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In 2008, I took in three kittens and their feral mama to foster. It was how I met and made super-friends with Super-Jennifer, a foster Mama, herself and curer of Diabetic cats! (okay, she keeps fostering diabetic cats and they stop being diabetic when she changes their diet to grain-free food and no kibble!).
Jelly-Belly, left and Elmo (Jack Black), right
Anyway, the kittens, Happy, Elmo and Jelly-Belly lived with me until they were about 9 weeks old. Another CiCH Friend: Diana, adopted Elmo, who she renamed, Jack Black. Jelly-Belly, who I wanted to keep, went to another nice family (and Happy found her forever home too. She lives with four other kitties).
Today I got an update on Jelly Belly. He sure has GROWN!!
Apparently, he's doing great and much loved by his family. He has a good buddy (see below) and the family might adopt another kitty pal, soon, too. I guess they liked our Deluxe-sized cats!
Jelly Belly and his goggie buddy.
Can you believe how BIG HE IS?!
If you'd like to see more photos of Jelly-Belly and his family, you can visit my Flickr page. If the link doesn't work, you can visit here and do a search for Pi Day Babies and it should come up.
Cuddles was “reclaimed” by the woman who brought her to Henry County because her kids were really upset that the Mama and kittens were gone. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad. I fear that when the kittens get bigger, and don't get spayed/neutered, it will make things a lot worse. The woman may still bring the kittens back or the mama or both, as supposedly Cuddles was a stray in the first place.
Time will tell. For now, she is safely out of Henry and for that, we must be grateful. There are two other Mamas and kittens who are in DIRE NEED OF LICENSED GEORGIA RESCUE to step up and get these guys OUT!!!
If any GA Licensed rescue contacts me, I will personally be glad to help you get the word out to raise funds for the care of these cats and I will certainly donate to help them, as well.
These are the cats who are still in need. They have until Monday, 8AM. That's it. Please spread the word. We need a Licensed Georgia Rescue Group to pull these mamas and babies.
Really really awesome family! Mom ID# 6/17-2237 is young and super sweet, her 4 kits are just gorgeous and over the hump so to speak, they are older toddlers and fat healthy butterballs.
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Really really awesome family! Mom ID# 6/7-2237 is young and super sweet, her 3 kits are just gorgeous and over the hump so to speak, they are older toddlers and fat healthy butterballs.
As always with nursing families they are available to Georgia Dept of Ag licensed rescues only. If you choose to seek out of state help please be prepared to use your in state license.
**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.
Mazik is a one year old spayed female domestic short hair. She is up to date on shots and has ID chip. She has her claws. She loves chasing laser pointer, hiding in shopping bags (paper or canvas), chasing toys, sitting on her cat tower looking out the window. She is all black except for a small white spot on her chest. She has yellow eyes. She doesn't carry her tail upright like a normal cat preferring to carry it curled up over her back.
Candy, taken a few days ago. One of the first times I saw exposed belly! Then I noticed something else, Candy is BOY! Hee hee!
It's been two weeks since Candytuft arrived. Each day there have been small improvements. Candy continues to impress me with his willingness to trust and to go outside his comfort zone.
Don't be scared, Candy!
The key was I kept using the good ol' toothbrush on the little guy, any time he would hiss, to get him to change course, so to speak. I never let him scare me away. If he hissed, I ignored it. Eventually, the hissing has reduced down to just a few times a day. I'm aiming for no times per day and if he can continue to gain confidence, it will happen.
Candy trying to figure out if I'm scary without makeup on. The answer: YES!
After a week had passed, I allowed Candy to explore more and more of the foster room, until I felt confident that he could stay out of the crate and not hide when I came into the room. It took a few days. Each session of being "free" was longer and longer. He never really hid. He did get into a small space, but he always came out to explore toys or, of course, eat high value food. His favorite-raw meat! He loves Raw! He would rather eat it than anything else I've tempted him with.
Candy poses with his stuffed kitty cat friend.
