Getting Ready For Christmas at Our House

Christmas isn't far off now, and in the spirit of the holidays, we like to decorate the house, like many folks do. However, we learned the hard way, when you have this many cats, a tree just isn't going to make it. Even if you suspend it from the ceiling, cats can jump pretty high. So my solution is to do things they aren't interested in, or set up things they can't reach. I have strung lights here and there, but our only "holly and ivy" contribution is the wreath on the front door.

It's an old wreath, one we've used for years, but it's always been pretty plain. So last year I decorated it, too. It's now our Memorial Wreath, full of the ID tags and rabies tags of the pets who are no longer with us. Inevitably, in any shelter, there will be pets who never get adopted, and that's been the case here, too. Although we are a no-kill place, they do die after a while. They get old, or if they came with a medical condition, it can shorten their lives.

This wreath is a way to keep them in our hearts at holiday time, to remember the happy times for most of them, and recall how they loved to play and run and purr and cuddle with us.

Winter Has Begun - Cats in Snow!

It's been a busy year, and I haven't been in here for a while. But we've had our first serious snow of the year, so here's a picture of some of the cats taking a look. Here are Ebony, Peaches and Kit having a look around. They just had to come out with me to help shovel a path on "their" deck. Kit is sitting on the plexiglass dome that has a crock pot and a bed in it, in case anyone needs a place to get warm while they're out there. (There is a cat flap in the door, so they can go back in the house when they want to.)

Our New "Mystery" Cat

Welcome to our new kitty, Mystery! Yes, it's a mystery where he came from. About a week ago, as I was doing chores in the outbuildings on our farm, I noticed a new kitty in one of the cages. Since I don't use cages often anymore, it's lucky I noticed him at all, as he's a very quiet cat. He was just sitting in there, watching me clean the litter boxes and food dishes for the others. When I asked him where he came from, he just looked at me and sighed. He's not telling.

This used to happen fairly often when I had my shelter in town. Many mornings I would discover a new cat or dog in the yard, sometimes tied up, but usually just loose and frightened. Sometimes they were hard to capture, but just as often, they came right to me as if asking for help.

Now that Mystery has been here for a week, I have learned a little about him and think I can figure out what happened.

He's very sweet and affectionate, gets along with the other cats, and is very clean. So he's not a stray that just wandered in (and climbed into a cage). He was loved. His fur was indented where a collar used to be, and a gentle inspection by feel reveals he's been neutered, so he's probably been vaccinated, too. He appears to be quite young, probably 2 to 4 years old.

I left him in the cage for 5 days to observe him and to be sure he's healthy before allowing him into the larger room with the other cats in that building. There was some hissing, of course, but he seems to know how to get along with others. There have been no fights. He's a lover, not a fighter!

I believe he was surrendered by someone who had to move to a new home that doesn't allow pets, or perhaps he was eliminating where he shouldn't. Some cats do that in unfamiliar locations as a marking tool.

It would be more helpful if people who dump pets would leave a note, with age, health history, personality traits, and other information to help rescuers know how to handle things, and so a shelter can come up with the best housing and adoption options. But some people are embarrassed about giving up a pet, or just don't want to take a chance of paying a fee. Also, now we have to have him tested for common illnesses, too. At least this boy is in such good condition, we don't really expect him to fail any tests. But vet papers would be nice to have. We'll take care of that next week, when our vet returns from vacation.

Ciego, the Purring Blind Kitty

I just had to share this with you today. Ciego (which is Spanish for "blind") is my special kitty that I rescued 8 years ago from an abusive farm situation. I got 5 kittens out that day, but only 2 survived, and then even one of the two didn't make it. But Ciego did! Her head was a ball of pus from the infection and you couldn't even see her ears. They were plastered down in it. She could hardly breathe. And her eyes were gone...

Three vets refused to work on her because they felt it would be more humane to put her down. I was new to rescue and just couldn't accept that. So I gave her massive doses of penicillin on my own. After about 5 months, she was doing pretty well. Finally, our shelter vet agreed to work on her. He even spayed and vaccinated her.

Now, at 8 years old, she still has some issues with respiratory problems, but we handle them as they come up. She can't be allowed to play as hard or as long as she would like, as she goes into what appears to be an asthma attack, though the vet said it's not asthma.

But my little Ciego is a very happy kitty and she purrs a lot...and loud! Just watch this:

Happy Day For Calypso! Adopted!

Well, Calypso got very lucky and is no longer in danger. Sometimes, I think, just starting a wave of interest jostles the universe enough to initiate a chain of events we weren't expecting, but ends up being for the best.

