At Last, She Turns the Corner

I guess it's a way of making sure I know how special I am, how honored, and how humble I should be. Of how she can give it, or can take it away. Or maybe she was just waiting for me to show a sincere effort. After nine months of being under my care the beautiful feral kitty has given me permission to pet her. I admit I took the business of socializing her very, very slowly. I wanted her to feel safe, I wanted her to see I respected her needs.

After having a number of litters this smart feral mom finally was able to be caught. Since she was being friendly to her colony caretaker we thought she would be able to socialize to being with a family. We realized she would probably never consent to being a lap kitty.... but that she might agree to being spoiled by a person. Prior to Lucy's arrival I was taking care and socializing her babies. They moved in when they were about seven weeks old. I took my time socializing them too. Although they were little and therefore considered to be more adoptable I still wanted to be able to take my time and not rush them. I wanted them to be more comfortable with people before they got speutered. And all that went well. Except with the way they scatter to the winds when someone comes over if I didn't have videos of them on my lap no one would believe me. Kinda hard to get them adopted when all a potential adopter sees is their backsides running out of a room. Although it hasn't really been an issue since they are all black and therefore apparently blend in with the walls.

Socializing Lucy was different. I tried to use a feathered wand to pet her with. She's a smart kitty. She knew that the feather's actions were made by my hand. So she'd snipe at my hand, not the feather. Sniper claws, fast and sharp! After after her attack she gave me a look that told me that I was fooling only myself. She also looked insulted at my pitiful attempt to bond with her.

Lucy's grand-daugher moved in so I started working with her on the socializing. And a socialized (spoiled) senior kitty also shared the room. Then one magical day while I was standing and getting their can food ready for them, it happened. Did Lucy really brush by my leg? Could it be? I pretended to be casual about it. Then the next day, again she brushed by my leg. A kitty hug as I call it. This progressed until one day I carefully offered her a pet. She liked it! Now I sit while getting their can food ready. If I am not fast enough with getting Lucy's bowl to her she will get on my lap a bit to reach her bowl for a bite or two. And I can pet her while she waits for her food. Yay!! We are now friends. I earned her trust, and can't let her down.

The Trip There and Back

Note: The prior posts were when I was fostering from Sept. 04 to Dec. 06. Rather then try to fill in the gap between now and then, I'm just going to start with a more current time.

When Simson moved in on Feb. 08 he brought along a small bit of baggage with him. He was Hyper-Thyroid. Since he was the first cat that I had with this disease I checked to see what some of the symptoms were. Three that I could see were more vocalization, increased energy and friskiness, and/or irritability. So a very active and aggressive cat that meows... a lot. Yep, I see that. After all that's part of what brought him to my door. He was stressed by having a new baby (human) in the household. I'd find that stressful too. But Simson's journey into the house was not without stress of it's own. Remember that aggressiveness trait? While I tried to slowly introduce Simson into the herd of cats in the end Simson would rather stalk the cats then befriend them. On rare occasion this stalking would be complete with the chattering.

I ended up giving Simson a transtermal ointment for his hyper-thyroid. It worked out great and there wasn't the stress of trying to get a pill into him. Over the time frame of a year and some months with the ointment Simson seemed basically balanced health wise, but there were days were he was staving, others when he had no interest in food. Big appetite with no weigh gain is another sign of hyper-thyroidism. I may have wondered how well Simson was responding to his medicine but when it came time for a yearly check up, his blood test showed he needed to increase the dose of his medicine. Clearly Simson was not going to be adopted any time soon and since increasing the amount of his medicine meant twice a day applying the ointment on his ears, which was building up, I decided to have him treated with Radioiodine Therapy. The treatment of choice for hyper-thyroidism. My dad was concerned about the expense of this adventure. I figured that for one, this treatment would make Simson more adoptable, and two, who am I kidding... Simson wouldn't get adopted and since he'll end up as one of mine.. and being one of mine I'd get him treated. Simple logic, really.

The drive to the clinic that preforms the I 131 or Radioiodine therapy is about two and a half hours away. I tried to plan the trip out as best as I could and overall I succeeded. However while I used a good sized carrier for the ride, it didn't leave room for a litterbox. Poor Simson was a mess by the time we arrived at the clinic. His doctor took it all in stride and we had a warm welcome and I was insured Simson was in good hands. Poor Simson had to stay at the clinic for about a week. His waste was radioactive and could be harmful to others so he had to be isolated.

Simson is back and I am happy to say that after four months his thyroid is normal. Yay! I must admit that I was hoping that his aggression towards other cats would lessen with his being healed. It hasn't. He is still a feisty, verbal old boy, but then I wouldn't know him any other way.

