Fluffy

I got Rudolph, Comet and Dasher to the Vet this morning. I was both grateful to get an early appointment and even more relived that Rudy made it through the night. For a little guy, he is very sick.

I managed to get a crappy photo of him as he curled up on my chest. He's very affectionate even though he can barely breathe.

The Vet Tech took everyone's temp (except MINE of course). Rudy was at 103.8°F, Comet was at 104.2°F and Dasher was normal at 102°F.

The general consensus was that it would be pretty tough for these cats to get so sick in the 36 hours it took to get them to CT. They left GA in good health and somewhere along the line they became very ill. Comet had to be hospitalized. She hasn't eaten much, is depressed and very very thin for her size. At 8 months of age she is just 3 pounds. She was dehydrated and uncomfortable. I'm glad they kept her. I'm worried about her and I'd be more afraid she'd end up crashing here!

Little Rudy ate for us, so he was sent home with a bag full of meds. Two eye drops, antibiotics, a probiotic and nasal drops. He is “this” close to being hospitalized, himself. He only weighs 1.11 lbs. Our Director took him for a few days to help me out. I have no space to quarantine another cat. My hope WAS that I'd be getting the cats adopted out quick and I'd have time and space for any foster cats that are here. That will not be the case now.

That said. One cat was spared being sick-so far. Vixen.

To describe her as a knockout does her a disservice. This cat is stunning and very very affectionate. To imagine that even a cat as fine as she, had faced death due to an overcrowded shelter is beyond my comprehension. From the get-go, this girl was all over me, purring and wanting to be held.

She made quick friends with Dasher, too. I just loved her!

Yes, she's adopted. Of course-though I wish she could have stayed longer. She went to an awesome home and these folks will be taking her to visit MY Vet, the wonderful, Dr. Larry! Hopefully, I'll get to hear how she's doing since we're all in “the family,” so to speak.

Although it's been a trying day and things are not going to be going very smoothly, that's for sure-I got to see this today:

And this...

Dancer

And this...

Blitzen

Oh yeah, and...

Donner

I think I have the most beautiful kittens in the world and I'm NOT going to let ANYONE adopt them!!!! MINE! MINE! MINE!

Anyway, they're too young to be adopted, so they're here at least another two months..I mean years...I mean weeks!

I got a lot to do...a ton of paperwork, gotta get to the store since now we're supposed to get blasted with a nasty snow storm tomorrow. What happened to the Christmas card I was going to design? All the gifts I was going to buy? I haven't even decorated the damn tree yet! I'm really glad I just got two huge shipments of cat food today, so at least they cats will be fed no matter what. They're saying 8-15" of snow starting tomorrow!!! So much for last minute...Holiday?...shopping? anything?

Ugh.

Memory has a truly wonderful Puritan name. Though I don't know her exact pedigree, I can tell you that Memory is one great lady, so she must come from fine stock!

I was first going to share with you the story of how Memory, one of our Covered in Cat Hair readers, trained her cat, Wallingford, to shake hands and give “high fives”. She posted a video of him in action, which was quite cute!

That, in an of itself, would be a good enough story, but...

...about a month ago, I got an email from Memory, which I'm going to share with you (per her okay to do so):

“Friday, even though I was sick I decided to go to work because I had 10 pounds of turkey gizzards to pick up from the new butcher at the Newtown Deli who gives me free meat and cheap meat for my cats. On the way up 111 in Trumbull, I came across a cat in the middle of the street and decided that I wasn't going to leave somone's pet to get squashed into the road by passing cars. I have seen enough of that and this one was on my watch. I pulled over and as I went to get out of the car, the cat lifted its' head - it wasn't dead! The traffic was going around and a car stopped to block the cat and me from the traffic as I went to pick it up. Another woman had stopped, too and she rode in the back seat with the cat on her lap and we took it to the nearest vet - who lucikly was open before 8 am! I actually had been to that vet when I adopted my Wallingford from them 4 years ago -so they had my name in the computer. I didn't even have to leave a credit card as Trumbull Animal Control picks up the bill. I called from work and they were treating the cat for shock. Later they called me and said that it had a broken tooth, bruised lungs, it's eye had some damage and it had cuts and bruises but it was going to be OK!”

