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!

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!  

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.   :)

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!

Been busy - but we have a breakthrough!!

Wow, what a crazy busy week!   Aside from work and other normal-life business, there's been cat busy-ness too!  Lomasi is at the store waiting for adoption.  She's done better than I ever dreamed she would going into a strange and sometimes scary environment and owning it, not to mention, making everyone fall in love with her.  Bobby is in a store and has some people interested in adopting him....   Bianca is ready to separate from her kittens, dry up, get spayed and go on to her forever home.  The kittens are almost old enough to get adopted, but unfortunately two of them have a skin infection and will need to stay a bit longer.  The third one, Fintan, is unaffected so we're figuring out how to handle that.   Trade and Wind are carrying on along.   Wind has a bit of a penchant for peeing where she's not supposed to, but we're working on that too.

Both Trade AND Wind now enjoy human company.  Not jump in your lap and cuddle up enjoyment - yet - but when people enter the room, they seek out human attention.  In fact, Trade, the little booger, screams at me with his tail in the air in greeting, DEMANDING that I pay attention to him, purring without me even touching him, yet when I tried to pet him, he'd run away...  .rinse, lather, repeat.  But finally, my husband mentioned the other day he managed to pet Trade, if briefly. . My husband works from home, so he's with Trade more than anyone.  I sort of figured if someone made a breakthrough there, it would be him.  It seems they have a little something going on, so far be it from me to not take complete advantage of them taking a shine to each other... :)

Then, yesterday, I came into the room, Trade did his usual "PET ME DON'T TOUCH ME" dance, and I'd had enough.  I followed him to where he flopped down, and just went for it.  He flinched a little at first, but he let me pet him and didn't hiss, swipe, or otherwise discourage it.  I scratched behind his ears and gently stroked around his neck and higher on his back, and then got brave and reached around to scratch his chin.  A purr erupted from him that sounded like a tractor trailer starting up!  We had about a 10 minute love session, and he was finished, but hey, BREAKTHROUGH!  Now that I've pet him once, he will tolerate it more often.  We had several more short love sessions through the evening.  He can only handle so much before his instinct is to nip, but I find that's very common with feral and feral-born cats for the first little while.  They are very easily overwhelmed by stimulation they aren't used to, so you sort of have to slowly up the doses over time.  After a while they give over to it (or they don't, some cats will never tolerate a lot of petting or handling, not even non-ferals), and then things get easy.  Trade is almost ready.  Getting him past being a little skittish won't take long now that the barrier is broken.  Not that he had ANY problems sleeping ON TOP of my head on my pillow at night (But OHHH NO I couldn't pet him.. grumble).  He may already even have a home.  Lori has a lovely man who's interested in him, I can get him ready and he will be adopted right away, ideally.  Wind will need a little more time.  She's VERY small, we felt she probably wasn't quite ready physically for a spay yet....  She had a touch of upper respiratory, and she just had a heat.  It stressed her out enough that the respiratory thing kind of went a little further, so she's off to see the vet shortly and we will get her sorted so we can get her spayed.  She's doing great too, and was the first to allow us to pet her.  She's still VERY scaredy, but I do not see her taking long at all.  She really loves pets when she forgets to be scared of people, and she's forgetting longer and more often now.   Soon, she will move on too..


Of course, Lori being who she is..... Saw a family at animal control with a mother listed as "feral'.  And from the behavior reports, she probably is.   With 5 newborns she had at animal control a few days ago.  Lori couldn't leave the family there to be sent off to die for no other reason than being feral - And I agree with here.  Mama's not going to be scared and overly defensive and protective at ALLLLLLLLLLLLL......   I guess it's always fun to have a challenge, right?  Time to invest in some more alcohol, bandaids, and polysporin.. .it's going to be a FUN weekend LOL.

A Sad and Happy Day At the Same Time...

People ask me all the time how I can possibly let the cats I work with go.   Aren't I tempted to keep them?  How can I love them and let them move on to other places?   Doesn't it make me sad?

