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!

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!  

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. 

Names have been chosen! And updates

We finally figured out names for the feral mother and her kittens.    Mama's name is "Nightingale".   It's pretty and it suits her pretty self.  The biggest kitten is a female light grey tabby, we've named her Chickadee.  The smaller middle grey tabby is a female and we have named her "Sparrow".  The darkest tabby is a male, and we have named him "Merlin".  The orange tabby is a male named "Robin", and last, but hardly least, the little black runt is named "Raven". 

Kittens happily eating while mom is hand-fed.

We've had Nightingale for several weeks now.  It's been a slow process getting her to accept us and not be terrified at the first indication of human activity, but I'm pleased to report, we have PROGRESS!   Hubby was actually the first one to make a breakthrough, touching her and her babies without any reaction other than a mild hiss, which stopped when he scratched her chin.  She lifted her chin to accommodate him, that's usually a cat's way of saying "Sure, I'll take some more of that, if you can do it right HERE".    He's done a great job making buddies with her, and that definitely paved the way for more progress for me.

Raven loves to be the center of attention.

I feed mama her wet food by hand daily, holding the plate while she cleans it up, making the food-association and ideally, reducing her threat level of human smell gradually until it's not a trigger anymore.  I've also started giving her EXTRA special treats by hand (leftover fillet mignon, sausage, all kinds of things that smell really good and taste good too), and she's got no problems now with my fingers near her face.  I didn't want to touch her though and make backwards progress, but once Joel informed me he touched her, I reached out last night and touched her myself.  She trembled a little at first, but I gingerly moved my scritching-finger around and under her chin, and sure enough, she allowed me to scratch.  By the time I was done, she was leaning against the side of the kitten box, eyes closed in pleasure, and definitely not having any issues with my contact.  Of course, when I was done, she had to give me a cursory hiss, just so she could make sure I knew that she was still in charge.   Silly girl. 

Raven - being heartbreakingly adorable!

Dawn and Dusk I had to move out of the bedroom into a kitty-only room.  They have taken to marking ME, when I'm sleeping.  Standing right on me and PEEING on me.  Claiming ownership, trying to show who's boss, who knows, but it will be easier to deal with them when not having to get up at 3 am and change the bedding.  They are still making progress though, and our house-guest, Precious, is helping to show them the way.

Wind is off getting spayed.  I'll be picking her up tonight on the way home.  She's come from being a terrified cat who hid and hissed, to a loving, DEMANDING kitty who adores pets, loves cuddling, and doesn't even mind being picked up.  As soon as she's healed, she'll be going out to a store to find her forever home. 

The good, the bad, and the ranty....

I told myself when I chose to start blogging, that I wasn't going to be one of those bloggers who has these huge rants.    Unfortunately, I don't think that I'm going to be able to sustain my original intentions.   There's just some things that you see in rescue that are rant-worthy, even if you aren't normally a ranter....   But I digress, and will try to keep is less rant-y and more blog-y...

Feral mom with her kittens.  Not too thrilled with the phone in my hands

First off, great news, FINTAN FOUND HIS FOREVER HOME!  Apparently, his adopters were originally looking for a tabby, but Fintan being who he is (ab-so-freakin-lutely adorable!), he stole their hearts and snagged himself a family.  Good on ya, little buddy!


Things are progressing with the other cats... Mama Feral (we ARE working on names, I promise) is still coming along slowly, although I see progress every day.  Her kittens are doing well, I finally got a few horribly lit quick pictures (mom is TERRIFIED of my phone/camera so I try not to stress her with it).
Dawn and Dusk are moving quickly (as I thought they would).  They are starting to allow brief contact and are very curious.  They love to play and have easily engaged.  Duck adores them and comes in often to groom and play with them.  Trouble is still recovering from a booboo on her eyelids, but still manages to play with them around her cone.

Babies relaxing while mom eats.  The little black runt is so cute!!

Bianca is now spayed and ready to go to her forever home in a few days. 

Here comes the rant part, but it's starts with a bit of a story..   I think I've mentioned before this lovely family in Hamilton who helps the neighbourhood strays.  When she finds cats or kittens who have been dumped, she calls me, because she knows that generally, I can help her get them into the hands of a rescue and help.  This lady and her family are fantastic, and have helped us to keep numerous cats out of the hands of animal control.  She got in touch with me at the end of last week to let me know about a stray cat she saw going through her area, and it seemed the mom had kittens.  Mom was in rough shape, but she managed to get her into the house by grabbing the kittens and mom followed.  I said I would ask around and see who had space to take them, and if she could hang onto them for a little while until I had a placement.  She agreed, and I began my search.  Of course, my first go-to is Lori, but at that moment, we were really full, so my next go to is the wonderful Karen from Ninth Life Cat Rescue.  Her and Lori have worked together to get families placed, and in rescue, it's always about the animals.. once it becomes about ego or partisanship, the only ones to really suffer are the animals.  Karen agreed to take the family, but needed a few days to get her current cats shuffled around to accommodate.  That was fine, I knew the family was safe, so I was pleased.

