“Is your watch litterpan-proofed?”

Rayne- my pirate who buries treasure! Thankfully, she did so in a clean litterpan!

Dear God, I say a prayer tonight,
For Dusty, a good friend.
Her Aunt has left this earthly plane,
It’s hard to comprehend.

When Angels come to fetch the one,
We love with all our heart.
Our life detours from what we know,
Our time of grief does start.

We’re left with questions, wondering why?
It’s a path Dusty knows to well.
Her Aunt has entered Heaven’s gate.
In the presence of God she dwells.

I imagine when she stood there firm,
And wondered what’s in store?
There were countless sets of paw-prints seen,
Leading right to Heaven’s door!

The Bridge Brigade was waiting,
For a relative of theirs.
At the arrival of this lovely soul,
Surely tales of Dusty she’d share?

The trumpets blared, the Angels sang,
The door to Heaven swung wide.
And this blessed, heavenly soul,
She gently stepped inside.

The cats they gathered at her feet.
Their purrs joined Heaven’s chords.
And with feline friends accompanying her-
She went to meet her Lord.

-Mary Anne Miller-

Unfortunately, they were not sleeping- they were attacking! What is it about feet that kittens are so attracted to? (And please don’t tell me they smell!) I did take a shower!

Even through all the blankets the attacks were intense and I tried to withstand it- but their teeth and claws did me in!

This is the first time they have actually come out from under the bed and they have only been in the bedroom now for four days. I wrangled them from upstairs recently- that was fun! NOT! LOL

Here are Sahara, Cooper and Jackson. Fawn is still camera shy-

Late last night after everyone had gone to bed, the phone rings. I spring upright in bed and think “Uh oh” late night phone calls are never good news. I check the ID and it is the gal who just adopted Dillon! My heart sinks and I grab the phone.

She was talking so quietly, I think she was crying a bit, and she told me that despite my advice of leaving Dillon in the bathroom for at least a few days to “adjust.” After her son went to sleep, she went and got Dillon.

She put him on the bed and climbed under the covers and started to tentatively stroke him and he leaned into each stroke, climbed on her chest and snuggled down! YAY! She said he was still in bed with her asleep and she tried to put into words her appreciation for him. It was quite moving as she struggled to find the words that this cat had brought her some much-needed peace and comfort.

I sensed when we met yesterday that she was quite lonely, as we talked, she shared some private matters, obstacles she had overcome and how she wanted someone for comfort. We talked a long time, in fact when I got back down to the truck, Mike was sound asleep in his seat! I felt when I left her home that Dillon (the kitty who usually hid under the kitchen cart for most of the day) needed her as much as she seemed to need him and that phone call cemented that fact.

I know that I only have these cats on loan and that they pass through my hands so that I can try and find the perfect place where they really do belong. In this case- I can look up to the heavens at night and smile and whisper “God, we got this one right too!”

Dillon- taken one week ago

Mr. Dillon who I got just around Christmas time has now been placed in a new home. He will be living with a single mom and her young son and when I let him out of the carrier he only showed signs of being scared for about 20 minutes and then he relaxed. It was such a joy knowing that he will be the only pet in the home and will be getting lots of snuggles in the future with a wonderful lady-

In order to feed the outside cats, I keep the kibble inside a covered bucket (5 gallon) I go out twice a day and refill the fillers, then I stow the bucket back under one of the outdoor cat condos behind the garage.

Lately, I have noticed the bucket “travels” at night. At first, I found the bucket near the garage uncovered and the contents gone. I figured B-dog had been up to no good, so went out and got another bucket with a better lid.

But that bucket also started “traveling” around the yard. The farthest I have found it is right by Mike’s shop which is about 90 feet from the main house. Mike said to me, “maybe it is sleep walking!”

So I tied it down with bungee cords to one of the posts of the catio set and it has stayed put. I felt justified and figured I had won the war of the feisty but determined coon.

