Cat hair everywhere

If Anything happened to you, what would happen to your pets??

2012-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

Every pet owners fear is that if something were to happen to them that their fur kids would end up orphaned and at a shelter. We know we NEED to do something about it, but there never seems to be the time, money or knowledge to make a plan to keep our pets safe in case of our untimely demise. (That last part isn't all that fun to think about either....maybe I've partially put this off due to my fear of my own mortality...) And besides, as far as I'm concerned, any demise of mine will be considered untimely. [=

Well, it wasn't exactly a new year's resolution, but I've decided to get off my duff and make sure that the critters have a plan.....to make sure that they end up somewhere that will give me peace of mind. I'm happy to report I've come across an organization that starts the process for pet owners by organizing steps to take to make this happen. www.2ndchance4pets.org is that organization.

Thousands of companion animals are euthanized in U.S. animal shelters each year simply because their human caregivers died or became ill and made no arrangements for the continuous care of their pets. What will happen to your pets if they outlive you? Take a look. Start the process. Get that peace of mind. I'm going to do it right now......

My BIGGEST kitty epiphany this year REVEALED!

2012-01-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

I discovered something this year, and I need to share it with you, because as fellow cat people, I KNOW you've experienced it.

You go to the vet with your cat. You say "my cat has started to "____________". (you can fill in anything here, literally....my cat has started to blink more often, my cat has started to eat the curtains, my cat has started to complete my sentences, etc. ) The doctor tilts his head like a dog that hears a funny noise and you try to further explain. "He/she does this little thing where...." and then you are pantomiming/imitating/impersonating your cat in the vet office, complete with sound effects, movement and facial expressions, while your cat crouches motionless in the carrier, not moving. The vet, then pretending to vaguely understand what you're trying to explain, takes said immobile kitty from the carrier, where it either lays like a boneless chicken on the table, or shreds every hand that comes near it. And yes, the chances of the worrisome behavior being observed by the vet in person are....well....minimal, unless it's critical (as opposed to moderate or mild, which we, as sensitive cat people, are very in tune with). The vet guesses at what it might be, gives you an estimate for some general tests, and hopes that something is revealed....

Been there? Oh, I have too. It's frustrating, time consuming and expensive.

But, almighty readers of this blog, I have found an answer for this dilemma!!! It's easy, available and doesn't cost anything extra.....and it's already saved me 2 visits to the vet.

"WHAT IS IT???!!!" the readers scream in unison.

Ready? [= Use your phone. You know, the video recorder in your phone!!! I'm serious. The little concerning behaviors that you take your cat to the vet for that you see at home, and you know the cat will NEVER do at the vet....just video them and either take the video in, or better yet, get your vet's email address and send the video. (if you do this last one, make sure to make the clip short, so that's it's an emailable length) When I noticed that Squeebert had a strange swallow at random times I taped this clip at home, took it to the vet, and he prescribed Pepcid a/c immediately.....this piece of video made the visit SO much simpler!!!

So use your phone's video camera to capture those elusive feline moments that are hard to explain....it makes things clearer, easier and in the end will save you a load of money.

Happy New Year from Cat Hair Everywhere!!!!

Oh, the irony....my cat has asthma.

2011-12-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

No, you read that right, folks....my CAT has asthma. Now we, as the feline lovers that we are, know that cats are notorious for triggering "people" asthma. Well, following in the freak-like fashion of our feline-lovin' lives, we recently found out that Squeebert has asthma. I'm sure you have 2 (or more) questions:

1. How did you find out your cat had asthma?
1 1/2. (what is he allergic to??)
2. HOW the heck do you treat asthma in a cat??

1. How did you find out Squeebert had asthma?

He was doing this weird snuffy sneezing...like "snuff, snuff, snuff, SNEEZE!"...but it was a dry sneeze. Then I noticed he'd assume the "hairball position" (a bit flattened out with neck extended) and cough, but it was a dry cough...not a moisty hairball cough. I thought that was weird. So I looked it up on (click on the light blue words to jump to the video) youtube....yep, fears sadly confirmed, and I made a vet appointment for the next day. After the vet did X-rays, the official diagnosis was/is: moderate asthma with mild symptoms. Trust your gut instincts, kitteh owners. If you think something is up, you're probably right.

1 1/2. What is he allergic to???

Who knows. At the time, the neighbor had just bought tons (literally) of burned hay that came from a feed store that caught on fire. The smell was acrid...horrible. We had to leave our windows closed all the time and run air purifiers just to make it comfortable for us to breathe. But the hay could have just been the straw (ha.) that made the symptoms noticeable. Since then, we vacuum more regularly, I got rid of all scented candles (WAAAH!) and only use natural cleaning supplies. We replaced curtains (dust gathers here!) with blinds in the bedroom. I use a humidifier when the air is dry, and make sure we're on top of flea control. Could it have been any one (or more) of those things? Could he still be allergic to something in his food??? Let me tell you, it's frustrating as all get out. We even had a consulting vet say it could be caused/aggravated by Squeebert being overweight from his hypothyroidism...sigh... The bottom line is we have no earthly idea and that it will be a matter of slow elimination to figure out a truly perplexing mystery.

2. How the heck do you treat asthma in a cat???

Oh yes, my friends, we use an inhaler. A regular old human-type inhaler, with something called a "spacer". They use these on infants/toddlers who have asthma, and you can purchase one called an Aerokat that is specifically designed for kittehs. Thank GAWD we clicker trained both Beastly and Squeebert when they were younger!!! It made it easier to introduce the spacer/inhaler to Squeebert, but the MOST important thing I think we did was NOT have the vet's office give him the first dosage from the inhaler. We wanted that to be at home, where he was more relaxed and things were a lot less skeery! We took it slow, training him to accept the wee mask and then to accept the noise of the inhaler when it gave a "puff". Here he is 2 months later....although he's not thrilled, he accepts the treatment...and we're so grateful!!! Now if we could only get him to do the dishes....

The Verdict is In....New Cat Fountain is WORTH THE MONEY!! (which is saying a lot!)

2011-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Squeebert loves it....(elapsed time from beginning to end of video was less than a minute) It's dead easy to clean and it's actually one of the more attractive things in my house!! Ha! Goodbye cheap-o plastic fountains that take hours to clean. I love this dang thing. You can get one at Thirsty Cat Fountains.

Cat Drinking Fountain Battles Are OVER!!

2011-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

And I can't WAIT...but i have to....cuz I'm too cheap to spring for overnight shipping. [= Let me s'plain:

I have been battling war of the mildew smell on my pet water fountains (the plastic ones) for 2 years now. I started with the Platinum Drinkwell, which is NOT made of platinum as the name may make some believe...it is made of plastic. Plastic that holds the smell of mildew in it. Like a grody fish tank with no fishes.

Yes, I cleaned it every 2 weeks. Yes, I changed the filter. No, it wasn't ever in the sun. I even used bottled water. Stink, stank, stunk. Now the "Platinum" has a resevoir for holding additional water. Even the inside of that stunk. When I called up the Drinkwell company, they said they'd never had that complaint before. "Did you try baking soda? bleach? vinegar?" Yepyepyep. So although I'd done everything right, I had to buy a new resevoir and their special cleaning brushes just to make sure I was doing the job right. 6 months later, guess what? Same crap. So I blamed it on the resevoir. I bought a Drinkwell 360, which doesn't have a resevoir and is easier to clean.....but there's no filter for the pet hair that gets into it, so you end up cleaning at least once a week and guess what? [= Yep, after 3 months, mildew smell in the water again. (roll eyes here.)

Ok, could it be my really too excellent sense of smell? Perhaps. The cats were still lightly using the "Platinum" prior to me giving up on it. The 360 they used for maybe 3 weeks max. So now, what to do ....what to do.....