Mom and babies enjoying a nice meal.

End of the week came, and I went to see the Hamilton Hero family to pick up mom and babies.  I was greeted at the door by the sweetest little black and white baby...  soon to be followed by the whole brood.  Mom followed close behind.  My very first thought when I saw her was awe.  She's easily one of the most stunning cats I've ever seen for markings and coloring.  My second though was Oh wow, this poor girl is in rough shape.   She was basically a skeleton with fur, and I knew in that moment if my HH family had not taken her in when they did, she would have been dead and her kittens probably soon to follow, especially considering that this is an area extremely bad for dumped and abandoned cats, and trappings happen there regularly.  A good deal of the trap cats at HAC, in fact.  I got the family packed up, thanked the wonderful lady again for helping us and being patient and went along my way.

Dinner's even better when you sit in the dish!!

It turned out I needed to keep the family for a few days to allow the wonderful Ninth Life people to deal with their shuffles, but that was ok for me.  It's not often I actually get "undamaged" cats on a social level to enjoy.  And this little family is NOTHING but enjoyment.  The kittens are adorable, mom is a love (as well as stunning, have I mentioned that yet?), and all are in dire need of some serious food and care.  No problem, my pleasure.  As I got the family settled into their temporary digs, I got really really angry.  I just couldn't (and still can't) imagine how ANYONE could dump or abandon such an incredible little cat!?   WHO DOES THAT?  I do understand that it can be difficult when renting, but people really need to make themselves aware of what the laws are.  Last I was aware, the laws in this province don't LEGALLY allow a landlord to deny a person to have a pet.  Yes, they may discriminate when you make an application if you mention you have pets, but the reality is they CANNOT PREVENT YOU FROM HAVING THEM, except under special circumstances outlined in the Landlord and Tenant act.    Don't believe me, look it up!  And these days, with a TON of low cost spay and neuter programs, there is NO EXCUSE not to have your pets spayed or neutered!!!  A simple Google search can help you find one in your area! The vast majority of these dumped or abandoned cats were not fixed, and are in turn adding to the feral populations, which feeds into the circle.  Rescues do all we can, but unless people take responsibility, there is no way any group can keep up.  They are outside, half starved, subjected to the elements, kids and even adults harassing or abusing them, sometimes ending up trapped (and traumatized) and in animal control, marked for death.  Or even worse, dying by a wild animal bite, of wounds from fighting, from rampant illness, or car tires.  There are a lot of dangers out there for a cat.

Two cuties in need of an after-dinner bath!

A PET IS FOR LIFE!!  Sure, there are some circumstances that would require someone to re-home a pet.  That is for sure.  But when you assume responsibility for an animal, it means that if you can't keep them, you have to be responsible to find them a GOOD PLACE TO BE!  Rescues are a good place to start, even if they can't take them, they can often help you find one who can.  The vast majority of rescues have very strict guidelines and standards regarding who adopts the animals, not to mention, they will vet them if needed.   If you had to give up your child, due to circumstances beyond your control, would you not want to ensure that they went somewhere that loved them as much as you did?  The fact that people can be so vile, so petty, so irresponsible with another life, a life that loves them and depends on them, just absolutely baffles my mind.  Maybe it's a lack of education.  Maybe it's a statement about the general direction of society.  I don't  know, and I don't care.  But the work we do would probably not be necessary or as overwhelming if people just stepped up to the plate and did what was right by their animals.  A cat or a dog is not a stuffed toy to be dumped off at the second hand store when you're done with them.  They are a commitment, just like marriage, just like having children, and if you aren't willing to commit to them, don't do it!  Walk right past the "adopt a kitten" sign and carry on with your life.

This is how skinny Mom is when she stands up.  

Perhaps that may seem a bit stern, or harsh, but myself, and the other people I know in rescue have to clean up after the leavings of irresponsible people every day.  The plight of this one gorgeous mom and her kittens is a testament to that, but in reality, it never should have had to come to this.  She never should have been dropped outside to fend for herself, have kittens and try to survive in a harsh world of man.  I am only incredibly grateful for the wonderful rescue people and groups that work to give these cats another chance at happy, safe lives.  Thank you to Karen at Ninth Life and all her people for being part of the next steps in their journey to that life.  Thank you Lori for helping out (co-ordination wise) and caring.   These people are truly heroes, and the lives they touch with their efforts, the cats and the families that take them into their homes and hearts, would never be the same (or would have ended tragically) without their efforts.


If you are committed to give one of these wonderful cats a loving home, and enrich your life beyond measure, please consider adopting through a rescue. The lovely mom and her kittens will be available for adoption through Ninth Life Cat Rescue.   The people there are fantastic, and they will make sure that they are all healthy and happy when they are ready for their new homes.  They have a bit of a journey to get there, but I know they are in the right hands.

Stunning mom and her coat of many colors and patterns.

Mom and her brood resting with full tummies!

