T.V. KITTIES ANYONE......

We've had a lovely Christmas as a family and hope the same for everyone, everywhere. We've had time off from our respective jobs so the kids have thoroughly enjoyed having us home and to themselves every day. Don't be fooled though, just because our workplaces call it "vacation", doesn't mean that there's necessairily the same thing abounding here on the homefront.

Rocky, Silly, and yes even our Flossy girl do start to chirp and perform their battery of wake up rituals by 5:01am if they don't see hide nor hair of Mommy & Daddy rising from their slumber. Actually, make that just Mommy since Daddy is not one to be woken and I'm identified as the "feeder" around here.

We've also had some new additions to the house in terms of furniture and one of those pieces was a new entertainment unit for our livingroom. Silly decided in his usual nosey fashion to thoroughly check it out and it wasn't long before Flossy (who really does fawn over our Sylvester), was mimicking his behavour..........which we're not sure was to attract him or to annoy, either way it was truly amusing to see!

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS SURPRISE!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love hearing from former adopters? Well the latest email I received just a couple of days ago is no exception! This one is from the absolutely lovely sister duo that adopted our Farley.........

Hi LisaMarie,

Farley, Marion and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Farley remains very content in his now forever home. He still looks like a pretty big armful even though he has lost some weight. We’ll just keep on feeding him reasonable amounts of his weight-control food.

In a couple of the pictures you can see the edge his trackball which he loves to lie on and one of his cat donuts which he also loves.



This family is every foster parent's dream of adopters - they loved Farley on sight and have welcomed him into their lives with open arms and enough love to fill a football stadium! We're so grateful to them and to the countless others just like them who love completely unconditionally.

RED UPDATE

I got a lovely email from Red's new Mom today. I don't know if I mentioned previously, but they have renamed him Stanely. They just adore him and he has settled in so well to his forever home that it brings me so much happiness each time they send a new picture of him looking so spoiled and loved.

Example: this shot, of Red/Stanely with his own little teddy bear which I've been told he carries to his bed with him each night. I'm so thankful once again as we all hunker down for the inevitable really cold weather that will come, that this sweet boy is no longer going to be battling the elements - Merry Christmas indeed!

MIRACLES ABOUND

For those of you who aren't aware, last Summer hubby and I helped to rescue two adorable little black kittens who were apart of a litter born to a feral Mom "Cleopatra" in our neighbourhood.

After fostering them for a few months, they were then moved onto another foster home where we enjoyed the wonderful updates provided to us by their new "Mommy". Sadly we learned this past October that Calvin had died very suddenly at 6 months of age. Just the other day however, I received the following email from the remaining brother's foster Mom that read as follows:

Dear Lisa Marie,

I am happy to tell you that Clarence went to his "forever home"
today, adopted by a wonderful young couple, both bright, thoughtful
and gentle people with a long history of cat care. They had two
cats, one of whom died recently, so they wanted a new companion for
the remaining cat, whose name is Roosevelt.

After Calvin's untimely death in late October, Clarence "blossomed"
and indeed seemed to morph into a mirror image of Calvin: he is now
a very confident, affectionate, playful little boy and, of course,
slender, sleek and handsome. I'm sure he will thrive in his new home.

This was undoubtedly one of the BEST Christmas gifts we could have been given. Life will always have it's triumphs and tragedies, and we're saddened that Calvin's life was short; but both boys were loved and nurtured and brought to safety when it mattered the most. Good luck Clarence..........we will love you always.

CAPTURING BEAUTY

I'm going to let these latest shots of Flossy tell you what a beautiful girl she is blossoming into.........enjoy.

JOYS OF THE SEASON

It's a beautiful Saturday and as I've been busy preparing for Christmas, I was thinking about how blessed we are. As the year draws to a close, I give special thanks for all the kitties we've been able to help save this past 12 months, it's been a busy time foster wise and not without it's stressful moments; but there are so many rewards that come with this work - too many to mention or count. My only hope is that Steve and I continue to be blessed with health so that we're able to continue helping those that cannot help themselves.

Flossy's shyness and fears continue to be overcome just a little bit more with each passing day. We're still battling issues with her tummy but she seems so much more relaxed and yes, dare I say it, happy. I don't think we've ever had a foster whose played with or gotten as much enjoyment out of every toy in our home, as much as Flossy does! Whether it be the stuffed mice, fabric bowties, balls with bells inside or the ties on one of my seat cushions, she has SO MUCH fun with all of them and it's so heartwarming to watch.

Here are some new shots of our little baby girl, taken just today as I busied myself around the house with housework and Christmas baking. We give thanks for this Christmas season, the special meaning it holds for us, and for Flossy's rescue......

IT'S TIME

I submitted the write up and photo's to our rescue's website last night - so that Flossy can be formerly added to the adoption list.

She is still quite nervous and skittish in many ways but that is something that will just take time and it may be that due to the horrors she suffered through while being homeless may never completely erase themselves. She may always be a little kitty who is sensitive and that's just fine - her forever home will have to be one that understands her struggles and has the patience to allow her to come to them in her own time. Otherwise, she's gained weight, her coat is so plush now that I smile as I pet her, (remembering how it looked when she first arrived) and she's playful with the boys. She does appear to have abit of a sensitive tummy where food is concerned so we're going to experiment with a hypo-allergenic food in the hopes that that helps, but we'll sort that out as well.

