Here is one of the newest arrivals. They were calling her JuJu but I changed her name – she is a sweet kitty full of mischief at times and she is with all the others. The only one she has issues with is Fog. I think he has a crush on her, she can’t be bothered. She has found the bed to be her liking and at night sleeps on my shoulder. In the day time, she is often found sleeping with Mike on his lap. She was acting out due to a HUGE load of worms in her belly- once they were gone, she calmed down a lot.

What a surprise! She’s a black kitty! LOL

Just returned from Eugene where I placed my four year old dilute calico ShyAnne in a wonderful, loving home!

I keep telling people who contact me that the older cats are so much easier to adapt to new homes and ShyAnne proved me right. She walked out of the carrier, walked over to Francie her new caretaker and laid down, rolled over, exposed her beautiful belly for a good belly rub! I was so thrilled! Since I do the adoptions on a donation basis now because the economy is still so bad around here, they gave me enough to pay for the gas to get her there and back. Wonderful home! She will be an only kitty and I know she will be pampered and spoiled and loved. Best of all, no more kitty chaos for her. She is an armchair kitty has to be on my arm and on the armrest of the couch all the time- and unfortunately she doesn’t like to share the space and gets grumpy growly when others try and come up and say hello to me.

She is such a unique girl! When she is in the car she meows and she talks. I told her new caretaker to put her on YOuTube, because she says “No Way” when she meows- she also says “Help Me” and something that sounds like I love you- Seriously! I am not kidding~

I will miss her- but we said our goodbyes and I know I did a good thing here! God has blessed me so- 19 wonderful adoptions in 23 days!

We just returned from the surgeon’s office and the news is not good. The foot is pretty much deformed- there is little healthy bone left according to the films, but an MRI is to be scheduled ASAP to see how much infection there truly is. The surgeon said that at this point there are several options but that we shouldn’t fool ourselves, this is a serious issue here.

choices are once the MRI results are in:

Surgery to go in and remove the infected part of the bone of the foot. He will then be placed in a cast for up to 8 months and walk with a brace for his entire life. That’s the best option-

Surgery to go in and remove the infected part of the foot and what the surgeon suspects is more infection further up. If the infection has spread to the ankle, they will have to remove the foot completely. If the infection is still just contained in the foot, they will remove all the infection and take off more bone so that Mike won’t be so susceptible to more wounds and abscesses. He will then be placed in a cast for over a year and walk with a brace for the rest of his life.

There was talk about vascular surgery- all the major veins to Mike’s foot are shut down- clogged up heavy and if they believe he is a good risk for this surgery, he may be referred to a vascular surgeon so the surgeon can clean out the veins and get good blood flow to the foot and start the healing process. This is the riskiest surgery because of the time he would be under anesthesia. He has no pulse in his left foot. The now refer to his leg as Elephant Man Syndrome.

The surgeon said that this isn’t a matter of rebuilding Mike’s foot- it is a matter of salvaging what is there now. The Charcot’s Disease that the other doctor suspected he had, this surgeon says he doesn’t think that is the case but what Mike has right now is a lot of trouble and it can be life-threatening. Not what I wanted to hear, but what I sort of suspected we would hear.

If he gets stubborn (the surgeon’s words not mine) and says no to the surgeries then he will be put on antibiotics for the rest of his life which is also not a good option. He will be fitted for a brace and monitored carefully. Even on antibiotics he will still be susceptible to the wounds he’s been getting. The only difference is the wound’s won’t become so infected. The surgeon said this option is like putting a small band-aid on a very big wound.

So we are waiting to hear about the MRI and when it is scheduled. I did ask about the upcoming radiation treatments and the surgeon said that Mike’s foot takes priority. We go to see the radiation specialist tomorrow- a new one- the last one upset Mike to such a degree that I lodged a complaint and they have put a new one on his case. The complaint was valid and severe and I was told the doctor will be held accountable for what occurred-

The kittens are now just one day over a week old. There eyes are open but all they do which is normal is eat and sleep. I admit to feeling so much pleasure to see these little lives- I also am relieved that she is a good mom and I don’t have to get up every two hours feed and stimulate the babies. She will bite me if I handle them though- she hasn’t drawn blood but she is telling me to leave them alone or else!

