Fluffy

A friendly stray cat, starving and exhausted lays in the middle of the road one summer morning. Who knew the act of choosing such a dangerous place to rest would change this cat's life forever?

©2011 Maria S. Moments after the kitty was discovered.

Maria, our super-foster-mama, was going to a tag sale, but got a lot more than she bargained for when she saw this friendly cat in the road. She stopped to offer help, not sure she should get involved, but not being able to stop herself from helping this poor soul. All the questions she may have asked herself, all the worry about if she could handle taking on another foster cat and what that might entail. What if the cat was sick? What if she needed more than Maria could provide?

©2011 Maria S. Baby Jack LiLac. Just rescued by Maria!

I was very glad that I could help Maria feel confident that she could take this on, by assuring her that my rescue group would cover any expenses and would find a forever home when the time was right. It became even more important that she had our backing after she realized the cat had given birth and that her kittens needed to be found as soon as possible. Many of you may have read about this miraculous search and rescue. It's detailed HERE including some amazing photos.

©2011 Maria S. A Mother's Love.

The cat was named Amberly, though barely a kitten, herself, was also a good mama. She was laying in the road, hoping it would lead her to the right person who could help her. Her babies, just days old, were saved. I named them after plants and elements since they were found under the base of a tree. One of the kittens I named, Jack LiLac. He had a skunk stripe on his nose, but was as sweet as could be. Jack thrived in Maria's care until he, his mama and his family were old enough to come to my home to be fostered here.

©2011 Maria S. Baby Jack.

Amberly's journey had taken her off the streets of Georgia, into a loving foster home. Her next stop would take her and her kittens across 1000 miles to my home where I'd be waiting to care for them. Who could have imagined she'd have to travel this all these miles for a chance to find her forever home? Amberly's new family was looking for her. We just had to wait for them to contact us.

©2011 Maria S. Little Man, Jack.

The family has been with me for a little over two months. They're all remarkable cats with copper penny colored eyes. I got many applications for them, but each one was not good enough. We have strict adoption policies. I realize that makes adoptions slow, but it's important that we know every cat has the best, safest, most appropriate home. I tried not to give up that we'd find a match before the cats were too old, but it was challenging.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Jack, today. He outweighs his mama now.

Last week I started to get applications that looked very promising. One of them had interest in just one cat. They wanted AMBERLY! We met, we spoke at length about their home, their life, their past cats. I did a Vet check. I did a home visit.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Congratulations to Amberly & Jack!

The husband and wife came to visit the kitties today to finalize their choice. Although the couple wanted ALL the cats, they knew that Amberly had to be their girl. Amberly is barely recognizable from what she once was. No longer thin, with her coat thick and plush, there are new signs of her having a longer coat than we imagined. She's playful and robust and loves to race around the room, stop and give kisses, then lounge on a soft bed. She never has to worry about where her next meal will come from or having loving companionship.

What I couldn't have predicted was they they fell in love with Jack, too. Jack is sweeter than sugar and loves to wrestle with his Mama. They're more like siblings than mother and son. They'll never have to be parted, as this couple is adopting Jack, too! I'm glad they'll stay together for the rest of their lives.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Amberly & Truffles.

The family can't wait to give them the best home and most love they can provide. Amberly and Jack will have two small dogs to be friends with and two young boys to play with. It's a lovely home with plenty of space. The family is planning on getting cat trees and scratchers, feeding the right diet and giving them whatever they need. I couldn't ask for more.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Lady Blaze.

Jack and Amberly will be here for another 2 weeks. After that time they'll be going to their forever home. Contracts are signed. Fees are paid. I will really miss them a lot. They're so easy to love.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. BlueBelle is more lovely than ever.

I just can't understand and I suppose I never will-why Amberly was alone in the first place and why she had to give birth under a tree in the woods. I'm sorry she had to suffer. She must have known the love of humans at some point. We'll never know how she got to that road or why she was laying in the middle of it. Amberly's journey is almost to an end. She's on the road again one last time. This time it will take her to a very happy future, side by side with her son.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Periwinkle (left) is one of the nicest cats I've ever met. I have a crush on her.

There are more home visits coming and possibly more of Amberly's family will be finding their forever homes soon, too. Stay tuned!

It began simply enough. I was trying to take some photos of Mazie. She's taken to sleeping in the little basket that hangs off the cat tree. Most of the cats are too heavy for it. Nicky tried it once but the results were less than stellar (in his mind...to me the results were hysterical!). I need to update Mazie's photo for Petfinder. She's been here for almost a YEAR! We gotta get her a forever home!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Umm...yes you are!