I will be so protective of her as the calls come - but then again I am with every kitty that we foster; Flossy is just the one that needs our protection to ensure her forever home will love her for the cat she is.

MAKING FRIENDS

Flossy is doing a thousand times better physically! She still has very mild symptoms of her past URI but it's almost entirely cleared up and she looks great. Her appetite has returned and she's even begun eating hard food (with a little wet mixed in to satisfy her "lady" tastes). Her coat has become incredibly lush and thick and she spends hours every day grooming herself from one end to the other!! She eats in the kitchen now with Silly & Rocky and has full run of the house; she is still very shy with us, but each day she seems to gain a little more confidance and courage than the day before, and instead of hiding up in the spare room, she's usually downstairs now either under the coffee table or laying on the floor beside our loveseat. However, she has also found a very special place that she really likes to have her mid afternoon snoozes...........



Yes you are seeing correctly - our Flossy girl not only seems to really like the company of other cats, she's taken a real shine to our ornery Rocky. The other morning I caught her trying to rub up against him - well you can imagine how that went over! She makes these adorable little "trilling" sounds when she approaches him, and even though his hisses blow back the fur on her face and practically knock her tiny little frame over, she just happily strolls by completely unfazed.

I caught her kissing Silly the other morning as well (cheeky miss) and it's very evident that their company is helping to bring her out of her shell and settle in a little more. We've decided to wait abit longer before putting her pics and write up on the website - she's still too shy with people and we're hoping that given abit more time she'll emerge a little more and not coil back so much from noises and us in general.

She's come a loooooooong way - we're very proud of her and she's going to make someone a lovely little friend when the time comes.

"THE FLOSS"

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and suggestions on ways to help Flossy as a result of my last post. It's very heartwarming to know that I'm not just typing to dead air, and that there are people out there who are reading, and who care - thank you again.

We're delighted to report that Flossy is doing amazingly well since I last typed only afew short days ago. She's eating on average about 4 cans of Fancy Feast (the small ones) a day, and is not dehydrated! Her URI is almost completely cleared up with just the odd sneeze now and again and a very small amount of discharge from her eyes, and the gagging and choking that I described prevously also seems to be diminishing and becoming less frequent. It's her behaviour that is most noteworthy though - she has begun to travel between her room, and our home office on the 2nd floor, and once we go to bed, she goes exploring the whole house! We know because in the morning we find tuffs of white fur everywhere like a little trail of cotton balls, and often when I awake first thing, she's not in her room but usually downstairs in the diningroom on one of the chairs.
She also appears much brighter, is carrying her plumie (gorgeous tail), high with abit of a bend at the very tip which I like to call the "candycane" walk, AND she has also begun coming to us for rubbing and pets when we call to her! Last night when I opened her food for dinner, I went to head upstairs to give it to her, only to find that she'd venture all the way to the threshold of the kitchen and had this expression on her face as if to say "That had better be the good stuff Mommy"!!!!!

The added bonus is that she doesn't mind the company of other cats AT ALL!!!!! She meets Rocky's growls and hisses with total indifference - hubby and I joke that her facial expression when Rocky begans posturing is one of pure disgust (typical female!).

Below is tonight's picture - she looks a million times better and I hope you can see that diva glint in her eye. As I type this, she's curled up just beside my feet under the desk...............

WHAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER

I'm going to apologize in advance for the tone of this post. If it resonates confusion and frustration it's because those are the two paramount feelings we're having right now where our little Flossy is concerned.

We learned last Thursday that Flossy was again eating on her own at the vet clinic despite her feeding tube (which had to be inserted after her surgery since she didn't eat right away at that point and they were concerned that not too much time elapse with that being the case), and that we could pick her up that evening.

We were so happy to bring her home and she looked physically ALOT better, her eyes were brighter and she seemed very glad to be home; rubbing up against us and purring up a storm! We had also purchased a high calorie wet food (since she cannot have dry now for a few weeks while her mouth heals) so that we could have her continue on the road to healing with the right diet and hopefully also assist her in putting some weight on.

That's the brightest point - the low points have come in many forms since that evening. Firstly we discovered that she hated the vet food and absolutely would not eat it, so after 24 hours of trying to convince her otherwise, we returned that and purchased another brand that we hoped she would eat. That too was met with distaste and no interest, and so we resorted to Friskies - the junk of all junk cat food. Well she loves Friskies but ONLY the patte kind, and with absolutely nothing healthy mixed in. I think I've thrown out more cat food in the last 3 days than I have in all the years I've been fostering.
Added to that is the fact that neither of us have seen her drink a drop of water since arriving and any attempts to force water into her is HIGH STRESS and even HIGHER DRAMA! We end up soaking ourselves, her blankets and even her little frame as she fights and resists and water is everywhere except where it's supposed to be.
Due to her feeding tube, she came home with literally an uncovered hole in her neck where it had been inserted. Afew hours after she arrived it began to seep clear liquid and I found myself with just one more thing to worry about - was it safe, was it not, was it going to become infected, was this normal, was it not????? It seems to have stopped seeping now but not before it turned the one side of her coat a crusty mess and all attempts to brush it are also not met with a positive reception.
Lastly, we are also experiencing another new thing - when she purrs very hard, she begins to almost choke and gag; as if she's trying to dispel a hairball that is never coming. It appears to alarm her when it happens and even the affection that is probably the only thing she has loved, is now a source of anxiety as she has these episiodes.

