Declawing

I feel that each type of animal/breed has certain qualities that you simply cannot ignore. Yes, some are exceptions: there are some beagles who don't need to get into everything. There are labs who are quiet and laid-back. There are tiny dogs that don't constantly yap and cats who don't scratch much. But when you are considering bringing a new life into your home, whether that life be human, feline, or canine, you need to do your homework and make sure that this new life is the best fit for your family.

It can be difficult at first to figure out the exact qualities you want in a "pet," but it is possible. If you want a "family" dog, do you want a dog good with younger or older children? One that allows lots of physical affection? Easily handled? Lots of energy? Who barks when people come to the door? Good with strangers/the kids' friends? Gentle on the leash? Listens even with a bunch of commotion?

Training is super important, but you cannot train animals out of certain qualities. You need to be considerate enough to pick an animal suited to your home. Not the cutest bunny in the pet store or the prettiest cat at the shelter, but one that will be able to share your life in the best ways possible.

For example: when I am able to adopt a dog, I want an older dog. Why? Because older dogs have less of a chance at adoption. BUT, I can't adopt just *any* older dog. I need a non-yappy dog. A dog that doesn't view cats as prey. Shy is okay, b/c I can respect his/her boundaries and work slowly. Laid-back is a must, because I spend a lot of time working/reading/writing. Good with other dogs is preferable b/c I would love to take him/her to work and join in playgroup.

But when you are picking out a puppy/kitten, you may not know much about that particular animal because of their limited time spent on the earth thus far. So you need to be able to determine which breed(s) are best suited to your situation. Qualified persons can help you choose which baby may fit best with your life, but overall, this baby is still a baby. So you need to be familiar with breeds and the needs of each species.

I hear much about people adopting bunnies because they're so *easy* to take care of. But they're not! They may be a bit smaller than the average cat, but they should be taking up just as much of your time. And cats are not necessarily *easier* than dogs, either. I believe they need just as much exercise (and attention)- and just as much space! It's simply *easier* to forget about the needs of a bunny or cat or bird than it is a dog's.

Anyway, back to my original reason for posting: declawing. As I said before, when you bring an animal into your home, you need to have done your research on that animal. In case you weren't aware, dogs bark. Some dig, all have to go to the bathroom at least 3 times a day, and they all certainly need COMPANIONSHIP (whether that friend may be another dog, cat, or human). And if you want to bring a cat into your home, make sure you know that the litter box needs to be scooped daily. That they need exercise as much as dogs. That they need companionship AS MUCH AS DOGS (whether that is another cat, dog, or human). And, THEY SCRATCH.

Unfortunately, many kittens are declawed every day. It's considered a routine surgery, along with sterilization. Kitten goes to the vet, gets spayed, declawed, microchipped. Package deal. But the thing is, even if you WERE just taking the claw *out*, it STILL would be cruel and unnecessary. Cats scratch as dogs bark. It is simply part of their nature. How dare we think we have the right to take something as essential as that away from an animal? Declawing has NO benefits to the cat, only many detriments. I won't go into how declawing is a wholly negative life-long experience for the cat, as you can find that information elsewhere. MY problem is that when you get a cat, you need to be aware that the fuzzy feline is GOING to scratch somewhere. He may scratch your furniture, your doorways, and may take a swipe at you every now and then. If you don't have the patience to train a cat where to scratch or the ability to allow some of your possessions to bear claw marks, then don't get a cat!

I don't want to sound harsh, but if someone were seriously considering debarking their chihuahua, we would consider them cruel and inhumane! Barking is annoying, yes, but you can't just debark a dog! Scratching is annoying, yes, but you can't just amputate the last digits off their paws because it suits your lifestyle!

Do people who declaw know that they are electing to have the digits AMPUTATED? That bone is cut off so that the claw cannot grow back? Since when do we amputate ANYTHING if it is not necessary for the patient's health???

These poor cats have to live with this cruel and unnecessary treatment for the rest of their lives. If someone is not prepared to take on the WHOLE cat, then maybe that person shouldn't be taking the animal in the first place?

