My gosh! Has it been almost a year since I posted? I'm going to have to get back to it. So much has happened in this past year.
Stay tuned.........
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Monday, September 21, 2015
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
“Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” - Vicki Harrison
October 7, 2010: It doesn’t seem like it’s been four years since I lost Taz to Lymphoma. I think of him everyday. I still miss him as much as ever. I’m so happy to have had him for the entire 11, almost 12 years of his life. If he hadn’t gotten cancer, he might still be with me today, a sassy, 16 year old. He was the last of our original three cats.
Jezibel is still with us. She is now 15 and in relatively good health. We are concerned about her though. She has had an asthmatic type condition for several years. It seems to be worse now. She has days when she won’t eat because she can’t smell her food. When she is like that, we give her Terbutaline. It opens up the air passages and usually works in half an hour or so.
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| Ellie |
In Jezibel’s case, if the Terbutaline doesn’t completely work, we next use Little Noses child’s saline nose drops and Vick’s nasal inhaler. When she can smell again, she usually starts eating.
Jezibel has changed her personality too. She would never sleep with us before and now she sleeps with us every night. Right between our pillows. I wake up and there she is, stretched out, sound asleep. It’s nice, I don’t mind, but I sometimes wonder why, all of a sudden, she wants to be with us. It never was a priority before. She was always a loner, never wanting anything to do with the other cats or the dog. She always enjoyed attention, but seemed to be able to take it or leave it. When I would try to pet her or pick her up, she would just stomp off like “leave me alone!” or she would hiss and growl.
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| Jezibel with Taz |
Taz would sometimes back down and if Jezibel sensed it, she would back him into a corner and we always said she “stood him up in the corner”. Of course, his side of the story was, “I stood Jezibel up in the corner!” We laughed, but we knew the truth. They were both so insecure that they had to fake being tough. Jezibel had her weak moments too and Taz never failed to take advantage.
Taz was about nine months older than Jezibel. When she came to us in February 2000, she was pregnant. Because she is a calico with an attitude, her arrival and subsequent litter of kittens, really disrupted our once peaceful household of three sweet, boy cats, Rowdy, Calvin and Taz, and dog, Chelsi. It was a peace that would be forever gone.
I like the fact that being older has mellowed Jezibel. She no longer growls or hisses at the other cats when they pass each other in the house. That doesn’t mean that she has lost her spunk. The younger Jezibel, who used to stand Taz up in the corner, comes out sometimes long enough to remind us that she still has attitude. There are times though, that she seems to be forgetful. She will just sit and stare, as if she had gone into a room and forgot why she was there. We all do that, so maybe it’s not anything to worry about.
Jezibel and Taz were sparring partners for over ten years, so I know she must have missed him when he died. When he got sick, she seemed to know that she couldn’t pick fights with him anymore. I don’t remember them ever getting into it then. Of course, that time was so upsetting for us that nothing was more important than trying to save Taz. For those three months, life changed for all of us. The other cats and dog did their own thing while Charlie and I did what we could for Taz. Thank goodness no one else got sick during that time. One crisis at a time, please.
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| Lexi |
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| Mr. Creme |
Mr. Creme has been an easy patient, as long as he doesn’t get distracted. He looks forward to the attention he gets when I feed him in the morning. I stay with him and watch him eat. When he signals that it’s time for his pill and injection, I go over to him and he eats his pill in a pill pocket, gets four holistic cat treats from Trader Joe’s, and his injection of 3 units of insulin. It’s the same routine every morning. I won’t change anything because he likes it and as long as he eats well, he will stay regulated on the insulin.
In the evening, the routine is basically the same, except he doesn’t get a pill pocket. He eats and when I see him stop and look at me, I take the treats and add them to his food. He continues to eat and he gets his injection of 2 units of insulin.
Jezibel gave birth to nine kittens on March 22, 2000. Lexi and Mr. Creme are the only “kittens” left from her litter. All others have passed away. It was quite a dynasty. Since she joined our family with her kittens, we grew from our original three cats to seven cats. It has never dropped below seven cats in our house since then.
When Taz died, I read books about pet loss, joined a lymphoma support group online, talked to Charlie and friends. Grief is something that just has to run its course. I don’t believe there is a time limit on when to stop grieving or even to stop grieving. Why do you have to stop? The pain does recede a little, but then a picture, or a toy, or a special Christmas ornament, brings up the memories of having such a magnificent cat and companion.
A few days after Taz died, I called a friend of mine in Arizona, who I had not talked to in a long time. She was also a cat lover. She had also been following my blog on Taz’s journey with lymphoma. “I thought he was going to make it”, she told me. I listened while she updated me on losing a couple of her cats. I know how much she loved them and I could hear the grief in her voice. Even so, she told me to look for a sign from Taz. He would give me one. It might not be soon, but I would know it when it happened. He would let me know that he was still with me and he was all right.
I knew I would have another kitten one day and my thoughts were that I would know when and where to find him. Usually when I was in my car driving, I would talk to Taz and say, “Where are you Baby? I have to know so I can come and get you.” Oh, well, it made me feel better to talk to him.
One day in December, just two months after Taz died, I had to stop at Petsmart for catfood. There was one on my way home from shopping, so I stopped there, thinking I wouldn’t have to go the extra way to our regular Petsmart. They didn’t have the catfood, so I drove on over to the other store.
I always go in and look at the cats and kittens before doing my shopping. They are placed there by a rescue service and not sold by Petsmart. I wasn’t looking for a kitten, but there was the prettiest little ginger and white kitten, rubbing against the cage. He was quite the attention-getter. Everyone wanted to touch him. I went over and got close to him. He was 3 months old and his name was “Brody”. I instantly wanted him. I don’t know why, but I did. Trying not to be impulsive, I decided I would do my shopping, go home and tell Charlie about “Brody” and bring him back to see him. If “Brody” was still there, I planned to adopt him. If he was gone, it was not to be.
When Charlie saw “Brody”, he also liked him. We did the paperwork to adopt “Brody”, but I had to go home and get a kennel to transport him from the store. They would not allow him to leave otherwise, which was fine.
On the way home, “Brody” became “Jonesie”. From the moment he came into our house, he got along with the other cats and the dog. He just made himself at home. His personality is one of pure sweetness. I can’t find one fault with his behavior.
He has become my cat, although, unlike Taz, who completely possessed me and would not allow any other cat near me, Jonesie sits at a distance and does not come over if I have another cat in my lap. Taz would not only come over, but he would make it known to the cat on my lap that he had to leave...now! I loved being owned by Taz.
Jonesie in his own sweet and quiet way, will come over and get on my lap and purr while I pet him. There’s no hurry. He is patient.
When I adopted Jonesie, I was told by the girl who fostered him that as a kitten, he and his four litter mates were found in a dumpster. This was just three months before. I told her about losing Taz two months ago and she said I might be consoled to think that while we were losing Taz, Jonesie was being saved. It was bittersweet, but consolation none the less.