As I photographed Mazie, Spencer and the DOOD had to investigate. Mazie, content to literally hang out, wasn't bothered. I snapped a few photos, then noticed that Spencer and the DOOD were getting into a playfight.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Mellow Mazie in her hanging bed-basket.

Of course I had to capture the antics as long as no one was getting hurt and the fighting was kept to gentle bitch-slapping and not claws out and ready to rumble

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. You can tell it's Spencer by the overabundance of pouff.

What was almost as amusing as Spencer and the DOOD going at it was the fact that Mazie continued to sit there, unfazed by the the ruckus. Blitzen lurked in the background. He was probably smart to avoid getting into the middle of it.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Three cats, one cat tree. Now that's a good use of a cat tree!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Spencer and the DOOD begin warming up. Mazie just sits there.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The only thing missing is the sound of Spencer snorting while he tries to breathe and smack the DOOD at the same time. Blitzen's on the left. See him?

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Mazie? Are you just gonna sit there? I guess so.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Gotcha!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Gotcha big honkin' tail! (Hi Mazie! Still sittin' there!)

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Spencer's got that fed up look on his face (so does Mazie, it seems). This won't last much longer.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Shot looking UP from underside the second level of the cat tree. DOOD!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Spencer, the mascot of CiCH declares playtime is over. Time for the napping phase of the day to begin (again). I hope the DOOD leaves him alone! Mazie is STILL in the basket!

Now that I'm certain the DOOD does not have Feline Leukemia, I was able to let him out of the bathroom and allow him to mingle with my cats and Mazie. I knew there would be some issues, but many things surprised me.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. I'm free from my room. Now what do I do?

Firstly, DOOD was fearless about meeting the other cats. In fact, he was a bit too confrontational with Nora and Nicky. It seemed that DOOD was checking out each cat, trying to gauge if he could dominate them, play with them, or stay clear of them. It didn't take long for him to understand that the females were just not loving him jumping on them. Most of the boys didn't care, though it was pretty funny to see our huge cat, Nicky get scared of little DOOD, who chased him around the living room. Nicky could have sat on him and it would have been “game over” for DOOD.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. This is pretty much what I end up seeing for a majority of the day-Blitzen & DOOD wrestling.

Right away the DOOD and Blitzen became fast friends as I had hoped. I often see them rolling around the floor, in a blur. There's no growling, no ears back. They chase each other. They lick each other's face. They don't sleep together, but other than that, I think they're bonding or humping each other-hard to be certain what the heck they're doing or trying to do to each other! It's a good way for both of them to release pent up kitten energy and I'm glad for it.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The first night out, DOOD was already finding a spot on the bed to call his own.

Some evenings, the DOOD comes upstairs and hangs out with us and some of the other cats. It's amazing how relaxed he is and how accepting the others are. Of course not every cat is his biggest fan, but they seem to be working it out.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Spencer, our mascot, with the DOOD by his side.

I found DOOD sitting next to Spencer one afternoon. Spencer couldn't be bothered about the newcomer, but it was as if DOOD wanted to be his friend. It was sweet watching them sit together so peacefully.

The biggest change was seeing how DOOD has relaxed and stopped attacking me. Between working with him while he was in quarantine and the fact that he's no longer stressed from being confined, he has really started to blossom. DOOD still furiously licks my face, but for a shorter period of time. He's comfortable being held and doesn't nip my hands. He plays with toys with vigor, but doesn't suddenly grab my ankles and scratch. He's so different from the wild child I rescued a few months ago.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The DOOD with Nicky and Nora (far left).

He seems to be quite happy, exploring his new territory. I trained him to go to “his spot” to be fed and he's learning to stay off the counters. He's using the litter pans the others use and I finally saw him sleeping. He lays belly up some times. It's clear he's relaxed and in a very short period of time. It must have been a big change for him going from being the only cat to one of many.

I think about the email I got from his former owner-they had just seen one of DOOD's siblings and it made them wonder how "the cat" was doing. They never referred to him by a name, just "the cat." They asked if he was still attacking me and said that their son used to kick and chase DOOD around the house. I wanted to go to their home and kick and chase their kid. I never wrote them back. They don't deserve to know how he's doing.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Thinking about what could have been...

I imagined what DOOD's life could have been like if I hadn't gotten him away from that family. He would have gotten more violent. Eventually they would have either let him go outside, then not worried about providing for him any more or they would have dumped him at a shelter and being so anti-social he would have probably been put down.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Ho Hum...not a care in the world!

That was just not going to happen. When I saw DOOD's photo in one of 10 emails about cats needing rescue. I knew he had to come here. I didn't know why, I just knew I had to help him. Now that he's been with me for a few months, I admit that the DOOD may become a “foster fail.”

