Georgia Rescue

It's tough to write. Actually, it's tough to do ANYTHING with 12 cats running loose in my house, plus four sick cats in the foster room who I have to make sure don't cover me in contagion every time I enter their domain.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The Halloween Express is stuck at the URI-Station!

Between the complicated feeding parade, breaking up fights, cleaning up urine marking, plopped poops and just the plain ol' litter pan scooping, I've lost hours every day. That doesn't even include play time-a must for these INSANE BEASTS and lovey dovey time, which, for my own cats has been whittled down to the bare minimum. I'm so out of touch with my own cats, it scares me. Sam has drifted into making sure they get fed, the raw food gets mixed up (I order and pay for it), while I do my shift feeding the fosters in three different locations, making sure they're all locked in their rooms during feeding time so I can monitor that everyone is eating enough.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Pattycake and Blitzen share some snuggle time.

This is not what I had in mind. I had a room, ONE ROOM, not ALL MY AVAILABLE ROOMS set aside for cat care, with one room as a flex room-in case I had to separate out a cat or two. It's funny, though. I realized that if I just had four fosters in one room, plus my eight cats, that it would be a BREEZE! You get to a point where the “nubs” wear off and you can handle more and more. That said. I do not want to handle this many again. I am more than max'd out.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Meanwhile, Yodel is passed out on my bed.

Even as I sit here, I had two fosters battling for space in my lap, Blitzen and Spencer and Honey B all in my tiny office. Then they started fighting-no surprise and to save face (literally) I had to scoot them out the door for my own safety. Now they're ripping up some paper and a cardboard box. There is rarely ever a silent moment now. I have to get up every two seconds to break up fights-that's the worst.

Yet, I was ready to take in another foster cat two days ago! Thankfully, the little cutie--pie at Henry, got a rescue before I had to step in. In for a dime, in for a dollar, at this point.

There is a glimmer (of something, not sure if it's hope or just a bug in my eye) on the horizon! Maybe. Just MAYBE, I MAY have not one, but TWO potential adopters lined up. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm not going to say much at this point. Just...maybe I will be down a few cats before the weekend is over. I sure hope so. I just spent $240.00 out of my own pocket on cat food (and that was with a HUGE discount). Yes, fundraising for Kitten Associates will be starting soon! We just saw our CPA and he helped us get a form done that was standing in the way of us getting our non-profit status. We are "this" close to being the real deal (Okay, we're incorporated, so that is a cool start!).

Since I may have only two more seconds to write before the next fight, I wanted to do some updates.

PRINCESS FIFI

©2010 Robin A.F Olson. Princess FiFi barely a month ago.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Princess just the other day-looking lovely!

Well, she is just doing GREAT! Carole, the President of Animals in Distress, brought her to the shelter so we could have a visit. Princess has grown. Her eyes are clear, where they were once full of dark, crusty, discharge. Her mood is light and happy, instead of limp and barely alive. She likes the other cats and [sorry, had to take a break, again to get Honey off my BOOKSHELVES-knocking everything onto the floor-great. Oh wait..I had to yell NO about 10 more times. I swear I start and end my day yelling!]

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. I love the markings near her front paws.

Oh yeah, and Princess MAY have found her forever home. Oops. It's sort of been there all along. Carole, who has been doing cat rescue for almost 20 years, is moving soon. She's taking her two Persian cats with her and vowing NOT to take Princess along for the ride. BUT...Princess LOVES her cats and they love her. Princess “uses her paws like little hands (you have to squeal when you say this, as Carole did)!” Carole is still in denial, but she's turned down a lot of adopters. I think she's fostered Princess FiFi long enough. Time to make it formal and adopt her.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Sitting by the door to the Shelter. Waiting for her forever family...or is the wait over?

ROCCO

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Ryan preps Rocco for his belly-rub-a-thon.

I love Rocco. I just do. He's a big guy. He got a raw deal-getting dumped by his crappy family who just didn't want him any more. I had a chance to visit him a few days ago. I brought my nephew, Ryan, whose mother is kinda-sorta-mulling-over the thought of MAYBE adopting Rocco. She has the brothers of our cats, Nick and Nora. All four of these “cameo” short haired cats are GIAGANTIC and they love belly rubs and they are just sweet sweet cats. Sounds a lot like Roc.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. He's not fat. He's TALL!

