"Tattoo"

One our busiest foster Moms rescued a little guy she named "Tattoo" yesterday.  He had been living under a shed in somebody's back yard.   When Shelley called me and tried to describe this little guy, I listened with half an ear as I was poised to type the information in our database of new rescues.  She went on with great animation, "Beth, this is the strangest little guy I've EVER seen." 

I stopped typing. Shelley has been doing rescue for years and years.  "Strangest she's ever seen"  is really something.

Apparently, Tattoo is a 4 week old kitten - except that he's the size of a 10 **DAY** old kitten!!  Tattoo is doing all the things that 4 week old kitten does - he's toddlin' around, climbing the side of the sofa.  Shelley tells me that it's like watching a spider go up the side of the couch - he's THAT tiny.  He's smaller than her 10 day old bottlefeeders that she currently has.

Without further adieu....introducing "Tattoo"

I think the most amazing picture is the picture that was sent to me this afternoon.  This is Tattoo with an 8 WEEK old kitten:

Seriously...that isn't a full grown cat he's next to - that's an 8 week old kitten!!!! 

We were really hesitant about naming this guy.  Giving him a name means we're all attached to him and it's hard to know if this little freaky-mutant-sweetie will survive.   I'm seeing BIIIIIG vet bills in our rescue's future for this little man.  But he's worth it. 

I haven't even met him and I'm already attached.  God help me. 
 

A Quiet Monday

It's been a quiet Monday.  I had planned on doing so much today, but feel a little paralyzed and wanting to stay close to home.  So I've declared  it a "Rescue Admin" day and hope that pushing all my rescue plans for tomorrow doesn't come back to haunt me. 

The highlight of the day was when an adopter called in to tell me that she named her new kitten "Poop Licker".  I'm all for funny, creative names...but POOP LICKER?  I had to share the wealth on Facebook and posted that as my recent status update.  I figure anybody who names their kitten Poop Licker won't be offended by this blog post. :)  As long as he has a loving home that's forever....I don't care what they name their kitten. 

I've been working on some strategic placement of cats.  We have a couple of adults in Petsmart who need to go back into foster homes.  I don't believe in allowing adult cats to sit in a Petsmart cage for much more than one week.  It seems cruel to leave them sitting there any longer - regardless of how many comfy blankets you put in. 

A foster Mom sent me a fascinating picture yesterday.  She has two kittens from two different litters.  BOTH of them are (Verified) EIGHT weeks old:

The size difference is amazing, eh?  It's one of the reasons I'm so appreciative of foster parents of kittens - there are so many things that can go wrong with these little guys.  While I was on the phone with a foster parent yesterday, she discovered one of her young kittens had died in the night.  *sigh*  Nothing she did wrong - just one of those awful things.

I'm praying for no house showings tomorrow.  I've really messed up by planning a quiet day today.  Tomorrow is going to be crazy.  The thunderstorms are about to begin as I type this and am anxious to cozy into my afternoon and enjoy the show from Mother Nature. 

Quality of Our Lives

There's really nothing worse than being on "death watch".  Whether it's a litter of failing kittens, or your own pet - knowing that their passing is imminent is worse than the passing itself.  Despite the ridiculously shitty news yesterday, I still managed to get to the shelter.  Being normal is half the battle to get through this stuff.

I rescued 2 adult cats, along with 2 insanely cute hissy kittens.   This time of year, everybody seems to want kittens and our foster parents that have rescued adults are holding tight for adoption calls.  It's true, not everybody wants a kitten - but you'd never know that by the scramble at Petsmart and the number of phone calls I've received for them.   Right now, adopters seem desperate to get a kitten - even a black one! 

It occurred to me this morning that I haven't received one phone call (yet) about an unwanted litter of kittens!  (although I'm sure I probably just jinxed it)  We did take in some bottle feeders and the finder has yet to trap the Mom.  I hate that the Mom cat still "out there" and wondering where her babies are.  Without a doubt we saved the lives of 4 little ones who would end up as more breeding adults.  Let's hope that the Mom cat comes around again.  Same ol' story, I guess.

Blah...I didn't really want to talk about rescue stuff today.  That's not what's on my mind or in my heart.

I took our Maggie for a walk this afternoon. She seemed to enjoy the sunshine and walked slowly. I think that will be my barometer for how she's feeling. If she still looks excited when I bring out the leash and wants to go out for a short walk...she's OK. Quality of life, right?

As we watch Maggie, I think about my own quality of life. Stressing about our house for sale doesn't seem quite as relevant right now. Cooking dinner or the pile of cat barf in the hallway can wait a little while longer.

I don't think I need to make a list of what's important in my life. At 50 years old, I already know what's meaningful: God, our family, our pets, friends, our rescue...maybe in that order? (or maybe not)

I suppose the order of importance depends on what each day brings. Rest assured that each of those gives my life great meaning and a quality to my life that I sadly overlook until I'm slapped in the face with some gut wrenching reality.  Many thank you's to those of you who emailed and commented on my blog from yesterdays post - I know I'm in good company. 

Four Weeks

It's been a rough couple days.  

Our 14 year old dog Maggie stopped eating two days ago and after many tests and worry, it appears she has liver cancer.  The only thing left is an ultrasound, but our vet feels that an expensive ultrasound won't change anything or the course of treatment.  It would just confirm his suspicions. 

Before logging onto "Blogger" this afternoon, I had spoken with our vet again.  Apparently, she might have 4 weeks left - at best.  Although I hope he's wrong, I strongly feel he isn't.

A few nights ago, David stepped in HUGE pile of diarrhea in the middle of the night and slipped in it practically breaking his neck.  At the time, it was hysterically funny and I could hardly wait to write about it in my blog, but now I realize it was just a symptom that our old girl was really sick. 

So here we go again.  We open ourselves up to loving a dog or cat without conditions and we get hurt.  We're all hurting tonight over the news - especially my 21 year old son who has loved Maggie since he was just a kid. 

We'll love her to the end - whenever that is.  What else can we do?
 

Frustrating Day

I hadn't been to the "high kill" shelter in weeks and decided to make the trek out there today to rescue one or two cats in particular.  One of the cats had been rescued an hour earlier and they killed the other one this morning.  It's so sad and discouraging.  Of course, I'm happy for the cat that was already rescued, but it's paralyzing when I missed the other by a matter of a few hours. 

I left the shelter with a horrific anxious feeling.  I always get that way when I (erroneously) feel responsible for the death of a cat.  I could feel it wash over me like a wave of jittery grief.  I feel like I'm beating myself over the head over and over again any time I go into that shelter. 

I stopped by our Petsmart Adoption Centre to place several adult cats in the store.  The adoption area looked awesome (as usual) and there were SIX adoptions last night and one in the process when I arrived!  I'm hoping this pair of bonded adults have a better chance at being adopted there.  They had quite a few adoption calls from our website, but the former foster parents weren't attentive about calling people back and they had lost several adoption opportunities.  That's so frustrating. 

It looks like rain and as it darkens outside, so does my mood inside.  I hurt my back today for no apparent reason, but I'm sure it has to do with hoisting cats in and out of cat carriers as I'm trying to remove them from the house in order to sell it.  I'll have to be more careful or I'll end up being completely incapacitated. 

So much for a cheery blogpost!  :)  Tomorrow will be better.  It always is.

Monday Miscellaneous

The shelters were closed today due to Canadian "Easter Monday".  It was nice to take a short breather as it was a hugely busy adoption weekend for us. 

Our house was shown at 11:30 this morning and the same family came back today at 3:30 to see the house again!  It's always a good sign and I'm hopeful the end to this madness will come a little earlier than I expected.  The cats were understandably ticked at me loading them in carriers TWICE in one day!  I have the scratches to prove it.  :(

I found a cute picture of our cat "Willy" who seem delighted with the moving of our furniture "post-staging" because it produced a TON of lost cat toys from under the couches:

The stager left all the toys on top of my desk.  Willy looks a little buzzed from "expired" catnip.

