2013 in the Rear View Mirror

Grab a cup of coffee and kick back for a few minutes. Let's take a look back on 2013.

January

Without a doubt Jackson Galaxy, our charming, pain in the ass, dearly beloved foster cat getting adopted was the surprise of the dawning of 2013. Jackson, who suffers from HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy), was never expected to find a forever home with anyone other than Sam and myself and when Mickey and Offie offered to bring him to northern Vermont to join them in “retirement” we knew it was the right thing to do.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Sweet Jackson.

Inasmuch as we love Jackson, living with so many cats here was too much stress on his heart. He would be the solo cat, get all the attention and his new protector might just be his lady-Vet, a good friend of his new family, who is overseeing his care.

Jackson did great with his new family and he often sent us notes. A few months ago we got a very sad update that Jackson’s heart was getting worse and that his lady-Vet was concerned that his life will now be measured in months instead of years. We were very busted up about it, but I’m glad to report that so far, with new medication, Jackson is still doing all right and celebrated his first Christmas with his family.

February

As February arrived so did a little fireball named Tansy. She was our first adoption and our worst adoption. We foolishly trusted someone from far away and she turned out to be a hoarder. Tansy was taken into animal control in North Carolina and sat in a cage for the better part of TWO YEARS, while a few of her companions sickened from upper respiratory and had to be euthanized. After monthly calls and emails, begging to get our cat back, I got the news that Tansy was ours again. To celebrate her new life, we gave her a new name: Mabel-Baby. Mabel arrived, immediately ready to explore, make new friends and live her life to the fullest.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Mabel-Baby.

Mabel’s had a few chances to be adopted since she arrived, but we’re being extremely picky about her new home. She’s also charmed us so much that perhaps we’re dragging our feet a bit more than we should, but we aren’t going to make any more mistakes about where she lives or who she lives with.

March

Our Kitties for Kids program was slowing down, but news of it had reached the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association. They contacted us to say they were going to award our kittens the “Pet of the Year” award for their service to the people of Newtown after the heartbreaking tragedy here in 2012. Not only that, but U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal was going to give us a Certificate of Special Recognition by the State of Connecticut for our efforts, as well.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson.

April

In early April we attended the CVMA ceremony. It was one of the crowning achievements of our non-profit’s work, but sadly our joy was short-lived. Something had been “off” with foster kitten, Fred. We’d been running him back and forth to the Vet. We’d rule in, then rule out FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). We begged for donations, which thank goodness, we were able to get. We saw more and more Vets and did more and more tests, while Fred slowly, cruelly lost the use of his back legs, then front…after trying every treatment and doing every test we were left with the heartbreak that Fred did have FIP after all.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson & Katherine Reid. Chloe before and after the first week in foster care-learning to trust.

Chloe is a senior Siamese mix whose owner wanted her euthanized for being a bite risk. As a last resort I was contacted about taking her on. I knew I couldn’t take her into our program but I offered to observe her and see if we could find a way to help her. That cat hated me, to this day she still hisses and growls at me, but Chloe, declawed, fat, neglected and very likely abused, still earned my affection. I cut a deal with Katherine from Animals in Distress. We’d partner to help Chloe and thanks to this blog and Dee D., one of our readers, she pointed us to Angi our uber-foster-mom who said she could give Chloe a long-term foster home and help her find her confidence and learn to trust under her care. None of us would have believed how this story would end if we hadn’t seen it ourselves.

May

We had to let Fred go on May 9, 2013. He was held by Sam as we talked to him while his passed away. It was the first time I’ve ever had to put one of our fosters down. He was only 10-months old. I wrote about Fred’s last days many times. In one post, titled: Dear Fred, I wrote him a letter, giving myself an outlet to share all the love I had for him. I wrote it the day before he died. I told him that he was no longer a foster kitten and that Sam and I had formally done the paperwork and we were adopting him as our own, even though his time with us would be short.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Sweet Fred.

