Suddenly, without warning, Baron has begun to attack the kittens. The first time it happened, the attack was so quick (we had just left the room for a second) that we almost missed it. But when I noticed Shimmer huddling in the corner and went over to see what was wrong, she was all wet from dog slobber. But, I didn’t put it together right away. Had I thought about it, it might have stopped the second attack. But Baron was his normal happy doggy self and although shimmer was upset, I couldn’t figure out why. Baron has allowed the kittens to play on him, suckle his chest, pounce on him, rub against him and hasn’t even shown any aggression towards them.

The second attack, Baron got two kittens in one moment. Shimmer and Panic both were lying next to his side, when he turned his head and in a second, had Panic’s head in his mouth! When I screamed, he opened his mouth and took a swipe at Shimmer who was escaping. Mike jumped on Baron immediately and took him into the bedroom to his crate. I ran after the kittens. Shimmer was okay, but Panic is missing some fur. I saw blood, but not a lot of it. I could not find a bite wound.

I put the kittens upstairs and Mike and I talked it over. It has been decided that we need to find a home for Baron. This decision breaks our hearts because we love him so much, even though we haven’t had him very long. But, the cats have the priority here. We cannot have a cat or kitten aggressive dog as our dogs have full run of the house as well as outside.

It reminds me of Chewy, a German Shepherd we rescued about 5 years ago. The people who had him beat him, starved him, used him for target practice and kept him in a small dirty shed. He was afraid of his own shadow, thin, emaciated, and peed on himself at any noise or movement. His first meal with us, he picked up his dog bowl, made his way through the doggy door and went out into the backyard to bury his food. That broke my heart.

As he got better, stronger, gained muscle mass, he also became aggressive and sneaky. He would stalk us, the cats, the horses, the grandkids. One day, much like Baron without warning, he attacked the neighbor’s chickens. Our vet told us that the aggression would get worse and was more than likely a product of his past abuse. Not knowing Baron’s history, I suspect he is going the same route. Becoming comfortable here, knowing no one will hurt him, he is responding to past triggers or demons. As much as we love him, we have done our job to socialize him and get him to trust again. It’s time to find him a permanent home. One without cats or small dogs.

The kittens are having a field day. With all this wet weather there has been a re-awakening of the low-flying beetles ironically called Rain Beetles. These bugs are flying through the wires of the cat enclosure and the kittens, spying these wonderful, slow-moving treasures- scoop them up and bring them into the house.

I try to rescue them before they are tormented to death, but Trump wants to play Keep-Away. He grabs a beetle, growls ferociously at me, which doesn’t faze me in the least. He is all bluff. Then he scoots between my legs and darts upstairs. Almost as if he knows that my feet won’t respond to my wishes and upstairs is now off limits for me (which it is) because of the cellulitis.

I can almost hear the beetle squealing “Help me…Help mee..” as Trump rushes up the stairs. When I tell my husband what I hear he says, I either need to lay off the pain pills, or stop watching the Sci-Fi Channel! He’s right on both accounts.

The lucky beetles are taken back outside and released back by the creek in the woods. The unlucky ones, well they are just unlucky.

Charlie seems fascinated by them when they fly. When they land, he isn’t interested, but as they do their low-flying loops overhead, he performs some impressive acrobatic moves to catch them. I would imagine that the clouding of his eye isn’t interfering with his overhead sight.

Found out today that my cats and their dwelling will be featured on a blog for NBC! God willing and the creek doesn’t rise, the entry should show up on Dec. 14th Pretty cool! I just hope it inspires others to do what they can to save that stray in the bushes. Even if the stray happens to have an appetite for flying Rain Beetles!

Not as subtle as waking up to a cat rubbing his face across mine, or purring in my ear. The noise that woke me up this morning was a result of a nasty storm and crazy drivers. I am unsure what it is about bad weather that makes some people decide to drive over the speed limit and take chances on icy roads, but in front of the house, a pick-up truck sideswiped a logging truck and both vehicles slid off the road into the ditch.

What a mess, and it is doubtful that the passengers in the pickup truck survived very long. The logging truck didn’t have much damage to it, but the driver looked quite shook up.

It has been raining, windy, drizzling and snowing in the last few days. The roads are flooded and icy a bad combination. I have been trying to stay off my foot as much as possible but we have had power outtages, so sleeping is something I have been doing a lot of.

I called the doctor this morning to get an antibiotic to kick this cellulitis. I was told when I explained that I had figured out what was wrong with me (and four doctors had completely mis-diagnosed me- that “you are not capable of self-diagnosing yourself!” Right- and THEY are? Finally after a lot of arguing, I got them to phone in a prescription for me. I started taking it this morning. It’s not as strong as I believe I need, but at least it is something!