AHA!!!!!

Man, you just gotta love Etsy. Here is a true alternative to the plastic cleaning nightmares that come with pet fountains! Thirsty Cat Fountains makes these by hand...Here's the info from the seller that made me plunk down a chunk of change for one last ditch effort on the drinking fountain for our furry roomates:

Handmade of 100 % food-safe ceramics
- Promotes feline health with fresh flowing, oxygenated water
- Cats prefer moving water and will drink more and stay healthier
- Cats can drink from the bubble-spout or from the bowl
- Ceramic bowls do not scratch and do not harbor bacteria
- 10 cup capacity
- Easy to assemble, easy to clean.
- One of a kind, handmade in America
- 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely happy with your fountain you may return it for a full refund of the fountain price.

Now, you know I couldn't help myself and had to purchase the attachment that goes with it, just cuz if I were a cat, I'd want it:

cat tap accessory in copper

OOOOOOOOOOH!!! I'm more excited than a bird with a french fry! I will review when I get it, but in case any of you have the itchin' to spend some money on your furry critters right this very minute on etsy, the seller is CatFountains. The fountains are a bit spendy, but I'm hoping they are worth every penny......

The Great Cat Food Dilemma: Squeebert vs. Wet Food

2011-09-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Pudgy Pudgy Squeebert

How many of us have thought "I'll never let my cat get fat?" and then suddenly looked at him/her one day and thought "oh-oh." Yeah, that's a sort of special moment, isn't it? Cuz you KNOW that getting them to exercise more is all on you (and not exactly easy!) and switching foods? Er, yeah. It shouldn't be called switching cat food, it should be called "Exactly how much money can I throw down the garbage disposal in any given week and not have to move to the poorhouse?" And then add a little diarrhea in when you hit a "wrong" food for your cat for a good laugh Gawd, I hate this.

I never thought I'd have a fat cat. I've had all sorts of critters....correction ~ HAVE all sorts of critters and not a one is overweight. Not healthy = vet bills! So when Squeebert had his last thyroid test and the internal medicine vet looked at him and said "Why, what a little butterball!" ]= Oh no. Admittedly, his neurologist said she didn't know a thing about cat nutrition (and knows her own 2 cats are a chubby) and so she never said anything before....and I thought his extra skin and flabdomen were just...well....him! Wrong-o!! I should have known when we started calling him Mr. Taterman at home.... Royal Canin Adult Fit (Ha. fit. think that vowel in the middle is wrong) is Squeebert's addiction of choice. He LOVES his dry food....so much so that he used to eat it so quickly that he'd puke it up afterwards! That problem was solved with a japanese teacup put in the center of the bowl....but ironically the solution to one problem became another problem ~ without all the throwing up, he started to gain weight.....sneakily and sloooooowly. Damn.

The problem is carbs. Dry food has all these carbs that cats just don't need....cat food manufacturers don't list the carbs on the cans/bags/websites....it's such a swamp of info out there that it's ridiculous! Squeebert's vet want him at less than 10% carbs. His dry has 34%. Yeah, you read that right. Mommy mortification sets in. So we go in to the swamp....and we try the high end wet food....we try them, we try them. Nope. Couple of little snakey licks and Squeebert turns up his nose. When we got to THE food according to most feline folk (Wellness Chicken) and he waddled off in a huff.... well, then it had to be a texture issue, right? So I tried mixing dry with wet. No go. I tried watering it down to a soupy mess. Nope. A fresh can every day? Nuh-uh. (In the meantime, Beastly is LOVIN' it all!) I cut the free fed Royal Canin to 1/2 cup for both cats per day and the wee bass turd is STILL holding out for that feeding time....while gaining weight!!! ????!!!!! AAAAuuuuggghh!!

So now we're at Weruva. Paw Lickin' Chicken. Squeebert will lick the juice off (which is an improvement!) but leaves the WHITE BREAST MEAT in the bowl. White breast meat. Folks don't even get that much white breast meat in a bucket of KFC!! What the @*$&??? Sigh.... I know I'm supposed to NOT free feed...but it just seems so counterintuitive to give a cat 2 large meals when he barfs cuz he eats too much too fast...

So I come to you, loyal readers....what the heck has worked for you??? What are you feeding? How often do you change it? Wits End is a crazy place to live, and that's where i am now!!

PLEASE give to the Animals of Japan.....

2011-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

When you click on the Chip In link it will take you to Paypal... it'll be in US dollars, but you'll need to click the drop down menu on the upper right hand side to change to "english"......give what you can....help the ones who have no-one to help them....thank you.

Year 2010....the year of the MOUSE!!!

2010-12-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

Beastly

Lord help us....the crash-bangs (who have now officially risen to the rank of whirling dervishes) found their first mouse in the house. This was 4 days ago and they are STILL checking under the oven and behind the bathroom radiator for the self-propelling furry toy that smelled de-licious. They are sure that we have more of them somewhere, so they look up at us from those locations and plead with their innocent eyes and yowly voices..... they thought that was the BEST xmas gift ever....

But xmas is past and now we find ourselves ready to leave 2010 behind. Behind. Good word. Lots of folks will be glad to see it go, but we here at the house of Beastly and Squeebert are glad for every silly day we get and can't wait for MORE!!! [= Happy New Year to all out there, especially to those of you who open your heart to rescue critters.

Squeebert

May your new year resolutions include your local spay/neuter clinic....

With BIG LOVE in the new year,

Beastly and Squeebert

SO many things to be thankful for!!!!!

2010-12-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Beastly Baby and Squeebert

All in all, it's been a great year here at Pokemlow Ranch. Beastly and Squeebert, out rescue kittens (well, CATS now!) are happy and as idiosyncratic as ever, with Beastly's current favorite toy being one of my lip balm tins and my hair clips, and Squeebert's current veggie of choice being cabbage. (Don't worry....he still rides around on my shoulder, so I'm careful not to give him more than a tiny taste!) We've doubled his thyroid meds and it's working....I'm sure Beastly is wondering where he's getting all the energy from! We've done our best to help out other kitties in need through rescue organizations that have the time and space to do what we can't....and we will continue to do so, as well as volunteer at the Neuter Scooter once a month ~ cuz that's where I believe we need to nip this whole thing in the bud. To all of you that have helped the critters posted on this site.....and to all those who read here, you are TRULY appreciated. In the words of Henry James,

"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."

To all of you that have taken the time to be kind this year, especially when you didn't have to...

Happy Holidays

We Wish You Peace and Kindness

In the New Year

Beastly, Squeebert and the rest of Pokemlow Ranch

Aurora and Fanta....thank you everyone

2010-12-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

...here's all you need to see.... [= y'all are the BEST!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXaKXFJiV5Q

They are still about $500 short on their goal for the intensive care that Aurora and Fanta have needed....if you have a bit to spare, here is the chip in link:

http://auroracleftnosekitty.chipin.com/aurora-and-fanta-very-sick-kitties

Squeebert gets a boost!

