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.

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