuda, has faded a bit, and we took her in to the vet the other day.  She was fine one day, and not the next.  We aren't sure what's up with her yet, but we are taking the best care of her, and should have her blood work results soon. I'm confident she will get amazing care from our vets when they have a good idea of what's going on with her.  Poor little monkey.  Kittens are so volatile, health wise.  It's very hard when they are fine one day and not fine the next.  You beat yourself up and ask yourself if you missed something, if you could have done more.  Poor Lori is feeling down too because she lost a kitten this morning, and despite the fact that he was incredibly ill and it was something of a miracle that he lasted as long as he did, it doesn't soften the blow any.  This is the hard part about rescue, and I have infinite respect for her and everyone who carries on despite the fact that sometimes, it really freaking hurts!  You wish you could just have a magic wand to wave to make them all better.  Lacking that, you are pretty helpless and just do all that you can.  That's really all anyone can ask, and for many of these cats, even a few hours of loving care is more than they had, and infinitely better than drawing their last breath in the high kill shelter, surrounded by sterile cages, frightened and sick cats, and terrifying sights and sounds.  In the end, sometimes a peaceful end is all we can give them.  It's hard to think about it when you're hurting, but it does have meaning and makes those little lives not be lost in vain.

London the troublemaker!

On a funnier note, one of our resident cats has taken issue with Hubby, for some reason, and keeps leaving him gooey presents in his shoes.  While it's unpleasant and requires cleanup (thank goodness for Virkon!), I have to say it is worth a giggle now and again (although I usually have to clean it up lol).  We think it might be Duck, as he takes after his grandmatron, Lou aka Gardenia, and thinks he rules the roost. Several times Hubby has had to remind him that while he's high on the food chain in the cat realm, we two-leggeds are the boss, and we think he's taken exception to that.  It's either him or Trouble, who is like a jealous girlfriend when it comes to Hubby, and is rather put out that she can't sleep with him for a little longer, while Tia and her kittens are in our room.  It's a mystery that we shall solve, but for now, it keeps us on our (hopefully not gooey) toes.

If you are interested in adopting any of the cats and kittens I talk about in my blog, please check out Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln's Website, and contact Lori.  She's awesome and always willing to help match you up with your ultimate fur-baby!

Celebrating the new.....

Wow.  It's been a long while since I last wrote a blog post.  When I started this blog, I was intending to write in it regularly... making it a part of my own essential "me" time, but that hasn't really necessarily happened.  Regardless of that, I do enjoy it, and hope that those reading it enjoy it as well.  There's just so much going on, it's hard to know where to start.  Basically all the news is good news anyways, so I suppose I can just started with the newest news!

Orlando at the top, using Paris as a pillow with London Below

Tia, the gorgeous polydactyl Lori pulled for us (well really, for Hubby) from HAS who we suspected to be pregnant.... well, she wasn't fixed and was outside.. OF COURSE she was.  She had her babies just over a week ago, and it was fun holding our breath to see how many of the babies (if any) would end up being polys, aside from just how many she would have.  It added an extra layer of excitement to the waiting.  Well, we now have our answer!   Tia gave birth to three extremely feisty and healthy little kittens!  Two girls and one boy... and that boy has a SPECIAL surprise.  He's a Poly just like mommy!!!  Little boy, now named Orlando, and his two sisters, London (grey and white tabby) and Paris (dilute tabico), are growing fast, and have been developing even quicker than imagined!  That's the difference when mom is well-fed throughout pregnancy, I suppose.  On the day of their 1 week birthday, theirs eyes were already open!  It was insane.  They are absolutely adorable, and healthy and bawdy.  I will be posting up lots of pictures of them before they go to forever homes.   And man, those paws on Orlando, they're like little meathooks!  Huge!  We are so pleased all is well with this little family.  They certainly are special!

We had a few batches of feral kittens Lori pulled en masse to try to avert a major vet day about a month ago.  It's kept us full, but these little darlings were all pretty much feral born and had no hope if they'd have stayed at HAS, and most of the other rescues don't deal with ferals too often (with some exceptions - thanks to them!).  All except one have drunk the "humans are great" kool aid, and although they are all fighting a bit of a cold at the moment, they will be good as new asap, and will be ready to go to their adoptive homes!  Whoever ends up with these little darlings are all going to be happier families for it.  They are all wonderful little cats, despite their feral birth.  You would never know they were born feral, unless someone told you.  It feels good to know these little sweethearts have a shot at the spoiled lives they deserve.   I can't wait!  Don't get me wrong, I'm going to miss the little buggers, but it's always nice to see them go into homes and get to shine on their own.

Orlando blinking his newly opened eyes.

We were contacted by another local rescue group, Hamilton Street Cats, to provide temporary housing for two feral cats who were taken from a colony for a TNR program they do.  These ladies are awesome, and are doing this 100% under their own steam... No way I could say no to giving a couple lovely ladies who lived the hard life a cushy place to convalesce  for a while.  Both were scared at first, but one in particular showed that she's a social lady at heart.   She has a unique story that deserves it's own blog post, really, but suffice it to say she'd been through a lot and deserved a break.  We named them Peony and Pollyanna.   All went well with their recovery, but one day I came home to make a sad discovery.  Poor Peony had passed, and with no obvious signs of struggle or distress.  It upset me immensely because I felt like I'd failed her somehow, and reviewed my actions to see if I could have done more.  Reality is though, these things happen unfortunately, and as it turns out, many of the cats that were TNR'ed from that colony became sick after their surgeries, and some died.  There is a good liklihood that the cats were poisoned shortly before being picked up.  It's disgusting, and sad, and horrible, but unfortunately it happens.  I had to reconcile that I had done everything I could to make her comfortable, but that I couldn't have known without any signs.   Poor Peony.

The story is much better for Pollyanna.  She's a complete and total little lover!!!  She's so friendly I was very quick to tell HSC that she is absolutely home-able, and so she won't be returning to the streets!  She will stay with us until we can get her out to some adoption events through some rescues who have offered to help, and she will never have to want or suffer ever again...  She will be the pampered princess she deserves to be!!   I am so excited about it, and in the meantime, our older Daughter is happy to have her visiting in her room.  It's the best kind of scenario for a lady like Polly.