2010-11-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Well, another visit to the vet but with some turbo power this time! The one vet (yes, apparently in the world) who has studied Squeebert's condition contacted us and let us know that there were a few other tests that we should have run on Squeebert to make sure that his pituitary gland was functioning well enough and he wouldn't have an "episode" that could kill him. (yeah, I know....Like I could say no to the tests after a comment like that!) There were 2 tests, one to check whether he was getting the right amount of growth hormone, and the second to check the other levels of hormones that the pituitary puts out....I'm a little vague on what those are ~ one is cortisol to deal with stress, then my vet (neurologist) mentioned prednisone ~ which i didn't even know that the body made! Oh, and the thyroid level recheck. Pricey. And NOT covered by insurance (as they may diagnose congenital defects with pituitary function....congenital stuff isn't covered under pet insurance, of course.) Verdicts: He's still rather under medicated on the thyroid side, so now the wee boy gets TWICE the dosage of thyroid meds (same meds!) as I do!! We just started it a week ago, and it'll take about 6 weeks to see any real change....we're expecting to see him go from a potato to a rocket during that time, which will make Beastly happy! The cortisol test came back normal (RAH!), so now we wait for the growth hormone test. Since that's a unusual test, it will take us at least 3 weeks to get it back, so we're keeping fingers crossed. In the meantime, Squeebert keeps asking for odd things to eat, like peaches, collard greens, cantalope, mizuna, kale, broccoli and about a zillion other fruits and veg. I keep his portion down to less than a 1/2 teaspoon though...since I don't even know if his system is set up for those foods! Beastly loves celery leaves... go figure. I'll post the results of his growth hormone test when I get it....if only because it cost so much!!! hahahahha! In the meantime, here's a few snapshots of happy squeebert and his little potato body....we love him so!!

...fighting the battle again....let's give an unlucky one a bit of luck...

2010-11-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

My name is Aurora and I am a super special kitty. I was born with a cleft palet and even though its closed (thank goodness), I still have my cute little nose to remind me of just how special I am. The picture is one taken of me upon impound at the Escondido Humane Society. There is another picture of me but its not very flattering, Im very sick. My rescuers need to collect money for my vet bill because I am at the 24 hr emergency vet until I am able to eat on my own.

Please see my chip in below and more info on just how hard this past week has been for me.

Can you help me and The Rescue House collect funds to pay for my bill? I dont care if its $1.00 or $5.00, any amount helps.

Thank you and HAPPY THANKSGIVING-I know I certainly have a lot to be thankful for!

Meow-Aurora

Please see the chip in link for her after picture-after one week at EHS this is what she looks like. PLEASE find it in your heart this Thanksgiving to send a small donation to help The Rescue House pay the medical bill for sweet Aurora and if enough funds can be raise we want to save her son too!

See our chip in below. $5 or $10 can go a long way for this sweet mom and son duo.

http://auroracleftnosekitty.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/a3d434305a0442cd

Another One that Deserves All the Help it can get.....

2010-11-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

This sweet little cleft nose kitty needs all the luck and help we can muster up....click the "Chip In' button for the details.... and thank you....in advance. xxx =^..^= Beastly and Squeebert.

...the eyes have it...? no they don't, the lightbulbs do...whaaaa????

2010-09-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Squeebert

...a word of warning to all my pet-owning folks out there. As you are "greening" your home to make the world a nicer place for generations beyond us, keep the following in mind and save $115. When you put natural (or full spectrum) lightbulbs/ lights in your home, your cat's eyes will look different when they reflect....you know that greenish haze that you see every so often in your cat's eyes? That's call the Tapetum. (don't ask me how to pronounce that...there are about 5 different ways and they all sound funny) Well when you put full spectrum lights in your home, suddenly you notice that your cat's eyes look....um...different...ALOT more often. You wonder why. You think "did i just not notice this before??" (aka: am i a bad mom?) Hmmmmm.....

(This is not my cat...it's just a great example of the tapetum...).

You ponder for a day or two. His eyes still look greenish hazy more than they ever did before. What could be doing that? Does he have an infection? Then his Beastly buddy conveniently (??) bites him in the eye during fighting. Off to the vet you go. He gets eye meds for a scratch and although the vet isn't able to see the "green sheen" problem, the vet tech does notice it. Which means that a) you're not out of your mind. b) going to have to see a specialist. c) Yeah, both.

When you get to the pet opthomologist (ching $ ching), he examines your kitty and proclaims "there is nothing wrong with this cat's eyes. Even the scratch is gone". How you rejoice!!! Soooooo happy. You leave the room of good news and suddenly realize you owe someone money. $115 to be exact. And although it is the best $115 you've spent in a very long time (as your cat's eyes are fine), you wonder how long it will take those new energy-saving light bulbs to recoup the $115 you just spent. How many full spectrum light bulbs does it take to spend $115?

Two.

Now you know. If you change the type of light bulb you use, the tapetum may weird you out for awhile. Have a glass of wine, relax, and change the light bulbs back.. Tapetum gone? Problem is light bulbs instead of cat's eyes. Wish i would have known.....

Ahhhhhhh knowledge.... here I sit, making the world greener, one vet bill at a time.

brace yourself folks, here's another one.....(then back to the regularly scheduled programs)

2010-08-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

oh boy......reach far and wide for this one, my big hearted friends.....it will take someone very special for this wee cat.....no money needed, just someone to reach out and open their lives.....THANK YOU for passing this on....every so often i get one that moves me to the point of knowing i have to try to do all i can. This is one of those.

http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2010/08/16/ripley-needs-a-miracle/

thank you.

Beastly & Squeebert

NEWS FLASH BEASTLY SITS STILL**

2010-06-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

...anyone that has been following this blog of my 2 rescue kittens knows that there's a lack of "Beastly" pix on this page. NOT because she favors my husband (which she does), not because she's not as photogenic as Squeebert (she is) but because the dang critter NEVER sits still!!! I think everyone has probably has one cat that they have a zillion photos of....and another...well....where only video seems to do the trick. Yeah, the latter would be Beastly. (see almost all previous posts!) Well, yesterday, The Beastly Baby sat still....and let me take these photos of her. I'm so proud of her! So for your viewing pleasure I submit the following!

(dang, i love her nose!!)

fritz update.... [= AKA Y'all ROCK!!!

2010-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

I sent an email to fritz's rescuer wondering how we were doing on donations, and here's the response I got:

Thank you for asking about him. The fund raising went well EXCEPT I had the wrong pay pal information on the plea that Gail from Bright Haven sent out. I have thanked nearly everyone that donated or offered him help and if someone didn't receive a thank you they may have donated to the wrong pay pal. Cindy the incorrect account was ksross@gmail.com

The Correct pay pal is ksross40@gmail. This caused a lot of frustration on my part because it was my fault and I can't thank them or tell them about this because I don't know who may have donated to this account. Please check your face book and make sure the account is ksross40@gmail.com

If anyone donated to the wrong account the money sits for 30 days and is returned to the donor. they can also retrieve it at any time since there is no account with that email.

Gail did send out a correction but I'm not sure how many people read it because it looked similar to the first one.

Cindy you wouldn't believe the support this little guy received. I had over 6o people that donated and virtually all the funds were raised through many different people and groups, foundation etc. I worked so hard to raise the funds. Other pleas that went out were correct. I received nearly 400 emails and found him on Face book Pages in England, Canada, New York, Texas, Northern California, Southern California etc, etc..

The surgery Thursday took four hours. He had a tracheotomy, one root canal, the two holes where his canines once were patched with flaps created from his mouth, other flaps were created for the nasal holes in his mouth, his lower canine was removed and they restructured his jaw bone. Other holes that were found running below other fractured teeth were also addressed.

They also discovered a tumor under his tongue and that was cut out and will biopsied.

With the exception of the tumor all his injuries were thought to be caused by blunt force trauma to his face.

All his teeth, gum and facial wounds were the result of the trauma he suffered. Featured teeth that became infected etc.

I sincerely appreciate all the help, encouragement and donations that made this possible.

The response to him and the donations generated were amazing. I received countless emails regarding him and the compassion and attention he received was overwhelming.

Thank you!

So for everyone that sent money....for everyone that reposted this on their own pages or sent this on to others..... you have truly made a difference. There are no words for this besides thank you.