After Fred died, his brother Barney went into mourning. We knew he needed new friends in his life and that’s when he got to meet Bongo, Bunny Boo-Boo and George, who we’d rescued from Georgia in late 2012. It took a week or so but it was pretty clear that Barney, who’d been licking some of his fur off, had known his brother was ill far before we did. Barney’s issues started months before we knew about Fred and his hyper-grooming stopped not long after Fred passed away.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Bongo (left) with George. Not related these two cuties got adopted together.

I decided that the foster cats I had would be our last. I couldn’t rescue any more cats. I just couldn’t face any more death. I needed time to heal. I even thought about closing Kitten Associates for good.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Celebrating Ingrid King's birthday at BlogPaws with all our super-awesome cat lady friends.

Near the end of the month, I travelled to Virginia to attend BlogPaws. I was one of the first Presenters and I did a 90 minute talk about our Kitties for Kids program. I didn’t know if I had the courage to do the talk, knowing full well that Fred had been our mascot and that the last slide was in dedication to him. As happens so often in my blog posts, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. We all cried, but being with my friends renewed my passion for saving more lives. I couldn't give up. The cats needed me.

June

The rains came in a deluge and so did the calls to help cats. A cat, from a terrible part of another town, gave birth to 5 kittens on the sidewalk, then moved them to a window well to hide them. I got the call to help and at first I said I wasn’t sure I could do it…okay maybe for a few weeks I’d foster, but that was it. Then I was told that if we didn’t get them they might drown and by the way, all the kittens were orange and white..just like Fred.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. A few days after rescue, Lil' Gracey has some lunch.

I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Minnie and her kittens came to live with us just as we got our new Dropcam set up that I nicknamed: SqueeTV. The kittens were a great joy to me. One of them, in particular, looked a lot like Fred. I couldn’t help but wonder if somehow he had sent this family to me.

The Dogtime Pettie Awards nominations came out. Though I was sad not to be nominated for Best Cat Blog, I was stunned to find out that “Dear Fred” had been nominated for Best Blog Post. Now Fred’s legacy would live on. I couldn’t have been more honored.

July

Minnie was a great mom, but she never had a good appetite. Something was wrong with her and it became clear one morning when I entered the foster room to find it covered with vomit. Minnie was growling, trying to attack her kittens. Shocked, I raced her to the vet. It was touch and go for a few weeks. She had a massive infection, bordering on septic. My heart sank as I feared we’d lose another cat…and what would it mean for her 5 week old kittens?

It meant I was going to be their new mom.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Minnie's kittens growing fast.

Minnie had to be separated from her kittens after that day. Although I tried to reintroduce her to them, she wanted nothing to do with them. The shocking change from loving, protective Mother, to harpy was heartbreaking. The kittens, confused, lost, scared, turned to me and though I was worried I’d do something wrong, we all began to find a new rhythm to our time together.

And then there was BarkAid.

August

Bongo and George had found a great forever home. Bunny and Barney kept each other company while I got to work preparing for a big fundraiser called BarkAid. In the history of names, I think BarkAid was one of the hardest to promote. We do CAT rescue, it’s called BarkAid. They take over a salon and do haircuts for PEOPLE, not DOGS, then donate what they make to a local rescue. I had my hands full trying to scramble to get the 26 ft long banner produced to hang over our town’s main drag, while I was writing press releases, cleaning up kitten vomit, worrying about Minnie, trying to find homes for Barney and Bunny and wondering if any of this was going to work.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson.

I was wiped out, but BarkAid was a success for us. After spending about $1300.00 in advertising and fees related to BarkAid, we still came up with another $1000.00 to put in the bank. We had the second highest number of haircuts of the past two years of the program!

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Mama-Mochachino, exhausted after rescue and two cans of food, finally takes a break in the safety of her foster home with Maria.