I know there are a lot of "But..."s to this, but it's late, so I'll address my own at another time. :)

Refreshing the straw

I went out to the cats' huts Monday afternoon to replace the straw from last fall. I was afraid it would be moldy/bug-infested/smelly, etc. I was also worried about mites, as a fox had been seen climbing out of the little igloo and looked like he had a problem with loss of fur aka possibly mange? Now, I am the first to admit that I know little about wildlife. And I'm sure most of the information passed down is far from correct. But I've read and heard that many foxes have mange and I really really really don't want scabies. (Not sure if I need direct physical contact, though, or if it's possible to transfer the mites through non-bodies, so that's where my "research" has come up short...)

I headed out wearing a hospital gown, gloves, and sunglasses for eye protection. I first tackled the small igloo. Scooped out all the straw and piled it between the houses for added insulation. The very bottom was a little damp, but overall, it still seemed quite dry and odor free. Which is good to know, considering all the rain and snow we've had/been having.

The large igloo was a bit more difficult in cleaning out. I didn't want to disturb the tarp over top (and the straw between the tarp and igloos) but wanted to clean it out as well as possible. In retrospect, I realize I should have gone back for the rake. Or shovel. Either would have been much more helpful than the long stick I used to pull the straw towards me.

I must have looked a sight with my odd garb and using a stick as a shovel. All five of the cats just sat there and watched as I destroyed their nests. I wish I had brought my camera, because they seemed to be watching me as if I was some crazy entertaining show. But goodness was that straw DUSTY!!! And I definitely forgot how much straw I put in there. But I was so afraid of them freezing to death (actually, I would have preferred if they could have had a little fireplace built into the igloos, haha) that I just piled that straw as high as I could.

Straw is great, because each cat can make their own little molded nest. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the large igloo's straw smelled fresh, no dampness, no mold either.

Bugs, however, I am not sure. Some bugs are a bit small for me to detect, not that I really want to be out there inspecting the straw for fleas and mites.

Each of the houses seems to have good and bad qualities, so I can't really say which may be the best. I know that the super expensive insulated house SEEMS to be used the least, but that's really only going on the lack of footprints and "nests" in the house's straw. I've seen the two igloos used the most (cats frequently going in and out), probably because their type allows a better use of nesting and snuggling. Both of the wooden houses are built so that you can't really pile the straw in there.

I am pleased to know that the straw does a good job of keeping the cats warm, but also that the houses are not allowing too much moisture in.

After spending about 45 minutes in a swampy, wooded area, however, I am full of bug bites. So far *what I've read* has me feeling pretty certain I did not pick up some mites, but if my bites intensify, I'll have to have it checked out. The bugs love to chomp down on me anyway, so I'm sure they were simply delighted to feast on someone with significantly less fur than a cat. But I think I'd have to have direct contact with an animal that has mange? So I remain hopeful. = )

"Blogging Policy"

Yesterday at work, we received a new "blogging policy." After reading it through, I realized I would need to go through my posts to see if I needed to change anything. Fortunately, I've used initials for most persons, and where I forgot, I simply changed them back. Also, although it may be simple to figure out where I work (I haven't named our hospital or organization, but probably other specifics), I'm sure no one really cares *that* much to figure it out. I do only have a few readers.

However, I really don't want to get "talked to" about my personal blog. I heard that this has come about because a person within the hospital network posted pictures of a questionable nature taken inside their workplace. And another was complaining about their work on some social networking site.

The only areas in which this policy affects me is that I cannot post pictures taken within the hospital or of our organization's events and I have to make sure I don't say negative things about my workplace or coworkers. Not that I do anyway, I know that this is a public blog - but I wonder how nit-picky they'd be... Is it safe to mention dissatisfaction with certain issues? I guess we'll just play it safe here. = )

Grizzly Salmon Oil

I made my first trip to Lori's Natural Foods today. I want to be able to buy some things in bulk and avoid packaging, like rice, flour, beans, etc. Great store, but most of the food being local and organic, very pricey. They had a small pet section, which hosted many cat and dog supplements - great, too, because I had been wanting to buy some fish oil to add to their food. Mellie and Domino have coarse, dry, and extremely sheddy (probably not a word) fur. The fish oil is supposed to promote "healthy skin and velvety fur", and I'm hoping that "less shedding" somehow comes into play with those two.