Although fritz has had the surgery, he's still having complications with surgery, so send some healing energy his way in your thoughts.......he deserves all the kindness and pain free life that he can get!! [= thank you again....from the bottom of my heart.

i know i only have 5 followers on this page...

2010-05-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

....but even kindness in small doses counts. I get these things all the time....and usually send something small (I try to limit it to $10) but the unkindness that has been done to this wee fellow....well, I felt I had to do more. So to my army of 5 subscribers I send the following ....hoping that you'll match my $10 and get this fellow on his way. Thank you for considering, as kindness is everything in life. <3

happy birthday squeebert!!!

2010-05-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

(where Squee likes to ride...sorry for me!)

I can't believe that our weans are a year old. seems like not long ago I was worried about rolling over in bed and mooshing one of them, babyproofing the cords in the house and buying little kitten toys (a few are still popular items) for their mental stimulation. Squeebert (aka Shay) has had a tough start with the thyroid stuff, and I still look at him and think "is that really as big as you're going to get???" but as Beastly is her daddy's girl, Squeebert is a mommy's boy. He rides around on my shoulder, sleeps on my arm (yes, on my arm) and loves hiding blades of his cat grass under rugs and kitchen towels. He's also obsessed with his fling-a-ma-string he got for xmas and we have to hide it so that it's not destroyed if we leave it unmanned. He's a joy....and here he is as he's grown up thru his first year....wee Squeebert, the most skeerdy-cat photogenic kitty in my life!! Happy birthday Squee!!!

Happy Beastly Birthday to The Beastliest Baby on the Planet!!

2010-04-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, sometime around this time last year The Beastly Baby was born.....here is her baby pic we found online through the rescue organization, and all the wee special photos that show how she's grown up with us.....

Happy First Birthday, Beastly!! We're sooooooo glad you picked us!!!

Shay's a freak.

2010-02-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

....no, really. he's completely a freak. In the last few months, I've tried to locate information on non-congenital hypothyroidism in kittens. There are 2 articles on the internet regarding congenital hypothyroidism.......There's quite a bit of info on hypothyroidism that is brought on in older cats by treatment of hyPERthyroidism... But regarding non-congenital hyPO thyroid kittens??? Nada.

So what do i do? Well, I contacted the writer of the one paper that appeared in a google search to find out if she could send her research paper to me...turns out she's an UBER-vet in the research and development department at Purina HQs. She answered me. Holy crap. I didn't know sne of the top vets in the country. She sent the article she wrote (which used 17 letter words to describe short legs...which basically means i couldn't decipher but 6 words of the article..) which i forwarded onto my vet here. Now they are consulting over Shay. Wow. In the meantime, the Uber-vet wants photos of Shay for her presentations on hypothyroidism in kittens, as she doesn't have many pix. Good news? Bad news? Shoot, I dunno....probably bad that there's so little research on his condition, but heck, if you're going to have a rare condition, at least have one of the top R&D vets in the nation consulting w/your vet! [=

So how is Shay doing? Well, we've doubled his meds...ironically that means that he's on the same dosage of the same drug that I'm on for my hypothyroidism! hahaha! And he only weighs 7lbs! He has more energy now, but doesn't quite know what to do with himself...since he's always been too pooped to play! He just kind of runs around and pokes at things and runs off... he still has his quiet moments, which is my favorite time to snap photos of him....so here are a few of Shay being Shay....we have another vet appointment in about a month for another blood draw (this one is a 2-parter that he has to stay there during the day for....not going to be too fun for him I'm afraid. Might have to be without Beastly this time, which will be a first time separation for them) but I'll keep y'all posted....

resting in his favorite place...

nif nif nif

big boy shay (all 7 pound of him! ha!)

...where's beastly??

2010-02-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

I have found that there are some cats that lend themselves to photography...they will completely ignore you and look completely natural while you snap pix. And then there are those cats that truly believe that cameras just might steal their souls if they stay put in one place for too long. These are the ones that it looks like you don't love when you blog....the ones who's photos don't show up very often (but not because of lack of trying!!) For me, those 2 kittehs are Poo (who's story is still to come) and Beastly. Now I know y'all have seen Beastly on a rare occasion, but if you peruse the history of this blog, you'll notice that she mostly shows up in video clips or photos with Shay. So here I shall post another short video of the incessantly moving Beastly.... cuz she hasn't slowed down a bit, and it's all i've got!

...branching out...(just for a second chance, anyways)

2010-01-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

When a lady at work asked me to help her daughter find a home for her dog that she couldn't take to her new rental, I said "sure".....then she sent photos. Oh. um. ok, larger project than i expected! So I phoned my sister.....and a few days later we got a response from a Great Dane rescue who had room....locally. Wow. How lucky is that?? My sister (who owns a chihuahua and a pug) drove over to pick up Oreo and froze when she saw how big the dog was. [= It never dawned on me that she would be taken aback by a huge dog (probably because I have been a horse person all my life and even big things are expected to have respect for me), which she stated looked like "an alligator" to her. Thankfully the owner was there, and after an hour chase (Oreo got out the front door and disappeared into the canyon...the owner obviously had no recall skills with the dog) the dog was loaded and safely on her way to her new life.....which by the look of their small yard, lack of toys for the dog, and ability to listen to owner (haha.), I'm sure will be a MUCH better one than before. A huge thanks to all those running breed rescues for dogs, who take in those that were "cute as puppies" and a novelty.....but then grow into big creatures that need lots of time, attention and love. At least there's somewhere for them to go to be loved, even if it might be a bit later in life. [= woof.

And more on Beastly and Shay coming soon. [=

the accidental rescue (or the story of Poo's boo boo)

2010-01-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

My cat Poo has a developmental delay that makes him, at 7 years old, the largest and oldest kitten on the planet. He was the only surviving kitten from a 10 month old stray's litter (this would be Ivy, who chose to live with us) and i shall very lovingly say "he ain't right". He falls off things and never gets his feet under him so he lands like a sack of potatoes on his side. He poops on the floor of the garage (always has). When he jumps up on things he lands hind feet first. He still plays like a kitten...all of the time. He's our loving weirdo.
Problem is that Poo has no idea how to defend himself, or even that he may not be the best fighter on earth....maybe not even out of a paper bag. So when a local tom started to come into the yard during the day (Poo and Ivy are tucked safely into the garage every night before sundown), Poo.......well, Poo was certainly out of his league (like 2000 of 'em!)

The Interloper

Since February when we got the kittens from the humane society to foster, we've had a stray coming into the yard at night...looking in the windows and watching the kittens play through the sliding glass door in the room. I reckon it was like "kitty tv" to him. It was apparent that he lived outside by the ratty matted tail and the foxtails and other burrs in his long hair. But he kept his distance, only coming around when Poo and Ivy were tucked in at night. Well, about 2 months ago, this began to change. The stray would come around and meow by the front door....it sounded so lonely. Then it began to meet me at my car when i got home from work....just after sundown....oh oh. So I began to feed him on the far side of the yard, so that I'd be able to have someone trap him and find him a loving home. Well, one day he came into the yard early....yep, Poo thought he'd be the hero.....he only ended up being a patient at the local vet.

So now i had to do something. I found a local rescue lady who had a trap and told me that she'd put him up for adoption if no-one claimed him at the shelter. The stray tom that I called "Notouchie" (cuz i didn't know if he had any contageous cooties, so I didn't want him touching my clothing which i take inside with me to the kittens) walked into the trap the first night and then joined me on an hour long drive the next morning to Animal Control. I was soooooo sad. I felt like such a traitor. He'd trusted me to be his friend, and then i trap him and take him to a scary place

(Notouchie at the Animal Shelter)

that's not outside and not anything he knows....but you know what was sadder?? No-one even put up a poster looking for him. That made my heart break. If I think about that rather than the first bit, I feel better inside. Anyhow, that was a week ago....Notouchie is now ball-less, vaccinated, tested (thank GAWD he was FELV/FIV negative!!!!) and on his way (via the rescue lady) to a local petstore to find a loving home that WILL put posters up if he ever goes missing. For that I am grateful and happy. So another accidental "second chance" story is posted in this blog, this one with a cheery ending!! Hooooray!!