Riley’s water park also masquerades as a pet fountain. He is a tuxedo kitty who is fascinated by the bubbles that the pet fountain creates. He lies on his side and stretches his paw up under the cascade of water until he tips over the reservoir (which thankfully comes tightly capped). Once he has the container tipped over, he loses sight of the magic bubbles. The rubber hose that attaches to the pump also becomes dislodged and blows air into his face. I think it tickles his whiskers because he does a lot of rubbing his face with his paw.

Then he slaps the water much like a toddler would stomp through a mud puddle. Water splashes everywhere! His idea of helping me clean-up? Lick his paws delicately until he has satisfied his thirst.

By this time the kittens have discovered Lake Riley and they are sliding around the floor doing their own interpetation of body surfing. Clambering up on the dining room table, Shimmer jumps down into the middle of Lake Riley splashing her brothers and sisters in the process. Before they can retaliate, she dashes underneath the dining room chair to hide.

They have a grand old time and they just ignore me until I grab the mop to do clean-up. Then it is an E-Ticket ride for Panic as she climbs on board the mop head and goes for her ride, courtesy of Riley’s water park.

One of the latest arrivals keeps vomiting. It’s the polydactyl male and I’m not sure why he keeps vomiting. He has tested negative for all the known infections, he has been dewormed and deflead safely. He seems to only throw up in the evening after I put everyone to bed. I am wondering if it is a new virus or if it is an allergy to the food? I have him secluded in the cat room with only water available, I gave him 1/3 of a tab of Pepcid and he promptly returned it to me- poor kitty…

Charlie has stopped gurgling. I talked to Dr. Vickie today about this reoccuring problem and she believes because he had such a rocky start, he may just do this for quite awhile. She called in more medicine for him so he is back on the zithromax and he is still getting his lysine. Although I still have pain medication available, that he is not getting,

I am convinced that the doctors in this town don’t really know what they are doing, nor do they care. I have just been through it with my ankle and at first they told me it was a strained Achilles tendon, and then it was a fractured foot. When I went into the doc’s to have the foot cast, they looked at the x-ray and told me “This isn’t fractured, who told you it was?” So off went the crutches and I just had a really painful foot. They then said it was probably a partially ruptured Achilles tendon.

The next visit, the powers to be decided to test me for gout so blood was drawn. All levels normal-nope, wasn’t gout. Ankle still swollen, red, inflamed and oh my god painful. So I ask “What is wrong with my foot?” They say it must be broken! MRI will tell us. Well, MRI is out of my reach (no health insurance) so instead they schedule me for an orthopedic surgeon consult. He sees my foot and says “This looks like gout!” GRRRR! In the meantime, I am dealing with pain so severe I just want to cut my friggin foot off! They give me oxycoatin (doesn’t touch the pain.

I call them back and tell them the pills make so sick and they don’t touch the ankle pain, they are perplexed and don’t know quite what to do now. I was also running fevers; I had chills and couldn’t keep anything down. Finally, I had enough! I started logging when I first noticed the symptoms, what my foot looks like, how it feels. Then it dawned on me, I have an infected ankle! I got scratched prior to leaving for the convention. I was barefoot and Baker ran over the top of my foot leaving deep scratch marks on the top of my foot. I dropped my foot immediately into a mixture of bleach and hot water, something an emergency room doctor told me to do with cat scratches. I must have killed some of the bacteria, but not all of it.

I started taking a broad spectrum antibiotic yesterday, and soaking my foot in cold water and GSE already the ankle swelling is going down and it feels better. The inflammation is gone and the fevers are receding.

I see a distinct difference in how I am treated in the health community without insurance from the way I was treated when I had good coverage. They say it doesn’t make a difference, but I beg to differ. It makes a great deal of difference. When I called my doctor’s office this morning to make another appointment about my ankle, I was told he can’t see me till the end of Feb. It’s too bad that here, apparently you even have to die by appointment.

Charlie has been having setbacks. He has been gurgling quite a bit. I finally pinned Mike down and questioned him. Poor man, he was so overwhelmed by all he had to do while I was at the Cat Writers’ Convention that he completely forgot to give Charlie his Lysine. Charlie is on my lap right now, head bumping my hands as I type and making it a bit difficult to to tend to the job at hand.

Charlie is going to need Lysine for the rest of his life to keep feline herpesvirus at bay. I started him back on it immediately and in the course of about two hours after being dosed, he stopped gurgling.