When I turned 50, I promised myself that “one day” soon I would get my last cat. He's be a fluffy tux. He'd be an adult. I have conflicting feelings about putting DOOD up for adoption, but saving an adult is important and kittens can always get a home. I can't seem to put DOOD on Petfinder just yet, but I'm not sure I should keep him. I want to be as responsible as I can and thoughtful about how my other cats are handling him being here.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Sick in bed with a cold, the DOOD helps me feel better.

If DOOD continues to do well and is accepted, I think he's found his forever home. Shoot. I love him! Can you blame me?

If it just doesn't work out, I will make certain he's placed with a family that respects his needs and can provide for him and not subject him to abuse and aggression. Either way, the DOOD will be in a good home.

So far life in the DOODLESPHERE is all blue skies and pouffy white clouds.

After a grueling two month lockdown period for the DOOD, the blood test could finally be performed and the test results are in on whether or not he has Feline Leukemia.

FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL, THE DOOD IS NEGATIVE FOR FELINE LEUKEMIA!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The DOOD!

I let him out of his room last night and to be honest, DOOD has already met Blitzen, which I would have been more than kicking myself if DOOD WAS SICK-since he could have given it to Blitz---yeah, and the rest of my cats. Let's not "go there." Thankfully, I'm off the hook and Blitz and DOOD can beat each other up, I mean play. I know it will be a tough transition for the rest of my cats, but tomorrow the ANGEL BABIES will be here and I need to make room for them. The DOOD has to come out of his room and the ANGELS will be taking that space.

DOOD ran around so much last night that he was basically limp after a few hours. I had to carry him back up stairs and shut him in his room for the night just so I could get some sleep. I got bronchitis on Sunday and need to get better ASAP. Sleep has been tough to come by and this is my last shot at getting rest before our BIG ADOPTION EVENT ON SATURDAY, KITTY PALOOZA!

There's a tremendous amount of work to do and I'm operating at half speed, so excuse me while I get to it...oh and...

©2011 Maria S. Bobette looking much better.

Bobette & her boys are doing WELL!!!!!!!!! The boys gained weight two days in a row and Bobette's looking a lot more comfortable and is filling out now that she has good food in her belly. She's even more attentive to the kittens! This is promising news. More about them soon.

©2011 Maria S. Two of the three surviving kittens are looking very nice and plump!

As you may know, a few days ago, on September 3, 2011, my dear cat, Bob Dole passed away. This is the unvarnished record of the last days of Bob’s life. It includes a description of Bob’s last moments. While difficult to write, and to read, I felt it was my duty to close this chapter with a brave heart, not to whitewash it or make it more palatable. This is life and this is death.

©2006 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob comes to live with me in 2006.

Less than a month ago, I noticed Bob was getting dramatically thinner. We ended up taking him to the oncologist where they did $1600.00 of tests and told us that Bob’s hepatic cancer was back in what remained of his liver, that the small-t cell lymphoma was getting worse, that his pancreas was probably involved and that he was also diabetic with a blood glucose of 500-onset from steroids used to treat the cancer.

It was determined that chemo was not working any longer and that no further treatments were recommended. It was time to let Bob go. We could take him home and care for him or put him down. It was time.

©2007 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob and Nicky are fast friends.

I got sick to my stomach. My head ached. I cried when I looked at Bob. At first, we chose to euthanize him in a few days, but after spending time with Bob and having many conversations, we made a difficult choice-to provide him with palliative care-simply feed him, keep him clean and comfortable and let him go on his terms, at his time. We knew this would not be an easy road, but since Bob was diagnosed with cancer last December, it’s been tough. Nothing new here. It was a crap shoot doing this. I risked Bob passing in a lot of pain. I risked that if we needed Dr. Larry, that we could not get him here because it would be late at night or a weekend---or during Hurricane Irene. Yet, we OWED it to Bob, to give him the dignity to live those last days on his terms, not on ours. It is part of nature for ALL of us to slowly fade away, from the moment we are born. To prematurely interrupt that process because we are afraid of seeing what will happen next, is not something I could accept doing to Bob.

©2007 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob loved to straddle the top of my Mother's old recliner.

I began to pay even closer attention to Bob’s every move. Was he eating? Sometimes, but not enough. I had to learn how to syringe feed him. This was very difficult-from an emotional standpoint. Here I was FORCING Bob to eat, when he clearly didn’t love being fed this way. I had to struggle with him. It made a mess. When I prepared his food, it had to be in a slurry. Too thin and it would drip out of the bird feeder size syringes-too thick and it would be tough for him to swallow and he’d protest by lifting his paw to push me away. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too hot-or too cold. I added baby food to give him more potassium. I added a bit of tuna water or even blended raw chicken liver so it might taste better and so I could get more nutrition into him.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob just plowed over any cat that might be in his path. Here Nora is getting squashed.