(happier pictures of Notouchie coming soon)

OH!!!! VERY IMPORTANT INFO FOR KITTY OWNERS!! When I went to the vet, they gave Poo a shot of Convenia....this stuff RAWKS!!! It's a 14 day antibiotic injection....i didn't have to give Poo pills at all! It looked pricey at first, but when compared to the usual immediate injection and then the Baytril for 14 days it was only $20 more.....Way worth it for not giving pills! Hooray for advances in medicine!!!! [=

happy new year....good luck to you and yours!!

2010-01-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(rather Maneki Neko, isn't he?)

Wishing you and yours a safe, kind and gentle year....

holiday cheer and chaos!

2009-12-21T18:58:00.001-08:00

Shay in Inger's blanket, fresh from a nap....or is this yoda?

Shay cuddles up in the wool felted bowl....

Beastly being jealous of Shay in his bowl....

Beastly usurping the coveted wool bowl....

....how could i have forgotten how much fun it is to wrap presents (and attempt to keep them wrapped!) with kittens around?? Well, probably because it's been 19 years since I've HAD a kitten! (see www.teateasbestfriend.blogspot.com) So here we are in the throws (and launches and shreds) or the holiday season and EVERYTHING has to be viewed in a new "kitten-proof" light. First, the tree. It has a total of 3 branches longer than 18 inches and probably 20 more branches at under 6 inches each. Charlie Brown. It's a live tree so that the pot of dirt would weigh more than kittens launching themselves at it and it wouldn't tumble over. It has one string of plain white tiny lights that run directly up and down the trunk....when we turn off the other lights it looks like a vertical landing strip for tiny planes.....but we didn't want to string wires out the branches to look tempting to wee furry beserkos. The ornaments. All plastic or cloth, no hangers used, all hung at least 4 inches from the end of the branches so that there won't be any reward for dislodging.....so many adaptations....and that's just the tree!!!

On the health front, Shay has been on his meds for about 5 weeks, and there's been a difference in his energy level and his shivering. I think the hard part with the shivering is that the weather has gotten cooler and I don't know if it's the medication or my need to make sure he has lots of warm places to curl up that's making the difference!! Let's see.... I bought a cat nap mat that has some sort of heat reflecting material in it that they're not crazy over, but since I've put it next to the computer, it's become a popular catnapping place for those that want to snooze and be close to human. I also had a small cat warming pad (electric) from Teatea that I keep on the back of the sofa under a cotton throw, and that's usually occupied several times a day by both of them. But the BIG hits are a wool blanket and bowl (both hand felted) by my friend Inger in Norway....they LOVE these!! I got them after Shay began to make a nest of my good wrap that Inger had made me....Shay and Beastly use their binky and bowl constantly. Inger's wool felted items are gorgeous, and we ALL adore them! So a big HOORAY and thanks to Inger for her suggestion of the bowl and the blanket, cuz they're definite hits!

On the actual "giving" the meds front....well, as most of us kitty people guessed, him eating the ground up pill in his food was too good to be true.... I'm now using those "pill pockets" from the Greenies people and for the last 10 days, they've worked with a few modifications....Shay's too small for a whole one, so I have to pinch them in half and hide the pill in there. He still has some trouble swallowing it, but he manages because it's so yummy. (that translates to HEINOUS in human....like a bait shop, actually) But who cares what they smell like as long as they work!! We'll probably head back to the uber-expensive specialist vet at the end of January for another blood draw, to see where we are with the thyroid.....

Beastly is still...well....Beastly!! [= She demands to be played with several times a day by staring at human and knocking things off dresser, by laying on computer keyboard (frustrating to work at home husband) while humans are trying to type, and by slaloming through walking human legs at breakneck speed. Just a tad high maintenance....and verbal to boot. She has a way of meowing through closed mouth that comes out like a big fat whine when she's not getting her way. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the work in progress!!

Well, a boring post, but an update all the same, I reckon. More video coming soon.... and thanks so very much for checking in on Beastly and Shay....knowing you're out there makes keeping a journal of them sooooo much easier!!! Have a gorgeous holiday season from our menagerie...to yours!!!

....giving thanks.....

2009-11-25T18:26:00.001-08:00

...not much more needs to be said....

Beastly's Baby Photo...

2009-11-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

I was perusing the web the other day (at work....VERBOTEN!!!) and came across the website for the rescue organization that we ended up adopting Beastly and Shay from. I noticed that some of their photos looked like they were taken by a pro photographer and were really nice! So I looked up the photographer, found her site, and lo & behold, there was the doggone CUTEST (this will be the only time you see that word associated with the following cat's name) photo of Beastly that I ever did see. It was taken before she chose us in the rescue adoption room (probably about 2 weeks prior to our taking her home, I'm guessing).....oh, her eyeballs....doesn't she look like cookie monster??? [= Of course I had to buy a print....

On the medical front, Shay (Who's official name is Squeebert, although he doesn't like us to tell anyone cuz it embarasses him and makes him wish we'd named him something completely normal like Ralph) has been preliminarily diagnosed with a low functioning thryroid...or hypothyroidism. (gee, just like me.) But unlike in middle-aged ladies, it is "unusual" in young kittens. Many cats deal with HYPERthyroidism (or overactive thyroid gland) when they hit their older years....but here we are with a "rare" case in a kitten...that just might be a sign of something else that is systemic....or it can be the whole problem. So did we get an answer at the vet? er....not really....but at least we can try to treat this and see what happens. Shay had his first dose of thyroid medicine tonight, and I'm THRILLED to announce that I can pulverize the pill and moosh it in his wet food and he doesn't know the difference!! YEE-HAW!!! We were skeerd of expensive pet-sitters that know how to give pills to reluctant hiding kittens, but looks like all anyone has to do is keep Beastly the HECK AWAY from Shay's food (wouldn't THAT just be a disaster! Like giving a maniac a jet-pack...) So now we'll see what happens....hopefully the meds will decrease his symptoms and help him grow like he should be. From the little I've read, it seems that a low thyroid level at a young age can give a kitten short legs and a lack of a neck (which Shay actually has)...but the articles mention a big sized head, and Shay just has a little walnut head...so I reckon only time will tell....keeping fingers crossed (beastly will be keeping her eyes crossed instead...) =^..^=

first vet visit for Shay....and keeping fingers crossed.

2009-11-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

Well, today was spent at the UC Davis Specialty Vet Clinic with a neurologist (wallet says OUCH!!) looking at Shay....he's about 6 months old and has been trembling a bit in his behind when falling asleep....and also jumps fairly oddly....his hind feet rarely ever leave the ground and he can't twist at the waist very well. As usual, there was nothing conclusive found.....we did blood work and xrays to see if there is anything obvious....nothing in his eyes or obvious to her through the tests she did, so now we'll wait to see if there's any flags in the bloodwork (including viral) or xrays. It was GOBS of money, but knowing I have checked his issues out in a way that a specialist recommended makes me feel a bit more at ease. Am I skeerd? Heck, yes. One of the things that drives me crazy about medicine is the "grey" decisions in between the black and the white ones....Shay is currently in the cloudy grey area.....but it sure beats the black. No complaints. Oh, the photos! The top pic is of Shay after he got his eye dialation drops (foamy santa beard completes the ensemble!) and the video clip is of Beastly, who we brought along for moral support (and all she did was cause trouble)......the vet tech said that she could hear Shay's heartbeat slow down whenever he saw Beastly from the exam table, so remember this, kitty folks!! Take a buddy to the vet and make it less stressful! (Well, if you have one like Beastly, who acted like the vet office was just a room in our house that she hadn't been let into before!) More news and fussy cuteness to follow.....