There were a couple of different kinds of fish oil: cod liver oil, salmon oil, anchovy oil... I'll be honest, I decided on the smallest and cheapest one - 4 ounces for $7. But hey, at least it won't hurt. Oh, and I just looked it up on Amazon, and it advertises "less shedding." I really truly hope so! I will sing a song of happiness!

As soon as I came home, we tried it out. Noms will eat anything. You could tell that he recognized something was different, but he chowed down after a split-second hesitation. Mellie left her food to steal Noms'. It was as if she thought he had something different, but after stealing a bite, I put her next to her food again, and she ate without an issue. Smidge, however, is definitely more picky. She sniffed it, then left. Waiting for something better. I left her food up on the table, staying in the area to make sure the other two don't eat it. This was two hours ago, and she has finally ventured a few bites. Probably only because she's super hungry now.

I actually don't mind if Smidgie doesn't like the salmon oil, since she has a super soft, less sheddy coat anyway. Figures, too, because she's black, and I would definitely rather have black fur everywhere than white, but no...

Leaving her food up there, whether it's wet food (she eats wet food extremely slowly), or too much dry food (she gets full faster than the others), or food with fish oil (oh no, it's different!) - it's difficult. Noms tries to be sneaky and jump up there to gobble it down. (He's like a child stealing the candy here) Mellie is ever so persistant about reaching up to knock the dish off the table so she can eat it. So I'm constantly on guard, with my eye on the table, because I know Smidge will go back to eat. Just don't know when. But there she is now, eating all her food. Go Smidgen!

It would be lovely if the salmon oil does help us out with the fur problem here. I'll let you know in a few weeks if anything seems different. Are there any other good supplements for pets I should know about? I'm off to find out via the internets, but if you have any ideas, let me know!

I splurged on the drop trap...

Now watch, I won't need to watch Snoopy anymore and will be out $175.

In researching drop traps, and trying to find someone that is capable of making them well, I found the Pawzenclaws Ebay page. Which led me to their own website. Because of Dr. Pierson's review of the ACA drop trap, I want to make extra sure that the trap I buy is not going to be made by someone who hasn't done their own research. So I read through the Pawzenclaws website, watched their youtube video, and came away feeling good about the trap. But still needing to be absolutely certain. I decided to email the "seller" at the Ebay page, asking how their trap compares with Dr. Pierson's review of Alley Cat Allies' trap. They wrote back, answering my questions wonderfully:

Hello Susannah,

Thank you for your email. I like someone who researches before delving into something new. To begin, I would never make a claim that any trap is "safe". One hopes that an intended capture goes smoothly but sometimes unforeseen things happen. There is inherent danger for the user and the animal in the use of such device. Now, in regards to the integrity of our foldable drop trap I am completely confident in its intended use. If you visit our website www.pawzenclawz.com and click on the "details" link; we list the items of construction which differ in comparison to ACA's and a few other drop traps out there. We knew the design could be improved of what was being offered out there so we set out and did just that! Now, I've read Dr. Pierson's page in the past and agree with much of her feedback. In all fairness to ACA this was based on their "old" drop trap. They do have a new one on their website under equipment however, it is not yet for sale. I do believe they have repeated some of the same flaws and presented new ones such as using pine, fabric netting, making the trap too light, and not offering an anchor flap to hold a weight. With this said, I do give ACA much respect for their TNR campaigns as well as their educational publications they make available. Also, if you haven't done so YouTube offers lots of videos educating the beginner with how to use drop traps. Check out our page http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U26h8D_nHEI which has feedback from several people who have purchased our foldable drop trap and even someone who hasn't but likes our design (his site is great). Our design encompasses Dr. Piersons's suggestions for ACA's changes including - safety of the mesh, hardware, wood, and overall design. Most importantly, our design/materials offer stability which is required for any drop trap. Building a drop trap that is "debate free" is almost impossible. Example: We've read that the concern of the drop trap of injury to the cat's tail. So with this in mind we designed the contoured sides. A few months ago I heard from a gentlemen (this is on our YouTube page) who said he's had several hundred captures and not one had a tail injury with the trap he built that had flat bottom sides. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to meet, email, and speak with those involved in rescue efforts. Susannah, I hope I've answered your questions and I wish you the best of luck. Please contact me should you have any further questions, comments or suggestions.