The Last Update From Years Gone By

Well sadly for me but happily for the boys, I had to let three of the boys go on to Petco so they could be adored and adopted. They have a better chance to find a home there then while in my bedroom. Only the tuxedo stayed since he wasn't quite ready to be adopted. However I am pleased to say that he has come around and does indeed enjoy being petted.



But now, we couldn't let him be all by himself, could we now? So two brothers moved in. They are about a month younger and they all are getting along well. These two boys are also shy. They look alike with the exception that one has one white hair on his forehead. I call them Shi and Shier. Shi has discovered that being pet is a nice thing, but Shier wants nothing to do with it. Unfortunately for me there's too much room in my bedroom for him to scoot away from me and he can hide behind the tuxedo, Shadow and his brother.


Well, here's one way to reduce the space in my bedroom.... move three beautiful girls into the bathroom area. I was planning on moving the boys into the bathroom area at night so I could use my bed once all but two got adopted but... ah well, sleeping in a bed is for sissies! I seem to fall asleep on the couch better anyway.



I wonder.... since two out of three sisters are busy grooming themselves... will these ladies become little divas or princesses?


Here we are at the end of September... Shadow and Shi, having learnt that 'the pet' is a good thing have moved into their own homes. Which leaves Shier still with me. However much he'll deny it Shier is starting to like a few pets. A fondness of having his chin rubbed in particular is betraying his 'I want nothin' to do with people' stance.










Now here's a little guy that's the opposite. He loves attention from people. As fate would have it he only stayed a day and a half before he left to what will be his new home. He needed to go to Feline Medical for a problem he was having and one of the Doctors there fell in love with him and adopted him.







I seem to be a magnet for shy kittens this year. This handsome guy isn't at all sure about me. But he does watch the girls climb all over me. Hopefully they can convince him I'm okay.
















Here's a tiny but very feisty little girl. She was weaned too soon and needed just a bit more of those yummy milk meals. Her favorite pastime is climbing up to reach my neck and happily suckling away.








Again we at the end of the year and of the 'kitten' season. All the babies have left my nest for adventures of their own.

More Stop By Along Their Journey

Hey! Look who's out and about from her hiding spot. I was able to start petting her. She even came into my lap a few times... then she started to come into heat and got distracted. After being spayed she decided it's best not to let me too close to her so I need to start bonding with her all over again.


Three handsome boys moved in. All of them were distrustful of people. The tabby and seal-point have decided they like getting some pets but the tuxedo still isn't sure. Although he is just now starting to be more tolerant of letting my hand near him at dinner time.

The lovely Miss Uma moved in downstairs for a bit. Her person needs some time to find a place where she can keep Miss Ima.

I am so far behind in updating this page the these two boys moved in and were adopted by the time I got this going.

And here's why I was so busy.... This little guy just needs to be raised. His person lost his three other siblings and needed some help. This wee one is a perfect kitten. He is great with the bottle and box.

But he was lonely so the answer to a lonely kitten's prayers arrived the next day with the company of these four kittens.

I had a scary moment with the smaller one. They have had diarrhea since moving in and although they drink their milk replacer fairly well the smallest two just aren't gaining weight. So although it had been awhile since I have given sub-q fluids... and at that I only gave them for a short while, I decided the smallest baby needed some fluids. These babies are so tiny and fragile anyway ya often wonder if you are going to lose them.... and while I was holding the fur at the nap of his shoulder putting the needle in... he went limp. Ack! I'm so afraid what I do will kill them... and there he was limp! But alas, isn't that something that mama cat taught him when she grabbed his nap? So far the little one has survived my medical skills or the lack thereof.

An after bottle moment on Momma's lap

And this handsome guy moved in with the older kittens. Took a bit to play with them without feeling overwelmed but they are all friends now. Just waiting to find a home is all.

Who's Afraid of An Empty Nest?

For a short amount of time all the foster kittens had been adopted. But there was something whispering to me from the basement..... 'I'm empty', it whispered,'There's room here for some cats that need fostering...'

What else could I do? I listened to the voice.











These two volunteered. A couple of 'problem' kids. Both would grab at you when petted.


This is Penny. A very beautiful girl under a year old. This sweet girl will come to me and climb into my lap. But being that she is not only a Princess, but a Princess Diva, she has her rules concerning petting. You are allowed to gaze upon her great beauty, but touching is restricted. I am allowed a few pets, then she gently guides my hand with her paw to her mouth for a reprimand. I have informed her that allowing her person to pet her tends to collect the loose hair and therefore prevent those embarrassing moments caused by hairballs. She is considering it.