This morning my own cats seemed extra excited to be out in our cat enclosure. They slithered low to the ground like they were stalking something.  I bolted to the window to make sure it wasn't another wayward chipmunk in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But I didn't find a chipmunk.  I found we have a NEW neighbour that I hadn't seen yet:

Later that morning, there was another white one - that guy was short haired.  That neighbour's window looks out on our cat den, so I'm sure they've been having a great time giving each other the stink eye. 

My son said, "OH?  You didn't know the new neighbours have cats?  I heard the Mom screaming at the kids, "DON'T LET THE CATS OUT, DAMMIT!'

I'm sort of sorry that I'm moving now.  We finally got a neighbour that likes cats! 

Tomorrow should be a very busy rescue day.  Lots going on.  I'm grateful I had the presence of mind to do the grocery shopping this morning. 

Maybe there's time for a 30 minute siesta??  Naaaaaaaw....

Thankful Thursday

I'm happy to report that we were back to the shelter today to do a rescue.  We left with a 4 month old recently spayed girl and a 5 month old rowdy little teenager boy.  :)  With all that has been going on lately with me personally, it's been nice to do some normal things.

I've reported the need for normalcy so many times in this blog.  Doing laundry felt GOOD today.  I hadn't completed one load of laundry since my return from California.  Living in a seemingly sterile house that's ready to show to a prospective buyer at a moment's notice is anything BUT normal.  I yelled at David yesterday morning because he accidently flicked some soap on the washroom mirror. 

"I suppose *I* have to clean that up now.  THANKS for giving me something ELSE to do today!"

Yeah.  It wasn't one of my best marital moments.

There was another older kitten at the shelter today that was on my mind long after I left.  I made a few phone calls when I got home and one of my favourite volunteer drivers said, "SURE!  I'll drive back to the shelter (even though she was there yesterday) and drive into the city with the cat to his foster home." 

Many thank you's to this fabulous volunteer driver AND to the awesome foster parent who made my life much easier today.  I'm now minus the guilt that I didn't take that little guy in the first place! 

The same foster Mom who is taking the teenager kitten tonight, also emailed me about a declawed guy on the website.  She's taking him too!  Poor guy is a FOUR PAW declaw.  I'm so disgusted by that.  What greedy bastard of a vet thinks it's OK to amputate the toes on all four feet of a cat?

Tomorrow is Good Friday - a very quiet and thoughtful day for Christian religions.  All I can think of is that I'm glad I don't have to cook and nobody will be coming to see the house on a holiday.  Shameful. 

I'm going to concentrate on the fact that 4 little souls are out of the shelter this afternoon and have a better chance at adoption and a wonderful life.  Right now, that's what I'm holding on to...(that, and not having to cook dinner sounds pretty nice)

Home Alone

I can't believe I survived this day.  I loaded up my cats this morning at 9:30 am and left the house while there was an open house that was just for real estate agents, then a subsequent showing of my house in the afternoon.  My poor cats were in the car in carriers for 5 hours. 

Our real estate agent's husband picked up our 14 year old dog Maggie and took her to their house nearby so she didn't have to ride around in the car all day with me.  He must've spoiled her rotten - Maggie didn't seem particularly happy to see me at the end of the day!  I guess that's good news.

When I pulled out of my driveway this morning with the cats, the first people were arriving to see the house.  I was was sitting in a drive-thru coffee line when my heart sank - "Butters!  I left Butters in the house!"  How could I forget to include Butters - my 7 year old orange cat?   I called David at work and we started counting cats..."You have Newman, Pella, Phoebe, Sherman...."  Yes, Butters was not in the car.   I called my agent and told her Butters was M.I.A.  She said she hadn't seen him and was probably hiding under the bed and not to worry.

But I worried.

I scrambled home as soon as I was allowed and frantically searched the house. 

Never fear!  I found Butters.  He was in THE ONLY room he's never allowed to go into - my youngest son's room.  Because of the real estate showing, the door was open to his bedroom.  The room looked like Butters had majorly partied in there.  The comforter was messed up like he had tried to dig a hole.  The lampshade was crooked, books had fallen over from the top of the bookcase and Butters was sound asleep on my son's favourite quilt that his grandmother had made. 

He must've wondered what the hell had happened to the rest of his family - the apocalypse?   Did he run through the house with scissors?  Jump on the bed?  Turn on all the lights and leave the room?  Watch trash on t.v?

Sounds like a pretty awesome day to me. 

Back Into Reality

It's strange when your daughter goes from living in a "girlie" apartment to her "big girl townhome" with fiance` in tow.  I still think of her as a 16 year old cheerleader.  I suppose my parents feel the same way about me.   David and I stayed in her guest room and I found myself waiting for a cat to jump up on me.  Fortunately, there was "Meatball" their 22 pound French Bulldog. 

I can't imagine going anywhere unless there's a cat or dog in the house.  I need something furry to kiss and David doesn't count.

As usual, we had some minor chaos with the rescue while I was away, but our volunteers were AWESOME and handled things beautifully.  Why do I even waste the time worrying?   David usually complains about the roaming charges on my cell phone while we're out of town , so I decided to text our volunteers with questions, etc.  I must've sent 100+ texts over the course of the 4 days only to find out that there are "roaming text charges" of $1.75 EACH.  (Sorry, David....love you!)

It's been Maternity City for us.  All of our little pregnant Moms seem to have given birth all at the same time.  The photo ops are priceless:

It's hard to believe when I first started rescuing and fostering, that all I did was bottlefeed kittens and do maternity care.  Now I look at these little guys and feel tired.   :)  Being a Grandma looks good on me.  Hahahhaa!

I think I'm caught up with my rescue work for a few moments.  The photographer is coming to take pictures of my house and a "For Sale" sign is going up in the yard in about 30 minutes.  I feel like I need to be sad about selling this house, but I never bonded with it.  I can hardly wait to move on to the next step in life's adventure.  (Too corny?  Maybe.) 

Out the Door

I'm on my way out the door for Southern California to visit with my daughter, her fiance and their French Bulldog "Meatball".  Wedding dress shopping will come with mixed feelings for me, but am looking forward to kissing on a cute bulldog and calling myself "Grandma".  :) 

It's always a terrible thing to go someplace and NOT have a dog or cat to love.  It never feels like home. 

We've listed out house for sale and bought another house.  The week has been as insane as promised and it's a ridiculous time to go out of town.  I think some So Cal sunshine for a few days might be just the ticket. 

Thought I would share an email I received from the window washer yesterday.  Our rascal "Sherman" was brutal - knocked over his water, tried to escape through open screens, etc.  Looks like  Sherman made an impression on him:

Hi Beth,

Once again thank you for your business, and the opportunity to work with Sherman. I hope everything is ok with the work I did yesterday please let me know of any isssues.

Ian

I think Ian deserves our repeat business, don't you think?

Have a great week - see you Sunday!

Juggling and More Juggling

This was a ridiculous week to consider putting my house up for sale, buying another house, putting new carpet in the basement, windows washed, house staged, running a rescue AND leaving for California for 4 days to visit my daughter.

But I'm doing it anyway.

As a rescuer, I've become a "master juggler" over the years.  I've got more things up in the air than I care to mention.  I reach out to our volunteer base with the subject line that says "HEEELP!" :)  (Don't worry FHCR volunteers, you're getting that email shortly!) 

I remember when my kids were little, I was able to feed a baby, vacuum the house, talk on the phone and take away a pair of scissors from an ornery toddler in a single moment.  I guess cat rescue is very similar.  There's always a million things going on at the same time. 

