Update On Travis

I'm leaving tomorrow to visit my parents in Seattle at a pretty bad time. Not only did I have a MAJOR plumbing leak this morning in the basement, my Little Travis isn't doing very well. The vet is fairly certain he will lose his other eye in addition to the one already lost.

He's still in emergency at the rate of $500.00 per day. Poor little guy needs medication every 2 hours and I have no clue how the rescue will pay for all this. I've been paying for his care - $1100.00 worth now. But I'm sure the bill will be that again tomorrow.

The staff there loves him. Every time I call and ask about Travis, even the receptionist sounds excited. I've spoken with four veterinarians and they all seem smitten with the little guy. They all feel sorry for him and ALL have said that they have never seen such a nasty viral infection like this one. Duh.

Because I'm leaving tomorrow, I have to pick up Travis from emergency and take him to one of the rescue veterinarians. When the office closes at 7 pm, he won't have any care until they reopen at 9 am the next day. I hate that. I really do.

I guess the biggest dilemma is what will happen when he's in post-recovery mode. He'll no doubt be totally blind and my house is too big for him to muddle around. The litterboxes are in the basement and the food dishes are up high on a table so the dog doesn't eat their food. I can't see him staying here to recover or for me to continue fostering him.

This makes me feel like shit crap. I really love this little man and I like seeing my foster cats through to adoption. I hope somebody with a smaller apartment steps forward to help Travis.

I don't want to leave tomorrow. Glad my parents have free long distance. I'm going to be calling about him - a lot!

Christmas Without Travis

Christmas at my house is never without some kind of excitement. It used to be the event of Christmas itself provided enough excitement for 3 young children to last a week. I had hoped that this Christmas with adult children and a new home would prove to be blissfully boring.

But it wasn't meant to be...

Christmas Eve started out OK! The turkey was in the oven, presents were wrapped and table was set:

I was proud of myself. Buying the covered butterdish was the best $10.00 I've ever spent.

Since everything was in order, I went upstairs to put the drops in Travis' eyes. Blood was pouring out of his right eye. He screamed in pain when I picked him up. I tried to pry his eye open, but only saw something that resembled raw hamburger. I knew Travis' eye had ruptured.

My Christmas guests were due to arrive in 1 hour. I had 4 separate dishes on the stove cooking. As fear turned into hysteria, my younger son rose to the occasion - he drove Travis to the Emergency Vet for me. I wrote out everything for the vet - medications, vet visits, testing etc.

But the bottom line was: Travis lost his eye and was in great pain. They put him on "opiates" for pain, fluids, antibiotics, etc and we prayed he wouldn't lose his other eye too. There's lots of swelling in his remaining eye, but the vets are working around the clock to save it.

When the phone rang this evening and I saw on Caller ID that it was the emergency clinic, my heart stopped. The vet that's treating him is a darling young woman. She hesitantly started asking me questions... "Um...sooo... Travis is a foster cat? ... I love him....but I already have 5 cats....How does one adopt Travis? He's the sweetest little man! "

I wonder if this nightmare will end with an adoption for Travis by his emergency vet?

I missed my little guy this morning. He would've loved the mounds of Christmas paper, bows, and empty boxes. It would've been like having a child in the house again. For now? I'll save his "Santa Paws" gift for when he's feeling better.

Be The Change

I went to the shelter today for one last rescue before Christmas. It was agonizing, but I managed to get out of there without a tear. I was very business-like and hesitated to make eye contact with the cats. Tomorrow is a euthanasia day and I didn't want to connect with any of them.

There will be 3 cats that have a home for Christmas. (Yay!) One of them is spending the night at my house tonight in the "Land of Dirty Underwear" (aka: My son's room) until her new Dad can pick her up tomorrow evening.