This is Ronnie. He reminds me a lot of Thomas, another silvery gray medium haired boy. Since Penny was not accepting Ronnie's company I let Ronnie stay upstairs with everyone else. 'Oh by the way Ronnie, a couple of dogs live here.' I warned him as I opened the basement door. Fortunately he gets along with them and the other cats. As for his reaching out while being petted... It was interesting petting him when he first arrived. It was like playing a game of dodge. I'd go to pet him and he probably thought I was going to hit him so he dodged my hand. I thought he was going to bite or scratch me so I dodged. Once he realized that I wasn't going to hit him he loves being petted. He especially likes his shoulders to be rubbed.
~
It wasn't long before the sound of ittie bittie paw prints came into the house once again. These two were about four weeks old when they moved in. Time to warm up a bottle!






Never a dull moment during the kitten season! Look who snuck in. A brother and sister, they joined the ittie bitties. Unfortunately for these two, they smelled like they had a bath before their arrival so they smelled odd to the two occupants.


I have to admire this guys determination, he kept getting into hissing matches and he still came back to see if he could play. Although not sure about me just yet, it's nice that he is outgoing enough to come out from hiding. Meanwhile his plan is working and he is starting to make new friends.


Unlike .....


His sister. After informing her that I am not running a Witness Protection program for feral kittens, I spent a couple of hours barricading underneath the bed. A hard place for me to reach but I was not going to allow her to go someplace that I could not check on her. Satisfied I let her loose in the room only to find her far under the bed less then an hour later when I came in to check on them. Grrr Tomorrow's project is to take out the bed frame and leave the mattresses on the floor. I'm calling her B.C. for Barn Cat.

As if there wasn't enough kitten energy running around the spare bedroom.... here comes two more.

What I find interesting about these two, which I am guessing are brothers, is that one has a mature looking face while the other has a baby face. And their voices match their sweet little faces. One has a baby's meow and the other a more mature sounding meow. Both are experts at purring and playing.`
~
Well, Penny moved out and with Ronnie upstairs I had room for someone downstairs.
Shhh, don't look! Tori is here but she's hiding. She's only been here for about a week, so I don't want to label her as feral. But I do think she'll be the hardest to convince that I am worthy of befriending so far.
What she doesn't know is sometimes when I'm outside I peek in the window and see her sleeping on the blanket that's almost the height of the window and out in the open, Shhhhh

But wait, there's more

I went to photograph some of the cats available for adoption. While in the back room this little girl was meowing at me to let her out to play the whole time. Guess where she ended up? Yup, my bedroom. This girl is quite a character, she likes to "knead" with her front paws while either talking to me or nipping me.

This beautiful girl had stopped eating, probably because of being congested. So she got to come over for some special care.

This poor girl was in the feral area at Animal Services. She looked angry and mistrustful. Probably because someone decided to dye her hair a cyan color. Judging by the way she likes to be petted, I'd guess she isn't feral.

With the exception of the five that stayed and the three that had far too short of a life, the rest of my babies have moved out and found a home of their own. They are great kids and I will miss them, but I am very happy they are in a home where they are loved and taken care of.

Fostering kittens must be an addiction, because here's another foster kitten. This is Thomas. He came to me because he had some congestion and needs some healing in his eye. He has an ulcer on his eye. While it's getting better the ulcer caused some fluid to make his eye cloudy which will take time to heal. Meanwhile he is a very active and playful boy.

Orange Tabby's Taking Over

Even though kitten season is winding down there are still kids to foster.
Here Meg is having a bonding moment with the fluffy one. This guy likes to race around but since his body is getting bigger and he doesn't have an expertise on using it yet, at times his back end would out run his front end. It especially caught up on him when jumping onto the cat furniture. The folks that adopted him wanted an active kitten which is good because that's what he is.





This little lap junkie is around eight months old. He only stayed with me for four days then he got adopted.

This handsome guy is around two years old. Poor guy found Animal Services to be overwhelming and frightening, so he appeared to be defensive and unfriendly. They thought he was unadoptable and were planning on killing him. He moved in downstairs and hid the first week. I checked on him a couple of times a day to see where he was hiding so I could move his food closer to him. Then after a week he let me know he wanted to be petted. Turns out he is very loving, affectionate, and playful. All he needed was a safe place and some time to see that he could trust me. Now he climbs into my lap, which is something he watched the other guy do.
This guy is such a sweetheart and blends in so well with the family that he will be staying here. He's a keeper!



These two are around five months old. They moved in because they had some health issues. I call the black kitten Jazz. She had a bacterial and viral infection partly due to congestion and had stopped eating. I finally learned how to give sub-q fluids as it took a few more days before Jazz started to eat again. I call the grey kitten Gregory and he is a skinny guy. Gregory had some diarrhea and then got constipated. They both spent two and a half days at the vet but now they are all better.

