THE TIME HAS COME

It's hard to believe I'm actually typing this entry - but yes, Rascal has been adopted and will be going to his new forever home tomorrow.

In a few more weeks it would have been 6 months since he came to stay with us. How I have grown to love and adore him in that time, and how I really agonized over whether to even seriously entertain this family as a possible forever one. But in meeting them, all of the excuses, reasonable doubt, and mental roadblocks I put up in the path of his being adopted, would not be able to declare victory. This family are everything I could have hoped for in a forever one for our little boy, and although I am deeply saddened at the prospect of bidding him goodbye, I'm also of the firm belief that he couldn't be going to a nicer, more responsible, more kitty cat loving environment if I had handpicked them myself.

So tonight's bedtime snuggles will be the last for he and I. By this time Tuesday, he will be finally settling in to his own home where he will be loved and treasured and have his very own family. And I in turn will be once again be setting the wheel in motion to see who needs our help next......

I believe that everything happens for a reason.

KEEPING THE FAITH

This past week has been a very difficult one in more ways than naught, but with the downs has come some very precious ups - not the least of which are moments such as the one below, when I'm everso gently reminded of the things that are most important.



Rocky, as cranky, demanding, moody and stubborn as he can be, can also be just what I need, exactly when I need it. As I sat at the desk in our home office earlier this week, with my tears of frustration and anxiety welling up in my eyes, Rocky came along and cried to be lifted up in front of me (because he is a "wobbly" kitty he cannot make it from the floor to the desk on his own). Once up here, he sat looking at me for a moment or two, and then suddenly proceeded to lay down and stretch out. As I stroked his coat and felt under his chin for his soft, gentle purr, it was as if he was saying, "It's alright Mommy, don't cry".......

Those that love us unconditionally and without reservation,are one of the greatest gifts that was ever given in my opinion and that's even more true I think, of the animals that bless our lives. For alot of people, their pets and/or fosters are what keep them keep'in on - how precious it is indeed to have them loving us when we are faced with the instances when we find it difficult to love ourselves.

BATTLEGROUND CENTRAL!!!!!!!!!!

About a month ago, I noticed afew small (what appeared to be) feline acne bumps on Silly's chin. Nooooo problem, I had had occasion to deal with them in the past with our Martel many years ago, and had found that after expressing the points and washing them with antibiotic soap (prescribed by a vet at the time), they normally clear up quickly and without much todo. Shortly thereafter, I noticed that Rocky also had a small number under his chin as well. Strange I thought, that both of them would be affected at exactly the same time - and Rascal it appeared, was unaffected.

Initially I attended to their chins with less than normal perseverance. I could name a dozen excuses of why that was so, but the fact of the matter is that at the time, I didn't see it as a big deal and thought that they would simply clear up pretty much on their own. Boy, would I look back on those first couple of weeks and kick myself repeatedly (not to mention feel a horrible sense of guilt) of having been so lazy and laid back about it.

The short version of this story has Rocky and Silly's feline acne getting progressively worse. By the time I realized this however, it was looking VERY nasty under both their chins (aren't you glad I spared you pictures!) - and truth be told, I was playing major catch up trying to battle back. Just to be on the safe side I changed their plastic dishes to ceramic, treated everyone with Revolution (just in case), and up'd the application of the antibiotic soap. You guessed it, it wasn't going to be enough and eventually a trip to our vet was required to A) ensure it wasn't anything more serious and B) to figure how what was the best course of action to treat both of them.



These little packets above have become both a saving grace and a nightmare all rolled into one. We are now on our 2nd round of antibiotics and their chins have only started (in the last few days) to even resemble some sort of healing. What's made their presence in our home so awful is that Rocky and Silly both have become extremely afraid of having their chins washed (mainly due to how painful both had become), and these little pills, as small and as un-menacing as they look, are making poor Silly feel so sick to his stomach that I can practically see the waves of nausea on my poor little boy's face everytime I try to feed him and he just about gags. We have also discovered that Silly HATES to be pilled, and finds this part of our regular routine at the moment probably worse than all the other nasty stuff we have to do twice a day at present.

When someone said "You live and learn", they weren't kidding. I pray that the acne doesn't reappear after this round of pills, and may I never again be so negligent in my responsibility to care for my boys - I'm positive at this point that Silly for one, is absolutely wishing he had the ability to inflict as much discomfort and unpleasantness on me right now as I've had to on him in the last few weeks.

And how is Rascal you might wonder?...............he hasn't gotten even one bump under his chin and has spent the last few weeks observing the goings on with the same amount of quizzical wonder that he approaches everything he's not sure of - it's that expression that says: "Geez I wonder what all the fuss is about" *L*

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

We arrived home from vacation yesterday around dinnertime, and we were so excited to see the boys!! We had missed them a great deal, and I for one, was worried about how they were being cared for and handling our being gone, etc. Rocky is currently on anti-seizure meds which have to be administered twice a day - I began to panic when out housesitter reported by only Day #2, that our little wobbly tabby was not cooperating and that consumption of the wet/pill concoction was not being consumed! Luckily, hubby (being the calmer of the two of us when emergencies present themselves), was able to spend time on the phone providing our housesitter with idea's on how to coax (trick is probably a better word) Rocky into submission. Unfortunately it really is a battle of wills with our little guy, he's stubborn, catankerus, and very bossy - he doesn't take well to being bossed around - and having recognized this early on in our relationship with him, we've always led him to believe that everything he does is his idea.