There are also wonderful cats and kittens available through the rescue I foster with, Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln.  Many of these cats are rehabilitated from abuse or neglect, or rescued from sure death marked as ferals.  They have lots of love to give!   And if you can't adopt, or just aren't ready to take the plunge, please consider donating to these rescues.  They go to any lengths to get cats healthy, but vets aren't cheap, and even $5 is $5 more than they had before, and may make the difference in the health of a cat.

If you're still reading by this time, thanks! :)

AMAZING NEWS!!!!! And lots of other neat news, too....

Lots going on, but when isn't that the case?  I should just stop using that as my preamble, but it's the truth!  Lots of news to report though, and lots more fun challenges ahead!


First off, I got news that the lovely Bobby has been adopted!  He's a super sweet boy and totally deserved the best forever home.  Good luck on your journey, sweet boy!!

Trade at Pet Valu.

More news, Trade got adopted the day after he went into the Pet Valu!  It was by a family who apparently comes in there a lot, so I'm hoping to get updates, I'll share as I have them.  I couldn't be more pleased!

Bianca is now dry, and is having her spay done Friday.  She will be going to her forever home after that, and I'm very excited.  The lovely lady who is adopting her always had bad experiences with cats, until she met my best friend's cats.. then she realized they aren't all bad.  Bianca will certainly finish changing her mind about cats, she's such a sweet girl and will give this lady many years of love and companionship.  Can't wait for her next chapter!

Fintan at the Pet Valu, entertaining everyone with cuteness!

Her kittens have had a bit of a rough go lately.  Dhaval and Nerys unfortunately contracted a skin infection (the vet feels it was due to their already-depressed immune systems), and will need to stay with us a bit longer, until they are finished their medication.  Fintan, though, was completely unaffected.  He's off to Pet Valu to find his own forever home (if Lori doesn't scoop him first, she has a thing for white cats and if ever a white cat was irresistible, it's Fin!).    Everyone adores him, I have no doubt it won't be long before he's off to his forever home too.

Wind is still with us.. She's finishing her medication, and then she will be off to be spayed and find her forever home.  She's more than ready (she's turned into a right lovebug, and a very confident cat!), she just has to get over her nasty cough first!  It won't be long now... She deserves to be loved in her own home!

Feral mama (she doesn't have a name yet and neither do the kittens, we're working on this) gets a little better every day.  I can't do my usual of having other cats help with her, because, well, she'd eat any other cats protecting her kittens, so with her, we are formulating a different strategy.  It may take a little longer, but it should ideally end up with the same result.  She doesn't go completely panic-stricken when we walk in the room anymore (and mad props to hubby for working as hard with her as I have been), and she's even starting to return slow blinks.  I've started feeding-therapy (as I think of it in my head).  Being present in the room, still and silent, close to her wet food, and staying there for the duration of her eating it.  I move a little closer each time, and as she realizes nothing bad happens, and smells the mingled scent of me and her food, she will eventually associate people with good things, and that's how it starts.  Right now I'm able to get as close as a few inches to her while she's eating.  I don't want to over-push her challenge lines, because if I stress her out excessively, it could potentially affect her milk production, so slow and steady wins the race.   She'll get there, I have no doubt.

Dusk and Dawn in their HAC mugshot

I have two new ferals..... two black kittens Lori saw at Hamilton and could not leave behind.  They are very cute, but one is especially traumatized from the experience of being trapped.  They spent an unhappy first night in the house, scared of the thunderstorm and growling every time the thunder clapped (it's sort of funny, until you try to sleep through it).   We have named them Dusk (male) and Dawn (female), and they should be quick, being that they are young.  That of course, depends on the extent of the trap-trauma, but I'm sure they will come around.  If Lori hadn't pulled them, they had two strikes..they were feral AND black.  Most rescues wouldn't bother with the black ones.. they're harder to adopt.   I'm glad Lori doesn't leave these cats to die, though... not if they can be helped.  We will get them sorted!
 
Finally, the biggest, best news ANYONE could possibly have given me last night.  As I arrived to Lori's store to pick up Dawn and Dusk,   she had just finished a phone call from the store that has Lomasi.  It was Lomasi's potential adopter, asking a few questions about her.   SHE GOT ADOPTED!!!!!! LOMASI HAS A FOREVER HOME!!!!

The beautiful Lomasi at Pet Valu.

 I was beside myself with excitement, and as soon as I got home I told everyone and they cheered, and our youngest daughter even did a little jig.  I have misty eyes of happiness even now as I'm writing this.    It's what we DO this work for in the first place!  We are all going to work very hard to make sure that Dawn and Dusk, and Feral mama and her kittens, and all the cats we deal with, all have the same wonderful conclusion.  Lomasi, Trade, Wind, Dusk, Dawn, all of these cats would have simply been killed as feral cats.  No chance, no hope, no future.  It's people like Lori who's intense dedication and wish to see these cats have a fighting chance that makes it happen.  My family just happens to have the honor and privilege of helping her out.  It's an honor to meet these beautiful little souls, and to help them to find themselves again.  There's no feeling in the world like knowing they are off to be in homes filled with love and have a place to call their own forever instead.   Hubby says we are making a difference one cat at a time.  Today, I definitely believe him!