One I Hold in High Regard

I am amazed, humbled, stunned, thrilled, delighted, excited, grateful, so very appreciative, to all the people who dug deep into their pocket and offered to help me cover the Vet costs for rescuing the kittens!

I had hoped to be able to pay for the Spay/Neuter of the cats, and just pay the rest of the Vet bills out of my ever more empty bank account. I only asked for $400, but with help from Sparkle, the Designer Cat, who wrote a GLOWING article about Kitten Associates (okay, and about me, too) and her urging to her readers to keep helping me even if I met my goal, I extended the goal by $100 so I could buy some de-worming supplies and cover a tiny bit of the Vet bill I've already paid.

I looked at the totals on ChipIn last night and saw that not only did I reach the goal of $400, but the goal of $500 and then went far beyond that to $715 (and counting! I haven't been to my P.O. Box yet!)!!!

I realize that every fundraiser won't go this well and I can't always be asking for donations (even if more cats will have a need), but for right now, this moment, you have allowed me to cover just about ALL the Vet expenses for these kitties (I already paid over $400 for the first round of Vetting on all 6 kittens. The S/N will be another $400), which will give me the opportunity to focus on their care and not worry about anything else. (Okay, maybe getting on Petfinder would be a worry).

Because of your generosity, you have directly effected the future of these kittens lives. You stuck your neck out and believed in me. I am deeply grateful for your help and I will do everything I can to make sure each kitten has the best home possible.

And now, let's see how this story unfolds...Kittens are due here the end of the first week of August. I better get my ass in gear! Got to be ready for them!

Thanks to the VERY GENEROUS donations from so many of you, I will be able to cover the cost to S/N the kittens when they get to CT. I'll also be able to pay a little bit towards the over $500 I had to spend just to get the kittens out of the Shelter. This time it was out of my own funds, but some day I will have a proper fund to draw from for such things and it will get sorted out. Tomorrow I will write a bigger, longer, more glowing THANK YOU, to everyone, but first my head has to stop spinning from utter shock, delight and joy at how kind everyone has been to me!

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One thing every rescued foster kitten deserves is a proper first name. It may not be the only name he or she ever has, but it's a start. No more ID numbers. Now, just the freedom of the foster room and more begging to be rescued from a stainless steel cage.

My nephew, Ryan helped me choose names for each of my FIRST kittens under the Kitten Associates banner. It was really special to be able to share this with him since he's going to be a Senior in High School in the fall and our days together will draw to a close.

We have a silly problem. I don't have sexes on some of the kittens. A few I can safely guess-the calico and tortie are most likely girls, though last year we DID have that 1 in 7 million-male calico cat! I know that the the two tuxes are a brother and sister, but which is which? Oh well!

Without further adieu...here are our names and photos of the kittens from their first hours in foster care! Thank you to Maria for allowing us to share in this special time.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Moonpie at 8 weeks.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Pattycake at 8 weeks.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Honey B. at 5 weeks.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Sugar Pie at 5 weeks.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Cinnamon at 5 weeks.

©2010 Maria Sandoval. Yodel at 5 weeks.

Everyone is doing well, save for some ear mites here and there, but so far, knock wood, so good. I can't wait to meet these babies!I'm told they are all sweethearts, well..DUH!

So the little cow kittens will be here in about 3 weeks. I guess they'll have some company. It's not my fault. Betsy should not have sent me photos from kittens that were brought in to Henry County on Friday night, just after our cow kitties were rescued!

She sent me this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

I also found out that the cow babies and their mama missed being euthanized by a few hours! A lot of babies died that day. Now these guys will have a few days, then their time is up, too. I know I can't save them all (yet!!!)

I asked Maria if there was any way to fit 4 more foster kittens into their own space in her house. She said, YES.

I asked Bobby if he could go to Henry and pick up the kittens on Monday and get them to the Vet.

He said: “Yes.”

Betsy asked me if I would rescue them.

I thought about it. 6 foster cats is a lot to care for and a lot of cats to be stuck with if they don't get adopted. These guys are so cute I think they'll get adopted quickly, but as with any rescue, just the basic costs to get them all spayed/neutered and rabies is $50/cat if I go to the low cost clinic. I also have to have them all vetted before they go into foster care, combo tested for FIV/Feluk, de-flead, de-wormed, and FRVCP shots.

