Last year I fostered four kittens. One of them was fractious. He bit the Director, then when I got him he ended up biting me, twice. I wrote about this kitten's journey, being in foster care and the tug of war over whether or not I would be able to socialize him before he was neutered, ear-tipped and released to the woods. While his brother and sisters played, I got into an argument with the Director about this cat's future. While I won the battle, I lost the war. We never truly got along after that. For this one cat, named Tweetie, I took a big chance. I was either going to be stuck with him forever as an unadoptable cat or I was going to have to find a way to reach his heart and help him learn that humans are ok.

©2009 Robin A.F. Olson. Arrival day. Tweetie (top left), Angel (center), Twitter (right), Fluffy (front left).

I wrote about this crazy journey in “The Tweetie Chronicles.” Little did I know that this little cat would make such a huge impact on my life. As I was working with him and he began to trust me. One day I noticed he looked just like “The Internet's Most Famous Cat, Sockington!” and decided to Tweet about it. If you read the Chronicles, you'll see in detail how Socks' Fans, “Socks Army” rallied around Tweetie and urged Sockington to do the right thing and acknowledge that Tweetie was his secret son. It was all fun and games, until I was contacted by Socks' Mom, “Food Lady” and his dad, “Fatty,” who I call, Mr. Scott.

©2009 Robin A.F. Olson. Tweetie while still in “Feral Rehab,” but bearing a shocking resemblance to Sockington.

Food Lady came to visit Tweetie. Her tender heart urged her to help. Since her other cats, PennyCat and Sockington were also rescued from dire situations, it just felt right to help another cat in need. The visit went better than I could have dreamed. Tweetie went right up to Food Lady and sat on her lap, purring. He looked up at her and perhaps, in that moment, his future was locked into place.

A few days later, Sam and I drove Tweetie to Boston for a “trial” adoption. That was ONE YEAR ago TODAY.

Tweetie's trial is long over. He's now a cherished member of the family. A few days ago I got an email from Food Lady, updating me on how Tweetie's been doing. Here's some of what she had to say:

©2010 Food Lady. Tweetie (right), plots his next bum attack on Sockington (left).

“He's still a real snugglebug. He tends to follow me around the house (although having said that, I'm not sure where he is at the moment). He can't jump as well or as elegantly as Socks (those long legs, you know) so Socks will hop atop the bookcase or dresser, causing Tweetie to get very vocally upset. :)

©2010 Food Lady. “His newest discovery is that he can be *under* the blanket as well as on top of it. So he'll quite often root around until he can get his head under the blanket. So one of the shots is of that. In one of them, he's got half a shakymouse toy in his mouth. He adores boxes of all kinds - I think they remind him of the crate at your house.”

He's got a thing for brushes - I now have to hide away my makeup brushes and the big poofy wool duster, because he runs off with them in his mouth. :)”

Food Lady also told me that Tweetie eats everyone's food so he has to be fed in a separate room! Oops! He also likes to sneak up on Socks and bite him in the bum! Tweetie and Socks are quite close, even if Tweetie is a pain in the butt-literally.

©2010 Food Lady. Tweetie with Baron Von Shakeymouse

What lies ahead for our former foster? We really don't know anything more than Tweetie has grown up into a big, sweet, playful kitty. Will he ever be as famous as his dad? Probably not. Does it matter? Not to him, surely.

So without further adieu, put on your party hat and get out the nose makers! Not only can we celebrate the adoption of a cat who beat the odds, but we can take delight in the fact that Tweetie's life in the glow of the nearby limelight suits him just fine.

In fact, it was meant to be.

©2010 Food Lady (goofy type by Robin).

©2010Food Lady. Tweetie all grown up. The spitting image of his Pop, Socks.

Another chapter in the Tweetie Chronicles draws to a close. Along with the big smile on my face and the proud feeling I have about Tweetie's success, I'm enjoying the new nickname “Tweetie” gave me in honor of this special day. You may now call me, “Nice Robin Lady.”

Tomorrow, August 5th, is a VERY SPECIAL DAY here at CiCH HQ. It's almost time to celebrate! We have news about one of our most cherished fosters, along with special photos of him.

Here's a teaser. Can you guess who it is?

Can you guess what tomorrow celebrates?

What are you planning on wearing?

