Christmas Adoption

A man called me this morning about Wanda and Milton. His grandson had been been bothering him about getting a cat, so he and his wife started looking through Craigslist. When they saw my post, they realized getting two cats would be a good idea, so they could keep each other company. (I think that was their reasoning, anyway?) I told him that if he wanted to come visit, that would be great.

We met at the hospital around eleven in the morning. When I walked in to meet them, T told me that they had arrived a few minutes earlier, and that she had already brought the man back to meet with the cats. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Milton was not acting the scaredy-cat, but was rubbing up on the man like he was the greatest thing since canned food. Wanda was being her silly self, too, head-butting him and nibbling on his fingers.

His wife and grandson were waiting up front - I think he didn't want the boy's hopes to be raised by seeing the cats before they knew if they wanted to adopt them. Anyway, they all seemed to fall for their charms - Wanda grabbing on to their hands to make them pet her, Milton standing up on his hind legs to be petted. The grandson came back with the wife to visit and I was pleased to note that he didn't seem to be a pushy, grabby sort of boy. He was very gentle with the two cats, and seemed genuinely interested in having his "own" cats. (He liked all the other boarding cats as well, and was kind of freaked out by Ian and his one eye. Haha.)

I had a really good feeling about this couple. I tend to get uncomfortable inside with people I don't trust, and I didn't feel that at all with these people. And the boy, too. I've seen a lot of little kids that don't know how to behave themselves with animals, but this boy seemed quite sweet.

I explained to them about Wanda's sensitive stomach, how she needs a bland diet so she doesn't get diarrhea. They seemed fine with that. I made sure they knew that Wanda doesn't like to be picked up - loves to be petted, rubbed, to sit on your lap, but not picked up. Not sure if it's just uncomfortable or what, but some people expect a cat to be fine with anything, and I wanted them to know beforehand that she doesn't like it. But they seemed to understand that all cats are different. Also let them know that Milton doesn't like to be walked at. He runs away if you move too fast. Just something I thought they should know so they didn't think he was weird? (People are strange when it comes to reasonings why animals are "odd," when it's really something quite simple. And you never know who those people are.)

I let them take the two home today. I knew they wanted to adopt them when they asked "What's the next step?" I decided that I should go with my instinctual response and let them adopt them, and what better day than today? So they went out to buy kitty supplies while I wrote up a contract and let Ian and Milton hang out one more time. I gave them Milton's favorite bouncy ball and asked them to take home their wicker basket bed until they were completely comfortable with their new home. I didn't want to *give* them the bed, as it belongs to my cats, but I thought it would be nice to let them keep it for a couple of months so that they could retain some of the same smells as the place that's been their home for the last couple of months.

Ian's the only reason why this is hard for me. He's going to really miss playing with Milton and having the two hang out with him in the evenings. I made sure to give him some extra love tonight, but no amount of extra pettings is going to take the place of proper companionship. I hope I'll be able to take him home with me one day. Overall, I am very happy about Wanda and Milton being adopted. The two seemed like a wonderful couple, with a sweet grandson, and I truly truly truly hope that everything works out for them.

Hospital Cats

This is Wanda, climbing on the cat tree.

Milton, being very good, and posing for me. = )

He's gotten so much better. Not as freaked out as he was. Go slow, and he *loves* attention.

He was a bit scared here. Kept running away from me. These pictures are all out of order, but this was from a couple weeks ago? I think.

Spending time in the window. He's a lot more comfortable with you approaching him when he's higher up.

Scared of me and hiding. A couple weeks ago as well.

Wanda has always been very friendly. Doesn't much like to be picked up, but loves to be petted. She's very easy-going and a sweetheart.

Close up of the Bud Bud in the deflated cat cube.

What he does all day due to boredom.

Scared. And hiding from me. I'm so glad he's doing better now.

I brought my other wicker basket bed in so that they would both have a spot to rest/hide. My cats had forgotton about it, anyway. I hadn't seen it being used in at least a month. They used to both rush for the hidey spot, but now that they are more accustomed to us, they both feel comfortable in the top perching area as well.

Wanda has a silly-looking face. = ) Makes me smile. Maybe slightly cross-eyed? Just slightly, though.

There is a man who is interested in these two, but we need to figure out why Wanda is having diarrhea before she goes to a new home. We tried Flagyl, didn't work. Put her on Prednisone, and the stool seems to be hardening just a little. It's like pudding now. We're doing a food trial now, with the pred. I'm hoping it's something fixed with the right food, but finding the right food can be tricky.