Darlene A. Hatton

She certainly did answer all of my questions. I went ahead and ordered one of the traps - now I just have to order the transfer cages through the hospital! Dr. R said that the cages I want would probably be better for surgery handling anyway, which works out perfectly...

Bergan Scratch Lounger

After reading through Moderncat's list of favorite cat scratchers, I decided to buy this one from Bergan because it is incredibly inexpensive. I don't have a lot of money, but I could definitely afford the $9 it cost me (including shipping) for this nifty piece of sleeping/scratching furniture. (You can find it here)

What I like about the lounger is that it's 100% recycled material. Interesting design, sturdy, but as light as an egg carton. You can even flip it over to play with the hollowed out parts! = )

All the cats seem to like it, but Mellie being Mellie has claimed this new piece of furniture. She loves to sleep on it. I haven't seen them scratch it yet, though. They've never scratched anything except corrugated cardboard and sisal rope, so this is a new substance for them. I will put some catnip on it to encourage them, but even if they just use it to sleep on, I rather like it and do not regret buying it.

Good for the earth, creative use of materials, and the cats like it. I think we all win!!!

Stranger & Company

The weather has been turning from a snowy, sloshy mess to a rainy, sloppy mess. But the cats seem to be happy with the increase of warm sunshine. (Jehzar, with Stranger and Torrini in background)

My feeding station really only serves one purpose well: keeping the water clean. Which is wonderful, since it's a pain to drag the watering can along with the food to the back gate (now padlocked due to rumors of burglers in the woods), but was not very helpful in keeping the cats out of the wind and snow. Also, five cats eating in such a small place does not always produce happy, lovely feelings with purple butterflies floating lazily around their heads.

Fortunately, I've been able to show my coworkers that at least 3 bowls are needed so that everyone gets a chance to eat. Telling them had little effect. Showing them that Pickle gets shoved to the side every time there are only 2 bowls produced an "oh, poor Pickle! He'll go hungry!" Happily for all cats, there are always three bowls now. Two heads in one bowl are fine, but three do not fit well because our Stranger (above) likes to hog the bowls.

As the ground dries up, I will have to haul some new straw out to their houses. I am glad that they have all made it through the winter, especially with that crazy blizzard we had. I had to go out there with a shovel and make paths to their houses because the snow completely covered their doorways! I was very happy to see little footprints leading to the smaller insulated house (the only time I've seen evidence of its use). I hope they all snuggled and made nice when it was freezing outside, because boy was it ever cold.

Speaking of making nice, Torrini here has something going on with his eye. A couple days earlier, it was all crusty and oozing, but it is clear again, although still swollen. Fight, most likely? We will be keeping watch over it and trap him if it seems necessary. Which is why I'm hoping to get a drop trap, because it would make it ever so much easier to trap these guys!

We've yet to trap Pickle (above), another reason we need this trap. Every time we put the regular traps out, Stranger and Snuggle go right into them. They won't let Pickle investigate. As of right now, we only have two traps, so we can't even trap them and hold them off the side to try to get Pickle. Those two are just food hogs! We even went out with a net, but couldn't separate Pickle with the food and get close enough to net him. Very frustrating.

Snuggle, our second food hog. The most meowy one, as well.

All the cats love this stick pile. I can't imagine it'd be comfy, but I suppose it's warm and dry in the sun. It's especially cute watching them snuggle up together on the pile in their little nests. I've tried to get pictures, but haven't been successful yet...

It's been a while...

