This evening, the nice family that came to visit, decided they would like to offer Huggy her dream of a forever home. Not only that, but they generously opened their home to someone else you may know...

...DASH & SNUGGLES!

YES. HUGGY & HER KITTENS ARE ALL ADOPTED AND ARE GOING TO STAY TOGETHER!

I hope, hope, hope, that because I'm telling you this news now, just after the contracts have been signed, that the adoption won't get jinxed! Huggy still has to stay with me until she completely recovers from Mastitis and the boys have to stay here until their little nuggets drop and we can get them neutered. It'll be a week or two more, but certainly by the end of the month, everyone will be in their new home-and their new family doesn't mind waiting.

I'm not normally someone who believes that things are fated to be, but in this case, I have to say, maybe I'm wrong. All the things that had to fall into place, all the people who had to offer their precious time and money to make this happen-is this a miracle?

Whatever you choose to call it, this is one of the most precious, magical and amazing experiences of my life. I am so deeply grateful and happy.

...and to think...Huggy and her boys would never have made it this far, if it wasn't for all of us. Wow. That really gets the tears rolling!

Congratulations to Huggy, Dash & Snuggles!

Last Friday, the Newtown Bee published our weekly "Available Cats" listing. It included a photo of Huggy Bear that apparently caught the eye of a fellow Newtowner. On Saturday, we received his Pre Adoption Application stating his preference was to possibly adopt Huggy Bear AND ONE of her kittens! I gave him a call to get a sense of whether or not this was a good match.

He sounded great. He has a wife and two children, 7 and 9. They understand that adult cats aren't easy to place and want to do the right thing by helping out a cat who's past her kitten prime. They also felt that since their last cat had passed away two years ago and their home currently had no cats, that they had room to adopt a second cat, which would be a kitten; it might be one of Huggy's or it might be from another litter. We have to wait and see how they feel about Dash and Snuggles, first.

Dash is the easy choice since he's more robust and slightly cuter than Snuggles, but Snuggles has a sweeter personality. Of course, my dream would be that they adopt the entire family. It makes me think of the movie, Sophie's Choice, without the completely unhappy ending. How could someone choose to separate these brothers after all they've been through?

I understand that regardless of which kitten is chosen, the other will certainly find a good home, too, but in this case, it does feel more difficult to do what's required.

Of course, I have no real say over any of this. I just have to open the door at 6pm, be friendly, hope the cats show well and hope we've got a good match.

Cat Yeller [Kat yell'er]

-noun

1. A person who believes they have a magical, possibly mystical ability to work with cat behavior and training issues, but who, in reality is frustrated, often irritated, and can even be pushed as far as not caring about cat behavior or training issues at all.

2. A cat "owner" whose only method of communicating with their cats is to YELL (raise one's voice at high volume).

3. Me.

Synonym:

Cat Whisperer

ANDIE GOT ADOPTED!!!!

Seems Andie's luck had not run out. On Saturday, at our Adoption Event, Andie met a lady and her nice family. Apparently they had also been in line, hoping to adopt Andie a month ago, but were beaten out by another family.

As fate would have it, the adoption did not work out, as you may recall. I'm not sure if we contacted the second family or if they were watching out Petfinder list and saw her name come back up. Regardless of how it happened, I do believe, though, Andie is where she was meant to be all along.

I wish you could have seen this woman, cradling Andie in her arms. Andie meowed loudly, then got lots of pets. She relaxed, smiled, purred. She didn't want to be anywhere else in the world. She finally found a place where she was going to be happy. Her new owners already have a Tortie and know about their personality quirks. They don't expect Andie to fall in love with her new buddy, who was waiting for her at her home. They were fine with however things worked out. The Mom, Dad and Daughter all were smitten.

It's been a few days since the adoption and I haven't had an update yet, but I have high hopes that this adoption is gonna stick. Way to go, Andie!

Okay so maybe they're not cute little kittens just learning the ropes and they weren't rescued from a tragic situation and they haven't, thankfully, had to face anything worse than being kicked (accidently, of course) off the bed at night (for HOGGING THE BED), but heck, aren't they CUUUUUTE? Don't you just LOVE THEM? Look at Nora's rear leg, draped oh so elegantly over her brother's big ass. It's endearing, is it not?