Part of the goal of my visit was to get good photos of Rocco so I could post his ad on Petfinder. Carole told me he shut his eyes every time she took a photo. I figured I'd shoot without a flash and see if I could get anything.

Ryan and I tried to get a good shot. We jiggled toys, gave him catip, offered treats. He didn't react to much of anything. In fact, I started to think that Rocco is deaf. Carole bent down, looked at him, called his name and clapped. When he saw her clapping, he perked up and ran over to her. I think he knew the gesture, not the sound. We didn't get to the bottom of his hearing issues, but it was very sad to think that maybe that was why he was starting to become shy of the other cats at the shelter.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Don't open your eyes to make our job easier. Okay, great. Hold it!

Even with all that, he would still come over to me, throw himself against my leg and want some belly action (which I happily gave him). In the end we got some OKAY photos, but nothing that really showed off his pretty green eyes. He's a big, probably older, fella. He got kicked to the curb and maybe he's not a fancy, spring chicken, but he's still got some miles left and hasn't forgotten how to love.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Really, don't open your eyes. It will ruin the photo and no one will want to adopt you.

Rocco is HERE on Petfinder, in case you know anyone in the area of Connecticut, who might like to give this boy a home. I'm not going to post Princess's ad. I don't want to waste your time! (Carole, please don't kick my ass for saying that!). (Carole scares me a little bit, but don't tell her that.) Oh and here's one more ad for Chance, a kitty A.I.D rescued after she lost her litter of kittens. She's not even a year old and is a very pretty medium-haired tortie.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Ooo! You opened them! Quick, take the photo..okay yes I did photoshop his eyes a tiny big, but they ARE that color! I swearzzz!

Time to feed the cats and scoop some pans. It was nice writing for awhile. Maybe I'll be allowed to do it again one day. Oh and for the record, I am REALLY going to MISS the cats who might be getting adopted...yes, after all my complaining...I'm going to probably have a good cry after they leave, but I'm not gonna say if they will be tears of sadness or tears of JOY!

The Halloween Express was headed north as my heart sank southward. Adoptions are not going well, but I was on the cusp of FINALLY getting Honey B. adopted. After turning down applications and being blown off by potential adopters, I finally got one who seemed to be a great fit and who was really excited to adopt Honey B. I figured if Honey got adopted before the Express arrived, then her sister, Yodel would remain in the foster room to welcome the new arrivals. Sure, there might be a bit of hissing at first, but Yodel is pretty easy going and only a few weeks older than the little gang who were about to join us. It should work out all right. I wasn't happy to have an overly full house. It would mean 16 cats live under my roof. By now I should have had homes for at least 4 of them. It was feeing like it was way too much to handle.

The adopter didn't want to come over until Saturday at 6pm. The Exress was due in the morning so that meant, I had to figure out where to put Honey B and Yodel. I didn't want them to be flustered from meeting the new kittens-they just wouldn't "show" well. After a lot of mental musical chairs, I got it worked out. I'd reluctantly put them into my bedroom. This is prime territory for all my cats and I realized I could not keep the kittens there for longer than the afternoon without it causing problems. I thought I'd be all right. It wasn't perfect but better than nothing. I had no other place to put the cats unless I put them into a crate in the garage, which is no place to put these two sweethearts.

The Halloween Express arrived promptly at 9am. Connie, Sam and I were bright and excited to meet everyone. I really wanted to meet Rocco. I had heard he loved belly rubs and I wanted to be the first Yankee to give him one!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. PETS, LLC seemed to forget they also transport CATS! Sheesh!

The truck pulled up and we beelined over to it. We were the first on the blob-not really a line, but a mass of folks who all centered themselves around the opening on the side of the truck. A guy pushed in front of us to get his dog. I was distracted by sending him evil eye death rays, while Connie gasped. She didn't know about these transports. When she looked inside the truck, she saw all the dogs.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The doggies waiting for the jail break.

At first she thought the dogs were going to shelters, but I told her they all had homes. They were the ones who got off death row and were were safe. She got really choked up. Who wouldn't? I was glad I knew the drill. Watching families who were glued to the doorway, waiting to catch a glimpse of their new dog WAS very moving. The dogs all moved out of their crates, tails wagging, then not quite sure of what to do next. The owner would approach the dog and greet him or her. The dog would look up, run over to them and jump up or bark or give kisses. Everyone laughed or cried or both. It was magic.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Where are we?

