I CAUGHT A BABY PUDDY CAT

Look at this poor little thing.  It’s so cute. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever be able to catch the last two kitties.  I’m hoping I can adopt them out.  I really have been lucky that I haven’t trapped the same cat twice; they must be smart. I was thinking I might trap the other white cat today – it’s semi-Siamese looking but has a Raccoon tail, and has been hanging out on the porch all day. It is very pretty.  But I’m not complaining!!

These kitties are bigger than the ones in the house.  Not a lot, maybe 2 weeks.  But they look the same, one is black and one is tuxedo.  So I’m not sure if there is another mom cat but if there is, I can’t figure out which one she might be.  Surely, it couldn’t be the white cat?  The other black/white cat is a Tom and there’s one more gray/white cat, but I haven’t seen it for a while. 

The gray/white cat that I picked up today was a boy. I am calling him Maurice.  He has witch eyes and I thought of Bewitched. He has been the most determined to get out of the carrying crate post-surgery.  It was not a peaceful ride home. He let me know in no uncertain terms what an awful person I was to trap him and take him to be neutered.  I couldn’t wait to open the door to that crate.  Gloves on of course.

 The girl at the vet, DD, said that she could tell it was a Tom by looking at its face. Said it had been in a recent fight.  Then my neighbor told me he saw it go a few rounds with a squirrel the other day and he’s not so sure the squirrel didn’t win.  Good thing they gave him a rabies shot. He should calm down within the month.  And with two of us feeding them, there’s plenty of food.

I was worried they may not be able to fix the little kitty but I called up there and they said as long as it’s 2 lbs.  It’s definitely 2 lbs. It actually looks a little chubby; someone has been feeding them well.  Then I will bring it home, put it in the dog crate with a bed, litter box, food & water and try to tame it.  If not, I’ll have to set it free.  They said if it doesn’t tame easily, it probably won’t.  The other kittens only took hours but that was 3 weeks ago.  But knowing me, I’ll give it a little extra time.  Probably won’t sleep much tonight either because I know how scared it is.  Kitties are just so innocent.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Just ask Stinky… or Rod Stewart.  This is driving Stinky (my Jack Russell terrorist) bananas. I have a feeling the little baby cat knows it when he sticks his paw out under the door.

On a different note, I just started a book “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein.  For you dog lovers, maybe even those who aren’t, I love it so far. A friend of mine recommended it and I couldn’t even get through the first chapter without water works. Over 4 ½ stars on Amazon out of 1674 reviews. 

THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT

It wasn’t my intention to catch a cat today because Fix For Life is closed until Friday.  But I saw the baby kitties out there eating, so I went out to try and make friends with them and they ran off. Great idea - I’ll put the trap out.  When I caught this gray and white cat, I couldn’t let it go because it’s a new one and I’m not taking the chance that it might be smart enough not to go in the next time.  Plus it’s really hard to open the trap door and not get up close and personal with the cat (scary).  When I take them in to get fixed, they move them into a carrying crate after the surgery.

So I was scrambling calling everyone I could to see if I could find anyone to fix it tomorrow morning.  I called Value Vet, Animal House, places that Nashville Humane recommended, several local vets I know.  The cheapest I could find was $79.50. I’ve only been paying $25 and this is adding up plus food.

I finally called my friend, Sara.  She’s the one who started the non-profit Fix for Life as well as the Spay Station for low-income families.  She is starting a different program in another County now.  She called a vet friend of hers in my County and he offered to do it for $40.  Hallelujah!  Only three more to go!  I think. Plus I have to catch the other two kittens and then find homes. Unfortunately, I think that’s going to be harder than trapping wild feral cats. 

I AM FEARLESS

My foster mommy opened the door today and I ran out and walked right in the middle of all those nosey obnoxious dogs purring like there’s no tomorrow.  My little sister ran and hid. She’s such a girl!  I’m trying to be as cute and brave as I can so my foster mommy will keep me. I really like it here and want to stay.  I even got to meet Brolio and he didn’t seem to mind me so much.