Like the four years that have passed since Taz died, I can’t believe that Jonesie was four years old in September. I have seen each year go by and wonder if I’ll ever get that sign that my friend told me about. For some reason, this year felt different, like I was waiting for a special anniversary or occasion. That was just the feeling since it weighed on my mind more than usual. I dread each year passing because it doesn’t seem real somehow that so much time goes by.
I wanted to dream of him, but so far, in four years, he has never come to my dreams. But, I think I got my sign this morning. I was in my bathroom, getting ready for work. Jezibel was on the foot of the bed. I heard that familiar growl, like she used to give when Taz was harassing her. I looked in to see who was bothering her. Jonesie was sitting there looking at her, not unlike the way Taz would look at her. Jonesie was challenging Jezibel! He never challenges anyone. For a moment, it was Jezibel and Taz on that bed. The mannerisms, everything.
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| Taz and his mom |
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| Jonesie and his mom |
Jonesie doesn’t look like Taz. He doesn’t act like Taz. But, all of those times I talked to him in my car and asked, “Where are you Baby? I have to know so I can come and get you”.......Taz told me where Jonesie was and I went to get him.
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Thursday, March 6, 2014
"Since rescuing cats, I've lost my mind, but found my soul"
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| Kiki soon after rescue October 2011 |
Kiki was rescued in October 2011. She and her three kittens were living in the firewood pile belonging to friends of ours. (Blog dated October 8, 2011)
We caught her and the kittens. Kiki was about 2 years old. She was a feral who had been on her own, but my friend said she had once belonged to the people across the street from them. They had moved out and left her.
As far as they knew, she had had one other litter of kittens, which they had seen going through their yard one time. No sightings since, so they did not know what had happened to those kittens.
Kiki’s kittens were about 4 weeks old and were being weaned, but were still nursing. We kept them together. When Kiki stopped nursing, we took her to the vet and she was spayed.
In November, my friend’s brother took Kiki and we hoped it would work out. But, after only a month, Kiki was returned just before Christmas 2011. She and the resident cat did not get along.
We re-introduced Kiki into our house. Even though it had only been a month, her kittens didn’t welcome her back and she really didn’t want to have anything to do with them either. It was a shame, because she and one of the kittens, Dash, had been so close before she left.
Kiki developed an allergic reaction to fleas. Even though we keep flea protection on all of the cats, if one flea bites her, she breaks out into sores which scab over.
After the vet told us about the allergy, we decided to seclude Kiki. We put her in her own room. She was not allowed in the rest of the house. It was a comfortable room: cat tree, day bed, litter box, food , water, and a window to watch the birds from. All she needed.
We felt bad that she couldn’t have access to the rest of the house, or go into the backyard, which she had been able to do before. We went into her room and spent time with her. She loved being petted, but was independent. I used to go in and lie on the bed. She would come over to be petted, then go back to the cat tree to look out the window.
She was with us for about two years when a friend of mine called. Her cat had been sick and had passed away. I felt terrible because I knew and had spent time with her cat. She was a sweet Calico, independent and not a lot different from Kiki.
As upset as my friend was, she said she wanted to get another cat, but was “digesting” losing “Bina”. Her daughter, who also has cats, had suggested she not wait too long. I understood and didn’t press, but I told her that I had a 4 year old cat who might be right for her.
I gave her a little background on Kiki. She wanted a picture of her. After seeing the picture, her reply was, “I’d like to meet Kiki!”
She was going out of town for the holidays, but would be back after New Year’s and was anxious to see Kiki. I had no problem with that.
I took Kiki to meet my friend on January 2, 2014, a three hour drive away. They hit it off. My friend told me that when I told her about Kiki, that December, she had such a happy, calm feeling, like it was perfect. She knew it was going to work out. They needed each other.
Kiki has adjusted to being an only cat. She has cat trees, cat condos, an atrium to spend warm mornings and afternoons on. She’s totally indoors and my friend spoils her. I haven’t been back up to see them since January, but I hope to go soon. I get updates and it’s all good.
I’m just so happy that our Kiki girl has a home of her own now.
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Cats know how to obtain food without labor, shelter without confinement, and love without penalties. ~ W. L. George
The ten days in Virginia flew by, just like we knew they would. Soon, it was time to say goodbye. We left Virginia on Thursday, December 5and drove down to SC to visit with my brother and sister and their families. We were going to spend the weekend there and then start for home.
We really enjoyed being in SC. The weather was beautiful and warm. They had a good old southern oyster roast that Saturday night. It had been a long time since I had eaten oysters. I can eat them if they are firm or fried, but never raw or on the half shell. These were just right.
It started raining later that night. The next day was cold (by our standards) and overcast. We were ready to head for home though, hoping we would not hit any really bad weather. So far, our trip through Texas had been the worst.
On Monday, December 9, we started out for home. Our first planned stop would be in West Nashville, TN. We were very tired when we got there. The next morning when Charlie opened the door to take Sheila out, there was snow everywhere! Sheila was so distracted that she would not do her business. These California dogs! It was about 28 degrees.
We scraped the snow from the car, loaded up and left the hotel. It was a good thing that we were in West Nashville, because the morning rush hour traffic was heading towards Nashville. We were going against it. The roads were still a little icy, but not bad. It was cold, but clear.
The cats were a little restless. On the trip over, they never made a sound. Now they meowed for the first hour or so when we started. Then they would go to sleep for a little and it would be quiet. I think the traveling was getting old to them. Sheila was in her own kennel and I think she just slept.
We arrived at our hotel in Sallisaw, OK at 4:00 p.m. Since we had gained an hour when we crossed into Arkansas, it was nice to quit driving before dark. It had still been a seven hour drive.
Jackson had diarrhea and really wasn’t eating much. He threw up and it was mostly water. We decided that we needed to make sure there was food in the kennel during the day for Jackson and Jonesie to munch on. They couldn’t go without food all day. I did give them treats during the day, but that wasn’t enough.
We were all exhausted due to the drive and probably a little due to the time zone change. We were watching TV and I fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. I think. I woke up because I thought I heard the alarm. Charlie was awake too. Then Sheila heard something and barked. We quieted her, but we heard voices outside also. Suddenly someone was trying to open our door. He actually opened the door and if not for the safety latch, the door would have opened all the way. From the bed, I saw the guys shoes! Sheila barked and we both yelled, “Hey!”.
Then he realized he had the wrong room. He said, “Sorry ‘bout that” and walked away mumbling. I think it was an honest mistake. We were lucky that the safety latch was on. However, the door knob had been locked, so I don’t know how he got the door open in the first place. We set the deadbolt and made sure it was secure before going back to bed. It was only about 11:30 p.m., but seemed like I had slept forever before all of the excitement.
The next morning was cold and foggy. Jackson seemed to feel better. He ate a good breakfast. We waited until they took care of their business before putting them in the kennel for the day. It was a little after 8:00 a.m. when we left the hotel. It cleared up and was sunny, but cold, 28 degrees.
We planned to stay that night in Tucumcari, NM. The number of hours we wanted to drive that day would get us that far. We had spent some time in Tucumcari, NM two years ago when our RV broke down there. At that time, we swore we would never stop there again.