But I just wanted my CATS!

We gave the driver an empty cat carrier. He returned it to us filled up with kittens. First off were two of the Halloween gang. They are tough to tell apart. One was orange, one was brown. I heard a sneeze. I thought-oh great, here we go again...a transport full of sick cats.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson

As we got our cats, the folks in the crowd applauded and oooh'd and awwww'd. I said aloud that all the cats were available for adoption-just in case! The kittens were quite animated and really wanted out of their cages. It was a cool morning and I wanted to get them into our warm car, but first we had one more traveller to pick up.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Rocco is in da house!

Rocco. Rocco was SO BIG he could barely turn around in his crate. The first glimpse I got of him was of his butt. He was crying and crying. All the folks who saw him gasped and laughed. I wanted to cheer! We hustled the cats into the cars. I jumped into Connie's to see Rocco. I sat next to him on the back seat and opened the crate door. He started to purr and make muffins on the back seat. Connie, still sniffly, said he looked like he needed to be brushed. I agreed he was a bit of a mess, but he was here. Safe with us. This big ol' tom cat made it off death row. I was so glad we could help him.

I couldn't visit for more than a few moments. Connie took Rocco to Wilton to meet his new friends at the shelter and I got into the car and Sam drove us home. I definitely had rescuer's remorse. With adoptions to almost nil, I was really worried that finding homes for these tabbies was going to be tough. I started to imagine having these cats here for the rest of their lives and that starting a rescue group in this economy was even dumber than I originally imagined...but it was too late for that. I just needed to grin and bear it. Somehow it will work out. I have to have faith in that.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Breakfast is served..three or four times until the kittens were full!

As we drove home, the kittens began sneezing a great deal. I told myself it was their new environment, the different air quality, the long trip. They just needed to rest and they would be all right in a few days. I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to put Yodel and Honey B. back in their room with these sick cats. Now I was faced with a big problem. What to do with them...well just Yodel because Honey would be going to her home that day. Yodel could meet my cats and just be integrated in with them. She had her shots and tests and was spayed. It would be ok.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Maria always sends presents with the kittens. Thank you!

Jennifer came up to visit the kittens and to go to the Pet Expo in Hartford. We had a great time, then enjoyed the notorious cheeseburgers of the Shady Glen. It was a great day.

Then, my phone rang. Since we were eating, I let it go to voicemail. Had a bad feeling. I listened to the message. It was Honey's adopter. She changed her mind. She has two calicos and didn't want a third after all and that after thinking about it decided she wanted an all black cat and that it was her "executive decision" to not get emotionally attached to Honey by meeting her. Would I call her to discuss when I would be getting a black cat in that she could adopt? You're kidding me, right?

I'm sorry, but do you think I'm a department store? If it's not in your size or your color I can just get you another one?

It was 4pm. She was supposed to pick up Honey in just two hours. Now Honey was going nowhere and I was going to be covered in cats.

We got home from our outing. I was really down. I went to check on the kittens. They were eating well and meowing furiously. Each one wanted to be petted. Most of them were sneezing. A few had runny eyes. Instead of freaking out I just sat there as they crawled all over me purring and sticking their butt into my face. What can I do? I made a commitment to these animals and I'm going to keep it. It will work out. It will. It's just going to be a bumpy road for quite awhile.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Skittles going to jump onto my shirt so he can be petted in 3...2...1

That was three days ago. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

Two weeks ago four little tabby kittens were going to be euthanized. They were showing signs of developing an upper respiratory infection— sneezing and runny eyes. At the time it wasn't severe. In fact, it could have passed in a few days. The problem was, at Henry County, every sick cat gets euthanized-even IF it could have easily recovered...even if it didn't need to be treated by a Vet. That's the rules. There are too many animals in a facility that does not have quarantine rooms and if they did, they would be “full up” since the animals are exposed to each other and the stress of being in a shelter can make them “break” with a URI, too. Cats are really fragile creatures. I've come to learn that after last year's fiasco with “Santa's Team.” Dogs can take more stress, where cats seem to fall apart. To be crass, it just sucks. It's not fair. It's a senseless death for these animals.

