Lexi and I went to go visit the students of Mrs. Marling's 1st grade class at Fairmount Elementary. I went there a couple of weeks ago with two of Sasha's kittens and talked about what we do in rescue. They held a supply drive for us and had a goal of 24 items. Today they presented me with 67 items! Way to go kids!
I was very proud of my puppy, she got called all kinds of things like beautiful and obedient! I think she enjoyed getting to go somewhere with mom too. At first going into the big building was kind of scary, but she thought that seeing all the kids was really neat! We showed off her obedience commands and she made me look good by obeying every single time! She did really good down-stays too. Good girl Lexi!
I hope everyone is having a good Mother's Day. Mine has been pretty decent. My boys made me scratching posts from the website www.pawsneedclaws.com. Other than going to the hardware store to get supplies for the posts and some flowers for the yard, I've been home all day playing with the kids and cats and cleaning cages and scooping poop - doesn't that sound like a perfect day? I've also been playing with my camera and have new pictures to share with everyone! I hope you enjoy them.
Sasha's babies are six-weeks-old as of yesterday. I actually got them all looking in the same direction this time. Sasha had a true "mom-moment" today. She went into the litterbox to do her business and all five kittens joined her! A couple decided to go potty too, a couple seemed to want to see what all the fuss was about and not be alone and one decided that he was going to attack her tail! I know how she feels, luckily my kids are old enough to let me go have some privacy, but the pets don't understand. They think that I'm fair game since I'm sitting down and can't get away from them. I guess there's worse things in life than having company in the bathroom!
I got a picture of Palermo and Sicily. I was going to get Naples and Rome together, but my camera ran out of batteries, so I might try to get them in a bit. Palermo and Sicily still look the same as last week, but I like the way they seem to be smiling at me.
I took more pictures of new cats that need to get on the website. I got these guys a week ago and put them on the fast-track for PetSmart. Hopefully they can start going up this week and get adopted quickly. All are super sweet!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Mother's Day usually makes for a slow adoption weekend, but we've been busy this week.
Dogs: Emmy & Ozzy
Cats: Tyson, Chestnut, Gray, Naomi, Kelly, Huck, Pepper and Taffy
Emmy: adorable little pug who had been through some serious bladder problems, poor thing!
Ozzy: bassett hound mix, black and white and as sweet as can be
Tyson, Chestnut & Naomi all got adopted on different days this week but were all solid black littermates. Black is our most common color for kittens this year, so we hope that they all find homes quickly! Chestnut was our only cat adoption on Saturday.
Gray: a cute gray tabby that showed up at the daycare where his foster mom works. The kids named him Gray and he found a home very quickly! He spent about 24 hours at PetSmart!
Kelly: she got adopted on Friday, I hope she's enjoying her first Mother's Day with her new mommy, see my last post for more details on my sweet Kelly-girl
Pepper: poor kitty is just a year old and got adopted four times! The first return was with his brother because of allergies, the second was because the woman felt that 16 pounds of cat was more than she could handle, the third is because he got a cold at PetSmart and the woman's vet told her to return him. After a week on antibiotics, he was ready for what is hopefully his final home! Very nice boy, declawed and knows how to play fetch, when he's in the mood too, after all he's a cat, not a dog!
Taffy: our only Mother's Day adoption (thanks Cheri for volunteering today!) She came to us with a very interesting story. A woman saw her getting dumped out of a car, wrote down the plates and collected the cat. Took kitty to animal control and reported the man. He got caught and fined. He dumped her because he thought she was pregnant. Our foster mom kept her for 2 months and no babies, so she finally got spayed and found her new home after only 3 days at PetSmart!
Huck: poor guy, has herpes in his eyes and crystals in his bladder and is overweight to the point where he had trouble keeping himself clean. One of our foster moms works in a school teaching vet techs and her plan to take him to school to have someone fall in love with him worked!