After SEVENTEEN adoptions this weekend, we were back to the shelter today!  I had planned on rescuing more than 1 cat, but the realization that  the rescue has to be out of one Petsmart store on Saturday and I'm out of town for most of the week, suddenly left me with far too many balls in the air to juggle.  So I took a happy little tabby/white teenagery fella who looked like he needed a break.

I'm a little overwhelmed tonight (if you hadn't noticed!).  Thank heavens it's not a "bad kind of overwhelmed."  I've got a lot of exciting things going on in my life and an awesome man in which to share it all!   I'm not sure where I'm finding the time this afternoon to write in my blog, but it really helps me clear my head. 

Would love to take a 30 minute nap, but there's no time...

An Update on Shannon and Mr. C

I could hardly wait to follow up with the vet clinic staff on how Shannon and Mr. C did on their first night together. I waited impatiently listening to a recorded message about "Heartworm Season" that the vet clinic had playing for customers on hold. Then "D" picked up the phone...

Apparently, Shannon woke up Mr. C this morning doing that "up-down-up-down-thing" with her paws on his chest. Then she licked his face!  "D" said that he sounded happy and very "busy"...so much to do for Shannon!  It sounds like Shannon and Mr. C were meant to be together.  He had a purpose and a reason to get up this morning.  Nobody will really know how serious Mr. C was about not wanting to live after Fritz was gone, but the veterinary staff were certain he was serious. 

I found a picture of Shannon from the shelter's website:

It's hard to believe nobody wanted her.  But she'll never be unwanted again, thanks to an awesome veterinary office and Mr. C.

The rescue's phone has been ringing quite a bit today.  I guess that's what happens when you put a bunch of fluffy dilute calico kittens on the site.  I wish people could see the not-so-fancy kittens and want to adopt them as desperately.  I even had a call from MICHIGAN to adopt this little girl:

If I get one more call from a teenybopper wanting to adopt her, I'm going to scream!  :) Holy crap, that's quite an "old gal" thing to say, isn't it?

Awww...hell....I think I just need to end this Friday post thinking about Shannon and Mr. C.  That story has enough good vibes in it to get me through the weekend. 

Happy Friday :)

"Mr. C"

Today was an amazing day.  I received a call from one of our veterinary clinics.  They've been working with a senior man with his senior cat for months.  The cat was dying and the gentleman was very very clear:  He didn't want to live if his cat couldn't live with him.  The man's beloved cat was to be euthanized at 1:30 today.  The staff at the clinic asked me to rescue a cat from the shelter so the man wouldn't go home to an empty apartment.

He has no family, no friends.  Just a very old cat named "Fritz".

The staff was devoted to "Mr. C".  They had been working with him and Fritz  for months.  They would support him and care for him and any cat that I brought to him today.  But I was nervous. 

I went to the shelter this morning and chose a sweet 7 year old declawed girl named "Shannon".   She had been at the shelter a long time.  Would she be able to heal Mr. C's heart? 

When I walked into the vet clinic, Fritz  had been euthanized 15 minutes earlier.  The staff was ashen and I could hear the gut wrenching sobs from Mr. C in the examination room.  Apparently, he had been at the clinic all day.  My heart fell as I walked in and introduced myself.  I brought "Shannon" with me at the encouragement of the staff. 

The tiny exam room had several staff members in it.  Their arms of love and support for Mr. C were amazing.  They hugged him and told him that Fritz would have wanted him to be happy and save Shannon.  He asked questions through the sobs:  "Would Shannon sleep in Fritz's bed?"  What would Shannon eat?  "Where would Shannon sleep tonight?"

Shannon swirled around his legs thoughtfully.  She knew Mr. C had a broken heart.  I think they needed each other.  Mr. C reached out and gave her a soft pat.  I could tell he was terrified that he was somehow betraying Fritz. 

Nobody could bear the thought of Mr. C going home to an empty apartment.  An apartment void of love and void of Fritz.  The staff gently encouraged him as Shannon worked her magic.  Mr. C told stories of Fritz and I asked him what Fritz would think of Shannon.  Mr. C laughed as he told the story of Fritz coming into his life. 

More tears.  We were all crying. 

Shannon has gone home with Mr. C today.  A loving staff member at the vet clinic drove them both home.  They stopped at the pet food store to buy Shannon some toys and a new brush. 

I'm going to bed tonight thinking about Mr. C and Shannon.  Mostly I'm going to think about Fritz who has loved an old man unconditionally for more than 17 years. 

I think Shannon is going to be a lucky girl.

Stupid Day

I think I was due for a really crummy day.  Maybe it was the fog this morning, but even as the fog broke later this afternoon, the fog never really left my head. 

I had FIVE phone calls from the same person this morning.  Each voicemail was increasingly more hostile and aggravated.  She wanted to surrender her cat and she wanted to do so NOW.  Why do people think that I have to jump through hoops for them because they want to dump their cat?

Hope you laugh as hard as I did when I tell you that I received a very long comment on my blog (that was so ridiculous, I won't publish it) that said, "Beth, you are in this for the fame and money"  Seriously.  Somebody thinks I'm doing cat rescue for the "Fame" and the "Money".  Sure.  I laugh all the way to the bank with my large paycheques that the rescue gives me.  (insert sarcastic laugh here)

Fame?  Um...I don't even know what to say here.  I haven't returned Jay Leno's calls in weeks.

For heaven's sake.  What are people thinking? 

I promised I'd bring my camera for today's rescue and promptly forgot it.  I rescued a very handsome 5 year old "fatty" that I would LOVE to name "Chris Farley".  He was being picked on at the shelter because he was so submissive.  He was originally adopted out of this shelter but brought back there 4 years later because some wayward family member had to move back in and he was allergic.  So he lost his home and the stupid-ass family member is back.  Argh.

We also rescued a very cute orange guy.  I took him 4 hours before his "stray time" was up at the shelter.  Wouldn't you know that as we were leaving the parking lot, the owners of the cat were walking in to claim him?  I have to drive back tomorrow to bring the little orange wonder boy back to the shelter since his family wants him.  I guess it's good news for both owner and cat! 

For me?  $300.00 in gasoline spent in 7 days.

Yeah.  I'm in this for the money.  That's right.

Some Monday Thoughts...

I fear for a crazy kitten season this year with the early warm weather.  Usually, this time of year we still have some snow on the ground, but today I was in short sleeves and bare feet.  It ticks me off that I couldn't just enjoy the unseasonable warm weather, but I have to associate EVERYTHING with cat rescue:

1.  Warm Weather in early Spring = Early Kitten Season

2.  Frigid Weather in winter = Cats Freezing to death

3.  Rain =  I wonder if little homeless cats are dry and hovering under cars...cars...cars....what if they're hit by a car?

4.  Heat wave =  Do the homeless cats have cool water to drink?

Like so many rescuers, I guess I'm tuned in to this stuff more than the average person.  It's been a long time since I was able to enjoy a cold winter night or a stormy warm summer rain. 

I had a woman come in today to talk to me about "staging" my house for sale.  Apparently, it's practically mandatory that your house looks like a model home in order for it to sell.  This woman was NOT an animal person.  She pointed briskly to the cat beds and scratching posts..."Go."  "Go."  "Go."   Then she walked into my family room and saw the HUGE cat tree there and practically fell off her high heels.  "THAT isn't staying, is it???"    She walked into my bedroom and saw 5 cats asleep on my bed.  I tried to tell her they were foster cats, but even *I* didn't sound very credible.  :)

There was one pitiful lonely kitten left at Petsmart when I arrived today.  I felt awful, as I was sure she had been adopted already!  I should've brought her a friend.  I don't like kittens to be alone at Petsmart.  I held her for a long time.  Every time I put her down she'd **HOWL***.  Tomorrow, I'll bring a few friends for her.  But for tonight, I'll wallow in guilt that we have a kitten without a friend at Petsmart.  Damn. 