I'm sure many are wondering about the big orange tabby we got from one of the local Humane Societies.  This poor guy was left in a trap for over 24 hours before being brought to the shelter, and it still infuriates me when I think about it... .but, fortunately, we've made lots of progress with him, and I am fully confident that someday he will be able to live out a completely wonderful life in a forever home.   We discovered that he was not fearful of just ANY humans... but specifically, WOMEN humans.  All humans give him a scare, but females in particular absolutely terrify him.  Thanks so much to the stupid, selfish, ignorant woman who trapped him.   We found this out as I was having Hubby help me feed him, and he very much enjoys going in to visit the lovely Ramses.  Hubby brought the food in, and Ramses quickly moved right past his inhibitions and bold as anything walked up and rubbed against his legs!  This is HUGE, as he has not really made many overt movements to get CLOSER to humans.  This was a massive breakthrough!  Although, I have been working very hard to gain his trust.  Sitting quietly in the room, being totally non-threatening, just exposing him to human, female interactions without it ending in misery and terror for him.  It's slowly working.  Just the other day, when I came in the room, he meowed, but instead of breaking down, he walked nearby me and rubbed up against a table, looking at me.  He actually MADE EYE CONTACT without peeing himself or panicking.   With those little tidbits, we can move forward, as every day we see more and more glimmers of the cat he really is, hiding inside all that fear.  Peeling back the layers, I know we will find a wonderful, lovely, typical big 'ol orange tabby Cyrno De Bergerac.  I also made the decision to put Bis in with him.  We weren't sure if Bis was male or female for sure, because we still haven't been able to handle the cat well, and being black it's hard to tell unless you get right in there, so to speak. However, Bis is definitely male, and had to be separated from Nightingale, who's sort of been a surrogate mom to him, before things got past motherly LOL.   In the meantime, he's keeping Ramses company, and although Ramses was a little nervous at first, Bis is also helping to bring him out of his shell.

Ramses Before and After

The last time I peeked in, the two were cuddled up in a little fur ball in the middle of the room.   This is also huge for Ramses, who feels very exposed and rarely lays out in his room.  He's usually under something or on top of something.  Hopefully with the combination of Bis teaching him how to be a cat again, and the work we are doing to remind him of what it's like to be loved by humans, he will make much faster progress now.  Stay tuned and I promise to keep everyone up to date on what's going on.

Nightingale has come a long way.  With her own kittens gone, she's turning into a kitten herself, practically.   She's not the growling, terrified, panicky cat she was when she arrived.  She's filled out nicely, and although we are still going to investigate further what kind of damage was done to her back end, as she gets stronger and healthier, she is more and more able to move around.  She's very wobbly, and is sort of like a motorcycle in that she can only stay really upright when she's moving (she falls over when she stops), she actually gets around incredibly well, and has even ventured to get up the cat perch a few times.  She falls more than she makes it, but the mere fact that she is trying and keeps trying is nothing short of inspirational.  She's a GORGEOUS cat, and her sweet, gentle, loving nature will give someone incredible companionship. 

Thankfully, kitten season is starting to slow down, and we can work to get some more adults out into forever homes.  Kittens are lovely, but adult cats are too, and should never be overlooked just because they aren't as "cute".  With an adult, you know what you're dealing with.  Kittens can be a crap shoot.  If you are looking to adopt a cat, please consider a wonderful adult, too.

As always, if you are interested in any of the cats and kittens I talk about in my blog, please contact Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln.  Lori is amazing and will absolutely help you find the cat of your dreams :)  If you can't adopt, please consider donating.  You can also check out the amazing online auction we have going on for a few more weeks.  All proceeds go to the cats!  Thanks everyone!

Sometimes your heart breaks....

People outside of rescue ask me all the time how I can handle being in rescue, because I often see cats that are the results of the worst people can be and do.

Fancy, a rescue from HAS

I know people do these things.   It's an unfortunate circumstance of human nature, but we can do pretty awful things to the creatures in our world... not to mention to other humans.  I was going to do an update post, but I think more than anything, I need to just talk about some of the things I need to get off my chest.

Rescue can be VERY hard.  I've cried so many times seeing the horrible situations these precious little animals find themselves in, and know that somebody DID that to them, and of course it makes me sad, it makes me angry too.  I could go and rant and rave to the world, but I think that people are already well aware of the hideousness that can be contained within the human psyche.  I always prefer to try to focus on hope, and on healing, and keep things in the positive... if all I did was think about the bad, I don't think I could do this.  Many days it feels like it will never end, and that things will never improve or change.  It's a big task we set ourselves, in all kinds of animal rescue... helping animals recover from what is almost 100% of the time a horrible situation caused by HUMANS.  In all likelihood, even under the most ideal conditions, we will never fully eradicate this. 

The No-Kill effort is something that people in the rescue community widely advocate, and many are working to see Hamilton become a no-kill facility (with little to no traction).  In many communities who have adopted the no-kill mandate, conditions have improved immensely for animals that are put into shelter situations, and the options in these areas grow.   I am a strong believer in this effort.   But I also know that it's not going to eliminate the need for animals to be rescued... and it's definitely not going to eliminate the darker side of human nature.  People will continue to do horrible things to each other and to animals.   It's a sad fact of life.   I can't bring myself to pretend that the NEED for rescue or for animal cruelty laws will ever change..

There will always be low-income areas, where people don't have (or don't know they have) access to low cost spay/neuter, or know their rights concerning having pets in homes, or be able to afford to get Fritzy medication for his allergies.  There will always be ignorance, and cruelty, and neglect.  For as long as we live in modern society, these things will be a factor.  There will always be a need for rescue.....

And rescuers... what a passionate, inspirational bunch of people.  They come from all backgrounds and have all types of methods, but when it all comes down to it, they want to rescue cats.  Many pay out of their own pockets, take much time from their own busy schedules, and they willingly accept the chance that their hearts may be broken because the cat they tried to help didn't make it, or couldn't be helped.  This is a chance they willingly take, because rescuers know that when things DO go well, and even when they don't, they made a difference in the life of an animal, if even for a little while.  THAT is what we do it for.  THAT is the ultimate reward. 

Something that saddens me, is that human nature element of things.   Rescuers are people..   They all have the same purpose, but not all have the same methods, and not all share the same philosophies and beliefs about the specifics.  It's almost like politics... Some are hard right, some are hard left, and many are in the center about things, and sometimes this causes issues and infighting.   I may be criticized for writing this, but it's inevitable when you get such a diverse group together, and give them a communication platform like Facebook, altercations will happen.  It's nobody's fault, really, and I understand human psychology enough to know that it's inevitable.  But I think the tensions of this incredibly intense kitten season has made everyone a little edgier and trigger-happy than usual, and it does boil over into these communications.  That's when it's time for everyone to step back and say "whoa....folks, what's going on here?"