Yes, the answer is yes to all those questions.   I LOVE the cats I work with, and of course the temptation is always there, niggling in the back of my mind.....  You should keep this one, it's extra special.....   But the reality is, I have enough of my own cats, and I made a commitment to them.  To give them love, and attention, and vet care.   I COULD keep every cat I love, but then I would be doing the cats I have a grave injustice.   That's only the first reason, but definitely the most important.   My fur-babies are with me for life, and I can't do anything that would compromise their health or happiness.   Having visitors come through for a while is one thing, loading myself up with cats is another.  I do understand on some level, though, how people can turn into cat hoarders.   That being said, it's all about the cats, and to be perfectly honest, many of the cats I work with are fine with me temporarily, but need the opportunity to shine in their OWN homes... be the center of attention, be the queen or king bee of their realm.  In my house, the thrones that were available are already taken.

It does make me sad, though, for a while, when the ones I care about are ready to leave.   We invest so much time and energy into making them well again, helping them to be happy.  That of course, creates a bond that is indescribable.  When a terrified cat finally opens up and reaches out to engage you, there is no feeling in the world like it.  The level of trust placed in your hands at that moment is an honor, and often hard-won.   At the same time, though, there comes a point when you realize that you've done all you can for them, and that it's time for them to move on with their life.  To have the life they deserve, and for you to move on and help others who can't help themselves.

Today is one of those days.  Two cats will be leaving us to move on to find forever homes, today.  Bobby, the lovely Pixie Bob we rescued last week.  This guy is a TOTAL lover.   No behavioral issues, he just had some worms and needed to be neutered.   Dewormed, neutered, this gorgeous gentle giant was already ready to move on and be someone's loverboy.   I like him, and I enjoyed him the short time he was with us, but he is definitely ready.  However, the second one DOES make me sad and happy at the same time.

Lomasi is ready.    It's almost unbelievable to say that..... there were many times I thought that she would never be solid enough to move on to a forever home.  But now, she's come so far.  She still acts a little skittish around loud noises - that will probably always happen - but she is interactive, cuddly, loving, moves around the house confidently, plays like a fiend..... There is absolutely nothing more that we can do to help her.  She's ready to move on and find her forever home.  It's bittersweet to some extent, because we will MISS her.  She's such a bright shining light, so loving, and a perfect example of animal's ability to bounce back from trauma.   But it's time.  It's going to be like saying goodbye to a beloved relative who lives far away.  She and I will always have a bond, and I will always know that myself and my family have made a difference in her life.  We have that bond that comes of being the ones to build trust again, to show them love again, to allow them to blossom.  That always makes it worth it.  And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, she is going to make someone the most lovely companion that they could ever ask for.  She's going to go into someone's home and fill it with love, affection, gentle love-nibbles, and entertaining play.  She deserves to be someone's princess.   I'm excited for the next chapter in her life..


When she's gone, I will still have Trade and Wind to work with (more updates on them to come), but Lomasi is one of those EXTRA special cats.  She has that little bit extra that will make her memorable for the rest of my life.  All the best to you, little one, as you start your journey to the rest of your life.   Know we love you, and that you will always have a place here if it's needed.  I hope beyond hope it's never needed. 

If you think you would like to give Lomasi a forever home, or the handsome, gentle Bobby, contact Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln.  Their Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/NcwlCatRescue and they will let everyone know there what stores these cats will be at to meet.  Signing off and wiping a tear from my eye... 

There's always another cat who needs help...

Lori is awesome.  Just figured I'd put that out there.  She is all over the place, and spends a lot of time at HAC in and out.  When she's there, she often pulls cats that she knows would not be given a chance, or would not be pulled by most rescues because they may be a "challenge".   Well, she did it again a few weeks ago.  A couple of beautiful kittens, about 4-6 months old.  They were born feral, and were trap cats.  As I've mentioned before, feral cats have NO chance of surviving HAC without help, and are often "dealt with" fairly quickly.  She saw these two, a sweet little orange tabby male, and a beautiful, petite tortie female, and she knew they wouldn't have a chance.  They were scared, hissy, swatty, and definitely wanted nothing to do with people.  Who can blame them, though?   After their only real experiences with people being trapped, poked, prodded, and confined, what reason would they have to like us?     Lori, being the amazing person she is, pulled the cats.  They were trapped in Hamilton at "Tradewind", an industrial area, I'm told.  So she named them "Trade" and "Wind".  Suitable names.  She asked if I could help with them, and of course, who am I to say no to a challenge?