I came home this morning to a darling Christmas card filled with pictures of "Oscar" a kitten that I had rescued and is now adopted. Imagine Oscar in every kind of cute pose possible.... so much thought and kindness went into that card and I was overwhelmed. (overwhelmed = cried like a baby)

Going to the grocery store on the night before Christmas Eve was paralyzing to someone like me. I hate crowds and usually go to great lengths to avoid them. I pulled into the driveway feeling VERY Scrooge-like to find a little package on my front doorstep. It was from my friend and fellow rescuer Michelle. She had left me a voicemail saying "I hope I left the package on your doorstep and not the "Squirrel Killer's" house...I peaked through the window and saw a cat, so that's a good sign." Hahahahha!

In the bag was a t-shirt that simply said "Be the Change". I cried again. Maybe I connected with more cats at the shelter today than I realized. Sometimes I feel so unworthy of such kindness.

Over the past few weeks I've received a couple of "Cat in Christmas Tree" pictures from foster parents and adopters. The best one wasn't sent to me at all - I stole it off a foster parent's Facebook page. (I know she won't mind)

This is Abby's first Christmas. Looks like she's making the best of the situation!

I've been very sentimental today and pray that I can continue to "Be the Change" and set a good example. Until then....

....hold your pets tightly tonight. Kiss your loved ones. Thank you for being there for me.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all...

...From The Sick Ward

It's been tough watching my little foster guy "Travis" be so sick. He's over his basic Upper Respiratory Infection and is now left with Herpes in his eyes. I've had him to the vet twice and paid for the last visit out of my own funds.

It's hard for me to believe after being in cat rescue for as many years as I have, that I've NEVER encountered a case of feline herpes in the eyes on one of my own foster cats.

Truthfully, it looks like the most painful thing I've ever seen. Poor Travis, the inside tissues around his eye are ulcerated and puffy. I'm syringe feeding him daily and helping him get to the litterbox because he can't see to get there.

He's breaking my heart and I don't know what else to do for him. He's on every anti-viral, antibiotic... *sigh*

There have been no signs of my little Travis improving and it's been 10 agonizing days.

....tonight is a Christmas party at David's office and I just want to stay home and hold my little guy....

A Brief Update on Irma and Meyer

I've spoken with Sandy twice and received several emails since Irma and Meyer were adopted. For the most part her emails have been sad as she's tried to muddle through triage with these poor little souls. The last paragraph of a recent email from Sandy pretty much sums it up:

" Beth, I can't remember the last time I've cried so much after bringing these little ones home. It's deplorable that these sweet innocent beings have gotten to be in the state they're in, through no fault of their own. I will never understand people and their lack of concern over animals. For both Irma and Meyer it's now just a waiting game, one I hope they will try to win knowing that now they have a home and someone who loves them and cares what happens to them. Keep your fingers crossed and don't forget to include Irma and especially Meyer in your prayers tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow how they're doing.Sandy"

"Irma"

"Meyer"

An Angel?

I think I met an angel today. I never thought when I would finally get to meet an angel she'd be driving a Honda CRV and look like an ordinary person. But her wings must've been hidden by her lavender coat. She hugged me immediately and anxiously looked toward my backseat for her "Christmas presents."

Her Christmas presents came in the form of two little senior cats named Irma & Meyer. Sandy contacted me yesterday and offered to give both of these senior cats a forever home. It sounded too good to be true. Sometimes people get caught up in the moment and never actually follow through.

But not Sandy.

When I picked up Irma and Meyer today, their cages had been marked for euthanasia this morning. The cages around them were now empty and being cleaned for the next homeless cats to arrive.

Meyer purr'd all the way to the meeting spot in Toronto. Despite his 20 years, he lifted his nose to smell the fresh air and seemed to enjoy listening to my corny Christmas music. I stuck my index finger through the front of Irma's carrier. She reached out delicately and put her dirty paw over my finger. Her claws came out gently to hold me in place. For a moment, I removed my finger to scratch my nose and returned it to Irma. She placed her paw over my finger again. It wasn't a coincidence.

Sandy arrived with cozy cat carriers lined with blankets. It must've looked like heaven to cats who had only seen a sheet of newspaper. She kissed Irma first and Meyer second. She introduced herself to her new family members and gave ME a donation for future rescues.

But I still couldn't see her wings.