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The man lives with his mom (I think?) and takes care of her two cats. The one was recently put down due to cancer, though, and they don't want the other to be lonely, but are trying to decide if it's too soon to get another. Or in this case, two more. He called me on Sunday while I was working, but we were slow, so I gave him a call back. I decided to try to let him tell me about himself instead of asking him too many questions. He seemed genuine. Told me that he wasn't sure, but would like to visit with them to see how he felt. I told him to come any time we're open. He called back less than a half hour later to see if he could come that day. He did, and Wanda hit it right off with him, b/c she's super like that. Milton hid the entire time. He asked if he could come back the next day. To which I said "of course," of course. = )

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I made sure to hold Milton for a few seconds on Monday so that he could pet him without Milton running away. And Milton warmed up quickly. I left them for a few minutes and when I came back, they were both being lovey with him. He spent about ten more minutes with them and left saying he'd talk to his mother about bringing two more cats in. He knows about Wanda's diarrhea issues, so I have to keep him updated on that. He seems like he'd be fine feeding her a special diet, but who wants a cat with chronic diarrhea??? Or, who wants to adopt a cat that has something wrong, but you don't know what? I'm really hoping her problems can be controlled with a specific diet, b/c this man seems like a wonderful person to adopt them.

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I don't really know how bonded the two are, but I want to keep them together in case they are. They certainly get along well. He already said that he isn't interested in breaking them up, anyway. I'm glad he's sensitive to something such as that.

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We'll see. I think I may call him Friday to see what he thinks/update him on how Wanda's doing. Hopefully better...

Collecting Cats

This is Wanda.

She came from a house with WAY TOO MANY cats.

But she is very sweet.

This is Mittens. I don't even know if he has mittens. (Probably does, but still.) He came a day after his sister.

Our director agreed to take these two in from a woman who has realized she has too many animals and cannot take care of them all.

I hope a good home can be found for these two. They're very sweet, both declawed, altered, up to date on vaccinations, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, around age three... It's so hard to find homes for cats, though... Wish me luck!

Hooray! *does a little happy dance*

KB's calico girl is being adopted today!!! The woman who came over Friday evening was just wonderful. She brought a friend with her, who fell in love with the little grey and white guy, but she's not sure how her resident cat would feel about a newcomer. (Maybe she'll change her mind, haha)

E (girl adopting calico) had two cats who were very bonded. One died about a month ago from congestive heart failure. She had actually brought her cat (Stinky?) to the animal hospital where I work, and Dr. R misdiagnosed him with an asthma attack, so he gave him steroids. Which sped up the process of killing his heart, and Stinky died two days later. You could just see how much she cared about her cat, and how horrible it was for her to go through this. I guess I had helped with the cat, b/c she told me that she recognized me, and that I was very nice to her. (Haha, good thing, too, right?) I vaguely remember handing over a grey cat to a woman, saying "Don't scare your mommy like that."

The other cat (Azrael?) is now very lonely, very needy, and probably wondering wher his brother went, poor kitty. So E decided to try Craigslist for a kitten, as she didn't feel like going through the whole adoption process through a rescue or shelter. Lucky for me! She found the post about the LV's kittens, but as they have decided to adopt all of them out through their friends and family, I pointed her to KB's calico. (They have more time, money, and patience than me, too, so I don't feel too bad.)

So on Saturday, I took both kittens to the Pet Saver Superstore in Greece/Rochester for their vaccinations. I got lost multiple times, but fortunately I made it there and back safely. = ) The kittens did great, and both got rabies and distemper shots as well as another deworming. I am so glad that the little girl is being adopted, because the vet assumes them to be around six months old, perfect time to start mating.

*update* E's friend, T2, decided that she really did want to adopt the little grey and white boy. I was really hoping that she would, as she really fell in love with him on Friday night. So, both kitties seem to have found *wonderful* homes and I hope they do great! I plan on emailing them in a couple of weeks to see how they are doing. E named the little girl "Bella" as she is petite and dainty. T2 named the little boy "Ichabod," which I think is the cutest name *ever.* Both like to take pictures, so do hope they'll keep KB and I updated. I'm still so excited that we finally found these guys homes! One less thing to have to agonize over! (Poor Onyx, though. I think he's a bit lonely now, without the kittens there to keep him company. When she's in a more stable position financially, she'll have to get him a friend.)

Adoptions and such...

The two people who were supposed to visit KB's two kittens last week never showed. And never called. I hate when people are so rude and inconsiderate. Fine, change your plans. But call and let me know so I can change mine.

In a way, I'm relieved, as I did not feel perfectly comfortable with either through email and on the phone.

There is a woman coming on Friday to visit with KB's calico. She seemed great through email, so I hope it works out.