She let Melinda in the room later and I like her.  My little sister hissed at her but then she kind of got used to her after a while and came out of hiding. 

I am spending half my day right by the door so I can torment Stinky. That is fun!  I like to stick my paw out and tease him.  He makes a funny noise and scratches the carpet. I’m ready to come out of this room and explore but my little sister isn’t.  Maybe when we can be supervised…. a little at a time.

IT'S ANOTHER GIRL

This pretty little orange and white cat was heartbreaking to take in this morning.  She was scared but she didn’t hiss or growl.  She was shaking.  I felt so bad for her but whenever I lifted the towel off the trap, she seemed to become more distressed so I kept it covered. 

Another young female cat in heat.  I just can’t fathom the huge addition to the unwanted pet population if the four cats I have trapped and spayed so far, were still able to have babies.  It’s a hard reality to know this happens so frequently in so many neighborhoods.

She looked at me a few times on the way home and I talked to her but covered her back up and she went to sleep.  I thought about naming her Creamsicle because she has the perfect coloring and they are so sweet.  But I think I’ll name her Pumpkin. I don’t have any Pumpkin pie but if I did, I’d share it.

They have all been getting turkey.  My neighbors are all taking their leftover scraps and putting them outside.  GONE!!! I cooked turkey and veggies for the dogs but I think I’ll put some out after the neighbors have finished. 

I let Midnight (the confirmed mommy) loose this afternoon. Her first stop was her old house (sad) and then she found her two babies.  I hate to take them away from her but I have to if I can catch them.

IT’S NO OASIS FOR THIS MIDNIGHT

Meet Midnight.  I’m pretty sure this is one of the mom cats.  I saw the other kittens this morning and “she” was with them.  So before I put any dry food out, I set the trap up, put tuna in the back, newspaper on the bottom and covered it with a towel.  She sure put up a fight. Maybe it's because she has kitties out there.  I know she's just scared. She’s not very big, can’t be older than 6 or 7 months. This whole thing is so sad that such young cats have become so wild.  But I’ll take her up, get “her” fixed, and set her free.  Maybe someday, she'll learn to trust me.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSIVING!

IT'S LAUNDRY DAY

IT’S LAUNDRY DAY

And I have a helper.  A little napping in between sorting colors never hurts either.

On a cat-trapping hiatus since the spay/neuter clinic doesn’t open again until Friday.  But there are about 6 more, I think.  Seems like I have them all counted, and I see another one. Just wish I knew where the second set of kittens are hiding.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

WAS IT A TORNADO?

Do you think she wanted out or what?  So much for me thinking this beautiful blue-eyed Siamese was a little mellower than Tuxi.  WRONG!  Even though I was supposed to keep her in the crate for another day so she wouldn’t risk popping her stitches, I figured she would have much less of a chance if she were not in the crate anymore.  I opened the door, turned my head and she was gone.  

I did attempt to pet her a few times. Thank Heavens, I used a glove.  I have decided to name her Alley. Not Allie… the cute girls name.  Alley – Tornado Alley, Alley Cat – you get the picture.  I hope this girl is smart enough not to get in that trap again. 

JAILBREAK BABY – A CLEAN GETAWAY

And just when I thought she was starting to like me…. I opened the door to scoop her litter box, change her food and water and Tuxi made a mad dash for freedom. If you judge by this picture, maybe I should have let her out two days ago.  I know she looks possessed but I thought it was funny and she looks like such a Cat Burglar.

I actually got her to purr 3 times today, once without the glove.  I was even thinking of keeping her in the crate a little longer to see if I could pick her up.  If I was successful, maybe putting an ad on craigslist to see if anyone would respond.

Let Freedom Ring!