I could hardly wait to call her a few hours later to see how Irma and Meyer were doing. Both cats were exploring and strrreeeeeeeetching. They had napped in a sunny window, happily sniffed and greeted the other 4 senior cats in the house. It turns out that Irma (at approximately 14 years old) is the YOUNGEST of her cats! I could hear Sandy voice raise in delight with each cute movement of Irma and Meyer: "*There* you are, Meyer! Are you having a nice stretch?"

Her kind voice made me want to live there too.

Tonight? I'm filled with such joy and hope.

Hallelujah!

(*cupping my hand to my ear*) Do I hear the Hallelujah chorus? My day was amazing:

I wasn't looking forward to today's rescue. I knew leaving with only one cat when the shelter was full would hurt. A lot. I started by bending over to the bottom cage to see a very cute black and white guy who was eating his breakfast and not too interested in me. I glanced behind me to see the fluffy Maine Coon declawed girl and she was asleep. I shrugged. Maybe it was meant to be. If she wasn't interested, I'd keep looking.

Then I felt a *soft touch* on my jacket. It was the little fluffy declawed female named "Promise". She was standing up with her foot out of the cage and one paw on my jacket. She was kneading with her other foot and purring. She *chirped*. I took her out of the cage and she rubbed, she purred, she kneaded, she chirped, she licked my face.

I quickly put her in the crate and walked out of the cat area...but not before I saw "Duncan":Duncan is a 12 week old ball of fluff. I could feel my knees buckle in weakness as he too licked my face and nuzzled under my neck. I called my friend Susan who LOVES the fluffy guys and she was happy to take him. I started to cry when Susan said she'd take him. I was going to rescue TWO cats today afterall! Oddly enough, she had been looking at his picture and thinking about rescuing him. Coincidence? I think NOT.

I arrived home with "Promise" and put her in my son's room for the afternoon until I could meet up with her foster Mom. "Promise" lived up to her name....she was full of sweetness and crawled into my arms and held on for life:

What a sweet little girl. I hope her foster family will enjoy her. I loved her.

If you ever questioned the validity of Christmas miracles, question no more. After today, you'll believe:

I woman contacted me through my blog. Not just any woman, but a lovely, gentle, kind woman who wants to give Irma and Myer a forever home!!! She sounded amazing. Both cats are marked for euthanasia tomorrow morning, so I'm going to the shelter early to rescue them and meeting up with the woman shortly after. Her last cat lived to be 26 years old. Imagine that!?!!

Your kind supportive emails really got me through a tough 24 hours. Thanks to you, I'm overwhelmed with joy tonight.

Who Will Be The One?

Usually I enjoy going to the shelter with the intent to "rescue anybody you'd like as long as they're healthy and sweet." Tomorrow isn't going to be so easy. I've been asked to rescue a friendly declawed cat. It's going to be tough for me, because things have slowed down with adoptions due to the holidays and this declawed cat is the ONLY cat I'm getting tomorrow.

To make matters worse, I had emailed a staff member at the shelter to ask about the two senior cats I had posted "Myer" and "Irma". I wanted to know if they were feeling well and if they survived the Tuesday euthanasia. Her response:

"Not sure how the seniors are doing. I haven't been back yet today, will check it out soon. We are getting pretty full so I am not sure how much longer I can hold them:( "

So I'm going to face the two senior cats who are going to probably die on Friday, and can only choose ONE declawed cat.

This won't feel like a rescue to me. This will feel like I'm playing God and I don't do that well.

There are a lot of declawed cats at the shelter:

I don't say this often, but I don't know how I can leave tomorrow with only one cat. How will I be able to choose the one? I have to spend time with EACH of them to determine the right fit for the foster home.

I wonder who will be the one that ends up snuggled into a warm bed tomorrow night?

I wonder who will be the one that ends up being loved, patted and kissed tomorrow night?

How will I choose just one tomorrow? Heaven help me.