Doing this is not cheap. And God forbid any of the cats get sick and we know they probably will, then it could go into the thousands.

So, when time came to decide on if I should rescue these cats or not...well, you know what I said.

YES to ONE!

YES to ALL FOUR!

I've paid for their initial vetting this afternoon. For the first time in my life, I'm going to ask for some help. I've got the first vetting on my dime, but now I'd like help paying for the cats to be S/N. I've cut my goal down as much as I can.

I don't have my Non-Profit status, so you can't write any donation off, but you CAN feel good knowing the money goes to the kittens. You can visit H.O.P.E's Website and see their costs listed there, so you know the costs are legit. I'm only asking for money to help get them S/N and rabies shot and a little extra in case I need a booster FVRCP. I've got their food, litter, any other vetting covered (if it's not astronomic). If you'd like to ChipIn a few dollars, that would be great. I promise to work on getting my Non-Profit so you can write the next donation off!

Yes, I'm doing this bass-ackwards. I should have a few big benefactors, but I don't have time to find them. These cats would be dead, so I just did what I needed to do.

Now I hope you'll join me and be an important part of this rescue! Run to your sofa and dig around for some spare change! Every dollar helps! I know you get bombarded by requests for donations, so I'm going to try to keep my request to a minimum

Thank you for your help and to everyone for all their supportive messages and good wishes. I hope to make you all proud of me and rescue more kitties in the coming days!

There comes a point in your life where you start to see a direction you need to take. You can avoid it or run away from it. You can meet it head on and get bugs in your teeth, but you gotta do something.

I can't sit here and know little babies are being euthanized, along with their mamas. It's just so wrong on so many levels. No animal should be put down just due to space limitations or budget reasons, but that's how it goes.

Since volunteering with local rescue groups hasn't worked well for me, I'm just going to do my own thing. I am scared shitless, but perhaps that will motivate me to find a way to get this to work out? There's a lot of work to do, but I've already got things started.

Of course, I'm doing this bass-ackwards. I have no funding. My 501(3)c paperwork hasn't even been downloaded off the web yet. I'm working on getting onto Petfinder because I seem to already have foster cats coming here soon, but I DO have one thing figured out!

Sam gave my group a name. We were driving in the car, talking about whether or not I should make a go of it on my own and he just blurted out; “How 'bout Kitten Associates?”

YES! Done! Locked and loaded. Love it!

My first two babies under the Kitten Associates rescue moniker, you already met last week. They're at foster mama, Maria's home in McDonough, GA until they can hitch a ride back Northeast with Aunt Izzy, our CiCH friend.

Maria sent some photos of the babies. They look big and happy! I still need to name them! Any ideas? One boy. One girl.

©2010 Maria Sandoval, used with permission.

Their Mama, a sweet calico is already adopted by a nice lady in North Carolina. Mama needs to be spayed still, but for now she is very comfy and happy in her foster home and to be back with her babies for awhile longer.

©2010 Maria Sandoval, used with permission.

So two kittens that I have to find homes for and pay out-of-pocket for anything they need while with me, is a good start. I can afford this. No problem. But...

...I forgot to take it slow...baby steps.

I am SOOOOO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Cali Mama is NEG/NEG for FIV and FeLuk and so are her super cute cowbabies!

Everyone is clear to go into foster care...but wait...there's more!

Last night a lovely lady named, Marian in North Carolina offered to give Cali Mama a home! So as soon as Mama is done with quarantine and is ready to travel, our dear friend, Bobby has offered to DRIVE her all the way to Charlotte- which is a good five hours drive. Who would just offer to do such a thing without an ulterior motive? BOBBY! He is such a nice nice man. Last year he helped me by picking up Huggy Mama, who was my first rescue from Henry Co. He truly loves animals and has a heart of gold. Thank you, Bobby and thank you Marian for giving Mama a new home to call her own.

My brains are scrambled. I think I forgot to thank someone. Once I have normal blood pressure again and cognitive function, I will re-check this post and make sure I didn't leave anyone out...

oh yeah..and the COWBABIES ARE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!!!!! Okay, I'm just fostering them, but...

Don't let me keep these foster kittens. When I start writing about how I can't let them go, remind me I told you to YELL AT ME! I can't keep them, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE TUXY BABIES!!!! I can't wait to meet them!!!