But the saddest thing of all is her demeanour once again. She is withdrawn, seeking out places to sleep constantly that are in area's where noone can bother her - case in point.......the picture below.



We have left Flossy's bedroom door open since yesterday in the hopes that it would help her begin coming out of her shell. All it appears to have done is lead her to find new area's to withdraw to. In this photo she is wedged between a chair and a end table in our home office - on the floor.
She does not seek out attention or contact - if you pet her she will purr and loves it, but no sooner is she moving away and recoiling into herself. She becomes terrified if you try to handle her and will only then return to a place where you cannot get to her; and always with her back to a wall.

Flossy was brought inside approximately 4 weeks ago. Is she happy, sad, indifferent, I honestly cannot tell. She is our 58th foster and by far, she is probably the hardest one we've ever worked with. What does the future hold for this little girl, I don't know and what's worse, I don't know that she even cares.

ONE PUSH BACK

Yesterday Flossy was admitted to one of the animal hospitals that the rescue is affiliated with. We were concerned that after three weeks, her upper respiratory infection although somewhat better, had not completely lifted, and as well, there was an extremely strong pungent odour coming from her mouth that we felt needed to be addressed as well.

The vet indicated that our little girl is very dehydrated and also that she has advanced gum disease and tooth decay. The dehydration is what is holding her back from fully recovering from the URI, and because she is also battling the infection in her mouth, her body is having to work extra hard to fight two infections.

Monday she will have most (if not all) of her teeth extracted. She will then be on a course of antibiotics and will be on a strictly wet diet for a number of days as her mouth heals. The great news in all of this is that Flossy has tested negative for FIV, so that is something to rejoice over!

We miss her dearly and I keep going by her room wishing she was there for me to visit with. I pray that she comes through the surgery fine and that there are no further complications - the vet seemed confidant that the combination of drugs, hydration and removal of her teeth will help greatly to have her on the real road back to recovery.

This darling has been through so much - my heart is full of sadness as I think upon all that she has to endure in the first 5 years of life.........

BELIEVE

This coming weekend is the three week mark since Flossy arrived. I hope everyone will take a moment to compare some of her earlier photos to the one above taken just now - we see the light and so we wanted to share.

I have spent many, many hours with this little girl over that timeframe. Not only to care for her as she has battled against this virus, but also in an effort to gain her trust, and to pour out as much love and tenderness upon her as she would be willing to receive, in the hopes that some of the horrible damage that has been done as a result of her being abandoned on the streets, could be healed.

There is one thing that I can tell you for certain at this point - this tiny, angel who was so ravaged when one of our fellow volunteers first saw her those few weeks ago under a car (and thought she was a dying cat) - and who has been one of the sickest foster kitties we have ever cared for, is not only an amazingly tender and gentle little soul, but she is also a survivor and a fighter.



Flossy has reminded me once more why I love fostering so much..........there is no greater feeling than the one that comes when you see an animal beginning to trust you and when you can somehow feel the thankfulness they exude as you care for them and the barriers begin to come away - slowly perhaps at first; but they do come.

THE SADDEST NEWS

This morning we were notified that Calvin (one of the two sibling kittens we had rescued from our neighbourhood this past Summer), had died earlier today and completely unexpectedly. It is strongly suspected that he had an undiagnosed heart condition of some sort since he was eating and playing and being his lovable little self as the day unfolded today and gave no indication that he was feeling unwell or that there was anything wrong.

Here he is the day after we had rescued him from outside:



And here he was in pictures at 6 months of age - taken just weeks ago:

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Calvin was instantly loving when we brought him in - so adorable, so sweet so good natured, he became even moreso when his almost identical brother Clarence was rescued and joined him. We loved fostering them and feel even more saddened now to think of Clarence without his best pal............

So our thoughts are for Calvin tonight as we bid him farewell for a time until we can meet him again at the Rainbow Bridge.

"PETPARAZZI"

What would an evening be without updated photos of our favourite little angel that reflects how each day just unearths a little more of her beauty. Being around her right now is like watching a flower in the Spring as it begins to bloom - it may sound corny but honestly I wish everyone (especially those who saw her when she was on the street, those that marked her health as "poor" at the spay clinic, those that recovered her in her first few days after being brought inside, and especially those who passed her in their daily journey's and I'm sure thought she was pitiful) could all see her now and the remarkable progress that is unfolding.

Tonight I've learned that when she becomes really relaxed and you're showering her with affection - she drools.

LADY LOVES..........

The weekend started off abit trying with our Miss Flossy, aside from venturing out from under the bed for food or treats, we were finding that she appeared to be withdrawing more from us and becoming more anti social (or so it seemed) - so we decided that the best thing to do would be to block off the bed underneath so she could no longer hide under there and would be forced (somewhat), to interact with us a little more.