Warning Danger!

Now a word of warning.... do not stand next to the Cat Coordinator when a poor mother cat comes in overloaded with kittens. This poor girl had about nine kittens with her. Two of them were smaller then the rest. Most were dark in color but one of the smaller ones was a cream color. Hmmm. Most likely those two were from another litter and added to this poor surrogate mother. So they get handed to me to hold... well hold and take home to care for. And in move little Steffie and her brother Bennie. Since they were able to play I am guessing they were four weeks old when they moved in.

Then upon the lands walked a kitten that had an early knowledge of how to rule the world. Her part of the world anyway. I call her Princess BG (Bossy Girl) Supposedly her five brothers were pushing her away from the food bowl and she came to me so I could make sure she was getting enough to eat. Her favorite activity is sitting at the top of the stairs meowing her squeaky meow until I open the door and let her in. Then she raids everyone else's food bowl. Hey, it works for her... and it works well.

Yet another little girl with an URI in need of some tender loving care. Just as she was feeling better and playing she ended up getting a blockage somehow and in spite of my and the vet's best efforts, we lost her. Some people have asked me how hard it is to give these precious babies up for adoption.... that's not the hard part... losing them is the hard part.

Remember the warning above? The same warning applies while the Cat Coordinator is at Animal Services rescuing cats and kittens. These two brothers were under weight for adoption and would have been put down unless rescued. Well, they are far too cute for that! So here they are enjoying their afternoon.


Apparently it's not the end of kitten season just yet. Here's four more new arrivals, trying to recover from their colds and get just a bit better so they can be ready to find their own home.



Now as the last of these kids got adopted, for a brief moment I was fosterless.

Comings and Goings

They grow up fast indeed..... for all but one of the "Foster Five" have gone off to join their new families. One of them seemed to have stayed here..

Meanwhile, the now vacant basement has been taken over by five beautiful girls. They were about eight weeks old when they arrived and were congested. So they wanted a chance to heal and play until they were ready to seek their journies elsewhere.


But kitten season continues.... Three beautiful grey babies moved in. They are about three weeks old and from two different litters. The concern was that they were overwelming the surrogate mother they were with so off they moved into my bathroom so I could bottle feed them and take care of them.



The more the merrier or so they say. The three grey babies were here for almost two weeks when three more babies about the same age needed to be bottlefed and cared for. So guess what babies, the family just doubled in size.

The brown tabby cutie is oh so tiny, but a ball of fire. And all six are catching onto how fun it is to run about playing.

Here you can get a better idea of how tiny this guy is.

Good days, bad days

Just like fall turns into winter, babies grow up and leave the nest. This handsome guy was the first of the three to move out to seek great adventures beyond the nest. But then he was the leader of his three brothers.

I nicknamed this guy Cowboy, because he was always jumping on me or someone else and hanging on tight for the ride. I don't think he missed a single cleaning of the litter box and he always felt a need to announce when he needed to use the facilities.

Whereas his brother I nicknamed Catitude. He really should have been born a female because he acted like a princess. I never realized that catitude started at such an early age. But good golly could this guy turn on the charm.




Although this is how I usually saw him. That "oh dang I'm busted look". You see Cat didn't concern himself with needing to use the litter box. He much preferred softer less dusty places such as my bed, the carpet, even his cringle sack or cat bed. I worked with this guy trying to get him to see things my way for weeks. And just as I thought, what a good boy he's finally coming around, I'd catch him "digging a hole" on the carpet in a devil may care sort of way.

Cowboy and Catitude get to stay together as they went to the same home.

And as luck would have it, just as the three brothers moved out someone else moved in.

This poor little guy moved in because he was coming down with a cursed upper respiratory infection. He'd have more room in my bathroom then his other options. But very sadly this sweet but shy little guy had more problems then just an URI. Turns out he was FeLv+ and FIP+. So my home and my mom's home became his 'forever home'. During the day he'd be at Mom's sitting on the lounge chair being petted while she read, and at night he'd sleep soundly in my bathroom. He'd purr the whole time he was getting petted. We miss him, he was good company.

Winter turns into spring and life begins again all a-new. The 'Foster Five' are visiting right now and spreading fun and joy where ever they are. Three boys and two girls.

They have taken over the basement. Lots of room for them to run and play. They have been an easy group to care for, but alas they are almost big enough to send out into the world to seek adventures and a home of their own. They grow up so fast. ::sniff::

Meanwhile...

It seems that Mr. Teddy T. Bear (T for Trouble) Has found himself a home. Here he is bonding with one of the current residents. And he is absolutely correct in wanting to make himself at home because I recognized him for the keeper he is and adopted him.