What to do about Lucie

Lucie has a wonderful personality. She's friendly to people, out going, and fiesty. She feels she is the self appointed boss of all other cats. While she gets along with easy-going confident cats, being around the shy, tense, and quiet cats have been her undoing. It was her unrelentless pursuit of another foster cat that has a heart murmur that prompted me into asking a friend for help in getting her adopted. Susan, the director of the Feline Rescue of Northern Nevada allowed me to have Lucie in her adoption clinic at the local Petsmart. Lucie got adopted a bit later, but as luck would have it she bothered the older cat in her new home too much. As an added extra I was told she had urinated on the bed. I was hoping that was a misunderstanding because Lucie seemed to be good about using the litter box when she was here. Although since I had one foster cat that freely painted the walls with the only fluid he had available to him at that time, some of the cats assumed that the litter box was just a suggested place to go. Fortunately, that busy Mr. Peebody is now happily behaving himself in his new home. And I could do a whole blog on what it took to get him there. But alas, shortly after Lucie's return I did some a few spots that she was the main suspect. However it was seeing her in action on an unmentionable place that caused her to be banned from the main area of the house. I have a basement, which the back side is above ground level and has nice windows. Lucie will be spending the remainder of her time with me there. Besides she, along with a cat that's boarding, need their weight managed anyway and it's easier to have them separated. But alas, poor Lucie is bored and frustrated. She wants, needs, and deserves more attention than I can give her while she's separated.

So the question is, what to do about Lucie. Find her a loving home, of course. But what kind of home? One with other cats? She can get along with other cats but that's dependant on their personality, so maybe not. An indoor home? Since I have a fence that keeps the cats in, Lucie has been able to go outside. And she loves it. But she also likes being inside. Could she behave herself by using the litter box if she was in a totally indoor home? So maybe not a totally indoor home. Or would she behave herself if she were the only cat? What about a barn for a home? That would solve the litter box avoidance problem, but Lucie does love affection. Then there's the problem of figuring out if Lucie would continue her inconsistent improper elimination behavior if she were the only cat in a home where she was safe to be outside but mostly lived inside. I can give her, her own room but she'd still know there were other cats around, plus she would be frustrated by not getting enough attention.

So Lucie.... could ya, would ya be a good girl? (good as in my definition of good, not yours silly girl)

Just Call Me A Sanctuary And Be Done With It

I am truly blessed. I rent a good sized house from my parents that has a yard that I fenced in to keep the cats in. While my dad isn't excited about my fostering and rescuing cats my mother has been encouraging. That is until the cats started to go outside in the yard a bit more and my dad realized I have more then just a few. Then he must grumble to my mom about it. Fortunately I live in the county where I can have more then seven critters as long as I can take care of them. I practically direct deposit my check to my veterinarian and the two stores where I get the cats and dogs food know me by name. So hopefully I have that requirement covered.

Six months ago I made the mistake of volunteering at the local Animal Services. A mistake because I just could not walk down the hallway where the cats are without letting a few cats catch my eye as I walked by. Pleading me to bail them out of kitty jail. The local Animal Services is in a shared building with the local Humane society. Although the Humane Society is very good at rescuing the animals from Animal Services for adoption, I noticed three cats that I thought they might not pick up. One was about two and a half months old. A brownish tabby boy that was on the feral side. By the way he was acting in his cubicle I didn't think he was feral. Another was approximately thirteen years old, a calico female. And the third was approximately ten months old, another brown tabby. This girl was friendly, but since she was about ten months old and not ten weeks old I wasn't sure of her fate. You see, the year before I rescued thirteen cats/kittens at the urging of Animal Services. Most of them came straight out of the euthanasia room. So I wanted the benefit of the doubt to tip towards saving this kitten too.

As with the prior group of thirteen cats, it's on the way home that I think.. "okay, now how am I going to house them all?" But in this case I did have a room ready and I thought, "No problem, the two kittens will be adopted lickity split." shortly after they arrived I took photos and then videos. I made posters and put them on my Petfinder account. Then I waited.... and waited... Almost three months later the youngest kitten was adopted. The older kitten has had some interest in her, but she's been here long enough that she doesn't present herself well when someone comes over. She's a lap junkie with me, but I don't tend to have much company come over. And the thirteen year old is in cahoots with the vet to help him lessen my bank account. Wow, this was a real eye opener. Remember I mentioned the local Humane Society is good about taking in the animals at the local Animal Services.... they are also very good about getting them adopted out into loving homes. So good that adopters for the small rescues are getting to be far and few in between. Explain that to my dad. A friend of mine once told me that if you want to have more then one animal be it cat or dog, be sure they are the same coloring so the neighbors think they are looking at the same cat. Works with fathers too until both cats are standing next to each other.

I have three cats that are boarding with me and three cats that I'd like to get adopted. Two more that I'd love to find a foster for. And other then that, I'm good. Just call my happy home a sanctuary.