FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS..............

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

This Christmas Eve we give thanks for all of our blessings.............our health, our comforts, our beautiful country, precious things big and small, kindness, charity, and above all else, the very gift of life. But most of all, we give thanks for the miraculous birth of that very special baby born so long ago, the Prince of Peace who came into this world to make a way for us to return home to our Father in Heaven.

We thank each and every one of you who have ever visited with us here - whether it be once or many times over. Your encouragement, your support, your words of wisdom, your love for cats and kittens everywhere, and your desire to want to see them all with loving homes, is so appreciated and tonight we acknowledge your caring and your love for them.

So from everyone here at Safe Haven, myself, my husband Steve, our boys, Rocky & Silly and our current houseguest Oreo - may you each have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.

NOTHING WORTH HAVING...........

IS EVER EASY..........or so the saying goes.

We've been able to sort out Oreo's stomach issues - a new diet and some initial laxative use have done wonders to remedy the horrible constipation he was experiencing. Ironically, now that he can go to the bathroom (and go well we might add), for some reason he is now not too keen on doing just that in the litterbox. Yes that's right, our elderly guest has decided that floors whether they be right in front of the litterbox or on the main level, upstairs, or anywhere else in between; all seem like perfectly perfect places to defecate. Now before we get too far into the doomsday of this nasty situation, we remember that there is always something to be grateful for and right now that is the fact that we have hardwood throughout our house instead of carpet AND that Oreo is not experiencing the dreaded diahrea which would truly be nasty in every sense of the word from a cleaning up perspective!

The added frustration in all of this is that from one poop to the next he's not being consistent. He does it on the floor and then the next day decides to use the litterbox - leaving us to wonder; uh? Litterboxes in this house are kept pristine in cleanliness, we use only unscented litter, and we have four boxes in total. Again it's ironic to think that when he couldn't go, he spent all his time in the box straining for relief, now that he can, he prefers to leave them as presents all over the house. We had wondered whether he now associates the boxes with the pain of before, but then that theory is blown out of the water when we see him using them at his discretion. He also doesn't appear to love our boys' company the way we first thought and has a real bullying attitude toward our Silly so we're not sure if that is playing into it?

He has been added to the site for adoption but quite honestly, he will never be adopted if we can't sort this out. I had someone (who shall remain nameless), actually suggest that I withold this from any potential adopters - to which I replied "Your kidding right?" Lying is not my strong suite but ESPECIALLY when it comes to the happiness of a rescue kitty who has already endured more than his fair share of heartbreak, and the innocent adopter in this scenario who would either be totally unhappy with him once the problem was discovered or possibly do something horrible like toss him outside because of it.

Soooooo we're just taking it day by day and still searching for the answer on this one. Otherwise, this big boy is extremely happy, purry, eating like a horse, becoming more and more of a snuggler with each passing day, and we've discovered isn't shy about tapping your leg for petting when he wishes.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

It's been a rough first couple of weeks for Oreo. It became quickly apparent that he was having real issue defecating and by Tuesday evening of this past week, we took him off to the vet. Turns out that he was severely constipated..........not the kind that happens overnight or with just afew days, but weeks of not going properly. The vet had to use some pretty extreme measures that we're sure were very unpleasant for Oreo in order to try and help him be alleviated. He also had to have his dental work done and they ended up extracting three teeth..........the great news there is that for an elderly gent, he did extremely well under anaesthetic.

We picked him back up on Thursday night and he was one very unhappy camper. Initially administering the meds he came home with did not go smoothly at first, and we were extremely worried about how things would unfold now that he was back with us. But only three short days later, and it's all looking much brighter - with a new diet and the help of some laxatives, Oreo's system appears to be making the trek back to working order, he's settled back in, and isn't quite so fussed at med time. In addition, I woke this morning to find him on the bed sleeping with us and after getting up to feed and water the crew, he came back to bed with me for some cuddle time.

Although his two week quarantine is already up rescue wise, we're going to wait afew more days before adding him to the website for adoption. He's had abit of a rough ride and so we want to make sure he's feeling alot better before even considering letting him move on to his forever home.

A long time ago we learned that every life is worth saving and the Oreo's of the world, although older and perhaps abit more susceptible to bumps in the road, are absolutely no exception to that rule. We're thankful as well to work with an organization like Toronto Cat Rescue who do not hesitate to rescue the elderly kitties that need that second chance at happily ever after; as much as, if not more, than their younger counterparts.

HOWDY!

Some of you may remember our Cee Cee - the gorgeous calico we fostered that had both sweetness and sass (typical female!). Well her wonderful Mom "J" is so kind about sending shots and updates every so often and we received the latest one last night.

When hubby and I both looked at this all we could think was that CeeCee was saying "Hiya Mom & Dad, everything's great here!" Doesn't this shot just make you smile instantly?

We loved it but more importantly, we love that this gorgeous girl is so happy, healthy and loved!!!

DEJA VU

If the above-noted shot looks vaguely familiar that may be because I feel like we've been here before. With three black/white kitties in a row, and all having found the "window ledge" spot quickly and their love of it, it may be easy to become confused (I know we are! *L*).

