Announcements

No urgent plea for rescue today. We need a break from that. Instead, I wanted to share with you an experience I just had that was quite wonderful, though admittedly, bittersweet, too. I'll do my best to write while my eyes burn and my throat constricts from inhaling fumes. No. I'm not writing while my house is burning down. I made the poor choice to set my oven to "self clean," which quickly caused the house to fill with pretty blue, toxic smoke. I had to shut off the heat and open the windows. It's 48°F outside and now, inside. Why can't I just live with a filthy house? I like to vacuum at night so I don't have to work as hard to make it look clean. Why do I need my oven to shine? Sheesh!

Since I'm freezing to death, typing helps keeps the circulation going in my fingers, though I think I need to get a hat. I stopped feeling my ears awhile ago.

Oh yeah, cats...so my foster room is empty and needs re-filling, I've been somewhat (you know me, hard to be subtle) quietly looking around for the next foster kittens. I looked locally, first. I really LOOKED all over the state and into NYC. Most cats were too old for me to help, so I went southward.

At Barb's (from WCR) suggestion, I reviewed a list from Jasper County in Georgia. I'm told their ACO, Karen, is super awesome and runs a very spic and span shelter. She also happened to have a LONG list of kittens available for adoption.

I went over the list once, twice, three times. I printed out each kitten's ad. I tried to do math (not easy for me!). I knew that I could take four kittens and Jennifer, with some coaxing jumped at the chance to take four kittens, too. Yes! That's a nice number, but I had twelve kittens picked out.

UGH.

After more reviewing, listing, adding, subtracting and some very powerful headaches, I cut the list down to ten. I got ahold of Karen, the ACO and we talked about those kittens. Thankfully, my job was made easier. Two of the kittens were spoken for and two that had been on the list were going to be adopted, as well. I had my eight.

But...there are a few kittens left I could not pull and I feel bad about them. I feel very bad about it. I hate to break up litters, even if they were already separated, but perhaps now that most of the kittens are gone, the ones that are left will have a better chance at finding a home? Jasper is not a High Kill Shelter, so my hopes are that all will work out.

There's LOTS of paperwork, emails, details and FUNDRAISING (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to work out, but with any luck, in a week or so, I'll have my room filled back up with bouncing babies!

I just stuck my neck way out and you know, it's not that scary any more. Sure, I have the same old fear that I won't find these guys homes, that they will be too darn big to adopt out by the time they get here, but I gotta try.

I feel like I just got to do the best kind of online shopping! "I'll take that kitten and that kitten and oooo look! That's a cute one! Yes!"

So without any further delay...here are our newest rescues if I survive smoke inhalation, that is!

Jennifer's Crew:

My Muffins:

Our friend, Sylvester, the 36-month old, 17lb baby was pulled out of Jasper Co. Shelter yesterday, thanks to some poking and prodding by our CiCH friend, Barb at Winging Cat Rescue, to be cared for by a rescue group in Georgia who has a soft spot for big boys.

We're told that although Sylvester loves people, he might not love other cats as much. It's tough to say for sure. He's been in a tight squeeze for too long and that would make anyone hateful of pretty much everything!

A nice lady in Arizona would offer Sly a home, but we can't get him transported over there on our own. Anyone know a pilot?

Regardless, Sly has a foster home and we'll see how he does over the next few months. Hopefully, he WILL find that FOREVER home and lots more love, soon.

Best wishes and good luck to you, big fella!

Please help spread the word, so Will can find his Rescue Placement or Forever Home, soon! Remember, Will is currently located in Greenville, South Carolina.

Visit Will's Petfinder Listing HERE

Transport CAN be arranged. If you're interested in Adopting or are with a Rescue Group and can foster Will, please contact Jenna Gutierrez (864) 801-3177 or email her: tomjeng@charter.net

UPDATE: Thank you to our dear friend, Terry and his awesome kitty clutter for helping get the word out on Will. See his big article on his fabulous kitty-lovin' web site!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED MONEY TO HELP WILL GET THE VET CARE HE NEEDS! I'M SO THRILLED AND PROUD OF YOU GUYS FOR STEPPING UP! WE RAISED THE MONEY WE NEEDED IN LESS THAN FOUR HOURS!!!

Will has many Guardian Angels looking out for him. That's for sure!

More updates on Will coming tomorrow!

Will should be ready for his forever home in about two weeks. His eye is not doing so well today, but hopefully he will be back on track to healing up very soon. The cut in his mouth is doing all right. Jenna, one of his rescuers, told me it's tough to get a photo of him because he wants to be picked up and loved and all she thought she could get is a photo of his nose!

This love bug deserves a wonderful, loving home. If you'd like to adopt or foster, Will, please contact Cat Clinic of Greenville, 1525 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC 864-232-7050.

If you'd like to help with Will's Vet costs, please donate below. Your money will go to Kat5, a Non-Profit organization who will make sure Will's fees are paid. That way your donation is tax deductible, as the law allows, and you can feel safe that your money is going to the right place. We love the Ladies at Kat5 and trust them implicitly.

You can also use this link to go to Will's ChipIn widget on the Kat5 web site!

Will, the poor little cat who was hit by a car on Friday, is doing well. His Vet and caretaker, Dr. Anderson said that the swelling around his eye is improving and he shouldn't need corrective surgery. He has a cut on the inside of his mouth and no other injuries. Though the Dr. is fairly sure this was from the impact of a car, she can't rule out that Will wasn't hit by a person. It's a sad fact that animal abuse happens and Will might be a victim of that. We'll never really know.

