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.