A Hump Day Ramble

I had the privilege of rescuing two Mom cats with their kittens today! I was so grateful two foster families stepped forward and I managed to put together a last minute rescue. EIGHT little souls left the shelter and are now safe, sound and being loved as I type this.

There are four kittens: 2 are black and white and 2 are black. They were born on Sunday the 10th in a cage, on one sheet of newspaper. Nobody even knew she was pregnant.

The picture of this Mom and her babies don't do them justice. They're a sweet little family! The foster Mom is going to surprise her kids when they come home from school. What a great way to come home from a long crummy day of school to find KITTENS in your house!

Speaking of kids....(Side note rant coming up)

There's a small pile of cat barf in my basement. It's been there for 3 days and I refuse to clean it. I don't care if it petrifies on the floor - SOMEBODY ELSE is going to clean up this little pile of barf for a change. It's on the only piece of carpeting in the basement (of course) and it leads into the laundry room. I suppose my sons and husband have already walked over it several times. Nobody is talking about the cat barf. We all know it's there and we're all waiting for somebody else to clean it up. I hate them. :)

(Side note rant end)

Tyla is a little tabby that I rescued yesterday:

Her new name is "Bridget" and her foster Dad sent me an "After" picture of Bridget a few hours after she arrived in his home:

Hardly looks like the same cat! The transformation from shelter to home never ceases to amaze me. I couldn't help but say "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww" when I saw this picture.

I went to Home Sense today (for my U.S. friends: Home Sense = "TJ Maxx X 10) after the drop offs to reward myself. I meandered through the aisles and gawked at the cat statuary. (I promised David I wouldn't buy anymore "cat crap" for the house. What a grump.) I finally bought at a cute wintry wreath for my front door. It felt good to buy something I didn't need but merely wanted. Fortunately, it was only $15.00 - an affordable indulgence.

My "Hump Day Update" has officially turned into "Hump Day Ramble".... I need to start titling my blog AFTER I write.

Back in Business

It was nice to wake up and feel enthusiastic about rescuing today. It was the first time I had been to the shelter in weeks. I was beginning to think I had to change the my blog subtitle from "My Life and Love in Cat Rescue" to "My Life in Cat Rescue". There wasn't much to love about it over the past few days.

So with some renewed enthusiasm I managed to rescue six souls today! I met with two adoptive families and 2 others went to foster care. Here's a few (but not all) of the faces that made it out today:

One of the reasons that I like this time of year is that it gives more adults and young adults a chance to get out of the shelter. Normally, a cat like "Melvin" (above) doesn't stand a huge chance. Melvin was pretty cute today. One of the couples arrived to meet a black kitten. Melvin would NOT be ignored. He kept grabbing onto the back of their shirts through the cage bars the moment they turned their backs. He did it to me too! His persistence bought him a ticket out of that place and on to a new life.

Yesterday, I took Travis to his vet appointment to see if his eyes needed to be removed. Unfortunately, the vet took one look at him and said "Yes". He said that he would be in chronic pain with the eyes the way they are. He can't see anyway, and without them he would be free of pain. Who could argue with that?

Kim has asked me to help two "young senior" cats that are in the shelter. They were dumped there together and their names are Rascal and Piglet. They're currently in a dog run so they can be together. Their estimated age is about 10-12 years old. They are VERY VERY sweet! Rascal greeted me at the cage front this morning. Piglet seems more slug-like, but she's a darling little thing :)

RascalPiglet

Please let me know if you can help them. They love each other very much and need to remain together. Many warm thank you's and hugs to the folks who commented and emailed their support over the past couple of days. It kept me smiling during some rather dark moments.:)

The "Blahs" Have It

I haven't felt much like writing lately. There's been a bit of drama going on within my life and it's really left me with a bad case of the "Blah's." I can still hear my Mother's voice, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, Beth Ellen!"

I don't do well with drama anymore. Prior to me coming to Canada, my life was filled with far too much drama and bullshit. I've made it a mission to fill my life with loving, fun people. So when I'm confronted with drama and conflict, I have a tendency to take a step back and retreat. I used to be Ms. Confrontation who didn't take any crap. Not any more. Now I just take it and feel wounded.

Cat rescue in itself has enough drama for me. I don't need people theatrics too.

Tomorrow, I'm picking up Steve and Travis and taking them both to the vets. Travis needs his eyes checked and Steve needs to know that the little guy is on the mend. I can hardly wait to see Travis and kiss his little face :) I'm praying for a great check up with my favourite vet tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to a better week. If the week takes a turn for the worse again, I have a fireplace and a really good book I can read.

Ghostly Encounters

I didn't go to the shelter today. I was told that Travis was such a big expense for the rescue that we need to slow down rescuing to recoup some of the expenses. I hate hearing that. But I understand. Tomorrow is a euthanasia day, so my heart is really hurting over not getting some of them out today.