A black mama cat and her 3 kittens were zipped up into a cat carrier and dumped in a cul-de-sac on a very hot summer day. Trapped, screaming, clawing to get out, after more than a day, a good Samaritan contacted our mama-Maria to help rescue the family. With nowhere but the kill shelter to go to, I told Maria if she could foster, we’d take them on. The kittens were twin tuxedoes and a little gray and white sibling. Not long after they got settled, we got contacted by another rescuer in the area about helping with one little tuxedo kitten she found in a DUMPSTER, burned on the paws and nose. We had the resources to help him but it meant risking putting him with this mama and her kittens. Would they accept him? Would they sicken him or vice versa? We took a few days to think about it, but in the end, little Biscotti entered our program and our hearts. The family accepted him and no one got sick.

©2013 Betsy Merchant. Our first glimpse of Biscotti after being rescued.

September

I hit a fairly shocking low point in early September. I was so depressed I scared even myself. The grind of the past 9 months had taken a toll on me. On a lark, moments after I found out that Lil’ Bub, the internet’s alien-cat, was going to be in New Jersey at a book signing, I called the book store and asked if I could get a press pass. They gave me the green light. I grabbed my friend Irene and we went to the store. This may sound overly dramatic, but in that moment it truly WAS amazing what happened next.

Meeting Lil’ Bub saved my life.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. I lub Bub.

That cat has magical powers, I swear. Being with her makes you want to cry with joy. The low I’d had in my heart broke apart. I was reminded of the love have for cats, for my friends and I was going to be able to face another day.

Then, the Dogtime Petties are announced via video online. When my category came up, I held my breath. When they announced Covered in Cat Hair as the winner, I started screaming. Sam thought I was being murdered. I ran into the living room and started jumping up and down. I pulled something in my leg and could barely walk for 3 days afterwards, but…I won…FRED WON. Fred had the memorial I had wished and wished for and it meant $1000.00 for Kitten Associates.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Selfie with mah-Pettie.

As I watched the rest of the ceremony, my dear friend, Ingrid King won for Best Overall Pet Blog. This woman is a force to be reckoned with and though I wasn’t surprised she won, it suddenly hit me that her donation of $1000.00 was ALSO coming to Kitten Associates! AT LAST I could stop worrying so much about keeping our doors open…for awhile…

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Best photo of 2013. Chloe let's Angi have it because I got too close with the camera.

The good news didn’t stop there. After months of rehabilitation, Chloe lost a few pounds and was deemed ready to be adopted. Within a few short weeks, we found Pam, who ended up being Chloe’s new mom. They had a tough first few days. Chloe bit Pam badly, but after some time, Chloe began to trust and quickly started a love-fest with Pam’s husband, sleeping next to him and clearly favoring him over Pam. But Pam wasn’t bothered. She kept at it and last I heard Chloe is doing great, meets new people and doesn’t bite any more and loves everyone-except me.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Lolly.

Since we had money in the bank, I rescued two flea-covered, skinny siblings, Lolly & Clark. I didn’t stop there when 6 orange tabby kittens, nicknamed “the Clementines” landed on death row in a Kentucky municipal pound. They were at risk of being killed. I offered money, whatever I could think of, to get a local rescue to take these cuties on. No one stepped forward. I got worried. Someone in KY offered to foster the cats for us, so with great trepidation, I said YES. We’d just gotten a brand new foster home so I thought we’d have the space.

October

What was I thinking?

The Clementines were sick right off the transport and they were COVERED in FLEAS. Not one or two but hundreds. It was a huge mess. Our new foster mom, Jeannie, kicked butt. She HATES fleas and knows how to get rid of them. We bathed all the kittens and got them set up, but with their chronic health problems, I ended up taking them back from her and taking on the roll of their caretaker just days after Lolly & Clark found their forever home. It meant my house was loaded with cats and I was terrified about a flea outbreak. Whatever free time I had was gone.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. The Clementines before we rescued them. The little dilute was not part of their litter and WAS rescued by another group.

My cat Blitzen got sick with a mysterious allergic reaction and rodent ulcer on his mouth. I had to put him on steroids which kicked back his immune system and he caught the upper respiratory that the Clementine’s were fighting. I basically had a house full of sick cats. The days were a blur of Vet runs, medicating, worrying. Little Sherbert’s left eye was so bad we couldn’t even SEE his eye any more. We worked tirelessly to get these cats back on their paws while some of my own cats started to get the sniffles.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Robin and Grumpy Cat.