It was a struggle, not just with Bob, but with myself. I knew if I stopped feeding him, Bob would die. I knew if I kept going, was I just forcing Bob to live unnaturally? How could I live with myself if I just watched Bob starve to death? Yet, he was getting thinner and thinner no matter what I did. Every day I was shocked to my core at the sight of him. I couldn’t believe he could get so thin. We were feeding him every 4 or 5 hours with small offerings between that. It was exhausting, but it had to be done.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson. Bob, Spencer, Nicky, Gracie & Petunia (and me under the covers).

Then, I came to a painful realization. Bob had been getting very low carbohydrate food. It was to keep from giving the cancer something to thrive on, but what I didn’t understand is that it was also probably keeping Bob from keeping any weight on his bones and it was keeping his blood sugar low-maybe too low! I was starving him and I didn’t even know it. Did you know that there is some sort of regulation that PREVENTS pet food company’s from listing carbohydrate values on their labels! You have to do math to figure it out. Why do they do this? To disguise the crap they put in food-you think you’re buying high quality stuff, but if it’s full of carbs, it’s going to be BAD for your cat. Dry food is the worst-even high quality brands-it’s VERY high in carbs and for a protein hungry, obligate CARNIVORE, it’s not appropriate…but Bob DID need SOME carbs in his diet, so I got something else to feed him to see if that would help.

©2008 Robin A.F. Olson. Home from being hospitalized for two weeks in 2008, battling Pancreatitis, Bob finally has his moment in the sun.

Every day I asked myself; “Is it time? Is he telling me he’s ready? Should I just put him down?”

...end of part one...

John Edwards saw three little kittens, stumbling on the streets of Babylon, New York (Long Island). He had no idea what was wrong with them, but he knew he had to do something to help. He brought the kittens home. Something was wrong with the little ones and to make matters worse, his dog wanted to eat them as a snack, so John knew he couldn't do more than give them a temporary home. He worked frantically to get them the help they needed.

John contacted the local shelter in Huntington. Sadly, they couldn't help. They were more than full up and had no fosters. The Director recognized the telltale shake and the difficulty one of the kittens had in walking. The kittens had CH or Cerebellar Hypoplasia. Luckily for the kittens, the Director was also a member of the CH Kitty Club! and had other resources, outside of the shelter, to help.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Josephine wonders what's going on.

Word spread quickly about these little darlings on Facebook. They needed a foster family, quick! They needed vet care! They needed a rescue to take them and folks to get them to the rescue!

Normally, each phase of doing this sort of rescue takes a lot of time and coordination. Lots of folks offered to do their part and within a few days a rough plan was hatched and donations started to come in from all over the country!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Thumper is so cute, but don't get too close to her just yet!

Someone stepped forward to foster the cats and deliver them to Connecticut. Jennifer and I offered to drive them from the Bridgeport Ferry (which travels to and from Long Island most days) and drive the kittens close to the Massachusetts border where a rescue group was going to take them into their program!

While I'll admit there was a lot of back and forth, date changes, time changes, then poor Jennifer got sick a few hours before she was to pick up the kittens-somehow we pulled it off!

Okay, so the foster mom decided to KEEP one of the three kittens at the very last second, which is normally not done once a transport is set up, but a good home is a good home. So we took the remaining two kittens, Josephine and Thumper, to meet their new foster parents, Anne and Joe.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson.

While I was driving, I told Jennifer to put the cat carrier on her lap so she could take a better look at the kittens. Jennifer unzipped the top of the case and started to talk this cute baby talk voice to the kittens. Now Jennifer loves EVERY cat, but within seconds I heard one of the cats SPIT and hiss. Oops! Jennifer pulled her hand back quickly, then blurted out; “I hate this cat!” She zipped up the case and returned the kittens to the backseat.

One of the kittens was clearly feral. Guess this rescue was going to get a surprise! I started to worry they wouldn't show up at the pickup location. The last thing I need is to have to socialize a kitten right now! Jennifer said out loud what I was thinking about being stuck with the kittens and we both giggled about it. I know she didn't hate that kitten and someday the little girl will like people, just not today and not after a ride on the Ferry and a long drive! Josephine said quietly, unlike her sister, but we knew that was because she can't really walk on her own and maybe it was tough for her to express herself, too?

Anne and Joe arrived to pick up the kittens. What super-awesome folks they are! They actually specialize on rehabilitating CH kittens! Anne told me she had a kitten who could only do backflips. That was the only movement he could make. Her Vet said to put him down, but she said, No. His name is BOB!

