My friend Rebecca came over earlier just to visit. I know that Becky does not care for cats which is why when we do get together, it is usually at the local diner for a cup of coffee and some fellowship. But she decided to arrive unannounced and as I opened the door, the cats scattered. Just this stray cat scramble, I could see set Becky on edge.

As she settled on the couch, Charlie, my most alpha returned and jumped on the back of the couch. I warned him back, but he wouldn’t be detered in his mission and he continued his advancement on my ill-at-ease friend. Cats seem to sense the people who are not fond of them. Perhaps they come to the timid knowing they are in full control, and the new guest isn’t going to squeal in delight and scoop up the “pretty kitty” for a good petting.

Becky scooted away and I suggested we perhaps go outside and sit at the picnic tables. She stood up just as Charlie gained the advantage of her lap and he slid down on the floor leaving behind a few scratch marks on her legs.

As we settled outside, several of my barn cats came by to say hello. I think that did it for Becky and she proceeded to tell me that she didn’t appreciate all this feline attention. She said she doesn’t understand me- how can I drive around town with cat carriers and cat food in my truck- wander into town with cat hair on my sweatshirt and share my life with all these cats!

During her ranting, I saw the erosion of a friendship founded in the Word just split apart. I wondered what was wrong with her that she couldn’t accept my deep respect and admiration for these creatures that the world had kicked around. So much for her witness and her Christian love for her sisters. I just let her spew her frustration and when she was done- I showed her the gate.

I said very little to her but I have to admit as she drove away, I was proud of my barn cats. One of them had walked all over her sportscar and left muddy prints on her windows. As her triade left a lasting impression on my heart, so did those pawprints on her window.

If her heaven exists without animals, I do not wish to go there. Instead, I will go where my cats before me have gone and we will enjoy our time without interruption.

Do i have an unconventional life? I suppose I do by most standards. I would prefer to spend a quiet moment witth one of my cats than an afternoon of coffee and fellowship with someone who doesn’t understand true love.

Mike has problems with his eyes and he will go in on Tuesday to get his cataracts in one eye removed. Then 6 weeks later, he will go in and have the second eye done. After that, it is another trip to the eye surgeon to find out in another surgery is in order. he has scar tissue in his right eye that is eroding the back of his retina. This surgery will be done in the hospital and then he will wear a patch for up to 6 weeks.

The herpes epidemic is slowly subsiding. Most of the mouth ulcers have vanished and I only have three cats actively sneezing at this time. I am also going non-profit. I found a way to do this at a lower cost than originally thought. Once it is done- I will announce my name and the goals of my organization. One of these goals is going to be to help the homeless feed their animals. There are so many homeless here and they have both cats and dogs with them.

I’ll let you know how it goes-

URI has hit this home with a vengeance and I have been busy pushing pills down reluctant kitties throats. It hit about four days ago, right after Frasier was finally cleared health-wise. Muddy came down first with the multiple sneezing fits, watery discharge from the nose. I seriously need a gallon of clavamox right now to treat them all. Even though I isolated immediately, it didn’t matter- the airborne particles were in the air.
Currently under seige; Rocky, Taylor, Phoebe, Cyrus, Cole, Slim, Sharky, Sierra, Barnum, Chappy and Merlin.

I have discovered a sneaky way to pill cats that don’t want to be pilled. I spray or spread the tablets with either spray cheese or cream cheese. I oil my hands with PAM cooking spray and make small balls around each tablet. Then I stick one on my finger, open the mouth of the kitty and stick it to the top of their mouth. I follow it with a quick drizzle of water which loosens the pill and it goes down the throat quite easily.

I have never had so many cats sneezing all at once. I am adding GSE into the waterbowls, cleaning a scrubbing the food dishes four times a day and just praying that this burns out soon. The worse infected are Slim, Barnum, Phoebe and Cyrus. I am hoping the other cats don’t get it, but who knows at this point.

It is supposed to snow later tonight and yes, it is supposed to be Spingtime. I have been busy writing and working and tending to the sick kitties. Mike is getting ready for surgery next Tuesday. The diabetes has invaded his eyes. he has bleeders that are putting pressure on the back of his retinas and so they are going in to cut and cauterize the bleeders. He also has other issues with his eyes, but they want this taken care of first. I have asked for two days off from work so I can take care of him during his 48 hour recovery time.

Last night on the way home from work, I found Jetta. My neighbor called later and told me he saw it happen and that Jetta never saw it coming. It was over, he said, before it started.

Jetta I am sorry that you didn’t realize that inside this home lies safety and love. I wish you had not been dealt the hand in life that it threw at you. I know you are whole, and happy and joined by so many other kitties who went before you. Forgive me for failing you and not cracking that tough veneer you put up for protection-

Well now I really need vibes. I came home from work earlier and went upstairs to freshen her food bowl. She wasn’t in the room! I looked everywhere, but the room is small and there is little places to hide. Nothing seemed amiss until I moved a small stack of books and saw the panel- it had been pushed up and broke. The access to this small cubbyhole is directly into the attic. One place NONE of my cats are allowed to go, because once in the attic, it is an easy escape to the roof and then outside.

I can see that she has indeed gone outside There is black and white fur at the one access hole by the attic fan. As large as she is, she managed to squeeze through the hole and escape!

I can’t look for her right now. It is wild wind and rain. I can only hope she is under the house or close enough and will come out soon. I will set traps tomorrow. Our home borders the woods, and if she gets into there, I hate to think. Not having claws she has little protection. Poor kitty, she must be so scared. But it is dark and rainy and a thorough search won’t be possible till morning.

The only thing I can think is she must have jumped into the cubbyhole to hide- it is shaped like a triangle and she wedged herself down into it. A smaller kitty wouldn’t have been a issue, but she is huge. her size must have dislodged the panels and off she went.