.....the little angel??

2009-11-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

....we think not! [= Beastly and Shay continue their journey to adulthood....they are 7 and 6 months respectively and we now call them "the Crash-Bangs", because that's just about all they do. The BEST toys have been "da bird" (see previous entry) and any sort of large plain brown paper that gets packed in Amazon packages...we put this on the bed in the spare room (or spare oom for Lion, Witch, wardrobe fans) and they pounce straight into the stuff ~ the more noise the more fun!

Shay still hasn't gotten over his chicken-ness caused by the random thunderstorm that let loose over our house 3 months ago....but Beastly does her best to bomb-proof him with stealth random attacks. My reading glasses are now referred to as "kitten deflectors" and no pen is safe (see above series of Beastly stealing things from under the computer monitor....) Shay now spends time helping me get ready for work by hiding in my warm pj's (we call it the nest) and keeping me company, which i adore (see above photo). I am slightly concerned, as i think he might have some health issues, but for now, until i am sure that there is some pain or "proof", I will just watch and wait and try not to worry......strange, lovely unique critters..... i absolutely adore them.

the new cat toy dance....da bird.

2009-10-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

.so i decided to go for "super saver shipping" at Amazon and chucked a cat toy into my "basket" to get my order over $25.....welcome to the results. ...one of the best cat toys ever.

Mr. Stinky Bohannen himself

2009-09-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Shay has finally hit his beserk phase full force. He doesn't care what he runs into, knocks over, plows through...he's going to get what he's pursuin' come hell or high water, i tell ye!!! now if he could only learn to clean his bottom!!!! PHOOOOOIEE!! He has one stinky little bottom! I'd heard about "smelly cats" but now i have one. He gets the best food (royal canin). He will spend time burying Beastly's poops in the litter boxes....and I've seen him clean his own behind a few times, but maaaaan, when you pick him up you KNOW he's one of those smelly cats. We laugh right now cuz he's still cute, but we'll see how we feel when he's 5 years old and full grown. Could be worse....at least he doesn't leave a "stamp" when he sits on us! hahahaha!!

Beastly using a Cat Dancer by herself

2009-08-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's Beastly...who has learned how to play a game with her "Cat Dancer" toy with no human needed. Watch how she knows that the side with one "twisty" is the handle that she needs in her mouth to make the game more enticing, and checks/switches the end to only use the "handle" end. She also knows that she can "push" with the one end in her mouth and pretend to pursue the other end in a straight line....we are skeerd of how smart she it at 4 months old.......we are officially starting to hide our car keys and ATM cards from her as of now......clicker training, here we come!!!

...the new window seat and the weans....

2009-08-02T12:30:00.001-07:00

....we have goats, chickens, horses, dogs and outdoor cats, so chore time outside is a routine that we wanted the indoor fuzzballs to be a part of. So I put up a window seat so they could watch us with all the critters outside, and enjoy the birds when we weren't home. The following photos are of the first moments of The Window Seat.

Photo #1: Beastly and Shay quietly enjoying the new view

Photo #2: Shay going about his grooming business while Beastly starts getting that "look" in her eye

Photo#3: Shay slowly disappearing from the Window Seat (in typically Beastly fashion)

Photo #4 : What's left on the window seat

Photo #5: Beastly's level of badness is rather high at this moment....

Photo #6: What I found dead asleep on the bed not 5 minutes later..... cats. go figure.

the new window seat experience (see above entry to make sense of these photos)

2009-08-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

fosters, keepers. [= (and all the heartbreak of the season spilled at last)

2009-07-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

(top photo: Beastly and Chirp. bottom photo: Beastly and "Shay")

So the day has come.....after a kitten season of fostering whatever fate sent our way, we have our "keepers". Oh, we thought we had our "keepers" before, trust me. (For those who are thinking of fostering, please don't let the following paragraphs put you off....you have to be prepared for things to go wrong, and they will. But somehow, if you can even get one or 2 through that didn't have a chance before it is TRULY worth it. Trust me on that.)

We thought we had our "keepers" in our first batch of 5 orange tabbies plus one (Oona's kittens) but then things happened. When they returned to the humane society to be fixed they got Calisi. Then they were exposed to Panleuk. At the time my garage cat Ivy was having a HIDEOUS allergic reaction to her leukemia vaccination and her white blood cell count was dangerously low.....so we couldn't take any of those kittens back that were exposed to Calisi (and actually LIVED through the Panleuk exposure...which thankfully all did. No, I don't know how...except they were REALLY healthy when they left here...and I kind of think it was the Royal Canin BabyCat that put them in excellent shape to keep that Panleuk at bey) Certain cats carry Calisi their whole lives and shed the virus randomly. So because of Ivy's compromised immune system, we had to let all of them go. Hearts very very very sad. But they all made it through to their new forever families, so we're +7 for the season!! [=

Then there was Jack, the 3 legged cat. We thought about keeping him, but he was adopted out before we had made up our minds. He went to a lady who had a blind cat for a companion. Sadly, I got a call from the Humane Society saying Jack had been returned because he was in the process of kidney failure....could I foster him again? Sigh. We had already taken on new kittens, and Jack was going to eventually require more care than a working person could give him. He needed a stay-at - home mom. But together the humane society lady and I found him a rescue home that is going to keep him for the rest of his life. [= That's +8 for the season, although not the ending one would hope for.....but Jack doesn't know that. He is happy.

Then came the Beastly Baby and Chirp. We got these from a private rescue (not humane society) and thought these were our "keepers". Wrong on one count. Chirp came to us with a unresolved heart murmur and some sort of severe swallowing/esophagus issue. He required 5 different meds and to have his nose cleaned out 3x/day due to acid reflux, plus sub-q fluids every so often.....again, sadly, too much for someone with an hour commute each way and a full-time job. We fostered (and loved) Chirp until the rescue place found a teacher that was off for the summer that had the time to take care of his medical needs. I cried for days. But it's not the foster who decides who they will eventually keep....trust me on this one too. So sadness aside, that was +9 for the season!! (Update: Chirp has come close to resolving most of his issues and despite his special condition, has found a new owner!!)

So now there was The Beastly Baby by herself. Sigh. She's a "special" one. When she came with Chirp, she was talkative and confident right out the bucket....with a voice like a waitress at a bowling alley who smokes 2 packs a day, and has an opinion about everything. She is boisterous, brilliant (has created games which I'll type more about later) and is aiming for partial global domination by the end of this year. We keep our car keys hidden. She was absolutely heartbroken (like the rest of us) when Chirp had to leave, but we were immediately in touch with the rescue we got Chirp from, and taking Beastly's personality into heavy consideration (actually, it was the ONLY consideration!), the rescue/foster lady chose "Shay". Important to note that this rescue actually "specializes" in fancy kitties...siamese, himalayan, burmese, and crosses that look like the fancy kind. I believe that's why Beastly is so talkative... she looks like a maine coon cross with white markings, but with the mouth on her, she's probably a siamese cross of some sort. Chirp was obviously a siamese cross. "Shay"? Not so much. I saw his mom, who looked just like Chirp. But "Shay"? He is just a plain brown tabby. Vocal? When he wants to be, absolutely. At feeding time it sounds like someone let a pinched balloon go down by my feet. But with all the fancy looking kittens at this foster, the lady picks "Shay". We didn't hesitate. And I'm glad we didn't. "Shay" is a laid back kitten who is loud enough to voice his feelings when Beastly runs roughshod over him, but quiet enough to have snuggle moments (Which Beastly never has). So when a rescue/foster makes a recommendation, always listen. Don't let color win you over. You'll be grateful you listened!!

