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!

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!  

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!