She built a carpeted ramp for him, used a sling under his belly and helped him learn to walk. The ramp allowed him to build strength in his back legs and the carpet lets him dig his claws in to get traction. Today he can walk on his own! He does not have the gait of a CH-free cat, but he does well. Anne felt she could help Josie walk and she didn't bat an eye when we told her about Thumper! Both kittens will get what they need for as long as they need it. Then one day, they too will find their forever home with a new family.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Jennifer (left) hands off the kittens to Anne.

They say, “it takes a village,” and boy is that true. If John hadn't taken a risk to help those kittens, we know this story would have had a sad ending. He just did what was right and found a solution. It's tough to stick your neck out for stray cats because you don't know how it will go, but we have to try.

There are many more kitties out there who need help. Next time you see one, I hope you'll consider taking a chance to create your own rescue story with a happy ending.

DoodleBug is passing the days, waiting to be out of quarantine. He still has seven more weeks to go, living in my blue bathroom until his FeLV test can be re-done and prove for once and for all he does NOT have Feline Leukemia.

Until that time, I've been trying to keep Doodles entertained, but I can't spend enough hours each day to play with him and the bathroom is dark, with only one small north facing window. I fear for Doodles mental health, but I must follow protocol. I can't risk some sort of freak test results where I got a true positive first and an unheard of false negative with the second test!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Mazie & Blitzen inspect the contents of the box.

I'm very lucky that there are many good people out there who care about what I'm doing. One such person is Amy Sikes. I've written about Amy before because she offered to take someone's cat (after reading about him on Covered in Cat Hair) when they had to move out of their home due to tough economic times. Amy ended up fostering the cat (named Cheese) much longer than she bargained for so I ended up helping Amy find a home for Cheese.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Directions with NO words to read! The small parts come in a velveteen bag!

Amy has also been donating proceeds of her Avon sales to my rescue group, Kitten Associates. This month, she's helping our friends at Diabetic Cats in Need! It's clear, Amy is devoted to helping cats everywhere!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Blitzen inspects every inch.

When Amy heard about Doodles confinement and my wish for him to have a cat tree, just the right size for the bathroom, she contacted me right away and said she would take care of it!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Trying to get the hang of this new-fangled doohickey.

Sure enough, a few days later, a big box appeared at my front door. In it was a very nice cat tree from Armakat! The bonus for me was that this time I didn't have to build it when I had PMS! (Yes, I wrote about building a cat tree when my hormones were out of whack-see HEREand HERE if you want to laugh your butt off.)

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Locked on target!

This was the easiest cat tree I've ever had to build. Every part was marked. The directions were clear. I built it in a few minutes, though Blitzen could not keep off the thing as it was being constructed. He thoroughly examined and tested every piece. I guess Doodles should have been happy his maybe-some-day-big-brother vetted the cat tree for him.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Showin' off now!

When I was done building, I had to drag the thing into the bathroom. Doodles was shut up in a cat carrier so he wouldn't get under foot, but he was going nuts wondering what the heck I was doing to his room!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The Dood & His Cat Tree.

I got the cat tree in place and let Doodles out. He RAN over to it and began furiously raking his claws up and down the sisal covered supports. He began to PURR very LOUD. I swear he was smiling.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Test driving going well so far...

He went over to just about every sisal covered post and scratched it, hugged it, climbed up, then fell down, then scratched some more.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. The claw master!

After a few minutes he jumped into the cat condo and ripped at that for a time. He was very amped up, that's for sure!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Action shot! Look at that white tip on his tail!

Even though Doodles is small, he managed to climb all the way to the top of the cat tree, which is about six and a half feet tall. He looked down at me, smiling, still purring. He batted at the toys I attached to the platforms. He scratched the posts again.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson.

He just couldn't get enough.

Seeing “The Dood” so happy made me feel a lot less stressed out about having to keep him in such a small space. Though the cat tree takes up a bit of room, Doodles gains vertical space, interesting spaces and plenty of area to rake those claws and help him manage his stress.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Chillaxin'

It meant a lot to me that someone cared about Doodles as much as I do and wanted to make his life better during this tough time.

What was even sweeter was that another good friend, Ingrid King, of The Conscious Cat, contacted me. Her cats Ruby and Allegra also wanted to get Doodles a cat tree, but when they found out he was getting one, they decided they'd like to buy some toys for The Angel Babies and Amberly's family, when they get here in a few weeks.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Flying meatball?