While I was looking at the map to see where the next time zone changed, I noticed that it would change when we crossed into New Mexico. Since we would gain an hour in the new time zone, it would be 3:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. when we stopped for the night. It seemed too early to stop. Santa Rosa, NM was only an hour further to drive. Charlie agreed. I found a pet friendly hotel in Santa Rosa, made a reservation and cancelled the Tucumcari hotel.
It was still daylight when we arrived at the hotel in Santa Rosa. When we were unloading the car, we noticed a little gray tabby cat near our car. The neighbor came out and gave the cat a slice of pizza. She said that there had also been a little kitten there earlier when they checked in.
Charlie went to the office to ask about the cats. We had decided that if they didn’t belong to the hotel, we might try to help the kitten, if we could. The clerk told him that the cats did not belong to the hotel. They were strays and they were not allowed to feed them. Of course, I’m sure the guests probably did, i.e. the lady with the pizza.
I walked down the hill to see if I could find the kitten. I didn’t see anything. There were some mobile homes further away on the other side of a concrete wall. The cats might have come from there, but if so, they were not cared for if they were out on such a cold day and begging for food.
I periodically looked out the window during the night, but I didn’t see the kitten. Then before I went to bed, I looked out the window again and saw a little black kitten walk by. It was really cold outside, 16 or 17 degrees. The kitten disappeared into the darkness.
The next morning Charlie went to the hotel café to get us some coffee. When he came back he said the mama cat was outside and wondered if we should give her something to eat. I made a dish out of some coffee filters and put some cat food on it for her.
She was by herself and we wondered where her kitten was. So far, she and the kitten were the only cats we had seen at the hotel. I went back out to get more coffee, the mama cat had eaten and was sitting next to the building. I petted her as I walked by. She was still there when I came back by.
Later, I went outside to pick up the “dish”. The mama cat was still next to the building and the black kitten was with her. I went over to see if the kitten was friendly. It watched me approach, but didn’t move away. I picked it up. It was very thin, probably 4-5 weeks old. As I was standing there holding the kitten, the pizza lady and her husband came out, ready to leave. She was happy that we were taking care of the kitten. They were ‘snow birds’ from Iowa, heading for Arizona.
Charlie held the kitten and agreed that we should bring it home with us. Then we thought, ‘what about mama cat?’ I had looked around earlier and there were no more cats that I could see. Charlie handed the kitten to me and I took her inside to feed. He picked up mama cat. We had a small soft kennel that we had bought in Virginia and weren’t using. He put mama cat in the kennel. She didn’t make a sound.
The kitten didn’t eat much. She obviously was malnourished and needed to see a vet as soon as we could get her to one. We packed up everyone and left the hotel. There was going to be one more night in a hotel and then we’d be home. We put the kitten in the kennel with mama cat and they were fine. They were both small. I had already named the mama cat, Rosie, and the kitten, a little girl, Sandi, since they were from Santa Rosa.
While we were driving, I took little Sandi out of the kennel a few times and held her in a blanket. She was so tiny. She slept some, but then would get restless and want out of the blanket. I put her back in the kennel and she seemed happy to be in there with her mom. We were happy that we had brought them with us.
Our final stop for the night was Show Low, AZ. Before we checked into our hotel there, we stopped at Walmart and picked up some milk supplement formula for the kitten, as well as some more food. We also got a disposable litter box since we would have to keep them in the bathroom. We didn’t want to expose them to our cats before they had seen a vet.
The bathroom seemed cold to me. The floor was tile and I know how cold a tile floor can be. I bought some bubble wrap and some more blankets to make a bed for them. The bubble wrap helped to insulate them from the cold floor. We turned the heat lights on and it helped. I know it was not as cold as what they had been exposed to outside in New Mexico, but it sure felt cold to me.
Sandi, the kitten, lapped up some milk. She seemed fine, other than the fact that she was so thin. She didn’t eat much though. When I put the blankets down, they both started kneading. It must have felt so good to them. I wish I had taped it or taken a picture. It was just so sweet to see the two of them enjoying the comfort of a soft blanket.
Rosie had an “accident” in the kennel earlier in the day. When we got to the hotel and put them in the bathroom, she needed to be cleaned a little. Charlie went into the bathroom to do that and I brought Sandi out and held her. I did not let Jonesie come up close to her and touch noses, like he wanted. We had to keep them apart for now.
Charlie came out of the bathroom after tidying up Rosie. He said she was very friendly and then he said something strange. He said he thought Rosie was a male! I said, no way! We didn’t think anything else about it.
We fed them some wet food and also left a bowl of dry food and water in the bathroom for them. We checked periodically to see how they were doing.
I went into the bathroom one time to check on them and Rosie was covering Sandi, as if to keep her warm. Again, I wish I had taken a picture.
At about 11:30 p.m., I checked in the bathroom before going to bed. Rosie and Sandi seemed fine. Sandi had not eaten much, but I thought she was fine since she had lapped up some milk earlier and she had her “mother” with her.
I woke up at 3:00 a.m., got up and went to check on the cats in the bathroom. When I opened the door, Rosie was there, but no Sandi. As I opened the door further, I saw Sandi, lying in the litter box. I reached to touch her. Charlie woke up when he heard me cry out, “The kitten died!” He went into the bathroom to see. We were both shocked.
Then, of course, we tried to figure out what we could have done differently for her. We had planned to take her to our vet as soon as we got home. She was thin, but she seemed to be alert when I held her earlier in the day while we were traveling. She didn’t just listlessly lay on my lap. She looked around, wanted to walk around. She was with her mother. Was there no milk for her? We had her less than 24 hours and we were devastated. It was so unexpected.
Charlie wrapped Sandi up and put her in a box. It was very cold and icy outside. The car was cold. She would be fine until we could get her home. Ironic that we thought we were rescuing this tiny kitten from the cold and we never wanted her to be cold again.
We tried to get a little more rest, but planned on getting an early start for the ride home. I was in the bathroom petting “Rosie” and giving her my condolences. I rubbed her tummy. She had no nipples. No sign that she had been nursing...ever. Well, guess what? Charlie was right. Rosie was not a mama cat. Rosie was a boy.
At the hotel in New Mexico, she had been keeping little Sandi warm and, of course, when she and Sandi were seen together, she obviously looked like a mama cat with her kitten. Who would conclude anything else?
In the bathroom earlier, when I saw “her” covering Sandi, it was very sweet and what a mama cat would do on a cold night.
The kitten will always be known as “Sandi”. “Rosie” is now also named “Sandy”, in honor of “her” kitten. What a development....
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
We really enjoyed being in SC. The weather was beautiful and warm. They had a good old southern oyster roast that Saturday night. It had been a long time since I had eaten oysters. I can eat them if they are firm or fried, but never raw or on the half shell. These were just right.
It started raining later that night. The next day was cold (by our standards) and overcast. We were ready to head for home though, hoping we would not hit any really bad weather. So far, our trip through Texas had been the worst.
