Robin Olson's blog

It's been less than a week since I saw a "Tweet" (less than 140 character update) from one of my contacts on Twitter. The message was a desperate plea for rescue groups or potential adopters to get their asses down to Georgia, where KILL-Shelters are everywhere and many animals had less than 24 hours to live.

I couldn't sleep for thinking of the PUPPIES, litters of KITTENS, frightened adults, that are all either dead by now or on death row, with only days to go before their time is up, too.

Even though I have a level of awareness about these conditions, I realize I can't fix it by myself, so I tell myself it's just going to happen and I have to accept it. But just because I can't fix it myself, doesn't mean I can't do MORE to fix it.

The big question here is HOW do we FIX this problem? Is the answer to outlaw KILL shelters? Sounds good to me. When do we, as a country, say to ourselves, this has GOT TO STOP. THE KILLING HAS TO END HERE AND NOW. It is NOT acceptable to kill animals solely with the excuse that there's no room, no homes, nothing we can do. Once we reach that point, the killing stops, until then, does it really help to offload the crowded shelters where they DO euthanize or does it just give them more vacancies to fill and more animals on the list to be killed next?

I honestly don't know. I'd like to know what other folks think about this. The people who work at these hellacious places-how do they LIVE with themselves? What have they told themselves so that they can look in the mirror in the morning and not hate what they see? I can't imagine a worse job. I have a great deal of compassion for their suffering. Personally, I don't think...no, I know; I couldn't live if I had to kill animals for a living.

So I was ready to drive to Georgia and grab a handful of animals. It would be like taking a grain of sand off a mountaintop. Instead, I spoke with some very nice ladies at Kat5. They have the know-how to do animal transporting and together we're going to come up with a plan to begin rescuing some litters of kittens. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Our group here in town will partner with Kat5 and depending on resources will aim on being a helping hand to the KILL Shelters during our slow months. That way we continue to help our community and extend ourselves whenever possible. I'll take on as many foster kittens as I can. It'll never be enough, but it's something.

We're also setting up to do our first transport of kittens from another struggling group in NY state. They rescue animals from kill shelters, too, so even though our first group will be from NY, the lives are no less important.

If I hadn't read that one Tweet, I'd be sitting in my foster room with a single feral kitten who needs socializing, thinking I'm doing my part. I realize now, that I'm not even close to doing my part. I have to find ways to do more, be more effective and save more lives.

...Cause baby, that's what it's all about. Getting the chance to live a decent life, with a good family, a warm, full belly and a heart full of joy.

Last year I wrote a post about Baby, a lonely stray who's being fed at a local business.

Some time after my post aired, I got an excited email from Trapper-Jeanne. She thought Baby looked VERY familiar. We spoke for a few minutes on the phone about where Baby was being fed. Jeanne had once fed a similar cat at the back of her family's hardware store. One day the cat disappeared. Jeanne figured, like most cats living outdoors, that the cat had died. Thankfully, Jeanne was wrong. When we compared photos, it was clear that the mystery cat was Baby and he is being fed about 1/4 mile from that same hardware store.

The last time Jeanne saw this cat was in 2006!

(2006. Behind the hardware store. Initial sighting. By Trapper Jeanne)

I just had a weekend feeding with Baby and it was great to see him again. He came right over to me, meowing all the way. He wouldn't get too close to me, but he did happily chomp down his food, once I took a few steps back. I'd love to trap Baby in the winter and see if he can be socialized further, but if it didn't work, I fear his release would be more dangerous for him. He's looks vigorous and healthy, even chubby.

Happy Spring, Baby! Glad you survived another winter.

It worked! Below is a crappy photo of a Tufted Titmouse grabbing a big wad of cat fur for her nest. Yay!

Part Two of Two.