To say getting her out from under the bed against her will was a nightmare, is just about right. Not only did she actually begin hissing at us as we attempted to coral her out from under it, but she became so frightened of what was going on, she urinated all over the bedroom floor and then began making the most pitiful sounds I have ever heard come out of a full grown cat. Her meow sounds like that of a 1 week old kitten, it's so disturbing that I hope to never hear it again.

Once the bed was taped off, we decided to provide Flossy with someplace she could feel safe that would still allow us access to her; so we brought in a small carrier (door removed), placed inside some blankets, and situated it smack dab in the middle of the bed! At first she paced the floor and licked her lips nervously as we tried to soothe her, and I think I must have put her on the bed at least 40 times before she finally jumped up on her own and stayed there. It took afew more hours before she would go in the carrier and stay there but eventually she did and it was obvious from then on that she was calming down and felt safe in there.
We continued petting her and talking softly, and by dinnertime last night she was cooing and purring, and seemed to actually be enjoying her new bed wonderfully!

After coming home from work today, Miss Flossy actually came to the bedroom door to greet me (a little shy initially but still!), and I've just spent the last hour BRUSHING HER! Yes you read correctly..............she absolutely loves to be brushed and her coat feels softer than a cotton ball at this point! She even allowed me to brush her underbelly while I cradled her little head in the palm of my one hand - can you say awwwwwwwww???!!!

Here's tonight's picture - sorry it doesn't having her posing beautifully but she's been very busy grooming, grooming, grooming from within her new little boudoir. This little baby girl LOVES her wet food, her chin rubbed, her coat brushed and most of all, she's starting to love being loved!!!!!!!

BABY STEPS

We've decided to christen our latest little houseguest........Flossy. It really seems to suite her and although most of you voted for Miss Cotton (which I think is just so adorable), it just wasn't "sticking" on our little friend and when we started referring to her as Flossy, it just seemed to fit perfectly. You never know, there may be another female angel come our way in the future who will be Miss Cotton through and through.

Even though she has only been here since Sunday, we're making great progress. Her URI is clearing up nicely, she has a ferocious appetite (thank goodness for that!), and her litterbox habits couldn't be more perfect. Most important of all, although she spends the majority of her time under the bed (I think it's because it resembles being under a car or under part of building - dark and quiet), she will emerge for Temptations treats which I use like bait, slowly placing them further and further away from her so that eventually she is completely out in the open and doesn't even realize it! Yesterday I put her up on the bed with me and found that she loves to roll around while I pet her tummy and "coo" to her - she kneads and kneads and seems to almost fall into abit of a love daze. She also discovered the window for the first time and spent about 20 minutes or so gazing out intently at all the goings on - and I'm not sure if her expression was one of "Boy, I wish I could still chase birds" or "A pack of wild horses couldn't get me back out there".
She has also groomed up an absolute storm; literally. Yesterday saw her washing herself for almost 2 hours on and off and her coat is already looking much, much better!

She does still startle very easily, something as innocent as my uncrossing my legs can have her making a bee line back under the bed where she licks her lips in that nervous way they do when they're not sure what's going on, and although it's painstaking work to coax her back out once again, we are increasing the number of times she comes out and stays out longer, and that's the main thing. She has also started to rub up against me for attention and almost seems to want to kiss my face or rubs hers against mine - whoever owned her at some point obviously used to shower her with all kinds of attention.

I took afew photos yesterday later in the afternoon (note the 2nd one where she has her very pink tongue sticking out; something she does when I'm loving her) - just after she'd had a quick cat nap pressed up against me and seemed to be very content. I hope you enjoy viewing them, as much as I enjoyed taking them of her...........this is going to be the slow ride to success but I wouldn't have it any other way, this baby girl needs us in the biggest way imaginable right now.

FIXING WHAT'S BROKEN

Red's been settled with his new family for a week now and doing wonderfully! I knew realistically that it would only be a matter of time before the call came, asking if we could open our foster space for yet another kitty that was in desperate need - I just wasn't expecting it to be exactly one week after Red was gone.

The plea came from a fellow cat lover and rescue volunteer who actually oversees a colony of feral kitties at Cherry Street (please see the link below for a recent article the Toronto Star did on the plight of colonies in Toronto and a video featuring "Robin" - the very volunteer I mention and some of her colony kitties).

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1069871--controlling-the-cat-colonies

Robin is an amazing lady who along with her husband and other cat lovers like herself, has worked tirelessly (and with a great deal of her own personal money) to help these cats in this area. So when I received the email from her on Sunday morning asking if I could possibly foster a little all white female who they had trapped this past week along with afew others at another colony (this one is in the west end @ Dufferin), and who turned out to be totally tame and not feral at all; my immediate answer was yes!

There is little I can say that would adequately convey what awaited me when I returned from Church on Sunday afternoon. This female was now in my spare room, hiding under a bed, but within minutes I had been able to draw her out with afew Temptations treats and a very soft voice. She is approximately between 4-5 years old, and is infact all white, with a medium length coat and sea green eyes. That's the prettiest picture I can paint since right now she is the most pathetic, sorry looking cat I've ever seen.