Since I've written. Almost a month! I've been looking for apartments and houses and such. I may be moving out with a friend in May or June, but we are both quite limited financially, which narrows our options. Pets are also an issue - I have three cats, she has a dog. A pitbull, whose breed suffers from much breed specific legislation. He's a very sweet boy, friendly to most people (shy with some men), loves to play with other dogs, and gets along well with cats. (I'm more worried about my cats attempting to eat him than vice versa, haha) But he's a PITBULL all the same, and many people have trouble looking past that.

We found a wonderful little half-house with a backyard, pets okay, cheap enough for us, but they couldn't hold it until May 1st. I'm hoping we'll be able to find another place, but the pickings seem to be slim.

I will be pet sitting in April for a lovely family dog named Snoopy. The family is going down to DisneyLand/World (which one's in Florida?) and wants someone to stay with their dog during the evenings. I'm kind of excited, because I will be using the money to buy a drop trap. I would make one, but let me tell you, my making anything will not result in something even remotely safe. However, I want the one I buy to be very safe and well-made as well, so I'm trying to make sure before I buy (not that I have many options here, either). But trying to trap with just regular traps is simply not working the right kind of magic I need. Dr. R said we could buy a couple of more traps for the program, so I'm going to see if we can buy the ones with rear sliding doors that we can use with a drop trap for transfers.

Does anyone have any suggestions about drop traps? I believe there is a link somewhere on the right side that goes to the Drop Trap Design Bank blog, which has helped me out the most. Also helpful was Dr. Lisa Pierson's review of the Alley Cat Allies drop trap (http://www.catinfo.org/alleycatalliesdroptrapreview.htm) and her own personal sites on how to make a quality trap (http://www.catinfo.org/buildingadroptrap.htm) and even remote control traps! (http://www.catinfo.org/Remotecontrol-droptrap.htm) Actually, I spent the last hour perusing her pages on cat food, urinary tract issues, pilling animals, and the importance of water. It was all quite enlightening and informative. Definitely check it out if you belong to the under-informed group such as I do. = )

Georgie-Muffin and Ian

Playtime!

George was a little scared of Ian at first, but he loved being out to play so much that he soon forgot his fear. = )

Trying to climb the tree.

Ian doesn't know what to think of the baby.

So he plays with his little fur ball while george explores in the back.

George was boarding at the hospital for about a week. Isn't he just the cutest thing ever???

We let him out to play with Ian a few times since he had no scheduled playtimes.

His eyes are so beautiful!!! = )

I think he was staring at Ian in this picture...

I love this picture!!! He was so cute trying to be a big boy and climb the tree, but it was a little difficult. = )

What *Not* to Let Happen to Your Cat

These pictures may seem a bit gross, but I am always horrified when a cat is brought to T, a groomer, who is so completely matted that the fur must be slowly shaved off - as if you are carefully skinning the cat. It's a good thing she's so good with the animals, because it is *so* easy to nick a cat when shaving them.

This is what she had to shave off the poor cat, who was only about a year old. This is almost the entire body of the cat!!! Because the cat was so incredibly matted, she had to get extremely close to the skin to free the cat.

You can see how thick the fur was. You couldn't even pull it apart - it was seriously like another skin to the cat.

What I've been wondering, though, is do mats hurt? If the fur is so tangled that it becomes a second skin, there's no brushing it out - is it painful for the cat? Also, when long-haired cats are stray/feral and have no one to brush their coats for them - does it get matted like this? Can it be as a protective mechanism, if it does?