I looked around and found Nora. She drives me crazy. She sheds so profusely that I don't even want to pet her for fear of covering the globe with her fur. I sat down next to Nora and began to brush her. She LOVED it. I brushed and brushed and I admit I should have maybe read the directions, first, because I ended up giving Nora a thin spot on the center of her back, but if you look, you'll see my first stab at what I got off her in just a few minutes.

Now I can make a new cat or a cat toupeè! Woohoo!

The Furminator is a pleasure to use. Most of the cats enjoy it, though I do have a slight reservation over using it on long-haired coats. Spencer's coat is so thick and long that it feels like he might be experiencing some pulling that would cause him to feel uncomfortable. I need to spend more time with him to really form an opinion.

For short-haired cats, I would not hesitate to recommend a Furminator. I think it's a fantastic tool and because the cat enjoys it so much, it can help owners have some nice bonding time with their companion animals, but as their web site suggests, groom your animal somewhere you can vacuum easily. Once the fur starts to come off, it can make a big mess. To me, it's a big HAPPY mess because I know once it's cleaned up, perhaps there will be less cleaning up in the future?

All the fur on the left is just from NORA (second brushing) and from the pkg to the right, is a mix of a few of the other kitties' fur.

While there's no perfect tool to work with all the issues of a cats' coats, for getting rid of that dense undercoat, the Furminator can't be beat. It's clearly a standout over anything I've used before and I certainly will not be parted from my Furminator, ever again (cue music!).

I've also coined a new phrase, for the "de-shedded" fur. I call them: FURMAINS.

Here's a fun thing to do with your Furmains: put them out in the spring for the birds to use as nesting material! Rather ironic, but it works!.

For more information on the Furminator De-Shedding Tool and where you can purchase one, visit their website: http://www.furminator.com

I need to take time to put my thoughts in order. Over the past 24 hours a lot has happened, and, with any luck, the beginning of something really positive moving forward.

In the meantime, please visit Nationwide Cat Rescue.

If you're considering adopting a cat, there you'll find listings, by state, of cats who are in dire need of placement into a foster home or forever home. Many of these cats are on Death Row and may only have a day or more to live before being euthanized.

I'd appreciate it, too, if you would forward this information to your friends, so they can get the word out. The more we post, the more chances people will step up and help these poor creatures before it's too late.

We need to take a stand and reach out, get involved. If you can FOSTER these animals, it would make a huge difference, even if you can't adopt them. Now get out there and save a life!

All these sweet creatures are slated for execution TOMORROW, May 1 at the Clayton County Police Dept. Animal Control Unit in Jonesboro, Georgia. I'm working with some people to see if we can help. This is a KILL Shelter and all the animals have one week before they're put on the euthanasia list.

If you can't help today, then keep checking back. There will always be a need for rescue from this awful place that kills dogs and cats, alike.

These are just some of the babies at risk for euthanasia
as soon as tomorrow.

Part One of Two.

I admit it. I love to brush my cats. No, that's not a euphemism.

That said, my cats don't necessarily like being brushed, so I do what I can do help keep them looking swell. I've been on a quest to find the ultimate grooming tool; one that won't RIP the fur off my cats, which causes them to shred the skin off my hands, and one that does a good job, leaving my hands to other noble tasks.

A few years ago, Super-Deb, my patient, go-to-about-cat-care-Princess, told me a few good ways to to work with my cats' coats. She said you really need more than one tool. A slicker brush for the top coat, a flea comb for mats and a Mars Coat King to scrub out the undercoat. At least that's what I remember her saying, but maybe she said; "This is cool, get a Coat King and some times you can get the mats out with a flea comb but that can hurt the cat, so be careful."

And that was it.

Some of the many grooming tools in my aresenal, while Bob hopes to get brushed.

Did it work? Sure, it worked OK. I still have my hands, but I'm still feeling like I'm missing something. I have cats with very different coats.

