Report from the Adopter

I just got off the phone with Jessi. She told me that Fearless Freddy has been an absolute tornado in the home. He is interacting with all the people, loves to play (he plays hard) I am sure that Gage is scratched beyond belief if he and Freddy play as he played here with me.

Jessi said that Gage was so concerned with how scared and trembling Magoo and Ash were displaying that he strayed up all night with them! He was laying the on floor next to the carriers, and he was talking and singing to them softly.   YES! It was the right place to put these babies. My heart is lighter. I suggested he take a thin t-shirt and do a work out. Make that t-shirt just soak up his sweat then take it off and lay it in the carrier so they could get used to his sweat. I also told him his sweaty socks would also work. One sock in each carrier.

On another note, I do not know who just sent us 2  18 pound bags of Purina Natural. There was no shipping slip in the box. But THANK YOU so much! We are still in danger of not having enough wet food to get the cats through all of the winter we have left. We are having frigid temperatures all next week. So they will just get extra dry food and water in the heated trough.

I can’t thank anyone on Facebook anymore. I made a decision to exit Facebook. My page will go dark on the 29th of this month. At first withdrawing from social media (and that is what it is for me) like a drug. It was difficult. I felt like something major was lacking in my day. FB does not make it easy for you to leave them. It took me ten tries before I was able to fully access the delete my account page.

After I notified them that I was leaving, I am getting slammed with emails from FB telling me everyone was missing me and asking about me. (Yeah right). I’m just waiting for the day when the page goes dark and the emails stop coming. I am going to start back up with writing my book and doing productive projects around here to get this place in shape. I just claimed my bedroom back and I was so excited to finally be able to sleep in my bed again..

My kittenless bedroom!

Early Morning Thoughts

Yesterday, I experienced the hardest adoption day of my life. Not because the home wasn’t up to par, far from it. It is a quaint set of cottages facing the Santiam River up in the mountains. The family was wonderful. The actual saying goodbye (especially to Magoo and Ash (Orange boy has already taken over the home). It was the paralyzing terror, that I saw Magoo in before I left. I left my cat carriers there for comfort. Jess will return them when the two kittens have adjusted.

Poor Magoo, he was clear in the back of the cat carrier- his body arched not in anger, but just in complete terror. I picked him up, and loved on him to say goodbye, but he was trembling so badly. It broke my heart. I told him he was in a good place and I had already told the family if the kittens can’t adjust. I would take one or all of them back in a hot second. Ash was also a ball of nerves and who can blame them? They were left (not intentionally) by their mom, then I abandoned them for all those times they were at the vets. I couldn’t go visit because of Covid.. Now, I was leaving them in good hands for the final time. Add to it the PTSD left over from their fire experience. I just pray the two of them adjust over the next week.

But my heart is heavy this morning and the house seems so empty. My eyes are sad. I have never been affected to this extreme during an adoption before.Sending all my strength to my two kittens this morning and hoping that they have at least eaten by now.

The Last Day

Today will be the final day for the burn kitties. They will go to their new home this afternoon. I shall miss their presence very much, but I will not miss the chaos they leave in their wake. It will be nice to claim my bedroom back and sleep once again in my own bed, instead of a mattress on the living room floor.

I think back to when they arrived in September and how after only 24 hours with them, I knew they were in a bad way. How many times I kept taking them back to the vet’s office until I finally got someone to listen to me about what I saw and experienced while they were here. As it was nothing the vets were accustomed to- a rectal and colon infection, it was missed several times. Finally, I asked their care be handed back to my regular vet and once that happened, I had someone on the other end that not only listened to what I had to say, but actually did something about it. Then the healing began.

It is going to be hard to say goodbye to the three of them. We have been through many trials by fire in our short time together. They leave still bearing the scars of their early trauma. Magoo will suckle anything soft- Ash will suckle her brother’s earlobes. Both kitties are very sensitive to their environment and any changes. Fearless Freddy will still attack toes and feet and try to escape outside at every opportunity. I have prepared cliff notes for the new owners to let them know of the differences in all of these kittens. I have asked them to lower their expectations on what they want these kittens to do for them, and just let them decompress and adjust to their new life.

Before I leave them, we will all pray together that God will help guide them and keep the babies safe from harm. Jessie lives up on the mountain far from town in a once thriving but now abandoned set of cabins and a lodge. Her and Jericho live in the main house and her kids fill up the remaining five cabins. But they are in the midst of the woods and I do not want these kittens (especially Fearless) to get outside by accident and go looking for me.

