CHRISTMAS

I hope you all had a really wonderful Christmas…. The kind that memories are made of.

My Christmas wish was that Juicy Fruit (aka Mistletoe) would find a home and she did.  The lady that had been in to see her a few times adopted her on Christmas Eve. 

I guess my own personal present  is that I am going to keep both Joey and Jelly Bean. (NO LAUGHING  PLEASE)!  I knew I was going to keep Joey (on the left); he is such a dog in a cat’s body.  We’re all lying around on the couch watching TV with Joey right in the middle of us.  He even tried to nurse on Jazz.  And that sweet German Shepherd didn’t move a muscle.

Jelly Bean was a little slower to come around but she hasn’t been here as long.  She’s still not quite as brave but she’s sleeping on the bed right in the middle of all the dogs, snuggled up with Mac this morning on the floor.  I think it will all work out. 

Part of my decision had to do with remembering when Sundance died. I was so emotionally raw and broken-hearted. Shorty and Arthur had just come into my life.  I didn’t go out searching, they came to me.  I was planning on adopting them out but they were traumatized from abuse, not potty trained, had health issues and were very needy.  I helped me heal from losing Sundance.

I’m still hurting from losing Shorty and these little “kritters” came at the right time. I’ll never forget him and I miss him like crazy but I feel like sometimes you are given a gift, whether you recognize it or not, that will bring more love and happiness into your life than you ever expected. 

I also have this vintage art of a Parisian Clinique Vétérinaire from Theophile Alexandre Steinlen, who died in 1923.  It has a strawberry blonde girl with 3 dogs and 4 cats. I bought it because it had 2 of my cats and 2 of my dogs.  Shortly thereafter, I got Jazz, who made the 3^rd dog.  And now Joey and Jelly Bean make the 2 other cats and the picture is complete. 

ADEQUAN

I took Mac in for his second shot of Adequan today.  Adequan has been around for a while but a lot of vets don’t know about it - sometimes it is spelled Adequin so as not to confuse you.  In my quest to learn as much as I can about dog osteoarthritis, I started reading about it online and found a vet close by that is well informed.

Adequan is one of the leading arthritis drugs manufactured by Novartis and is an injectable Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan or PSGAG. It can be administered either intra-articularly (in a joint), Sub-Q (under the skin) or intramuscular. Because I read that injecting in the muscle and joints can cause pain, I chose to inject Sub-Q. It doesn’t bother him a bit and the results are the supposed to be the same. There can be a few side effects but they are mild and only 5 out of 156 dogs experienced them. The most common was pain when injecting in the muscle or a joint but that makes sense. Some stomach upset.  But so far… so good!

It works by inhibiting the enzymes that break down cartilage in your dog’s joints. It also reduces inflammation and increases the thickness of joint (synovial) fluid. I must have read over 40 reviews and they were all 5 stars across the board.  Miracle drug. There was one review that only had a 1 star rating only because it didn’t work on that particular dog but I am hoping for the best.

  

The induction phase is two times a week for four weeks and then twice a month for maintenance. I should start seeing results after five treatments.  It’s not cheap but I found it online for $100. That’s two 5 ml vials and will last Mac for five injections. Of course, he weighs 80 lbs.  But after the induction phase, it will only be $20 per injection. And since I can give him the shots, that will help a lot. I gave Sundance insulin shots for over 2 years so I’m sure I’ll catch on fast.

Adequan is not only FDA approved, but there have been quite a few clinical studies. Because I have read so many articles and price comparisons, I’m just going to send the direct url/link to the Adequan site:

http://www.adequancanine.us/

STILL NO HOME FOR JUICY FRUIT

 I check the website “Love at First Sight” every day to see if Juicy Fruit (now Mistletoe) has been adopted. They have had 5 kittens come and go since she’s been there.   I told them to call me if they couldn’t adopt her out but since I still have 2 of the other kitties, I’m really hoping they can.  They changed her picture so I know they are making every effort. I wish they would call her Tuxedo though rather than black and white.  Not that it would make any difference but you never know.

They are taking care of her so I’m not worried about her happiness. Although I know she would have much more fun running around here with her siblings.  Driving me crazy and making me lose sleep.

When I check on her every day (sometimes more than once) and see that she’s still up for adoption, it breaks my heart.  She’s so adorable. I hope someone has it in his or her heart to give her a home for Christmas.

A PET'S WILL

A friend sent this to me today and even though I forwarded to most of my contacts, my "best" friend recommended that I put it on my blog so everyone could see it.  It resonated with me so much, I thought it was a great idea.  And I think it helps the heart heal from losing one that you have loved so much.  As follows:

Before humans die, they write their last Will & Testament, give their home and all they have to those they leave behind.  If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I would ask for…..

To a poor and lonely Stray, I’d give my happy home. My bowl and cozy bed, soft pillows and all my toys.  The lap, which I loved so much, the tender, loving touch.  The hand that stroked my fur and sweet voice, which called my name.

I’d will to the sad, scared Shelter Dog, the place I had in my human’s loving heart of which there seemed no bounds.

So, when I die, please do not say, “I will never have a pet again, for the loss and pain is more than I can stand.”  Instead, go find an unloved dog.  One whose life has held no joy or hope, and give MY place to HIM.

This is the only thing that I can give. The LOVE I left behind.  THIS is my inheritance!  My Will and Last Testament.

IT’S A VERY SAD DAY

I took Juicy Fruit to Love at First Sight today.  They emailed me back over the weekend and said they could take one kitten so I took her because she was the smallest.  She was scared.  She had never been in a car before and poopied in the cat carrier.

