George is here right now and he and Mike are installing electrical outlets inside the deck enclosure. The building looks fairly nice. There are three wired and screened windows now to let more light into the building. The original sunroof is cracked- when our neighbors tree fell so many years ago onto our land, one of the limbs hit the sunroof. It would be nice to replace it but for now it is boarded over as it leaks and it is still raining here.

I got a call late last night from a man who was looking for older cats to adopt. He wanted two of them, he wanted one of them to be a tortise-shell. He had called about Pippi and Piper, but they have a lot of issues between them and they probably will live out their days here. Piper is about ready to lose her eye and most people don’t want a one-eyed kitty.

So I offered up my two five-year olds- the owner surrenders back in Jan. Trinity and Denver. The man agreed to meet them, so off we went.

I couldn’t have ordered a better home. We went into the bedroom and both man and wife joined me on the floor as I opened up the carriers. Trinity came out first and they thought she was beautiful (most people in this area don’t take to torties). Trinity slid under the bed and I silently groaned. The bed was so low to the floor, I don’t think I would have fit underneath it if I had to go and capture her to take her back home. Denver took his time exiting the carrier, he got one pet from the man then he too vanished under the bed. Clint looked at his wife and burst out laughing. They both said in unison “Well, I guess they are ours now!”

In a few hours I will take Cagney, Roscoe and Sophia to a family looking for two kittens. If all goes well, four cats will leave here today and start their new life. Can I hear an “Amen!” 🙂

*8:06 PM Update: The family decided that they couldn’t decide between any of the three kittens so they adopted them ALL! I will miss those three immensely, but they are going to have a GREAT life!

Work is still being done on the enclosure so the photos will have to wait. The one black kitty in there is fierce and feral. He has already gotten me twice, that’s how fast he is. I told Mike I was going to call him Striker!

I stand corrected, she has been keeping these cats inside this carrier for two weeks- the other in the trap a few days. UGH! Project underway and I have to scramble back and help George out to finish this- so these cats can be released. Thanks to all who helped chip-in to help these guys!!

Project

Almost there:

9:30 p.m.- Kitties were released inside new enclosure. It broke my heart, there was no water in the carrier, no litter pan, just a few newspapers and very little food. When we released the two into the new place, one of the larger black cats climbed the back wall and tried to get into the back of the trellis that was there. George was nice enough to fetch a ladder and climb up with a blanket, wrap the cat safely and bring him down. I put him and the blanket inside the igloo that is there.

This building went up so fast, but tomorrow we are going to remove the trellis just in case. The cats are warm, they are safe, they have food, shelter, water litter pans and room to roam around. Although three were turned over, Karen told me the one in the trap didn’t know the others so I had to put him in our last outside cage (two levels) He was so glad to get out of that trap- he bolted for his feral cat house I put in there for him and hasn’t moved. he is black and white, the other two are pure black.

Tomorrow Roscoe and Sophia go to their forever home together. Two out- three in- figures! LOL I’m exhausted and dragging myself off to bed. Thanks to all of you out there in your own part of the world who cares about the cats that inhabit mine. I have no words but Thank you-

I just learned that Karen wants me to take three more feral cats and I am just shaking my head in disbelief after all that she has said about our rescue. But- as I told her, I don’t do this for her, I do this for the cats. She’s telling me that I can simply just “throw the three into the enclosure with the other cats” (which ain’t happenin folks) because YOU are savvy enough to know that if cats are apart for any length of time, you can’t just “throw them” back together and not have major confrontations.

So my only option is to accelerate my last final project of turning our old jacuzzi deck into yet another cat enclosure and putting the final three there. It will cost us about $485.00 to do this- the framework is there, so we have to patch the roof and put up boards and insulation and get these cats away from this woman. I did tell her that the ONLY way I am going to take them is she has to sign the release form right now along with an Absolve Claim. She is not welcome on our property so she has to drop the cats off at another rescuer’s home and I will go and get them after she leaves and the paperwork is signed. I told her if she doesn’t sign the paperwork- it’s a no go for anything to happen. She’s agreed to all terms. She only has about 12 days left before she is evicted and she still has no place to go.

Here is what I am talking about to hold these three feral cats ( I just pray they all have their teeth!)

New Project

Please if you can send anything- it will all help. I have 42 hours to make this happen or risk losing these cats. She’s already had two in the same carrier for a week. I want those as soon as possible. She is trying to trap the third.