So it is going to be a bit of an emotional time for me and adding to it is the encroaching wedding anniversary for Mike and I. I probably will not be able to keep myself together as we have grown quite close to each other, me and these challenging babies. I know they cannot stay and that the catio is under construction but not quite finished. Molly will be happy they are gone, but it will be a few days before I find my smile again.

The Burn Kitties-

I have less than a week left to enjoy the company of the burn kitties. I look back to when they arrived. how sick and in sad shape they were in. Initially, when we got them, we were unaware of the horrors they lived through in the first days of their birth. The evidence would unfold as we started just giving them basic care. I don’t think I will ever forget the feelings of helplessness I felt when their first bowel movement consisted of so much crud in their stomach, none of it actual food. They have all come so far. I am so proud of them. The screams of Ash as I gently stimulated her still ring in my ears. Never have I encountered so much pain and torment from a kitten with her eyes still not opened.

Fearless Freddy, the orange boy is literally not scared of anything. He meets each new challenge head on- whether it was the first time he was introduced to Kota, or he heard the running of the vacuum. Nothing phases him. I do not know his back story. All I know is that he ducked into a merchant’s shop during a bad thunderstorm. He was freezing, wet, hungry and she labeled him (inappropriately) as feral. He was not feral, he was lost and scared and she didn’t know  how to handle such a frightened kitten and got bit in the process.

Freddy loves ice cubes. He will push them across the floor until they melt and then lick up the water. When he hears the ice maker chunking, he will come skidding into the room and stand underneath the maker, hoping that I might miss the glass and one will fall on the floor. It invariably does! Strange how that happens?

His favorite day is laundry day. He loves to jump into a pile of warm laundry and burrow down into the warmth to sleep. He is so funny and such a charmer. Once he loses the warmth on top of the basket, he will hop down and using claws and teeth, he will pull each item of clothing out of the laundry basket through the holes in the sides! Once he gets to where there is warmth again, he will hop in and sleep until his bed goes cold then repeat the process. The silly goof. He is no longer peeing on the warm clothes so it looks like his personal demons are finally at rest,

Magoo continues to be afraid of anything new that comes his way. If he hears a new noise, or is someone visits here, be it a friend or a repairman. Magoo simply will vanish. He  is very adept in hiding.. I believe it depends on how scared or threatened he feels at the time.

Magoo has been treated several times since his arrival with hematomas to his bottom ear lobes. At first I was puzzled to what was causing this to occurl until one afternoon, I went in to see the babies only to find out that Ash had latched herself onto her brother’s ear lobe and was sucking it like it was mom’s milk. After that episode, Bitter Apple came into play.I have to put it on Magoo’s ear at least three to four times daily. The stuff is nasty. I use a cotton ball, and just picking up the cotton ball in my bare fingers, I can actually taste the bitterness in my mouth. After that experience, I always wear rubber gloves and make sure to give Magoo a tasty treat immediately afterward.. It does keep his fur a bit oily no matter how much or little I apply, but it did also stop the traumatic vet visits to drain the hematomas.

For Ash she is still skittish over moving hands coming at her. Sometimes, she will run away in terror, until I started feeding her directly out of my hands. Now she just backs up, waiting to see what the hands might want to do to her. It is quite sad to witness, but of all the three kitties, she was the sickest. With an extremely infected rectum due to the foreign material she had to pass through her system. She is also the largest so was able to digest larger pieces of gravel. Poor kitty.

She is quite loving though. Not keen on being picked up for very long, but if I am sitting on the floor, she is the first to approach and wants head scratches and chin rubs. I know they are going to a good place. I am grateful for all the love, support, prayers and donations that came our way to help these four babies out. I couldn’t have done it alone.

Here are before and after shots so you can see in one glance, how far they have come since they arrived here.

 

On another note, I was recently interviewed about caring for stray and feral kittens for an upcoming article in Catster. Through the interview, I tried to release a lot of my tips and tricks in working with scared and frightened kittens that were not used to humans. I am looking forward to seeing it in print and hope, that the tips left will help people in dealing with these wonderful babies. The author of the article is Dusty Rainbolt. Dusty wrote Kittens for Dummies, Cat Wrangling 101 and her latest book is Finding Your Lost Cat. All three books are worthy to add to your cat library.