ALL TANGLED UP

I love my foster home, it's so much fun!  Sure beats hiding under a shed outside.  And there are toys and treats - we like Temptations the best.   My foster mommy moved us in the exercise room so we could get some exercise and we got to stay there.  The dog crates are both being used right now by our cat aunts.  She tried to introduce us to our cat grandma but she was hissing at us.  Maybe next time she will like us a little better.

GOING TO THE DOCTOR AND I'M GONNA GET...........

Who hoo!  Caught another one.  This cat looks Siamese and is beautiful, it’s such a shame that I can’t adopt it out. A big cat too, barely fits in the trap.  When finally got Tuxi out and it was ready to set it up again, there was this yellow cat out there. I don’t think is part of the colony.  Who knows? I’m probably just feeding the whole damn cat neighborhood.

This kitty wasn’t as wild as Tuxi – that’s what I named the black and white cat (short for Tuxedo).  I figured if I’m going to go broke feeding them for the next decade, I might as well name them.  She was a girl, but not the mommy.  But she was in heat so I got her just in the nick of time.

Tuxi was pretty mellow on the way home. Didn’t make a peep. I even got to pet her.  I couldn’t get her out of the trap when I got her home.  But I needed the trap so I had to reach in at grab her (at my own risk).  She finally turned at my coaxing and came the rest of the way on her own into the dog crate.  She must have gotten her mojo back about 2 hours later because she made at attempt (pathetic and drugged as she was), to start growling and hissing at me again.

Tomorrow’s breakfast should be interesting. They told me to only put in about 1/8 of a cup of food tonight and I’m sure she’ll be hungry in the morning.  Glove time.

Sad thing is, I saw two more kittens that I didn’t even know about.  They are about 2 or 3 months old and I don’t know where they are hiding. I’d like to catch them before they become too feral but I don’t know where the heck I’d put them anyway unless the 2 baby kittens are adopted by then. 

Anyone know how to put a hex on someone. I have his name.  He came back last night to get something, opened the garage door and all the cats ran up there.  That’s where they were used to getting shelter. It was sad.  So a neighbor went over and asked him when he was going to come and get his cats and he said, “they’re not mine”.  So they’re back here hiding under my shed and in my makeshift cathouses.

THIS IS NOT A HAPPY CAT

Yippee!! I caught one of the feral kitties! And I think it’s the mommy to the little kittens I have.  I’m not completely certain but she looks like the cat nursing when I first spotted them.  She’s a smart little thing. I put the tuna in the back of the trap and didn’t put a towel over it at first because I wanted to watch her.  She pulled the trap this way, that way and got her paw in and turned the tuna dish over, moved the trap and started eating the spilled tuna from the floor of the porch.

So I put the dish upright again and covered the trap with a towel. She went in, she went out, in, out and at one point, her tail was hanging out and I was afraid it would get shut in the door.  So glad that didn’t happen, that door shuts hard.  She scared the holy terror out of me when I went to pick the trap up.  I decided I better wrap the towel around it again.  I really want to keep my fingers in tact.

This is the only picture I could take (with caution). She was struggling to get out for a while but I put her in the dog crate so she would feel hidden and a little safer and she seemed to settle down. I feel bad about keeping her in there all night but I have to if I want to get her spayed. And the traps make it easier for them because they can stick the shot in her rear through the cage without touching her.  That will start putting her to sleep and they will be able to handle her and then put her in my cat crate after surgery to bring her back.

 Plus, that’s going to be her home during her 2-day recovery so hopefully, she’ll get used to it.  Strong possibility she may not be getting her cat box cleaned during that time though. It might be all I can do to give her food and fresh water.  But I may attempt the glove petting if she’s not hissing, swatting and growling at me. 

I guess I won’t find out for sure if she’s a girl until tomorrow evening when I pick her up, but I sure hope so. 