We are all doing this for the same purpose.  Not everyone will agree on the methods.  Everyone is desperately trying to do their best to play a part in making things better.  None of us have unlimited resources or abilities.  If we did, I'm sure this problem would already be solved.   We all contribute what we can, when we can, and it continually blows my mind when people make out like what's been done isn't enough.   "Thank you XXX for saving this cat, but why didn't you save that other one TOO?".....  What?  Really!?  Step back and ask yourself, don't you think that if XXXX could have saved THAT cat too, they would have?   Rescues are VOLUNTEER organizations run on DONATED MONEY, and that is NOT easy to come by.  If it was easy, every person who cared about it would run a rescue.  We are not miracle workers.  We can't make vet care, foster homes, and food fall from the sky by doing a sacred cat dance to the gods.  Does anyone seriously think for ONE moment that every cat that we couldn't save doesn't haunt us in our dreams at night?  Does anyone think for a second that we aren't sad when we can't save them all?  The positively HERCULEAN efforts of the amazing people who run these rescues isn't enough for some people it seems, and it's really really SAD!  THAT makes me want to cry as much as the thought of the cats we couldn't save!   We all bear our hearts open to be continually sliced open, then poured over with iodine.... we do the very best we can, and it's still not good enough?  They often put their lives aside to do the work they do... and it's not good enough?   All I can say to those who are critical of the people doing something is... STOP.  If you can't appreciate the efforts made, if you can't be thankful for what IS done, STOP being critical and start doing what YOU can to help.  Want to see more cats saved, foster.  If you can't foster or you already do, help recruit more fosters.  Do what you CAN.  Being critical and nit-picky about how rescues save cats or what cats they save DOES NOTHING TO HELP THE CAUSE - THE CATS.  If you don't like the way that the rescues are doing things, and have a better way to do it, please feel free to start your own!  This isn't like small businesses where new kids on the block are competition.  HECK NO!  I guarantee there's not a rescue in the world who is sad when MORE groups come together for the common cause.  We just CANNOT forget what the purpose is, even though it's stressful, even though it's HARD to see that not every single cat can be saved.  It's certainly NOT for a lack of trying.  Watching the efforts rescues go to to pull enough cats to avert a vet day, seeing the planning and coordination and shuffling these people do to try to accommodate yet one more cat or sick kitten when they are already bursting at the seams...   Maybe not everyone can see this effort, but it's time to start APPRECIATING this effort a little more.  Even one cat pulled is ONE MORE CAT SAVED!!!  And for some small rescues, even taking on one extra cat can stretch resources.  How can anyone fail to consider that these people also have to take into account the animals they already HAVE in their care, and they have already committed to providing them with all their needs until they find forever homes?  Cats certainly don't get adopted at the rate they are taken in, even by the most successful rescues.  Capacity is an issue, and any responsible rescue will not exceed their capacity.   They do what they can, when they can.  I just can't understand why that isn't enough for some people.
Another disturbing trend is the criticism of the "everyday guy" who dumps their cat or doesn't get it fixed because they're poor or don't know any better.   Yes, these people exist.  I've been poor.  I've struggled.  I've had to scrimp and save to buy food, or pet food, or get things done.  It's a reality of life.  But most of these people are NOT the enemy.  They don't realize the larger picture of the impact of that one small act of putting their cat outside because they have to move somewhere it can't go.  To them, it's just one cat.  We in rescue see the bigger picture... we deal with it every day.  We are so deep in the trenches we can't see anything else.  But we have to remember that not everyone in the world is as immersed, or as passionate, about this as we are.  That doesn't mean they don't care, or that they wouldn't if they knew better!  It just means that they can't see things with our cat-colored glasses. You catch more flies with honey.  If we educate people, and instead of excluding them and pointing fingers at them, we find ways to help make them PART of the solution.  Help them to find the resources that are available.. teach them a better way, even one person at a time, this is how ideas spread.  I have yet to meet someone who was uneducated NOT be receptive to the message of rescue once they know those resources exist.  MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF RESCUES!!  They think rescue, they think the local SPCA.  Rescues, volunteer groups on limited budgets, don't advertise themselves...  With what money?   But talking to people about solutions and doing so in a way that they can feel involved, even if it's just spreading the word.  We start doing that by dealing with EACH OTHER in a respectful way, in a way that promotes the positives...  Not divisiveness. 

It's like that facebook experiment, where they showed more negative stories than positive ones for a  week, and people got depressed?  It's the same general idea when showing your "brand" to the public... We, as rescuers, need to pull together and show a united front.  Set aside egos and differences, and focus on the fact that there's a lot of work to do, and the longer we sit and point fingers amongst ourselves, the longer that work is left undone.  Concentrating our efforts on the changes we CAN make, doing what CAN be done, and appreciating what is done by others.. those elements are the key to moving forward the agenda that brings ALL of us together.  Let's keep our eyes on the prize people!

And do those of you who run rescues, all of them.  THANK YOU.  Thank you for taking on the stress of organizing a bunch of volunteers, who can be like herding cats, and are still human afterall.  Thank you for making the effort to bring in money, and deal with the organizational side of things, and doing the bits that not everyone can.  THANK YOU for keeping track of vet records, making appointments, and dealing with fosters.  THANK YOU for having to make tough decisions, and still carrying forward.  THANK YOU for taking on the difficulties that can be involved in dealing with cats, the potential heartbreak, the 2 am emergency phonecalls, and the disappointments when you did your best and nothing helped.  The burden you bear is something I have respect for, because you're STILL doing it, and you keep carrying on even through tears.  Please don't stop.

To the foster parents, THANK YOU!  Thank you for cleaning up poop and pee and litterboxes... Thank you for toughing through being sick to take that cat to the vet for it's spay, thank you for taking time out of your life to give that cat his medication, and being bitten in the process.  Thank you for bandaging up that scratch you got from a scared cat, smiling, and soldiering on.  Thank you for being willing to let go of a beloved foster to go to a forever home, even though you're sad and will miss them because they were a piece of your heart.   THANK YOU for being there with them, when they draw their last breath, because even though you did everything you could, mother nature takes some anyways and you can't save them all, no matter how hard you try.  THANK YOU for every tear you've shed to make a difference in an animal's life. 

To other volunteers, THANK YOU!  Don't think everything you do doesn't make a difference.   Even sharing a post on facebook can mean the difference for a cat in need.  DOING something is always better than just talking about it.  Even the little things cannot be overlooked, because every brick is needed to hold up a wall, and volunteers are extra bricks needed to keep it strong.

We're all here for the same purpose.   It doesn't hurt to feel  like our effort is worthwhile.  We don't do this to make other people happy, we do this for cats, and for the feeling it gives us.  It can be hard enough without negativity.  Let's lift each other up.   It's going to be a long hard kitten season.  We could all use a helping hand. 

It's all about the cats

Robin at the cage at the store.  Not too thrilled, but she settled in!

Well, I know it's been a while since my last post.  Work sent me to Seattle for training for a week, but our youngest was AMAZING while I was gone, and took care of all the cats (measuring their meals, giving their meds, you name it, she did it), and we are so proud of her!   In that time though, of course, lots happened.....