Thankfully, our catsitter was able to convince Rocky that taking the pill in a little wet food was his idea and a smart one at that, since the only other option was to starve to death for the next 7 days when he realized his dry food was being witheld until he was in full compliance, and he was smart enough to catch on very quickly, small he may be in size, but his very large appetite was not going to welcome a hunger strike while Mom & Dad were away!

Needless to say, arriving home had us met with lots of purrs, rubbing and running around (always a sure sign that everyone is happy to see us). We prepared ourselves for abit of nose snubbing at bedtime but thankfully the boys were so happy to have us home that they decided collectively it seemed, to refrain from further actions to make us feel even more guilty.

We also came home to discover that there's been yet another potential adopter interested in Rascal evidently. So we take a big breath and wait anxiously to see if this one is "the one"..............

The picture captured - our Silly sitting smack dab between's Daddy's legs the evening of our arrival home - do you think he missed him???

ADIOS AMIGOS

I'm just about to hit the hay because we have to be up at 3:45am tomorrow morning for a 4:50am pickup to the airport..........yes we're bidding our boys goodbye for a week and heading Southwest.

The catsitter is all arranged and will be sleeping over so I hope that it provides the kids abit of extra comfort of having someone in the house while we're gone, even though its a stranger. We've been zipping from one end of the house to the other for hours now trying to get everything done and pack everything needed, and the whole while Rocky, Silly & Rascal have been quietly watching and getting more and more suspicious.

I'm feeling like the world's worst Mommy right now........leaving my kids in the care of a stranger for a week while I go off to relax. Believe me if I had it my way, I'd absolutely take them all with me. Instead I get to have that extra bit of guilt trip thrown in for good measure just so they remind me about how I'm leaving them behind.

Their little faces are just short of this right about now....

THE HAVE'S & THE HAVE NOT'S

I love being home with the boys on weekends. During the week everything feels so rushed and busy and stressful, that sometimes I look at them and feel such guilt because I/we don't have enough time it would seem to spend with them properly. One of us or both of us work late, we leave early, or we come home with a million things on our plate, exhausted, or preoccupied, and the boys don't seem to get the attention that I wish we could pour out to them every day. Such are the evils of working full time in demanding occupations - so when weekends come, I make it a point to try and stay home as much as possible so that I can flourish them with all the kisses, petting, and cuddles that they might have received less of during the week.

In spending yesterday with them, I watched as they lazed around, seemingly totally relaxed and thoroughly enjoying our time together, and my thoughts were turned to another kitty that at present is not so lucky.....
There has been a little adorable tabby male (very young) whose been hanging around our neighbourhood for the past few weeks. My neighbours immediately brought him to our attention since they know about our involvement in rescue work, and one afternoon we brought him indoors and placed him in our spare room with the intent of taking him in to have him neutered and vaccinated and hopefully placed in foster care. Well the attempt failed quickly and miserably as it seemed pretty evident that he wasn't enjoying being taken in from outside (I'm sure the un neutered part had alot to do with that), and he also seemed to find the presence of our boys on the other side of the door, extremely worrisome. So we placed him back outside with the promise to feed him, all the while hoping that he was someone's kitty who was given free reign to roam where he wanted.

Seeing him yesterday (and in previous instances), we're now convinced that his home are the streets. He is super friendly, VERY CUTE and extremely approachable - but he is also very skinny, very hungry and sadly, very much on his own.

This is the cruel reality of rescue work that I have always tried to keep my thoughts turned from; the kitties that are lucky enough to be rescued and thus protected, vs all those that never get that chance. Being the type of person that I am, I am easily consumed by the tragedies of life that are so completely overwhelming, it feels as though a band aid is being placed on the largest, deepest, most painful wound imaginable - and that it will never be enough.

Well now my thoughts are for this little guy whose spending all day and all night outside and as the weather turns colder, how those days and nights will become harder and harder for him. I've already put through a enquiry with the rescue to see if we can't find him a spot, but in the meantime I've begun looking for him now and worrying about where he is and is he safe.



Rascal, Rocky & Silly, as well as the countless others we've fostered, not to mention the even countless more that have been and are saved every day, are all the lucky ones. Ones who fell into the line of sight of a rescue worker and were in an instant, rescued from imminent death and blessed with hope.

My prayer this morning is that there will be a way to help this little boy be placed in the direct line of that same hope. I learned a long time ago that I can't stop the painful consequences that come from anyone else's actions, but I can hope for the ability to do what I can to be apart of the solution.