 

 

The Story of Scratch

Eleven days ago, I received a phone call from the husband of a friend of mine. He was quite distraught over an incident that occurred with his cat and his wife. He was not making much sense ( very rattled by what he witnessed) but according to the fragments that were relayed to me. (I have yet to speak to his wife). There was a fight between his cat and one other new one in the house. When his wife went into the room, she bent down to pick something up off the floor. I don’t know what that something was but suddenly the cat launched at her! She screamed as the cat raked her leg. She ended up having to go to the ER and they were stitching up her wounds (14 stitches)

He asked if I could take the cat- we normally do not take owner-surrender cats here. I told him I was sorry, but I couldn’t. Then he started texting me repeatedly in the matter of about a half an hour. I was on the phone calling everyone that I knew that did rescue trying to find a place for this cat as he was texting me. I knew he was desperate and I was afraid for the cat.

His last text alarmed me. It simply said “Sorry to have bothered you. He’s gone!”

I was so unsettled, but God was still working in the day and I received a text from someone who could take him, but not until the 16th when four of her rescues would transition out into the barns. I called her, we talked, I told her I could keep him until then.

Calling his wife, I was told it was okay. They had found a place for the cat. His uncle lives near them, has barns and acreage and they were taking him there. I hung up feeling relieved, until I received another text from the wife saying to call her husband now!

I called him and he was sobbing hysterically. He couldn’t do it. His plan had been to just leave the cat in the  middle of nowhere with food and water,  but after he drove away and saw the cat trying to follow him. He broke down and couldn’t do it. I told him that I had found a place for the cat. A safe place and bring the cat to me. “Scratch” (his new name) is now upstairs.

When he arrived and he is a BIG orange boy. It was quite the chore to lug him upstairs. I had prepared the room ahead of time, blocking the door to attic (that swings inward) I covered the futon with a king size dark blanket so he could hide underneath if he wanted to. He had food, water and litter pans available as well. I put the carrier on the floor and opened the door. He would not come out. I left him to decompress.

When Scratch first arrived, he chose to stay hidden under the futon. I would feed him three times a day, give him clean water and just leave him alone. On the third day, he had moved from where he had been under the futon and gone to the closet. I did manage that day to look at him and noticed that although he was a large cat, he was quite skinny. His eyes, when we first meant were mean. He was not scared, He was terrified. I backed off. I did not wish to get attacked.

I have asked nothing of him until a few days ago. The gal couldn’t come and pick him up on the 16th as planned, so she will be here tomorrow to make the transfer. I put a dog crate upstairs a few days ago and have been feeding him in there. He started coming out from under the futon and being with me (head-bumping my legs all the time) on the 5th day here.When he moved back out of the closet to duck under the futon again, I shut the closet door.

If I dared to pet him, just barely touch the top of his head lightly, he would scoot back under the futon. So I stopped trying. Now he will stay out all the time I am in the room, except if I drop something by accident or open up a trash bag to collect his waste. It took him three days before he started eating and using the litter pans. The meanness in his eyes is now gone, but I do carry a broom with me when I go into the room just in case. I do not know what his triggers are. I have a feeling that even though he is neutered, if he does charge the door (which he hasn’t). He could do great harm to Molly and the kittens. I don’t want to take that chance.

He is more relaxed and I am sad that he is leaving tomorrow as we are making small strides with him. But I know that I cannot keep him. It’s just not possible right now. Plus I think the farther he gets away from his old life the better. New name, new life. I’m getting text messages from his former owner who is worried about his cat’s separation anxiety and mental health. I keep assuring him, all is good. This cat does not have separation anxiety. He has a trust issue.

He is really quite sweet. I am able to pet him now without him fleeing in fear back under the futon. Yesterday, when I went to feed, he was sleeping on top of the futon on the warming blanket! I cursed myself for not having my phone on me to snap a photo.

But, here are some photos of him from first day until now-

..

I know the gal that is going to be working with him. It’s the same gal who took several of my feral cats when I left during the fires. He will be worked with gradually and when ready, if she can’t find a proper home for him, He will be to the point where he can get along with others and just join her barn crew. That’s a long time down the road.

I feel sorry for this boy. He has a lot to overcome, but orange kitties are pretty resilient. I have hopes he will have bright future.