On Monday, December 9, we started out for home. Our first planned stop would be in West Nashville, TN. We were very tired when we got there. The next morning when Charlie opened the door to take Sheila out, there was snow everywhere! Sheila was so distracted that she would not do her business. These California dogs! It was about 28 degrees.
We scraped the snow from the car, loaded up and left the hotel. It was a good thing that we were in West Nashville, because the morning rush hour traffic was heading towards Nashville. We were going against it. The roads were still a little icy, but not bad. It was cold, but clear.
The cats were a little restless. On the trip over, they never made a sound. Now they meowed for the first hour or so when we started. Then they would go to sleep for a little and it would be quiet. I think the traveling was getting old to them. Sheila was in her own kennel and I think she just slept.
We arrived at our hotel in Sallisaw, OK at 4:00 p.m. Since we had gained an hour when we crossed into Arkansas, it was nice to quit driving before dark. It had still been a seven hour drive.
Jackson had diarrhea and really wasn’t eating much. He threw up and it was mostly water. We decided that we needed to make sure there was food in the kennel during the day for Jackson and Jonesie to munch on. They couldn’t go without food all day. I did give them treats during the day, but that wasn’t enough.
We were all exhausted due to the drive and probably a little due to the time zone change. We were watching TV and I fell asleep about 10:30 p.m. I think. I woke up because I thought I heard the alarm. Charlie was awake too. Then Sheila heard something and barked. We quieted her, but we heard voices outside also. Suddenly someone was trying to open our door. He actually opened the door and if not for the safety latch, the door would have opened all the way. From the bed, I saw the guys shoes! Sheila barked and we both yelled, “Hey!”.
Then he realized he had the wrong room. He said, “Sorry ‘bout that” and walked away mumbling. I think it was an honest mistake. We were lucky that the safety latch was on. However, the door knob had been locked, so I don’t know how he got the door open in the first place. We set the deadbolt and made sure it was secure before going back to bed. It was only about 11:30 p.m., but seemed like I had slept forever before all of the excitement.
The next morning was cold and foggy. Jackson seemed to feel better. He ate a good breakfast. We waited until they took care of their business before putting them in the kennel for the day. It was a little after 8:00 a.m. when we left the hotel. It cleared up and was sunny, but cold, 28 degrees.
We planned to stay that night in Tucumcari, NM. The number of hours we wanted to drive that day would get us that far. We had spent some time in Tucumcari, NM two years ago when our RV broke down there. At that time, we swore we would never stop there again.
While I was looking at the map to see where the next time zone changed, I noticed that it would change when we crossed into New Mexico. Since we would gain an hour in the new time zone, it would be 3:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. when we stopped for the night. It seemed too early to stop. Santa Rosa, NM was only an hour further to drive. Charlie agreed. I found a pet friendly hotel in Santa Rosa, made a reservation and cancelled the Tucumcari hotel.
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| Our room was straight ahead on the left ground floor. |
Charlie went to the office to ask about the cats. We had decided that if they didn’t belong to the hotel, we might try to help the kitten, if we could. The clerk told him that the cats did not belong to the hotel. They were strays and they were not allowed to feed them. Of course, I’m sure the guests probably did, i.e. the lady with the pizza.
I walked down the hill to see if I could find the kitten. I didn’t see anything. There were some mobile homes further away on the other side of a concrete wall. The cats might have come from there, but if so, they were not cared for if they were out on such a cold day and begging for food.
I periodically looked out the window during the night, but I didn’t see the kitten. Then before I went to bed, I looked out the window again and saw a little black kitten walk by. It was really cold outside, 16 or 17 degrees. The kitten disappeared into the darkness.
The next morning Charlie went to the hotel café to get us some coffee. When he came back he said the mama cat was outside and wondered if we should give her something to eat. I made a dish out of some coffee filters and put some cat food on it for her.
She was by herself and we wondered where her kitten was. So far, she and the kitten were the only cats we had seen at the hotel. I went back out to get more coffee, the mama cat had eaten and was sitting next to the building. I petted her as I walked by. She was still there when I came back by.
Later, I went outside to pick up the “dish”. The mama cat was still next to the building and the black kitten was with her. I went over to see if the kitten was friendly. It watched me approach, but didn’t move away. I picked it up. It was very thin, probably 4-5 weeks old. As I was standing there holding the kitten, the pizza lady and her husband came out, ready to leave. She was happy that we were taking care of the kitten. They were ‘snow birds’ from Iowa, heading for Arizona.
Charlie held the kitten and agreed that we should bring it home with us. Then we thought, ‘what about mama cat?’ I had looked around earlier and there were no more cats that I could see. Charlie handed the kitten to me and I took her inside to feed. He picked up mama cat. We had a small soft kennel that we had bought in Virginia and weren’t using. He put mama cat in the kennel. She didn’t make a sound.
The kitten didn’t eat much. She obviously was malnourished and needed to see a vet as soon as we could get her to one. We packed up everyone and left the hotel. There was going to be one more night in a hotel and then we’d be home. We put the kitten in the kennel with mama cat and they were fine. They were both small. I had already named the mama cat, Rosie, and the kitten, a little girl, Sandi, since they were from Santa Rosa.
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| Sandi with the sun on her nose |
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| She snuggled into the blanket |
While we were driving, I took little Sandi out of the kennel a few times and held her in a blanket. She was so tiny. She slept some, but then would get restless and want out of the blanket. I put her back in the kennel and she seemed happy to be in there with her mom. We were happy that we had brought them with us.
Our final stop for the night was Show Low, AZ. Before we checked into our hotel there, we stopped at Walmart and picked up some milk supplement formula for the kitten, as well as some more food. We also got a disposable litter box since we would have to keep them in the bathroom. We didn’t want to expose them to our cats before they had seen a vet.
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| Rosie with her baby |
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| Keeping her safe and warm |
The bathroom seemed cold to me. The floor was tile and I know how cold a tile floor can be. I bought some bubble wrap and some more blankets to make a bed for them. The bubble wrap helped to insulate them from the cold floor. We turned the heat lights on and it helped. I know it was not as cold as what they had been exposed to outside in New Mexico, but it sure felt cold to me.
Sandi, the kitten, lapped up some milk. She seemed fine, other than the fact that she was so thin. She didn’t eat much though. When I put the blankets down, they both started kneading. It must have felt so good to them. I wish I had taped it or taken a picture. It was just so sweet to see the two of them enjoying the comfort of a soft blanket.
Rosie had an “accident” in the kennel earlier in the day. When we got to the hotel and put them in the bathroom, she needed to be cleaned a little. Charlie went into the bathroom to do that and I brought Sandi out and held her. I did not let Jonesie come up close to her and touch noses, like he wanted. We had to keep them apart for now.
Charlie came out of the bathroom after tidying up Rosie. He said she was very friendly and then he said something strange. He said he thought Rosie was a male! I said, no way! We didn’t think anything else about it.
We fed them some wet food and also left a bowl of dry food and water in the bathroom for them. We checked periodically to see how they were doing.