Instead of waiting or emailing, I knew I had to call if I was going to save these cats and call I did. I called everyone at HCCAC and made SURE they were NOT going to euthanize the cats. As some of you know, the cats had 30 minutes-or less to live. A sobering thought, to say the least.

But we don't have to cry over these cats. They're not only safe, but yesterday afternoon, they said farewell to their beyond-fantastic-foster-mama, Maria and began their journey to Connecticut and to become Kitten Associates latest foster kittens.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. From left to right: How do I know? The orange cats are Skittles and Candy Corn and the silver tabbies are Treat & Treat.

Maria made sure to get everyone to pose nicely for the camera before she had to pack them into their cat carriers. For once they stopped moving long enough to get a few cute photos.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. I think this is Skittles? Maria? Who is it?

We cannot forget a special someone who will also be part of the Express to Connecticut-our Rocco! Rocco has been hanging out at Maria's, getting belly rubs, getting some good food. All he's doing is waiting for his ride. With that big belly and sweet face, I just KNOW we will find him a great home soon. Of all the cats, I'm most excited to meet Rocco. Knowing he was abandoned by his family, that he's an adult who's already lived half of his life, well, he should have all the love and comforts we can provide to him. Through everything, he remains a sweet, friendly beast. I just love him already.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Rocco! You are so CUTE!

Adoptions have been very slow for me. I still have four foster cats. Soon I'll have eight. I keep hoping I'll get some adopters-espeically for Moonie & Patty. They're asleep in a cat bed right next to my desk. They seem to belong here, but I can't afford ten cats of my own. I'm glad they fit in well since I'm guessing it will be awhile longer before I find them a forever home. At least they don't have to be locked up in my tiny bathroom any more. I think my cats are starting to calm down about having them here, too and the fountains of cat pee are slowly diminishing.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Hold still? for the camera?

Since Izzy and Mark aren't taking another trip down south (really, they DO have a life, you know!), thanks to Judith Hougaz and Deb Parry, the kitties are riding on a PETS, LLC transport. Sound familiar? If you watch “Last Chance Highway” on Animal Planet, it will all make sense. Kyle Petersen, the owner of PETS, also runs dogs (dogs!) to the northeast, some for a rescue group run by a very perky dog lover named, Shelley Brookwalter. Shelley and Kyle's friendship and partnershp to save animals is a highlight of the program. It's a heartwarming show, but it does irk me that cats are rarely ever transported and certainly never part of the show.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. All aboard!

These are the accommodations. Keep in mind, they would be the same in anyone's car, as well. Of course the difference is there are also no barking dogs and more attention on a private transport. It's tough. Most transports are just like this or worse. The hope is they will get going FAST and get it over with SOON. I trust that Kyle runs a tight ship. I used them last year and all was well. Hopefully that will be the case with this run, too.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. This is Steve. Maria gave him the third degree! He better take good care of those cats-OR ELSE!

If there was only some way to tell the cats that!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. WE WANT OUT!

Poor Skittles and Candy Corn are just not havin' it!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. REALLY! LET US OUT!

I feel worse for Rocco. He is old enough for this to really hit him hard. If only we could tell him what waits for him. I think he'd be happy to wait a bit longer and endure the noise and stress of the trip. Hang in there, buddy!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Awww...Rocco! Don't be scared. This is the worst part of your life. I promise it will get better really soon.

I have to agree with something Maria said to me today...it can't be 9am Saturday soon enough. That's when I'm scheduled to pick the cats up. Connie will be there with me to get Rocco. He'll be going to Animals in Distress just in time for an adoption event. My guys will be meeting Honey B. and Yodel. I sure hope they get along or I'm gonna be in trouble because they'll have to stay in the same room! I also hope the new crew DOES NOT GET SICK...OH GOD...NOT THAT AGAIN!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Skittles and Candy Corn. I sure hope to adopt them out together!

It's Friday afternoon. Moonie has his paws on my leg while Patty spoons him. It's quiet. The cats are all napping. The sky is overcast and the golden autumn leaves seem to glow. I can't help but know it's the calm before the storm, but I'll deal with it, whatever comes to pass. It's just that caring for and loving sixteen cats is a bit much-even for me.

Deep breath. Knock wood. It's going to be okay.