Wind in her HAC picture.  Fairly obvious she's unhappy to be there.

Trade in his HAC portrait.  Mr. Attitude.

So Trade and Wind came to me, and I've started the process with them.  I always start my process by WATCHING first.  Trying to figure out how their minds work, what their personalities are like, how they react to different stimuli.   These two are DEFINITELY feral... but by no means aggressive.  Mostly, they were just scared.  Not sure what to make of everything, and easily overwhelmed.  Oftentimes, being overwhelmed with stimuli will make cats attack or act out somewhat aggressively, but mostly, it's bluff and bluster to protect themselves.   No different with these two.  Just have to get them engaged...

I started out with the usual steps.  Feeding them with my hand in the dish....  Spending quiet time just sitting near them so they can see me, smell me, and see that I mean them no harm.  Respectful eye contact, keeping low, keeping slow, and over time, it worked.  Trade is a vibrant and curious little boy.  Sweet and inquisitive, he immediately tried to figure out my angle.  Wind, well she mostly just hid, scared, saucer-eyed and timid under furniture for a week or so.  She wouldn't come out to eat or drink when we were around.  I figured that would take some time, but that if I could get through to Trade, she would follow along.  

I noticed that Trade LOVED to play.  Immediately upon seeing any kind of toy, he forgets his fear and fully engages in play.  This is one of the benefits of working with cats when they are young.  They still are so motivated by play and fun, it's a good easy way to get them hooked.  As soon as I came in the room, I would pull out a feather or the laser pointer, and have a good play session with Trade until he was so tired he flopped over.  Wind watched from under her safe little sanctuary, but I could see that less and less her eyes were consumed with fear, and more and more they had a spark of curiosity.  She really wanted to play, but could not move past the paralyzing fear she was feeling to actually take a swat at a toy.  I figured that would come in time, so I just kept doing things like that.   Within a few days, Trade would greet me when I came in the room by coming out from under the dresser and meowing.  It was like his way of saying "Hey, it's you.   Playtime, right!?" , and he started to follow me around until I played with him.  When playing, I could get him fairly close, but as soon as he REALIZED he was close, he would skip back a few feet and start playing again.  But then..about a week ago, I saw something that made me REALLY happy.  I was playing with Trade, he was ALMOST done..... and then I saw a dark little paw slide out from under the dresser and swat at the toy.  AHA!  Wind was trying to play.   She doesn't play as hard as Trade, but once she started, she wanted to play.   YAY!!

Fast forward a week or so, with daily feedings with positive scent associations...  Daily play.   Some treats.   We still can't pet them, but they are working their way closer and closer every day.   Now, they get so involved in play that they will brush up against our hands, our legs, etc, and may startle very briefly, but are now starting to get INTERESTED in these two-legged things.  When they come close, they stop to take a sniff, and just two days ago, I was SHOCKED to see, but Trade and Wind BOTH jumped up on the bed to play, right on top of my husband and me!  They even hung out for a while, and even when Wind jumped down, Trade stuck around for a while, lounging at the end of the bed.   My husband and I both did a quiet "YAY" but had to act like it was no big thing.  We didn't want the cats to think that we were paying TOO much attention to them (that usually causes them to scatter).