It is a pretty good program.  They only take kittens and puppies and adopt them out free but you have to use their vet (who owns the program) for the first year.  That way, they make a little money and know that the fur babies are going to have all their shots and be fixed. 

They checked her out thoroughly. I was impressed.  Feline Leukemia test of course, fecal, listened to the heart, looked at teeth, ears, eyes, etc. They will only adopt healthy pets.  And when she passed, they gave her the first set of vaccinations. I took her back across the street to where she will be living until she finds a new home.  It’s a nice comfortable set up. They have good space for both the puppies and kitties and don’t take too many at a time.  The other kitties were chasing each other and playing wild like she’s been playing at home with her siblings.  That made me feel so much better. I hope she wasn’t scared for too long

They renamed her Mistletoe. She’s up on their site now.  I just looked at it and it made me cry again.  I miss her.  Her brother, Joey, has been hiding all day. He knows she’s gone. He's probably afraid I'm going to take him somewhere.

Here’s the link if you want to look at her: http://www.lafspetadoption.com/our_kittens_5.html

WILL SOMEBODY TAKE ME HOME?

I can’t believe no one wants to take this cute little kitty home. I’ve had one email from Craigslist, she asked intelligent questions and I responded but haven’t heard back.  And of all places to get a “phishing” email, I got one from Petfinders.  Some dude named Jarek, who wanted to ship the cat to Gillette, Wyoming.  That is after getting all of my personal information so he could make arrangements and send me a check. 

He addressed the email to: Hello Krazy!  Well okay, so maybe it does fit.  I’m tempted to send him a list of shelters in Wyoming just to be a “B” and let him know he’s an idiot.  But I probably won’t waste the energy.

It’s funny, because I wasn’t so sure I could even tame this one but she is probably the sweetest of the bunch.  Such a lap cat.  She does not want to get off.  I can even hold her with her belly up like a baby.  And her coat is so soft.  Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! 

WHO TOOK OVER MY SEWING TABLE?

Well, this was where I started Catdancerz!  Everybody but Georgie, who still won’t come out of the box.

On another note, I’ve been corresponding back and forth with a non-profit called “Love at First Sight” since the weekend I got the first 2 kitties.  She told me I had to have them for at least 2 weeks and to email after Thanksgiving.  So I did as she asked, have been sending updated pictures and I get an email the other day in response to one from me saying they have space and need new pictures. So I send some more.  Then she tells me they are too big for their program.  What???  I reminded her that I have been sending her pictures all along and then she emails that they don’t take black cats.  Discrimination! 

CARDBOARD CATHOUSE

I made a few cathouses for the strays out of boxes so they would have a little shelter from the harsh weather we’ve been having.  I just taped all the sides shut so there is a 5” x 5” opening and put towels inside. 

I was pretty excited when I went out to feed them yesterday and noticed a cat in the box by the food.  I got a little closer and darned if it wasn’t my cat, Georgie. Silly! She usually comes in every evening and I can’t get her out of the box now.  I tried yesterday and today even taking the towel out with her.  She went right back in.  So I put a clean warm towel in and left her there.

 I guess she just watches all the strays eat while she’s in her little box. She’s usually such a wimp, I’m surprised she doesn’t run and hide. She’ll even watch squirrels eat her food while the other cats chase them.

UP FOR ADOPTION

I almost thought I would have to set this cute little thing free again. She wasn’t taking to me at all. I kept going in the crate with a glove on and she would hiss, growl and swat at me.  I didn’t give up though and eventually, she came up to the glove and smelled it.  Before long, I was able to touch her with it.  It wasn’t too many more attempts before she was purring and I could take the glove off.  Next, she was cuddled in my arms purring and kneading.

I kept her in the crate a few more days even though she kept crying for attention.  I wanted to make sure she was tame.  I gave her as much attention as I could and never once did she try to break free. She seemed lonely, so I put a stuffed koala bear in with her and she started snuggling it.  The only thing she seemed to want is to be held so she could purr and “make biscuits”.

She’s in the house now – yeah I know – easy mark. How do people become foster parents and give these little lovable things up.  I did put an ad on Petfinders and Craigslist. I’ve only had one response but they sounded good. It was kind of a firm ad but I don’t want to adopt to just anybody. I want to make sure they will love her forever.

Wish me luck!

MAKING FRIENDS

This little guy is working it!  They are growing so fast.  All I have to do is open the door and the boy is out.  I think he’s lying in wait.  He’s not afraid of anything.  He wants to explore the entire house.  I put the gate up so they can come in and out but none of the other cats or dogs can go in.  The girl still hasn’t ventured out.  She’s come so far as sitting close to the gate but she’s still not too sure she wants to meet the dogs. They are pretty obnoxious.  It’s cute how their personalities are so different.

No possum nightmares last night, just a lot of laughs at my expense.  Hopefully, I don’t catch anything like that again.

WHAT A SURPRISE

And here I thought I got lucky again. NOT!  Okay, this one creeped me out and I wasn’t sure how to hold open the trap so it could get out.  I put on my arm layers and gloves and lifted the trap door and it didn’t come out. So I turned it upside down, still didn’t come out.  Now I have it propped open with a rock and a brick, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of  room for the possum to get out.  Ewwwww.  I’m giving up for the week. Have to soap and hose the trap down now anyway. 

Now I’m wondering if I’m not only feeding the cat community but also the possum community.  Yuck!  I’ll probably have nightmares tonight!