I also just got a call about a second cat suspected of being pregnant. The woman is being threatened with eviction if she keeps the cat and she has to get rid of her-sigh….Of course it’s a black cat! LOL

I will pick her up later today and put her in the bedroom. The new kitty (renamed Whisper) is now in with the other cats and other than a few hisses and some threatening paw swipes everyone is getting along. Guess the good Lord knew that I would need the bedroom for the new arrival.

Here is one of her kittens- a friend visited this morning and took this off her cell phone. She moved her kittens back to the canning cupboards off the stairs the other day- guess I better listen to her! LOL

Just drove over 200 miles to deliver a black kitten to a loving, forever home. This kitty is going to be so loved though he will have to get used to a cockatoo and a parrot. But the husband and wife have a lot of love to give, and when I left, kitty was getting lots of love and hugs from the new members of his family. This is Tover’s brother that left here.

The new kitty in the bedroom (whisper) is psycho kitty I swear! Goes from loving and wanting pet rubs one minute to hissing, swatting and biting the next. She isn’t feral but she is sure grumpy growly. I ended up with putting the screen door between the hallway and the kitchen back up so the other cats can’t come and visit at her door. That seems to have settled her down for now. Evn withthe protective shield on the bottom of the screen door of the bedroom, the other cats set Whisper off like nothing I have ever encountered before. Silly kitty!

In a few days, Mike will turn 72 years old. Because he is tied up with doctors all week, we celebrated in a quiet way and went to see John Carter. This is my first 3D movie and we both loved it. Typical story plot that we have seen time and again, but the animation is incredible and Disney managed to stay pretty true to the book.

Afterwards, we drove to Eugene to pick up a new kitty who surprisingly isn’t staying all the long! Her owners got jammed up by being caught by Housing Authority and busted for having a cat. They had ten days to find a home for her or they would get evicted. They also have two young children and were in a bad way.

The kitty is sweet, they had her spayed and chipped yesterday, so hopefully their committment to get her back when they find a place to live that allows cats will come to pass. She is black (of course!) LOL She is a medium hair, I put her just under a year old, and she has one sweet personality. She also has one white, striking whisker amid all her dark ones, so thankfully I will be able to spot her in a crowd of black! I am calling her Whisper (she really didn’t have a name) and she is a mere slip of a kitty reminding me strongly of Prowler. I love her white whisker. I put her in the cage last night, she ate this morning and all is well. I took her out of the cage and now she is under the bed, but she comes out to explore. The other cats are very indignant that I had the nerve to shut the interior screen door to the bedroom and give it over to just ONE cat! There was a lot of activity at that door last night and when I got up this morning and pushed the door open, several cat door blockers slid along the tile floor.

I suspect in a few days Whisper will be with the others, Based on what I have seen so far- she is what I call an Ambassador Kitty and there won’t be a problem merging her with the others. I am thankful she is not a pariah kitty.

Just spoke to Karen the new caretaker of the three Ragdolls. The girls are all coming out to greet her- they are sleeping with her even Gretel! And she has my camera- which she will send me tomorrow-

I am so happy to hear the girls are adjusting so well and equally glad they are with someone with the time needed to spend with them.

I have spoiled Mr. Tover, or he has trained me well. This now 8 month old kitten has one favorite place to sleep and that would be on my neck.

I keep asking him how he would like it if I slept on his neck? But he is not fazed by my inquiry and will yawn, reach out with his ebony paw and lightly bat at my face as if to say; Silly Human, you belong to me!

I am not sure why my lap is unworthy of his attention. It seems to be satisfactory to all the other cats here. But Tover, he is intent on being a necker. He will when my lap is occupied in one mighty leap, clear the pile of kitties on my lap and land straight on my face. Taking a short breast rest he will then settle on his coveted place, my neck. If I dare to stop his advances he will mew so pitifully (Mike says it sounds truly like I have hurt his feelings). Then I will sigh, tell him to come on and he will crawl up and turn into my neck scharf. Although, I don’t wear him outside to keep the cold out, the thought has crossed my mind. Maybe I could start a new fad?

Late last year, I received an email from someone who had found a kitten in dire straights. She contacted me, finding me through Kitten-rescue.com and together we worked out a plan to save this kitty’s life even though all the odds were against it.

The girl was in India and her story unfolded before me through emails. It has now been set in print and online- you can see it here if you wish:

One Act

McKenzie and her kittens are doing well. Mc is a good mom and I suspect she has done this before. Most young moms are stressed out, but she just takes it all in stride. She allows me to handle her kittens now without trying to bite or charge me.