I had to throw out all the toys and bedding to prevent any upper respiratory or ringworm from spreading, so I really need more for the kittens and it's just great to know that when they get here, I'll be able to provide those things for them thanks to Ingrid's generous cats!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. THANK YOU FOR MY CAT TREE!

If The Dood could talk, I know he'd say; “Thank you, Amy! I love my new cat tree!” But I fear he'd also say; “Robin, why are you locking me in the bathroom? You suck!”

I'm glad cats can't talk.

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If you'd like to do some shopping for yourself or your family, visit Amy's Avon Page and the proceeds will go to Diabetic Cats in Need! We thank Amy for her continued support of cats everywhere-especially The DOOD!

Almost a year ago, our first litter rescued after I opened Kitten Associates, came to my home to be fostered. One of the kittens, I named, Sugar Pie. She was a complete love bug. Healthy. Hearty. Happy. It was very tough to let her go, but geez. I was just starting a rescue. Not a good time for a “foster fail!”

©2010 Maria. S. Baby Sugar Pie

A couple, with three very big dogs, wanted to adopt Sugar, but I balked, at first. Jennifer and I did a home visit. The couple assured me that Sugar would be safe, that their dogs were very well behaved and they would not DARE harm the kitten. Of course I didn't believe it.

Then they told me about how they used to have a pet CHICKEN that lived with them, too and the dogs didn't bother the walking meat on two legs (Chicken!). They showed me PHOTOS! They said they'd want to get another chicken after their new kitten had time to adjust to the dogs.

©2011 Jill P. Jasmine with the CHICKEN!

I gave them some challenges, thinking they would give up, but they did what I asked. No problem. The dogs really were well behaved and I had to go with my gut. These were great people and I had to give it a chance. Sugar had the entire second floor to herself. The dogs could not get up there, so she could have time to get used to them and still feel safe.

The family has been great about keeping me updated. After Sugar was adopted, they re-named her, Jasmine. Every time I got an update, I'd see a photo that would leave me speechless. Last time it was of Jas sitting on the arm of a chair. Her mom had food on a plate and she was surrounded by the three huge dogs. They all wanted a treat, but clearly, they were all relaxed and getting along.

©2011 Jill P. I'd like a bowl of cute kitty, please.

The most recent update included photos of their new CHICKEN! Along with photos of Jasmine, trying to figure out what the heck is going on. I think it's completely nuts, but I have to admit, when I was ten, I had a pet chicken and two cats. Go figure.

©2011 Jill P. Jasmine with Chelsea.

Jas is doing great. She loves her doggie and CHICKEN! friends and she's grown into a lovely young lady. She's really getting fluffy and I hear she is a treasure and well loved. I'm very glad I took a leap of faith and adopted Sugar to this family. They're simply terrific and I wish I had more adopters as devoted to their furry offspring.

©2011 Jill P. All grown up!

Our next update, features this TEN POUND former foster boy and his SISTER! Remember them?

©2011 Kerstin. Guess who?!

I think it's almost a given, that when something bad happens, we try to make sense of it. Give it a reason for being, so we can learn to accept it. Then there are times when it's just so bad, there is no sense to be made.

Yesterday afternoon, I called my Vet to see if Doodlebug was ready to be picked up. I had dropped him off that morning and he just needed some tests, a shot and a wellness exam. If you're going to do cat rescue, you must NEVER bring a cat into your home without it going to the Vet, FIRST. Considering all the creeping crud out there, you can't be too careful.

Doodle looked great, perky, nice weight. I didn't worry that anything was wrong with him, but when it took 6 minutes of being on hold to just find out a pickup time, I knew something was up. Instead of one of the Vet techs picking up the phone, it was Dr. Larry. His voice had a serious tone. Normally we would joke around, but not this time.

He didn't mince words.

Doodlebug tested POSITIVE for Feline Leukemia.

WHAT??!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!

I felt lightheaded, like I was going to faint. I tried to muster up the courage to ask him what this means. When I was a kid, two of our family's cats died from it. Dr. Larry said what I had heard from other folks who do rescue, that although it is a “strong positive,” that there is a CHANCE that in time, Doodle's immune system may kick in and he will re-test, negative. This result means he was EXPOSED to the virus, not necessarily that he HAS it. It's called, Primary Viremia. You can read more about it on Cornell's excellent resource guide for Feline Leukemia If so, there are no more concerns for this cat's future. If he re-tests positive, you have to wait and re-test again. All in all, I may have to wait for up to SIX MONTHS to really be sure one way or the other.

But Feline Leukemia is very contagious and fatal and I have an FIV+ cat with cancer and eight other cats in my house. What am I supposed to do now?

Do I have to EUTHANIZE Doodlebug? I could barely ask the question. I had to sit down. My legs went wobbly. I was in shock. I didn't want to know the answer.