For starters, she is filthy. Obviously hiding and seeking refuge under cars, in alleyways, and who knows where else, have left this little angel with grease, dirt, and filth from one end of her coat to the other. Added to that is the fact that she's painfully thin - I mean the kind of thin that makes you cringe as you pet her, feeling every last bone in her body, all too conscious of the fact that it's painfully obvious she's been starving for quite some time. Her eyes are filled with black gunk, her ears are filthy and the one that they ear tipped (doing so before realizing she was tame), shows signs of already having begun to curl from one too many winters exposed to the elements. She is also suffering a very nasty URI which has her so congested, she wheezes when she breathes and her nose is raw, caked with mucus and brutally sore looking. And despite it all, despite the nasiest case of neglect and abandonment I have ever seen, this little girl is affectionate and has a purr that has me petting her in amazement! She cannot get enough attention, and although shy and still quite nervous, already in just the last 24 hrs we have seen little signs that she's feeling safer and wanting the love that's being offered.
Why even yesterday, I had coaxed her onto my lap - brief as it was, it was sure proof that this little darling is starved for love and that there was a time, however brief it may have been, when someone else had showed it to her.

I'm sparing the pictures as of right now because I am so angry every time I look at her. Angry that people just see these animals and simply turn their heads and walk away, never stopping to think of the horrors and fear that come with trying to survive on the streets without food, without shelter, without safety, without love.

This is an outrage and it makes me sick - absolutely sick to think of there being countless more that are still suffering, just like this little girl was, and worrying that we will never be able to help them all. It is a reality that we should all be ashamed of and is disrespect of animals of the highest degree.

So the work has begun to try and help this little girl to heal. It's time to make right what has been an absolute wrong, time to pour out the TLC for this tiny one and add a thousand prayers that the damage done can be undone............

PS: I am trying to decide upon a name - I'm torn between Baby Girl and Miss Cotton............I'd love to know what any of you think of either.

THE BITTERSWEETS

I woke up this morning with that anxious feeling of butterflies swirling around in my stomach - I think every foster parent must know it well; the one you have when an impending "meeting" is about to take place and somewhere in the depths of yourself you already know that this could be "it".
There was a call for Red on Friday and this morning I awoke to a somewhat lengthy email from the female portion of the interested party who not only shared with me abit more about how much they were looking forward to meeting Red this afternoon, but about her past involvement in cat rescue work, AND a picture of their own kitty "Lewis".

Some of you may remember when I wrote in an earlier post about how when the right people came for Red, I might not be able to describe them to you, but I could certainly tell you what they would sound like.............well this email I'm referring to, the one I got earlier today, that was the very sound.

I laugh to myself now as I recall telling the adoption screener on Friday (when he called to share with me the fact that he'd screened a wonderful sounding couple who were interested in Red), how there would have to be a real WOW factor going on for me in meeting them, to let them take Red the same day and not wait the 24 hr period that the rescue normally requests. Oh sure I talk a tough game, but by the time I had chatted with "M" (the female of the party), I already knew this game was half in the bag!!

So here I sit, 6 months to almost the day when I saw Red for the first time, replaying all the days and nights in between as I worried and fretted over his immediate safety and future life. It's a roller coaster ride alright, this fostering gig - one which gives me personally some serious highs, some pretty deep lows, and everything in between.

I loved this little boy and I will miss him more than the keys on this keyboard can adequately express. I'm so grateful that his amazing forever home came for him, but sad that like alot of things in life, our time together went so quickly and before I knew it, I was bidding him goodbye. Here's the very last picture I'll take of him - shot just this morning as I readied myself for Church.

You did good Red boy, you did real good.

A HIDDEN GEM

Would you believe me if I told you that the above darling (named "Aggie") has been waiting patiently at the Toronto Humane Society since LAST December 9th for someone to adopt her?

Another volunteer within the cat rescue world has made me aware of Aggie and the long wait she's experienced through no fault of her own. Although abit shy with strangers and not terribly fond of other kitties, Aggie is friendly and very playful once she feels comfortable in your presence, and even has a fondness for little toy mice, so I'm told! Noone is quite sure what it is about this little girl that has people simply passing by her cage, but one thing is for sure - no kitty deserves to be overlooked to the degree that Aggie has been and certainly not when their sleeping quarters every night has to be a small little metal cage instead of a soft warm bed or a comfy chair in a cozy livingroom somewhere!!

Aggie is approximately 5 1/2 years old and just look at the gorgeous little opaque pink nose of hers - how could anyone simply pass by her cage without falling in love? If ever I've felt a kitty tug at my heart strings, it's Aggie and I hope that by posting about her plight here, someone may know someone who may know someone (you know how it goes), who may be dying to have a little friend like Aggie to share their home time with.

Please feel free to contact me or to pass along my info so that someone else can contact me, so that together we can help find Aggie her forever home. I know that person/s is out there...........so let's do what we can to help connect this precious kitty with them so that her days of being alone can finally be over.

A WISH LIST

Doesn't he look great? Doesn't this picture just make you want to kiss him to death and cuddle him until he squirms out of your arms? Doesn't his little face just say it all? I've looked at this picture countless times since snapping it this past weekend - and it's one of the cutest I've ever taken I think.