Nightingale's kittens as well as Meesha all left the nest to go into stores for adoption.   Kestrel, Chickadee and Robin have all been adopted!  Sparrow and Raven will be adopted soon, I'm sure, they are absolutely adorable!  Now that they are gone, we can start moving on working on miss Nightingale.   She's such a lovely girl, and so playful and loving now.  Hard to believe when she came all she did was hiss and growl in terror..

Heart is doing very well!  She's almost ready.  Our youngest has been working with her and has done an incredible job breaking her of her habit to nip from overstimulation, and has completely moved her past her fear of people.  I couldn't have done it better myself!  Heart is almost ready for adoption, we just have a few more things to do around getting her easy to handle for carriers and whatnot.   Generally exposure therapy and repetition, with a good dose of positive reinforcement does the trick.  She's a smart girl, I'm very confident she'll figure it out quickly!

"Hamfisted" Tia!  Isn't she cute??

The orange tabby male, now named Rameses, poor angel, we really are working literally from the ground floor with him.  He does allow some love and touch, but gets overwhelmed extremely quickly and goes into complete terror mode.  I've decided to change directions with him, and treat him like I would a fully feral cat, instead of only a traumatized former pet, because when he's in the full grip of his fear, he IS a feral cat in many ways, and reacts with many of the same behaviors.   However, he DOES want to be around people, I just don't think he knows how to past his trust issues right now.    I've started just going into the room, not speaking or approaching him, but reading a book or doing something still and quiet for longer and longer times in his presence.   At first, he WAILS, like a baby crying, but unlike any sound I've ever really heard at all.....   But he calms down more quickly each time we go through the exercise.  I believe he's going to be with us for a long while, because working from the ground up is a time-consuming process, and you can't rush the animals through it.  They have to work through it at their own pace.   I'm ok with that, and I think everyone else is too.  EVERYONE is pulling for this guy, and after all he's been through, he deserves nothing less than our absolute best effort to help him live a wonderful, fulfilling life.  No life lived trapped in the cage of fear is fulfilling.   Hang in there, little buddy, we're here for you. 

One of the kittens pulled this week!

Our Polydactyl mama (hubby requested the pull) is indeed pregnant, and is growing daily.  She has three extra toes on both her front paws, and OMG she's adorable!  Super sweet, she was definitely a pet.  No idea why anyone wouldn't want her!  Those ham-fists are SOOOOOOO cute!  And she can grip things with them just like an opposable thumb (makes her NOT so graceful for jumping, though LOL).   Hubby is teaching her how to give high fives, and she's starting to make friends with Nightingale.  It would be sweet if they could be buddies.  Both are SOOO loving!  I'll definitely post progress on her as she's closer to her due date.  As it is she probably has at least a few weeks left.

Lori, being the wonderful lady she is, pulled a BUNCH of kittens from HAS this week in hopes of helping to avert another vet day.  Guess where some of those kittens ended up?   They have been having fun tearing around in the office and generally trashing the joint, but they are adorable and we don't mind at all.  A couple of them are quite terrified, and might need a few weeks work, but the rest are sweet, ,cute and ready to go.  I love it when a plan comes together, they are all going to an adoption event this weekend, and with luck, next week will find them ALL in wonderful forever homes!

I finally had to make the call on Bis, and he will be going to a barn home.  He's very comfortable with people, but like Dusk and Dawn, wants NO interaction with them at all.  That's ok.  I'm fairly sure he wasn't from a litter with the other kittens, he was feral born and raised through and through.  At least we know that he will be safe where we send him, and he can live life enjoying being cared for, yet still having his freedom.  NEVER a bad thing. 

Another pulled kitten, he has such cute markings!

As always, if you are looking to adopt any of the wonderful cats and kittens I talk about, check out Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln.  If you can't adopt, donate, or volunteer!  Every little bit makes a difference for a rescue!  Thank you for reading.  I know this was rather uneventful, but I'm still catching up! LOL!

Breakthrough!

So here I am, on an airplane traveling for work.  It's one of those "I have to do" sort of things, and I guess that's ok, but I'd much rather be at home with the kitties.  It's been a wild couple of days.  As anyone who read my last post knows, we ended up with a lovely orange tabby male from one of the local Humane Societies who wanted help with this poor boy.  They knew his case was far too difficult for them to handle there (although they did an AMAZING job with what they could!!!), and that he would need to be placed with someone who could help him.   That is, apparently, my crazy family. 

Fortunately, though, they were right, we can help this guy.  He's the one who was left in a trap for over 24 hours, shredding himself to get out the entire time.  The mere thought of it still angers me, but I'm trying to let my anger be motivation for doing things that will cause change, instead of making me bitter. 

As I walked into the room with him (we are now calling him Ramses), I could see that he was very deep into his trauma.  His eyes were HUGE, and he didn't stop looking at me no matter where I went in the room.  It's never good for a cat to show this level of fixation on their target of fear... It generally means that they can't move past that at that moment, and it can lead to them lashing out (hyper vigilence plays a huge roll for cats!), or just not being able to connect.   I put some food in front of him, and he didn't even sniff it.  If a cat is not sniffing something tasty, then they are really far gone into fear.  Pretty much any cat will sniff after a big juicy piece of meat,  but when they don't, you have a good idea of just how much damage has been done.

Our boy was bad... really bad.   I talked to the family and told them what he was all about, let the kids meet him and give me their take.  We all agreed that he's terrified, but how to break through if he's not acknowledging anything aside from the object of his fear?   Well.....  Patience.   I have been going in the room with him several times a day, for short stints, 5 or 10 minutes.  At first if I would move close, Ramses would WAIL.  That's the only way I could describe the sound he made.  It wasn't a scream and it wasn't a cry, it was a sound that said "Please just leave me alone and dont hurt me anymore!" It was heartbreaking!   

Determined to make some kind of breakthrough before I left for ym work trip, I broke out the trusty boiled chicken.   He did allow me to approach without wailing, and he did allow me to feed him.  This was good, we had an in.  I got down to his level and stayed there... every time I was above his level, he lost his mind.  After a lot of patience, and making sure not to scare him any more than he was, I was finally rewarded by him reaching out to sniff me..  YAY!!!  I thought I had already made enough progress, but sir Ramses surprised me by head-butting my hand.   I just decided to go with it, and after a 20 minute long love session in which he not only head butted and kissed me, but also rolled around exposing his belly to me, I was totally thrilled!  I never expected him to come forward that quickly!  After only a day or so!  But it shows something about the animal spirit!  This boy was ABSOLUTELY someone's pet.  Feral cats simply don't see human contact without having had prior....  This guy was a lovebug, wanting the chin scratches and he seemed to know just how to direct me to that spot on his cheek that was oh-so-good.  This, we could work with!  