Tomorrow is a rescue day and I'm looking forward to it.  I'd like to slow down a bit this week, if I can.  When clean towels sit in the dryer for 5 days and nobody folds them, I'm too busy.  I like being occupied, but I really dislike a frantic pace.  I don't *do* frantic very well. 

I'll bring a camera tomorrow.  :)

"Irresponsible Rescuing"

It feels like forever since I've written in my blog.  I'm getting ready to list the house for sale and have been searching high and low for just the right home to spend the next 50 years.  Believe me - I'm NOT moving again.  As I'm beginning to prep the house for sale, I've picked up boxes in the basement to stack them neatly, and uncovered old dried up cat pee which has left me feeling less than chipper on this beautiful day. 

Yesterday, I received a "Mega Urgent" email from a fellow rescuer.  She needs money.  Badly.  She's a gal that rescues from the high-kill shelter where I rescue.  It was well written and heartfelt - it even included pictures of the cats that are currently in her care. 

Note the last two words in that paragraph:  IN. HER. CARE.

I feel guilty saying this, I really do - but it seems to be irresponsible rescuing to take hundreds of cats over a period of time that you cannot take care of properly.  Believe me, I've asked for donations too - but that's usually just for ONE cat that needs some special over the top care.  This is a rescuer who is taking cats from the shelter that is KNOWN to have sick cats and is asking for money for antibiotics etc. 

"Was this a surprise that you're going to have to pay for vet care for these cats?"

What's "irresponsible rescuing"?  I have my own personal definition:  "Rescuing more cats than you can space or money to care for them responsibly." 

I've talked about this on other blog posts.  I've known rescuers who put cats in cages in their bedrooms, garages, livingrooms, etc, and have NO plan as to what they're going to do with them.  I know one rescue where the directors put cats in their garages in cages.  These are not feral cats - these are loving little house cats, sitting in damp dark garages in cages. 

So now we have a rescuer asking for donations for her rescue.  Why on earth is she asking me??  If I have extra money, it's going to the cats in care for our rescue!  Not to somebody elses' rescue.   

Sure.  This sounds really bitchy and rereading it didn't make it any better.  I've backspaced and tried to soften it a bit.  But we're on the cusp of kitten season and all I can think about are these "rescues" who have a zillion cats in their homes and every nook and cranny of their homes and can't afford to vet them properly.

THAT ISN'T RESCUE!  That's H-O-A-R-D-I-N-G! 

I haven't written in a while and obviously this has really been building up in my mind.  Thanks for listening to the rant.  I hope it comes at a time that might be helpful to another rescue who is thinking about taking too many cats.  We can't help them all.  I wish we could. 

Damn.  I really wish we could help them all.

(Post Script Note:  Please remember, this is rant - nothing is absolute and merely a tired rescuer's opinion.)

Breed Specific

If the weather hadn't been so beautiful today, I'd say this was a "disappointing day".  But somehow with Spring-like sunshine and warmth, I must've been feeling far too optimistic for my own good. 

I had cleared my calendar for the day to engage in an important meeting for our rescue.  Unfortunately, I was the only party that remembered the meeting, so was stood up.  The other party gets paid to do what he does, so I was pretty upset and disappointed at this level of rudeness.  Besides - HE called the meeting.  UGH.

I've never made it a secret that I'm not a fan of taking in owner/surrender cats.  But when a call came in this morning from a caregiver of a senior lady with 3 cats, I decided to really listen to what was going on.  Apparently, the senior had fallen several times.  There was a Mom cat and two 7 month old kittens - none are fixed, of course:

Me:  Are they friendly?
Her:  Of course!  They're wonderful lap cats!
Me:  Terrific!  We do have some available foster space for friendly cats! 
Her:  Oh good!  Can you come today?
Me:  My calendar is free today.  By the way, what do the cats look like? 
Her:  Why they're purebred Himalayans!
Me:  Wow!  (thinking to myself:  "The rescue jackpot!")  Himalayans??  They're tan and brown?  (trying to keep it simple.)
Her:  YES!  They're called "Chocolate Point!" 
Me:  (Insert silent "whoo hoo" here)

I immediately called our vet to schedule 3 spay appointments and started dialing foster parents to arrange for their arrival.  Yes, I'm a planner - and need to have a plan for cats before rescuing them.  

I arrived promptly to the apartment.  She opened the door and I didn't see 3 Himalayan cats, but saw 3 short-haired Tortoiseshell cats scatter under the sofa hissing and growling.

Me:  Um....those kitties aren't Himalayan.  They're called Tortoiseshell.
Her:  Oh no....they're definitely Himalayan.  The vet told me that they're purebred Himalayan.  (She points)  There's the Dad of the 7 month old kittens. 
Me:  He's a short haired orange cat.  Not a Himalayan.
Her:  I had him neutered.
Me:  Good.

I would've been happy to take the cats from her.  She needed the rescue's help - there was no doubt about that.  But I couldn't touch the darn things.  They were under the couch growling, hissing.

Me:  They aren't very friendly.
Her:  Sure they are.  Maybe they don't like your perfume.

I feel like beating my head against the wall when I deal with stuff like this.  But it's part of dealing with the public.  I don't think people realize how much of my job is dealing with the public. 

Just had a call from Petsmart.  Looks like we've cleared the adoption centre again and by tomorrow at 1:30 all the cats will have been adopted - again!!

This day is looking up!  :)

Moments of Insanity

Did I really forget to write yesterday?  I usually look forward to writing in my blog on Mondays - especially after a busy weekend.

The past few days have been filled with disturbing phone calls.  I've had two different calls from people wanting to "surrender" their 15 and 16 year old cats.  Totally different families - same stupid  situation.  In fact, I was just browsing through Craigslist and saw somebody trying to "rehome" an 18 year old cat.  This kind of shit breaks my heart.

It's like moments of insanity for 3 days!  This morning a foster parent forwarded me a Kijiji Online Classified ad and it turns out to be one of our cats that was recently adopted!  The woman was giving him away because he didn't like the resident cat.  (or vice versa)  She never called the rescue or anything.  Just put up the ad and could go to whomever called. 

Dealing with this has been stressful and still not resolved. 

I've been having some moments of insanity too as I'm facing selling the house after being here only 3 years.  The location and size of the house isn't working for us any longer.  I think we're making an offer on another (bigger) house tonight.  Exciting stuff - but I'm not really looking forward to making another change so fast. 

We rescued a bunch of cats yesterday from the shelter and one was immediately adopted.  It's really been a lovely month rescues and adoptions. 

I'm pooped....more rescues tomorrow...will update then. 

Blustery Friday

It felt good today to be out in strange Canadian weather and rescuing cats.  One of the shelters we rescue from has an awesome "Barn Cat" program.  They don't euthanize feral or semi-feral cats but spay/neuter and vaccinate them then allow local farmers to take them for mousers. 

Over the past few months that I've been rescuing from this shelter,  I fell in love with one big ol' Tom cat who was part of the Barn Cat program that had the most soulful eyes.  He looked like he had something on his mind.  When I first saw Mr. Big Cheeks he was crouched low into his litterbox.  Two months later, he was still in a cage as no farmer had taken him.  I was incredibly excited to have a foster parent with a brand new barn come forward and offer to take him. 

So I made the trek out to the shelter - it was a happy day today:



 While I was there, the same foster Mom that took Mr. Big Cheeks also asked me to pick out a pregnant girl for her too!   So I picked out a sweet little brown tabby with a huge belly.  As I type this email, we have another foster Mom driving out to the high-volume shelter to (hopefully) rescue "Quinn" - another pregnant girl:

I dread rescuing (pregnant) cats from this shelter.  Watching them become ill and the probability of all their kittens dying becomes really great.  I told the foster Mom to hang on to her heart.  She's a veteran at the shelter and knows the risks.  We'll see how things progress here. 