Nick and Nora believe in sharing. Either that or they're both stubborn and won't let the other have the entire chair to themselves.

Isn't it amazing to see how they can cram 46.25 pounds of cat into a small, vintage chair from the 1940's-made during the days when people's butts did not suffer from too-much-time-on-the-computer-spread. This also means that I can't fit my ass into it, which is why it's become a giant cat bed.

So there.

Okay, now what do I do? Huggy is home and happy and her boys are locked up in the dog crate, climbing up the sides of the cage, trying to get out. They cry, look at me with those little sad faces that beg to know why I'm being so mean to them!

So I left the room. I couldn't be in it. I wanted to hang out with Huggy and let her rest on my lap. I decided to just let her rest on her own. I came back hours later with her next round of meds. I got her to take everything by hiding them in tiny portion of "kitty crack" (e.g., Solid Gold canned tuna). I scooped the rest out onto two plates; one for her and one for the kittens to share. I lifted her carefully and unlocked the crate, letting the kittens free and locking her safely inside with her dinner. She looked up at me with those big, knowing, green eyes and went back to her food. She'd eat because the food was so tasty, but was resigned to being locked up yet again.

Dash and Snuggles raced around the room, finally free after a day in captivity. They attacked their food dish with great enthusiasm now that they can no longer get snacks from Huggy's sore mammary glands. They'll be free until the morning. Then I switch them back into the crate.

There's no winning here. Someone has to be locked up. It's either that or I have to put some of them into the bathroom and leave the other/s behind in the guest room. Then they'll each get even less time with me because I'll have to bounce between rooms and the bathroom isn't exactly full of soft, comfortable places to sit, if you get my drift.

It's only for a week...well, a week until Huggy's re-check at the Vet. Then she'll let me know if it's all right for Huggy to be reunited with her kittens and I can go back to feeling guilty about something else.

Poor Huggy. Poor Dash & Snuggles. Poor me. Boo-hoo. I know. Get over it. It's a week. Sheesh.

You tell them, that.

We got the call. Huggy Mama did well over the weekend and is stable enough to come home! We ran straight over to pick her up. One of the cute Vet techs from Mill Plain brought her out to see us! Huggy looked alert and raring to go-a far cry from the limp, weak darling we left their on Saturday morning.

Huggy has to be on lots more Baytril and Amoxy-and Dr. Larry will love this, METACAM! After all my ranting about it, I have to give it to Huggy. Just a DROP for the next few days to manage pain. I had it out with the Vet at Mill Plain, but she also assured me that she's not seen any problems with it at a low dose for a short period of time and she reminded me that if either of us was in pain, we'd want something, too.

The worst of it, no surprise, Huggy MUST be separated from her babies. No contact. We can't risk them giving her another infection and she's gotta stop producing milk! Enough already! The kittens are well past being weaned. I have the big dog crate set up and the kittens are in it now. I can hear them banging around, trying to get out. I'll give them cage time, then swap them out, then lock up Huggy. I hate it, but it's got to be done. At least they can see each other.

Huggy's only been here for a few minutes, but already she started to "burble" the second she saw the kittens. They surrounded her cat carrier, wanting to get at her. I got them locked up and let Huggy out. I put out a big dish of food and she attacked it hungrily. I'll give them all some time to settle down. It's a perfect day, light breeze, warm temps, but not too hot. Will be a great day for Mama to rest in the sunshine and continue healing. In a week she goes back for a re-check. After that, if Huggy gets a good report card, she'll be back up for adoption. Then the crossing-fingers stage begins!

Thank you to everyone who sent such encouraging "Tweets" and emails. I know they must have helped Huggy. She is so much better today. It's like I got a new cat back from the Vet!

This kitten season was slow to get off the ground, then went gangbusters, pushing our resources and emotions to the breaking point. Fortunately, we've been able to get enough moments, and I really mean MOMENTS, to recover so we can gear up for the next "thing." I believe it's effecting me more this year, than last because I'm far more involved than ever before. I'm glad, almost relieved that I've finally gotten to a point where I have permission to make the call on if we bring an animal into the Program. It also means that I've become in charge of our newest foster home and taken on the responsibility for all the cats that came up from Georgia and any cats that I decide to pull from other states.