Just last night, Trade came up to lay RIGHT beside me to play with a toy I had, and let his face touch my hand a few times.   He backed up a bit after, and would not allow ME to pet HIM, but he had NO problems touching ME.   He's funny, it's almost like he has to keep up "appearances".  He is SO incredibly curious, and it's like he and Wind really WANT to be around people.  They see the other cats coming and soaking up love and pets, and when they watch, they tend to move very close and stay there.   They just aren't THERE yet.  It won't be long though!  Engagement has been made, and barriers are quickly dropping.  Trade likely already has a home when he's ready for adoption... which is great!  Wind doesn't yet, however she is GORGEOUS and a lovely little girl, so I have no doubt it won't be long before she gets adopted once she's available.  She's quite shy, and is often eclipsed by the boisterous Trade, so I don't mind spending a little extra time to give her the confidence she deserves, even if he gets adopted.  Lomasi has been coming to help, throwing herself at us for love and looking over at the aloof Trade and Wind with something I would call akin to condescension.  The look on her face is like "Hey, losers, you're missing out.  Your loss, my gain!  HAHAHA!"   She plays with them as well, and Quark and Trouble often round out the group by coming to visit and showing Trade and Wind just how awesome it is to love people.   I'm making a goal for us to have Trade allowing us to touch him by the end of the week.  Of course, reality may be entirely different, and animals don't work on human timelines, but it's something to work towards.  I believe in celebrating the small victories, because each one is another brick in the foundation, and every journey begins with a single step, followed by one more at a time.  I'll make sure to post anything new that happens, and I'm working on getting updated pictures for them both.   Thank you to everyone who reads!

Gotta have a plan....

So, I'm sure some people are wondering what happened with Lomasi... the HAC Cat who was deemed a feral and saved last-minute from euthanization.  The poor girl was in full PTSD trauma, and that is certainly no way to adopt a cat.   A LOT of work had to be done in order to really gain her trust and open her up to loving people, instead of just fearing them.   I knew we had to have a good plan.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I did notice that Lomasi seemed to be somewhat more comfortable with the clinic cat present during her examination.  I hadn't had her long, and hadn't really exposed her to my resident cats, because I wasn't sure how she would react, and the last thing I wanted to do was put her further into trauma.  As it was, she spent her entire day cowering in a corner under furniture, her eyes as big as saucers, and hissing and growling at anything that moved or that she thought might move.  Humans made her especially terrified, even if all she did was hear their voices.   This poor darling was so hyper-vigilant, I don't know that she really slept for the first week at our house.   There had to be a combination of methods used in order to show this poor cat that nobody was going to hurt her, and that humans can be GOOD, not just terrible and terrifying.  Getting a cat in full shut-down to do ANY paying attention to anything other than their fear is fun in and of itself, but unless the connection is made, nothing will move forward.  I wracked my brains to come up with a full routine, and in the meantime, I spent hours every day in the room with her, not doing anything, not even looking at her, just sitting there, letting her smell me and see that I was not going to move or hurt her.   She did have her medication for her cheek at this time, and although she would growl and hiss when I approached her to give the meds, she was quiet and sat still, allowing me to apply the topical and give her her oral meds, and never ONCE did she lash out.  SUPER good sign.   If a cat is going to strike out, it's DEFINITELY going to do so when you are administering unpleasant medications.  All these observations help to formulate a plan of "attack", so after a week of medicating, observing her reactions, and seeing what motivated her...  I had a plan.

1)  Feeding time - Lomasi liked her food, but was not especially food-motivated.  The fear was stronger than the food.  But certain types of wet food seemed to get a stronger reaction than others, so I planned to feed her those foods, but lay right beside the food dish with my hand IN it, mingling my scent with the food and making a positive association in her brain.... People = Favorite food.  Cats are so scent-motivated, it is a no-brainer when you can make positive scent associations.

2) Other Cats - I have certain of my resident cats that I refer to as "Ambassador Cats".  These are cats that I can rely on to be solid, relaxed, and will respond with relative predictability to other cats, no matter what THAT cat's reaction is.   Mouse, Quark, Duck, and Trouble are all good candidates with different types of cats.  What seems to affect these meetings the most is if a cat is more dominant, more submissive, or more neutral.  I pay VERY close attention to where my cats are on their own hierarchy, and although there are subtle changes occasionally, but for the most part their own structure is pretty well established.  Lomasi is definitely more on the "neutral" side of things, but could be victimized because of her fear and weakness by a more dominant cat than her.  I had to think about who it was I was going to introduce, but I had a short list.  Duck is a big cat, his size can intimidate, although he's actually about as scary as a butterfly.   Mouse is extremely tiny, she's good with small cats, because she's not intimidating on size, but can be vulnerable to attack from larger cats.   Quark is lovely, but she can randomly be a "princess" and decide she's TOO GOOD for her current company.   Trouble seemed to be the best.  She's a "submissive" on hierarchy, but really, she's more like Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter books... in a class all to herself.  A stable cat, not an aggressive bone in her body, SUPER human-lovey, and very playful.  Seems like a win.