I don't think anyone could possibly chronicle with any detail how DIFFICULT, how many e-mails, how many questions, how many late hours, it took to rescue what started out as Four Maine Coon Mix kittens from Clayton Co. Animal Control in Jonesboro, GA.

I've never pulled cats from Clayton. I don't have anyone with a GA license who can help. There was a big team of people networking to find the one person who could help get the kittens OUT before it was too late.

©2010 Clayton County Animal Control. The clock is ticking. Can we get these cuties out ALIVE?

Yesterday, I spent most of the day and well into the night trying to find that one person. Along the way I found out about other people who pull from GA shelters, other rescue groups, ONE IS IN AUSTRALIA!!! Everyone was trying to help, but the GA License is tough to get and once you have it, you can't just let anyone else use it. So we were left with either trying to get someone local to adopt the cats or finding a local rescue group to take them in-when all are “full up.”

In the end, it was our Maria who totally kicked ass. She had taken the day off to get Vet care for the other kittens she is fostering for me and for another rescue group. Since the Vet appointment was changed, she still had the day off so she decided to go to Clayton and find out what was going on with the kittens. She managed to find out that there were five kittens originally. Three were adopted over the past few days. Two were left. We didn't want to chance leaving them, in the hope they, too, we be adopted. Two kittens are a lot easier to find a rescue for then four, anyway.

We were still scrambling, looking for a rescue to pull the cats on our behalf. Samantha Shelton, the Executive Director/Founder of FurKids contacted me and offered to help pull the cats for us. They have 500 animals in their facility and they rent a HOUSE for cats who have FIV+. Do I love them, already? YES. I do.

At the same time, the group Maria works with, RescueCats, offered to take the kittens, use their GA license and find the kittens homes in Georgia. I would not be transporting them here as I had been planning for the past few days. I was sad about that, but so GLAD they were safe.

A few minutes ago, Maria called me. She told me she got to Clayton and it was CLOSED. They were closed for an employee meeting at 2pm! Maria held her ground and saw a guy near the door. She sweetly managed to convince him to, at least, ask someone to help her even though they were closed. As you see, below, no one says NO to Maria!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. WOOOHOO!!!! AT LAST!!!!

So all is well.

To me, though, the biggest miracle of all was the e-mail I just got from Betsy at Henry. It simply said:

“Safe, just went to local licenses rescue! YAY!”

Her e-mail was referring to the Big Chicky-Baby Kitties I told you about last week. I found out on Monday that Henry is so overcrowded they put down eight cats. I didn't want to know which ones. I feared the worst. For these big sweethearts, their fate was not another sad ending. They are safe and sound and one day will find their perfect forever homes. Until then they will be out of the cage and into a foster home.

I get choked up every time I look at their photos and think about what a big of a miracle it was for these girls to get out ALIVE.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. Fran is saved!!!

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. Cami is saved!!!

Once in awhile, we win one, or two or in this case FIVE. In the middle of all this craziness I found a little siamese kitten at Floyd County-another Kill Shelter. I told a group in New York about her, and she got rescued, too.

©2010 Floyd County Animal Control. This little baby is going to New York!

I AM SO HAPPY!!!!

Trying to work out another rescue...going crazy here. Moonie and Patty didn't get adopted over the weekend so I'm fretting about that, too. Feels like a big pile of “stuff” to deal with so I'm gonna keep this short today and just let everyone know I'm thinking about you all and am looking forward to updating you on Big O, Princess and my foster babies-along with a rescue update or two, so DO stay tuned.

For now. A quiz.

What is WRONG with this photo? It's NOT photoshopped!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Yodel.

TIME IS UP FOR THESE TWO EXTREMELY AFFECTIONATE, BIG LOVE CHUNK SWEETIES. THEY'VE HAD A MONTH AND NO HOME. PLEASE DON'T ASSUME I AM GOING TO RESCUE THEM AT THE LAST MINUTE. MY GA FOSTERS ARE FULL UP. I NEED ONE OR TWO OF YOU TO STEP UP AND HELP ME!!! THEY HAVE LITTLE TIME LEFT!

FROM OUR FRIEND BETSY at HENRY COUNTY CARE & CONTROL:

Fran [Tabby] and Cami [Calico] are our two super fabulous spayed lobby girls who are now facing death. We have held the girls for a month and no one has inquired.