[I'm not going to make a comment about the 10 POUNDS of Turkey gizzards!]

Memory didn't stop there. She got involved and didn't back out.

Saturday Trumbull Animal Control called me at home and told me that it was a big she and she was going to be fine. The warden also said that the cat was in shock and would have died if she hadn't gotten to the vet so quickly. I've been sick, but if her people don't get her by the weekend, I am going to go and take a picture of her and make some
posters to put in the area where I found her.

Again, Memory could have let Animal Control do their thing, but this kitty had a Guardian Angel on her side. She got some photos of the kitty, they called, Lucky. What a stunning Maine Coon!

I was VERY relived to know that Lucky was NOT in any danger of being euthanized because Trumbull, unlike my crappy town, allows cats in their animal pound. Lucky just needed a home. Being such a pretty girl, I knew that wouldn't take long.

“I went to animal Control today and took another picture of "Lucky". She is the calmest cat I have ever seen and completely nonplussed about her situation. I had an adoption inquiry for her from Texas but Animal Control would require the person to come to Ct to meet with them. So it is going to have to be a local adoption. They don't think it will be a problem as she is very pretty and sweet.”

Three weeks passed while Lucky waited to find a good home. Then, another email from Memory:

“I'm not sure exactly what the story is as I got two conflicting emails - but Lucky's owners did find her after 3 weeks! One of their neighbors went to the pound looking for her cat and recognized Lucky.
The owner's had been told that Lucky had been killed in the street and went to look for the body - but it was gone. The first email said that Lucky was back home with her sister and the second said that the people didn't think they could afford to pay her vet and impound fees. I emailed and offered to pay some of the fees - just so she could go home. I should know more tomorrow - a happy ending, and amazing ending.

I just realized that the neighbor saw the cat lying in the street, recognized it and didn't stop to pick it up! I wonder how long she had been there before I came by. She is indeed, a Lucky girl.”

This big sweetie is hopefully spending a quiet Christmas with her family thanks to our fearless friend, Memory and an unknown stranger who were willing to stick their necks out and get involved to make a BIG difference in one cat's life.

Seven Vet trips in six days, barfing, mooshy poop, stench, worms shooting out of one kitten's butt-yeah, I'm ready for MORE, baby! Bring it!

Now that the Crazy Kitten Clan is almost done being spayed or neutered and we're getting applications in on some of the kittens, I started to feel a bit “itchy.” Who was I going to take in next?

There are a few kittens in the periphery and a cat, but with some juggling, hopefully it will work out if I decide to, umm, err...rescue a few more cats? Come on! I need my FIX!

Why go shopping out of a drab Holiday guide when you can save a life out of a “cat-”a-log. Sorry for the PUN! What a thrill, in a way of course (I can't save many or all), but a thrill to just take in a deep breath and say; “YES! Pull those guys out of that shelter. I have NO idea if I will find them homes or find out they are sick or have behavior problems. I just NEED to do this and it seems to get a bit easier every time I do it.

This MORNING I got an email from Betsy at Henry County-YES, the same place that euthanized three sweet kittens I was about to rescue. Who would it serve if I just cut them off and never helped them again?

Then I saw this:

Go ahead. YOU SAY NO TO THOSE FACES! I DARE YOU!

...and read this: Mommy is just as loving and sweet as she can be and will have little chance to get out once the kits are pulled from her. The babies are weaning now and are ready to go to the kitten room.

She has 4 beautiful babies, the family is in an isolated area for nursing moms and everyone is healthy.

This family needs to be rescued from the shelter THIS WEEK. Friday December 4th they will be split up and mom most likely will not make it out once she goes the adoption room. IF the room is full she might be euthanized since she is past her ready date.

Mama. I am not gonna let you down!