I am feeding her five times a day several different types of food. She seems to prefer dry food to canned- though like most cats she can’t say no to Kitty Krack (aka Fancy Feast).

I live off a major highway. When we moved here, the road was rural, two lanes with not much traffic. There was a major road already going into town, past picturesque houses and forests. But then the railroad decided to open up the old tracks and since these tracks crossed this major road, they decided to turn our two lane road into a four lane highway. Bulldozers arrived and carved out a large portion of our front yard. As the trees were mowed down and hauled away, I felt the sadness for the progress.

On this road on a daily basis, there are homeless people most on bikes but some on foot. They scavenge for discarded aluminum cans stuffing them into their hand sacks or baskets. They will turn these into cash to use for whatever purpose be it food, wine or drugs- their choice. The going rate here is $0.05 a can so they are out every day trying to eke out a living. The cans are picked up after being put through the machines and being crushed. They travel to special plants where they are made into new, bright and shiny recycled cans ready for a new purpose. I wish I had that same option.

A few days ago, on another blog I posted about how I dress up black cats in doggy clothes in order to find them new homes. “Brilliant” someone commented- Truth is, I don’t feel very brilliant these days. I’m decomposing I think. With the health issues of my husband weighing heavily on me each day, my brilliance is fading. I will be driving him 60 miles a day, 5 days a week for two months to Corvallis Hospital where he will undergo radiation treatment for prostate cancer. The treatment, we are told is not invasive as far as side effects go- versus the other four options and their treatment. But what is invasive is the prep prior to the surgery. They have to move things out of the way internally so that the radiation hits the proper spot. Not a fun thing.

The hit on our finances is going to be major. It’s a long drive and gas prices keep going up all adding to worries. We have an option for him to stay at a Hospitality House but he has to be self-sufficient. I can’t stay with him, because of the cats. Besides, I would feel as if I am abandoning him. Although the treatment won’t have severe side effects- there are some side effects that he shouldn’t face alone.

We are still waiting for the decision about his foot. Are they going to do the surgery and when they do, will they be able to save the foot or take the leg? We won’t know for about a week- scheduled is an MRI to explore how much the Charcot’s Food Disease has invaded his bone and tissue. It’s a pins and needles wait. Those of you who might be reading this and are fighting a weight battle, please heed my words. Diabetes is nasty and silent and it strikes so quickly. Even when you think you might have it all under control that control can just slip away and leave you floundering.

The only thing working for me is my cats. They are my solace and my strength. I know with all this coming down the pike that I have to get my numbers down, so I started marketing these cats to the best of my abilities. It seems to have paid off because I have adopted out 16 cats/kittens within three weeks. I ask tough questions to people answering my ad. One lady flew off the handle with me and asked me in an email; “Why do you need to know all of this just so I can adopt a cat? After all, it’s JUST A CAT!” I never answered her, nor did I visit her home with Fog, the kitty she was interested in. My thoughts if you can’t answer my questions, you don’t deserve my time let alone my kitties!

I spend a lot of time talking to God and crying. I was watching a dumb commercial late last night and I just started tearing up! On a commercial for heaven’s sake! I know I need to get articles on my website felinexpress. New articles mean traffic and traffic increases the Internet Kitty. But I sit at the computer tapped out. I don’t want to write just to fill up space. I want my writing to mean something, to help people. Yet, my brain keeps quiet.

My glue is my cats. Tover and Taxi appear to know when I am at my breaking point. They will jump up on my lap and curl around my neck strategically to become my kitty Kleenex, catching my tears on their soft fur. Tover nuzzles my neck and tries to let me know that all will be okay. He is a kitty optimist. I need to listen to his wisdom.

My hope is using this Blog as a dumping ground will unplug my creativity and allow me to do what I need to do. I need to write. To put articles of value on feline and allow the people who surf in to know that they learned something during their visit and didn’t waste their time.

So it leaves the decision to recycle myself up to me. By using prayer and trying to find ways to get out of the house for even a short period of time, to breathe, to take a walk even in the storm to quell all the uneasiness I feel inside and to find my center again.

A dear friend recently told me:”All I can do is all I can do, and I am enough.” She told me to remember the cat who just arrived here, frozen under the bed and unwilling or unable to move. Masking the sweetness, blocked from moving forward or back because of the fear of the “what if’s or might have’s.” I need to not be that cat. I need to be that recycled can moving forward…with a new purpose.