I went into the bathroom one time to check on them and Rosie was covering Sandi, as if to keep her warm. Again, I wish I had taken a picture.
At about 11:30 p.m., I checked in the bathroom before going to bed. Rosie and Sandi seemed fine. Sandi had not eaten much, but I thought she was fine since she had lapped up some milk earlier and she had her “mother” with her.
I woke up at 3:00 a.m., got up and went to check on the cats in the bathroom. When I opened the door, Rosie was there, but no Sandi. As I opened the door further, I saw Sandi, lying in the litter box. I reached to touch her. Charlie woke up when he heard me cry out, “The kitten died!” He went into the bathroom to see. We were both shocked.
Then, of course, we tried to figure out what we could have done differently for her. We had planned to take her to our vet as soon as we got home. She was thin, but she seemed to be alert when I held her earlier in the day while we were traveling. She didn’t just listlessly lay on my lap. She looked around, wanted to walk around. She was with her mother. Was there no milk for her? We had her less than 24 hours and we were devastated. It was so unexpected.
Charlie wrapped Sandi up and put her in a box. It was very cold and icy outside. The car was cold. She would be fine until we could get her home. Ironic that we thought we were rescuing this tiny kitten from the cold and we never wanted her to be cold again.
We tried to get a little more rest, but planned on getting an early start for the ride home. I was in the bathroom petting “Rosie” and giving her my condolences. I rubbed her tummy. She had no nipples. No sign that she had been nursing...ever. Well, guess what? Charlie was right. Rosie was not a mama cat. Rosie was a boy.
At the hotel in New Mexico, she had been keeping little Sandi warm and, of course, when she and Sandi were seen together, she obviously looked like a mama cat with her kitten. Who would conclude anything else?
In the bathroom earlier, when I saw “her” covering Sandi, it was very sweet and what a mama cat would do on a cold night.
The kitten will always be known as “Sandi”. “Rosie” is now also named “Sandy”, in honor of “her” kitten. What a development....
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| Sandy in the kennel on the way home with us 12-13-13 |
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Monday, January 13, 2014
Isn't TRIP a four letter word?
We were able to get away for a vacation last month. Because we have cats to care for, it was a hard decision to make. We have two older cats who are on twice-daily medication. It’s very important that they get the medication each day and on time. Mr. Creme is diabetic and needs insulin. Lexi has a hyper-thyroid condition and high blood pressure for which she is on meds.
We’re lucky to have friends who were willing to come in and make sure everything was done. Since we were planning on driving our car across country, we needed to take at least three weeks. We had several places to stop and visit and we wanted to take our dog, Sheila, and two of our cats, Jonesie and Jackson. Driving the car made more sense than flying.
Before we left, we took Mr. Creme and Lexi to the vet to be checked to make sure they were stable and nothing would change in their medications while we were gone. Lexi’s blood pressure had lowered some, but her medication stayed the same. Mr. Creme’s blood glucose level had lowered so his doses of insulin changed. But, it was just a decrease of one unit in the p.m. dose.
After a few days of delay, we finally left on our trip on November 21. Our plan was to be in Virginia for Thanksgiving, the 28th. We figured if we didn’t get started, we might as well forget that.
Our first day of travel was uneventful. We stopped in Las Cruces, NM for the night. When we got up the next morning, it was 49 degrees. Not bad. But, by the time we got to El Paso, TX, it was much colder, 37 degrees. Soon it started getting cloudy and really looking cold. We turned north on I-20 and headed for Ft. Worth, TX, where we planned on staying the night.
The weather really turned rough then. It started drizzling and we noticed that our windshield was starting to freeze. The wipers were not clearing it off. The ground outside was starting to get a coat of icy sleet. Of course, living in California, we never get much rain and don’t realize we need new windshield wipers, until we drive in the rain. Charlie had taken the car in to our mechanic to make sure everything was working and the oil was changed, etc. before this over-3,000-mile trip. But, the wipers were not changed. We didn’t even think to ask.
We thought the windshield fluid would help to dissolve the ice since it doesn’t freeze. Unfortunately, one side, the driver’s side, of course, was blocked or frozen and would not spray. We stopped for gas and scraped off the ice. We also bought some more wiper fluid to have in the car, just in case. The temperature dropped to 29 degrees.
As we got closer to Ft. Worth, the temperature came up above freezing and we had no more problems with the wipers. It was raining, but no ice. We got to our hotel and got the cats and Sheila fed and settled down.
They are such good travelers, especially Jonesie. He just gets to he room, checks it out and moves right in. Jonesie is 3 years old and went with us in the RV when we crossed country two years ago. Jackson is younger, 8 months, and this was his first trip ever. But, he was getting the hang of it. He was better each night that we stopped. We were hoping that Jonesie would teach him how to do it.
The next morning when we left the hotel, it was cold, but not REAL cold. We were on our way to stay in Lakeland, TN that night. That’s just west of Memphis, TN. We really liked it there. The hotel was nice and the cats and Sheila were getting into the routine pretty well. The weather had improved too.
The next morning it was in the 30's, but it was a nice sunny drive to Gastonia, NC, where we thought we had reservations. Apparently something happened and we did not have reservations after all. We needed pet-friendly hotels and preferably something that had easy access. We had had ground floors so far since we had so much to unload from the car each night!
Therefore, it was probably a blessing in disguise that we didn’t have reservations at this hotel. It was the kind of hotel that we would have had to bring everything in through the lobby. Lots of work that we didn’t need. We declined their offer to stay for the night without a reservation. They referred us to another hotel which was pet-friendly. It turned out to be a much better plan. We did have to pay extra for the pets, but it was worth it. This would be our last night on the road. We would be at grandma’s house the next night.
We arrived in Virginia in early afternoon. Imagine our surprise and pleasure when we walked in the house and Mom had already put up her Christmas tree. It was very pretty and since her home is always cozy and welcoming, we felt very relaxed to be there.
We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the family. One day, I drove down to NC to visit my sister and niece. I spent the night and came back the next day. It is only a couple of hours to drive. While I was gone, Charlie and his mom had put up Christmas decorations outside and it looked so pretty. No snow, but it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
We’re lucky to have friends who were willing to come in and make sure everything was done. Since we were planning on driving our car across country, we needed to take at least three weeks. We had several places to stop and visit and we wanted to take our dog, Sheila, and two of our cats, Jonesie and Jackson. Driving the car made more sense than flying.
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| Are we there yet? Jonesie and Jackson in their traveling kennel |
After a few days of delay, we finally left on our trip on November 21. Our plan was to be in Virginia for Thanksgiving, the 28th. We figured if we didn’t get started, we might as well forget that.
Our first day of travel was uneventful. We stopped in Las Cruces, NM for the night. When we got up the next morning, it was 49 degrees. Not bad. But, by the time we got to El Paso, TX, it was much colder, 37 degrees. Soon it started getting cloudy and really looking cold. We turned north on I-20 and headed for Ft. Worth, TX, where we planned on staying the night.