Regardless, it felt good to sing that silly little rescue song.  Happy Friday all...

An Update On Bunny

Last year, when Bunny was rescued, she was so frightened.  You could hold her - IF you could catch her:

When an adoption call came in for Bunny, I was worried.  Perhaps I soft-peddled her personality a little too much?  The adopter was a single Mom with a 12 year old daughter.  The family was going through a divorce and they really wanted to meet Bunny despite the fact that I was clearly hesitant about letting her be in a home without someone home to really work with her. 

I remember that day so well.  We met at a Petsmart and the sweet mother/daughter duo fell in love with Bunny even though Bunny wasn't very cooperative.  We certainly had friendlier cats that day.  The Mom confided in me that her daughter was having a very difficult time with the divorce and that they needed each other.

Ahh...."Needed each other"....those are important words to me.

Months later, an update came in from the adopter yesterday.  I've edited it for length.  I hope you get goosebumps like I did:

"Bunny (Sweetheart) is doing great. She is so adorable and Amanda and I absolutely love her dearly. Beth you remember when she was a baby how she used to run and hide? Amanda placed a little bell on her collar so we would always know where she was and we purposely did not chase her or scare her so she would become comfortable with us and build up trust...She speaks to us and listens to us. She is so cute and an absolute beauty. She only enjoys cuddling when she is tired but when she does cuddle oh my goodness she purrs up a storm and really snuggles, especially with Amanda.

When it is time to wake up Amanda I will tell Bunny to wake up Amanda and she will run into Amanda’s room and jump on Amanda’s bed and start to play with Amanda’s feet to wake her up. Beth it is hilarious and the funny part is that she will not do this until I tell her it is time to wake up Amanda.

Also in the evening when it is time for bed we will say “bedtime, Sweetheart it is time for sleeping” she will then stop what she is doing and sit and look at us waiting for us to go to our rooms. She will not go into the bedroom until the television is turned off and I start to turn the lights off.

We could not imagine our life without her Beth she has truly become a member of our family. She is truly loved and she loves us and she is coming around slowing but then again I think she has come a long way in just two months.

Thank you Beth and thank you for all your efforts in saving these amazing animals.

This email arrived on a day when I really needed the encouragement. I felt weak and ineffective. I only wish adopters knew how much these kind of stories give back to me all that I've given X 10!   It makes the heartache and trouble worth every moment.  I'm hoping that any rescuer who reads this email gets strength from it and it finds you at a time when you need it the most.

Yoga Pants and Mondays

I can always tell when Monday is going to be really busy when I arrive at the grocery store to do my weekly grocery shopping before 9 am or after 9 pm.  Today...I was there at 8:30 am with the young moms in their yoga pants, expensive sneakers and pony tails swinging. I practically ran them over with my cart as I barreled through the produce section, my face glistening with menopause.  When did I stop being a "young mom in yoga pants?" 

Anyhooo....I ended up driving out to a foster Mom's to pick up 5 kittens to place them in our Petsmart store.  There's always people buying pet food with stories of their own pets and I always listen.  Fortunately, the Yoga-pants gang were already out of Petsmart by the time that I arrived (toddlers need naps) and I seem to relate more to the "senior-set" who have stories to tell.  It takes me a little longer to check in the cats, but it's nice to be able to chat with people.  Besides, you never know who has a million dollars to donate, right? (*lol*)

The older cats at the store were desperate for some attention, so I diligently took each one out to give kisses and love.  We have one cat at the store named "Colbert" that I'm totally in love with!  This cat is THE SWEETEST boy and I'm so glad somebody else is fostering him.  I wouldn't let him go.  I just know it.

I feel so much better that the cats don't have to stay there until adoption.  It satisfies my guilty feelings knowing that they get to go back to a loving foster home who is waiting for them after about a week.  I feel sorry for some cats from other groups that are left there for the entire month.  But sometimes that can't be helped. 

I'm ready for another rescue tomorrow, I think.  We had a bunch of adoptions over the weekend but unfortunately, that didn't open up much foster space.  We have several foster parents on vacations, some are babysitting other cats for a few weeks, and others had some personal health issues.  My foster list is looking a little bit grim, so need to take an accounting of what I can actually do.  Some days, I envy the rescues that just "rescue cats and figure it out later".  I think that would keep me up at night.  But I envy the notion just the same.

A Saturday at "Cat Central"

I so rarely write in my blog on a Saturday, but we had a death in the family a few days ago and I feel so behind on everything and off my usual routine.  Fortunately, we have such a strong volunteer base, that I didn't really feel like anyone was short-changed :)

A wonderful couple came to my home today to adopt my black kitten,  Eddie Van Halen. Naming that kitten Eddie Van Halen was brilliant - I've had so many adoption calls on this guy! This amazing couple not only left with my Eddie, but also fell in love with my Lucas too! They took both my foster cats and I couldn't be happier.  Heck, if I pushed it maybe they would've adopted "The Sherminator" too!  Hahaha! 

My cats were acting like such jerks when these people were here.  They knocked over the vase with my birthday flowers in them, spilling water everywhere.  Willy (my DLH black guy) was biting, the dog was farting, Sherman was in the kitchen sink knocking over water glasses...seriously, I think these people thought they were saving my two foster cats from ME! 

The phones have been ringing today from Petsmart and after putting in 11 cats a few days ago, only 2 are left for adoption.  Looks like I'd better get busy...

I received an adoption call today from a woman who sounded VERY desperate to adopt a kitten.  Her voicemail was short and manic.  (Red flag!)  By the time I got her on the phone, she was practically breathless as she wanted to adopt a kitten for her son.  "How old is your son?", I politely asked.   

"He's turning 1 year old today and I want a kitten today!" 

Yeah.  She didn't get approved.  Strange how I've turned down five adopters this week.  I really try hard to make an adoption work with the appropriate cat with the appropriate home.  But some of these folks don't quite understand the commitment.  One lady told me that she would definitely declaw a cat "because her furniture is far more important than some cat."  Holy crap....I sent out a "Do Not Adopt" to several other local groups, because she indicated that she'd lie about it to the next group she calls.  It wasn't so much the declawing part that bugged me, but it was the fact that she admitted her furniture got priority over the cat AND she sounded so completely b*tchy. 

So here I am...Saturday afternoon, answering the cat phone adoption line.  No wonder David calls my office "Cat Central". 

The Eve of The Half Century

It's the eve of my 50th birthday and I've been sentimental all day today.  There's no doubt that I would rather be 50 years old than 30 years old.  Although admittedly, I do miss my Size 2 figure and my ability to remember why I walked into a room.   

I honestly thought that by the time I was 50 years old, I'd be the CEO of IBM by now.  I was destined to be a top level executive and be far too busy for children. 

Ha.  Was I wrong!

Strange how things work out.  I couldn't be happier as a mother and running an animal rescue organization.  It's true that my 50 years in this world has taught me that just because somebody is an animal rescuer doesn't mean they are nice.  I've met some really nasty, crappy people in this business.  It doesn't seem fair to me, but it never does.  I've stopped getting my feelings hurt and I'll stick with people who love, care and support me.  The animal rescuers who are unsupportive and nasty?  They'll get theirs in the end - they always do.  Fifty years of experience tells me that.

I've been telling people that I was 50 years old since I was 47.  That way when I REALLY became 50 years old I wouldn't have some meltdown like I did when I was 40.  I'm definitely not going to have a meltdown this time.   The one thing that being 50 has taught me....it doesn't do any good to piss and moan over being a year older.  It comes anyway.