Kelly is a kitty that you haven't heard me talk about very much. Poor girl just seemed like she was destined to hang out at my house forever. She just turned 2-years-old and is another one of those cats that you wonder if they were supposed to make it or not. She weighs in right around six pounds and has always been scrawny and not especially striking. Her story starts before her eyes were even opened - her feral mother was moving her babies across a field. One of our volunteer's husbands was watching the cat while at work and on her last trip across the field, she got spooked and dropped Kelly. He watched for a couple of hours and mom never came back, so he scooped her up and brought her home. Since I had a nursing mother at the time, they brought the kitten out to me. They called her "Border Collie" since she is black and white with a white band around her neck, like a border collie.
I named her Kelly since Princess Annaliese (from Muddpuppies fame) was her surrogate mother. Her step-siblings were Ken & Barbie (check out the little kitten picture by my name and that's Ken & Barbie) and another orphan named Skipper. Kelly was always the runt in the group and had a terrible time with loose stool. Her records show lots of meds for deworming and coccidia. We spay and neuter around 8 weeks of age, but she didn't get done until she was 4 months old and even then she was still having poopy issues, so she didn't see PetSmart for a long time. By then she was shy and afraid of getting more medicine. She'd have very brave moments of wanting attention, but was never demanding or forceful about it. When I'd get the chance to sit down and pet cats she'd suddenly appear and lay on my shoulder burying her head into my neck - or elbow or sometimes even my armpit, but that one tickled! As she got older, she started having skin problems and would get odd sores on her body. We treated it with steroid injections and her skin cleared up. She's going to need those every few months, so it's hard to find someone who is willing to take that on.
This week, Kelly was up at PetSmart finally. She liked some people and hid from others. Any time I went up to visit, she sure knew who I was and would sit at the front of her cage chirping at me and demanding that I pet her. I quite enjoyed our little snuggle sessions this week and each time it was so hard for me to leave her up there. Today her guardian angel took pity on her and finally sent a human angel to adopt her! The woman who gave her a forever home has a soft spot for pathetic just like me. Her last adoption was of French Fry and Chicken Nugget, two semi-feral cats that now rule her house. Kelly will be a nice addition since I predict that she'll be a lap cat once she settles in. I feel so bad for her having to go through the stress of adjusting to a new home, but once she's over the adjustment period, she's going to be so happy!!
For such a pathetic start in life, poor Kelly did alright for herself!
There's going to be a new reality series on Animal Planet about cat behavior! Definitely worth checking out.
Check out this link for more information http://onekit.enr-corp.com/1003836/index.html.
It's hard not to have favorites, so I don't even try. Some of these guys just connect to a place inside you and form an instant bond. Of Venice's litter, I got such a kick out of Pisa. I've been working with her for the last couple of days and we lost her tonight. Her little body was just too weak to fight off the giardia. The rest of the litter seems stronger after getting their meds and they've only had 4 doses so far. Pisa was getting extra heat and fluids, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. The rest of them don't seem to be suffering from the diarrhea so I'm crossing my fingers that the rest will make it. I guess Rome is my next favorite in that group. I don't have a favorite in Sasha's litter. I can't really tell any of them apart! I just love how they all run to the front of their cage and expect to be picked up and then they demand their canned food. Venice's litter is learning quickly that when they rush forward to see me, they're going to get a mouthful of nasty medicine. Poor babies, I hate having to be mean to them but it's the only way that they're going to survive.
I got more pictures of Venice's litter this week. You can really see the difference in size with how small Pisa is.
Palermo, Pisa and Sicily (Rome in the background)
Sicily and Pisa
Palermo and Sicily
Rome still loves this toy! He only sees it while getting pictures done and he stole it and protected it from the other kittens. He's just one mean bundle of growls when he has his special toy! When I was finally able to distract him from it, he went back to where it was and started attacking the blanket looking for it. Silly guy!