Now out of the crate 24/7, Candy's mood seems better. He seems happier and is very spunky and playful. I know he's lonely, but the “tough love” of keeping him sequestered has forced him to find love with humans. When he's not trying to play-attack me, he wants to sit on my lap, purr, or play close by. At times, I think he confuses me with a cat tree and I have the scratches to prove it. It's a huge change from the terrified, angry soul who first arrived such a short time ago.
Candy has also taken to watching TV from his perch atop the dog crate.
All in all, Candy is just about ready to go. He's slated to be neutered next week, so it won't be long before he leaves. I need to make sure he's ok with me standing near him or picking him up. He sat on Sam's lap last night, so that was good, too. If he stops hissing when he gets scared, I'll feel more confident that he's ready. I think another week would be great, but hopefully wherever he goes next, he won't regress. At least he knows humans are not scary and he's stopped being angry and aggressive towards me.
As I was writing, I heard a curious meow coming from outside my window. It was Buddy, the feral I trapped a few years ago. He still comes here to eat almost every day, but he looked thin. I know Buddy's been around the block, and then some. He's not a young cat. His ears are ragged. He coat is wet from the recent rain. I realized that Candy could have faced the same life as Buddy's, if I hadn't taken the time to work with him. Yes, Candy would have had a caretaker and possibly have been released with his mother, but what life would he ultimately have had? And he would have been released at only 9 weeks old. I doubt he would have lived very long on his own.
I'm very glad I don't have to imagine that future for this little cat. Very glad, indeed.
THERE IS LITTLE TIME. THIS SHELTER EUTHANIZES MOMS & BABIES AT A FAST RATE. IF YOU ARE IN GEORGIA & HAVE A GA RESCUE LICENSE YOU CAN PULL THESE CATS INTO YOUR PROGRAM. IF YOU ARE NOT A GA SHELTER, but ARE WITH A LICENSED SHELTER IN THE USA, CONTACT ME ASAP AND I MAY BE ABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO PULL THE CATS ON YOUR BEHALF. WE CAN ALSO HELP YOU ARRANGE TRANSPORT. HURRY. TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
PLEASE RE-TWEET, FACEBOOK, WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO SPREAD THE WORD! THANK YOU!
--------------DIRECTLY FROM HENRY COUNTY CARE & CONTROL----------
I just had to name this cat Cuddles and you can see why. I try not to name them, it makes it so much harder on everyone. The cats have such limited time here and we struggle to not make it personal......but this girl is just amazing and everyone has to know.
Cuddles ID# 6/7-2222 adores her kittens! The babies are gorgeous! She has 6 total.
The shelter is at capacity. These cats cannot be held. Their last day alive could be Monday June 13th unless we get a rescue commitment.
Please let me know if anyone is in a position to help.
MORE MAMAS AND BABIES FACE THE SAME DEAD-LINE!!!
Really really awesome family! Mom ID# 6/17-2237 is young and super sweet, her 4 kits are just gorgeous and over the hump so to speak, they are older toddlers and fat healthy butterballs.
----------------------
Really really awesome family! Mom ID# 6/7-2237 is young and super sweet, her 3 kits are just gorgeous and over the hump so to speak, they are older toddlers and fat healthy butterballs.
As always with nursing families they are available to Georgia Dept of Ag licensed rescues only. If you choose to seek out of state help please be prepared to use your in state license.
**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.
I've often wondered if the celebrity “experts” I see on television actually know what they're talking about or if they rely on a bevy of knowledgeable scriptwriters.
Today, I was given the opportunity to answer that question-at least in the case of Dr. Katrina Warren, BVSc (that's Australian for: Bachelor of Veterinary Science)-the smart and beautiful Celebu-Vet who comes to the aid of two cat-loving families during each episode of her show: Cat Chow's® Housecat Housecall®, which has just began airing it's Third Season on Animal Planet® on June 5th.
Dr. Warren, along with her associates, Dr. Karen Sueda and Dr. Rich Goldstein, help families understand how to create a better environment for their cats or help them solve curious cat behavior issues. (subliminal message to Dr. Katrina: HELP! PLEASE COME TO MY HOUSE! I NEED HELP!)
Dr. Katrina Warren, courtesy of Purina® Cat Chow® & Animal Planet®.