I hope I can have this life for another 50 years.  Finding out that ol' Davey Jones died today of a heart attack at the age of 66 tells me that I need to really enjoy today.  I'm ready to barrel into the next half of my century rescuing more cats, loving my husband, my family, friends and life. 

It's all good.  Really - it is.  :)

Back To The Shelter...

After a month long Sabbatical from rescuing at the "high-kill" shelter, I was back there today with an empty cat carrier in hand.  It was really nice to see the familiar faces.  My fear of staff being angry with me for going to a different shelter to rescue was nonsense - it was like they saw me yesterday.

There were very very few cats at the shelter.  In fact, I was shocked to see maybe...um...15?  (Don't quote me on that one - I didn't count!)  Anyway, my rescue mission was to pick up this cute guy:

What a sweetheart!  He was completely happy in my arms. :)

I walked into another room and came across this pathetic little thing:

This little guy licked my face like a dog and rubbed his little black lips all over my face.  He's now happily ensconced at "Casa de Turner".  :)  He's bombing around the house and rubbing up on every cat. 

This afternoon, I met with a foster Mom and our "Million $$$ man Oscar The Himalayan". (if you don't know who this guy is, you can read about him here.) We met up at the veterinary referral clinic Opthamologist.  (*sigh*) Not only did our loveable mutant little freak have entropian eyelashes and Cryptorchidism, but he also has cataracts and cysts in his eyes.  Poor little man is only 6 months old.

There's no cheap way for a rescue to get out of a veterinary specialists office cheaply - and I didn't get out cheaply this time either.  But I'm grateful to know that we can adopt out our mutant little Himmie with a few caveats to the adopter.  I don't think I can charge an adoption fee, he's going to need a home that will love the little goofball exactly the way he is.  (I know that *I* sure do!)

Thank you Dominoes Pizza.  I'm putting your number on Speed Dial tonight! 

A Friday Ramble

Wow!  Since yesterday's post, I've been receiving a TON of email from enlightened adopters and "cat-people" who have been having situations with their cat like I described yesterday.  I'm so glad I shared that and maybe it'll help you resolve some issues you've had with your pets.   

We were supposed to be snowed in today.  Stupid Environment Canada - we had some rain and I had MAJOR plans to stay in my jammies today and finish our rescue's Charity tax return.  I keep looking at it, sighing, opening Quickbooks, sighing again and putting it all back.  I can do the return - I've done a charities' return before but it's brutal and I'm not looking forward to it. 

Speaking of charities' returns, I was looking on Craigslist in the Pets section yesterday and was shocked to see that The Organization for the Rescue of Animals (ORA)  has had their Charities Licence revoked.  They've been such a huge public advocate regarding the high-kill shelter.  How on earth can they ask for donations with a charity number and not be able to provide tax receipts?  I guess only the animals suffer.

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.  I do know that I worked like hell to get my charity status and you'd better be sure that I'm going to do whatever I can to keep it.  It was just too hard to get the damn thing.

On a happy note...in October, I wrote a dedication to a couple of special rescuers and an even more special Mom cat and her 8 kittens.  If you missed it, I encourage you to read about it Here.  I'm THRILLED to announce that the Mom "Jolie" was adopted last night!  It was an amazing ending to her very sad story.  This little cat battled ringworm, a roden ulcer and paralyzing URI.  Her new parents are thrilled to pieces with her as we've already had an email:

"Dear Beth & Kim (Note from Beth:  Kim was Jolie's foster Mom

Just wanted to reach out and send you both a great big thanks to you both for such an excellent experience adopting Jolie. The dealings with both of you was beyond great and a pleasure to do so. It would also be my pleasure to recommend Forever Home Cat Rescue to anyone interested in adopting a cat. As for Jolie, she has spent her first night here and sure is a happy little camper J She seems to already be settling in well and enjoying all the new adventuresome places in her/our home. She is eating and drinking well, playing with toys and having a ball. I have taken the day as a work from home day to keep an eye on her and make sure her first day goes well and she’s not alone."

OMG!  He stayed home from work today to be with her!  I love this couple :)

She's going to have a beautiful life.  I wish they could all be so fortunate. 

I've declared this to be a quiet weekend, but that's usually when it's going to be busy.  I think I'm ready for "busy".  (Did I just say that?)

Happy Friday all! 

The "Heat" Goes On

February has been a beautiful month for me.  Very little cat-drama, lots of adoptions and I've been coasting through feeling organized and and content.  It's been blissful having NO sick cats.  But I've had one odd situation that has come up this month....

The rescue has had FOUR cats....FOUR....that have gone into heat after supposedly having spay surgery.  I've been doing cat rescue for many years.  I feel like there's very little a vet could tell me about feline behaviour that I didn't know (silly me!).    In all my years, I've never had this happen and it's happened FOUR times....in a MONTH!

One of our cats was spayed and adopted.  The adopter contacts me and says, "I think she's in heat."  I respond confidently, "Not possible!"  These awesome adopters send me a video of the cat who is obviously in heat!  (Think porn star behaviour)  The vet who did the spay surgery is a friggin' quack - a vet we don't use any longer, so I took her to our A++ vet, who declares the cat in heat and opens her up to find that the stupid FIRST vet leaves BOTH ovaries!!!  ARGH!!!!  This poor cat had TWO spay surgeries - not one.   If you're interested in knowing which vet botched this surgery and live locally, please email me and I'll be happy to tell you.

We've had three more "spayed" cats who have gone into heat - different vets performing the spay surgeries - cats who apparently were already spayed when we rescued them!!  These cats didn't just go into heat - they were pee'ing on things too!  (double *ugh*)  Apparently, if a tiny piece of ovary drops into the abdomen during surgery, the ovary will attach itself to the abdominal wall and try to "reinvent" itself.  Mother nature at her best! 

How could I be doing this for 15+ years and have never had this happen before?  Crazy!

David and I were talking about it and wondering if the proliferation of spay/neuter clinics that have popped up have caused assembly-line-like surgeries where veterinarians are not as careful as they should be? 

Sadly, I'm very aware that this might be the reason these cats who were "already spayed" were dumped at the shelter.  Howling and peeing around the house - and the dimwits figured it was behavioural and didn't bother to go back to the vet. 

Anyhooooo....

I was back at the shelter today rescuing a sweet little girl and delivering her to her foster home.  She was already spayed.....but now I'm suspicious. ;)

To Clarify

Today was "Family Day" in the lovely province of Ontario.  David and I did the usual things couples do when there's a day off - breakfast out, lunch out, and a Starbucks coffee mid-afternoon. When he retires, I might as well just camp out at Weight Watchers.

The phones were quiet, but did have several adoption calls.  Our adoptions over the weekend were fantastic and it looks like we're ready to do another rescue again.  It's been surreal to see the shelters so empty lately.  But I always think, "The Calm Before The Storm..." 

I've had several people recently ask me to post Lost Dog information on my blog, or "Needs Help" on my blog.  One of the reasons I don't do it, is that this isn't the best forum for it.  This isn't a blog about our rescue either.  But it's supposed to be a blog about my life in cat rescue.  It's the same reason I don't put advertisements there too.  (Over the years I've been offered click-thru payment advertising to earn money.) I do talk alot about Forever Home Cat Rescue and have even begged for donations, but that's because the rescue IS a major part of my life.  I hope this makes sense.

I thought about writing a blog for our rescue's website, but I don't think anybody is really that interested so I didn't do it.  :)

Rescues from the high-kill shelter have been HUGE thanks to several wonderful people who have really worked their a$$es off to make it happen.  The rescues aren't mine, but I'm definitely watching it all unfold.  It's so nice to feel like you're really doing something and watching the shelter empty out as you take 7 or 8 cats.  I love this time of year!  Then comes summer and you take out 3 cats and there are 7 people in the waiting area waiting in line to dump their cats, and 50 cats total come in during the day.  Anybody who has read this blog over the years knows I've experienced it over and over and it's very painful.  