Dear Person, Persons or Family,

Most of the cats and kittens in our Program had a rough start in life. Some were abandoned by heartless owners. Some were born into the wild, not knowing human kindness. Others were abused or ignored, allowing disease to destroy their limbs, eyes, or trust. Our Volunteers take these animals into their homes, not knowing if their new wards carry diseases, like ringworm, upper respiratory infections, feline leukemia or FIV.

These cats might have ear mites, fleas or worms; though we treat for those things right away, some times those pests are passed into our homes and onto our own resident cats. We may be forced to do tons of laundry to clean all the bedding that's destroyed by kittens who haven't figured out their litter box protocol yet or if there's an outbreak of fleas.

We constantly worry over every loose stool or every little sneeze. We get frustrated when a timid kitten won't turn around and finally allow human contact. We worry we won't find a good home for the few adult cats we dare to take into our care. We look at our donations dwindling and take the money out of our own pocket so as to make it easier to take in another kitten. We do without a new car, without a vacation, without sleep.

We do all this for that one moment, when a wonderful, loving adopter comes to us and offers to adopt one or more of our kitties. We do this for the look in someone's eye, when they hold their new kitty for the first time and that kitty relaxes in their arms and purrs and that person is flat out smitten. They see a healthy, well-adjusted animal. They don't know what it took to get them there. They just see the end product. They don't need to know more than that, but they should realize it and they should appreciate it.

This is why I'm so offended and angry when some people think they can adopt a kitten, then bring it back if it "doesn't work out." If the kitten "likes the dog, better than me." Well, what did you do to encourage that to happen?

I've heard things like; Well, some of us really want a DOG, but some want a cat, so the cat people win. Some of us are allergic to cats, but that's okay, too, right? If the cat sheds or rips up the furniture, well we'll just return it. We won't try to learn about ways to work with this problem, the way you did when the kitten was pooping all over your bed. If the cat does anything other than just love me and use it's litter pan properly, well then, you'll hear from me because I'm the customer and if this "product" is faulty. There's just no room for that in my home.

So when can we pick the cutest kitten and take it home with us? I hope it's not going to grow too big. Can you assure me that this kittens personality will be perfect? It's only eight weeks old, but you can tell me, right? My kid is screaming at me and demanding a kitten. We want that ONE, that ONE right THERE. We don't care if it's shy. It's really cute and I need to shut my kid up, so give us that kitten NOW so I can get out of here. I don't care that it's a 20 year commitment. It's not. I can always "get rid of it" if it doesn't work out. I can just lie because I don't want to really take full responsibility for this animal's well being. I just want it to be easy.

Was caring for your KID, easy? Did you put him up for adoption because he spit up on your favorite blouse or because he cried all night and you didn't get any sleep? Did you toss your husband out the door because he knocked a vase off the table by accident and broke it? How is it any different if your cat pees on the rug because it's frightened of your dog or frightened of your kid?

I ask you, dear Person, Persons or Family to really THINK about what you're doing. How willing ARE you to take responsibility for the future well being of a two pound animal that's only been ALIVE for two months? I ask you to not be selfish, thoughtless or self-centered. There are situations where it's flat out NOT appropriate to adopt a kitten. Are you going to let it outdoors when you live near a busy road? Are you only adopting ONE kitten, knowing it will be left alone most of the day so it can become a neurotic mess when it's more appropriate to adopt an adult cat, but you don't want to because cats aren't as cute as kittens? Are you going to think the poor kitten is trying to get REVENGE on you because it didn't use the litter pan?

I didn't sacrifice a majority of my time and give up making a decent living so you can treat this animal like a commodity! I won't adopt a kitten to you if you demand it of me. I won't appease your sullen child. I won't give in to your impulsive desires or ridiculous assumptions about proper cat behavior.

Go to the store and buy a ceramic sculpture of a kitten or a stuffed animal. Put it on the mantle or table top. Dust it once in awhile. It will never shed or claw the furniture. It will never get old or need anything from you and if you end up changing your mind about it later, you can throw it in the trash or put it in a box in the closet and no one will care.