Here's this cat, been through so much, and able to let go of everything and just live in the moment...   It's amazing to me how they can just move forward from trauma.  No way in the world Ramses is going to be "normal" anytime soon, but even the step he made forward, the fact that he was willing to TRY , to have faith that SOMEBODY wouldn't hurt him.   He was living in the moment.  I wish more people did this!  We are all so busy looking forward and clinging to the past like a 2 year old with their wubbie, and we miss the RIGHT NOW!  Every time that moment happens that a connection is made, I can't help but be present in the now, or I would never be able to make connections with these cats.   It forces me to slow down, think, and relish the moment.  Take a deep breath and just be in the now.   If we were like this, the world would be a whole better place.  

But that aside, before we left Lori pulled a sweet little Polydactyl momma cat (quite preggo), and she's a complete darling.  No confirmed name yet, but soon enough, and it's nice for the kids to enjoy a "normal" cat now and again lol.  Everyone else is doing well, but I just wanted to share my breakthrough with everyone.   I could not be more pleased and excited for what this means for Ramses's prospects.   Thanks all for reading!!

A day in the life.....

A day in the life of a cat rescuer.... and it's been a crazy one!  Aside from the actual day job (which is great, but it doesn't involve cats, booooo), had to do some cat-catching today!   Dusk and Dawn got their barn placement.   So today, Lori came to pick them up to go to their new forever home, in the great outdoors.  They are placed with a lady she knows who has some barn cats already (all fixed, etc), and welcomes them to her little group.   I'm so pleased, but man they wanted NOTHING to do with me once they saw the carriers!  After a mad chase, and a stinky present left in the carrier (sorry Lori, LOL!), they are off to their new home.  May their days be filled with cuddles of other kitties, fresh air, lots of bugs and mice to chase, and safety. 

Nightingale's kittens are still here, as well as Bis and Meesha.  Robin and Raven BOTH had a little bit of goopy eye when I came home today, so out of caution, we're keeping all the kitties they were around cooped up for a bit.  I highly doubt it's anything serious (we've had nothing around here serious anyways, and all the adults are already vaccinated), but these things just happen sometimes.  That's ok, we can enjoy them for a few more days, and that's alright.

BIG progress with Heart!  She's really come out of her shell!  She was a little overwhelmed by the strong personalities of our cats, even Duck was a little much for this poor little shell-shocked girl.  With Dusk and Dawn leaving, I figured Den-Mother non-intimidating senior declawed Precious could help out.  I was right!  Precious is so sweet and calm, Heart took to him right away.  And he's so incredibly friendly and people-oriented, she just started following his lead!  Now when we walk in the room, she comes to greet us right along side him, with her tail up straight and the end in a little question mark, and she seeks attention too!  Yep, she's letting us pet her!  Seeking it out even, rubbing against legs, and generally people-friendly!  She's still a little quick to startle, and will sort of run, but she doesn't hide anymore.  She goes a little way and just watches.   Now, she comes back to you.  She does tend to get really overstimulated with petting, still, but that's fairly normal.  She's given a few love nips, and a few swats, but nothing aggressive at all.   Often cats who don't know how to relate to people yet get over-excited when they realize the wonderfulness that is people pettings.   It's just a matter of getting them used to it, and they usually calm down fairly quickly.  Without any major setbacks, I think that she will be ready to adopt pretty darn soon.  That's very exciting to me, and to everyone else who knows this sweet girl.  All she needed was a chance.  I have to say I can't take much credit for her, though... Our youngest really did the most work with her, and she's done an exceptionally good job of making sure she's a solid cat.  Now we just have to make sure she's solid with things like being picked up, and we can call her a success!

Look at this poor guy, no skin on his nose :(

On another note... we got a call from another Humane society.. an emergency case.  This poor orange tabby male was trapped.   That's bad enough, but not even the worst of it......
The person who trapped him didn't take him anywhere right away.   They left him IN THE TRAP for over 24 hours!!!  All the while this poor fellow was absolutely shredding himself trying to get out.  He rubbed all the skin off his face, shredded his feet and claws just to get out of the trap.  It's one thing to trap a cat, it's another to leave them in obvious distress for AN ENTIRE DAY AND NIGHT!  I don't ever want to meet the person (thankfully I have no clue who it was),  because I'd be tempted to awful things, and that's just not who I am.  But I can't help but be absolutely enraged by the obvious neglect for the feelings of an animal... Not even abuse, just complete disregard for the fact that they had just trapped a living thing and it was terrified!!!   I can't even begin to know just how traumatized this poor fellow is, but here's to hoping we can help him.  PTSD is a definite with this little fellow.. He's likely going to need a lot of work.  We don't have a name for him yet, but honestly, he hasn't even come out of the carrier yet, so we haven't gotten a good look at him. We will wait to see what he's like and pick something suitable.  He's a gorgeous boy, a medium-haired orange tabby.  When his face heals I'm sure he's going to be a gorgeous boy.  He's so far into his trauma bubble right now, though, who knows how long it will take.  He wasn't even interested in any kind of yummy stinking wet food.   When a cat is not even interested in food, you know they are way inside their own mind.  Poor guy.  It boggles my mind how someone could do that to a cat.

As always, if you are looking to adopt, please adopt a rescue cat!  Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln has some awesome and adorable cats and kittens available now, including some adorable siamese kittens!   If you are looking for a cat, get in touch with Lori, she will hook you up!  And if you can't adopt, please consider donating.  It makes all the difference in the world to a cat in need!  

They come...they go.. Then more come!

It's been a hectic week or so, with lots going on!  Three of Nightingale's kittens are now at the store waiting for forever homes.   Chickadee, Kestrel, and Sparrow are all of on the next leg of their journey!  They are so cute, they won't be there long, I'm sure of that.     Robin and Raven are going to stay with us a little bit longer.  They are especially tiny and we wanted to make sure that they get a little extra meat on their bones before they move on. 

Little miss Chickadee!

Most of the hissy kittens have moved on to the store as well.  They came around fairly quicky, got their shots and dewormings, and are looking adorable for future adoptive families.  The Tortieshell kitten (we have named her Meesha), and another black feral orphan, we've named Bis, require a little more time though.   Both are coming around quickly now that they're getting a lot more attention, but they just weren't ready to go with the rest.  They're quite happily hanging out together now, and enjoy playing with the laser pointer and feather toy, and snuggle up together for naps.  It's adorable, and they'll be ready very soon.