I can't imagine after all the negative publicity that this shelter has received over the past year why they haven't moved forward with the first steps towards opening for adoptions.  Maybe they have and I don't know?  You'd think the city would ask,  "Um...we have a shelter that just kills the animals and doesn't allow for adoptions?"  You'd think they would be embarrassed that they have such a redneck situation going on.

Ugh.  I'm burned out on trying to answer that question, and as a rescue, I'm tired of being their only solution to this problem.  Forgive the negativity....just venting a bit. 

Part 4 of The Family Day experience commences in 5 minutes:  Dog Walking.  Although walking a 14 year old dog is more like "Dog Shuffling".  For tonight, I'm OK with that.

"Lucas"

After much deliberation, we decided to rename my recent foster to "Lucas".  Honestly, I'm not sure what fits this guy, but I don't think "Sherman Part 2" would get him adopted any faster.

Lucas has certainly made himself at home.  He has a new BFF in "Sherman":

It's almost like Lucas walked into our home and Sherman was waiting to say, "Hey new guy!  Let me show you all the sh*t they let you do and nobody yells at you!"  *sigh*  Lucas definitely has Sherman-like terrorist qualities.

Lucas was a great help to me today while I did the rescue's bookkeeping:

  While I was eating my lunch at my desk today, I took a phone call and turned my back to my desk to get something out of the filing cabinet....

Obviously, Lucas was trying to help me with my lunch portion size:

I don't think this guy has slept.  Every time I look at him, he's playing, galloping, leaping, prancing, swatting, or jumping.  He's pulled the tablecloth down off my dining room table, and has eaten the dog food.   There's a "Busy Ball" in the house that I swear is constantly in motion:  "Gallop...gallop...gallop...riiiiing....riiiiing.....gallop...gallop...riiing...riiiiing..."  This guy is *EVERYWHERE*.  

He also licks my ear and purrs the moment I pick him up.  His front paws "knead" with joy that he's being touched and loved. He has the biggest feet I've ever seen, which makes him extra clumsy and endearing.

Can you tell I'm really loving this one already? I wonder if David has figured out there's a new tabby in the house?

The Introduction

I was back at the shelter this afternoon.  My house was just a little too quiet after my last foster was adopted and there was a 5 month tabby boy with my name on him.  I think I'm going to name him "Pete", but am wondering if that name is going to stick.

Pete had been at the shelter since before Christmas.  I did something I never do, but when I brought him home I opened the carrier and let him out.  No introductions.  Nothing.  Everybody else seems to do it without a bunch of drama, so I decided to give it a try. 

Pete's been under my bed since his arrival, but heard me sing the "dinner song"  (don't ask.) and came right out.  Ahhh.....food motivated!

I've mentioned this in prior posts, but I must say once again how VERY stressful it is to introduce a new cat to the others.  Good Lord, my stomach is in knots.  I really empathize with adopters who are bringing a new cat home permanently and have to go through the introduction process.  There are moments where I think "What the hell am I doing?? Everything was peaceful until I brought so-and-so home."

But I press on and give comfort to others in the same boat.

We had a prior adopter call today.  She adopted a cat from us months ago and sadly the poor little darling was diagnosed with FIP.  FIP is fatal and the cat wasn't doing well.  I offered my heartfelt condolences and we talked quite some time.  It wasn't until we were about to hang up the phone that the adopter told me that she felt that I should pay for her cat's euthanasia. 

This is the part about rescue I have the hardest time with - dealing with this kind of thing.  It's a tough one, because she was grieving and a very nice lady.  Tough one, because there's no way I feel obligated to pay for a euthanasia on a cat that was adopted months ago. 

But I press on...

The house is quiet as "Pete" (or whatever we're calling this little dude) muddles through the house and figures out where his place belongs in the hierarchy. 

Funny....because I feel the same way most of the time. :)

Hearts and Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day!

 I grabbed this picture from the kind folks at Annex Cat Rescue - pretty cute, eh?   Of course, it's a tabby and I'm in love :)

Today was a busy day!  I had a meeting at an Animal Services location and drove to a different shelter to do a rescue.  My intent was to pick up a very cute orange and white guy for a new foster Mom.  It's funny how things don't always work out the way we think they should.

The new foster Mom is a lively 86 year old lady that really wanted to foster an orange and white cat from the shelter.  She was quite specific. :)  I felt awful when I got to the shelter and found the orange and white guy I intended to rescue was very very nippy. 

The staff directed me to a fat 4 year old grey girl who had been at the shelter since October.  She was depressed and VERY loving.  Her chubby little body had dandruff from stress and dry skin.  She needed love and lots of it. 

She was PERFECT for this senior lady!!

As I drove a very distressed "Tabitha" to her new foster Mom, I prayed silently she wouldn't poop, pee or barf in her carrier.... When we arrived, "Tabitha"  confidently trotted around the apartment and obediently flopped at her foster Mom's feet for belly rubs.  My heart was full and happy.  But would she like the chubby grey girl?

 I carefully thanked her for saving Tabitha as she gently pat the cat's chubby belly.  She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I think we saved each other".

I think so too. :)

Happy Valentines' Day

Shhhh....Quiet Monday

I woke up this morning with a leap!  Mondays are notoriously busy for me and the rescue - especially after a large weekend adoption event!  I jumped into the the shower as any working gal would and ran downstairs to my office.

"Strange.  The phones are quiet."

"10:30 am.  No emails and one phone call about a neuter appointment."

I found myself with the luxury of time and met with a foster Mom at a vet clinic who was taking newly rescued Spencer to be neutered.  It was a happy/sad moment for me.  Happy because it was discovered that Spencer was already neutered!  But sad because he had obviously been abandoned outside.  There was no microchip and lots of lost ads had been put up for months for this guy.  The poor little man.  I wish he could tell me about what happened.  He's a very gentle, sweet guy. 

The day continued to be very quiet.  The rescue's bookkeeping was caught up and laundry folded.  I definitely can *do lazy*, but Monday feels like it should be busy.

But I think I was the only one that felt that way:

Sherman's idea of the perfect Monday.

The Great White knows how to "do Monday".

The adoption event this weekend was a huge success! Friday, EVERY SINGLE CAT was adopted by noon! The rest of the weekend wasn't quite as successful due to some pretty nasty weather. But our volunteers STILL went out in the afternoon and set up the adoption event in one of the Petsmart stores despite the awful conditions. (I love to brag about our volunteers)

I probably should never say that it "wasn't successful". Any time we can talk with people and get the word out about animals who need homes it's a good day.

So that's my Monday. There's no doubt in my mind that things will be crazy again at JUST the moment that I need some peace. So I'll try to enjoy it while I can today. Live in the moment, right?

What Goes Down....Comes Back Up?

A crappy day yesterday seems like distant memory when I'm able to spend 6 hours at a Petsmart Store and completely adopt out EVERY cat we had there today!  It was just me and one other volunteer and we definitely rocked the adoption event!  Honestly?  I don't know if we have enough cats booked to come in tomorrow to make it worth blazing through the snow and ice tomorrow. 

Many thank you's to Shelley who set up the event today by herself and really made all this happen.

We also had one of our special needs cats adopted through one of our foster homes.  We did a mini-fundraiser for Jared back in NOvember who ended up having very expensive knee surgery. Poor Jared would have to be forever on pain medications.  That didn't seem to deter an incredible adopter from giving Jared a fabulous Forever Home! Because Jared was mega-special needs, I waived the adoption fee in lieu of a donation. The adopter paid the adoption fee anyway! :) Bonus!