I can barely even type that word: euthanize. The thought of me KILLING a KITTEN, when my life is devoted to SAVING their lives,? It's absurd! I would NEVER do that! How could I do such a thing? But what about my own cats? Does bringing Doodle into my home, mean a DEATH SENTENCE FOR MY OWN CATS?

We talked about isolation. Re-testing. Doodle does NOT have to be euthanized today, but it may have to happen at some point. IF he was at a shelter, guess what, he would be dead. I get it. This is not something you want around a lot of other cats.

But I was VERY WORRIED about bringing him into my home. I wished I had a separate building to bring my fosters now, more than ever, but I was stuck. At least I HAD a room to put him in that was isolated from the rest of the house.

I had figured Doodle would be in the blue bathroom (as we call it), for a few weeks, then I'd let him meet my cats and he could run around and have a good time until he got adopted. Now I may have lost that space for fosters until 2012!

I could make SURE Doodle was locked up, change clothes after I handle him and wash my hands well after each visit, too. If I could keep my own cats away, the Feline Leukemia virus does not live for more than a few hours in the environment, so as long as there are no shared dishes, litterpans or contact, it increases the odds my cats will be all right.

But what about this little 4 month old kitten?

He will be ALONE in that bathroom for a very long time.

I hung up the phone and called out to Sam. I told him the news and I could see his shoulders slump as he processed the information. He had a crush on this little kitten, too. I could see it broke his heart. We spoke about our options, about what this might mean for our own cats and for Doodlebug. I started to cry, but I was late for a meeting and I had to figure out how to not be sad, be businesslike and deal with this later. I asked Sam what we should do. We had few options. Sam said; "We don't give up on him. That's what we do. I will go get him and bring him home.”

So now what I thought was going to be an easy rescue, has become much more complex. What I thought I could afford has become a challenge. The bathroom where Doodle will live is small and has a small window. I would like to buy Doodle a cat tree so he can sit up high and look out the window, as well as have a place to climb and a way to de-stress because it will have nice, tall sisal legs to scratch.

Doodle will also need more tests, a second, and possibly third ELISA (snap-test/ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and first and possibly second IFA (indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay). I'm going to start fundraiser for him for his medical needs and to purchase a small cat tree.

I contacted Doodle's former owner and told him he must contact the person he got the kitten from and let them know the news and to get that cat tested for Feline Leukemia. I also told him that if he had Doodle around other cats, that those cats needed to be tested, too. I would have LIKED to tell him that I also would have appreciated it if he warned me that Doodle was trained to use a human's hand as a TOY and that he will haul off and bite and grab your arm or leg-a behavior I will be working to correct.

I didn't hear back from him. I'm not surprised. Doodle was on the road to becoming a very unpleasant cat to live with. You wouldn't be able to pet him without him getting excited and biting. When he weighs four pounds, it's one thing, but when he grows up, it won't be a lot of fun to have him around. I would bet money that this was the real reason they got rid of him-not that their kid was allergic, but that the kitten was growing too aggressive from how they mis-handled him.

All in all, I'd have to say that my first CT cat rescue under the Kitten Associates moniker was about as bad as it could be. I have to think that in trying to make sense of this, I had to save Doodle, so I can help him be a good kitty-citizen, learn to be gentle and give him all the tools to have every chance at being healthy and living a good life.

For the record, if there is one someone's keeping out there, I will never put Doodle down.

If he IS Feline Leukemia positive, then I will search the Earth until I find someone who will adopt him.

Please help us purchase a cat tree for Doodle and be able to continue to re-test him for Feline Leukemia for the next few months! You can use the ChipIn widget below or you can also mail a check to: Kitten Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 354, Newtown, CT 06470-0354. Put “Doodle” on the check so we know where the funds should be spent. Your donation IS tax deductible. Thank you!

I'm in trouble. A lot of trouble!

I get emails and calls every day about cats needing a new home. Their owners give them up because they are suddenly allergic to them, or they're moving and their new landlord doesn't allow cats (so why MOVE THERE?!) or they've fallen on tough times or they just found the cat on the street. Whatever the reason, they're out there. So many there's no way I could even make much of a dent by saving one cat, but heck, it makes a difference to that cat.

I admit it. I was missing MacGruber and Polly. The house is silent without them running around. Okay, I don't yell much any more either, since the two of them were pretty good at getting into trouble, but I MISS it, you know? Also, my own cat, Blitzen is very sluggish and sad. He has no one even close to his age to play with and he just follows me around the house now.

©2011 Wei H. Photo from Craigslist Ad.

