His temperature went into the stratosphere and there was nothing anyone could do except release him. He was in the cook your brain cells zone and even a shot of steriods failed to make a difference. He will be cremated and spread on a ranch of over 80 acres. I can’t bury him here as our land is flooded.

I was with him in the end and he went quickly- the fever would have put him in seizure and then death so I opted for the peaceful end. He went quickly out of pain and off to a better place-

He is sliding again- his temp is 106.4! My vet is in surgery and I am to be his first appointment after his last procedure. Please pray that we find an answer and I find the funds to cover this kitty. I have a local fundraiser going on at a store in town- pray I sell all the cat products presented for sale- but more than that, pray that Sullivan will be okay-

And this morning, he gave him back to me! Sullivan started slipping downhill yesterday. It was quite unexpected and when I noticed him looking off, I took his temperature and was alarmed to see the numbers- 105.8!

We rushed to the vet and they pumped him full of fluids, gave him an antibotic shot and some pain meds. There was no vomiting, no diarrhea, just lethargy and the high fever. I brought him home and monitored him- the temp never went down past 104.8. He has been fully vaccinated so the vet was puzzled.

Last night, before I laid my head on my pillow I read this quote:

God doesn’t always do things the way we want Him to, and sometimes we don’t understand His pattern and purposes. But, blessed are those who don’t get upset by the way He runs His business.

I prayed to Him that He just would take Sullivan quickly and keep him out of the pain zone until he is called home. Exhausted and spent, I fell asleep.

This morning, when I went upstairs and opened the door- Sullivan ran to me meowing! This is a kitten that couldn’t even lift his head at 10:00 last night! I quickly put the food down and he gobbled it right up- his temperature? 102.3! YAY!!

I had given this mackeral tabby up for lost- perhaps God thought I needed a lesson in Faith renewal or maybe, just maybe there is a wonderful family waiting out there to adopt this adorable boy. But all I know-this kitten is back with us as if nothing ever happened. His diagnosis “Fever of unknown origin-”

My final thought: His fever may have been of “unknown origin” but his Healer was not.

Salem, the 8 month old kitten who was abandoned at 3 months old has a new, loving home. He has two floors to explore, a pomeranian puppy to learn to play with and two people who love and adore him (even if he is black!) I took a gamble on my ads for cats and started writing poems about them instead of just the bland write-up and the results are amazing! I have 6 families under consideration now for cats or kittens who are living here and that borders on unbelievable.

One caller told me my rhymes are “cute” and I just said “Blame Dr. Suess and James Whitcomb Riley” two of my favorite poets. My mother was a librarian when I was growing up and she used to take me to work and my sisters would read to me. Maybe that is why I like words so much and dislike texting and short-cut English. At any rate, Salem is about 20 minutes from my house and I am invited back at any time. I am still hesitant about adopting but thrilled that this new way to write ads seems to be working-

Received a phone call earlier today from a woman looking for a cat. My warning bells should have sounded right away, but they didn’t. She wanted…
*a cat, not a kitten
*not an older cat, a younger cat but NOT a kitten..
*It couldn’t be black, or dark or a tuxedo because she just lost her 17 year old tuxedo kitty…
*it had to like dogs because she had an older pomeranian who was blind and had diabetes and cushings…
*It couldn’t be pure black because that would remind her of her deceased kitty and that wouldn’t be fair…
*It had to be a female, no males allowed…

We talked for a bit, and then I drove over 45 miles to her home with Secret and Scully.

The house was nice and clean, she appeared to be a nice lady as well. The dog was jumping all over the place, I requested she put the dog into another room and then we could go into a small room with relatively little hiding places so she could meet the cats and see how it goes.

She protested, but finally put the dog up and we went into the bedroom (I brought my friend Deanna with me) We sat on the floor and I opened up the carrier to let Scully out. She came out right away, rubbed against me then went over to my friend and said hello. The woman sat back just watching not making any movement toward Scully. I finally picked Scully up and placed her in the lady’s lap. Her comment: my the fur is soft.

Scully showed no fear, presented no desire to bolt under the bed. She allowed the woman to rub her belly and they seemed to get along just fine.

The woman jumped up and left the room returning with her dog! I was alarmed, but Scully is used to dogs so the introduction went okay. Finally Scully had enough of hyper Sidekick and went inside the carrier.

Secret didn’t even want to come out of the carrier. She was dug into the plastic so I didn’t press the issue.

I got up and asked the woman if she wanted me to leave the cat carrier for a few days? She looked surprised and said “You are leaving her?”

I told her, I thought the intro went well- Scully didn’t hiss or act uncomfortable with the introductions and in a few days time, she would merge into the house well.

The lady looked at me and she said “NO, I didn’t feel a connection. The cat DIDN’T come to me on her own and she just won’t do!”

