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!

Tweeter needs to find a new home!

Without going into too much detail, which would reveal too much personal information, the short story on this sweet cat is that she is being displaced during a hostile divorce, in which her life was literally at great risk. Here is the email I received from her owner, Jean, giving a brief description of Tweeter:

Tweeter is not quite 2 years old yet, her birthday is on March 20, near as we can tell. Born in Camden County, Georgia, she was rescued at the tender age of 4 weeks, and saved from certain death by a parasitic infection - a severe case of coccidia.

Here is a recent photo:

We are looking for any options that will allow this cat to live a happy life. I have offered to take Tweeter in myself, but that will require a transport from southeast Georgia to western Nebraska.

Another (probably preferable) option is to find her a new furever home right there in Georgia, eliminating the need to arrange a long, potentially complicated, transport.

Tweet or email me if you have questions. (@drbert, or rescue.r3j@gishpuppy.com)

Good News - Bad News, but Mostly Good

The bad news is, I'm not getting this kitty now. But the good news is great: She's been adopted along the way. The rescuer who arranged the transport has a friend whose son has been looking for a cat. He was originally going to drive the final transport leg to me, but fell in love with "Skittles" when he met her, and asked if he could keep her. I agreed, since he's been OK'd (pre-approved by rescue anyway), and I'm not in the "collecting" business. Just a last hope sanctuary, basically. Still, if I had not spoken up to guarantee this one a home, she would have been euthanized that day. At least I got her out of the pound! Now I have room for the next emergency. By the way, Skittles is now named Olive, and things are working out very well.

Getting Rid of Ear Mites

Many pets can get ear mites, but it seems to be most common in cats, and to a somewhat lesser extent, in dogs. I don't know what the percentages are, but my dogs seem to be more bothered with yeast infections and the cats suffer more with ear mites.

Either way, I found a great remedy, called Dr. Dogs Ear Oil. All natural ingredients, it can be used on people, too. Not that we get ear mites, but it helps some human ear problems, too.

We have a lot of cats here, so it's a circus rounding them up for their drops. And while some of them have gotten used to it and just endure the "ordeal," others still think I'm trying to kill them and hide when they see the bottle coming their way.

  Notice the looks on these kitties' faces! The first one is Georgia, then Carmen.



  And this is Toledo.

The great thing is, this is something that's finally working. I can't tell you how many cases of ear miticide bottles we've gone through, mostly for nothing. And the cost... good grief.

I'm just grateful to Dr. Dogs for providing a remedy that works, and without side effects.

Georgia is a Sink Cat!

Not only does Georgia love being in all the sinks here, but she also loves the bath tub... even when I'm in it! But the only pictures I have here to share with you are the sink shots. It's hard to take a picture of Georgia sitting on my legs in the bathtub. (Like that's the only reason I don't have one.)



  



It's easy to imagine why she enjoys the bathtub, because she plays in there so often... sort of like a skateboard ramp. And she doesn't even need a toy to create so much fun. But the sink? Not much room to play, though she seems to have fun squirming around in it. I think it's because it's cooler. The weather has been so hot this summer, all the cats have located cooler spots to snooze in all day. There's only one window air conditioning unit here, and the dogs have claimed the floor in front of it, so only the cats who don't mind canine proximity share that premium space.

Georgia likes the dogs OK, but they won't play, so she just sighs and darts back to the bathtub.