Pretty Sparrow

Heart is doing nicely.  She's got some very hair-trigger reactions to fear.  It's understandable, especially for a cat who's been in a cage for probably 1/3 of her life, for her to re-focus her fear in other ways and in other places.  She will hiss and swat occasionally, but slowly we are breaking her down.  I got her to engage in play the other day, and she was moving toward me fairly confidently.  That's a pretty big step, and although she's shy, she's more motivated by play than by food.  I've moved Precious in with her to see how it goes.  She was good with Duck and Mouse at first, but unfortunately, she's a submissive cat, and coupled with her fear, even the nicest cats will often pick or push around a cat that is fearful and submissive.  Precious is an old guy and is declawed (came to us that way), and is probably the most non-threatening cat who ever lived.  He's also amazingly attached to humans, so he will show her the way with regards to being excited about seeing people come in the room.  I'm looking forward to her progress.

Petite little Robin.

Another Humane society has reached out, and needs help with another trap-trauma feral.  I will be doing some work with this one as well at some point, just have to figure out the logistics of getting him here. ;)  It's much quieter though with less kittens.   When Robin and Raven are gone, Nightingale is going to start her long journey to recovery as well.  Currently, though, she's in heat, and although I feel awful for thinking it, she is pretty funny when she tries to stick her butt up in the air in a customary "come hither" fashion, but stumbles out of it almost as fast.  I will be very glad when we can get her some more relief.  Hopefully, something can be done to at least help, if not correct, her disability.  She's a very lucky girl.  Lori saved her and her babies in every possible way.  And she sure deserves it.  They ALL do, but frankly, Nightingale is pretty special.  I see how limited she is and every day I ask myself how she survived outside, pregnant, disabled and starving.   Now, she's safe, well fed, contented, and the sweetest cat anyone could ever want.  She will never be unsafe again, if I have anything to do with it.  This is what it's all about.

Things just keep rolling along.....

Lots happening, but isn't there always?     Kittens grow, kids grow, the world turns, and cats get dumped.  Seems to be the way things are lately.   The high kill shelter in our area is stuffed with cats and kittens, and a good majority of them are dumped, or are the products of dumped cats.  Some days, it feels like a hopeless cause, getting cats out just to see more show up, but it's a labor of love.  We try to save as many as we can, but at least we get some out.  Lori is pretty amazing when it comes to taking the cats that others leave behind, and it feels good to know that someone cares!  There are other rescues that take tough-case cats, but I think Lori is sort of famous (Infamous?) for it.   I couldn't be happier about that... I love a challenge, and she never has a lack of providing me with challenges!

New hissy.  Hard to get good pics when they move a lot!

The hissy kittens from a few weeks ago were basically ready, with the exception of one particularly terrified little Tortie.  Poor thing was just not ready to go.   So I'm keeping her to continue working with her, and the other three (Jetson, Smoke, and Houdini) are off to the store to find their forever homes.  They still aren't huge fans of being picked up, but Lori will help them with that at the store.  Sometimes having them exposed to that environment really helps progress their development faster, and kittens are SO adaptable!   Miss Tortie (we are calling her Meesha), will be coming around in no time.  There are some things kittens can't resist, and play is one of them.  She's already come out of her shell a bit more since the others left last night.... with the scared ones, sometimes divide and conquer is the way to get things done.

A VERY unhappy tabby hissy.   Can't wait to win him over!

Lori and I discussed last night, but we have come to the conclusion that Dusk and Dawn would indeed do best in a barn cat program.  They are not afraid of people anymore, and yell at me for food, for play, etc, but NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, will interest them in allowing to be pet.  Precious (their den-mother) has done a lot to move them past the last bit of fear they had of people.  When he comes for love, they come and scream at me because I'm not letting him give THEM attention, and they are just not interested in attention from people.  They aren't scared, they aren't aggressive, they just aren't INTERESTED.   That's ok.  They are allowed to be like that, now it's a matter of finding them a safe place to be (they are fixed, microchipped, and vaccinated), and Lori is working on that.  I felt a bit defeated at first, but the reality is, not every cat who comes to us will want to be a companion.  I'm ok with that.  They will go somewhere safe, and live happy lives chasing mice and lounging in patches of sun....

Little black hissy trying to melt away from view....

Nightingale's kittens are growing so fast it's scary.  They go for their vaccinations next week, then they will be going off to an adoption event to find their own forever homes. It will be bittersweet, but it always is with babies you raise, and they are wonderful little kitties who deserve wonderful homes.  They will have great lives.   Them being gone will also mean we can really concentrate on Nightingale and getting her into a more comfortable state.  She's a love, and she deserves to be comfortable.  We adore her.  Hard to believe when she came she was so protective and terrified, she wouldn't even make eye contact, and would growl even if you just moved around her.  Now, she's a lover, a tv addict, and loves junk food (we found she LOVES potato chips... long story, but we have to keep potato chips away from her LOL). 

Lori managed to save some other kitties the other day, and she scooped them BEFORE they made it into HAC.  Someone has trapped them, apparently they had a bunch of feral kittens running around their back yard.  They caught some, and were bringing them to HAC, but Lori miraculously saw them before they walked in the doors, she peered into the carrier, and that was that.  She agreed to take them and now they are with me.   They are all hissy, obviously feral born, but literally are already coming around (just overnight!).  I think more than anything they are scared and hyper-vigilant, and they've already realized I am the bringer of foods.....  So they watch me closely and have even meowed a few times when I enter their room.  It won't take long at all.  

This weekend, I am picking up Heart, the cat from the local humane society.  They reached out to me for help with her as a last resort.  They just aren't set up for dealing with scared or feral cats.  She is a little growly if you move quickly, and their volunteers are a little scared of her when she's like that.   Otherwise, it seems like they have done a really great job and gotten her quite a long way down the road to rehab.... She just needs a change of scenery and a specialized touch to get her the rest of the way.  MAD props to the ladies at Burlington Humane for working so hard with her so far, and for not giving up on her.  I promise I will do my best, and so will my entire family, to get the lovely Heart adoptable and help her to blossom into the kitty they know she can be.   She's a lovely girl, and when we went to see her, I could see that she's just at the cusp of crossing over.  Some kitty friends to guide her along the way (Duck and Trouble will be huge with this girl), and the right kind of approach, and I'm very confident she will be adoptable and happy as someone's companion.   I look forward to the transformation! 

The lovely and elegant Miss Heart!

If you are interested in adopting, fostering, or even donating, every little bit helps.  I know I always say this, but the need has never been greater.  We will be putting together some fundraiser events for NCWL in the next little bit, and would love to have any support we can get.   The rescues run 100% on donations, and even $5 is $5 more than they had.  That $5 can be the difference for a cat.  I'll post some information when we have some good events planned.  Please feel free to follow NCWL on Facebook as well for up-to-the-minute information about events and kitties finding forever homes!