It has been so cold here and I am stuck on the couch pretending to be a couch potato, which I hate. Months ago, I strained my achilles tendon and it has never properly healed. It flared up a few days ago and walking is next to impossible. Honestly, last night I almost woke Mike up and asked him to get his sawzall and cut my foot off! It hurt so bad. They have put me on some pain medication I have never heard of before; Gabapentin. The stuff knocks me for a loop but it stops the pain. It also stops anything productive I should be doing like writing those two articles.

All the kittens are now fully integrated into the house and the house is a busy place. At meal times Mike says the floor is moving because the cats come running to get their meals. When we want to sit on furniture, we practice what Mike calls “cat flinging.” No, we don’t fling the cats to the ground, but we spend a great deal of time removing them from our favorite spots. Oliver especially is challenging. I will put him on the ground so I can sit on the sofa, and by the time I go to sit there, he will be laying on my spot again! The silly goof! Mike said he slept there the entire time I was gone. I know he likes me and that spot retained my scent, but it would be nice if I could sit there from time to time.
Then we have what Mike calls “Kitten Penning”. This is when we really want a glass of water, or a cup of coffee out of the kitchen, but we can’t move because we have kittens laying all over us! It’s a kitty strait jacket actually! Now there are 8 kittens in the house along with the rest of the clowder. That’s 8 more neuters I need to find the funds to pay for. But God always seems to find a way for me.

Right now the kittens are playing in their new playhouse. Nothing elaborate. Just a large cardboard box that I cut several holes in so they can jump in and out. Oliver in his largeness likes to lay on top of the box and since it isn’t reinforced with anything, he of course either slides off or caves it in. But even if the kittens are inside, they can get out easily through the multiple doors provided for them.

They were ecstatic about all the wonderful goodies I brought home for them from the conference. www.catnipetc.com provided them with primo catnip, www.petextras.com means they have wonderful treats like calamari and freeze-dried mouse treats. Worldwise provided wonderful (if somewhat annoying cat toys; birds that chirp when they are tossed across the room. I have to take those and put them up for the night or we can’t sleep. But all the vendors were so generous we had so much product.

Now I need to send the sponsors a thank you note for without them there wouldn’t be an event! But I think I better wait until my head clears.
Here is a photo of me with the award I won for my website www.felinexpress.com Joan Miller is next to me- she is the Legislative Coordinator of CFA and a woman I completely admire.

I can surely understand why dogs go after litter pan droppings as if they are candy. Cats eat their food so quickly; most cats gulp down their food, so the food is unprocessed basically pure protein. But why horse manure? Horses aren’t carnivores, they are herbivores. So why would both my dogs be scarfing down the contents of the fresh manure pile when I muck out the stalls?

According to Dr. Michael Richards DVM, dogs’ eating other species poop is a natural behavior. It only becomes an issue when dogs live with people, because people think the behavior is disgusting. They eat the poop in order to mask their own scent from predators. Now, you and I both know that the family dog isn’t going to be eaten for dinner anytime soon, unless it happens to run into a cougar or a coyote, but the problem is the dog doesn’t know that. Instinctively, when the dog is outside, he feels vulnerable; therefore he dives into the manure pile. The only danger comes from them eating the poop after the horses have been wormed. Apparently, there is also a high water content in horse manure so the dogs are drawn to it.

Looking out the window this morning, I noticed a light dusting of snow on the hills near our home. It grew incredibly cold last night, the air was crisp and the mud from the earlier rainstorm had formed a small sheet of ice that crunched as I made my way to the barn to feed the horses.

The cats were on the warpath, racing through the house chasing each other. I thought perhaps they were reacting to my returning home, but now I realize that they were responding to the change they could feel in the weather. Riley, my eight year old gets snappy during the colder days as arthritis has settled deep into his bones. His growls echoed through the house any time the kittens scampered near.

Seeing the snow makes me miss Alaska (but not that much). Even though snow is beautiful when it is falling, shoveling all that snow, living in darkness for nine months out of the year became tedious.

But oh the people we met while we lived there, and the adventures we had when the weather was warmer serve to keep me in smiles.

