I just got back from picking up a new family. They were born early this morning in the pouring  rain on a porch at a local trailer park. I have named the young mom Avis in honor of my best friend who recently passed away. The kittens are not yet named. Avis is quite young and so far she isn’t paying much attention to her new family, but I think in a few hours when she settles- it will be fine. For now, I am supplementing her babies with kitty glop every two hours. I am grateful the woman did not just leave the mom and babies outside and she brought them in out of the cold even though she says she only loves dogs. I am not sure, but Avis is quite fat so she might still have a kitten or two inside. They were covered in fleas which have all been dealt with- but now officially, it is Mother’s Day here and kitten season is well underway-

On that note, just received a lovely mother day’s gift in the form of an email. here it is

Hi! 

I just wanted to write to you and let you know that your website saved a minutes old baby kitty.

Last Friday, our cat surprisingly gave birth early in the morning. (We thought we had more time.)

She gave birth to her first in the cold bathtub. Imagine my sons surprise when he yelled out to me. He thought it was dead and it wasn’t moving for at least 2 minutes. So, sadly I started to take a towel and slowly begin to think of the rough task at hand of removing the wet and cold kitten. (He was COLD). All of a sudden, my son screams again HE MOVED… Now As I am running, I grab the phone, Google, and your website comes up. I only saw … There is still time… Blow dry the kitten on low, not his face. Keeping it warm is paramount. 

Those words saved his life. I blew him dry an held him until mom came back. She smelled him  and sort of shunned him for 10 minutes, but I kept reintroducing him. She had her second and I was with her as she ate the placenta. Once I took the second, we had a box ready for them and I put both in. She looked at the first as if he were alien. I kept reintroducing him. She didn’t feed him for a while. She had her third and I made sure he was in the mix. She cleaned the second and third and I introduced the first to her nipple. It took a bit of time and I stayed with her. About an hour later, she was feeding all of them. The first kitten has bounced back clutching at that nipple for dear life. 

I guess that mom was shocked the first survived. I know I was. She is a patient and good mom. 

Thanks to your website www.kitten-rescue.com , the litter mates are enjoying their new lives together.

Maria

Mother, I know you can no longer at times remember my name
I know that our past has been turbulent
I know you miss Daddy as much as we do
I know, I would have never wished on you all you are going through in your day.
I know that I love you, regardless
I pray for you to have a pain-free Mother’s Day and your memories when you catch them will be warm and comforting

Happy Mother’s Day

This morning, while feeding, I heard a familiar meow in the bushes. I whirled around to see a black kitty (Salem) rolling over and over on her back begging me to pet her! Whoever got hit on the road yesterday, was not part of our clowder. At feeding time all blacks  have been accounted for. I did post on FB lost pets about the girl who got hit. She showed all signs of being well cared for and someone is missing their kitty. I am glad it wasn’t Salem but sad that someone else is also feeling the loss of a black cat.

We lost Salem last night. Had her for seven years and adopted her out once when she was a year old and it didn’t work out and she returned back to us. After that adoption, she changed and refused to come inside wanting instead, to live outdoors and hunt and just be a cat.If she found herself inside the enclosure, she showed all the signs of restlessness- prowling, crying circling until I finally gave in and opened the door and gave her the freedom she craved.

I found her on the road this morning. I don’t know what possesses them to go out on a busy road when they have all our four acres to roam, a creek to play in and all the food and water and shelter they need.

We got Salem when I received a frantic phone call from a girl who said her boyfriend had just bought home a kitten. She of course said she was delighted to see this black bundle and expected he would hand it over to her. Not so- he was planning on feeding the kitten to his pet boa! She said she cried, and begged and pleaded and he wouldn’t budge, so she went in the kitchen and made drinks and spiked his pretty heavily. He crashed out on the couch and she called me. I was there within 45 minutes of the call. Salem was about 4 weeks old at the time.

In the mornings, when I would go out to feed, she would come over to me, flop over on her belly and beg me to rub her belly. No more belly rubs and thankfully, she did not suffer in the end but that gives me no comfort at the moment.