Then out on the feeding platform the food started to vanish rather quickly. Now, this is inside the enclosure and there is no way the cats were eating all that food. Cat’s just don’t do that, they always leave some behind.

So, I took a walk around the enclosure looking for tunnels because occassionally, wildlife will tunnel in and if that is what is happening, I needed to stop it. I don’t buy cat food to feed the wildlife unless they happen to be stray cats! I didn’t see any tunnels anywhere and was quite confused. Something told me to take another look and this time look up- I did another tour and then I saw it- there was a coon size hole in the wire! It was near the top of the entrance to the tunnels and I almost missed it. He had eaten the wire out just big enough to squeeze through and now I know why all the usual residents of the cat enclosure have been inside lately and acting strange.

When I went to check out the hole and closed it up with more chicken wire and pet-proof screening- I noticed that the wire was rusty and not shiny like the rest of the enclosure. I sat back and looked at it trying to figure it out and then it hit me- this coon had backed up to the wire and sprayed all over the wire rusting it in just a matter of days. It also explained the noxous odor I kept smelling near the entrance of the tunnels. I thought something had crawled inside and died and I kept looking for the source. Once he rusted it- it was simply a matter of pulling the wires to make his food door!

Once the rain stops and good weather comes, we are going to be putting up plywood around the enclosure to hopefully stop this from happening again. But I have to hand it to this coon- he is pretty darn determined to get an easy meal!

On another note, Muggles went to his new home in Portland today and it couldn’t have gone smoother. Both Doreen and her daughter flipped over him- and who wouldn’t? They are going to call him Ashkim which means “my beloved” in turkish. He is going to be one spoiled Maine Coon boy!

Salem could not have been placed in a more loving home! When I left there- Cassie was lying on the floor petting Salem who was purring and kneading her rug.

Last night, I got wind of a kitty in need of rescuing, so I stopped by and picked her up on my way home. She was only 20 minutes from where I dropped Salem off in his new home. They thought she was a calico- she is a Tortie and she is skinny and flea-ridden but she has a soft face and she is upstairs decompressing. They called her Cali- I will name her something else in time-

I have families waiting for home inspection for the following kitties: Tover, Napoleon, Salem, and Rayne. Mike says if this keeps up, we are going to run out of cats soon! Wouldn’t it be nice if there weren’t anymore cats needing my help? That would be wonderful because it would mean all the strays were out of danger. A pipe dream I know, but for a moment- it did bring a smile to my face.

Rayne is doing better- her one back leg is bright red and throwing heat but I can’t find a bite wound or injury so she is still on cage-rest and for now, off the adoption list.

This morning, Rayne started to act peculiar. She couldn’t really walk and was attacking her hind end with great vigor. When I picked her up she made a gurgling sound and tried to bite me! I called the vet and took her right in. They think she fell but they aren’t sure. She is on cage-rest today and tomorrow and I am waiting for her to deposit her gift to me in the litterpan to see what the stool looks like. Her stomach is really tight and gassy. I pray this is nothing at all for there is a lady waiting in the wings to adopt her.

This morning, with God’s guidance, I found a home for Miss Hiss aka Clarity! It was the strangest thing. I received a call from someone inquiring about Sinclair (who has already been adopted) and when I told the caller that, she said thank you and hung up.

I was getting ready to go about my business which consisted of getting the upstairs room ready for the four kittens being spayed today- when a small voice said call her back and ask her if she would like a siamese adult. I did just that and boy would she! Turns out she lives about 20 minutes from me and I went over there and met her and her lovely family- husband, two kids and a pot belly pig! We talked for hours, we come from the same town and she is so comfortable around cats. Her children were all speaking in their “quiet voice” while Miss HIss came out to say hello. Done deal! I can visit any time and she might also want one of Miss Hisses kittens.

It was an answered prayer because Miss hiss attacks me any time I try to work with her kittens. Now, she can be away from them (they are 7 months old and she should be driving them away soon) and I can work with her kittens now to get them into loving homes. That’s five adoptions in as many days.