Jetta is going to be a challenge. She shows immense distrust to all things human. She is quick to respond aggressively when I am trying to help her. I moved her upstairs this morning when it became clear that being in a room with a bit of traffic was unnerving to her. I have seen cats who dislike carriers, but Jetta takes this dislike to a whole other level. Poor kitty. I have no idea how her past owner even got her into the tiny carrier she came with, because it was such a struggle to get her into my larger one. My top loaders have been loaned out, had they been available this morning, the stress level would have been much lower.

I feel so sorry for Jetta. She has had to put up with situations that no cat should have to endure. I hope as time goes by, she can relax and understand she is in a good place. Mike said she reminds him of the Queen Mother, a calico cat we rescued years back. I just have to work slowly with her and let her acclimate to her new home. She is also not cat-friendly at all. I can understand why the shelters told Janice that this cat is unadoptable. She only trusts one person after a long time and now, that person is gone. Her world is rocked and it will be up to me to steady her. Wish me luck-

As expected, Jetta is staying under the bed for now. She is a big, wide-eyed kitty wondering what in the world happened to rock her world so. Here she is now in a new environment, surrounded by the smells left in the room by previous kitties, because there is no amount of scrubbing that ever removes pheremones. She has to adjust to the rhythm of the house. She hears the other cats, hears the dog padding about, has to deal with the scheduled visits I have started to see to her needs.

Knowing she would be under the bed for a bit, before she arrived yesterday- I piled soft blankets along the front wall. It can get cold under there, even with the heat on, because we are still in the remodeled frame of mind in the bedroom. When Mike grew so ill, remodeling stopped as we were doing all of the work ourselves. The outside wall that we wanted to knock out and make into a master bathroom still opens to the porch and that is where the wind and cold find a way into the room. So the blankets stop the drafts.

I did peek under the bed this morning just to be sure all is well. Seems to be, she is just scared. It is clear that Janice loves this cat and has taken excellent care of her. So, I just slid the food and water underneath my bed and let her be.

Making the bed, I just talked to her gently so she can get used to the sound of my voice. My sweaty socks also went under the bed, so she can adjust to my smell and know that I am a friendly.

It will take Jetta few days to realize that this home is safe for her. For now, she is here, she has her needs met and it is only a matter of time before she decides to join her new world.

The other night, I got home from work late. As is my routine, I fed the cats and then settled down in front of my computer to answer emails. One email came in as a comment from my blog. The message although a bit long was pretty clear; the woman was looking for help with a feral cat. She wanted to know who she could contact.

I wrote back immediately and told her that it would be helpful if I knew where she lived? By this time we were approaching midnight. I was about to click off the computer and call it a day, when her reply showed in my in-bin.

“I am in Portland, Oregon.”

So I ask you dear readers, what are the odds?

I have a full inn right now, but after listening to this cat’s plight, I see no other alternative but to rescue her. This kitty who is a three year old cow kitty was originally found inside the engine of a Jetta along with four other littermates! How they survived during the trip to work inside the engine without considerable injury is nothing short of a miracle.

The kittens were found homes and I believe two ran away right off. The one woman who took Jetta, decided to declaw her and then she became upset that the kitten turned out to be a bite-monster after the surgery. She ended up giving the cat (now 2 years old) back to the woman who found them in the first place.

The woman (janice) has kept Jetta for a year, but the other day, Jetta bit the FIL. The husband demanded that Jetta be put outdoors until a new home could be found.

Jetta will be here on Saturday and she will be our bedroom kitty. I know I can’t put her with the group, it wouldn’t be fair to her or to my group. I understand she dislikes being held or petted, which is fine. I have several cats like that here already. I let them be cats, be who they are, respect their boundaries and we live together happily. I have one old girl Ms. Dash who I rarely even see. I know she is here, I catch glimpses of her every now and again and even though she is long-haired she will come indoors from the enclosure when it is cold outside. She was in the living room this morning in fact, although when I got up and walked by her, she bolted down the tunnels.

So one leaves-(Torah) and one arrives (hopefully) on Saturday. But what are the odds in this world-wide Net that one comment on my blog would result in another cat coming to stay here.

I have been absent trying to get Frasier well but what we have tried seems not to be working. Today, I decided, no more stressful trips to the vets. It sounds like he has kennel cough, so I am giving him meds that are used for kennel cough. If that doesn’t work then he will have to kick this on his own.

To do further tests on him would require monies I don’t currently have, so I have to just stop and pray that God still wants this beautiful black boy around for awhile. He is eating and coughing less, but yesterday, I was anchored down on the couch all day because he was so lethargic. He slept on my lap the entire day and hardly moved. I had the day off, but my house still needs a good scrubbing which didn’t get done.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, but it is still very cold here. The cat’s playroom has been changed a bit to accomodate a new product currently under review: The Kitty Staircase to Heaven by felinefurniture The cats love it and it takes up the entire wall and climbs almost to the ceiling.

Last night we had a black and white visitor outside. I know the skunks are coming “home” but they are early this year. I just hope they don’t get hit on the road. I still don’t understand how a motorist can’t avoid a skunk. They are so slow moving even at a fast waddle. I think this is the last of the babies that returned last night though it is hard to tell because face it, all these skunk babies we saved a few years ago look alike.

The other cats came running in looking highly offended once the spray hit it’s mark. I ended up putting vicks on my nose so I could at least not smell the odor. Of course this morning, Gretchen decided to roll in the stink and she got a bath quickly.

She passed this morning. Her system was shutting down and there was little hope for recovery. She was losing stool and vomiting almost nonstop. I think I made it in record time to the vet as she was suffering so. In the end, she was given a little bit of dignity that she so richly deserved.

I am sorry sweet, golden girl that we couldn’t share more time together.