Goodbye's and a Gloomy Morning

As usual, it's a sad day when my daughter goes back to Southern California. She leaves this afternoon and as I drink my coffee this morning I think back to the little girl that used to help me with my foster kittens. I remember when she was a teenager and we'd have a litter of bottlefeeders, she'd come home from a date at midnight and take a shift so that I could sleep longer. :) Our lives have become a series of airport hellos and goodbyes.

After she leaves this afternoon, it'll be time to get back to rescue business. Christmas is coming, and adoptions slow down - foster homes are going out of town. It's not really a good time to rescue, but it hurts to think of the cats that have no home or are going to die alone.

Sorry for the melancholy blog post this morning. Geez!

On another note, there's another guy at the shelter that I would love to see find a forever home:

Chunk weighed in at the shelter at a whopping 35 lbs! It's certainly a different kind of animal abuse. I wanted to laugh and I wanted to cry when I saw him. I've never experienced that kind of emotion so quickly. Somebody must've loved him at one point - he was neutered and declawed.

Chunk can walk 5 steps then he has to stop and rest. He LOVES belly rubs - probably because he can't scratch himself. In fact, he came to the shelter so matted because he can't groom himself either. All that being said, he has to be the world's sweetest guy! He purrs constantly and loves everybody! Last I heard, the shelter was considering making him a permanent shelter cat. Whatever happens, this guy needs to be on a diet. (Sorry for stating the obvious) I wanted to take him home the moment that I saw him.

My foster kitten "Travis" has to go to the vets this morning. Poor little guy has an Upper Respiratory Infection that isn't responding well to the meds I've been giving him. He seems to be getting worse and his poor eyes are sealed shut with goop until I clean them out.

I'll work on some happy news - sooooon! :)

Another Senior Moment

My "little girl" is here visiting from Southern California for a few days. She's 25 years old and I miss her terribly when she leaves. I thought I'd take advantage of the fact that it's only 8 a.m. Pacific time, and she's still asleep to write a few thoughts this morning...

Sadly, one of my recent rescues passed away yesterday afternoon. His name was "Boots" at the shelter, but the foster parents renamed him "Gizmo". Gizmo had what appeared to be a simple upper respiratory infection. After he went to the vet, the vet discovered that he had a broken back and broken ribs, plus a number of other problems that would mean Gizmo would never recover. We had him humanely euthanized yesterday.

Bless his heart - He was in good company at The Rainbow Bridge.

There are two seniors at the shelter right now. Thank God it's winter and the staff can hold them from euthanasia a little while longer with hope of rescue. If this had been summer, they would have been dead in the 3 days. These two did NOT come in together, so they don't have to be rescued together.
"Irma" is a sweet little thing. She's very petite! I love her little flat face. She's a delicate little flower and shouldn't be in this eff'ing shelter. She should be enjoying her retirement years on somebody's lap.

Meyer is a major favourie of mine. He was brought in as a stray, which could possibly be the truth. He looked like he had been outdoors. The staff at the shelter estimated him to be about TWENTY YEARS OLD! He had been neutered and declawed. He's a skinny, boney guy with very sweet temprement. He's eating, pooping and otherwise seems ok for a 20 year old cat.

I adopted a 20 year old cat once. I had him for 6 months before he passed away in my arms at the vet. He truly brought wisdom to the house. The other cats respected him and nobody so much as hissed or looked at him sideways.

Having this cat was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

Only in the slow months of winter at the shelter do I really have the time to help these poor senior cats. It's sad when kittens are at the shelter, but it's even sadder when these old timers are there because they know.

Folks feel sorry for these guys, but they don't want to take them home because they're worried about vet bills. True enough. My philosophy on taking home a senior cat: "Love them for whatever time they have left. When they start to fail...let them go. It's more than they ever would've had if you hadn't come along."

Isn't that the way it should be?

Cold Outside and Warming My Heart

Holy crap it was cold today! I couldn't help but think of all the cats that would be coming into the shelter today by the people who had been feeding them during the better weather. I guess being in the shelter is preferable to freezing to death.