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama, ID# 6/25-2567

Calico Mama, ID# 6/25-2567, with her sweet personality and affectionate nature, got under the skin of the Kennel Master at Henry County Care & Control. As other cats were euthanized, “Mama” was spared, but Robin, the Kennel Master, knew she could not give her much more time.

Barely two weeks ago, Mama was pulled from Henry County, along with her two offspring, who we call Moonpie and Pattycake. Instead of her kittens being adopted first, it was Mama who got the attention from Marian, a historian and author who lives in South Carolina. Within hours of her rescue, Mama was already adopted!

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama and Pattycake share some mother/daughter time.

Now that Mama has finished her quarantine period and gotten spayed, it's time for her to go to her new home and meet her new family.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Moonpie wrassles with Mama.

Although separating her from her offspring might seem to be a sad thing, from the many mamas and kittens I've fostered, I can tell you the Mamas are usually glad to be away from their kittens. Cupid used to go on a rampage and beat up little Blitzen every so often. Once in awhile the kittens would try to nurse after their teeth had come in. Can you imagine how that must have hurt? Saying goodbye is never easy, but Mama will not want for companionship, whether it be human or animal and will only know a loving home from now on.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Moonpie plays peek-a-boo.

In other news, Moonpie and Pattycake had their spay/neuter done today. Sadly, it wasn't easy going for Pattycake. I'll let you know more tomorrow. There was an unexpected complication during her surgery and although she got through it all right, she will be very sore for a few days. We may need to do some tests on her when she arrives in CT this weekend, but that remains to be seen. At least these two kittens are one step closer to their forever home.

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Tail toy.

Now all I have to do is GET THEM HERE and hope they don't break with URIs once they arrive. Okay, I need to get on Petfinder, too and I need to get my web site up for Kitten Associates and I need to get some adoption forms put together. No problem!

No wonder I'm not getting much sleep and am so tired!

©2010 Photo by Maria S. used with permission. Calico Mama, relaxes before leaving for her new home in South Carolina.

Farewell, Calico Mama and Congratulations! You're our very FIRST completed rescue under the Kitten Associates banner! Hooray!

I have NO idea how I got enough votes in the Best Cause Related Blog category since I didn't vote for myself, nor did I ask anyone to vote for me in this category! So it brings a question to mind...who is out there who believes so much in what I do that they would put me alongside other folks who focus on a Cause?

What's even more curious to me...you guys are right! I'm glad you know me better than I know myself. Heck, YEAH, I'm all about the CAUSE. This isn't a blog just about my cats or fun cat products or the latest cat news, though I DO include those things here on Covered in Cat Hair. Where my heart has led me, is to reaching out and helping as many cats as I can, regardless of where they are located or how old or young they might be.

When I started this blog over four years ago, it was supposed to be a vehicle for my book project, entitled: Covered in Cat Hair: Mostly True Stories of a Life Spent with Cats. I imagined an Editor at a major publishing house would “discover” me and offer me a book contract since I have lots of great stories written. I'd sit in my office, surrounded by annoying cats and write, write, write, then look forward to going to the local bookstore to see the finished product on the shelf.

Yet here I sit, surrounded by annoying cats, writing, not published, other than a few little things here and there, but making connections to many people across the Country, who, like me, want to make a difference in saving cats (and dogs!) lives, but maybe aren't so perfect at how they go about it. They just want to do something, anything, but more than donating to a charity, then not seeing the results of that donation. They are willing to take a risk, get their hands dirty, be willing to not know the outcome will be a happy ending, but do it anyway.

Slowly, but surely, you all have found me, as I have found you. Many of us have worked together creating some amazing rescues-whether it was with our $5 donation or by offering to foster cats for weeks at a time. Whatever you did, you were wiling to dive in and trust that we could do it-then all of a sudden we DID. We DID IT and we keep doing it.

For every life we save, we can turn to each other and say “THANK YOU for taking part in this wonderful and bittersweet challenge to save every cat and kitten we can and rejoice in the human bond we are making with each other.”

So, whoever voted for my Blog, in a category I did not expect, I thank you most sincerely for seeing in me, what I did not see in myself and for encouraging my efforts and making them seem so very worthwhile at the moment I'm about to embark on a bigger journey and form my own Non-Profit Organization!