I took one evening off to travel to NYC to attend the Friskies where I met Grumpy Cat. Of course my camera crapped out on me while I was holding her but my iPhone worked well enough to capture the moment. Did meeting Grumpy Cat change my life? No. I felt bad for her, in truth. Everyone was handling her. No one seemed to be looking out for her the way Mike Bridavsky does with Lil’ Bub.

I also got to meet Will Braden, filmmaker and cat-daddy who creates the Henri le Chat Noir videos. Will is a sweetheart. We had a great conversation about how he does his videos (you can’t direct a cat, you have to go with their natural instincts) and we talked about art school (since we both went to one) and just about how weird it is for him to have a slice of fame and fortune. He is clearly humbled by it and somewhat amused. I hope celebrity doesn’t get to his head. So far, so good.

November

I was stunned when our former foster, Willow got returned. She’d had flea bite dermatitis, her fur looked terrible, she was thin. She was stress-peeing in the new home and her owner was getting divorced. It was just too much for him and I was glad to have her back. Willow was reunited with Barney, who’d been with us over a year by then. They went right back to being best friends and when David, a police officer from Danbury, saw Willow on Petfinder, then met Barney, he realized he wanted them both to be part of his family.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Barney & Willow reunited at last.

Willow blossomed again and Barney had a new mom. David sent me a video of Willow grooming Barney as he sat there, clearly loved, clearly happy, after losing his brother, his other siblings at birth, and his own mom, he had family again and I couldn’t be happier with how it worked out.

Minnie was still waiting for her forever home, but we found a lovely foster home with Barbara and her family, so Minnie was doing well, getting chubby and loving life. She's gained about SIX POUNDS since we rescued her.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Minnie, still waiting for her forever home.

Bunny Boo-Boo finally found her home, too, with one of our friends who lives in the Boston area. They’d been looking for a very long time to add a cat to their family, which included a shy orange tabby named Sunny. Sunny & Bunny. Who didn’t see this coming?

December

The Clementines still battle being sick. Mocha and family arrived and Confetti Joe & Lil’ Gracey, two of Minnie’s kittens were still here. Their siblings had found great homes months ago. I added it up. I had 22 cats in my house. I tried not to be freaked out. I have the space, but the resources and the time are another thing all together. I kept wondering..where are the adopters and WHEN can I put the Clementines on Petfinder? They’d had a bad reaction to a vaccination. I had to wait weeks longer than normal to get them spayed/neutered. They still had a runny eye here and there and in the meantime they were blowing out of their room they were so BIG.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Poor Sherbert. These kittens wax and wane with their upper respiratory infections.

In addition to the usual holiday “to do’s” we had to plan what we’d do to honor the first year anniversary of the Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We decided to re-open our Kitties for Kids program for a few weeks. Even though Sam and I were both exhausted, we knew we had to give back and offer to help those in need. If we lost another Christmas, so be it.

©2013 Robin A.F. Olson. Downtown Sandy Hook, CT on December 14, 2013.

The day came on soft paws. It snowed. The press stayed away. No one needed Kitties for Kids. We shed some tears and lit a candle. We knew life is too short as it is and to remember to cherish whatever we have for as long as we have it.

As 2013 draws to a close, I can take some pride in announcing that although there was great heartbreak, there were also some great milestones. The most important is in the numbers. How many lives did we save this year?

Last year we saved 60 lives.

I count saved lives as: literally rescued and brought into our program and cats we’ve found other rescue placements for by networking. We can’t track every “save” we’ve done by networking, but this year we’ve help at least: 94 CATS!

And what’s in store for 2014?

Here are some hints…

Big Changes for Covered in Cat Hair.

Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me, who cries with me and laughs with and sometimes AT me! I couldn’t do this without all of you by my side. Look what we’ve done. Let’s drink a toast to the good stuff of 2013 and say a gentle farewell to the difficult days.

Happy 2014 to Us All!