Red is thriving just two weeks after joining us indoors. He's putting on weight, he's settling in and appearing less restless, and he's even begun playing games of tag/chase with our Silly which is always a great sign. I find myself looking at him constantly, when he's sleeping, when he's eating, when he's grooming and when he's laying down relaxed like he is here, enjoying all the things that every kitty deserves to experience - the comforts of a safe, warm, cozy environment. I still can scarcely believe that he's with us and it may take abit more time before it actually sinks in that we were successful in rescuing him.

Now that Farley's future is so bright and full of all things good, I'm completely turned toward Red and his future which awaits him. It's the natural progression of things in fostering for me - once I know that my last little friend is well and on his way, I can then refocus and begin again. I've already had one inquiry for Red and the family visited with him this past weekend but we were all somewhat skeptical that it was the right fit for him and them, so we continue to enjoy his company for abit longer.

One of our fellow rescue volunteers indicated prior to the family arriving, that she hoped they'd love him as much as we do. And then my husband after their visit, said that because of all the odds that Red had to fight against to survive, he cannot go to a home of anything less than one that will cherish and spoil him entirely and wholeheartedly - just the way he deserves. It's nice to hear those words from others because sometimes I think I'm the lone soldier whose the only one to pull out the testing stick of worthiness for potential adopters.

I can't wait to meet the person/s who will open up their hearts so that we can see just how perfect they would be for our Red. I don't know what they will look like, but I know what they will sound like and how they will say it; and it's going to be so wonderful when they do finally get here.

LIKE LIGHTENING!!!!

I got an email earlier this week that indicated there was someone interested in meeting Farley. Except for another enquiry that had come through just the week prior to this one, there hadn't been any interest in our big boy for at least a couple of months. I knew deep in my heart that eventually his forever home would come for him because I do sincerely believe that there is one for every kitty rescued, but I was abit nervous as I typed an email to the interested party, wondering if this could really be them.

They replied to my initial contact almost immediately, and I learned that it was two sisters who had recently lost their beloved companion and were hoping that Farley was going to be their new friend. We arranged a meeting for the next evening and when they arrived, the honest to goodness truth of it is that I liked them instantly! They asked all the right questions, I learned that they had already purchased Farley's current food for him (which is weight reduction I might add and not of the cheap variety), and that they were very experienced cat owners. They loved him on sight and after a visit that lasted about an hour or so, we agreed that they should take him to his new forever home right then as opposed to waiting the 24 hour "cooling off period" that the rescue normally likes to implement.

I don't know that I'll ever become accustomed to just how fast an adoption can take place when the right people step forward to offer your foster a forever home. But in many ways I'm extremely grateful for the speed with which it happens - it somehow helps to ease the sadness that comes with bidding one goodbye. The next morning was especially strange as I awoke and realized that Farley was really gone, I found myself listening for him to come to the food bowl as I laid out breakfast; but there is also the sweetness in knowing that his future is safe, and bright, and full of hope. Already I've learned that he's doing wonderfully and that his new family loves him dearly in just a few short days.



Six months we were together and I wouldn't have traded a single moment of any of that time. He will always be my friend and I will always be here for him if he should ever need me again............someday, somewhere, I'm positive that we will see each other once more.

A GOLDEN AFFIRMATION

It's been a little bit of an adjustment for Red to settle into life indoors; we've had abit of crying and pacing, mostly as the evenings start to fall and it appers he gets abit antsy and can't quite figure out why he can't be outside roaming and investigating as he has. He seems to settle down quite abit if we simply shut the windows (boy it's given us a whole new appreciation for what that night air can do to a guy).........and he seems to be abit better every day.

With us just over a week now, I have relished in every moment of realizing and reminding myself that he is now indoors and safe. I still find myself looking for him the morning's as we leave for work in the car and make our way down the street - funny how those habits take some time to break after months of doing it every day. There's also been a little bit of guilt as I've worried over whether he's truly happy inside or whether somehow he feels deafeated. I'm so thankful for the small ways in which it's been affirmed to us that we did the right thing - one being the picture below which just melted my own heart, the other being his having gotten right up in my lap this morning and curled deep down for a sleep there all the while purring up a storm.



Then there's this one..........doesn't he just look incredibly handsome and so at home?

HAVING A LITTLE FAITH

I just got off the phone with Bella's new parents to learn that she's doing really, really well and is settling in very nicely. They've renamed her Princess and it just couldn't be a more appropriate name.........I snickered to learn that she's "taking over" (their words not mine) - so nice to see that her DIVA sense of self didn't falter one iota in the move! *L*

In my last thread I mentioned how hubby and I were planning to head out Saturday morning in an attempt to scoop up Red and finally bring him inside where he belongs. Well...........



We were up at 6:00am yesterday morning and got in our car to head over to the street where we knew Red had moved to in recent weeks. We didn't get 50 feet down our street when suddenly he literally darted right out in front of our car as he ran to the other side of the road. I immediately got out and with my handy kitty catching device, (a bag of Temptations treats), proceeded to walk all the way back to our place with Red in tow, obviously starving and gobbling up the treats, faster than I could actually get them on the ground.