• Spencer's got a dual layer, long coat. The top is very fluffy and flyaway, 
  with a thick undercoat.
• Bob Dole has a long coat, too, but it seems to be generally thick and clumpy. 
  Due to Bob's age, his coat constantly gets mats that are difficult to remove.
• Nick & Nora, short-haired, are the WORST shedders in the universe. You LOOK
  at them and they shed. Their coats are THICK and Nora can get some small, 
  dense mats near her rear. Nicky is very nervous about being groomed. 
  He does not like it.
• Cricket & Petunia are too "goosey" to be groomed, but I'm working on 
  getting them to like it.
• Gracie- Up until she got terrible skin allergies, Gracie was the cat I 
  could groom just by saying the word; "Brush?". With her delicate, plush, 
  long fur, I could brush her for an hour and she'd sit quietly and drool. 
  I had to stop grooming her when she got sick. 

Along came Twitter. Through the "Twiterverse" I learned about a new grooming tool for cats and dogs called a FURMINATOR. It looked very interesting and I just had to buy one and try it out.

Bob wonders if he's closer to getting brushed now.

I got my Furminator and was impressed with it's sexy design, not to mention that the handle for the cat-size is purple. Nice touch! I looked at the metal blade. The teeth are small and very close together. I wondered if that was going to hurt the cats or maybe not do anything at all. I looked around and Bob Dole walked over to me and I gave him a swipe with the Furminator. He immediately sat down and started to purr. Now, Bob's coat is NOT mat-free, so I had to brush around the mats. He REALLY liked the feeling of being groomed and right away a big mass of undercoat appeared on his back as I brushed him. I was astonished at how much fur came off him with barely any effort.

Part Two...the Furminator Review...next up...stay tuned.

Last month I was the proud winner of RomeotheCat's FURPOWER $1 Donation Challenge Drawing! It was their way of singling out one of the many people who donated $1 or more to their "Challenge", which was then donated to Animals in Distress. and The Humane Society.

Not only will many animals benefit from Romeo's tireless efforts, but the kitties here will have fun being groomed with a brand new Furminator!

Not sure, but I think Spencer is nervous.

Make sure you check back monthly on RomeotheCat's BLOG to suggest new animal rescue groups to receive donations and to make a donation to the next Challenge rescue group nominee.

Thank You Romeo and Romeo's Mom, Caroline! May my kitties never have unwanted fur again!

Okay, so maybe Spencer doesn't look too thrilled right now, but it's only because he doesn't realize how much fun he's about to have!

I bought a Pet Cam a few months ago and never got around to using it. First, I couldn't find the right size collar and then it was a matter of figuring the thing out (which turns out to be pretty simple once you READ the directions).

My cats don't normally wear a collar, so putting one on any of them was not going to be fun, but I really wanted to see the photos they'd get, so I had to risk their unhappiness with me.

The camera only shoots 40 images, at intervals of every minute, every 5 minutes or every 15 minutes. I haven't used a long interval yet. I want the cats to get used to the weight on their neck before I put it on them for more than a few minutes.

Nicky was the first test subject. Since he's so big and tall, he was the perfect choice. Nicky got some good photos! He shot this one of the deck and the yard.

Of course, I had to give Spencer a chance. He's so pouffy I thought his fur would get in the way. He also doesn't like the camera, so he'll sit low, then the camera ends up getting pointed at the floor. I ended up having to jiggle toys in front of him or "coax" (chase) him to get him to stand up. He still managed to get some funny shots. Many have one of his paws in the shot.

I saw on Flickr someone who's cat is already showing photos at a GALLERY!!!!! Why not Spencer or Nick? Time will tell. If you want to see more photos my cats shot, visit my FLICKr web page

Whizidue [whiz-i-doo]

-noun

1. The dried, often gooey, remains of cat or dog urine upon furnishings, bedding, flooring, etc. This is not a "fresh" puddle of urine or spritz of urine. It must be dried and/or gooey.

Example:
Honey, if you clean that table, make sure you've removed all the whizidue. We don't want the cat to catch the scent and it whiz on it again.