The dogs kept trying to grab the fur while I was taking pictures. I almost wanted to give it to them as a toy, but felt that might be a bit disturbing... We'll stick with fake fur toys for now. = )

P.S. Rio went to her new home in New Hampshire. They have lots of land for her to run on, two kids, and two cats. She'll be well taken care of. It made me sad to have to say goodbye, though, because I know I'll probably never see her again. But a good ending, so that's all that matters. = )

Random woman, random insight

(deleted stuff due to new "blogging policy" at work and personal info on employees)

Anyway, being an animal hospital, the woman started talking about her indoor/outdoor kitten at the end of the meeting. I forget what exactly she was saying about the cat, because I couldn't believe that here was an intellgent 30-ish looking woman, AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT SHE SHOULD NEUTER HER INDOOR/OUTDOOR KITTEN. Now, it's not really that this particular woman didn't know, but how she was talking about "Oh this cat got this one pregnant, and I didn't know which one was mine, etc" as if this was all commonplace (which I know it unfortunately is). I know that a lot of people don't understand how important it is for animals to be sterilized, and I know a lot of people have so many other things on their mind that it doesn't occur to them as a priority. But this woman seemed averagely smart, averagely aware of important issues, but she didn't realize that she is playing a part in the overpopulation issue.

T immediately stepped up and told her how big of an issue the cat population is, that the hospital is involved in sterilization of feral and stray cats, and that she should get the kitten neutered ASAP to prevent more babies. (All in a friendly, conversational, non-preachy way, of course...) And I started telling her about males fighting and spraying, and possibly spreading disease, all of which are major incentives to get the kitten neutered. She didn't know this more specific stuff about *why* it's good to get pets sterilized, but it was surprising that she didn't think it was important in the first place, even (*especially*) to simply prevent more babies.

I mean, the animal-loving community is here to spread important, vital information on pet care, but it is surprising to me at times how little info the general population is in possession of. And sad, because the more educated we are on these topics, the better care we can provide to the animals living in our communities. It is important that we spread the message of spay and neuter, but we need to remember that people need to know *why* to sterilize their pets. We can't just say "overpopulation" and expect them to understand. We have to say "no pets in heat. Less fighting. Less spraying. Less wandering. Less spread of disease, especially in males. Less reproductive cancers/issues in females. Calmer animals (usually, right?)"

I think we forget that the people who don't work with animals simply don't know what we do. I forget this all the time. They don't know why over the counter meds don't work, they don't know why they're puppy can't just have one litter before she's fixed, they don't know that unneutered male cats are many times more likely to get FIV. So yeah, it's all about education. And NOT JUDGING PEOPLE at the same time. B/c I know very little about human medical shit, and I'm sure my step-mom thinks to herself "I can't *believe* she hasn't been to the doctor in that long!"
Definitely something worth thinking about.

And Smidgen makes 3

Smidgen is the baby of my three cats. She loves to play with those outlet protectors. Knock them down the stairs, meow as if a baby had been dropped down a well, then race to the bottom to save it! It's a great game to play, I suppose...

Another picture with her favorite piece of plastic....

Baby Smidge, curled up in her favorite blanket.

Smidge hiding from the world in her snuggle sack. She is really only a pair of eyes, her body no longer exists. At least, she would probably prefer it that way. She's very shy, hates to be walked at, and spooks at odd things like leaves in the window. She is a bit silly. She is very gentle, however, and will tolerate pretty much anything from a human.

My cats aren't as cute as some others', where the cats sprawl out with their tummies exposed to the sunlight. Maybe they're afraid I'll poke them? So when I saw Midge like this on the chair, I squealed! I haven't seen her lay like this since. So cute, though.

She looks like she's yelling at the birds or the dog next door. Which makes it amusing in my mind.

They do love the summer time when the windows are open. I do, too. It's one thing I miss the most about summer when it's gone.

Black cats are so difficult. Most pictures I have of this girl, she looks like a pair of eyes on a fuzzy black sock. Hah. At least she's a cute, fuzzy black sock!

The Noms

I can't sleep. (Too much caffeine today.) So here are 3 of my favorite pictures of Domino. He is Domino, b/c, well, obviously. However, I have met a Domino more perfectly domino-ish than he. She has one spot on one side, two on the other. My Domino just looks like a cow.