I did a small rescue this morning and rescued a cute orange guy named "Phoenix" for a foster home plus the "little man" that captured my heart over the past few days:

I renamed Gregory "Sherman" and brought him home with me. It was against my better judgment to take on another foster cat when my daughter is arriving tomorrow from Southern California for a few days, PLUS my back isn't 100% back to normal, but I just couldn't leave him again. Our eyes met...and...I packed him up.

I came home to an email from a favourite foster Mom who announced that her foster kitten "Tuggs" had been adopted. I called her and asked if she'd take "Sherman". Bless her heart... in this freezing weather she and her husband met me in a Wendy's parking lot to pick him up tonight.

Sherman wasn't with me long, but he made a lasting impression. :)

Some disappointing news:

I received an email today from the woman that adopted "Beanie":

"Hi Beth,

I was wondering if you could assist me, Beanie has been wonderful, but after 3 days my allergies are killing me!!!! I’ve tried the allerpet and will keep trying this out for at least a week, I knew I had allergies but my last cat my roommate had didn’t seem to bother me so much, maybe because she was a long haired cat with totally different textured hair. This cat has been absolutely amazing, very well behaved, he does meow a bit but that doesn’t bother me, but he has also been sneezing (I hope that doesn’t mean anything)….if I did have to give him back Beth (it breaks my heart, but I may have to)….will someone be able to foster him, or adopt him, please advise of my options….anyone would love him, he adjusts sooooo well.."

I don't remember her saying a thing about allergies, but maybe I was just too excited that Beanie would be in a forever home so quickly. I gave her some good advice via email regarding her allergies. But we might be back to the drawing board on this one. At least he won't be going back to the shelter, but his forever home might have to wait. I didn't give up on Beanie last time and I won't give up on him this time.

Let's hope the weather warms up tomorrow. It really hurts to think of any little animal out there tonight. I wish I could enjoy the cozy nights like everybody else.

From the Inbox

I'm thoroughly enjoying the crummy weather today so that I could accomplish some things indoors for a change. I've got laundry going, my dishwasher is empty, my emails are up to date, and if I had a Tim Horton's large double-milk in my hand, it would be just about perfect.

I've been going through the Inbox and have some things to share:

Desiree was rescued yesterday:

...and I received the following email from her foster Mom today(edited):

" ..just wanted to update you on Desiree. She’s a really special little girl. She’s warm, super affectionate, calm, easy going, and so cute! You’ve picked a great cat for my first ever foster! Thank you SOOOO much! She doesn’t seem to be a diva at all from what I can tell last night. So far, she seems extremely loving. I absolutely adore her and she’s making a great impression on my husband too...As soon as I climbed into bed and shut off the lights, she meowed twice and climbed on top of my chest and just slept there."

It must feel so good to be touched and loved again. :)

"Layton"...(who is now known is "Lars") was also rescued yesterday. Lars BEFORE...

...and Lars AFTER:
I think "Lars" is the perfect name for this handsome, blonde, Scandinavian prince! :)

I'm hoping you might remember Gordon. He was a big homely orange & white guy:

Gordon BEFORE:

Gordon AFTER!!! Look behind Gordon, and you can see their 3 year old son "Fraser" in the background. Their email to me made me cry:

"Animals have a funny way of choosing their owner and Gordon has decided that
he is Fraser's cat, needless to say my three and a half year old is
thrilled. There is a race into the bedroom for story time and Gordon stays
with Fraser until he falls asleep. At the end of the evening when we head
to bed he goes back to bed with Fraser or sits and guards his door. When
tears are shed Gordon comes flying out to see what's wrong and won't leave
his side until everything is okay...."

Isn't that precious? He's protecting their son. God bless them both.

These sweet little ones were SO close to being euthanized....they were "Urgent".
Their after picture is pretty cute. Most cats stop grooming while they're at the shelter. Would you want to wash your hair or wear make up if you lived in jail? Cats don't want to groom either. So these guys were pretty stinky! :)

Tomorrow, I'm going to post some special needs cats that really need help badly - just like the ones above. Maybe somebody can see it in their heart to change the life of one of them.

"The High"

Note to self: "Never listen to Christmas music on the way to a rescue."