On our “first date” (we met through a personal ad years before the Internet was even conceived) Mike presented me with an intense lecture on how to catch fish in Hidden Lake. Perhaps he thought that a Southern California girl had no knowledge how to bait a hook correctly or maybe he thought the only fish I was capable of catching came with Star-Kist label attached. But, at any rate, after his carefully prepared lecture, I finally was able to get him to relinquish one of his coveted fishing poles, I baited my hook (under his watchful eye) and cast the line out in the middle of the lake (we were in his BayRunner). I immediately snagged a fish, and as I reeled in my prize (an eighteen inch rainbow trout) the look on his face was priceless! His original bet for this fishing trip was $1.00 for the first fish and a $1.00 for the biggest fish. I had decided to make him put his money where his mouth is and upped the ante to $5.00. I was $10.00 richer after that fishing trip!

He decided then to drive to Seward (I was spending two weeks with him) and we loaded up the motor home, put the boat on the traier and drove to Seward where we launched the BayRunner out of Resurrection Bay. I admit to feeling a bit uneasy as the land vanished from sight and an Orca breached the water nearby, but other than being delighted that Alaska was on display for me, Mike didn’t seem concerned, so I tried to relax. There is just something about being in a very small boat in the middle of such vastness that unsettled me. But soon we stopped and dropped our lines. How fortunate that we dropped our bait in the middle of a school of feeding King Salmon. We hauled in enough fish to stay safely in the limit set by Fish and Wildlife. In the middle of this excitement, a shadow passed overhead and I looked up to see a Bald Eagle circling. This magnificent predator landed in the water and began to swim over to us. Color me stunned, I never thought about whether an eagle could even swim. Mike whipped out his fish knife and carefully chopped up some salmon and we tossed this sushi towards that big hooked beak.

Even in the wintertime, we shared incredible adventures. Standing in the middle of Iggi Augi and listening to the gentle chimes of the Northern Lights as they danced overhead in a kalidescope of colors overhead, stumbling onto a coven of Ptarmigans, perched on a snow covered tree. The birds resembled snowballs until we startled them into flight. Waking up in the early morning to the phone ringing as Fred our neighbor across the road informing us there was a moose on our porch. Sharing times with our friends Renamary and Vern at the Talkeetnea Lodge…

So I look up at the snow creeping closer to the hills and make a mental note to fill up the firewood catcher on the back porch, muck the horse stalls and put out clean dry straw for bedding, fill the cat beds in the hay barn with new hay and take out the stock heater and drop it in the horse trough. I also need to call the vet and get both horses’ teeth floated. I have two articles waiting for me, their deadlines looming, and hungry kitties waiting to be fed. The horses are pawing at the gate. They are eager for the warm grain mash they get as the weather turns colder. There will be time for reflections later as my critters have missed me. It is time to stop reflecting. It’s time to get busy

Thursday-

As I sit here at the airport waiting for my flight to San Francisco to arrive, I can feel the weight of responsibility slowly roll off my shoulders and go crashing to the ground. I admit, too in feeling guilty for leaving. For Mike stays behind to juggle for the first time the needs of all the cats, including medicating the few still sickly kittens, cleaning out all the litter pans, feeding the brood and seeing that horses and dogs stay fed and watered. He will soon discover how demanding and time-consuming these needs are.

Along with feelings of guilt, comes the gratefulness that I am going to get away. Away from medicating Trump and Charlie, breaking up fights between Matuse and Cole, spurred perhaps by the sudden inclusion of the kittens into the rest of the house, and away from all the needs caring for these kittens places on my shoulder daily. So I sit in the quiet of the airport, before the holiday madness hits, one of the advantages of flying out of Eugene instead of Portland and wait for what lies ahead.

I just imposed on a couple to take a photo of me for my parents. I had to laugh, before the woman took my picture, she fussed over my collar, adjusting it so it stood straight, much like my mother would do.

At the Crowne Plaza Hotel –

My roommates this year are Dusty Rainbolt and Nancy Peterson. Nancy and I get along famously. I find her delightful and funny and she is filled with all sorts of stories about her adventures. She even took time out to hear about my manuscript. She expressed a desire to read it when it is finished and if she agrees with what it says she has said she will write a foreward for it! Nancy works with the HSUS championing the causes of the feral cat. This is the first time I have actually really met her up close and personal.

Amy Shojai and Dusty Rainbolt invited me to have lunch with a group of other authors. The Japanese Restaurant inside the Crown Plaza makes wonderful food and a lot of it! The company at the table during meal time presented more color than the spread before us on the table!

Friday- Interview Day

I pitched my manuscript to three editors. All of them seemed genuinely interested in the concept and how the message was being delivered. We had a long, lovely talk finding commonality in the fact that all of us had stray kittens in our home. Using their strays as a topic, I was able to launch into a discussion of my manuscript. The interviews flowed, they didn’t stall. I will be interested to find out what they think about my sample chapters after the holidays are over.