Thank you so much for reading.   I can't thank everyone enough for supporting this blog and our efforts to help the cats.   It makes it that much more rewarding to know that people care.   :)

Sometimes tired is all there is.....

Yep, I'm tired.  It's been a whirlwind of a month so far and it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.   Between the day job, the kids, the cats, and just normal household upkeep, some days I'm amazed I make it to bedtime.   I am not complaining, I would rather be busy than bored, but it's definitely a challenge some days to balance it all out.

I wish I could just work with the cats all the time, but of course, I have to pay the bills, and volunteer work doesn't pay so well.   Someday, my dream is to make this my career somehow.  But for now, I just have to keep working out the balance of life/work/passion. 

I'll get to the meat and potatoes and share what's been going on with the kitties at hand.

Nightingale watching over her playful kittens

Dusk and Dawn are still with me for a while longer.   They proved to be tougher nuts to crack than we thought.  Even after being fixed, they were both still pretty sketchy, and took to peeing on me in my sleep.   Funny, until you have to get up at 3 am to strip bedding and wash it.  LOL!  Either way, I moved them into their own room for a while, and am working with them every day.   They weren't QUITE ready to be handled and be stressed out when I had to take them in for their fixing, and it did set them back a little.  But with the help of our houseguest, Precious, they are slowly coming around.  They are not cuddlers, and probably never will be, but now they greet me happily when I come into the room, take food from my hands, and play with me.  I can touch them briefly, but that's about all they will tolerate. It's still in the air as to whether they will be gentled enough to become companions cats, or if they will go into a barn cat program.  I think we'd all much prefer them to be companion cats, but in some cases, the feral runs too deep and the best you can get is that they don't hate or fear humans, they just don't really want to be around them.  It would be a shame, but at the same time, you have to do what's best for the cat.  I'm not ready to give up completely yet, but I have to admit it's a little saddening at times.  It is what it is, and all anyone can do is their best.   Most importantly, they weren't euthanized just for being ferals, and that's the goal.  No cat deserves to die just because they are a feral.  Every life is important.   This is one major thing I'm glad that Lori believes too.   She keeps rescuing the ferals and difficult cats, and I will keep helping her with them.  The pretty cats, the friendly cats, they are easy, and the other rescues can have them if they like.  Every life is precious and worth saving.   Thank goodness for Lori.

Chickadee and Raven posing in a kitty pile

Nightingale is doing extremely well.  She has turned into a regular lovebug.  She loves people and loves being around them, and she especially loves TV.  She will watch for hours from her spot on the floor.  No way in the world this cat was ever feral.  Terrified, in pain, sure.  Feral, never.  We will be taking her for her xrays soon, but as she is ok and manages, we decided to wait until her kittens were gone before we started to stress her out with xrays, poking, prodding, and potential treatment for her disability.   It's an old injury for sure, pelvis or legs or both.  I can't imagine how she survived, pregnant, crippled, in pain.  Makes sense as to why she was thin as a rail when she came.   I have no idea how she hunted and fed herself while pregnant with her mobility so compromised.  She is a miracle and so are her kittens.    They are absolutely little darlings, too, so I'm glad she made it and so did they.  They are growing like weeds!  7 weeks old now, in a few more weeks they will be ready to head to their forever homes.   A definite victory for all involved, and especially for them and whoever gives them forever homes.  They are all little angels and will make anyone wonderful life companions!

Robin snuggled up

I have had a special project this last week as well.  7 fully feral kittens, about 10 weeks old, who needed socialization before they could go into the stores.  All hissy fussy little pisspots, but I love them.  Kittens trying to be tough is one of the funniest things ever!  In reality, they are just scared, without their mom, and aren't really sure what to make of all the fuss.  Three of them only took a few days and have already headed off to the store.  The last four are the more frightened of the bunch, and will probably take a few more days before they are ready to go.  There's one in particular, an orphan who was all by himself, trapped, brought in, malnourished, and was thrown in with a bunch of other kittens so he wouldn't be alone.  I call him "Houdini", because he can get out of anything and can get in anywhere....  But it's fairly obvious he's been through deeper trauma than just being separated from his mom and trapped.  Trap-trauma is bad enough.  This little guy is scared of humans for more reasons than just that, I think.  I plan to get to the bottom of it, but I have a feeling he's going to be here for a while.  Poor little guy.  The others are just more scared and are already making leaps and bounds.  A few more days, they will be good to go.  It's nice when you can get the scared/feral ones when they are really young, because they are like children; move past fear more quickly, are more motivated by play and food, they are just closer to the blank slate than an older cat who's experienced major trauma.  Helping them before bad habits and paralyzing fears become crystalized and ingrained is the best way to help them.  I'm confident they will find forever homes quickly!

Raven: "Whyfore you blind me wif dat bright ting!?"

This week I was also contacted by a local Humane Society to help them with one of their cats.   She's good with other cats, but is TERRIFIED of humans.  Unfortunately the Humane Societies are not set up to deal with scared or feral cats.  They are a place that is set up to adopt friendly, settled cats into forever homes.  They don't have many options when it comes to helping the scared ones, although I firmly believe they do the very best they can.  I agreed to do what I could to help them help the cat, and have built a basic plan.  I'm heading out there today to meet her, assess her, and hopefully give the staff some advice for things that they can do that will help her move past her fear.  I have to get some kitties off my plate before I could take her to work with her, and honestly, I think that with the right techniques, the staff there could be taught how to handle cats like this and get them normal and adoptable, or at the very least make assessments between "feral" and "scared".  It would be awesome if that could happen.  Either way, I don't want a sad end for this little girl, and neither do they, so I will do what I can to help her out.  If I have to take her for a while, I will :) From how she's been described, though, once the fear is gone, she will be an amazing cat.  She's good with other cats and likes them, that is always helpful in showing them the way.  Another little soul who deserves life.   She's going to get the best chance possible.  I'm mostly just relieved that they reached out for help instead of giving up, which would be the easy route.  Nothing about cat rescue and rehabilitation is easy, but the payoff in the end is so immensely huge, it's all worth it.

There is always something you can do to help.  If you are a photographer, helping your local rescue get really great pictures of cats and kittens gets them adopted more quickly.  If you can drive cats to appointments or help out that way, you are STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE.  A donation of $5 might not seem like much, but it might be that last $5 needed to get a cat a surgery or medical procedure that could save their life.  If you are willing to open your home to foster, please consider it.  And if you are looking for a cat to adopt, please adopt a rescue!  Rescues have so much love to give!!  You will never find a more grateful pet than a rescue.   If you are interested in adopting any of Nightingale's kittens when they are old enough, or the former ferals, or any kind of cat at all, please contact Lori at Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln and she will help you find what you are looking for!  You can also find links to some of the other rescues we love in the links section of the blog.  All are awesome, and you will be sure to find the kind of cat that's suitable for you and your home.  Please adopt don't shop!