My owie is still fairly prevalent so I need to go. But Salem, her life mattered and I wanted her to know that before I start my day-

Can’t stay long. Had a bicycle injury and sitting is not possible for any length of time. Was exercising Juno and a deer shot out in front of us on the trail. I jammed on the brakes, the rear brakes grabbed, threw me off the seat and I collided solidly with the handlebars. I’ll leave it to your imagination where I collided with those bars on my body. But all is good, no fractured pelvis which is what they were worried about. Just a beautiful Technicolor bikini I will never show off at the beach. LOL

Mike is planning a road trip without me. His good friend from grade school and Mike are going to hit the road in June and drive to Alaska for a two week fishing trip with his boys! Lots to plan for- lots to look forward to and this was just the motivation he needed to get out of his wheelchair and start using his new leg. I am sure it will be a trip he will never forget.

We are now almost to the printing stages for the 2017 Rescue Calendar. Glad for all the eyes on this project and if you want to buy one- the final price is $10.00 plus shipping. I can’t wait to see the final product.

Gotta go- sitting is dreadfully painful

Another goodbye today, this one so hard on our hearts. McGee recently diagnosed with cancer is now at peace. He was euthanized at noon and more then ready to meet up with friends at the Bridge. He had gotten to the stage where he was giving me more then subtle hints that he no longer wanted to be in this life. Although his appetite was strong- nothing stayed in or down very long and he was starting to show blood clots in his urine.

We initially got him at 2 weeks of age when a clueless a** threw him out a car on Hwy 20. He ended up with us. As he grew, he showed his preference to wanting to have access to the outside world, so we moved him into the patio enclosure. he quickly established himself as the Alpha of the outside clan and I know they will be lost for awhile without him. They will find a new Alpha soon- but there will be a temporary imbalance as they adjust to his disappearance.

I wrote a check on faith to get the dirty deed done, so hoping tomorrow when I check the donation boxes there will be the $50.00 there needed for this act of love. He would have been 14 in May.

Rest easy now Sweet Boy and for all the trouble you were- you will be so missed. You have no idea how much our hearts ache right now.

Please enjoy his life in pictures

Slade did not make it through the surgery. They did a quick necropsy on him and he had a malformed heart. He could not make it through the anesthesia and the only way that would have been caught was through blood work which I don’t typically do on young, reasonably healthy cats. It also might explain his inability to eat only the softest of foods the vet said.

I made two difficult calls just now. First to the woman who rescued Slade in the first place and second to the anon donor of funds. Not calls that are fun to make. The vet said it would have caught up with him eventually, the anesthesia just hurried the final result along. It is not common, but it does happen. At least he went quickly without pain- other stray cats don’t often get that option.

Someone who wishes to stay within the shadows of this blog has sent the monies needed for the extraction of Slade’s teeth. I will be calling on Monday to get him on the schedule and will have George help me capture him prior to his appointment. I am so happy for this kitty- he deserves to be able to eat all types of cat food- not just the softest most squishiest kind. I think it will also help his temperament. Once he travels out of pain, I know there is a sweet boy lurking within.

I am always so amazed when people contact me who have been reading this blog for years and want to help out. Sometimes, I just think I am talking to myself when I write something out and I get proven wrong every time. So thank you nameless one- Slade deserves a chance at a loving home, and you have helped in the first steps to make this happen.

Update: Slade goes in tomorrow morning for his dental work.(Tuesday)

Last night we had another wild storm- this one worse than the one yesterday. I heard frantic meowing from the gazebo and raced out to see what might be wrong with Slade. He was fine, but terrified by the high winds and the howling rain. I sat with him most of the night and by about midnight, he was huddled in my lap and I wrapped both of us up in a blanket and we slept. This morning, it was business as usual and he hissed at me when he woke up to discover he was still in my lap! LOL  Then he jumped down and demanded breakfast.

I also discovered a canned cat food he will eat. Fancy Feasts Medley collection. He really dives into this food so I can stop giving him baby food now. He is back to running from me when I go in there- but at least, last night I could offer him some comfort as the weather raged around us.

Last night, we had a bad straight line wind blow through. Limbs down all over the place- one of the limbs pierced the screen window in the bedroom tearing out the plastic trellis we put up to keep the cats inside and allowing Beetle to escape. I didn’t find her until this morning- she is now in Mike’s shop. She isn’t the type of cat you can just scoop up and take back in the house, so I have decided to just leave her in the shop and work with her gradually so she stops biting people who come close. Not the best option, but the only one that seems feasible at the time. It is going to take me months to clean up after this freak wind. Thankfully, no cats are missing this morning- except for Beetle who is no longer in the bedroom.