Kodiak has been returned to his owner. I haven’t heard how he is doing, nor do I expect that I will. That is all I am going to say at this point about that. He is no longer under our care, so it is up to his owner to follow through with what the vets would like her to do.

Thank you, to those of you who chipped in to help with his bill. His owner is not able to afford such care, so you took a big stress off our shoulders.

I have started re-introducing the outside clowder to each other by putting them slowly one-by-one into the main cat enclosure. I have wired closed the holes where the tunnels once were, but of course, one of them found a weakness in the underwire and dug out. I had to first find the hole- which was not easy because of the grasses growing outside, but I finally did locate the escape hole and fixed that.

Currently, inside the cat enclosure is Bentley, Pigeon, Baker and PITA,  I can tell they are not easy about the change, as they were free-roaming until recently. No more ducking under the house when they feel scared or threatened. Pigeon is the most worrisome, he was the escapee and there are times that he is pacing the enclosure like a caged lion which makes me sad. His wound from the past has not quite healed and there is a spot above his knee on his back leg that keeps breaking open. It is not life- threatening, so I can’t really justify taking him to the vet right now. I am using Vitamin E oil on it to see if it might finally  heal on its own. because they are so used to being able to get away from each other when they were under the house, skirmishes have resulted. Bentley is injured now, and in the house inside the patio enclosure. he has an abscess festering between his left front paw pad.

It is still scary here when it comes to the virus. Just as I imagine, it is where you are right now. The governor is getting ready to open up Oregon soon- but in my area, it never really shut down. Only recently when I am at the store, do I see the majority of people taking this seriously and wearing masks and social distancing. Sadly, out on the street, this is not happening. When we first began this exposure, LInn County was fourth from the bottom on the chart tracking the exposure to the virus through the counties. Now we are 6th from the top! Not a good time, in my mind, to open up Oregon even if it is done “softly.”

I heard about, and ordered a book called Deadliest Enemy. It is written by the top epidemiologist in the world: Michael T. Osterholm PhD, MPH. He was the forerunner during the AIDS epidemic, and he writes the facts quite succinctly. He says as long as man continues to encroach on forestland and jungles, killing the animals that live there, pandemics are going to happen. I am only on chapter four but this stood out to me more than what I have read so far. He was talking about how when the primates and other animals are killed, hauled away for meat for humans or other animals, the microbes will jump ship. They will move from animal to human in order for them to survive. He likens it to an alien invasion. (The ET type).The book was published in 2017. Here is the quote that jumped at me:

” AIDS is a horror story that haunts all of us in the business. Once we understood what we were dealing with and how it was transmitted, we were unable to stop or warn off much of the behavior and habits that led to its spread. Evidence, knowledge, and logic aren’t always enough.”

If that isn’t enough what is? I highly recommend this book. It is not just a book about infectious diseases, it also a history of mankind in a most extraordinary way. I can’t read much of it all at once. It’s too heavy but when I am not reading it, I am thinking about what I have read deeply.

Please all of you continue to stay safe, keep your loved ones in your thoughts and prayers and may we soon find a good way out of this nightmare. I know that there is talk of a vaccine in the future, but according to what I have read so far, this vaccine isn’t going to appear magically any time soon. As he says, they have never been able to cure AIDS, only like Diabetes, manage and try to control it with certain cocktails. All of which I know have nothing to do with disinfectant! :

The enclosure where I hope all the cats will be soon:

Kodiak is being quietly confined in a large cage. He is on antibiotics and painkillers and he goes back on Friday morning to see if his drains can be pulled out. He is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping. He has been through it as his vet bill reflects: his care increased our Vet debt $500.00! At least he is okay now and I can concentrate on getting him back to normal. Again, if you can contribute to his care, it would be appreciated but please don’t feel bad if you cannot. Like I said before this is a helluva time in the world to ask for donations.

The vet called yesterday and told me that after they sedated and shaved Kodiak, these were his findings:

Kodiak was bit several times in his underbelly. The vet said based on all the wounds and damage left behind, the dogs, shook, rolled and sheared this cat. I did not know what shear meant, so when I asked, here was his reply. It is when a predator is attacking a cat with such fierceness that the tissue is ripped away from not only the skin, but the muscles as well! 🙁 He is concerned that the amount of bacteria that was able to fester inside Kodiak because I couldn’t find him in time, has made the tissue that wasn’t injured in the mauling to become infected as well. Kodiak has two drains in him now. My vet said that it will be a long time before Kodiak even looks normal. They are keeping him until Monday. When he does get released, he will need to be quietly confined (I’ll put him upstairs now that all the workers are gone) He will need to be medicated daily and watched closely.

During the build, destroyed along with most of the patio room were the custom built cages Mike designed for me. They were 5’x6′ triple tiered and lined on the back wall. I did ask the crew to save them, but somehow they just got smashed and carted away. So, I will keep him upstairs and I will keep  you updated on his progress. He does still have a fever though that the vet is hoping by Monday will be back under control. I want to go to him, hold him (the cat not the vet!) and tell him it will be okay now. I also would want to tell him that I wish I had found him first, before he made his way back to me. But at least now, he is getting help. The dogs have vanished. No one has seen or heard from them since.