I contacted my lifeline to GA Shelters, Barb Lowe and Winging Cat Rescue and asked her if she could help me. Barb is ALWAYS busy pulling cats from shelters and always has a lot on her plate. Did Barb put me off? HELL NO! Barb made a call. A few minutes later...

THAT WAS EASY! WOO!

Everyone is SAFE and OUT OF HENRY COUNTY! Mama had her combo test. Negative/Negative: the words we love to hear!

Next up...FUNDRAISING to get their Vet bill paid and transport to Connecticut! Get your wallet 'cause I'm gonna be asking you to pull a few bucks out it!

Hey! I'm doing the hard work and taking the risk. I just want your CASH!

Will let you know when fundraising ChipIn Widget goes live!

Will, not one to travel alone, has decided that he needs to bring two of his buddies with him when he comes to Connecticut this weekend. Strange that he didn't ask me about this first, but just invited them along. Who am I to say, “No” to cute, fluffy babies? I cannot say “NO”. So...

...please welcome our latest, busted out, but NOT from a Kill Shelter-we're just helping Dr. Anderson out...Pip & Squeak (at least that's their names for now until I come up with something better).

These cuties are not sisters, though they sure look like it! I don't know much about their story of how they got to Dr. Anderson. I just know they got vetted and tested and one is spayed and one is not and that's good enough for me. I am so READY to get my hands one some kitten! Woohoo!

I think I've had a two week break from fostering. I like having time for other things, but I hate going into the foster room. Opening the door and not having kittens come out to see me or to get blasted in the face by the acrid stench of "clean me NOW" kitten litter pan...well, it just touches anyone's heart to conjure up this Hallmark image. Really, I miss fosters and fairly soon I will have SO MANY of them, I will be in a really bad mood or really happy or a mix of both (most likely).

So tonight I leave for the CWA Conference! I'm super excited, not ready, nervous and tired. I hope I figure out how to do a good "pitch" of my work so I can get some PAYING writing gigs. I hope I have good hair. I hope that when I see Dr. Kevin "Hottie-Cutie-Pants" Fitzgerald tomorrow night that I chose the perfect outfit to get his attention and undying love forever or for at least one really good, memorable night. CWA President, Amy Shojai, I hope to GOD you didn't read this. I'm sure you are far too busy preparing for our Conference to read my tiny Blog that no one but about 7 people read a day. Really, don't read this. If you're reading this than stop, before it's too late and I make a total ass of myself before I meet you.

Oops.

I don't know much about this HUGE kitty, other than he isn't neutered-no kidding!

Don't you love him? Isn't he amazing??! I am so in love with this big boy! All I know is he's at Henry County Care & Control. I'll find out more tomorrow, I hope. He is one awesome cat, if you ask me. I don't know why anyone would give him up, but he's so dirty and not being neutered, I don't think anyone cared much for him. I hope he doesn't have FIV+. Oh boy I can't start worrying now. I can simply appreciate his wonderfulness and hope he will be all right. He's too old for me to take, but oh boy would I love to adopt him! I hope lots of other folks feel the same way so he can get a great home soon (and a bath).

I keep hoping I can look at cats who are in need of rescue and find an excuse why I can't stick my neck out for them all. Most are too old for me to foster, but when they are young and without their mom and living in a VERY HIGH KILL SHELTER in GEORGIA, I have to, at least TRY to help them.

These beautiful babies are located at Henry County Care & Control in McDonough, Georgia. They are at HIGH RISK of being EUTHANIZED as Henry puts down 300-500 a MONTH.

I KNOW you don't want them to die. I don't, either. Here are our options to help:

1. FIND A GEORGIA LICENSED RESCUE GROUP who can remove the kittens and foster them until they find forever homes. Contact Betsy or anyone at Henry Co. Directly-ASAP. Their number is: (770) 288-PETS. The ID# are 11/9-5526~5527~5528 for litter with black & white kitten and ID# 11/9-5522~5523~5524 for litter with siamese kitten

2. FIND A PERSON OR FAMILY who LIVES IN GEORGIA and get them over to Henry Co. ASAP to ADOPT one or more of these kittens.