Venice's kittens all went to the vet today and finally tested positive for something! They also have giardia, just like Koko. Not good since it can run them down, but at least it's treatable! And now they have started treatment, so hopefully they can start getting better.
One of Sasha's babies that had lots to say during the photo shoot! They are 5 weeks and one day old in these pictures.
I can't believe that I got them all almost looking in the same direction, and they're lined up so nicely with the grey one in the middle!
Adoptions have been odd this spring, the kittens are still available but the adult cats are finding homes. I'm not complaining, just find it all very curious! It was a day for cats, no dogs were adopted!
Cats: Jitterbug, Troy, Eclipse, Ewok, Eeyore, Haze, Berta, Angel
Jitterbug: one messed up Maine Coon! A gorgeous boy with trust issues. He gets over stimulated and will bite. He got adopted by one of my neighbor's parents, so I'll be able to keep tabs on him. I suggested a feliway diffuser to help him stay calm. We'll see if it works out or not. He may need some anti-anxiety drugs poor guy!
Troy: gorgeous little black and white kitty, about 9-months-old. Got adopted after being at PetSmart 48 hours. He went to a retired couple and the husband was so cute with Troy, just wouldn't put him down. He will be a much loved and spoiled kitty. He was one of mine, this picture doesn't really capture how cute he really is, but I do like how he seems to be smiling, that suits him well, he was always in a good mood!
Eclipse, Ewok and Eeyore: adorable kittens from our dog foster mom - she fell in love with them on our trip to the pound and took them home. You can read all about them on our dog mom blog - see the list of links to the side to get there
Haze: he got returned because he was sneaking outside and his owner couldn't keep him in. So a wonderful family with children adopted him. The kids are all going to help train the cat to stay inside by keeping squirt bottles by the doors and all being allowed to squirt the cat anytime he is by the door! I think this will work out great!
Berta: big girl, white with tabby and declawed. The declawed part is what found her a home so quickly - the woman was looking for friendly, female and declawed. Berta was a nice girl, but not a cat that really stood out from the crowd, we're happy that she found her home so quickly!
Angel: a special baby from Snuggle, a group that helps out cats and dogs that need a lot of nursing care. Poor Angel had been hit by a car and broke her pelvis. It was winter time and she was laying there exposed to the elements and suffered frostbite. She lost part of an ear and some toes. She also had an amateur hair cut at the vet's office and looked quite a mess compared to her former glory. They have her listed as a Norwegian Forest Cat - we're all hoping to see pictures of her in a couple of months when her hair has grown back!
I used to be able to count on a little "retail therapy" to pick me up when I was feeling down. Not that I don't enjoy a good clearance sale, there's nothing like finding a rare gem at an animal shelter to lift you up! Isn't she sweet? I couldn't resist taking her home and I feel a bit better already. Poor baby was there for 6 days and totally terrified. She just tucked her head into my arm and tried to hide. I love blue eyes, I love siamese and I love pathetic! She doesn't have a name yet. I went looking for a couple of cats that I could put in my big cage. We've had some good adoptions this week and I needed to get some more cats that could be on the fast-track for PetSmart. So this little darling is being housed by herself and I picked up three more girls to share the "dorm room". I've named them Caliope, Calamity Jane and Clementine (I think, it could all change by tomorrow). All are fairly young, just under a year. One is a calico, one is a tortie and one is a grey tabby.
I finally started figuring out pictures and the new computer, so here are this week's kitten update pictures, just a bit late.
Here's Palermo at 7-weeks-old, he has an appointment next Friday to get neutered! He's looking like such a big boy!
Sasha's babies at 4 weeks, 2 days old. I like the baby-train sheets for the kittens. They're enjoying their new bigger playground! I had to take the "basket" pictures so that I can line all of those shots up some day and see how they've grown.
The grey with the eyes closed knows that the black one with the extended paw is looking for trouble! And in the next picture we have a three-way-smack-down going on!