You guys are the BEST! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

We're doing the Happy Dance here at CiCH HQ!

I'm pleased to announce that we've been Nominated for a Pettie 2010 Award for Best Cause Related Blog! Thank you to EVERYONE who voted for us!

If you like what we're doing and believe in helping all animals find safe harbor, loving homes and be freed from Kill Shelters, then please vote for us!

As many of you know, we're about to embark on a big, new program that will be part of our new non-profit rescue organization called Kitten Associates. We're going to be able to not only rescue some kittens-as many as our foster network allows and we can afford, but we're also going to be helping the small shelters and rescue groups, who can't afford to build a website or don't have the savvy to benefit from using online marketing. How we help, will be announced soon, but it's going to be great and will allow us to impact the lives of SO MANY dogs and cats in need. We're really excited about our plans and can't wait to share them with you in detail.

In the meantime,

please visit HERE to vote for us!

Also, two of our good friends, Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat and Janiss Garza of Sparkle the Designer Cat were nominated for Best Cat Blog. I can't say which one to vote for because they are both terrific, but vote for one of those two!

Voting ends on August 20th, so vote soon! Thank you!

It was purely coincidence that we ran an article about the forgotten cats at Animals in Distress, a small local shelter that's been struggling to find donations, volunteers and adopters. We profiled Gizmo, one of the sweet adults available for adoption. He was being mercilessly picked on by Moose, one of the other cats at the shelter. Luckily for Gizmo, just as we posted the article about him, one of the volunteers fell in love with him and decided to take him home. Hopefully he will blend in well with the other kitties in the family and if it all works out, Giz has a place to stay for life.

I love hearing about adults getting a good home, but of course, just as Gizmo leaves, an apple-head Siamese named Clive, was given up by his owners. Carole, the President of A.I.D. could not turn him away. She knew he deserved a chance at find a great home. The reason he was surrendered? Not that he's mean or unfriendly. NO. They're MOVING and “can't take him.”

I don't understand that and never will. If you adopt an animal and you move, you take it with you. You don't leave your KIDS or your Partner behind when you move do you? You don't, on purpose, move to an apartment that does not allow pets, right? If they say NO to pets, then you find somewhere else to live? I'm not solving world peace here. Come on. This excuse is really getting tiresome to hear-and I seem to be hearing it every day.

I'm starting to wonder if we, who do rescue, make it easier for people to dump their pets. Think about it. If all rescues said "NO!" when someone pulls the "moving" or "no pets" excuse, then maybe they would step up and take responsibility for their pets for the LIFE of that pet, not just until the novelty wears off?

I know. Who am I kidding?

Sometimes I just want to slap people. Not you. Of course.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Blitzen cleverly finds a new place to nap. Right next to my office chair.

I had a pad of drawing paper sitting on a box near my desk. Of course this is Blitzen's new favorite place to nap. The problem I have with it is while I'm writing, he'll sneak his paw out and tap me on the arm or push against my leg, then next thing I know he's sitting on my lap!

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Blitzen appears to be asleep, but he's a trickster. In a second he will reach out his paw and start to tap me while I'm trying to work.

I keep moving him back to the pad, but he won't sit still for too long. I finally broke down and got a cat bed to stack on to of the box and the pad of paper. This, of course, has encouraged him to start walking on my desk and keyboard qp5390uq345;la320$$@q40u9!

See what I mean?!

Bobbi is free. Free from the life in a cage on death row. Had we not pulled her when we did, she would already be gone, for at the Vet we found out that Bobbi has the beginnings of a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection)-which is a death sentence for cats in a shelter. Her skin is in such sorry condition that the Vet fears she also may have ringworm, so we did a culture called a DTM to rule that out. Her skin problems are most likely the result of having a bad flea infestation and not ringworm. When she was brought to Henry Co. Care & Control last week, they only saw the fleas. She was surrendered by her owner for reasons we will never know.

©2010 Maria S. Bobbi is FREE!

A just 5.5. pounds, Bobbi, though small in physical size, is still seriously underweight. It's possible her owner could not afford to feed her any longer. I've heard stories of folks in the south feeding their cats bread when they had no money for cat food. It's really a terrible situation for so many people. I suppose whoever relinquished her thought they were helping her, when they were just sending her off to die.