Once inside the house he was abit nervous and unsure initially, but as soon as we moved him up into his private quarters here at the SHH (Safe Haven Hotel), he began to purr, knead his paws and relax. By 5 hours later, he had eaten 2 full bowls of food and was snoozing on his new bed. He's painfully thin having quite clearly lost weight since leaving our street (and why that was we'll never know), and has a coat that is abit dirty, but since yesterday he's eating and drinking up a storm and has been busy for the last hour grooming himself from one end to the other.



I will never forget how awful I felt that morning we put him back outside after his neuter surgery. But with the kittens here and then the emergency care for Bella, it was impossible to consider bringing him in. I vowed to myself that once those two situations were dealt with, he was next to be welcomed. I didn't care what it would take or how far I'd have to go to look for him, I loved this kitty from our first meeting back in April and although I felt as though I had let him down just one month earlier, I wasn't going to make that same mistake twice. But I'll be honest, when we were in the throes of caring for Calvin & Clarence and then Bella, I couldn't see how it was going to be that I could help in saving Red - I really doubted it for a time especially after he disappeared from our street (which I convinced myself was because he didn't feel that there was any hope here of being loved by anyone).
So at a time when I was feeling very stressed and overloaded in the fostering/rescue department, I did the only thing I knew would really help me to cope - I prayed that a way would be found to keep Red safe while we worked to have our current fosters adopted. As you know the kittens have been moved to a new foster home and Bella was adopted just days ago........I'd say that was definetly Heavenly Father's way of letting me know that He was mindful and there.

I don't believe in coincidences and I do believe that everything happens for a reason. This is Red's time and I'm so grateful not only for the blessing of being the one extended the opportunity to share in that, but also that he was watched over until the moment was meant to be.

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!

We're thrilled to report that Bella was adopted yesterday!!!! There were alot of calls, many interested in adopting her, but in the end it was a wonderful couple that were lucky enough to take her home. She has moved on as the only kitty (something I'm sure she'll delight in over time) to be spoiled rotten and treated like the DIVA that she is.

Of course it being early days yet, I can't help but be a little worried about how she's doing in her new home. A call to her new Mommy today indicates that she's eating well but is curently hiding and not being very social. I've reassured them that this is very normal at this stage but that I'll touch bse again over the weekend to ensure everything is still going smoothly.

It's almost hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago that little angel had no home and her future (immediate anyway), looked very grim. Now, she's living in a condo, pampered and loved - oh how I love happy endings!



On another note, this morning we saw Red again so our mission this weekend is to bring him inside - at long last. Fingers crossed that we are successful and that he settles into living indoors; stay tuned.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

It's been a loooooooong time since we've had a DIVA in the house, but some things you can be reminded of very quickly! Bella is 100% DIVA, she may be small in size but believe me when I tell you that that is about all there is of her that is tiny.

This past week we've come to learn that she hates other cats, and I can assure you that that word hate isn't being used loosely here. I'd like to think that perhaps it's because she's in a house full of males, but having watched her this past week, I think it's safer to say that her Princess like attitude would extend over to other females - infact, I'm positive that if there were other females in the house, there would actually be some serious fur flying!! As it is, she does not allow Rocky, Silly or Farley to come within 10 feet of her, if they appear in the doorway of a room she's laying in, she lets out the loudest, most bone chilling sound that has them pinning their ears back and backing up into retreat as if they'd just met Medusa herself. She can be seemingly relaxed and appearing totally calm only to suddenly lift her head and with one whiff into the air, has a radar that has her able to smell the boys long before they've actually come into her line of sight. All she has to do is open her eyes and glare at them and as soon as they see her, they turn around like their toes are stepping on glass to head as far away in the opposite direction as possible. Rocky has made the mistake twice of trying to approach too closely and win out in a growl duel - she charged him and both times sent our poor sweet boy literally flying. In all the years of Rocky being in our home, we have NEVER seen him afraid of another cat, nor has he ever backed down and kept his distance - Bella (our Baby Girl), has changed all of that.

She is so affectionate and loving, but make no mistake she has her preferences even where petting is concerned, she lets you know if you're not petting her in the manner in which she'd like, and she also has a meow that is very clear in defining her disdain or disgust when things are not just to her liking. :))

But it's so nice to have her here - she's so beautiful physically and such a little darling to love and spoil - okay so she's a prima donna.......I'm just grateful that my hubby already knows all about high maintenance females or else this little girl could be giving us all a bad name. :))

THE POSITIVES IN CHANGE

Calvin & Clarence didn't get adopted this weekend at the adopt-a-thon as we had hoped, but they have been moved to a new foster home where they are the only kitties and already we're getting reports of them having a ball! Their moving on to another home has been hard and we do miss them but it's also provided some much needed relief in terms of how many kitties are in the house and how stressed everyone is as a result.

Bella is also doing really, really well - she's been with us a week tomorrow; how quickly time passes and how amazing it is that only 7 short days ago she was spending her nights outdoors alone, preparing for all the scary aspects of being a Mother and now............well see for yourself, now she's just soaking up every last little bit of love that's coming her way and settling in so nicely - our baby girl.



I think my little Miss Remy would highly approve of the first female to grace our home since her passing in 2004.