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| Those clouds meant business |
We thought the windshield fluid would help to dissolve the ice since it doesn’t freeze. Unfortunately, one side, the driver’s side, of course, was blocked or frozen and would not spray. We stopped for gas and scraped off the ice. We also bought some more wiper fluid to have in the car, just in case. The temperature dropped to 29 degrees.
As we got closer to Ft. Worth, the temperature came up above freezing and we had no more problems with the wipers. It was raining, but no ice. We got to our hotel and got the cats and Sheila fed and settled down.
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| Sheila helping to tidy up Jackson's face |
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| Jonesie |
They are such good travelers, especially Jonesie. He just gets to he room, checks it out and moves right in. Jonesie is 3 years old and went with us in the RV when we crossed country two years ago. Jackson is younger, 8 months, and this was his first trip ever. But, he was getting the hang of it. He was better each night that we stopped. We were hoping that Jonesie would teach him how to do it.
The next morning when we left the hotel, it was cold, but not REAL cold. We were on our way to stay in Lakeland, TN that night. That’s just west of Memphis, TN. We really liked it there. The hotel was nice and the cats and Sheila were getting into the routine pretty well. The weather had improved too.
The next morning it was in the 30's, but it was a nice sunny drive to Gastonia, NC, where we thought we had reservations. Apparently something happened and we did not have reservations after all. We needed pet-friendly hotels and preferably something that had easy access. We had had ground floors so far since we had so much to unload from the car each night!
Therefore, it was probably a blessing in disguise that we didn’t have reservations at this hotel. It was the kind of hotel that we would have had to bring everything in through the lobby. Lots of work that we didn’t need. We declined their offer to stay for the night without a reservation. They referred us to another hotel which was pet-friendly. It turned out to be a much better plan. We did have to pay extra for the pets, but it was worth it. This would be our last night on the road. We would be at grandma’s house the next night.
We arrived in Virginia in early afternoon. Imagine our surprise and pleasure when we walked in the house and Mom had already put up her Christmas tree. It was very pretty and since her home is always cozy and welcoming, we felt very relaxed to be there.
We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the family. One day, I drove down to NC to visit my sister and niece. I spent the night and came back the next day. It is only a couple of hours to drive. While I was gone, Charlie and his mom had put up Christmas decorations outside and it looked so pretty. No snow, but it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
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| Me and Oliver (Mom's cat) checking out the lights |
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| Jackson loved sleeping under the Christmas tree. |
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Thursday, December 19, 2013
"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." (Saint Francis of Assisi)
I brought the black kitten home. We were happy, and hopeful that the tiny black kitten was the last of Mama Jackson’s kittens. He was afraid, but he allowed us to pet him. We always keep any new cat away from others until they have been checked by the vet. This kitten was small and afraid, but not feral. He could be held and petted. It was a boy and we called him “Cisco”. His right ear was clipped, so we assumed he had been trapped, neutered and released by someone. We guessed his age to be the same as Mikey, 2-1/2 months old. He and Mikey (Leo) were the last litter that Mama Jackson had.
On Thursday, September 26, Charlie took Brandy to the vet to have his sutures removed. His incision had healed well. He had taken all of his antibiotics and his temperature was normal. He was eating normally and playing with the other cats. We were happy to see that he seemed to be well again.
For the weekend, we had planned to take the RV over to the local KOA campground. We haven’t done that in awhile, but when we do, we take care of the cats as usual in the morning, go over to the RV for the day, come home in the afternoon to feed the cats and then go back to spend the night. It just gives us some time during the day that we don’t have to constantly feel like we need to be doing something around the house. But, with the recent kittens joining the clan, we decided to cancel the weekend RV stay. It was a good thing we did.
On Saturday, September 28, I fed the cats on the catio as I normally did. Brandy seemed fine. He ate his breakfast. Later, I was on the catio cleaning and I noticed that someone had vomited. I didn’t know who did it.
Later, I was out shopping when I received a message from my friend. She had someone who was interested in giving Brandy a home! Although it was good news, I knew it would be hard to say goodbye to Brandy. But, it was the best thing for him.
I was happy when I got home. But, when I went to the catio to check on the kittens, I noticed that someone had vomited in a couple of places. It looked just like the spot that morning. While I was cleaning, I saw Brandy vomit. He did not look well.
It was after 4:00 p.m., so our regular vet was closed. We called a vet who we used to use. They were open until 6:00 p.m. They told us to bring Brandy in immediately.
Brandy was examined. When his tummy was pressed, he seemed to have pain. Then he threw up again. The same greenish liquid. The vet said it was bile. There was no food in it. An X-ray was taken to see if there was an obstruction. Nothing showed, but the intestines had many gas pockets. We had not noticed any diarrhea though. Blood was drawn for a full panel test. The results wouldn’t be back until the next day or Monday. Brandy was a little dehydrated, but didn’t have a temperature. He was rehydrated and given an anti-nausea injection. He was released to us. The vet said we should keep an eye on him and if he got worse, take him to emergency.
We brought him home, hoping he would feel better. I fed the cats, but of course Brandy was not hungry. I checked on him several times and he just seemed to feel worse. He was also vomiting still. We decided to take him to the emergency hospital. He was such a sweet little kitten and he was so sick. What happened to him? There were no plants on the patio. As soon as we got home from the vet earlier, we removed all toys from the patio, just in case. We didn’t find anything that was chewed. We were puzzled.
Brandy was checked into the emergency hospital at 8:30 p.m The X-rays had been downloaded on a CD, which we brought with us. The technician took Brandy back for the initial exam and we waited in an examination room. Brandy was brought back to us. We were waiting for the doctor to come in. I was holding Brandy and he just seemed to be getting worse every minute. He seemed cold to me. I had him wrapped in a blanket. He stirred a little and I had a feeling that he was just going to die while I held him. Where was the doctor? I told Charlie I was afraid that Brandy was dying. He got up to find the doctor. Brandy seemed to settle down again.
The doctor came in and started the examination. She had looked at the X-rays and agreed there seemed to be no blockage. The vet who took the X-rays earlier in the afternoon thought he noticed an enlarged liver, but the emergency vet did not. She said there was a severe gastrointestinal problem. I guess they use that term for a tummy ache. They wanted to put Brandy on fluids and anti-nausea meds. This little fellow was really sick. Even after the anti-nausea meds earlier, he had vomited a couple of times again.
Three hours later, the vet wanted to keep Brandy overnight. He was not any better. We asked to see him before we left. They took us back to where he was. We petted him. He really did not seem to be aware of us. He was worse than when we had last seen him. We really hoped something could be done, but without blood work, we really didn’t have any idea what was happening to him.
At 1:30 a.m. the vet called. Brandy’s temperature was dropping. They wanted to do more X-rays. We approved. At 2:46 a.m. the vet called again. Brandy’s blood pressure was dropping. We approved meds to help. We questioned whether anything done so far was helping. The vet could not say for sure if it would. At 3:09 a.m. the vet called. They needed approval to keep Brandy in ICU. We approved it. We were really agonizing over how much more we could do. We had signed the paper saying that if resuscitation was needed, call us first for approval.