©2010 Maria S. You can really see how thin Bobbi is in this photo.

Bobbi is slow to eat much. She must be having trouble smelling her food. Her foster mama, Maria is going to get her some other things to eat to see if she can stimulate this thin baby's appetite.

Not only starving, but this cat must have been through some other Hell I can't imagine. Being covered with fleas and declawed, she is unable to relieve her itchy skin with a scratch. This, too me, is such torture, I can't imagine how this cat can still maintain a friendly and affectionate demeanor when she must be so uncomfortable. We're looking into finding a soothing bath and treatment that will help her feel more comfortable.

©2010 Maria S. Regardless of how lousy her life has been up to this point, Bobbi finally has a place to stretch out and relax.

Bobbi loves people. She's between 1 and 2 years old. How she got declawed on all four paws, but may not have been spayed, boggles my mind. Is her tail amputated or is she a manx? I don't even think I want to know at this point. All I know is we are going to get this cat well and get her a terrific home.

©2010 Maria S. Bobbi takes a moment to say; “Thank You for rescuing me!”

Due to her illness, it's not certain if she'll be able to make the transport late next week. It would really be terrible if she misses it, but we will do what we need to so she continues to get better. We MUST keep the other cats from getting sick, too. You and I both know the last thing we want to happen is to get a car load of sick cats! Not after last year's nightmare with Santa's Team and their 4 month battle with URi's and ringworm. Please not again!

This is definitely not great news, but it's not a complete setback, either. In the coming days, hopefully Bobbi will improve and regain her good health and we can look forward to celebrating her arrival...

That said, I have the feeling I may have to go on a road trip in a few weeks. Anyone want to drive to Georgia with me?

This little cat, sits serenely in a steel cage, waiting. For her, the time passes slowly, the sound of barking dogs and crying cats in constant alarm, makes it tough to sleep. She's sat in this small cage for days, wondering what will come next? Will her fate be, like so many others? The adults no one wants. Will someone come to her cage, lift her in their arms and instead of taking her away from this place, take her somewhere where her life will be ended by toxic gas or a needle to the heart, instead?

This is her reality. The odds are stacked against her. With a 98% euthanasia rate, she would have to win a lottery to escape this place alive.

©2010 Henry Co. Care & Control. Mini-Bobtail Cat Waits for Rescue that may never come.

Last week I asked for help for this “Mini-Bobcat,” declawed cat. Let's find someone to take this sweet cat into their home or find a rescue group to take her away from this madness, but no on stepped forward.

With donations dwindling, shelters bursting with abandoned and surrendered animals, who has room for one more cat? Who would make the effort to coordinate her rescue, her foster care, her transport?

It's a lot to ask. Once in awhile, when I do ask, someone listens. Then I can sit back and exhale. Someone helped her because I could not. Someone did the work and took the risk on her, so that she might live another day. We all think, “maybe someone will help her? I sure hope so.”

One day, maybe that someone will be YOU?

Today, maybe that someone is ME, Bobby, Izzy, Mark, Betsy, Maria, Connie and Carole. It took ALL of us to say; “THAT SOMEONE IS ME. I WILL TAKE A STAND FOR THIS ONE CAT BECAUSE HER LIFE MEANS SOMETHING AND I HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MAKE ROOM FOR ONE MORE, TO HELP ONE MORE, TO PAY THE VET BILL FOR ONE MORE.”

Today, this one adult cat, with no tail or claws, is safe. She has been lifted into the arms of a stranger, who will walk her out the door, never to return again. She will beat the odds because someone made an effort for her and someone cared.

If only all of us could be that "someone" for an animal in need. There are so many other cats and dogs in the same situation, who need the same chance to live a full life and who need all of us to step up, take a risk and take them out of these places and into safety.

©2010 Henry Co. Care & Control. Named: Bobbi, she has been rescued and will be transported to Connecticut, thanks to our friends at Animals in Distress for offering to give her a placement in their no-kill, cats only, shelter until she finds a home to call her own.

We will never win this battle alone or with our good wishes. We have to do more-first, Spay or Neuter our pets. Make sure our neighbors have done the same. If they can't afford it, find a way to help them. By doing so, you just saved many animals lives. There's a lot you can do, even if it seems to be a small thing. It all adds up. It all matters and makes a difference.