David is out playing Bridge tonight and I've been watching those ghost reality shows on t.v - "Ghost Hunters", "Ghost Encounters", "Destination Truth". I'm alone in the house and now I hear noises coming from the basement. Why on earth do I watch this stuff? We have a bunch of cats in the house AND a dog and I'm shivering in my slippers over "scary noises". Silly moi.

I believe that our pets have souls. I don't want to go to heaven without them. I've had the privilege of *feeling* and in some cases *seeing* my pets after they've passed on. It's only happened a couple of times, but I'm certain that they've come back to say "hello". :)

Years ago after our black lab "Riley" passed away (he was 14 years old) we had some concerns that our current dog "Maggie" was depressed after his passing. I contacted an animal communicator to "talk" with Maggie. I didn't tell her about Riley passing away. I just said that Maggie seemed depressed. Her response was amazing: (Again - the animal communicator did NOT know that our other dog - a black lab - had recently passed.)

"Maggie is telling me that she's lonely and wants a friend. She's telling me that she would like it to be a big dog like a Lab, but it doesn't have to be black this time. Maggie also wants you to know that 'he comes to visit her sometimes.'"

Cool stuff, eh? I still remember that conversation like it was yesterday. We tried to find Maggie a friend, but she was so hostile to every dog on the street that we would meet, I let too much time go by and she seems very happy now.

When our 20 year old cat Charlotte passed away, the whole family reported at totally separate times that they had seen her the week after she left us. I didn't find it scary, but very reassuring.

No more spooky shows for me tonight. But one final thought:

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." - Will Rogers

(That goes for cats too, just in case you were wondering!)

Procrastination

I haven't been to the shelter since I arrived home from vacation. For once my head feels clear of the little faces that usually haunt my mind. I have a small list of cats to rescue, but for the moment it feels good to putter around the house, do laundry and make decent meals for a change.

My youngest son has strep throat, and my throat started to hurt yesterday and I feel run down. I've teased him that it's because we both kiss the same cats all the time, we no doubt infected each other that way. I started myelf on leftover antibiotics and am hoping that this will do the trick. I hate sitting in a doctor's waiting room - such a waste of my time. Between my back injury and now my strep throat, I'm feeling pretty pitiful.

Some cute Before and After pictures have been sitting in my Inbox and dying to share:

Smidget (now "Boom-Boom") before....

"BoomBoom" after....snug as a bug :)

Pretty "Locket" was taken off the euthanasia list 4 times....

Locket's family is so happy to have her! Her new name is "Emily"

"Wiggles" is the kind of guy that seems happy to be *anywhere*!

Ask Wiggles today, and he'll tell you "being loved and kissed is MUCH better!"
Yep....being loved and kissed is MUCH better than a cage. I'd better take some Advil and get out to the shelter tomorrow. :)

Post Holiday Update on Irma & Meyer

I've had a lot of folks asking for an update on Irma and Meyer the two seniors that were adopted by an angel named Sandy.

I received an email from Sandy on Christmas Eve:

"Hi Beth:It's been 2 hours since......it's taken me this long........Meyer passed away peacefully in my arms at 5:23pm this evening. Talk more another time. Sandy"

Meyer was 20+ years old. I'm saddened by his loss, but grateful that he died in the arms of somebody that loved him. I sure hope I can pass away the same way.

Fortunately, the update on Irma was far more bright. It took Sandy a long time to get Irma feeling better. Irma had a terrible case of URI, but gratefully, Sandy pulled her through:
Sandy's email to me: (Edited - but read the whole thing - you'll be glad you did!)

"Hi Beth:Nice to hear from you and Happy New Year. The holidays were quiet as usual and everyone had some turkey. Even Irma. Would you believe that on Christmas, after all the sub q-ing and 2 different antibiotics for 2 weeks and all the feeding with an eye dropper, that that little pixie stuck out her tongue for the first time and took the food off of my finger. The next morning she was eating by herself out of the dish and she hasn't stopped since. In fact, her little tummy is starting to bulge and she's even gained a pound already....

She is something else. She follows me around like a puppy and sits beside me when I'm on my knees changing the litter. She likes everyone here and cuddles with them and they love her too.

One of the things I love most about Irma is her 'hands.' Remember how she held unto your finger in the car and mine also, well, she uses those little paws just like little hands. She strokes your face, she feels your hair and she'll smack you too if your not looking, just because she can. Sometime she'll just be sitting there holding it up.

Beth, there's no doubt about it that Irma is all but recovered from her illness. I had an awful time with her nose, bleeding and all but that's all over with. Now all we have to do is make her good and healthy so she'll be able to live the rest of her life they way she should. Warm, happy and loved. I only wish it hadn't of been to late for Meyer and that he was here with us as well.

Thank you Beth for letting me have Irma. With Meyer no longer with us, I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting some other old soul take his place. I keep my eye on the web site but should you hear of another first, don't hesitate to let me know. It doesn't matter what sex, or how pretty or not, just the saddest and the most neediest one is perfect!"