What we do know is Will is going to be neutered this week! He already has his shots on board, had his "combo test" for Feline Leukemia and FIV. He failed each test beautifully! With de-worming and a dose of Revolution, Will will be ready to be adopted as soon as late this week!

We're having a tiny technical problem getting Will's ChipIn widget up and running. He won't need much in donations, so this will be an easy save for us! I hope you guys can help out once we're ready.

What Will needs more than anything, is to FIND A FOREVER HOME or to be taken in by a rescue group. Though they prefer he stays locally, Will can easily be transported anywhere in the Northeast and outside of that, transport can be arranged, as well.

I'm told that they don't get any sweeter or more friendly than Will, so if you step up, you're getting a marvelous new friend! Later today I should have updated photos of Will to make it easier to get the word out and for his new family to fall in love with him!

After all my excitement over Spencer possibly being more Norwegian Forest Cat than mixed breed, tonight I was petting him and was suddenly alarmed by what I found.

Spencer had a LARGE bald spot behind his right shoulder blade! A few days ago I thought his fur looked a bit odd. I could see his pink skin appear as stripes through his dense coat. I didn't think anything of it until I saw the big bald spot. I thought that perhaps I caused it yesterday when I combed out a good sized mat. The matted fur was in the same area, but the mat was not THAT BIG. This is a BIG area.

I checked Spencer's left side and I saw the same thing-a big bald patch. I almost threw up. My gorgeous baby's fur is gone. The skin is pink, smooth, no signs of broken hairs, blood, scabs, nothing. Perfectly clear of fur.

I Googled: "causes of hair loss in felines" and saw far too many possibilities from symmetrical alopecia to hyperthyroidism to mange, flea bites, ringworm, dermatitis. Oh God. Here we go again. Another cat with skin problems. It could also be caused by anxiety.

Spencer has been fine. Just fine. He had a a few fleas a few months ago. He was given Advantage once a month for the past three months. He never had it before then. Was it the Advantage? Wouldn't he be bald where the Advantage was applied?

I have no answers. It's not an emergency, so I'll attempt to get to sleep. Dr. Larry isn't in until TUESDAY. I'll call tomorrow to give them a heads up. If they think Spencer needs to come in sooner than Tuesday, I'll be ready.

There are things I can bear-being fat, I can bear being estranged from some of my family members, but not this...I get so much joy out of seeing Spencer. His little wiggle-walk and super pouffy butt fluff (aka, fluffocks). He just makes me smile every day. Even if he lost all his fur, I would love him just as much, but my heart would break. He's so magnificent. Yes, I'm deeply attached to him. He's my boy and I love him, dearly. I'm not over reacting...it's just that I feel this tightening in my heart.

What does this mean for Spencer? What will come of this discovery? Is this going to get worse? What will happen to my boy and how can I make it better as soon as possible?

Oh no! Oh no!

During the course of my life, I've never had a purebred cat. All my cats were rescued from the Pound or sort of fell into my lap. While I figure one day I'll find a purebred that needs to be rescued, for now it's just me and a house full of "mutts." That is...

...until I decided to watch Cats 101 on Animal Planet this afternoon.

I was intrigued by their teaser ad, showing the selection of cats they were to highlight. There was a Havana Brown, Abyssinian, Ocicat, blah blah blah, Norwegian Forest Cat. I did a double-take. The cat they were showing was a doppleganger for Spencer. As the show began, my heart started to race. Was I having a heart attack or was I just excited the Spencer had a secret that was about to be revealed...one that would "change our lives FOREVER" (that quoted part should be read with great authority and grandeur and maybe a bit of reverb).

So I sat there and watched and listened. The narrator talked about some of the traits of the Norwegian Forest Cat. Things like, tufted toes (check!), big-ass bushy tail (check!, though he didn't say "big ass"), tail often has a WHITE TIP (CHECK!), triangular shaped head with really fluffy ear fur (CHECK!), thick double-layer coat (CHECK!!!), extra "pouff" around the head (CHECK!!!) rounded tipped ears (CHECK!!!).

Look at his tail! See the white tip? See the look of dementia on his face? Wait, that's not a trait...is it?

Holy crap. Spencer's gotta be a Norwegian Forest Cat! I went online and looked at some Breeder's photos. You tell me Spencer does not look like this guy!! Spencer is just as pouffy! What do you think??

CH Meisterhaus Talia of LostWoods. photo: lostwoodswegies.com

Is my precious pouff a "Wegie?" I feel like I just won the Lottery!

Will is going to be picked up in an hour by Dr. Anderson! The poor baby has had to wait this long to get any medical care. What a crime this is!!!

I'm VERY GRATEFUL to Jenna for getting the ball rolling and to Dr. Anderson and her staff for being willing to take on this homeless patient.

Later today I hope to get more information about Will's injuries and what sort of financing we will need to put together for him. Also, more than anything, Will is going to need a FOSTER HOME or RESCUE GROUP to step up to take him once he is stable. Again, when I have more information as to his condition, needs, prognosis I'll ask you guys to really PUSH the word out there so we can help this little fella out.

Thank you all, again for your care and concern for Will.

I just heard from Jenna in Greenville, SC. She's the one I took six kittens from last month. She has contacted Dr. Anderson, of the Cat Clinic of Greenville (who cared for the kittens before I got them) and she is willing to take WILL as soon as they can make the arrangements.

This is all hinging on hearing back from Andrea, who is the contact person regarding Will's care. Once she gives us the OK, Jenna will transport Will to Dr. Anderson. When I find out what Will is going to need for Vet care, I will be posting a request for donations to help him out.

More on how to help Will, once we hear from Andrea and get Will to see Dr. Anderson.