I'm trying to work it out so I can take KB's two kittens to the Pet Saver Superstore on Saturday for their vaccination clinic. Both kitties need their vaccines, and though I would love to take them back to the animal hospital, I can't afford 2 vet visits of $47. I think it's great that they have vaccination clinics, and I might as well take advantage of them. Just have to figure out how to get into KB's house and such. I think she's working that day...

Little Torti has a home

I feel bad I never got any other pictures of the little torti - but guess what? She all of a sudden had no problem with petting, being picked up, she was playing and just doing great overall. A great family (so I'm told) decided that they wanted her. I heard she's doing great and that the family all loves her. She was such a cutie. I'm very happy that she was able to go to a good home. = )

The other two in this picture are doing not well at all. The little grey one has been nicknamed "Cujo." He is not socialized whatsoever and may not ever be. The LV's daughter will take him to her house when it is warm again and keep him as an outdoor cat. For now, he will stay with the LV's. The other little calico tolerates petting and will eat from your hand/fingers, but she hides all the time - and with Cujo, so I don't think they're sending the right messages to each other.

Personally, I think that if they're not good candidates for adoption, they should be sterilized and returned. They've already been in a home for a month - will that affect them negatively when/if they are returned? And it's not as if it will happen any time soon, so they will probably have been in a home for a good six months when/if they are returned. But the LV's want to give them time, and that's certainly their decision as it's their time and money.

Prospective Adopters

So we have two (possibly) people coming to look at KB's kittens today. The girl was recommended by Mrs. L, the guy's mom found the ad on Craigslist. I already called the girl back to tell her that the calico is not ready to go to a new home yet unless she (the girl) feels comfortable spending a lot of time with her getting her more socialized. She still runs away when approached, doesn't like to be picked up, etc. (Note: the running away is not something that I think is easily fixed. Some cats are like that. Smidge, my little black kitty, has been with me since birth and still runs away from me when I walk towards her. But she lets me pick her up and do pretty much anything to her. I want this kitten to be able to be picked up, have her nails trimmed, be given meds if needed, etc. I don't want her to be scared out of her mind when approached/picked up.)

Also, this girl said she thinks it's cruel to spay/neuter. That's a big thing to me, so it's most likely not going to happen, but she can still come visit if she wants. When I spoke with her, I told her it's very important to KB and I that the cat is spayed because of health reasons. And indoor living - nobody wants to deal with a cat's constant heat cycle, spraying, male cats trying to find your kitty, etc. I hope I kind of made myself clear that if she doesn't spay, the adoption's not going to happen. Overall, she doesn't seem like a good fit for this cat. She doesn't have any experience in cats, doesn't want to spay. Who knows, we'll see.

The guy seems like an okay guy, but once again, who knows. He wants a male kitty playmate for his cat (whom he adopted from Petco), said he can get him neutered. Bert (male grey and white cat) is doing *great* per KB. He approaches her, snuggles with her, loves Onyx, etc. So we don't need someone as experienced for this little guy, b/c he's the kind of kitty almost everyone feels comfortable with. But I don't trust myself with this kind of stuff - I'm afraid all of these people secretly want to torture and breed and perform weird tests on these kitties. (Heard too many horror stories, I guess.) Do you just *know* when you know? I hope so.

There were two women that I felt great about, really wanted them to adopt. But the one wanted kittens who were already vetted, the other had a crisis with her dog and felt that it wasn't the best time financially to bring a new pet into the house. But I felt they were perfect, and that was just over the phone. So I guess I'll just try to listen to my instincts.

Wish me luck!

KBs two kitties

These are KB's two kittens. I have taken them to the vet for upper respiratory meds (that shit is expensive), deworming, and testing for FIV and FeLV. I may get their shots, not sure yet if my budget can afford it. I also treated them with Frontline Plus. (Good thing for samples!) I'm really hoping to find them homes soon, because KB's had them for a while, and Mrs. L is not exactly helping.

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Though there's nothing I can do now ('cept find them good homes), it still pisses me off that I was brought into this thinking that Mrs. L had homes already lined up. (She told me this) That KB would be "socializing" them, not "fostering" them. (She said they just need a couple of weeks in a home before being adopted out.) There's a difference. I was also under the impression that she would have them for three weeks, tops. She's had them for over two months now. I did not expect to have to take them to the vet, to have to pay for food, litter, etc for more than a couple of weeks. It doesn't help that Mrs. L is not calling me back, is not helping with trapping, is not giving out the right information, is not helping to pay for any of their vet bills.

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Well, I know now. And I know that I really don't want to be involved right now in rescuing - I want to get animals sterilized - but other people can go ahead and do their rescuing to their hearts' content. I just can't afford it, honestly. I make almost minimum wage - which does not include paying for feral kittens' vet bills. Irritated that I got pulled into this with completely different intentions and expectations, but at least I know better now. Won't be doing this again.