This doesn't mean you're a bad person. Well, yes it does. To me, it does, but who am I to decide such things? I'm sure if this post annoys you, you can complain about it and maybe it will get tossed in the trash, too?

Not really sincerely, but I'm trying...

You-know-who

Huggy Mama and her boys arrived barely two weeks ago. Over that time there have been quite a few medical issues that came up. Of course, you all know that the Huggy Bunch never was treated for fleas or ear mites before traveling to Connecticut (that was a mistake, I assure you). Sadly, Huggy had to endure a nasty ear mite infection and she and Snuggles had flea dirt on them.

Huggy's incision from her spay surgery wasn't looking great. Perhaps she picked at the sutures or she was too active, too soon after the operation. She was put on a course of Baytril and I kept an eye on it.

Huggy was really good about being pilled and very clever about spitting them out when I wasn't paying attention. I caught on to her tricks quickly and made sure she got a treat after every pill. That way I knew she swallowed her medicine.

The kittens kept nursing, which I strongly discouraged. They're well weaned and Huggy needed some rest. I don't often have a Mama and kittens for this long. By the time the kittens are weaned, the Mama is usually gone-adopted or released if she's feral. I have little experience with Mamas, especially post-spay.

The past few days, Huggy's really blossomed. The once quiet and reserved Mama, decided she wanted to play along with the kittens. She'd burble and squawk, the merrrow at the toys. She jumped and ran, plopped into my lap, made muffins and purred. She seemed very happy.

Yesterday, since the boys were off getting neutered (or so we thought since they didn't have the surgery when the Vet realized their little nuggets hadn't descended yet), I decided to give Huggy a treat. I carried her into my bedroom where she could get more space to run and we could snuggle in bed together for a few hours. Huggy wasn't scared at all. She didn't hide even though she smelled the scent of all the other cats in the house, I'm sure. She was curious, that's it.

She REALLY got goofy. Running and jumping around. She hopped up on the bed and sat on my lap, purring loudly. She stretched out, laid her head on my face and relaxed. What a love!

While I was petting her, I noticed one of her mammary glands was swollen. I thought it was full of milk since the kittens were not home to feed. It felt hot, but I thought that might be just because her belly is shaved and she's a mom. What do I know? Last night she ate and seemed fine. I gave her her almost last dose of Baytril and went to bed.

I've been in charge of putting together an Adoption Event that happened today. Last night I was really tired. Of course, I got my period that morning, had awful cramps from Hell and wanted to just stay in bed. Instead I dealt with my intern and getting things ready for the adoption event. My head was spinning from all the last minute details. I asked Sam to feed Huggy and Angel and our cats so I could go pick the kittens up from the Vet.

When I got up this morning, I felt bad for not spending much time with Angel, so I fed her and sat with her awhile, figuring Sam would care for Huggy. I left awhile later and made a mad dash to the Vet to get the kittens, then go home, pick up the Mamas and turn around and head off to the Adoption Event with all six cats.

I brought Dash and Snuggles in to see their Mama. I opened the door and I knew something was wrong. Huggy was laying in bed and would not get up. Huggy ALWAYS meets me at the door with a cute little meow-hello. She would not even look at me when I entered the room. I went over to her and she looked up at me. I touched her belly and recoiled.

Her mammary glands were HUGE, HOT, and HARD. It seemed as though someone inserted a hard edged tray under her skin. It was WRONG. VERY WRONG. Huggy did not want to get up. I called out to Sam and asked him if she ate that morning and he said, NO. That she hadn't even gotten up.

SHIT!

I made a few calls, fast. I talked to Super Deb and she said to get Huggy to the Vet ASAP. They didn't have any open appointments, so I was on my own. No problem. Huggy was going to the Vet no matter what it took.

Fortunately we were able to get her in to see Mill Plain Vets, Bless You! I had 15 minutes before I had to leave. Sam volunteered to take Huggy to the Vet so I could get to the Adoption Event. It was the LAST PLACE I wanted to go, but I have a strong sense of duty-and the cats needed to be there. I sent Sam off, gingerly putting Huggy into the carrier and giving her a kiss before she left. I felt like a real jerk for not catching this sooner and for not going with her to the Vet. I was sick with worry.