I was graciously granted a phone interview with Dr. Warren from her home in Australia. Did I want to skip my questions about the Third Season of her show and ask her about living in Australia or if she knows Nicole Kidman? YES! Did I want to know if she would invite me to come visit her or better yet, could she come to my house and SAVE ME FROM MY EIGHT ANNOYING CATS WHO REFUSED TO LET ME SLEEP BECAUSE THEY WERE HUNGRY, SO THEY WOKE ME UP AT 5:00 AM?
YES!
But I'm a professional, so I asked a few, more appropriate questions, but I really wanted some dirt. (Okay, I wanted to ask how she could marry someone named: “Mr. Darcy” in 2006 and not live happily ever after with him? Sadly, the marriage did not last beyond two years. Also, how could you NOT want to STAY married to a lovely person WHO IS A VET??? Come on!!)
During our interview, we discussed the upcoming season of Cat Chow's, Housecat Housecalls (try to say that on the air, by the way-what a tongue twister!). We also discussed proper nutrition (you KNEW I would have to go there, but I did so delicately, at least, this time), we also talked about how to handle the death of a pet, weird pet behaviors (stealing clothing) and how we can all do our part to help Dr. Warren in her quest for cats to live better lives.
If you don't get a chance to listen to the interview, there are two things you should know:
1. Dr Warren is delightful. She knows what she's talking about and is willing to open up to discuss any aspect of cat health or behavior. Of course, she loves dogs, too and it broke my heart to find out she still mourns over the death, at age 14, of her beloved dog, Toby, who passed away in January of this year. Our condolences on your loss!
2. This is so surprising and fantastic and terrible (because we can't say that about the USA)...AUSTRALIA HAS A 98% COMPLIANCE TO SPAY/NEUTER THEIR ANIMALS. Dr. Warren said it was almost unheard of for people to have kittens to give away. While we didn't have time to discuss how they handle “Bush-cats” (Feral), the idea that an entire country can get behind Spay/Neuter makes my heart swell. We MUST achieve a goal like that here in the USA!
If you'd like to hear our chat, feel free to listen to the audio, below. Keep in mind it was 8 AM EST here and 10PM for Dr. Warren. That we could have a conversation that made any sense at either of those times is just shy of amazing.
A BIG “Thank You” to Dr. Katrina Warren, for her time and expertise. It was a pleasure speaking with her.Cat Chow’s, Housecat Housecall will air Saturdays at 10:30am E/P and Sundays at 8am E/P this summer on Animal Planet.
(another subliminal message to Dr. Katrina: HELP! PLEASE COME TO MY HOUSE! MY CATS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY! MR. DARCY...HIS LOSS!)
I'm sorry. I'm sure some of you were born in June or celebrate their wedding anniversary in June, but to me, June sucks.
June means death: two of my cats and my Father. For some reason, there's a black cloud over me in June. I feel myself hunkering down as Memorial Day approaches, fearful of what is next. Is there really a reason for June being so bad? It's probably just coincidence, but riddle me this, Batman...
...It's barely June. I've been sick with some sort of stomach funk since the 1st. It waxes and wanes. I'm slowly getting better, but still feel run down and just want to sleep. My gut aches and I feel very queasy.
I just found out my dear Uncle died. He died in May, but I didn't find out until over a week later via E-MAIL! I didn't even get a chance to go to his funeral.
This weekend the TV in the living room died. It makes this sad siren-y noise if you try to power it up. The screen is cold and black. I don't smoke. I rarely drink. I watch too much TV. I have a TV in my bedroom. It's not the end of the world, but I HAVE NO TV IN MY LIVING ROOM! WHAT WILL I DO AT NIGHT WHEN WE HAVE DINNER? WE WATCH TV AND EAT. YES, I KNOW IT'S WRONG, BUT I'M HUMAN. I HAVE MY FAULTS. I should read or write more or be a better citizen, but I LOVE MY CRAPPY TV SHOWS! I also don't want to shell out a lot of money to get a NEW TV because we will have to get an HD TV and that will mean a big HEADACHE. Many of the components will have to be upgraded to HD OR we can just sit in the bedroom forever.