By the time I got to the shelter today, I was a mooshy ball of sentimental mush. I "walked the cages" and felt so fragile as I chose cats to rescue today.

We managed to rescue SEVEN little souls yesterday! One of them was my beloved little "Beanie" thanks to a foster home that compromised and took him.

This is my little "Beanie" moments after his rescue. Isn't he cute? I suppose I could write a whole blog post on this, but his rescue doesn't end here....

Some wonderful person saw my plea on my blog for Beanie and posted on Craigslist that Beanie needed help. Whomever posted for him, didn't know he had been rescued the same day. Believe it or not, I received an ADOPTION CALL on Beanie just a few hours after he had been rescued. God bless "K"...she loaded up the car an took Beanie to his new home. Beanie went to a wonderful home and I couldn't be happier.

You read correctly - not only was Beanie rescued, but he was adopted too. :) What a buzz!

Today, we managed to get FOUR cats out of the shelter. 3 of them that were rescued today, plus 2 rescued yesterday are hanging out in various rooms and bathrooms throughout my house. I'm driving them into the city to meet up with foster families in a Wendy's parking lot tonight.

All I hear from the different floors of my house is meowing...some frantic...some pitiful...some excited. My own cats are camped out in front of the doors. Seriously...7:30 can't come fast enough!

Here are a few pictures of the sweeties rescued over the past few days. (I don't have all their pictures)

I've enjoyed the high of the rescue over the past few days. I only pray that they all stay healthy and their new foster families are happy with them. I've done my very best to make the best matches for the volunteers, but it isn't always absolute.

There's a storm coming in tonight, so going to the shelter tomorrow won't be possible. As always, there's one little guy that I had to leave behind that is preying on my mind....

"The Low"

I don't think I've ever had so many emotional high and lows in one day.

"The Low"
"Talon" was rescued a few days ago. I had put out a plea for her and Dori and her wonderful husband came forward and rescued this little girl despite the fact that they already had two foster cats in their care.

It was very clear to Dori that "Talon" (Whom they renamed "Chloe") wasn't well. This beautiful white cat had been at the shelter for almost a month. She lived through many "Euthanasia Days", and a nasty upper respiratory infection. How could she be sick? She was eating well and looked great the day she was rescued.

"Chloe" was failing and she was failing fast. The foster family took her to the vets where she was diagnosed with late kidney failure. Chloe was dying. I think Chloe's instincts kicked in and she looked well while at the shelter. As soon as she was safe - she let herself go.

Chloe had an appointment at our vet to be lovingly euthanized this evening. But she couldn't hold on....Dori kept her warm and loved her until her last moments. She died at their home this afternoon.

At least she died with someone who loved her. I'm sure she found the Rainbow Bridge and was in good company.

Many thank you's and hugs to Dori and her husband for taking in this beautiful girl. You're heroes in my book.

(Tomorrow...."The Highs")

"Travis"

The first few days with a new foster cat are always a little difficult. Although I'm always glad for the rescue, there are always a couple of days where I wonder why on earth I put myself through the trouble. Then I get over it, and I'm fine.

This wasn't really the case with little Travis. He came in, made friends with everybody and has made himself at home.

Travis went from being a sad little guy laying in his own filth in a cage....to...

Being a typical happy, rowdy kitten! Of course, I love him already.

Travis loves sitting with David while he's on the computer. He's a total "people cat". Whomever adopts him will be very fortunate...

For now? We're the fortunate ones to have him in our lives. What joy!

A Friday Update

I had a setback yesterday with my back so decided to take care of myself and didn't post. (Imagine that!) :)

First, I have to update you on the adoption of my little Bucky (now known as "Pippin"):

An Email from Steve:

"Pippin had a great time at the pub last night – he thoroughly enjoyed himself and wasn’t the least bit nervous. There was one minor snag: the pub has a fireplace that hasn’t been used for ages. Pippin decided to climb up inside the chimney. When he got back down, he was totally covered in soot. I had to take him into the bathroom and give him a thorough bath, which he didn’t care for too much. Luckily I had two large bath towels in the carrier, so I was able to dry him down and keep him warm until it was time to go. We were there for about six hours, which was a lot longer than I’d originally expected – I only stayed that long because he was having such a good time."