**The blanket that Bella is laying on was made by a wonderful friend in Utah who gave me a kitty cat quilt last year for Christmas - she made it entrely by hand; I can't wait to share with her what a wonderful use it's come to**

TEARS & TRIUMPH

Last Tuesday evening, just as I was getting ready for bed, a neighbour from down the street rang our doorbell and spoke to my hubby about a white cat that was sleeping in a baby carriage on her property. Evidently she had been feeding her for the past 3 weeks, and upon learning that we were involved in cat rescue, wondered if we could help (funny how that type of word travels so quickly).........

I was fuming to say the least once my husband came upstairs to tell me of the conversation - I was adament that I was marching down the street to give this person a piece of mind about how we were not going to turn into the "go to" people for every cat that showed up in the neighbourhood, and how rescue work takes a great many resources and FUNDS! and how the neighbourhood needed to step up and begin helping with what was obvously a very serious problem in our neighbourhood.

Twent minutes later I was on my doorstep with "Bella" - I knew what her name was going to be from almost the moment I saw her......



I could not leave her there, laying under the neighbour's car, dirty, with eyes that were weeping with greenish gunk, being so small and seeming so vulnerable - so without even thinking about how we were going to be able to welcome her in, we carried her up the street and into the Safe Haven Hotel she came. I made a call and thankfully our rescue had absolutely no qualms about having her vet checked the next day to ascertain whether she was spayed (or pregnant), how old she was and if there appeared anything else wrong.

The vet visit proved that she had indeed been very pregnant and was approximately 4 years old. I wasn't prepared for how emotional I became upon learning of her pregnancy and knowing that those babies were now gone.........with so many unwanted kittens constantly needing homes; the very difficult decisions have to be made to help control that situation. I was very saddened and just felt horrible - being someone who is very much opposed to abortion, and who takes a very strong stance against it morally, it was the first time I had been directly involved in that. But upon speaking with two fellow volunteers within the rescue who have a great deal of experience sadly in these situations, they helped me to see that there are really no other options, and reminded me that just 24 hours before she could have been having those kittens outside, alone, in filthy surroundings, with the prospect of trying to protect her babies from racoons and other predators, all the while having to forage for food, and ensure their safety. Not happy motherhood for a homeless cat by any stretch of the imagination.

We welcomed her back to our home and set her up in our finished basement. In four days we've learned that she loves wet food, loves to be brushed, has the most beautiful blue eyes we've ever seen, and is incredibly affectionate considering all that she's been through. She is declawed on all 4 feet - what kind of a person makes a cat completely helpless to defend itself but doesn't spay her? We highly suspect that she is part or full Manx since she has a bobtail, the blue eyes and has other physical features that appear in line with that breed.



Calvin & Clarence are at an adopt-a-thon this weekend in the hopes that they will be adopted. They may also be moved this weekend to another foster home who has just had an adoption, where they can be the only two kitties and thoroughly be spoiled rotten by a new foster Mommy. It was a difficult decision to make, the prospect of them not coming back to our home, but 6 kitties in the house with the addition of Bella, would just be too many for us personally (and for Rocky!); and so we've had to consider options that will allow us to help everyone.

Bella is flourishing already - and we're so thankful for the opportunity to help her and see her find a loving forever home that will cherish her the way she deserves to be. To think of where she was this time last weekend makes me shudder - but to dream about where she's headed brings tears of happiness to my eyes.........this is what fostering is all about.........helping those who cannot help themselves.

THE COLOUR OF LOVE

I mentioned in my last post that we were going to make attempts to scoop up "Red", a very handsome orange tabby who is a stray in our neighbourhood so that we could have him neutered and vaccinated and work towards finding him a home. I'm thrilled to report that last Sunday, hubby and I were up at 6:00am (which is right about the time Red appears on his morning stroll), and after about a 30 minute wait, Red showed and the process began. We were somewhat anxious initially as we waited for him since we'd already made the appointment at the clinic to have him there for 8:15am that morning; a little advantageous of us I know, considering that we had no guarantees this boy would show up in time for us to make that cutoff time. It was abit nailbiting at first, waiting, but thankfully prayers and finger crossing worked, and there he was.

He happily trotted along after us as we coaxed him to our side of the street, and almost instantly stepped into the carrier as he followed the trail of treats. It was so easy, it was almost unbelievable - the really tense time came as we waited for the 1 hour to tick by before we could take him in.........he was NOT pleased about being in that carrier and there were moments when I thought for sure he was going to break out of it!

True to creamsicle kitty form, his little voice was hoarse from meowing so loudly but we made it to clinic without any major problems and picked him up 8 hours later. He handled the surgery superbly and except for a very sore looking nose which he rubbed raw on the bars of the carrier, he was great and it was all over.



The pictures enclosed within this post are all taken AFTER he's home and back out in the neighbourhood; sadly I don't have room at my house to foster him right now and so we had to let him back out after a night of resting in our finished basement. Thankfully as the shots attest to, Red hasn't held a grudge at all - true to his amazing character, he's as loving and friendly as before and there's no hard feelings.

Now the job begins of finding him a home or a foster space. Word has begun to spread about this little boy's plight and I hope that anyone reading here will also pass along his picture and story. This is an AMAZING cat, both in temperment and fortitude - he has survived thus far against all the odds, and at approx 2 years of age, he has alot of life ahead of him that we want to do our utmost to ensure he gets to enjoy.