I love happy endings!

Well, it's been a while, but as it ALWAYS is around our house, it's been crazy and hectic and busy.  That's not a bad thing, I know I'd rather be busy than bored, but it does make it hard to find time for updates sometimes.

The beautiful miss Wind!

This was a weekend with TWO happy endings.  First off, the beautiful Wind went to her forever home... even before she made it into a store!  A lovely couple adopted a cat from Lori as a companion to their current cat who's companion had passed away.   Unfortunately, the first cat was not a match to the household, and they returned her to Lori.  Lori wasn't about to give up, and thought that Wind would likely be a good match to the family.  She was right!  They fell in love with her beautiful looks right away, and she's now getting herself settled into her new forever home with her new play buddy!  We couldn't be more happy, she absolutely deserves it. 

Another happy ending...Bianca!  This is the mother who was horribly ill during her pregnancy, as well as being vaccinated while pregnant.  It was a struggle for her and her babies, but she got spayed, got healthy, and we found her a forever home as well!  My BFF had a friend (who I also knew but not as well) who'd lived with a horribly aggressive cat for years with her ex, and was actually afraid of cats.  She got past that meeting my BFF's cats, and when I mentioned that Bianca would need a forever home and would make a cat lover out of anyone, the connection was made!  Bianca would go to this lady to be her princess!  It was something of a road trip to deliver her, but she is now firmly ensconced in her new home, and settling in nicely.  The lady fell INSTANTLY in love with the beautiful Bianca, and I know it's a match made in heaven!  Congratulations Bianca, you deserve it!

Gorgeous Bianca with her babies.

New updates:  Dusk and Dawn will be moving into the youngest's room.  Taking them to the vet for their spay/neuters set them back a little so we sort of had to re-start the program.  I normally like to wait until all trust is in place to do vetting, but these too were too close to the brink and had to be fixed pronto.  They are in the kitty room right now, and we do visit them regularly, but there's something to be said for them being around sleeping humans.  It seems like they get a lot out of people being totally non-threatening (to predators, another predator sleeping around them is a sign of trust), and I think this will move their progression forward much faster.  I don't forsee it taking long, and the youngest is extremely good with ferals.  She has a knack of making them trust her very quickly.  She is definitely helpful!

With Wind leaving, it opened up our room to having Nightingale and her kittens move into the bigger room.  Now that Nightingale is trusting us more, I wanted to speed up that progression, and also have a chance to observe her much more closely.  I knew something was up with her, but wasn't 100% sure what because she wasn't moving around a lot away from the kittens.  This is normal with a feral, scared, protective mom, but it seemed to me like this was something more.  Her eyes weren't reacting the way they should to light, and I was SURE I saw her stumble a little moving around a few times.  Now I am sure.  Fairly sure her vision is disabled.. She seems to register movement, but doesn't recognize anyone unless she smells them or they speak.  As soon as she registers motion she hisses, and has to cock her head around the other way to get a better look.   Makes sense why she seemed more scared than usual.. if her vision is bad she's going to be more reactive to perceived "threats".

L to R: Chickadee, Robin, Raven, Kestrel, and Sparrow

Moving her into the bigger room, though, definitely showed more issues than I initially thought.  I saw her move around, as the kittens were in their glory tearing around all over the room and exploring their new space, and I realized, this cat has a badly healed old injury.  Either  a broken leg, or some kind of pelvic damage.  She stands funny and has a hard time weight-bearing on her back hind leg.  It sticks out a bit funny too.  I checked her over and there's no swelling, nothing CURRENT that's causing the condition.  Her temp is fine, her heartrate is fine, and there is no external damage that I can see, but there is definitely an old injury there, and it's causing her pain and discomfort as she moves around.  We will be taking her to the vet this week to have him look into it, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing extremely serious or permanent, but my feeling is this will not be the case. Either way, she's making great progress on the social front.  She now thoroughly enjoys petting and chin-scratches (after her initial startle reaction), and is now coming out to lay in the room.  In fact, I'm quite sure that this cat is nothing close to feral, but was dumped or lost.. because she seems more comfortable in a home environment than any cat I've seen that was truly "feral".   That, and we discovered one interesting, and amusing thing.  Nightingale LOVES TV!

Nightingale avidly watching TV

The first time we turned it on with her in the room, her ears perked up, she moved out to somewhere she could look, and she happily watched House on Netflix with us for hours!  It was the sound that perked her to it, and something tells me, she's enjoyed TV before.  Poor darling, I can't imagine what she's been through, but that is all in the past, and she's never going to be neglected or hurt again.  We will make sure of it!

The kittens are doing extremely well.  They are sweet, social little things, although Robin and Raven are a little shy at first.  All five girls are running around like crazy, and the three larger ones, Kestrel, Chickadee, and Sparrow, have all started eating wet food!  This is great, because it will fill them up more and take some of the pressure off of mom to provide all that milk, and also leave a little more for the littler ones (Robin and Raven).  They are all very adorable, highly photogenic, and mom is an excellent mama!  They are regularly using the litterbox now, and I haven't even really had to put them in it!  So far we've only had ONE accident, and that's because baby got lost across the room (I put boxes in every corner so this doesn't happen, although she just didn't make it in time), and she couldn't wait anymore.  Oh well.   These ones are going to be fully litter-trained in no time!  Mom is an excellent example! 

Little ham Chickadee posing for her pic.

I'm very pleased with all their progress, and we are enjoying them all immensely.   Please, even if you can't adopt, consider fostering.   I hear a lot of people say that saying goodbye is hard.  Sure, it absolutely is.  I don't have an easier time saying goodbye to fosters than I would any other animal or person I cared about.   But it's not about me, or us, or any of that.  It's about what's right for the animals, and seeing pictures of them happy in their forever homes, being loved and cared for like they deserve... that makes it worth the hardship of saying goodbye!  There was an excellent article on Catster about this. If you can't foster, donate!  Especially during kitten season, the bills for the rescues pile up, and with so many cats and kittens to help, it's hard for them to make ends meet.  Remember, they are run 100% on donations.  Even $5 can help towards a vet bill or a meal for a rescue cat in need.  It helps to SAVE LIVES, and anyone who fosters, or even donates, are contributing to saving lives.  Be a hero, help out!

As always if you are interested in adopting any of the cats or kittens I talk about on my blog, contact Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln.  Lori Dudley is absolutely amazing, and will bend over backwards to help you find the perfect feline companion for your home.