Calypso was literally dumped on the streets of New York City after being a pampered house pet for her 3 or so years. But her rescuers knew the people involved and were able to pick up the cat before she could run far or get into trouble. I was asked to help, and I spread the word.

Thanks to everyone who jumped in to give this little gal a chance. When they realized she would go to strangers, they decided to keep her themselves. And this is fine. They are dedicated cat lovers. And I will be able to get progress reports, too! There is comfort in knowing that contact will be possible. Sometimes we lose that with adoptions.

Again, thanks to everyone who helped.

Please Help Calypso - Her Time is Running Out!

A beautiful marmalade Persian cat named Calypso needs our help, and soon! She used to live with an elderly gentleman who passed away recently and his daughter, who promised to take care of the cat, instead threatened to dump her at the NYC animal shelter. And we all know what that would mean for this friendly, young cat.

She's spayed and has all her vet care, but a kind person has volunteered to be sure she's up to date on everything if a transport, or foster home, or even a new home, can be found. In fact, I will take her myself if a transport can be set up. She reminds me of one I used to have...

Calypso, about 3-5 years old, likes to be with people and talks a lot. She's currently in a very temporary foster home, until Saturday only, and gets along with the cats there.

Here is a photo of my "marmalade Persian," Tiffany, who passed away last year, but while we wait for a recent photo of Calypso, you can get an idea of what she looks like here.

Tweeter is finally home!

It was an arduous and long journey, but Tweeter has finally arrived at her furever home on the prairie. She traveled a total of 1,986 miles, from Georgia to Nebraska, by way of Texas, starting in December. After fostering in two homes for more than 2 months each, she will soon learn that she has now reached the last destination. But she did well at each foster home, with great reports on her personality at each one. She got here 3 days ago and is now relaxing and has come out of her pet taxi.

Tied Up Teddy!

My friends Virginia and Mark have a kitten named Grader. He was found by the side of the road and rescued by the driver of a road grader. Like many cats, he has some unique personality quirks.

Grader loves Virginia's old teddy bear that she's had for years and keeps on her bed. When "Teddy" started disappearing from the bed and showing up in other rooms recently, she blamed other household members, who protested they had nothing to do with it. However, Teddy's disappearances soon were solved when Grader was caught in the act. He was seen dragging the bear in his mouth, despite being slightly outsized by the stuffed toy.

Now, to prevent losing Teddy at bedtime, Virginia devised a solution: How many teddy bears do you know that are collared and leashed to the bed?  (Wish I had a picture of that!)

Diamond Update - Doing Great!

Just look at this little darling. She's gained weight, been spayed, and most importantly, loved and given a chance for a future. She has learned not to bite the hand that feeds her, but just to be safe, a home without children is recommended. You can see her here: Diamond's Petfinder Listing.

If you would like to consider adopting this sweetie, just send your query through her Petfinder page. To read more about her, scroll down this blog page to see her story.

Happy! Two Cats Saved This Week!

Lucky Diamond kitty is now in a no-kill shelter in Texas after she almost lost her chance at a future because she was biting. Latest report is that she's calm and happy at her new location, and is enjoying being petted and adored. Once we can be sure she's learned to trust and not bite, she'll be available for new owners. If she does not get adopted there, she will come to Nebraska. We've worked with scared kitties before.

The second kitty is Freckles, a sweet tortoiseshell rescued from a high kill shelter in Kansas. She made it out in time, but transports can be tricky, and she ended up laying over at a foster home a lot longer than planned. Finally, after about 4 months, she's here! And she is settling in fairly quickly. She's a little nervous now and not too sure about the other cats, but she's showing signs of taking over soon!

Our Next Emergency! Give Diamond a Chance, Too!

Little Diamond is still a kitten, but she is on the short list and will be put down very soon if we can't find a safe place for her. We don't know her history, but she must be very frightened. She has been deemed unadoptable because she bites. But she has not had the luxury of a loving relationship with humans who are willing to socialize her. So, she becomes scared when someone gets too close; and if they don't honor her warnings to give her a little space, she bites.

We feel that her young age is in her favor, because there is still time to help her learn that not everyone is out to get her. In other words, she still has the potential to become a great pet. We want to provide that chance. She needs either a ride to Nebraska where she will be given some loving assistance and training, or to be moved into a no-kill shelter in the Fort Worth, Texas area.

Please contact us if you have any suggestions: rescue.r3j@gishpuppy.com

Tweeter is Safe! But she still needs a ride...

Thanks to a lot of hard-working rescuers with big hearts, Tweeter was moved out of a potential danger zone into safety. She is now in foster care, which gives us a bit of breathing room to continue the search for a ride to her new home in Nebraska.

Please don't give up now. We're getting close!