3) Being VERY careful with eye contact - Eye contact is a huge thing for cats.  They can carry on entire conversations with their eyes, and if you are observant, you can glean as much information from their eyes as you can from their tails and ears (sometimes, more).  There is a "proper" way for cats to greet each other, to approach new cats, etc, and much of it is communicated in the form of eye contact.  ANY direct eye contact can make a cat EXTREMELY intimidated and shut them down.  My plan for this was to always physically stay low (keeping on the same level with her and not above - above can be a threat), not to initiate direct eye contact, looking down to the side with soft eyes, and to make sure that I didn't engage in anything with her until I got her "permission" (slow blinks that show a level of trust and security).  Downcast soft eyes, any direct eye contact after permission, and soft eyes while dealing with her.  Hopefully it would all bring her threat level down to as close to zero as we could get it.

4) Contact with KIDS - Calm, understanding children seem to have a way of connecting with animals even when adults can't.  Getting the kids involved in a calm manner might help to create a level of connectedness with Lomasi that she may not evolve with an adult.  You never know until you try, and nevertheless, kids seem to be less intimidating.  Anything to remove that factor is a bonus.

5) Exposure therapy - Instead of keeping Lomasi in a quiet, sterile environment, which does NOTHING to move past her trauma but instead keeps her cushioned in it, I knew that we had to start exposing her to the sounds and movements that would normally shut her down, but do it in a controlled, safe way that can allow her to get used to the noise and movement of a busy household, but not put her back into her trauma shell and force us to start over.   Any quick movement would make her run or cringe, and loud noises sent her scrambling for cover.  Definitely NOT a good thing when trying to get a cat adopted.  If they hide all the time and are always scared, well, people don't want them as a pet.

6) Play and Confidence building -   If I could get her engaged enough not to be afraid of our presence, we could really build up her confidence getting her engaged in structured play.  It has the added bonus of also siphoning off some of that anxious energy, and oftentimes a tired, played-out cat is more responsive to all kinds of attention and/or training. 

The plan was set.  But would it work?  Any one of these elements could help, some may do nothing at all, but at least we had a full plan to crack the nut as best as we could.  The only thing left was to enact it....

Such a pretty girl.  Out exploring the wider world of the house...  

At first, feeding times were a bit of a challenge.  I generally feed all the cats (residents and fosters) at the same time... This prevents fights, and issues with fairness.  And if you don't think cats understand the concept of "he got more than I did", time to check yourself.  They ABSOLUTELY do and it can cause infighting in an established group.   Lomasi was still in her own space, but she could hear the other cats clamoring for attention, and they all knew when I went in to see her.  My method was to take in the food, and sit for her ENTIRE TIME EATING with my hand on the plate, almost in the food, laying on the floor.  A few times I got a cramp, or would get itchy, but any quick movement would send Lomasi scampering, and that doesn't help.  After a while she got used to me, and even started to look out and meow when she saw me coming.  This was HUGE progress.. .but she still wouldn't let me really touch her willingly.

Lomasi was in my daughter's room.  My youngest daughter is a lovely girl who adores cats and loves helping them.. but she can also be very loud and vibrant.  Bad idea to have Lomasi with her?  NOT AT ALL.  Lomasi VERY quickly realized that all the noise and movement from my daughter was not a threat in the least, and this exposure to the noise really started moving her along quickly, dulling her hyper-alert startle reflexes, and started to peak her curiosity.  She would watch what was happening from a safe place, and although she didn't come out, even getting her attention was a good sign of engagement.  I also spent a lot of time with my face jammed under my daughter's bed talking to Lomasi sweetly, getting her used to the sound of my voice associated with my smell (I spent a lot of time with my glasses off and her sniffing the stems, good way to keep arm's length and still have them SMELL you).  It seemed to pay off, and she started to come out, at least pop her head out, more and more.  These are the times I really expressed the "come hither" kind of eye contact.  The let's be friends we're ok slow blinks and the respectful, slow approaches, to the point she trusted us if we approached her that way, and stopped hissing and cowering, and was more curious..  Breakthrough!  It was time to really ramp things up.    Enter - Trouble.