Last night was a CRAZY barrage of emails going back and forth. Things were lining up to rescue this mama and her little babies! I had a transport, I had someone to pull the cats for me, I had a place for them here, but I didn't have a two-three week foster home or place to board the cats until they could leave the State and head northeast! All pets have to be quarantined for about 2 weeks before they can go anywhere to help prevent the spread of disease. Finding a place to keep them safe is really tough-espeically when you live 1000 miles away!!!

Somehow things just started to click...

I decided to try and ask for help. Our new BFF, Maria, saw my plea. She actually LIVES in the same town where the shelter is located! She DOES cat rescue for RescueCats! She HAS an EMPTY foster room! She even is prepared to de-worm the kittens! This lady knows her stuff! Oh yeah...and Maria contacted me and offered to help! She made all the difference in this rescue even being possible.

So did our DEAR friend Bobby, who graciously offered to drive over to Henry Co., sign out the cats, take them to the Vet and wait with them while they are being checked out. You'd think that would be enough, but Bobby offered to help in other ways, which I will tell you about later! There is more news ahead, but I have to wait until I know that mama and babies have passed their exam (so to speak) and can go into their foster home. There is the gut-knot-worry that their "Combo" test to determine if they have FIV or Feline Leukemia will show a positive. We do NOT want this to happen and it's the last real serious hurdle in this rescue.

Bust 'em loud and bust 'em proud! BUSTED OUT!

So as of this moment, Mama and kits are NO LONGER IN A CAGE ON DEATH ROW. THEY ARE BUSTED OUT! NEXT..combo test result. OK? Or NOT? Can we jump up and down for joy? Not yet, but maybe a little “yippie!” wouldn't hurt.

Thumper was in a cage at the Emergency Vet Clinic for 3 MONTHS! We get the word out on him and he gets a home in ONE WEEK!!!!!!

Do I know any details? He went to a family with one other cat and should have a grand old time in his new home. That's all I got!

Of course, while I was asking the Vet about Thumper they told me a kitten was just dumped there with a prolapsed rectum. They fixed it, for now, but it may require another surgery if it does not hold. I offered to come down and get photos of the kitten once she is ready to be adopted...so we will be at it again trying to find a home for this baby, too.

In the meantime, CONGRATS, THUMPER!!!!

I cannot believe the number of people who tweeted, re-posted, wrote articles, emailed their friends about this ONE black beauty! As of this afternoon, the little mama kitty was picked up by Bobbi, who is graciously taking her to the Vet so she'll be checked out and hopefully get a clean bill of health. Next stop-ARIZONA where she will be living with her new family! Tonight they're going to pick out a name for her!

I am completely stunned that this one cat, who surely would be facing her last hours, will now have the hopes of living out her days with a loving family. The odds she would have been rescued? Well according to Henry Co.'s stats, roughly 95% of cats that go in the door, never come out alive. Yes, I said 95%.

Not only is this mama being rescued, but another cat is also getting pulled, too! When we get the word out that cats need help, good people step up and say; "YES!" I will give that cat a home or "Yes! I will donate money for that cat's care!" It DOES take a village, as they say...

Our Big Thank You List

To Bobbie Coker for doing all the work today and actually went to Henry to get the kitty (who she says is a big love bug!) and for her great photo!

Photo ©2010 Bobbie Coker

Team Furr for arranging transportation of the kitty

Dorian Wagner of Your Daily Cute for jumping all over this story and helped connect everyone together so we could do what we needed to do.

Janiss Garza of Sparkle the Designer Cat for pounding the keyboard and getting more attention for this kitty!

Stuart and his family in Arizona for offering to adopt a cat they've never even met before!

And to SO MANY OF YOU WHO HELPED GET THE WORD OUT. It really WORKED!

For now, let's all hope, pray, whatever you do, that the cat tests neg/neg for FIV and Feline Leukemia. Yes, there is more to worry about, but hopefully it is not a worry. If she is clear, the the rest should be easy. We MAY do some fundraising to help get this kitty to Arizona. I hope you'll be able to chip in a small amount to help her rescue be a complete success and not a financial drain on the good folks who offered to get her out of Henry or transport her to Arizona.

You guys have all been so helpful and supportive! We have so many more cats to rescue, but we can take a moment that, at least, this one will not die today.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson Jelly-Belly

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.

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.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE

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!)