So anyhow, along comes "Shay" (he's still in quotations because he hasn't quite named himself yet). We've had him for 3 weeks and he is definitely family.

So the score for this kitten season? +9. Nine lives changed forever. Many heartbreaks, many disappointments many moments of worry and many tears, but the bottom line is 9 little lives made better by all the worry, tears, heartbreaks and disappointments. That's a pretty dang good number. And YES I'd do it again. In a heartbeat ( or 9!)

...the unnamed newcomer....

2009-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

Introducing "Shay" (that's his former name...he hasn't named himself quite yet).....the newest addition to the adventure we've been having in Fosterkittenland. He may appear on your screen as a mild-mannered light tabby cat, but we know the real truth...his mother was half siamese and when it's feeding time, he runs around the feet of the feeding person making 30 second meows that sound like "squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"...just like a balloon that's letting air out and zipping around the room. He is a nonstop talker, lapsitter supreme and screams like a tomcat losing a painful battle every time Beastly plays with him. It's loud, obnoxious and hilarious. We had some trouble in the beginning deciding exactly how injured he was getting during the slow introductory playdates because of the sheer volume and consistency of his screaming....but after 2 days of supervised play, we let them work it out on their own, and although it's still hilariously loud and sounds deadly, the instigation of the playfights is about 5o/50, and the worry is over. They adore each other. So "Shay" is here to stay. hoo-RAY!!

Chirp the wee Wonderkitten...a graduation.

2009-07-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Chirp, the wee little wonderkitten has moved onto a small foster home that is closer to the vet care that he may need. Our hearts ache at our loss but I am consoled by the fact that it was the right thing for him. That must come first in the foster world!! Above are the last picture of Chirp at our home. He is sorely missed....and will be for quite some time..... happy little guy. Hopefully his esophagus issues will resolve with time....but only time will tell. In the meantime, Beastly is alone for part of the day, and she is very verbal about "alone" and about the disappearance of her playmate.... husband is sleeping in the room with her until new companion for Beastly arrives...which hopefully should be Friday. [= (he's getting neutered today...new playmate, not husband!) So again things change, and I'm learning that Fostering Kittens is about love, hurt and surprises....in equal parts. But it's still worth it.

2009-06-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here's Chirp and the Beastly Baby doing what they do best.....making us smile. Chirp leaves tomorrow.... I've cried many tears already about his needing to go on to someone who has the time to care for him like he needs to be cared for....and although I know it's the right thing to do for him, my heart still aches at the thought of him not being here with us in our family. (Our original plans were adoption for both he and Beastly.) Reckon I just have to know that the right thing to do is the ONLY thing to do and that the "next one" will come along.....but in the meantime, it looks like the Beastly Baby is stuck with us!! [=

more changes on the horizon

2009-06-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

....one thing i've learned about fostering cats and kittens is that you can't guess what may happen, but it will ALWAYS be a learning experience. Quiet, problem-free days are small miracles, just like the wee furballs themselves. Our little Chirp, the siamese mix has some health issues that require a bit more care than i can give him while working full time, so he'll be leaving us on Tuesday. I know i will shed elephant tears, but it's not me I'm most worried about. Beastly, the wee tabby cat (who's aiming for partial global domination by the end of the year) will be heartbroken. We'll be bringing in a new kitten/cat for her company, but Chirp and Beastly have grown close. Inventing games together, working out their physical differences (Chirp was much smaller than Beastly when we initially got him) .....Beastly even lets Chirp sleep on her head. Literally, on her head. I am a believer that once you start giving special care (sub-q fluids, medication four times a day, etc.) that you form an extraordinarily special bond with that critter in your care.....and Chirp is a gorgeous soulful little creature. After meds he will lay in my lap and put both front legs up toward my face....if i lower my face he pulls it toward his and touches our noses together. Tuesday is too close.....but he needs some time-consuming care (including visits to the vet who is an hour away) so I must give him up for his own sake. Sometimes having a big heart can work against you....like when it starts to ache.....it's a big big ache.....

The good news is that Chirp is now almost as big as Beastly....his last vet visit found he's gaining weight (thank you Royal Canin Baby Cat!!) and thriving! Rah!! The mystery is now what's going on with his esophagus, but that will be left to the specialists. The foster agency that he came from is a miracle for kittens like him. Thank goodness that they exist.

Anyways, still some days to enjoy the antics of the two tiny terrors! Here's Beastly in her irreverent and googly-eyed glory laying in the top of the cat tree (obviously NOT sleeping) and Chirp, looking like part of a bad magician's show.....

Chirp and the Beastly Baby

2009-06-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

....sounds like a movie title dunnit? [= Well, those are the temporary names given to are furry little charges that we've had for 2 weeks now. The Upper Respiratory junk still lingers, but the kits are happy tumbling furballs of purr!! Beastly is pictured above, discovering photographic equipment....Chirp is a bit more camera shy, but we're working on photos that properly represent his completely "sweeter than sweet" personality. Even with all the q-tip nose cleaning and medicine we've subjected him to, he is still a gentle and kind kitty that loves to sleep next to your face....and actually reaches up to pull your fact to his to touch noses with him. It will be horribly hard to see him go as currently he owns my heart (don't tell my dh that! he never reads this thing, luckily!) Both are very tidy kittens, always using the litterbox (although Beastly seems to think you bury by paddling her front paws on the upper walls of the litter box as opposed to any sort of contact with the litter), and using every single playtoy we put in there.....

we'z got new ones!!

2009-06-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

well, the house was just too dang quiet without a furry friend, so off we went to a local rescue place (highly recommended, if you live in the san diego area. See www.rosebudsociety.org ) and picked up 2 wee furries that needed a second chance. They were rescued from local Animal Control, both orphans. Here they are in all their un-named glory. We got them home and immediately started battling upper resperatory issues with primarily the wee beige fellow (who is currently nicknamed Chirp as he has no real meow...only a tiny hawklike chirp...). A vet visit revealed that he may have a heart murmur and esophagus issues as well as the URI, so we'll be fostering him for at least a month and hoping our lovin' homecare will bring him out the other side of this healthier (he'll certainly be happier!) The tabby/white female (currently being called The Beastly Baby) is hilariously opinionated for someone 9 weeks of age....she's a blanket sucker and will some day rule the universe.

The end and the intermission....

2009-06-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

well, it's been a month, and my wee furry friends have moved on to the rest of their lives....i wish them godspeed and as much love at their new destination as they received here....it is so very very hard to let them go that sometimes the grief leaves me breathless. But there are others that need the same, and so i go forward. Right before the kittens left, chance brought me face to face with the foster that's here now....a 7 year old long hair silver tabby named Jack....Jack was brought in to the humane society with a severely mauled front leg that was taken off soon after he got there. He has come to my house to learn how to use his new body and overcome what appears to be some depression. We've had him for a month now, and this last weekend, he hid under a rug and played for the first time. [= He now "asks" to play at least twice a day!! Hooooray!! He also acts as "1o minutes too early alarm clock" by walking up on my chest as I sleep and meowing in my face at exactly 10 minutes before my alarm goes off... silly boy. I think he's close to ready....here he is in all of his smiley glory. Whoever adopts him will get a wonderful wonderful cat.

addendum: He's adopted!! Someone with a blind kitty wanted a friend for her and decided Jack would be a wonderful match....congrats Jack on find the home "for the rest of your life!"