Lomasi hanging out with foster-daddy on the couch!

As I mentioned earlier, Trouble was PERFECT for Lomasi to watch.  She's a HIGHLY people-oriented cat.  As soon as she sees a person it's a meow, tail up in the air, and an approach demanding love and pets.  Cats learn a LOT from watching the behavior of other cats, and we would leave Trouble in the room with Lomasi (who accepted her immediately - much to our pleasure), and when we would come in the room Trouble would greet us with jubilation.  Lomasi watched this very closely, almost like she couldn't figure out why at first... But when Trouble gets her pets and flops down rolling around and purring, Lomasi observed this trust of us, and saw that no harm came to Trouble, either.  I think this, more than anything, encouraged her on to the next step.  Her curiosity got the best of her, she had no reason to be scared that she could see, and eventually, SHE started to greet us when we came in.  Not coming out all the way, but poking her head out, meowing, and actually WANTING to be pet.

I have to say, once the floodgates were opened for this little girl, she turned into a love MACHINE!  You could not pet her fast enough or long enough and she would thrust her head into your hand demanding more pets, while running in circles to make sure you pet all of her!  She started more and more to come out from her hiding place to seek love, and really started to actively engage in play (instead of just the odd swat at an object).   She had made leaps and bounds in only a short time, but it all started with her ENGAGING with us, instead of just fearing us.

The lovely Lomasi, confident and comfortable in her environment.  A long time coming!

The next step... to introduce her to the wider world of the house and resident cats.  This made me especially nervous, because we also have two large dogs.  Now, to qualify that, although both dogs are 65 pounds, they are both EXTREMELY good with cats.  They have been trained from puppyhood that cats are higher than they are in the pack, they never chase cats, bark or nip at them, and in fact, our resident cats often mother and groom the dogs, or cuddle up with them.  I wasn't sure, given Lomasi's sketchy background and time in the big world, what her experiences with dogs had been, so that was definitely a factor.  But the only way to really know is to try, so we just opened up the door to her room, and let her have free roam in and out.   At first, she hid under the bed, but from a vantage where she could look out the door and see everything happening.  Before long, though, she was wandering the house, exploring, and although she would startle and run when loud noises or unexpected movements would occur, instead of just diving, she would run a few feet, then turn around and investigate.   She was past ONLY her instinct self-preservation reactions, and although she still has them, they are less and less literally every day.  Her first encounter with the dogs involved some hissing and poufy fur, and even now she's not particularly "friendly" with them, but she tolerates or ignores them and is no longer afraid.  She can meet new people with confidence, and is quickly inserting herself into the family routine.  She's even starting to help me with a few other trauma cats we have taken in (more about these guys coming), and has made incredible progress!  The other day, she jumped up on the couch WITH us for the first time every... planted herself down, and cuddled up!   We were blown away but so grateful..... This is where she needs to be.  NOW she can find a home and live a normal, happy, fulfilled kitty life!  Really all that's left is to get her ready to be in a cage in a pet store.  Her experiences with cages in the past were not good, but with some exposure therapy (feeding her in an empty cage with the door open, etc), before long I am very confident that won't be an issue either.  The months of work and effort paid off.... we couldn't be more happy!!

This is a beautiful little girl, and out there, somewhere, is the perfect forever home for her.  Whoever her future family are, they are VERY lucky.  This little girl is going to be the best cat anyone could ever ask for.  And I'm not just saying that... She's just AWESOME.

If you are interested in potentially adopting Lomasi, you can find all the contact information for Neveah's Charity of West Lincoln on their webpage, http://ncwl.weebly.com/, or their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/NcwlCatRescue

To read the first part of Lomasi's story, it is here:  http://traumacatdiaries.blogspot.ca/2014/04/about-as-feral-as-my-kitchen-table.html