At 4:22 a.m. the vet called. Brandy had stopped breathing and was in cardiac arrest. We told them not to resuscitate at this point. He had been through enough.
On Monday morning we went up to the hospital and got Brandy. We took him to the pet memorial park for cremation. It was a trip we had made three years before with Taz. It is always a very sad time. Even though we had only had Brandy for a little over two weeks, we were devastated.
I’ll always remember that sweet, beautiful little kitten. He was so soft and gentle. When he was picked up, he just curled up. He would have been someone’s special little cat. I just know it. It seemed unreal that he was gone.
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
On Thursday, September 26, Charlie took Brandy to the vet to have his sutures removed. His incision had healed well. He had taken all of his antibiotics and his temperature was normal. He was eating normally and playing with the other cats. We were happy to see that he seemed to be well again.
For the weekend, we had planned to take the RV over to the local KOA campground. We haven’t done that in awhile, but when we do, we take care of the cats as usual in the morning, go over to the RV for the day, come home in the afternoon to feed the cats and then go back to spend the night. It just gives us some time during the day that we don’t have to constantly feel like we need to be doing something around the house. But, with the recent kittens joining the clan, we decided to cancel the weekend RV stay. It was a good thing we did.
On Saturday, September 28, I fed the cats on the catio as I normally did. Brandy seemed fine. He ate his breakfast. Later, I was on the catio cleaning and I noticed that someone had vomited. I didn’t know who did it.
Later, I was out shopping when I received a message from my friend. She had someone who was interested in giving Brandy a home! Although it was good news, I knew it would be hard to say goodbye to Brandy. But, it was the best thing for him.
I was happy when I got home. But, when I went to the catio to check on the kittens, I noticed that someone had vomited in a couple of places. It looked just like the spot that morning. While I was cleaning, I saw Brandy vomit. He did not look well.
It was after 4:00 p.m., so our regular vet was closed. We called a vet who we used to use. They were open until 6:00 p.m. They told us to bring Brandy in immediately.
Brandy was examined. When his tummy was pressed, he seemed to have pain. Then he threw up again. The same greenish liquid. The vet said it was bile. There was no food in it. An X-ray was taken to see if there was an obstruction. Nothing showed, but the intestines had many gas pockets. We had not noticed any diarrhea though. Blood was drawn for a full panel test. The results wouldn’t be back until the next day or Monday. Brandy was a little dehydrated, but didn’t have a temperature. He was rehydrated and given an anti-nausea injection. He was released to us. The vet said we should keep an eye on him and if he got worse, take him to emergency.
We brought him home, hoping he would feel better. I fed the cats, but of course Brandy was not hungry. I checked on him several times and he just seemed to feel worse. He was also vomiting still. We decided to take him to the emergency hospital. He was such a sweet little kitten and he was so sick. What happened to him? There were no plants on the patio. As soon as we got home from the vet earlier, we removed all toys from the patio, just in case. We didn’t find anything that was chewed. We were puzzled.
Brandy was checked into the emergency hospital at 8:30 p.m The X-rays had been downloaded on a CD, which we brought with us. The technician took Brandy back for the initial exam and we waited in an examination room. Brandy was brought back to us. We were waiting for the doctor to come in. I was holding Brandy and he just seemed to be getting worse every minute. He seemed cold to me. I had him wrapped in a blanket. He stirred a little and I had a feeling that he was just going to die while I held him. Where was the doctor? I told Charlie I was afraid that Brandy was dying. He got up to find the doctor. Brandy seemed to settle down again.
The doctor came in and started the examination. She had looked at the X-rays and agreed there seemed to be no blockage. The vet who took the X-rays earlier in the afternoon thought he noticed an enlarged liver, but the emergency vet did not. She said there was a severe gastrointestinal problem. I guess they use that term for a tummy ache. They wanted to put Brandy on fluids and anti-nausea meds. This little fellow was really sick. Even after the anti-nausea meds earlier, he had vomited a couple of times again.
Three hours later, the vet wanted to keep Brandy overnight. He was not any better. We asked to see him before we left. They took us back to where he was. We petted him. He really did not seem to be aware of us. He was worse than when we had last seen him. We really hoped something could be done, but without blood work, we really didn’t have any idea what was happening to him.
At 1:30 a.m. the vet called. Brandy’s temperature was dropping. They wanted to do more X-rays. We approved. At 2:46 a.m. the vet called again. Brandy’s blood pressure was dropping. We approved meds to help. We questioned whether anything done so far was helping. The vet could not say for sure if it would. At 3:09 a.m. the vet called. They needed approval to keep Brandy in ICU. We approved it. We were really agonizing over how much more we could do. We had signed the paper saying that if resuscitation was needed, call us first for approval.
At 4:22 a.m. the vet called. Brandy had stopped breathing and was in cardiac arrest. We told them not to resuscitate at this point. He had been through enough.
On Monday morning we went up to the hospital and got Brandy. We took him to the pet memorial park for cremation. It was a trip we had made three years before with Taz. It is always a very sad time. Even though we had only had Brandy for a little over two weeks, we were devastated.
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| Brandy Lopez Bell 3/1/13 - 9/29/13 |
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
Friday, November 15, 2013
A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not. --Ernest Hemingway
Early this morning I was sitting at my computer. I had the TV on, but every now and then, I became aware of a cat meowing. I muted the TV and listened, but didn’t hear the cat. Then when the TV was on again, I heard the meowing. I went downstairs to check on our cats. No one was stirring so maybe the sound was coming from outside. We do have a stray cat, Mr. Smith, who has been coming into our yard for several months now. We plan on catching, neutering and releasing him when we can. He doesn’t run away as quickly as he did when he first started coming around, but he is still skittish. Ironic that we are helping other people trap and rescue cats from their yards, but we still haven’t caught our own stray!
Anyway, I still could hear the meowing. I started checking around the room. I opened the door to the closet and Kaci ran out. She had been in there all night and was telling me about it. I apologized profusely to her, but she ignored me and ran downstairs.
A little while later, Charlie came in and told me that Kaci had thrown up again...on the bed. Apparently she had gobbled down some dry food which immediately came back up when she got on the bed with Charlie. I told him about the closet caper and he was relieved. We have had to take Kaci to the vet recently because she has been vomiting frequently. The vet couldn’t find any obvious reason, other than maybe a hairball that wouldn’t come up. She gave us anti-nausea meds for her and I was also giving her some Petramalt for hairballs. The vomiting became less frequent.
Now back to the kitten rescue:
On Friday night, September 20, I received a text from my friend. She had caught the “remaining” kitten! Earlier that day we had taken the crate down and put it away. We only used it with each kitten when they were first caught so we could separate them from the others before they were checked out at the vet’s. Of course, as soon as the crate was put away, another kitten would be trapped.
I went over to get this latest one. We were sure he must be the dad and we had been hoping to get dad at some point to be neutered and released. This one was also solid black. It seemed to be as afraid as Mama Jackson was when she was trapped, so we assumed it was feral too. But, when I got it home and was able to see it in the light, it wasn’t that big. In fact, it was about the same size as Indy and Annie.