MISSING SHORTY

This is a hard blog to write.  It’s been exactly four weeks since Shorty died.  Not one month, since it was October 19^th, but four Wednesday’s ago.  For those of you that don’t know the story, Shorty quit eating September 27^th, 2011 so I took him to the vet September 29^th.  The vet did a little blood work and told me he probably got into some bad grass and had an upset stomach.  Not to worry about bringing him back until his shots were due in February.  Of course, I was relieved.  Early the next week, I called and said he’s still not eating.  They told me to give him chicken and rice and watch him. I told them he would eat a little chicken but no rice.

Called back again and told them I could get him to eat some biscuits, a little food here and there but not much and he was usually such a piglet.  The told me he was being a finicky eater.  During all of this, I was online looking up every possible reason a dog wouldn’t eat and I compiled a list.  So I called back again and read them my list and said something is wrong.  I took him in the next day.

They checked for parasites first and it was negative. I seriously thought they were going to send me home again so I said “Something, is wrong and you have to find it”.  So they proceeded to go through my list.  He had a high fever, a pretty bad infection, a mass on his spleen and had lost blood because of it and needed a blood transfusion.  I didn’t even know what a splenic tumor was but I diagnosed it.  And had they so much as at least taken his temperature when I brought him in the first time, they would have realized he had an infection and fever and started him on antibiotics right away.

By the time I found out the severity of his condition, he needed the surgery and a blood transfusion.  It was on a Saturday and I did not want to leave him all weekend so I took him back Monday morning.  At this point I was questioning their competency but called 2 other vets and one wasn’t in, the other was busy and couldn’t call me back until later in the day.

I felt like I didn’t have a choice. So I asked them about the surgery and they said they had performed it before with success.  This was Monday, October 17^th.  He had the surgery, then the blood transfusion.  She said she didn’t want me going in that night because he might get excited to see me so I could go in the next morning.  He was groggy but I crawled in the crate with him and we got to spend some good snuggly time together.  When I went to see him that afternoon, he was doing so well. His eyes were alert, I got to walk him outside to potty, I sat on the floor with him on my lap, he ate a few bites of food and I was elated.  They told me he was out of the woods and that I could probably bring him home the next day.

I got a call the next morning that he had passed during the night.  They guessed heart failure.  I read later in the transcripts that he had thrown up. No one bothered to tell me that.  I also read online that this type of cancer (hemangiosarcoma) is the fastest growing cancer in a dog.  If they would have diagnosed it when I first brought him in, maybe the mass wasn’t as large and he wasn’t so anemic.  Or maybe because his little body was so weak, he wasn’t strong enough for the surgery.  Maybe they should have done the transfusion, had him on antibiotics for a week before the surgery.  I’ll never know.

I got the pathologists report back and the cancer was benign.  No signs of a splenic tumor.  In all fairness, it did say his condition was guarded because usually these type of lesions come from hemangiosarcoma but again, I’ll never know.  And I could have given him peroxicam to stop the growth. 

Shorty is the reason I started this blog.  I miss him every second of every day. He was my sweet little scared dog. I’ll write more of his story later. It’s long.  Took me 4 months to rescue him, police, court, shotguns, poison and a whole lot of meat and love.

ALL TUCKERED OUT

After a long day of play in the house, the kitties are all tuckered out.  They were wild.  Running and jumping on each other, playing and hiding the toys. I really need a video camera and I definitely need to remember to put a litter box in with them next time.

Yesterday, they started playing with toys in their crate, last night they were purring for the first time. This morning, they meowed when I came out to feed them.  It’s so sweet to see them become secure little kitties.

I just adopted out the solid black one. I cried.  But the new family had a cat go to the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year and will make good parents. 

More awesome news…. Sissy and Leeville from Friday’s Petsmart Adoption day, were adopted out on Sunday.  They have new forever homes.

MY NEW FOSTER KITTIES

These are my new little foster kitties.  They are about 5 weeks old. Today is the first day they have ever been touched.  They were petrified when I caught them this morning. They hissed, bit and scratched me but I think they actually might like me now. They are starting to come to the front of the crate instead of cowering in the back of it.