I have met amazing and talented people here. Belonging to The Cat Writers’ Association inspires me daily. The group challenges me to be a responsible “eye witness” when I write. Every time one of them writes a new article, this raises the bar for me to be a better writer. The group creates new sources for my work, brings to light creative ideas and forms friendships that are true.

One gal I really clicked with is an artist and a writer. Bernadette and I got along from the very beginning and are planning some future projects together.

Saturday-

Another day of seemingly endless wonderful food and inspiring seminars; within the company of so many men and women excelling in their craft. We then had about three hours of free time and I just went upstairs to pack and instead fell asleep in the bathtub! I was so tired. My roommates are busy sleepers- but then I snore, so we are in good company!

It is interesting how three women can share a room with two double beds, one bathroom a table one dresser and a television. Mostly it means we are pretty good living out of a suitcase and not shy about running around in our birthday suits.

7:00 p.m. the bar is open and people have gathered to network, form friendships, hunt for projects or just relax. Joan Miller of CFA is here. I admire this woman so much. Her ability to retain information pertinent to cats, her love of reading and research and her passion for breed-specific cats and ferals makes her number one in my book! I first met her three years ago at the first conference I attended. I watched her in action at the International Cat Show and my respect for her widened. Our sponsors are here enjoying the day along with us. This is always such a glorious event.

Saturday Morning:

I have met amazing, wonderful people; TE Watson, author of There’s a Dragon in my Mailbox, I Wanna Iguana and other children’s story. A delightful man, who is quick to laugh, he has a twinkle in his eye and told me he is currently working on eight books. This group inspires me to be a better writer while encouraging me to stay true to myself. Belonging to this organization motivates me to think outside the box. They supply me with endless article material simply by speaking about their own personal experiences.
The Awards Banquet starts in a few minutes. This year, there won’t be a main speaker for the event which is good, because it is always so long anyway.

Sunday 2:00 a.m.-
I can’t sleep and in a minute you will know why. As we were nearing the end of the awards banquet and I was trying not to fall asleep in the middle of my chocolate mousse, they were announcing the last three awards of the nights. As Amy was talking about the judge’s comment regarding the biggest award of the evening- the CFA’s President’s Award, one of the women near me whispered “Sounds like Cat Fancy…” Although, it did sound like Cat Fancy, there was something about the description that seemed familiar, but I just thought I was tired. The judge’s comment is below:

“My winner has a lovely layout, is easy to use and promotes the welfare of all cats – pedigreed, mixed-breeds, strays and ferals. There’s a wealth of information – from its quality articles on health and behavior to its fun photos and cat horoscopes – for the wannabe cat owner, the new cat owner and the experienced cat owner. CWA members are among the contributors to the website and a Muse Medallion won by the website’s creator proudly graces every page. I’m sure the website will display her President’s Award as well. It’s my pleasure to present the 2007 President’s Award to Mary Anne Miller for her excellent website, www.felinexpress.com!”

OMG! I heard my name and I think I screamed. I know I couldn’t move and I was crying. I am such a wuss but I was so surprised! OMG- I won this writing award. I still can’t wrap my mind around that concept at all! Everyone was clapping and Bernadette was pounding me on the knee and telling me to get up there. I don’t even remember climbing on the stage. I was presented with a dozen red roses, a beautiful plaque, and a check! Oh My Word! There was a flurry of photographs, I remember standing on stage with Nancy Peterson, Dusty Rainbolt, Kim Thornton, Amy Shojai, and then it blurs.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. For one brief moment in time, the pumpkin turned into Cinderella at the ball! Chung (my webmaster) is going to flip out and Deb is going to be so pleased. So many people were coming over to me; I have no clue what I said to any of them. What an honor! WOW!
So, I should be asleep (Nancy is) Dusty is down the street at BJ’s but I can’t sleep and I didn’t want to go out and drink to celebrate as my plane leaves early in just a few hours. The events of the night just keep whirling in my head along with all the memorable people I met this weekend; TE Watson, Rick Tillotson author of Cat Yoga Bernadette (who also snagged a special award for her article about senior cat care)- yeah Bern! Dusty, who embarrassed me during her seminar by holding up her brand new book Cat Wrangling Made Easy and announcing that “the book wouldn’t have been possible without Mary Anne Miller’s help! Oh my- the frog turned into a princess for just a bit and it was wonderful. Now I really have to try and sleep, and I hear Dusty at the door trying to get in. I think between all of us we must have 15 keys to this room! LOL So I better go let her in.