It looked ferocious with its ears laid back. It growled and hissed and unlike the others, it slapped at me. We planned to release it after it was spayed/neutered. We called it “Bandit”and it was set to go to the vet on September 23.
Bandit was neutered and since we planned on releasing him, he had a rabies shot only. He still wouldn’t let me pet him and the vet said he was only about four months old. That meant he was part of the same litter as Jackson, Indy and Annie.
When we got him back home, we wanted to make sure he was feral before releasing him. He actually was friendlier than we thought. He seemed to like Charlie more than me and allowed himself to be petted. There was hope that he could be someone’s pet some day. We decided to keep him a few days to see if he made progress.
Since Simba and Brandy were older, we came to the conclusion that Mama Jackson actually had three different litters. Brandy and Simba in the first; Jackson, Cali, Annie, Indy and Bandit in the second; and Mikey, the youngest, in the third. She would not be having any more litters though.
The litters were about two months apart, which meant that mama Jackson had barely given birth to a litter before she was pregnant again! Gestation is only about 62 days.
When we caught Mama Jackson the first time on August 6 and had her spayed, Mikey, the youngest, was only about four weeks old. The second time she was caught with Mikey. Even though she was spayed, she was nursing him. I’m not sure she still had milk though. But, it’s good that when we had her spayed we released right away, the next day. She was able to go back and care for Mikey. He probably had not yet been fully weaned and needed her then.
Would we ever get all of Mama Jackson’s kittens before they went feral? And how many were there? My friend said there was still a tiny black kitten that she had seen before with Mama Jackson. They were very elusive because she had not seen Mikey, an orange tabby, until he was trapped.
On Wednesday, September 25 I received a call. The tiny black kitten was caught! I went over to get it. It was at night, but we could see that it was indeed tiny, about the same size as Mikey. As we put the trapped kitten in my car, in the light of the streetlight, I saw a cat across the street, sitting and watching. It was Mama Jackson. She knew we were taking her last kitten. One by one, she had brought her kittens up to my friend’s house, it seemed, for help. Maybe that’s putting too much of a human emotion spin to it, but it sure seemed that way.
Mama Jackson, like other feral, unspayed cats, had three litters of kittens in secession. She had to nurse, wean, provide food, and protect them. It is quite a job! Now that Mama Jackson was spayed, her job was over. As she said goodbye to her last baby, she only had herself to care for. My friend would still feed her when she showed up. If we ever caught the daddy cat, we would have him neutered and released back. It would be better for him too because he would not wander far afield, looking for female cats in heat.
The lifespan of outside cats is not as long as indoor only cats, obviously because they don’t get good food and are not protected against diseases or injuries. But, even those cats are more healthy if they are neutered and spayed. The males don’t have the competition of other male cats. Females aren’t having litter after litter of kittens that sometimes become mothers themselves at only four to six months old. And so many just don’t survive anyway.
Brandy was still taking his antibiotics and I think he was feeling better. He was playing with the other kittens and Buffy on the patio.
Charlie and I didn’t consciously decide that we would be so involved in rescuing cats. We started out with one cat, then two, then three cats of our own. It was that way until 2000. Then our three cats expanded to seven cats when Jezibel came to us and had her nine kittens. We kept her and three of the kittens. The rest is history.
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
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| Mr. Smith at his favorite spot...the birdbath |
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| Kaci |
Now back to the kitten rescue:
On Friday night, September 20, I received a text from my friend. She had caught the “remaining” kitten! Earlier that day we had taken the crate down and put it away. We only used it with each kitten when they were first caught so we could separate them from the others before they were checked out at the vet’s. Of course, as soon as the crate was put away, another kitten would be trapped.
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| Big crate holds litter box, bed and food/water |
It looked ferocious with its ears laid back. It growled and hissed and unlike the others, it slapped at me. We planned to release it after it was spayed/neutered. We called it “Bandit”and it was set to go to the vet on September 23.
Bandit was neutered and since we planned on releasing him, he had a rabies shot only. He still wouldn’t let me pet him and the vet said he was only about four months old. That meant he was part of the same litter as Jackson, Indy and Annie.
When we got him back home, we wanted to make sure he was feral before releasing him. He actually was friendlier than we thought. He seemed to like Charlie more than me and allowed himself to be petted. There was hope that he could be someone’s pet some day. We decided to keep him a few days to see if he made progress.
Since Simba and Brandy were older, we came to the conclusion that Mama Jackson actually had three different litters. Brandy and Simba in the first; Jackson, Cali, Annie, Indy and Bandit in the second; and Mikey, the youngest, in the third. She would not be having any more litters though.
The litters were about two months apart, which meant that mama Jackson had barely given birth to a litter before she was pregnant again! Gestation is only about 62 days.
When we caught Mama Jackson the first time on August 6 and had her spayed, Mikey, the youngest, was only about four weeks old. The second time she was caught with Mikey. Even though she was spayed, she was nursing him. I’m not sure she still had milk though. But, it’s good that when we had her spayed we released right away, the next day. She was able to go back and care for Mikey. He probably had not yet been fully weaned and needed her then.
Would we ever get all of Mama Jackson’s kittens before they went feral? And how many were there? My friend said there was still a tiny black kitten that she had seen before with Mama Jackson. They were very elusive because she had not seen Mikey, an orange tabby, until he was trapped.
On Wednesday, September 25 I received a call. The tiny black kitten was caught! I went over to get it. It was at night, but we could see that it was indeed tiny, about the same size as Mikey. As we put the trapped kitten in my car, in the light of the streetlight, I saw a cat across the street, sitting and watching. It was Mama Jackson. She knew we were taking her last kitten. One by one, she had brought her kittens up to my friend’s house, it seemed, for help. Maybe that’s putting too much of a human emotion spin to it, but it sure seemed that way.
Mama Jackson, like other feral, unspayed cats, had three litters of kittens in secession. She had to nurse, wean, provide food, and protect them. It is quite a job! Now that Mama Jackson was spayed, her job was over. As she said goodbye to her last baby, she only had herself to care for. My friend would still feed her when she showed up. If we ever caught the daddy cat, we would have him neutered and released back. It would be better for him too because he would not wander far afield, looking for female cats in heat.
The lifespan of outside cats is not as long as indoor only cats, obviously because they don’t get good food and are not protected against diseases or injuries. But, even those cats are more healthy if they are neutered and spayed. The males don’t have the competition of other male cats. Females aren’t having litter after litter of kittens that sometimes become mothers themselves at only four to six months old. And so many just don’t survive anyway.
Brandy was still taking his antibiotics and I think he was feeling better. He was playing with the other kittens and Buffy on the patio.
Charlie and I didn’t consciously decide that we would be so involved in rescuing cats. We started out with one cat, then two, then three cats of our own. It was that way until 2000. Then our three cats expanded to seven cats when Jezibel came to us and had her nine kittens. We kept her and three of the kittens. The rest is history.
More later.....
My middle name is Devil,
Tazzy D _^..^_
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