3. IF YOU ARE A RESCUE GROUP OUT OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA and are in the NORTHEAST OR SOUTHEAST USA AND CAN OFFER A FOSTER HOME PLACEMENT TO ONE OR BOTH LITTERS, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO RAISE FUNDS AND ARRANGE TRANSPORT. KNOW NOW THAT IT CAN COST ANYWHERE FROM $250 TO $500 TO PULL A LITTER OUT. THEY MUST BE IN 2 WEEK QUARANTINE OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER BEFORE THEY ARE TRANSPORTED. WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH A GA LICENSE WHO CAN PULL THE KITTENS BUT YOU MUST MUST MUST BE A SERIOUS, BONA FIDE RESCUE GROUP WILLING TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THESE ANIMALS. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE OUR OVERLOADED GA LICENSE HOLDER WITH "WISHES TO HELP BUT REALLY AREN'T SURE" YOU NEED TO BE SURE. CONTACT ME: info@coveredincathair.com ASAP and I will get the ball rolling.

5. SPREAD THE WORD!!! Tell your friends to tell their friends. The more people we tell, the more likely we will find that "needle in a haystack!"

If you live in the NORTHEAST OR SOUTHEAST USA and want to adopt one of these kittens and are SERIOUS and can PAY for transport-around $200, plus boarding fee, vet fees (very inexpensive in GA), etc...then let me know and I'll get you helped out.

I don't know if I can help these kittens. I deeply want to, but I already have other promises out to take other kittens and only have so much room in my home. This is why I'm asking for help.

If you have questions...drop me a note.

PETFINDER AD FOR KTITENS ABOVE Their ID#'s are: 11/9-5526~5527~5528

PETFINDER AD FOR KITTENS ABOVE Their ID#'s are: 11/9-5522~5523~5524

These kittens are too beautiful to have to die tragically. I know I ask often for help for cats. It's tiring. There are so many. These guys really need help that's life or death. This is no joke.

Thank you all for your time and for letting me share these beautiful kittens with you.

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!

It doesn't suprise anyone that I want to do the BEST I can for each of my "resident" cats, as well as my fosters, but it isn't always possible. I realize that having seven cats (plus God knows how many fosters) means that each cat might not get everything they need every day. Sure, they get FED daily, and if I'm not feeling too lazy, I slug their water fountain over to the sink to rinse it out every few days (and they get a small bowl of fresh water every day, too). I try to play with the cats and give them each, at least a few minutes of my time. Some get more than others. Some gravitate to Sam, so that lightens the load a bit, but it has to be tough on the cats-especially Gracie and Petunia.

Gracie came to me six years ago as an "unwed Mother" with her three offspring. Because I had trouble placing her and her daughter, Petunia, I decided I had room in my home to keep them. I never really had a strong bond with them, but I also didn't want to continue trying to find them homes after almost a year. I was with the wrong rescue group who put my kitten on the back burner, until she was too big to be attractive to many families, and both of the cats were skittish and showed poorly.

Over the years, Petunia has developed territorial aggression and some aggression towards a few of the other cats. She did a lot of inappropriate urination, which drove me mad. Getting a consult with a behaviorist, seeing my Vet, reading about cat behavior, I came to be able to work with Petunia, to a point. Clearly, she feels she is not getting enough attention and does not care to have other cats in "her" space-like my bedroom. I've worked on giving her more attention and playtime, but, again, with the duties of a foster mom and the other cats having their issues, there isn't a lot of time for her. It's my fault.

Meanwhile, it's been a YEAR since Gracie began her odyssey with Miliary Dermatitis, possibly brought on by her own high strung emotional state. Gracie will RUN if anyone comes close to her. Partly it was from all the medications and baths she's gotten over the past year, partly because she is a nervous cat. She's been pulling out her fur, over grooming herself and vomiting it up. I haven't seen her pull her fur, but there are clear signs something is going on. Even with all this, Gracie STILL wants to sleep near me at night and still wants attention, but is fearful if I step closer to pet her.