Deanna’s mouth dropped open and I probably looked stunned as well. I gathered up all the carriers and said- “Well then we will take our leave.” And we left-

We talked on the way home and decided this woman had no intentions of adopting a cat. She didn’t engage the cat in any fashion and seemed more distressed with her dog being banished to the bathroom then anything else. Perhaps Secret unwilling to budge out of the cat carrier and Scully’s reluctance to approach the woman on her own meant they knew something about this woman that we both missed. All appearances pointed to a home that with some time Scully would have gotten used to- but the lady wanted an instant cat- and last I looked, strays don’t come that way. I am miffed because I spent money for gas I could ill afford, and the woman didn’t even offer me five dollars for traveling to her home.

In retrospect, I am glad the woman didn’t want to even try because who knows what might have happened if I had left Scully. But for all appearances sake, the introduction went well for a stray cat who still has a low trust meter. No, she didn’t jump into Jean’s lap and purr with happiness, but she tolerated an over-bearing and spoiled dog and that is a lot more than most cats would have done. Scully is curled up deep in my lap now and Secret is with my friend Deanna so this night ends well.

I could walk around the house barefoot…

I wouldn’t have litterpan shoulder…

I wouldn’t have any idea what Feliway does…

I could sit on any piece of furniture at any time of the day or night…

I could actually sleep in…

I could have indoor plants…

I could have drapes instead of blinds…

I wouldn’t know every brand of cat litter and their pros and cons…

I would be able to pop open a can of soup without my ankles being mobbed…

I wouldn’t know up close and purrsonal what a hairball looks like…

Two litterpans would be plenty…

Cat hair wouldn’t be a second condiment…

My Dyson would Really suck…

I could wear shoes with shoelaces…

I wouldn’t have to carefully sift through my clean laundry looking for sleeping cats…

I could sleep in my own bed at night and not be covered by kittens by morning…

Late tonight, Glory went to her forever home! She walked into this home as if she owned the joint, the crying baby didn’t even faze her. She strutted around the living room with her tail at full mast and her patterned coat set off the decor in fine style! She has a loving husband and wife and a small baby who will grow up with her and learn all about a cat’s undying love. I am thrilled for her and I couldn’t have custom-ordered a more purrfect place for her to be! To God be the Glory!

This morning when I woke up, I found Boo in the house perched on my toaster! Boo is my oldest barn cat. He is pitch black and I have had him since he arrived Halloween 1995. He is strictly an outside kitty, his choice when he became a young cat clearly not mine.

He has somehow avoided becoming a statistic and has lived fully in his capacity as head mice hunter of the crew. For him to be in the house AND on the toaster, I knew we were in trouble. So off to the vet we went.

They found an “unusual mass” in his abdomen. His lymph glands are also swollen. While he was being examined, he vomited frothy foam on the table a very bad sign.

We could have done bloodwork to confirm the suspicion but the decision was made instead to just let Boo go off to the Bridge and be out of pain. If I had found him in the barn, perched on a hay bale, I might not have signed that awful paper. But he was in the kitchen on the toaster. I don’t mean to make a bad joke in the midst of my tears but perhaps it was his way of saying “Mom, I’m toast.”

He had a happy life. He climbed trees and never got stuck in them. He grew up with two horses Racer and Traveler and used to walk down my Mustang’s back giving Race a kitty massage. He missed Racer as much as I did when I was forced to sell him four years ago.

He was a good hunter and a great shop cat in his time. He had all the opportunity to come into the house and live the life of a king. Instead, he preferred to sleep on top of Mike’s knives which were under construction in the shop.

Goodbye Boo- you were the best black cat ever. Forgive me for not keeping a better eye on you within the depths of the barn. You were loved and now you are free-

She was still in the trees this morning and her songs broke my heart. I carefully dug her mate out of the dust bin and laid him on the top of the porch roof. I went into the barn and waited.

She circled the sky and came in close hovering. I knew she spotted him when she landed close by. It was dead quiet, even the traffic had ceased. It was as if God had stilled the world for a moment of respect for this passing. All you could hear was the beat of the rain on the roof.

Suddenly, I heard a sound I had never heard before. It almost reminded me of a kitten crying in pain. The blue jay rose up into the air, circled her mate twice and flew off. As she passed overhead, I looked up at her and whispered “God has a raindrop with your name on it.”

She flies from tree to tree and screeches. Her vibrant blue feathers are wet and shiny and she lifts her head up and screams into the sky. This female bluejay has been inhabiting our walnut tree for the last few days. She is restless and I can see her moving back and forth between the raindrops. Sadly, I believe I know what she is searching for in the weather.

Her mate was lying in the center of the road this morning. I quickly carried him out the way of traffic, wrapped him in newspaper and disposed of him. He was flatter than he needed to be- whatever hit him it was over quickly. Hopefully, he didn’t feel a thing.

Bluejays often mate for life and this little girl is frantic to find her mate. She is mindful of Boo the barn cat down below just waiting for her to slip up and not pay attention to this black cat. Her mate was quite a bit bigger than she is but her voice is strong and it carries in the wind. I am sad that she has suffered a loss, I know about loss and how it can cause upheavel, uncertainty and confusion. In a few days perhaps she will move on, take flight and start over somewhere else but for now, her cries fill the sky.