The girls are both mammoth in size, between 15 and 20 pounds, totally loveable, SUPER personalities, excellent manners, always use their litter boxes, purr non stop, love everyone, etc.

PLEASE HELP US SAVE THEIR LIVES!

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. CONTACT BETSY mystiblu@bellsouth.net RIGHT AWAY IF YOU CAN HELP ONE OR BOTH OF THE GIRLS!

ID# FRAN

©2010 HCC&C.

©2010 HCC&C.

©2010 HCC&C.

ID# CAMI

©2010 HCC&C.

©2010 HCC&C.

©2010 HCC&C.

**Please Note; When forwarding, crossposting, or re-posting I ask that you leave this message intact exactly as it was written by me. I do not give permission to post my message, part of my message, or my photographs on Craig's List. Thank you for your help and support, and for respecting my wishes.**

Betsy Merchant~

We are very rescue friendly and are more than happy to work with any rescue group as long as the group has a valid Georgia Department of Agriculture license! Any rescue group, whether in or out of state, that takes pets from Georgia shelters, is required, by Georgia law, to have a rescue license issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Animal Protection Division. Having tax exempt status is not the same as a license. For more information on obtaining a license, please call (404) 656-4914.

Contact:

mystiblu@bellsouth.net

Henry County Animal Care and Control

527 Hampton Street

McDonough, Georgia 30253

(770) 288-7401

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA67.html

Our Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm

Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

Sunday: Closed

County Observed Holidays: Closed

The shelter is located at 527 Hampton Street in McDonough. We are located south of Atlanta off I-75. Take exit 218 and head east on 20/81 toward McDonough. Our address is 527 Hwy 20/81 East.

For all other information regarding ordinances, county codes, and other functions of Henry County Animal Care and Control please visit www.hcacc.org

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If you're with a rescue group and would like some FREE publicity, I will personally make certain your group gets big kudos for helping these ladies out! A good story will also help you with fundraising for these animals. Now it's up to you to help make it a HAPPY ENDING FOR THEM-INSTEAD OF DEATH.

I would also be happy to help find transportation for these girls to wherever they need to go.

Please ReTweet, re-post on Facebook and tell all your friends about these cats THANK YOU! We can make a difference-TOGETHER!

Maria sent me some photos of some of her fosters. They were all just pulled out of Henry County Care & Control. None of them stood a chance of surviving or getting adopted, yet here they are. They beat the odds!

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Rocco dreams of his forever home and is very glad to be out of that tiny cage!

Rocco is a mellow guy. He digs belly rubs and just hanging out. Considering he lost his life-long home and must be very confused about what lies ahead, he's taking it on the chin.

It cost $32. to get Rocco busted out and vetted. He was already neutered. That's it. $32 to save his life. I didn't even have to do a fundraiser...of course, to get him to Connecticut might be another story.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Rocco enjoying the sunshine.

Maria discovered a lump on his back flank. Hopefully it's just from getting his vaccines and nothing more. Other than that he's eating well and livin' large. We look forward to his arrival in Connecticut. An adoption at the shelter, just today, opened up a bit more space for him. My dear, Marshmellow (who I was considering adopting) is spoken for. He'll be flying to Minnesota to live with his new family!

©2010 Maria Sandoval.

The first litter we rescued this week, are lovely little babies. They were starting to get URI's, the death knell for kittens at a shelter. Some are doing worse than others. Hopefully, they will start to get better now that they don't have the stress of shelter life to deal with.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Nap time for this litter of four babies.

Being sick is such a tough start for these little ones, but it's something I see all too often. In fact, the idea of getting kittens that aren't sick seems like an unheard of dream come true.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Little flame point in her soft bed.

©2010 Maria Sandoval.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. I don't feel so good!

©2010 Maria Sandoval.

These little guys will be traveling to New York and New Jersey as soon as they are well enough to go. I know they will find great homes in a heartbeat!

Maria is full up with foster cats and kittens. Even though I know that, it weighed heavily on me that there were three orange kittens and one little black one that I could possibly help. Adoptions are going too slowly and I'm worried that because I don't have everything in place to advertise my available cats that if I DID greenlight getting more kittens, that I wouldn't have room for them by the time they arrived in two to three weeks.

I emailed a few folks about possibly helping with fostering. Everyone is busy, but a few said they COULD help me out. I did not want to drag my feet so I decided to go for it.

