I feel like I did when I learned Walt Disney had died. So sad that someone capable of inspiring generations had no idea what his true value was to the masses. RIP Robin as James Lipton just said on the Today Show “God is now laughing.”
Gump has been surrendered over to the animal clinic. A vet tech is going to take him home if he proves out to be non-combative under their care in isolation for the next few days. I am grateful because otherwise, this beautiful kitten’s ticket was going to be punched. I can’t have him here as a danger to Mike and the others, I can’t make him a lifer here without putting him on Prozac (not a fan) and I can’t adopt him out. My vet said they will euthanize him if he proves to actually attack the tech and her family or someone on staff. My bet is in a few days time, that attack will come.
A few nights ago when the supermoon was at it’s brightest and fullest over the house, I had fallen asleep on the couch. The front door was wide open as the heat was oppressive. I love our security door which allows us this luxury. I woke to the eerie sounds of the coyotes. Generally, they stay across the road, over by the Santiam River, but intense heat, little rain in this area has driven their prey to find their forage in front yards. We had six deer in our back pasture the other evening. They were taking full advantage of my lack of caring for the pasture and mowing it down. It’s just been to hot to mow.
Brandy, who rarely barks at anything (except other dogs and chickens) exploded and I put her on a stay command and grabbed our shotgun. I stepped outside. As I opened the door, the majority of the barn cats scrambled for the house! I was so surprised to see cats who have NEVER been in the house, suddenly seeking safety. I knew something bad was going on. I didn’t turn on the porch light- there was no need- the moon provided all the lighting needed.
Looking out toward the road, I gasped. I could see glowing red eyes and three silhouettes of coyotes right at the foot of our drive! I took a deep breath, prayed, raised the gun and fired straight up into the air a warning shot. They turned and fled back across the road. I quickly went inside and praised Brandi for her alert.
She was anxious and whining, and pacing by the back door not the front door. I opened the back door to peek out fearing the coyotes were on the back of the property as well. No coyotes- but evidence of deer (lots of them) out in the back pasture when I did a careful walk-through in the morning. Thankfully, no cats were harmed during this encounter, but it sent shivers down my spine at the boldness of these coyotes who are usually so elusive and hard to see. I talked to a friend of mine who used to work for fish and wildlife and he said starvation and disease will cause coyotes to act differently then instinctively they want to. These guys were lean and mean and I suspect they will be back. We have been advised to install motion detector floodlights along the front of our property and to keep the back pastures mowed short so as not to tempt the deer. Some of the normally outside cats are still in the house with no intention at this time of wanting out. So right now, the sanctuary and the house are a bit crowded as there are minor skirmishes as cats meet unexpectedly for the first time. But that’s okay. Change is good.
Yesterday morning, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and slipped outside to change out the litterpans. Mike was asleep and I left Brandi in the house, because to scoop 32 litterpans, well that takes time. I didn’t get back in the house until 6:30. As I turned on a small light, I heard Mike’s hospital bed vibrating. I’m thinking, what in the world? Then I hear him call out for a blanket! It was 70 in the house, probably 80 outside. I turned on the main light and his bed was just vibrating at a high rate of speed. It was strange as if it was possessed. Then my senses kicked in and I heard his teeth chattering and saw his body in just major chills. I raced for the thermometer but his teeth were chattering so hard, it only registered 97.1. I knew we were in trouble. He was coherent, but combative and I told him we were going to get in my car and go the hospital in Portland. He says “I’m not going!” I lost it- I told him either he was going to put his big boy pants on, get his shoes on and get his ass in my car OR I was going to call 911 and the ambulance would come and take him to the local hospital (which sucks when it comes to care) it was his choice. He decided Portland was a better bet!
We got there in under two hours which was a miracle because cops were everywhere. Yes, I was speeding but paying attention to the road- they admitted him for an infection in his leg. Whether it is a bone infection, they aren’t sure. His white blood cell count was extremely high- his heart rate was 110! They couldn’t get in much lower (which also indicates infection in the body). Brandi and I were at the hospital for ten hours with him. When I finally got home, I was so tired, but there was a message on my machine from a lady who wanted to adopt Mason.
I called her and we talked and she asked me to bring several kittens/cats to her home and see how it goes. Because I don’t know what my week is going to be like, I took Gump, Bentley, Chauncey and Mason with me to meet this family. I let all the cats out of the carriers in their front room and it was hilarious. Gump immediately jumped up on the condo snuggled down as if he belonged there! Ironically, he was the exact color of their design scheme in their living room. They flipped for him. I did tell them he is unpredictable and prone to attacking people with no provocation. Mason just explored- Chauncey immediately started jumping up on the counters in the kitchen have a kitty panic attack and Bentley dove under their couch you couldn’t even see the tip of his tail!