On a further note- the burn kitties are going great! They  just got neutered and are back here waiting for pick-up day which is Feb. 4th. The new owner is making sure the catio is ready for them. She got injured and was in the hospital for four days which set her plans back.

Please everyone stay safe and healthy. Thank you to those of you who still support what is done here for these cats. The food/funds sent were such a welcome relief.

I’m not sure who wrote this song, but many years ago, when I sang with a female barbershop group in Alaska and we were performing (and won) in Seattle, we sang this song. It has been circling in my head in the last few days:

Let there be Peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be Peace on Earth, the Peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father, Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my Brother, in Perfect Harmony..

Let Peace begin with Me, Let this be the moment Now.
With every step I take, Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment and Live each moment in Peace Eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me.”

May God watch over us All-

 

 

 

 

Lately, I feel like a Hit and Run Blogger

If anyone is still reading this blog that is covered in cobwebs, thank you for that. Even my keyboard is dusty and covered not in cobwebs, but cat hair. The burn kitties are getting so big! They are still showing unique signs of PTSD and I am beginning to think that I might be the trigger. Aftr all, I am the culprit that kept repeatedly taking them back and forth to the vet, trying to get the vet to figure out what was wrong with them. They are scheduled for their neuters/spay on the 21st of this month and then they will all three go together to their new home. Perhaps being out of my hands, will help their anxiety to lessen. That is my hope.

Here are some of the latest photos of these beauties. I am so proud of them. They have come so far and are going to be wonderful cats growing forward:

Now I am asking for cat food for the cats here. This winter is starting out on a brutal note. We’ve already had several pipes from the irrigation well shatter and burst because of the cold. Thankfully, the build they did on the house recently has left the house pipes a lot more insulated than they were before. I have had to beef up the amount of wet food that I am feeding and we are running low now. I have 18 cans left before I will have to resort to just dry food. We are down to two 30 pound bags of Cat Chow. If you can help- we are currently feeding Meow Mix (wet) and fancy feast- anything but beef. For some reason, the only thing the cats want to do with the beef flavored is bury it! If you can help either by sending funds to Paypal to catsatrisk@comcast.net or sending food directly- we would be grateful.I am currently feeding 24 cans a day to all the cats. Twelve in the morning, and twelve in the evening. I have completely cut off the afternoon feedings. I just can’t afford it.

If you did not receive an email from us yet about your donations this year, please let me know. Things have been a bit chaotic recently but I have sent out all the receipts and thank you letters. I am grateful for the support more than you know. This will be the first time in eight years that we were not able to settle all our vet debt by the end of the year. But right now, the priority is food for the kitties. It’s essentially how they stay warm in the frigid nights that have invaded us.

 

I have a confession to make:

I have flunked Kitty Proofing 101. I very carefully kitty proofed the patio room so the kittens wouldn’t just be stuck in the bedroom and yet this morning, I go into the room and missing are Magoo and Ash. They were nowhere to be found. I knew they weren’t in the bedroom. The places they could escape to, had been well-sealed up. So they had to be in the patio but where?

Popping a couple of cans of cat food, I listened in the silence, but it was early morning and people were going about their day on the highway. I had to wait until the traffic lessened up (so much for everyone staying home) before I heard the tinniest of meows.

I followed the sounds and discovered both kittens had somehow found their way past the blocking of the washer and dryer. I am still trying to figure out how they got back there? But, there they were, stuck behind the washing machine.

The machine is heavy, moving it, I had to be careful. Both the kittens were perched on top of the two hoses coming out of the back of the machine. I didn’t want one falling and getting squished by the machine.

Finally I freed them. So that I could fix the mistake and re-kitty-proof that area, I put them in the bedroom and shut the door. I think what happened is they must have fallen off the top of the machine trying to go through the smallest of holes by the hoses and gotten stuck clinging to the hose.

Hopefully, I have fixed the problem and there won’t be a repeat performance but hey, they are kittens! I have appointments for them to get spayed the first one i could get was Jan 20th not soon enough, but at least I got them in.

For Mick-

Two years ago today, God called Michael for his final curtain call. “Exit Stage Left.” In true dramatic style, Michael took his last breath of life at the stroke of midnight. That was the day, the music died for me.

I miss you, Sweet Man. My Alaska Sourdough. I am so glad that we connected initially through letters,  where we became good friends. Phone calls would soon follow and as the Internet wasn’t available back then, we would resort to cassettes passed back and forth from California to Alaska. We went from good friends, to Best  Friends with God staying in the center all the while.