8 weeks terrors

2009-05-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

oh my lord...can 7 wee fuzzy terrors make a room feel small!!! They are running, chasing, jumping, clawing, stalking, (did I say climbing?) biting, fighting, and more of the same!! Humans have now officially become portable climbing structures for their amusement...I'm wearing2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts when I go in to the room, just to limit the number of puncture marks I receive. But it's sooooooo fun!!!!!

....young and tender hooligans....

2009-04-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

the 5 boys are nuts. absolutely nuts. they run around objects (hoping to turn into butter?) stick to your pant legs like they're magnitized, eat like wee horses and are stalking up a storm. And then there's Ayla. Our wee girl somehow injured her hip so badly keeping up with the boys that she's sequestered in a quiet bathroom.... it's such a horrible thing for a wee 6 week old kitten...to be yanked away from siblings and mom (who was already beginning the weaning process, thank goodness). My husband and I take turns sleeping on the bathroom floor to keep her company at night......

6 week shenanigans

2009-04-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here they are in all their "glory"....and hilarity.....

their little personalities are emerging, and it amazing to watch them learn and watch their play change each day. I try to keep changing the environment to keep them stimulated....and it's working!!! [=

2009-04-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hooray, another weekend!!!

2009-03-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

i love the weekends...getting to watch the kits grown and change and learn is my favorite thing these days. I came home yesterday from work and found 2 of the wee ones on the floor, the rest in the box. oh. time to set them free. So free they got set!! Several have learned to swear (spit), one purred when i pet him yesterday, and this morning they started using the litter boxes that I've placed all over the room...they're actually painting tray liners that I found for 65 cents each at home depot. They're eating the clay litter, but also sampling the food and water in the room....they're growing up!! Well, they're also the biggest bunch of juveniles I've ever had under my roof....more to come.....

little freddy kruegers......

2009-03-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

....ah, the little razors and fangs have appeared in full force. i am the climbing apparatus for 6 little freddy kruegers. I will not be using salt scrub for quite some time. I look like I have been dragged through rose bushes by an angry mob. Only this mob isn't angry....it is furry, hilarious, learning to spit, drag little toys away from others and to pee on the floor. Husband sometimes enamoured, sometimes mortified....especially by Oona's gas. We've switched food, from science diet to Nutro (given to us by Humane Society) and all it did was change the scents of her poots. No improvement, just added a bit of variety to the assault on our noses. Sigh. (but not too deeply) More tomorrow.....

3 weeeks....eeeeeeks!!!!

2009-03-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

holy moly....WWF in a box. These furry wrestling furies are all over the place! In the last 3 days I've noticed "one front foot up" pouncing position, the "letter N" stretch after sleeping, and little misplaced poops that have snuck out of little furry behinds when no one is looking (those, funny enough, have been ignored when exploring the XXL box that they will be breaking out of by next weekend) Freedom at 4 weeks seems about right to me...but they are beating the bejeezus out of each other in the box!! We've started to let Oona out of the room now, and she quite happily sits on the windowledge in the living room....hasn't seen the other kitties go by outside yet ~ we'll see what happens when THAT happens!!

zippy the pinheads! =^..^=

2009-03-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jeepers, can these little things fight!! [= The kits are teething, and they are serious about their play fighting already! 5 boys and 1 girl makes for the raucous wrestling matches! Last night Atomo surprised me with a hunting instinct already....at 3 weeks old! I took my index finger and made little scratchings on the ground in front of him and although he didn't pounce, he lunged forward and pinned my finger between his paws in a scooping motion (the "fish scoop") and got REALLY excited about the "new move" he had. [= I thought it'd be another week before I saw that! These weans constantly surprise me. Personalities change day by day.....friendly ones get a little less friendly, shy ones suddenly are curious and want attention. Here's a 3 week personality list: Atomo - less into people, more into attacking! Puddin': still a momma's boy, but is in love with grooming himself. Ayla: getting more curious about people and holding her own with the boys. Spud: a little less bullying, a little more friendly. Buddy: still a nut, going through a people phase. Gobi: is NOT the runtie anymore...he's HUGE!! [= Still stand-offish with people, but holding his own with his brothers. Loves Ayla. So we'll see how much that changes in the next couple of weeks. I can't believe my time with them is almost half over!!

3 weeks old...

2009-03-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had to change the box for the kits for the 3rd time....they're growing so much and getting so mobile that we took pity on poor Oona (mom) and found a little refrigerator box to house them in...it lets her nurse and gives them room to play....in the smaller box they were just chewing on her poor face and crawling on her head and...well, with 6 kits, you get the idea. [= Here they are tonight, at exactly 3 weeks old....it's like crazyville in the box now, but our "effortless" parenting ends soon, with the end of free sanitation service and the introduction of food coming soon, we shall soon be doing sanitation more than Oona.....yikes!!

fostering felines for the very first time....

2009-03-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

I'm late starting this blog....about 2 weeks to be exact. But I wanted to leave a trail of fuzzyjoy to share with all of those brave souls who foster home animals for rescue and humane societies all over the world. This is my first go at fostering, and I'm sure that the experience will leave me feeling all sorts of wonderful and mixed emotions.....

My first foster cat is Oona (self-named), who came to us 3 days after she had given birth to 6 kittens....six!! Was I out of my mind??!!! The foster coordinator at the local human society told me that she was young...so I was expecting oh, maybe 3 or 4....six!! It was like I should have been going to St. Ives or something!!! So we dove in head first, and it has been awe-inspiring, scary but over all, a huge blessing....

The reason I decided to foster a cat was because my furry best friend of 19 years had to be put to sleep in February. I missed having a fuzzy being in the house, and since she was a VERY ornery only cat, there was now space for a new pet....problem is that it is WAY too soon. Going out and choosing another would have felt too rushed....like I was attempting to replace teatea (which can NEVER be done...she was certainly a one and only....see my blog www.teateasbestfriend.blogspot.com ) for the tale of losing my best furfriend....but this is a new blog for new things.... 7 to be exact. [=

The humane society was wonderful. Checked the kits over after they were born (seems that they're having trouble with cleft palates and other anomalies due to the chemicals that folks are using in their gardens, fields and lawns these days) and then loaded me up with a carrier, cat food, litter, litter box and 7 little faces. Wow. For those who have kittens before, it will be no surprise that for the first 2 weeks there was just alot of nervousness....are they all eating? gaining weight at the same rate? Does the mom have everything she needs? Is it too cold? Too warm? The usual worries. We had to watch the 2 runts, making sure that they got equal nipple time as their siblings. I'm not sure if it's because there are 5 boys and 1 girl or not, but the boys will really take any nipple that's available, although they do have a favorite. The girl? Eh, not so much. So we had to remove usurpers from her place to make sure she was gaining at the same rate....but Oona is such a wonderful mother, that our work was limited to that, building Oona's trust and watching them grow. It's astounding how much they grow in those first 2 weeks!!!! And now the changes are coming like lightening!! All their eyes were opened between 10 and 13 days....the 2 runties, Ayla and Gobi were last. At the 2 week mark, they started tracking each other with their eyes, watching others learn to use their legs....they're mostly up off their bellies now, creeping around, bonking their heads into the side of the cardboard box and practicing their tiny mews as they wobble around......

Day 16 brought play fighting and the very first kitten going completely beserk with energy...I was surprised it happened this young!! It was Nutty Buddy who's tail was straight up and fuzzy, running over siblings and mom, tumbling and running some more (I use the term "running" very loosely here!) [= It also brought one of the runties, Gobi, up to speed with his walking with no belly drag. Ayla (the grey female) is still a little behind the boys. Oh, did I mention the rest are orange tabby males? Yep, 5 of them. Thankfully all but 2 are different shades, but the 3 in the middle are pretty dang close... so we'll be relying on personalities to tell them apart from here on in!