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Oh, but on a good note, I finally have my license! Yay! Fifth time's the charm! = ) Haha.

Leah/Leia

This is the little one that the boy from the cat-loving family picked out. I guess he was the only one in the family to not have his *own* cat. And he picked this girl - good choice, too. She's the sweetest, snuggliest of the bunch. I heard she's doing great in her new home, she sleeps with the boy in his room and is slowly being integrated into the household. Yay for happy endings! Let's hope we can find such good endings for the rest of them! = )

P.S. The boy named her Leah or Leia or something similar. *Cute*

The Kittens

So, the LV's had eight kittens total. P is in construction and can whip handy things up in seconds, so you should see the cages he's fixed and rigged up to become great housing units for the kittens. I should get some more recent pictures, because these cages have carpeted shelves, hammocks, and are now on wheels. It's wonderful. = )

For the first five, socialization was pretty easy. Petting them and picking them up was able to be done in a few days. All of the kittens went to the vet, were dewormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, had Frontline applied, and got their first shots. All behaved pretty well.

The next two, however, were a bit slower to come around. The torti is now doing great, but the little calico does not let herself be picked up. And the last one, that little grey ball of fluff - he's been nicknamed Cujo. Not sure about him. Can't even pet him. Can only touch him with the feather stick. If he doesn't come around in a month, I would definitely vote to have him sterilized and released somewhere safe. (These last three had all the vet goodies as well, but they were not as well-behaved as the first five.) Heard that they screamed bloody murder.

I've put up ads on Craigslist, Mrs. L has put ads in the paper, we've all put up flyers. So far, no takers on KB's two, unfortunately. But one little calico has a wonderful home now, the torti has a home lined up, and the little black and white one may have a home as well. The LV's daughter wants to take the little grey ball if he becomes socialized - if not, she'll either have him as an outdoor cat or we'll release him back behind Wendy's. So we've got four more calicos and the long-haired grey and white boy to find homes for.

And I thought I had found someone who really wanted the grey and white boy today, but it turns out they're the ones who love the little black and white one. Well, at least one of them's got a home, right?

Socializing Feral Cats

In the last couple of weeks I have seen Stranger, Pickle and Snuggle almost every day. I have not seen Jehzara, Boy George, or Joe since we trapped and released them. They may be reluctant to show their faces - or they may have moved on.

We are still feeding 4 cups a day around 2:00 PM. Unfortuantely, if the cats are not there, the crows attempt to eat the dry food. They fly away as soon as they sense movement in the backyard, but we can't be monitering the food all the time, so it is inevitable that they will consume some of it. Thankfully, the cats have started to appear earlier, so the birds don't get as much as they were before. I was feeding the cats at 3:00 PM, but am trying to slowly move the feeding back to 1:00 PM. This would be optimal for a few reasons: first, my shifts either start at one or end at one; second, when we trap, it is better to catch the cats as early as possible; and third, darkness falls early in the winter and I want to give the cats as much time as possible to eat before it gets dark. This is mainly to prevent other wildlife from feeding on the dry food.

I was worried for a few days that my supervisor was intent on trapping and re-homing the cats. I tried to explain to her why I thought that this wouldn't be a good idea, but I'm not sure she understood. Fortunately, we haven't talked about the subject again, so I hope she came to the conclusion that they are better off out there. If not, I will definitely attempt to inform her of the negative aspects of such an effort again.

Let me explain that I am first and foremost concerned with the complete welfare of the cats. This includes both physical and emotional health. Although it is very cold out and there are many dangers such as disease, poisoning, and traffic accidents, I have read in many articles that when trying to socialize feral kittens, they should not be over twelve weeks. These cats are all at least eight months old. I have also read that if socialization efforts are not working on a particular cat after three weeks, the cat should be returned to the area in which it came from. The cat should be able to remember how it lived outdoors perfectly well if it has been confined for only a couple of weeks.

It is not fair, in my opinion, to confine a cat indoors if he was not brought up that way. They long to be outside, away from people, with trees to climb and rodents to hunt. Feral cats are not strays; they do not want to come inside. They do not want to sit on laps and be petted. However, when a feral cat is in an area that does not have sufficient places to hide and climb, with small animals to hunt, I believe it is a great idea to supplement the environment with cat houses and daily food. If it is absolutely necessary that the cat be relocated, great pains need to be taken so that the cat is placed in a sanctuary or home that can provide a large enough area and stimulating environment.

Some people have succesfully socialized feral cats so that they are willing to stay inside for periods of time and enjoy being with certain humans. This is wonderful, but I don't believe it should be forced upon an adult cat unless there is no other choice.