They were so interested in Gump, but he attacked all of them including me during the visit. So they decided against him. Bentley wanted nothing to do with the process and Chauncey was just beside herself looking for a place to hide. Mason stole the show. They adopted him but said that in a few weeks after Mason acclimates, they would like to adopt Gump and see if they can work with him. They were very cat savvy all of them including the young boy.
So my I-5 kitty now has a new home. My husband is in the hospital. My house is a wreck and tomorrow poor Boo gets all her remaining teeth yanked and some gum treatments to stop any future infections. Life as normal I guess- as normal as can be in my neck of the woods.
She is scheduled for her dental on Tuesday. They said I have been a client for long enough so small payments are acceptable until the whole bill is paid in full. Thank God for the kindness of some vets.
I don’t know how Dickens is doing it, but somehow he is finding a way out of the bedroom and joining the rest of the group in the cat enclosure. I did a double-take when I saw this kitten lying on one of the ramps out there. The problem with him going in with everyone right now, is some of our older residents don’t take to kindly to the antics of a kitten with a lot of energy. I was able to capture him and put him back in the bedroom and he is letting me know- he isn’t happy. Hopefully, this weekend, I will find a home for him and also for Mason. That’s the plan anyway.
Here is Mason, so far I haven’t been able to find the right home for this brave kitten. I hope this weekend when I start to put the word out about him again, I will find the loving home he needs to thrive.
Of course Mike wants to keep him! LOL
Someone who is educated on the pros and cons of scooping litterpans has graduated to the top of the heap in creating SmartCat all Natural Cat Litter. The claims on the bag stand true:
It outclumps clay litter every day (even though there is NO clay involved in the making of this litter)
No Smell Can’t tell (once the kitty uses the litter there is no noxious smell left behind that perfumed litter is notorious for)
Breathe Clean 99% DustFree I was able to set aside my face mask when handling this litter; pouring, scooping, even opening the bag. There is no dust (and no track!)
Chemical Free, Clay Free, Fragrance Free Absolutely true- this wonderful litter is made from U.S. farm grasses. Unlike some of the clay free litters on the market today- Smart Cat All Natural Cat Litter maintains the same consistency as other clay or sand litter so there is no need to growl or grumble when the litter doesn’t scoop right. The litter appears to be kinder to paws and safe for being the first litter to introduce a kitten to. They taste-test everything.
Although the instructions say to mix Smart Cat with existing litters, I found that not to be necessary. ALL the sanctuary cats used it right away over the other brands they are used to.
Order from PioneerPet.com
SmartCat All Natural Cat Litter makes scooping litterpans easier and faster.
Apparently some of you who regularly tag into my blog are asking this website to consider CATS Inc among their many charities. I thank you for that, I truly do- but after just a few interactions with reps from this site, I will just say I am not comfortable signing up for their program. IF you want to support CATS AdoptaShelter remains a better way. Find our sweet home sanctuary Caring About The Strays, designate us as your favored shelter and shop till you drop! 🙂 They just teamed up with Ellen DeGeneres so I suspect a lot more merchants will be coming on board soon.
Again thank you for thinking about all the cats here. They need all the support I can find, however, that support won’t be coming from the AmazonSmileFoundation.
Boo is one of the senior cats rescued early this year. She is pitch black, her eyes are a mess and will continue to be a mess for the rest of her life due to the neglect she suffered. She is so loving and has gone from being a cat completely out of reach (hiding in the rafters) to head-bumping and rubbing on me every time I go into the stall enclosure. Last night, I noticed her mouth was bleeding which caused me concern. I bundled her up and took her to the vet this morning.
She needs to have all her teeth pulled. Her gums are inflamed and eating is painful for her. They gave me an estimate of $492.39 which should cover the dental exam, pain meds, IV’s she will need and because it is dental work and she is so old, they want to do pre-op blood work to be sure it’s safe to do the procedure. I am once again asking for help. I was able to get the vet bill down to $200.00 thanks to recent donations, but this procedure will bump it back up into the $700.00 range.
I looked at this beautiful blackness and told the vet we would go ahead and do the procedure. There is only vet that does dentals so she has been scheduled for the 20th. I know this is going to be so hard and painful for her- but her mouth is really a mess. Until that time, she will get all her food pureed and they put her on pain meds as well. God Bless this kitty- had she had a normal life with someone who cared about her- all of this would be unnecessary.
This is one of the blogs I follow-
Here are two of the four porch kitties that arrived recently. The boy, the cow kitty who I finally decided to name Dickens has been confined for three days after escaping from me earlier. He is not happy and cries non-stop all day and all night in confinement. I tell him he is lucky to be confined in such an elegant cage. It is huge when you think of how some cats are housed in shelters and it has an outside patio to go along with it. He is not impressed and just keeps crying. Today is his last day in captivity. He gets neutered tomorrow and then he will be returned to the group of girls he came in with. He acts feral (hissing growling showing his teeth ears flat) but it is all bluff. When I begin to pet him, he can’t get enough lovin.