I will never forget landing in the Anchorage Airport for our first in-person meeting. No one was there to meet me as I deplaned. “Maybe,” I said to myself, “because this is Alaska, they do it differently here. Perhaps you have to go to baggage claim first?” So I went downstairs to baggage claim. The only thing there was my luggage.

Going back upstairs to the Gate, still no one to meet me left me feeling a bit confused. I had a 24 hour turn-around on my ticket (just in case something happened). I sat at the gate for about 20 minutes and then decided to just give it up and go back home. The joke was apparently on me.

Going down the airport corridor, I saw to the right of me, a line of airport phones. I stopped, picked up the receiver with the full intention of calling you and giving you an earful before I returned to my life. Just as I lifted the receiver to my ear, I heard this loud wolf whistle behind me. I turned, to see you and Dennis hustling as fast as you could towards me. I could barely make out your face behind the bouquet of red and white roses you had clutched to your chest.

You told me that they had given you the wrong instructions of where my plane was landing. You were upstairs at the last terminal, and I came in downstairs at the first terminal. Anchorage is a big airport and by the time you had arrived at the gate, I was already gone.

We hugged each other, Dennis grabbed my luggage and we were off on our first date (after saying goodbye to Dennis). We jumped into the motorhome with your bayrunner being towed behind. Our first stop, Hidden Lake for three days of camping, boating, fishing and hiking. Why didn’t the sun ever go down that day?

Sitting with you in the  middle of the lake in your boat, I listened patiently to your 45 minute lecture on how to bait, cast and catch fish. You told me that the Miller family had a long traditional bet when fishing. It was $1.00 for the first fish and $1.00 for the biggest fish. I took the bet.

You handed over your treasured and “seasoned” pole after first showing me how to cast. Did you not think that a girl from Southern California did not know how to fish?

First cast out, I caught a 16″ Rainbow! The look on your face was priceless! Wish I would have captured it on film. By the end of that Endless Day you had reeled in the biggest fish, so the bet was a draw.

That began the time where we fell further in love with not only each other, but also with Hidden Lake. Snuggling on the couch together, learning about each other and listening to the Loons haunted cries on the lake, we knew we would be returning to this place in the future.

It was a week to remember as you shared with me all your secret spots of Alaska that you loved. I met your three boys- Doug, Dave and Dennis and we both agreed that I should come back in the wintertime to see how I would cope living in complete darkness.

Little did I know at that time, what loomed ahead of us, that would test our relationship and later our marriage. A very deadly, silent killer disease:  Diabetes.

When Diabetes first hit, we were not prepared for the fight that would ultimately claim your life. You soon tired of the restricted diets you were placed on. i would catch you cheating when I cleaned out the truck and found multiple empty candy wrappers under your seat. I think the problem with Diabetes for you became the hardest part for you to accept. You did not feel or look sick back then. You were resistant to anything the doctors wanted you to do to get better. You wanted to live life on your terms, but the disease got the better of you. You hated the finger sticks, the shots in the belly three times a day. It took over our lives- and ultimately cost you, yours. They don’t call it “The Silent Killer” for nothing.

In 2019, honoring your last request, I asked the kids to spread your ashes on Hidden Lake. It was one of the last things you asked me for before you became caught up in two worlds- the world of the living and the world of the dead.

The kids almost didn’t make this happen because of a forest fire raging nearby. But Annette, determined as ever, tracked down a fire marshal and explained the situation. Your kids were then able to go into the lake, launch the boat and quickly disperse your ashes before they had to leave.

Michael, Y.S.P.C.B. misses you. I love you so much and I hope you can hear me when I talk to you at night. I miss your goofiness, your April Fool pranks, your corny jokes. I miss how you opened up car doors for me, and helped me on with my coat. You used to trap one of my arms in the sleeve of my coat as I was putting it on. It took me awhile to not fall for that trap. I miss your kindness and our conversations. I miss our daily prayers. We had a good life together. I will always be grateful to you for sharing your world and your family with me. I can’t wait to see you again.

 

There is a chill in the air

It is not only coming from the weather, but it is also coming from a death threat I received. Did I actually write that and put it out there finally? Yes I did. I figure if this demented human being does go through with the plan and I suddenly go dark on this blog, I want people who have followed me for years to know that I did not abandon them willingly.