I found out early on that the two smallest kittens had been put down. URIs are rampant. At the first sign of a sneeze, they put them down. I f-ing HATE IT, but that's the rules. I'm not going to show their photo. I know it makes you guys cry. It sure made me do the same thing.

I didn't want to take just two since I should have room for more when they would arrive. I should take as many as I can get. The two kittens are 12 weeks old and by the time they get there, 14 or more. It's harder to get them adopted than small kittens, but I can get them spayed/neutered in GA and have them ready to go when they arrive-instead of waiting a week-or in the case of my last batch of kittens, over a MONTH for the S/N to happen here in CT. Then I was faced with if I didn't take those two cats that they would probably die...and could I live with that?

You look at their faces and tell me you can say no to them.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. “SAVE ME!!!!”

Another round of calls and emails. Betsy emailed me at 3:30 and said that the two orange kittens were sneezing and were going to be put down...in about 30 minutes. They had two siblings who were OK so far. If I wanted to help them, I need to decide.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. “SAVE US!!!!”

My hands started to shake. Now I had four kittens to rescue. My stupid iPhone was going too slow. I needed to call Maria, Bobby and Betsy as fast as I could. If we could juggle some things around it could work. I called Betsy and this time she was at the shelter. Over barking and other people talking and shouting I was able to get Betsy to GET THE KITTENS PUT ON RESCUE HOLD and NOT PUT THEM DOWN!

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. “SAVE US, TOO!!!!”

Betsy said if not tonight, they would be put down in the morning. I told her I had Bobby coming over in 15 MINUTES to pick them up and to get them ready to go!!!!! I was at my wit's end. I didn't even know what the two siblings looked like so Betsy read off their ID numbers to me so I could see them on Petfinder. As I started to look at the listing, I noticed there were a few siamese mix kittens there, too. SHIT! I couldn't take them! What I really want to do is EMPTY THE PLACE OUT! I just got 6 cats out of there yesterday and 4 more today! I honestly don't know how other folks do this all the time. The stress is not good. The life and death choices are worse.

So...at least these four kittens are safe.

Bobby picked them up and has taken them to the Vet. I could hear them "singing," as Bobby called it, while we talked on the phone. I said they were screaming “THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE!”...which couldn't have been more true and couldn't have come at a better time.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. Meet Trick (left) and Treat (right)

Welcome to Kitten Associates, little ones!

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. and Jacques O'Lantern. (left) and Candy Corn (right)

As for me, I'm having a “ho boy, what have I done?” moment, but it won't last. As soon as I see their little faces and hear their purrs for the first time, I'll just be happy that I could help a few more escape death's cold embrace.

There's nothing particularly special about a big, red tabby cat who sits in the lobby of Henry County Care & Control. His days of being a cute kitten are years behind him. He was surrendered by his family. They didn't want him any more. We don't know why. We just know they left him in this cage that's barely big enough to hold him.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. He doesn't know what he did to deserve being in cage, but Big Red hopes to get out.

He's flanked by two other big tabby cats, from other families that gave up on them, too. They all just sit there, waiting to die. The odds of them being rescued are about nil.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control.

I want a magic wand. I would wave it over everyone and, first, of course, get them to SPAY & NEUTER their dogs and cats. Next, whatever cat was stuck in a cage at a kill shelter, I would transport them into a new home-one that would love them and care for them and never give up on them. Lastly, I would make Animal Shelter and Rescues not necessary. With no overpopulation problems and no surrendering of animals, we would be able to spend our lives simply loving our pets, with never a tear shed over an animal being euthanized due to space issues or curable illness.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control.

But I don't have that power, nor do I have the ability to rescue adult cats. Fostering from my home, not a shelter that has visiting hours, makes it impossible to place adults. I know I need help with this. I need a shelter that won't kill this boy, who can take him for me. I need a friend...but who can I ask?

©2010 Henry County Care & Control.

Call it being annoying or call it calling in a favor, but I sucked it up and nagged Carole at A.I.D. to take this cat. He's declawed and neutered. He's very affectionate, too. He could get a home here in Connecticut AND A.I.D just had quite a few adoptions so I know they have space!