Dr. Larry says to re-home the both of them. As I've written before, they are 6 and 9 years old. It would be VERY tough to find them a home I'd feel was good enough to care for them. I'd also miss them. They do have some adorable qualities! I just wish they could relax...

So, after all this time, I've decided to try one last thing-Elavil. Yes, my cats are on anti-anxiety meds. Here I am, studying cat behavior, trying to help other people with their cats, when my own are so messed up I finally decided to medicate them. Surely, there is another way? Surely if there is, I'm not sure what it would be at this point.

I started Gracie on 10mg, once per day. In two days, whatever existed of Gracie's personality was gone. She was lifeless and very depressed. She didn't run off, but she seemed to lose interest in life. She ate like a pig, but stayed by herself, not wanting to be around anyone else. I could not get near her. I took her off the meds for a week, spoke with Super-Deb, the Vet tech, and decided to halve the dose and see if that helped.

Right around this time, I was seeing more and more aggression from Petunia towards Nora-who was doing NOTHING, just minding her own business. Unprovoked attacks on the rise, another call to Super-Deb and we agreed it was time to put Petunia on the other half dose.

Both girls have been on the half dose for a week now. Gracie is perky, eating well, wants to be close to me, but is still nervous. Her skin improved with a shot of vetalog and I'm waiting to see if it STAYS that way now she's not so nervous. So far, so good. Just a tiny outbreak, but not bad. She likes to visit me at night and purrs and like her pets, she's just not quite so stressed out.

Petunia seemed more clingy to her mom, but also seemed to be less high strung. I thought it was going all right, but in the past day she's actually gotten MORE aggressive towards Nora. Is she fighting her "mellow" feelings by overcompensating her attacks? I put her on the full 10mg dose today to see if that makes a difference.

My hope is to give it a month and re-evaluate. If the girls are doing better, I may continue it another month or may wean them off it slowly. I want them to gain confidence and reduce aggression or self-multilation. I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY, but the price they have to pay to get there is the problem. I hope, in the end, it's worth it. Right now it feels like I'm running out of options. This is my last chance to make it work for them to continue living here.

Monte's been on a handful of meds since Monday. Yesterday he seemed to turn the corner and appeared to be doing better. This morning, he seems more sniffly than before and not as lively. Whatever he has is kicking his ass good. He's been a Prince about taking his meds. He gets eye drops, eye ointment, a pill, two liquid things..ugh..I have no idea what it is. So much for all my research into each medication my cats get! At this point it's "give him everything and hope something works."

I've been running a humidifier as often as I can. When I forget I've left it on, I usually find the wood floor is soaked and the kittens are freaked out because even their bedding is getting damp. Not sure if it's even helping the kittens at all, but they do seem to enjoy playing in the mist! They find it fascinating-of course it moves. I just wish they'd stop jumping on the big dog crate where the humidifier is placed. It's a precarious spot, but it's the highest off the floor I can put the thing and the kittens seem to know they shouldn't go near it, so that's where they focus their attention.

Dee & Dylan seem to be basically fine now, so I've given their adopter the OK to bring them home. They don't have other cats, so it's not a risk to move them and I'd rather have them away from Monte, to give him more time to rest without being pounced on by his fluffy siblings. He'll still be with his sister, but she may be leaving soon, too. Can't say why just now, but you can guess!

Although these fosters have been sick, they're all so loving and wonderful that I wish I could spend more time with them (without having to shower afterwards!). Dylan & Delilah are stunners. Their fur feels like silk and they are both quick to jump on my lap for pets. They'll be great in their new home-my only worry is the owner has a dog who has never been with cats. She's a Pit Bull/Hound mix, who is socialized and likes people and other dogs. It remains to be seen how she will do with kittens, hopefully she will not decide they make good eats. The owner assures me she is going to keep the dog on a leash at all times near the kittens and never leave them home alone with the dog. Deep breath...it will be OKAY. Just repeat over and over...

...it will be OKAY. Hopefully, for Monte, too. Hang in there, little guy.