T-minus 8 days until the BA-TV (Big ass-TV) gets here!
To break the curse of June, I decided to F-it, go further into debt and buy a new TV. We went to Best Buy yesterday and got a BIG flat screen tv (we currently have a dead 36" big behemoth non-HD TV). I'm already imagining the cats urinating on it and already planning how I will keep them from doing that (SSScats-which I highly recommend! and YELLING-which only feels good to me, and perhaps, is not the best idea for the cat).
Next, we will have to build a cheapy stand for the TV, which no doubt will cause at least one scowl per person and Sam will get mad at me because I tell him how to do it and he can fix it without me "helping" (except that it will be done the "wrong way"). Then we will have to de-wire the jungle of cables from the TV, VCR, TIVO, Cable Box, Pre-Amp, Amp, Cassette deck (yes we STILL have one, but it's going "away"), CD-Player (why bother we have iPods), TURNTABLE (gasp!) and Sub-Woofer.
Whatever happened to buying a tv, sitting it on a plastic milk crate, plugging it in, adjusting the antenna and watching it? Okay, the picture sucked.
And NO, we did not buy a 3D TV. Are you crazy? I just know that one day there is going to be a study out that says those TVs mess up your vision, not to mention it makes me nauseous to see too much 3D. Life is too 3D for me.
On the way home, a severe thunderstorm hit. I had to go get the car, so I ran in the pouring rain, got the car, picked Sam up. I was soaked. Two seconds later, the clouds parted and the sky was blue! Great.
I had to back road it home. Something happened on Route 34 and the traffic was at a standstill.
Our power went OUT. So we tried to look at the bright side. We LEFT home and went to the movies. We saw “Get Him to the Greek,” which was funny and tender (okay maybe not so tender, but funny). By the time we got home, CL&P had showed up and fixed the problem! Things were looking up!
So I powered up my computer. I have a 2TB (terabyte, which is oodles bigger than gigabyte) backup system. It contains 4 hard drives. Guess what wasn't working?
I stayed up until 3AM trying to fix the problem to no avail. All my precious kitten photos, all my client files, all gone. I was lucky that I have all the original files and only lost the backup, but the BACKUP is what is not supposed to FAIL! But it's JUNE, so remember that.
I got on the phone with tech support at Drobo. Jeremy helped me. He was VERY helpful and terrific, even when I said “shit” after he told me there was no saving the data and we'd have to reformat all four drives. In the end, one of the four drives was starting to fail and two of the newer drives were installed BEFORE I did a "firmware" (whatever that is) update, which caused a very slow corruption of how the files were written. Now that the drives are reformatted, everything should work well, other than the one drive that I'm doing to pitch into the back yard.
Now I need to spend MORE money to get a new drive. Fun.
It is June 7th. Twenty three more days to go. Maybe it's just the luck of the draw. Some bad stuff that will work itself out? No worries. Right?
Not so sure about that.
Oh yeah. I'm supposed to write about CATS!
What is Candy doing? More of this photo, tomorrow!
The cats, knock wood, are doing well and I have very happy news about Candy which I will share tomorrow---after I share my news that tomorrow morning I'll be interviewing Dr. Katrina Warren of Animal Planet's Housecat Housecall!
It should be a fun interview, so make sure you check back in tomorrow for an update! Hopefully it will go well, but remember, it's June.
Nick and Nora. Sam's cats. These two cats are just about the biggest cats I've ever seen. Nicky is not even fat, he's just gigantic. Nora, well, she's slowly slimming down, but still kinda-sorta looks like a baby seal at the right angle.
Well, it's Sunday, folks, a perfect day for a long snuggle with the kitties, maybe read a good book with a cup of tea or coffee? Maybe a ripped, shirtless, guy would bring me some donuts, while I'm relaxing? Maybe he would also rub my feet for at least two hours (per foot). Then he would clean the house and prepare an elegant, delicious meal for me to enjoy, before he LEAVES.
From today's Adoption Event...Some little scaredy-kittens. I'm not sure, but I think these guys could be Candy's siblings. Don't they look related? Regardless, enjoy the cuteness!
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