He loooooves the cube. It is his favorite spot. You know, his nose used to have a large area of pink on it. I should find pictures to show the change of pigmentation over time. I wish the other half of his chin was black, b/c then it would look like a goatee. Silly, but it would make me happy. Sharpie, maybe? (just kidding)

Book surfing. He doesn't quite fit, but shhhhh, don't tell him. He's sensitive. By the way, Domino is my cat. I know I post about other people's pets and feral cats, so I thought I'd throw that out there. He's one of the three cats I took from my mother's. She didn't get her cat spayed, she had babies, and my mom didn't want to keep them. So I took the babies. They're two and a half now. (Her cat is still not spayed, but fortunately, the cat doesn't go out and there are no more cats in the house anymore. I've tried to get her to understand the importance of spay/neuter, but if you knew my mom.....)

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Domino's had many names in his short life, but it's usually The Noms now. Sometimes Gurgle Man. (He gurgles/purrs very loudly when it's munch time.) And Mimo. I think the evolution of "The Noms" was something like Domino-Yomino-Nomino-Noms. And "Mimo" was what the little boy-next-door called him. (Actually, I don't know what he called him, b/c I don't think it was English, but it definitely sounded like "Mimo!")

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So that's Noms. He's a good boy. He's really just a large pile of pudding. With a girly, squeaky meow.

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Oh, and he does tricks, too! I've yet to get a picture, b/c it's hard to angle the camera just right when I've got a treat in my hand and Noms is desperately trying to get at it, but he can "sit" (most of the time) and "beg." Obviously, I can't show you a "sit," b/c, well, it's a sit. Haha. But I'll try to get a picture of his "beg." We're working on the tricks without treats, but there's not much motivation for him unless he thinks he might get a treat... (I'm lying, they don't really get treats. They only get pieces of their food b/c I'm mean like that. And Noms is a bit chubby, so he doesn't get many extras. I haven't even bought regular treats in over a year...) Oh, and he usually responds to "come here." If he wants to. So maybe 50% of the time? And tapping. He's about 95% on top of the tapping. If I tap my bed, he'll hop up. Or my lap, or the top of the bookshelf, or the windowsill, wherever.

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I've been pretty lazy lately. I need to teach them some new tricks, b/c they're quite good at the "sit," "beg," and "come here." What should I try next? = )

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand

This is my Rio. She is a fluffy mix of something. Chow was suggested. Shepard, too. But I am bad with identifying dog breeds, so don't ask me. Her mom went on a skiing trip with family and had some sort of heart attack/stroke while fixing her boot on the slope. She was sent to the hospital, but unfortunately did not recover. Rio's fate was uncertain for a week: we were trying to find someone to adopt her as was Rio's owner's family. I wish I could take her - she is a great dog. It turns out that Rio's mom's best friend will be taking Rio in.

I hope Rio will be happy at her new home, but I think it means that we may not see her again. The woman does not live in Rochester, I'm pretty sure. I'm glad I got to know Rio better before seeing her leave for another part of the country, though. She's very shy at first, but gets so excited about getting to play outside, especially laying in the snow (and eating it!), as you can see in the pictures. Rio is 7 or 8 years old, pretty mellow, even when playing, but a serious love bug. She loves to just hang out. She's a super wonderful dog and I truly hope her new family is just as fantastic. I'll miss her, as she's been staying with us for quite a while now. Her new mom will be picking her up at the end of the month.

This is Ella. (I think she's 5? or 6.) Pretty much any dog I post about will be one I adore, so I guess I shouldn't keep saying how much I love these dogs, huh? Ella is funny. No one knows her playful side unless they take her out on her walks. In her run, she is very quiet, borderline depressed. But as soon as she steps outside, she's a different dog. She's excited to be alive! She's very well-behaved, but when she doesn't want to come back in, Ella will simply ignore me. And run around as if we're playing - which is hard to not give in to. Oh, and Ella is a big dog, too. Waist level on me, I think? (I'm about 5'4")

This is Casey. Casey is about 8 years old and is completely, utterly, OBSESSED with tennis balls. She will bark at you nonstop until you throw that ball. She cannot get her mind off it, even for a moment. But it's great, b/c she is the type of dog that will bring the ball right back to you. Oh, and if it happens to roll away? She's right there to scoop it back up and place it within an arm's length. All you have to do is look at her like, "Excuse me, Casey. I am lazy and that is too far for me to reach." And she's right on it, making everything easy for the all-important game of fetch. Unfortunately for poor Casey, she has some hip/joint/arthritis problems and can't go too long playing this wonderful game. But as I said, she is OBSESSED. She can't be soothed by petting or treats (for long, anyway). So we tend to toss the ball short distances away. Then everyone's happy!