I must have held some inkling when I named this pretty girl Patience, that she would become yet another life’s lesson for me in working with neglected cats. During the day, she is in the house full time, running with the other cats through the tunnels and up and down the ramps or trying to find a sunspot where she can catch a nap. However, at 2:00 a.m. she turns into the wailing tower of terror and her fear of the house in the darkness is as real as the lights I turn on to try and appease her.

This will be the third night of her wailing her distress to the stars and even after I open the door to see if she wants to go outside, she hesitates and bolts instead to under the counter still crying. Food does not stop her, pets are not welcome and I have to wonder what phantoms chase her dreams and cause her to react like this. One thing is for certain. God is using her to teach me Patience. Mike said I should probably have called her Comatose! LOL

She is asleep on my lap as I type this, and I cringe every time her claws find purchase in my legs. But I understand her terror even though I can do little to chase it away at this time.

Well, the good news is she isn’t constipated and she does NOT have FIP. The bad news is she has completely fallen in love with her food bowl! She is now on a restricted diet and since I don’t have a really good place to keep her by herself, there is a possibility that a woman might adopt her on Friday and give her all the attention and less food as required. Right now I have her on the patio and she is such a people cat she hates being alone.

Cag at the vet-

Here is Juno’s new pad, all mounted and ready to go. In answer to the question posted below- we used short screws to attach the plexiglass to the wood. We also braced the underside of the plexiglass with 2×2 cut to fit (in case a raccoon or another cat landed on the top. It isn’t going to break very easily now. Next photo posted will be of Juno enjoying his new digs (I hope) Just as soon as this nasty weather breaks.

Juno’s Pad

I am not sure what happened here. But overnight Ms. Cagney has swollen up like a helium balloon! My vet is not in the office until tomorrow and my FS isn’t available, but I have a first appointment in the morning. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was pregnant, but she has been spayed. She is eating, drinking and active and loving. I see a bit of diarrhea which might suggest an obstruction. There is a family wanting to adopt her, so I am praying this is a simple fix and she can go on and be adopted afterward. I’ve never seen anything quite like this and I have her isolated at the moment until we figure it out.

Although there is hail on the ground, it is time for spring cleaning. The blue feather duster that I use to help clean out Juno’s cage keeps vanishing? It’s the strangest phenomenom. The duster was here one minute, and gone the next. With the group of kitties clustered around, I lined them up and inspected them for blue breath or blue tongue. No kitties were infected.

I decided to follow the trail of feathers and found Ms. Jedi carefully trying to manuever the feather duster through the cat door. But, she couldn’t quite make it fit.I give her an A for effort though.

Cat Thief!

Juno has limited drainage this morning. My hope is either today or tomorrow we will be able to install his outdoor patio to help him get outside without coming into contact with the other kitties and spreading the URI.
The house will be elevated on a platform about 6 feet from the ground and it will be screened in as well. Mike built it to my specifications. The roof is a strong plexiglass so he can have the advantage of the sun when it finally does come out.
Juno’s hang-out pad

I just returned from picking up Juno. They did not find any polyps 🙁 But they did see extensive scarring and while he was under, they addressed the issue of his earmites/bacterial and fungal infection in his ears. They said he is just going to have to be on long-term antibiotics to keep him comfortable. I’m going to talk to the vet about putting him on holistic measures to see if that will help as antibiotics long-term cause more problems than they solve. They dewormed, de-flead him and sent him home on special diet as his gums are really nasty even though he has no teeth.

He is not a happy boy but he devoured his food when I just now gave it to him. I set up his vaporizer and plugged in his heater and will go and apologize to him later about his day. They did say that the scarring is such that Juno will probably never have a meow again in his life.

I was praying they would find the polyps so he could get better. Now time will tell whether he will be able to overcome all of this and be a better breather.

Ok folks here we go, another selfless plea for monies if possible. It has been decided that Juno stay at the vet’s for a procedure in the morning. The vet suspects (although he can’t actually tell without sedating Juno) that he might have nasal polyps deep in the sinus cavity. He says they are rare, but he is encouraged by the fact that since I have had Juno, he has gained 5 pounds! and that the nasal discharge is substantially less of a flow then when we started on the azithromax. Dr Steve said that if what he suspects is going on is actually going on- then all he has to do (while kitty is under sedation) is pull the stem and the polyp out of the nasal cavity and Juno will become “instantly, substantially better.”

I told him the situation, but I also told him that I can’t just sit idle and watch this kitty try to breathe and not take positive strides to getting him better. I don’t roll that way. The ballpark cost of the procedure is $213.00 depending on what they find. I told him to go for it. I just pray that she doesn’t show up tonight or tomorrow demanding her cats back!