So I felt weak. I got an email from our local rescue group mailing list. It was a copy of a Craigslist ad for a Free kitten, 2-3 months old. Litterbox traiend. That's it. No other info. Craigslist doesn't allow postings like this so they aren't up for very long-which means, the contact info of the person who wrote the ad, is not valid for more than a day or so. The rescuers try to intercept these ads and get those animals help because the people giving the cats away are giving them away, unvetted, not spayed or neutered!!!, and to just ANYONE, so those cats could be harmed or worse.

Many times these cats are kicked outside to fend for themselves if the ad doesn't work. So, I replied to the ad. Did they need help with the kitten? A few days passed. I got an answer. YES, they needed help.

Oh dear, now I actually have to do something! Okay...my foster room is booked. Phil will be here from Georgia on Saturday. My only other space is my bathroom. I guess that will have to do. If this cat isn't as advertised or is nasty, I might have him here for a long time. It's very tough to take on something without having any idea of the outcome. You're responsible for a LIFE. YOU have to choose, if this cat can be adopted and what the heck to do if it's a mess!

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Cutie!

In a month, I'll have Amberly's family here, then The Angel Babies, so this little kitten BETTER be adoptable and I better be able to get him neutered in time-knowing that the S/N Clinic near us always books out this time of year-at least a month. Oh boy...well...It's a risk worth taking, I think.

Then there was the family...I have to say dealing with them did not go smoothly at all. First, they blew us off after we went to all the trouble to make a vet appointment, get the room ready, and get ourselves in the car to meet them, then they say they can't be there for 2 more hours! So we re-scheduled and while we were on the road, anyway, we went to Target to buy a new litter pan for the kitten.

Then they didn't want to sign the Surrender form, which would protect us should they ever want the cat back and find we had already adopted him to another family. That was announced in an email I got at 1am this morning. They said NO, we will just not bring the cat if we have to sign the paper.

So bleary-eyed and half asleep I had to try to "nicely" tell him in my reply, not to worry. That it was a common thing to sign off on and that it was just so that WE were not sued if THEY didn't like where the cat went after they gave it to us. At 8 am he wrote me back saying; OK, thanks for explaining. See you at 9:35 AM.” Yes, 9:35 AM, not 9:30 or 10...hmmm...odd.

Sam and I were both sure we would never see the kitten.

We pulled into the Park & Ride off I-84 to wait for the owner, who I didn't know anything about other than he had an Asian name, to bring the kitten. A car was already there waiting even though we were 15 minutes early. There were two Asian ladies in the car, one waved at me. I waved back. Their windows were open. I thought it was strange. I didn't see a cat carrier. I got out of the car and said hello. Turns out they waved at the person in the car BEHIND us and did not have the kitten! Oops. I live in a pretty much “New England Yankee” sort of demographic area so what were the odds we'd see another group fitting the same heritage as the owner of the kitten?

At 9:30 AM, an SUV pulled up. Definitely our guy. He got out of the car and smiled, then went to get the kitten. They had closed him up inside a small, covered CAT LITTER PAN. It was clean, but really? No holes in it to breathe? Sam took the litter pan and got in the car to transfer the kitten into our cat carrier. The guy gave me the paperwork signed and I signed it, too. I asked if there was anything I should know about and he, in a round about way, said the kitten peed on soft things when they first got him. Did they give him a litter pan? I don't know. Then he said he used the litter pan, but was weird about telling me if the cat pees on soft fabric that's on the floor, like a rug or cat bed. May have a litterbox aversion issue. Other than that, he said the kitten was fine.

©2011 Sam Moore. Meet DoodleBug!

He never told me the cat's name. He didn't give me any of the leftover food, if there was any. I asked him if they fed the cat. His mother said something in Chinese, not sure what, but he nodded at her and said the cat was fed breakfast. That was it. No remorse, no sadness, not even a goodbye to the kitty. No donation to provide for the cat's vet care, which I had asked for a few times. Oh well.

They left just a few minutes after they arrived. I got in the car and looked inside the cat carrier. That was it. I was “done.” What a sweet little face was looking at me from inside the carrier. When we got to Dr Larry's I took him out. He was purring. He was FLUFFY. He has a little white TIP on his stubby black fluffy tail! He didn't mind being held. His fur was very soft.

Sam almost whined at me. He wanted a turn holding the little guy! So we traded. He nibble at Sam's whiskers, then got a bit over excited so we put him back in the cat carrier. Lauren came out and we took the kitten out and put him on the countertop. He calmly explored this new place and I saw his butt. It was just the right amount of FLUFFY. He had that cute little butt-wiggle when he walked. Oh shit, I'm in trouble.

I think I'm in love.