This scumbag (can I swear on a blog – I have a better name) that lived on the street in back of me, just moved and left them outside, along with their mom and 4 other older kittens, about 7 months old. Even though they are all still kittens, the older ones are feral.  I don’t know if I’m going to be able to tame them, but I’ll try.  I can’t find any rescue groups to take them unless they are. As it is, I’m on a few waiting lists for these kittens and have to pay $75 a litter.  Donations are down and I know they have expenses. Most places are filled beyond capacity and can’t even put me on a list.  

I borrowed a trap and my plan is to catch the older kittens one at a time, put them in a huge dog crate with food, water & a litter box and stick my arm in throughout the day(s) to see if I can pet them.  Of course, I will be wearing gloves and 2 sweatshirts.  If I can’t get them used to being touched, I’ll fix them and bring them back.   I just don’t have it in me to have them euthanized. 

But I’ll remain optimistic that I can at least domesticate some of them. 

ADOPTION DAY AT PETSMART

Since today was Veteran’s Day and most people had the day off, New Leash On Life held an adoption day at Petsmart.  It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky.  Couldn’t have ordered better weather.

We had Traveler, an adorable golden/red beagle mix with the most beautiful gold eyes that matched his coat perfectly.

Calvin, the rambunctious 9-month old reddish Border Terrier with the scruffy face who likes to talk. 

Leeville (who was found on Leeville Pike), a very gentle and sweet semi-bashful Pomeranian mix.

And Sissy, a cuter than cute 20 lb. Beagle mix who has probably endured too many litters, one that is still at the shelter. I really wanted to bring her home.  Of course, I was in the mindset of who would get along with 5 other crazy dogs and adapt quickly because I’m not sane when it comes to dogs. 

If you’re looking for a really mellow pooch, Leeville is the guy. He will make such a great family member. Calvin LOVES kids and attention but since he’s a pup, he has ALOT of energy. Notice the caps.  Traveler was my 2^nd favorite. He’s a good little walker and lapdog and has the cutest raspy bark and Beagle bay, it’s infectious and sadly reminded me of Shorty.  But little Sissy stole my heart.  Knowing me, I’ll watch her online.  I hope she finds the perfect home. 

For the $135 adoption fee, they are all fixed, have had all their shots, micro-chipped and you get 30 days worth of insurance.  By comparison, when I neutered Jazz, It was $180 (he’s huge though). When I adopted Melinda – she had to be dipped 6 times in a solution for mange. The Shelter insurance covered almost all it.

If you’re interested, click on the title or  link for below more info on the pooches.

http://newleashonline.com/

OLDER DOGS WITH ARTHRITIS

Mac has had hip problems since I adopted him. Even though he was still a pup, he’s always struggled to get up. He is 10 yrs. old now. 

For the last year as he has aged, it has gotten much worse.  I had him x-rayed and he has no coverage on his hind right knee, the bones are touching and I could hear them rubbing when I'd walk him. He also has severe arthritis in his left hip.

The vet gave me Meloxicam, which is an anti-inflammatory and painkiller.  I started giving him half a 7.5 mg tab a day but didn’t notice any difference.  I was a little nervous because I’ve read Meloxicam can damage the liver and kidneys.  So I did a little research online.  I added three 1000 mg. Fish oil capsules in his food to lubricate the joints, and started giving him Avoderm Senior, which has a lot of Glucosomine/Chondroitin and has the Omega  3s and 6s.  I also started measuring his food so he has lost a little weight. He probably needs to lose about 4/5 more lbs.  He’s at 78 lbs. now.

 I changed from the generic Glucosomine/Chondroitin to the Osteo-BiFlex.  I also added Shark Cartilage.  I give him 6 a day, 3 w/each meal.  I can’t hear the bones rubbing any more. It was about 2 weeks after I started the Shark Cartilage. He is still walking a half a mile in the morning and about a 1/3 mile in the afternoon.  It’s important to keep an older dog moving so they don’t lose their mobility and get stiff. He still limps a little but moves around pretty good.