Sleep is hard to come by, the police have been notified and I have taken as many precautions as I am able to. I also alerted my neighbors because they could also be under this threat.

Did I fall off my couch and bonk my head so hard I saw stars and insanity? No, I did not. I did my civic duty and I voted and someone did not like who I voted for. They have reached out from my past to terrorize me. For about two days, they succeeded and then I just got angry. I got proactive and so I am putting it out there for those of you who have followed me either silently, or publicly for so long to let you know what is happening.

What makes this worse, is in 8 days, I approach a painful anniversary of the death of Mike. They know this, but it didn’t matter. We’ve been friends for years (no more though) but that apparently didn’t matter either. The police were going  to reach out to this individual and find out if they got hacked? Did they want to punk me? or did they mean what they sent? I was told if she cops to it, they will tell her that what is being planned is not only dangerous, but it is criminal. The officer said that if they had to on the day in question, they will park in my driveway and fill out paperwork. I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole into an alternate universe right at the moment. The world has gone freakin crazy in so many directions.

On the home front, we are still working with the kittens. Health-wise they are are doing great! They are fat, furry, playful with each other. It is just on the mental side that they suffer. Magoo’s ears are still being suckled, He is turn is suckling anything soft he can find. Ash is still terrified of my hands. The backscratcher/clicker method is working slowly on him. My hands look like shredded wheat at the moment, but he is learning albeit slowly, that the hands here at the house are good. We won’t talk about his reaction to the vet’s hands though!  That still needs work.

Their new mom has been by but the only one who even approached her, was Sundance. I can’t let him go right now either, he is peeing out of the litterbox. His preferences are: my pillow, my bed, my fresh laundry. I put a big rubber sheet (thank  you Mike) on the bed, so the pee and the stains don’t go through to the mattress. It may be that they will never leave here, but we are focused on just the opposite happening. It will just take time. They still will not sleep in a dark room without freaking out, so we burn a lot of night lights in the evening hours.

I will be sending out emails this week to all of you who have followed our work and sent donations in. I wish I could hug all of you and tell you how much it means to us, when we even get a dollar. Having to buy our cat food now, and factor in the vet payments is a struggle, but we will persevere. As one of my volunteers told me yesterday, we are the feral warriors! LOL

I wish all of you true Peace and Happiness this coming Season. I think at this point, Peace on Earth, although is sounds so wonderous is a bit of stretch. But God is known for His miracles and His love. If you are still following me and reading my sporadic entries, would you please pray for me? I am barely sleeping these days and my hair is so white at the moment based on everything going on. I love you all and I put this blog together years ago to help people deal with stray and feral cats. I tried not to stray from that goal, but life can and does get complicated. I hope I helped in some small way.

God Bless ALL of you- stay safe and stay sane!

 

The Kittens Went to the Vet Today

This visit was only for their second set of shots and a re-check. They were also tested and all came out negative. They are doing so much better health-wise but what we are facing with them now is (sorry for using an over-used term) but it is unprecedented. Whatever horror they lived through during the fires have left all of them with PTSD. But with Ashes and Magoo, it goes further than that. Because of the time they spent away from the rescue and were at the vet (a total of 15 days non consecutive) they came back with yet another form of PTSD.. These kittens are now deathly afraid of hands.

We’ve had to think out of the box and try to figure out how to show them without scaring them, that hands are good. For Magoo, it is a bit more difficult. He was put on antibiotics which unfortunately led to him getting Herpes and he is still on meds for that. His last treatment will be Monday and we can’t wait. His behavior has become so bad that the minute one of us walks into the room, he hides from us. Thankfully, I had set the bedroom up with him not being able to make a complete escape. The bedframe was even removed so they couldn’t duck under the bed. He will hide in the folds of the comforter, hugging the sides of the mattress hoping we don’t find him. But we do.

Ashes is so traumatized by her experiences, she is now suckling Magoo’s lower ears to the point that we have to apply YUCK to Magoo’s ears to make them less tempting to suckle on. That stuff is so nasty. I got some on my fingers and when I test tasted it- well it really is YUCK, It seems to be working though.

So although there is a a family waiting in the wings to take all of these three, they are not ready to go anywhere. Their new mom has been here one time and it did not go well. Not one of the kittens would go over to meet her or her grown-up son.

We will keep working on this problem and hopefully show these beautiful babies that the world is still good and hands do not always hurt them. Wish us luck!