(You know that I'll be looking for the saddest little ol' kitty at the shelter.)

Sandy's comment about Travis and his blindness? "Don't forget....one does not see love, one feels it.

Amen.

The "Eyes" Have It

I spent the majority of my vacation visiting my parents worrying about Travis. I must've called the vet from Seattle 5 or 6 different times. The vet even called me back on a Sunday, bless his heart. I had no idea what I would do with Travis. Of course, he could come back to my house, but there were so many "what if's" with a little blind guy.

One of the best parts about being involved in animal rescue is having the opportunity to be a hero. Not just to the cats - but to people as well.

I received a Facebook message from my friend and Bucky's Daddy. Steve is one of these special people that saw an opportunity to be a hero to me AND to Travis and stepped up and offered to ADOPT my Travis! Because Travis is still in recovery with his eyes, Steve is going to foster Travis until he is well enough to be adopted...

....In other words: Travis may already be in his forever home! Oh. My. Gosh!

Me picking up Travis from the vet today. The red/cloudy look is NOT from the flash.

I took Travis over to Steve's house today. Guess who greeted me?

"Bucky"!!! Now known as "Pippin". What a treat to see my baby boy!

Steve gently picked up Travis and gave him lots of kisses. I wish ALL men knew how awesome they looked when they're kissin' and huggin' on a cat! :)

"Travis was already making friends with "Timmy"!

There were other heroes in this story. It's one thing to offer to take a foster cat, but another thing to offer to take a newly BLIND foster cat. Travis needs drops every TWO HOURS for the next week or so. It's a big commitment and I'm so grateful that Travis is in such good hands. It hurt like hell to leave him, but there's no doubt it was the best thing for him.

I've already heard from Steve - they took a nap together on the couch and Travis has played with Pippin a little bit. Ahhh... :)

As I'm typing this post, Steve sent me some pictures of Travis and his new friends:

I wonder if Travis knows he's sitting in between two dogs? Hahahaha!

The vet bills on this little guy were/are enormous. When people balk at the idea of an adoption fee of $175.00, I'm reminded that not all the cats cost the rescue only $175.00. It's going to be a LONG time before the rescue can recoup the expense of Travis.

But he's worth it :)

Welcome 2010 !

Happy New Year to all! I'm still in Seattle visiting my parents and am due to be home tomorrow evening. My parents have an ancient computer, so can't check email. When did I become THAT dependent on email? I can sign in to my blog, Facebook, and that's about it. My connection to the world seems smaller. :)

I've been following up with the vet regarding Travis and unfortunately his eyes remain the same. Unless there's huge improvement, he'll be blind.

We visited a little town in Sumner, Washington yesterday. It's one of those quaint towns with antiques and stores with lacey doilies in windows. Imagine my excitement to see a "Cat Store". It was a store where all things are cat related! I charged into the store with the exuberance of a Wal-Mart 50% off sale shopper.

The lady that ran the cat store gave the proceeds of sale profits to a rescue and local SPCA. As expected there's a HUGE Himalayan cat there named "Hunter". When I asked permission to pet a sleeping Hunter, the lady at the counter said, "Hunter *insists* that you pet him!". As some of you know, I don't believe in coincidences, so you can imagine how I felt when I saw that Hunter was totally blind.

Hunter is 14 years old and had been blind since birth. He was a rescue when a breeder saw the defect and dumped him in a field to fend for himself. Hunter's Mom gave me lots of reassurances about Travis. I could've spent the day talking with this lady - the antique stores in Sumner could wait.

I left with two pairs of cat earrrings and a "Spay and neuter your Pet" sticker.

It's hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for 2 years now. I was hoping I'd have something profound to say today as I sit at my parent's ancient computer on this rainy Seattle day. I go home tomorrow to my own little fur-family. I go home tomorrow with renewed hope that somewhere, somehow, I can help ignorant people understand the importance of commitment and love to their pets.

Wouldn't it be great if the rescue business was so slow, I'd be out of a volunteer job and could do Meals on Wheels or something....

I can only dream....

A Vacation...Maybe?

I'm going to be late for my flight to Seattle. Not a good decision on my part. After the terrorist crap going on in the US, customs is a 9 hour wait. I'm just a bit too stressed.

David is sitting at the emergency vet clinic as I type this to pick up Travis and take him to our regular vet while we're gone. I'm going to worry like crazy until I know Travis is OK.

*IF* I make my flight, I'll be back after the New Year. It's hard to believe I've been writing this blog for two years now.

I've posted the following video on my Facebook page. If you make it through without crying, you're a bigger person that I am. It has a happy ending - I promise. As you might imagine, I can really relate to this, and would LOVE to make a cat-related video like this:



Happy New Year and blessings to all.

-Beth

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.