Although the days seem to be blending together lately. it was (I believe) five days ago when a neighbor called me and told me that two pitbulls were on my property mauling a cat! I rushed downstairs, but by the time I got to the back of my pasture, the dogs and the cat were gone. I quickly examined every cat that we have, and all were just fine! I went and looked for a wounded cat, but I couldn’t find one..until this morning.

I noticed a cat  laying underneath one of my trees. He was not moving. I rushed over and his rear legs were both in tremors. He had a huge swelling under his belly. he was alert, and he was a real sweetheart, not even fighting when I gently lifted him into a top end cat carrier.

Gone are the days, when I could just pick up the phone, talk to one of the girls and the vet and rush out the door with the cat to do a drop off. The new procedure is curbside service. Appointments only.They make you an appointment, when you get there, you call them. They will come out to the car in full gown and mask (which I was thrilled to see!)  They took a brief history and whisked him away. I stayed in the truck.

About, twenty/thirty minutes later, the vet arrives. Fully gowned, gloved and masked. He told me that Kodiak’s stomach was a real mess. He said that “it doesn’t even look like a stomach!” He said there were masses, inside the stomach, but he wasn’t sure if he was looking at multiple hernias,  internal bleeding, or gas!

Kodiak (he is a marbled Mackeral Tabby) was immediately started on supportive fluids, IV pain medication, and antibiotics along with anti-inflammatories. The plan is that they will sedate him in the morning, shave him, ascess him and call me to form a plan. At the shape this boy was in, I suspect surgery is going to be in his future. He was  pretty badly hammered

This is time like no other in my life (and I know for so many others). This is a helluva time to ask for small donations to put toward his care. But, I am asking.

I also wanted to leave all of you with something that I found the other day on FB. It spoke to me deeply and put some things into perspective for me. It was not signed, someone had spotted it and forwarded the writing. Whoever did write it, she is amazing.

(It was untitled)

We fell asleep in one world,and woke up in another.
Suddenly, Disney was out of Magic, Paris is no longer Romantic,
New York doesn’t Stand Up anymore.
The Great Wall of China, is no longer a fortress,And Mecca is Empty.

Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of Love.Suddenly you realize, that power, beauty, wealth are useless,and it can’t get you the oxygen you are fighting for.The world continues its Life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it is sending us a message:

“You are not necessary. The Earth, Water and Sky without you are fine.
When you come back Remember: You are my Guests, you are not my Master.”

Stay Safe Friends,  this is far from over.

It saddens me to write that Twist went into surgery this morning and she did not make it out. They had detected a slight heart murmur on her but decided to go ahead with the surgery because the leg had to be dealt with. There was nothing that went wrong during the surgery, but she just didn’t wake up. 🙁 As I stated before, although she was an adult cat in age, in stature she looked like a small kitten. In retrospect she was probably heavily inbred.

Goodbye sweet girl, your brothers and sisters are waiting. Mike is there as well and I will see you again.

Hi, it’s me. I’m still here. Not in the hospital and not below ground which that in itself is a miracle these days. Twist’s bones are not responding to the pins and screws. She is scheduled to have her front leg amputated on Thursday. Because of the way things are these days, the vet will keep her longer than normal and call me when she is ready to go home. Thank God he is working with me on payments. We owe him $1,900.00 right now after the estimate he gave me.

The cat food donations from the local store has become leaner and leaner at every visit. Several times, we have left the house and arrived there only to be told, there is nothing here for you today. It is a crushing disappointment. I’ve been having to dip into savings and buy the dry food for the cats. What we’ve been given lately when they do give us something have been inadequate as far as nutrition goes and I end up throwing a lot of the food away daily, because the cats just won’t touch it.

I hope everyone is safe and healthy and masked! I did order just regular face masks last week. I use them when I scoop out the litter pans. Not only has the price doubled from the place where I order them, but I was told that they won’t be shipped until May 30th! Wasn’t expecting that. A friend and volunteer for CATS is making homemade masks and she was kind enough to make one for me. I now wear it not only when I am cleaning the litter pans, but also when I go out in public.

I am staying home, doing a DIY project in my bedroom. I never realized just how much Mike knew about everything when it comes to maintaining a house and property. I never paid attention to what he did, I just took it so for granted. Just as he took for granted all that I was doing for him along the way. I wish I had watched how he did things because it would certainly make what I am encountering now, easier.

What I have learned (and please don’t laugh) How to check all levels of fluid in my truck, and when to check them. How to repair a broken wheelbarrow. How to charge batteries on everything from the lawnmower to the truck. How to effectively clean the blade of the lawnmower without incident. How to plaster, how to build a gravel path and landing pad. The list is endless and will probably grow in the future. Thank God for YouTube. They have a video for everything!

Well that’s all folks! Stay safe all of you- chime in if you feel the urge so I can know how you are doing and how you are holding it together these days.