I also heard about a friendly cat that was obviously dumped in a neighbourhood.  Because the temperature was supposed to drop to -25 tonight, I really felt compelled to meet this guy with hope of rescuing him.  I couldn't leave Petsmart, so one of our volunteers went out to assess him for me:

Although nobody could be sure, but it's possible he's already been neutered.  Anyway, our red head is now safe and warm.  He won't have to worry about freezing tonight.  I wish they could all be so fortunate. 

I'll be thinking of the cats that are cold and have no place to go tonight.  But I'll also be thinking of the soon-to-be-rescued cats that now have a chance thanks to so many adoptions today. 
 
I think I can sleep well tonight. 

   

Tired...Tired

As usual, "What goes up...must come down".  It's been a rough few days.  It's not that adoptions have been bad, or we've had problems with foster parents or cats.  In fact, adoptions have been great and as usual, our volunteers are awesome!

I think these big adoption events make me really rattled.  There's always huge expectations and and I'm spread too thin.  I have problems saying 'no' to the Petsmart stores so now I'm supposed to be in two places at once.  When will I learn that I can't make everybody happy? :)

We have a couple of really cute kittens on our site right now and it's like a feeding frenzy at Sea World.  I've had more than 20 phone calls on them today.  People are getting pissed and I'm tired of answering the phones.  The sad part?  In a few short months there will be more than enough kittens and many will die in the shelters. 

I'm keeping this blog post short tonight.  I'm tired....pizza is coming and I had pizza last night.  I wonder if they'll kick me out of Weight Watchers? :)

"Cow" is our latest rescue.  Does anybody else think he's homely?  He's the world's sweetest little boy, but just a tiny bit "ooogly".  :)

Tuesday Updates

It's always such a treat to take a little romantic-shopping trip with David.  I'm so appreciative to have volunteers who look out for the rescue while I'm nurturing my relationship. (Thank you, Susan!)   I believe rescuers end up getting so caught up in rescue and the animals that they forget about their significant others who need some love too. 

I had a VERY interesting thing happen yesterday.  I decided to get a facial at the hotel where we were staying.  I was relaxed and listening to some wonderful music as the young woman massaged my temples.  She stopped suddenly and said that she is very intuitive and sees "pictures".  I lazily opened my eyes.  I'm not much of a talker while I'm spending money on a facial so wasn't thrilled she was interrupting my Jon Hamm fantasy.  She said that the picture she intuitively received about me was unusual and was hoping if she shared it with me I could give her some insight.  She said: "I see a heart in a steel cage with bars.  Does this mean anything to you?"  I think I sat straight up on the table.  Strange how she could "see" that about me. 

We were back at the shelter today and rescued a couple of sweethearts.  The shelter kindly had both cats spayed and neutered for us and they were lovingly placed into our foster care this afternoon.  Both cats had been at the shelter since early September.  There's no doubt in my mind that rescue was urgent for these guys. 

I just received a text message from a foster parent who took one of these cats this afternoon.  Apparently, he fell asleep on the roommate's lap.  My first thought?  "It must be wonderful to have a lap to sleep on after all this time in a cage!"

There's a large adoption event going on at all North American Petsmart stores this weekend.  We're busy preparing our cats and kittens with hope they'll be adopted this weekend.  I feel like I'm still recuperating from a crazy January and now I'm back to a crazy weekend.  I guess it's all good when it involves adoptions. 

Sadly, we had two kittens pass away after they were adopted last week.  Sure, it happens.  Sure it happens in every rescue, shelter, SPCA - everywhere despite our best efforts to take all the right precautions.  But consoling crying adopters is agonizing.  One of the kittens passed away after being chosen by a 7 year old little girl for her birthday.  The kitten died on this little girl's birthday.  My was heart broken into a bunch of little pieces.  Nobody did anything wrong.  It was just one of those awful things that I consider part of my job and part of rescue. 

Adoptions are great, rescues are good, and my relationship has been nurtured.  I'm feeling a momentary sense of peace and know this is just the calm before the storm of kitten season in the next few months.  I really enjoy this time of year for our foster homes who have been patient for their adult cat adoptions. 

Tonight?  It's all good and I'm going to wallow in it...at least for tonight. :) 

The Box

David and I went to Costco today.   Despite the fact we have hundreds of dollars of cat toys around the house, the preference was obvious:

It started with "Parker" and "Thomas Turner"

Sherman found it to be a delightful Saturday evening snack.

Barbie was going for a tactical take over and Sherman was not impressed.



But nobody messes with "The Great White"

Saturday night at The Turner's.  Yahoo :)

Have Fun. Rescue Some Cats.

I was listening to a radio programme the other day where the discussion involved volunteering.  The lead person indicated that it's imperative that If you volunteer, you get something in return out of it.

I thought about that for a while and wondered what MY "return" was.  I work 40+ hours per week for free, for animals that rip my furniture, snag my clothes and barf on my carpets.  I've had adopters swear at me, and one (former) foster parent steal adoption money from the rescue.   I've had kittens die in my hands and loving volunteers cry on my shoulder.  What the hell is MY "return"?

My personal rescue motto is:  "Have fun.  Rescue some cats". 

If I'm not having fun in some way, I wouldn't do this.  Anybody who reads this blog knows that there are MANY MANY dark days and "fun" seems very distant.    Some days I get hurt so badly I feel like throwing in the towel.  I still don't know what keeps me going during those darker days.   We have one wonderful foster Mom that has been fostering with me for years who ended up with her last 4 foster cats getting VERY sick...now she's got Ringworm in her house.   Where's the fun for her?  Argh. 

"Have Fun.  Rescue some cats" seems almost too simplistic of a mantra.  But I repeat it often and strange as it sounds, it seems to help keep me centered when I'm discouraged or sad.  Maybe because it brings me back to basics.  "Having Fun and Rescuing Some Cats" was the reason I started this rescue.  I wanted to bring nice, loving people together with cats who need homes.   Very few things make me happier than watching a wonderful, loving person adopt a once discarded, abandoned cat who otherwise had no hope.  

I've noticed that my blog posts this week have been void of any real drama.  But I never know what the next week has in store for me.  But for now....I'm going to "Have fun and Rescue Some Cats."

Yeah.  That's right. :)

Peace

I was back at the new shelter today with 2 excited foster parents.  Between us, we rescued seven more cats - for a total of 14 cats over the past 24 hours.  The shelter staff were so excited and it was wonderful to be treated like *a somebody*.  I managed to grab a couple of pictures of the new rescues:

I left one cat at the shelter as the city offered to spay her for me.  (Yes, you read that correctly)  I'll pick her up on Monday. 

So I'm sitting here listening to a little bit of old Burt Bacharach with a fresh haircut and feeling a nice sense of peace for a change.  I know that this kind of peace is short-lived, but I'm going to savour every moment of it.   

New Kid On the Block

Today I rescued 7 cats from a shelter that I had never been to before.   It was a strange experience to be at a shelter where I didn't know the staff or the routines.  But  like any shelter, the cats needed homes and the staff were thrilled to see a rescue come in to help. 

At the shelter where I usually rescue, I could almost count the minutes until a newly rescued cat got sick.  I know where the washroom is, and what staff member was helpful and who wasn't. 

This shelter allowed me to come in and rescue after calling people in the industry and finding out that our rescue is reputable and I'm not a hoarder.   I was impressed that they cared enough about their cats to find out where they were going and what I was doing with them. 

It's still too new to say that I can continue to rescue there, but so far it feels like a decent partnership where there isn't a bunch of political bullshit that is preventing me from actually rescuing cats. 

Sadly, there seems to be more than enough cats everywhere for everybody to rescue.  Believe me, I'd be happy to be out of a volunteer job.  "Sorry Beth, but there are no cats for you to rescue today.  Come back next week." 

Tonight, there are 7 more cats that are out of a cage and into a loving foster home.  I'm going back tomorrow to rescue a few more cuties that need us.  

This time?   I'm going to find out where the bathroom is.