I think it was the Shark Cartilage that has helped him the most, although since I changed to the Osteo-BiFlex at the same time, I can't be sure.  I added Milk Thistle because it’s a liver protectant.  I still give him the Meloxicam but only 3 a week now because of the possible side effects.  You need to continually have blood work done when using it to make sure their kidney and liver enzymes aren’t too high.

More on this later…..

MEET MAC

Mac (McFarland) is my 10-year-old Giant Schnauzer/Lab mix named after my grandma.  I adopted him when he was 5 months old from a family that lived on a street in back of me.  There were some little 10 yr. old girls that used to come over and see the dogs and I’d give them a few bucks to help me clean or pull weeds (even though I usually had to re-do it).  We’d make tacos, sometimes we’d go to McDonalds and once I took them to see Santa at the mall. That’s a story in itself.

One day, one of the girls showed up with a puppy.  She was so excited since she knew I loved dogs so she wanted me to see him. Her mom (who didn’t live with them) had given it to her.  He was a cutie. But what puppy isn’t. 

About a month later, they got a doghouse and started leaving him outside. I could hear him crying all day so I went up and they had him on about 3 feet of chain.  They had a side-by-side cat dish for food and water.  This was the middle of summer. Hello…. Poppa!  Large dog – read the back of the bag – the girl is only 10.  No shade except the doghouse, which had no blanket, old towel or anything inside.

So I bought cedar chips, cables, ground stakes, a few large tubs and a huge dog dish.  I went up and talked to her dad first to see if it was okay, that was interesting, or not. I was out there hammering stakes in the ground, running water, etc., and no one even came out to see what I was doing.  But Mackie cared.

I ran a 50 ft. cable one way, and then clipped a 30 ft. cable onto it so he would have 80 ft. in two directions and 60 ft. on the sides.  Put the cedar chips in the doghouse and started throwing biscuits in there so he’d learn how to go in.  He was a smart happy pooch!!! 

I basically gave them instructions on how much food to give him and went up twice a day to fill his water tubs, give him doggie cookies and make sure he was eating enough. He was part lab and it was hot, he liked to swim in those tubs.

Of course, I fell in love with the boy and I started walking him just to get him off the cable.  Before long, I would bring him down to my yard during the day while they were gone so he could run around and come in my house.  You see where this is going????

So I offered her (the 10 yr. old) $50. Wrote a check so she couldn’t change her mind and told her she could come and visit as often as she wanted.  That lasted about 3 days.  Macaroo is MY baby!!!!

NATURAL REMEDY FOR A DOG WITH ALLERGIES

I think I’ve finally found a natural way to help my dog with her skin allergies. I really don’t want to give her cortisone shots.  I am still giving her Benadryl but plan on cutting back if this continues to work.  Be sure to ask your vet. Mine says 25 milligrams per 25 lbs.  I give her one per day but I am also giving her a daily vinegar bath, a daily brushing to bring the oils out in her skin/coat and squeezing a 1000 mg. Fish oil capsule on her food two times a day.

For the bath, I just soak a rag with water and vinegar and wet her down.  It only smells for a minute.  Day three - no scratching. Her hot spots have almost healed.  It has kind of scabbed over so I’m putting olive oil on that.  Will keep you posted.

I’ve read articles that a grain-free diet also helps.  I started mixing Blue Wilderness with her other food because I didn’t want to change it all of the sudden so that could be helping as well, although it’s only been about a week.  If you look up the reviews on Petsmart.com, you’ll read how it has helped other dogs with allergies.  A lot of 5 stars ratings across the board and a variety of flavors. 

Here’s an informative article on caring for your dogs coat as well.  http://www.wisdomebooks.com/ebooks/Dog-SkinCare-Guide.pdf