Huggy, moments before I gingerly lifted her into the cat carrier. She was running a fever of 104°.

Within the next hour I heard from Sam. Huggy was suffering from a fairly serious case of Mastitis. Two Vets took a look at her and have put her on an IV, given her more Baytril and Amoxicillin.

She's going to be staying at the Vet over the weekend. On Monday I expect an update. It's possible she may need surgery to remove the worse of the infected tissue. Although I didn't see any oozing, scabs or injuries, she's got a raging infection going on. She's a young cat, only 1 1/2 years old. I hope she's got a lot of fight in her and that she pulls through without any serious damage.

She's been through so much in her short life, but she's lucky she has so many people watching out for her and giving her the best care possible. She deserves all we can do and more—not only because she was rescued off Death Row at Henry County, but because she's so very special and loving. I need to see her pull through, feel great and be 100% healthy. No more fleas, ear mites, feline acne, infections...just a healthy, happy girl, ready to move on to her forever home.

It's quiet in the house. Angel and her kittens are back with Jennifer. Dash and Snuggles have been resting after their big day. I think about Huggy, probably hooked up to an IV, back in a cage. I really hate doing this to her, but there's no choice. I miss her a lot. I wish I could see her. I cross my fingers and hope that her life will be saved, yet again. It's a good thing she has a few left.

Last month I added my voice to those who were pleading with folks to come together and find a way to rescue some kitties from Henry County Care & Control in Georgia. With the help of Kat5 and Winging Cat Rescue and the generosity of many people, we were able to raise the funds needed to bust some of these precious kitties out of Death Row.

I offered to take Huggy Bear and her two kittens, but had no placement for the dilute calico we named, "Last Chance." We'd gone as far as I thought we could go. Without another foster family or rescue group stepping up to the plate, Last Chance and her offspring were going to be KILLED.

Thankfully, our friend Jennifer, stepped up and offered to help. She'd never fostered kittens before and never fostered for our organization before. She doesn't even live near any of us, but she didn't care. She just wanted to help. If it wasn't for her last minute offer, we would have lost these sweet animals. They were saved just hours before their time was up

For the past two weeks, Jennifer and her hubby have been caring for Last Chance, now called, Angel and her babies, Spyder and Pumpkin.

Tomorrow the kittens are due to be spayed and Angel will be seeing them again on Saturday when we have an adoption event at a local pet food shop. Since it's a long drive to our Vet for Jennifer, she dropped everyone off at my house tonight so I could get them to their Vet appointment by 8:30am.

It's great to finally meet these guys-especially Angel. You can tell she hasn't had the best life. Though friendly and very affectionate, if you reach out to pet her, she tucks her tail and ducks her head back. She'll still come to you for pets and is easy to purr. She's got a beautiful patchwork pattern and cute gray spot on her chin. She reminds me very much of Huggy, both in her look and overall condition. She's a mama, who's young enough that she still wants to play, but had a tough go of things and it has quieted her disposition. I can see this kitty really flowering once she has a safe and loving home to call her own.

The kittens are chubby and rambunctious. Both are completely adorable. We're already getting adoption inquiries on both of them. I hope to find them awesome homes very soon!

It's all good. We came together and found a way to save these kitties and I'm really proud of all of us, but...if I sit quietly and stop thinking about the million things I should be doing, I get a pain in my gut. I feel like I'm going to burst into tears. I look at their faces and imagine them being put to sleep-that someone would have done that to them and they'd already have been dead for two weeks.

Who would have been witness to their lives? Who would have seen the love Angel has for her offspring or their joy in playing with a new toy? Who would have heard their purrs or taken comfort in watching them eat a good meal?

Who would have cared for them in their last moments? Indeed, would anyone?

In my joy is such sadness, more than anything else, for the ones we could not save that day. For the ones we could not save the next day or the next. Or the ones at Spaulding. There are so many it's sickening. You don't want to know about it. You don't want to look and see their faces. You want to fix it, but you don't know how!

So we pick our battles. We try to find joy in this moment. These cats will have a good life. They will know love and a warm bed. They will not know a cage ever again. When it's their time to pass on, they will be missed. They will be cared for in their last moments. It will be life lived that wasn't cruelly ended before it had a chance to begin.