I started to cringe about my little Buck-Buck at the Pub until I got the pictures:

As you can see, Pippin is terrified and cringing in fear. :)

They even forced him to tend bar! :) :)

I can see that my little Pippin is going to have a wonderful life and be an active part of Steve's life. What foster parent could ask for anything more?

Secondly, I wanted to update you on "Tinkerbelle" who is now known as Paisley. Originally, I was going to foster Paisley, but I decided that she might be a better fit in a different foster home. Although they had a rough first 2 hours with her rowdy behaviour, it looks like I made the right call. Paisley BEFORE.....

...and Paisley AFTER:

As you can see, Paisley is terrified of the family dog too. (Why am I so sarcastic today?)

Sooooooooo.....my new foster kitten is "Rowan" that I renamed "Travis". I'll have to get some pictures posted over the weekend. He's fitting in nicely and already out and about with my cats. He and Thomas Turner were having a ball running around this morning. I couldn't help but think that Travis would be dead if Steve hadn't adopted my foster kitten, "Bucky". Thanks to Steve adopting my kitten, I could rescue another....and so on...

"Beanie" is still at the shelter and I don't think he can be there much longer. He really needs help and I'm going to work hard this weekend to get him out. If anybody can help him, you know where to reach me....

Another Day at the Shelter

Tomorrow, it will be one week since I've hurt my back. It's slowly getting better - I was able to get out of bed by myself, but I still can't tie my own shoes.

I feel like it's incredibly selfish of me to be "down" while there are cats sitting in cages waiting to die. I kept thinking about it last night while I laid on ice. So much to do - my daughter arrives in a week, and I need to make Christmas happen.

How can I do it all? I probably can't, so I rescued some cats today anyway. :)

Rescue #1:

This is Tinkerbelle. She had been at the shelter since November 8th. I was really worried about her being there another day. She's at my house in FULL party mode. Holy smokes - all I hear is hissing from the other cats, and her galloping around. I tried to quarantine her in my son's room, but she busted out quickly and wanted to be part of the family right away. She's only about 16 weeks :)

Rescue #2

"Rowan" was brought into the shelter because he had been hit by a car. He's only about 14-16 weeks old and sure doesn't look like he had been hit by a car! He's a snuggly, mellow little guy. He's in my son's room for a few more hours before I meet his foster family in a parking lot later tonight. Tinkerbelle immediately body slammed him, so I knew he might not be a good fit in "Turner's Party House for Cats." He's really a lover - not a fighter.

Rescue #3

"Boots" is another sweetie. He looks rather menacing in his picture, but he hung on for dear life when I pulled him out of his cage. He was already neutered and declawed. I don't know what on earth has happened to him, but he is COVERED in fleas and burrs. His coat is so matted, I don't know how he could walk. He's at the vets tonight getting shaved. I bet he'll feel like a million bucks when he's done.

As I'm typing, an email came in from an awesome foster Mom who is also fostering Merlin and Miller:

"Dear Beth: If Talon is still available, we will take her. We can pick her up tomorrow (Thurs.) morning if you can ask them to have her ready. My husband doesn't think Merlin and Miller will be with us long."

YES!!!!!!!!!! I love "surprise rescues"! I'm so happy that Talon is going to such a great foster home. Thank you Dori for going to get her tomorrow!

While I was at the vets today, I spent some time with my buddy "Humble". Humble weighed in at the vets at 17 lbs. He's a BIG tom cat and a mooshy lovebug. The staff at the vets love him. He's waiting for his foster family to come back from holidays, then he can go into their home. :)

It was very hard for me to leave Beanie. I wish somebody would come forward and help him. He's such a NICE, NICE boy! Kim asked me today, "Anybody come forward for Beanie?" His situation is getting really urgent.

*sigh* One day at a time....one cat at a time....