Casey, looking up at me, wondering why I am not throwing her ball. You can tell that she is not relaxed in this picture. Every muscle in her body is tensed for when I release the ball. I think the only time she relaxes is when the ball is in her mouth - or there are no balls to be found...

I wish I had been able to take a better picture of Zee. Zee is a wonderful boy, UNLESS he happens to see another dog. He is a bit nuts around other dogs and only wants to cage-fight. Out in the backyard, though, he loves zooming around at top speeds and peeing on everything, of course. He's also great to play with and loves to cuddle. I don't know where it came from, but I call him my Firecracker. (I've decided I want to name my next dog Firecracker. Firecracker and Hippie...)

And lastly, this is a super cute picture of Ian and Dylan. Ian has started becoming more adventurous. More playful. He loves tennis balls and little fur balls (that I make for him out of his own endless supply of shedding fur) and those jingly balls. And little, bouncy, rubber balls. He has also taken to lounging on comforters in the playroom, spazzing and attacking the stuffing as if it's alive. He's quite amusing. Unfortunately, even with the increased attention and space, he seems to be meowing more. And I can't really say I know why. I can tell when he's meowing for food. And for attention, but the rest of the day, I have no clue. And sadly, he has the most irritating meow. It's very nasally (is that a word???) and whiny. He better not keep it up when I take him home with me!!! Haha.

RIT, the Bean Farm, and Factory A's Cats

I'm so glad to be helping out RIT's Caring Hearts program. It's nice to be in league with people who have the experience and resources that they do (and I don't). So far, they've brought in 2 cats from the RIT campus and 2 from the Bean Farm right here in Henrietta. I believe they are going to try to bring in two more from the Bean farm this Friday.

I think I've mentioned before that in addition to TNRing their own campus' stray and feral cats, Caring Hearts tries to take on one "project" at a time. Their most recent venture has been a farm (not very far from my house, actually). The owner of the farm, Mrs. B, takes care of the barn cats, but was a bit overrun when Caring Hearts stepped in to help. They've sterilized over 35 cats there, I believe. Being a farm, and right on a main road, I imagine that heartless and uneducated peoples drop their cats off in the near vicinity. Fortunately, the situation has been stabilized, but she's had some recent additions. Two were brought in last Friday, both all black, one missing part of his tail, I think? She will be trying to trap a couple more for this Friday.

RIT's Caring Hearts will also be lending a hand to the leader's brother's factory's cat issue. Wow. Bad sentence. There is a factory... with kilns... and kilns are warm, I'm thinking. At least, some cats got in, made a home in the empty kilns, and started making babies! They went to fire up one of the kilns and heard babies mewing! Can you imagine how horrible it would have been to have not heard them? I'm so glad they decided to make noise at the right time. Fortunately for those lucky kitties, all found good homes.

Some of the cats are tame, some are feral. Most of the workers are coming together to raise money for the cats to be sterilized and to find homes for the socialized kitties. The feral ones will be brought to our hospital for surgery and will be allowed to live out their lives at the factory. The cats need to be done ASAP, though, because as time goes on, the more babies made, and the more of a "nuisance" they will be. The people in charge at the factory are okay with a small number of sterilized cats living on the premises, but if the population explodes, they will want to call an exterminator. Hopefully they will only have ten to fifteen cats at the factory when they are sterilized and rehomed.

This factory is not in Henrietta, but when I talked to the CSR supervisor, she said that because we are working with the RIT group, and the RIT group is the one helping them, we can let it slide that they are not located in the town.

I wish we could help everyone. I wish we could spay and neuter 50 cats a week (haha). But I guess slow progress is better than no progress...