I didn't get an answer right away. I had to wait a few days. I spoke with Carole, who told me she didn't want any more males at the shelter right now and listed all sorts of reasons not to take him, but I had just done her a bunch of big favors, including raising almost $900 for Princess's vet bill, so heck, she caved in and said YES. I hope Carole's not mad at me, but honestly, it's about the cat. He's just a big, red goofhead. He needs OUT of that place.

Before Carole could change her mind, I contacted Betsy and gave her the approval to get this boy out. Needless to say, she was thrilled and surprised. The other two cats are still hoping for a miracle.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. Every cat deserves a name. Meet: ROCCO!

As of this writing, this big cat who tips the scales at 20 lbs...and he is BIG, not really FAT, is safe. His snap test was negative/negative and he got his shots. He meowed and yeoweled in the car and at the Vet. He hates being in the cat carrier and he didn't like getting all those shots.

If he only knew he was being rescued, he might have simply relaxed and enjoyed the ride. I'm guessing he is going to be a handful on transport day, but we have two weeks to wait on that and by then he may not care where he goes, as long as he NEVER goes back to Henry County Care & Control again.

I can't say what it is that made me go to bat for this cat. Perhaps it was that he was nothing special that made him so very special, after all.

It's been a few months since I first wrote about Bobbi, a Manx/Maine Coon mix whose owners felt it was ok to declaw her on ALL FOUR PAWS and whose Vet felt it was OK to do this and NOT EVEN SPAY HER!!!! If you want to read my blue-worded-rant, you can go HERE and if you want to read about how I came to rescue her, you can go HERE and HERE.

©2010 Henry County Care & Control. Thanks to Robin, the Kennel Master and Betsy Merchant, I learned about Bobbi being in dire need of rescue. Luckily, the timing was perfect and I could help her out with the efforts of my team: Maria, Bobby (who Bobbi is named after), Connie & Carole.

After Bobbi's long trip from a Kill Shelter in Georgia to a little break at Connie's house in Connecticut, to living at Animals in Distress, Bobbi got adopted by a family with another cat. Sadly, Bobbi didn't seem to like other cats, but she wasn't SPAYED (which we didn't realize at the time), so that might have been the reason why.

Bobbi got returned after a week. She got spayed a few days later. She got along fine with all the cats at Animals in Distress, which is an open shelter with no cages. We all felt bad for her. She'd come so far, yet we wondered if we could find a home for her without other cats. Maybe that was best?

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Who is lovin' life right now?

On Saturday, during the adoption event, a family came in to visit Bobbi. I had just taken photos of her for her Petfinder listing. Apparently, the Mom of the family had been there a few days before and had taken photos of Bobbi to share with her husband and adult daughter. They'd recently lost their 16 year old kitty and wanted to rescue a cat in need.

They had returned, together, to see if Bobbi was the right cat for them. They took turns petting her, then holding her. She sat comfortably in their arms. I swore she was smiling. After a day spent being surrounded by other families, kids and cats, Bobbi was non-plused. She was just happy to be safe, with a fully belly and a nice place to sleep. She glowed from all the attention.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Oh yeah, she's got them wrapped around her little declawed toe!

It wasn't a tough decision for the family to make. They filled out an application, got a great Vet reference and were greenlighted to adopt Bobbi. I chatted with them a bit and found out they live near my house, I know of their Vet and that he is a proponent of feeding raw to cats. They wanted to know about feeding a better diet to Bobbi so I gave them some handouts, as well as anything else I could come up with to help her transition off dry food. These people are genuinely warm, kind and loving. I could tell they wanted the best...for THEIR cat...this little, loving wonder who somehow survived Death Row and a VERY long journey to find that her perfect home was waiting for her all along.

©2010 The Murdoch Family. Used with Permission. Bobbi at home with her new Sister.

This is what I live for. This moment. This feeling that lifts my heart above the clouds. Knowing that this one cat, who didn't stand a chance, got plucked out of Hell and placed into the loving arms of a family that will NEVER put her outside to slowly starve to death...that will NEVER dismiss her or give up on her. She will finally know what she should have known all along-that her family will always look out for her and love her for the rest of her life.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Bobbi showin' off her "stuff."

And to think, they wrote to me to thank ME for what I do, but it's really them. Bobbi could have languished at the shelter for months or years without them being willing to give her a home. I feel a sense of peace and joy, knowing this journey has come to happy end.

...but that wasn't the only adoption I have to tell you about...there is still ONE MORE to go.