Oreo is here 1 week today and already has full run of the house. The URI he began experiencing in the shelter, never materialized (thank goodness), and with perfect litterbox habits and a good appetite - not to mention an aversion to being kept in his guest room, we decided to roll the dice and see what his reaction was to our boys. Answer: it's been seamless..............Oreo hasn't let out a hiss or a growl since sauntering past Rocky & Silly initially and in the week past, he's become so relaxed that it's as if he's known them forever. Silly isn't bothered by him in the least and even our Stinkerboy is not his usual super nasty self. It's quite obvious that Oreo likes other cats and that given his age being closer to our own boys, he appreciates the quieter, more sedate things in life and therefore, poses no threat or bullying nature.

However, he is experiencing some issues with constipation at the moment which we're hoping to rectify with a vet visit early this coming week. He also requires dental work so the plan is to address both issues at the same time.

Here's one more shot just in case if you were doubtful of his having settled in already :))

BLACK & WHITE IS THE NEW IN!

This is Oreo whom we just picked up about an hour ago from the shelter where he's been miserably existing for the past two months. His owner died at the end of August and the family didn't want him. I'm not sure how you leave a 12 year old cat at the shelter that your Mom loved, but like alot of things in life..........it happens all the time.

Shelter staff reported him grumpy, hard to handle, not eating well, and it remained unseen whether he would tolerate other cats so that description didn't exactly endear him to us when the rescue reached out earlier in the week about us considering him. But then I started to think about my sister who left behind her two cats when she died, and my brother who died this past Summer and left behind his cat - in both instances, noone else wanting them - at least not initially. And then that still small voice planted that seed of reassurance like it often does, and we took the chance, letting the rescue know we wouuld welcome this old boy here at Safe Haven.

So Oreo's been here an hour, has already eaten, hasn't stopped purring, and has already posed for these two shots. Oh and as it turns out, he does tolerate other cats as he was initially surrendered with a brother (sadly we're not quite certain what's happened to him).

So we say to Oreo's Mom today (who we hope can see into this side of the veil)..............it's okay, you can rest easy now - we got this.

KING OF THE CASTLE

Well if pictures are worth a thousand words, than I'd say it's safe to say that Hogan is settling in just fine to his new home.

This shot just warmed our hearts............his hard days are all behind him now and he can have any spot and every spot in the entire house.

Just as it should be.

WE MADE IT!!

Today's entry finds Hogan now in his forever home - it was just that quick. "E" called enquiring about Hogan earlier in the week, we had a conversation and I learned quickly just how much she loves cats. Her last cat Tuck, passed away this past Spring - originally born in the beautiful state of Arizona, Tuck became a Northern boy and was adored and loved until his final day. "E" came by today, met Hogan (who absolutely knew something was amiss), and within an hour was completing the adoption paperwork and we were picking out one his favourite toys among the plethra of many that he loved, for him to take to his new home.

We're so happy for him that he now can reside as the true King of his Castle and thank him for allowing us to get to know him and for being such a good boy. It was a tough foster in some respects, not because Hogan was misbehaving in any way, but rather because he didn't enjoy the company of others cats and with our Rocky, that spells alot of tense moments which is never fun for anyone.

So tonight it's a new adventure for Hogan and an empty foster room for us...............

HANDSOME

How's this for a striking pose? I just finished updating Hogan's rescue profile with updated pictures (this one among them), and a new write up. Sometimes an update can do wonders to draw people to a rescue kitty and since it's their first introduction to him/her, it's incredibly important.

Prayers said that this helps for Hogan's family to find him. He spent a good portion of last night snuggled up against me as I watched t.v. - happy as a clam he was to have me all to himself.

He really is going to make that special someone an incredible friend.

DELICATE BALANCE

Every day we give thanks that we were able to offer Hogan the refuge of our home and every day I ask the Lord to please help us find his forever family - and not necessairily in that order.

Some days it feels like we're walking on a tight rope around here and we'd be lying if we didn't say it's abit difficult at present. The longer Hogan is with us, the more comfortable he becomes, but in this case it also means that his stress level goes up much easier because he's faced with sharing his space longer than we had hoped. He bit me yesterday (nothing serious), but he was agitated because one of our boys was raising a ruckus and he is really unhappy when they are active; and I didn't watch the signs he gave. His litterbox habits continue to be perfect but every day I wonder how much longer that will hold out; if it will at all? We're really pushing the envelope here when it comes to what he can take, and we can only hope that the right person/s is around the next corner.

In all the fosters we've had, we've only had to move 2 to other foster homes - one had severely attacked me, and the other was really sick and we couldn't offer the care he needed with our working full time. Otherwise, we've been able to make the situation work with every kitty that has come through the front door - sometimes we've wondered how we've done it and right now we're REALLY wondering how we've done it!! So it goes without saying that we would really like Hogan to stay with us until happily ever after finds him.................we'll keep hoping and praying and doing what we can to make things as easy for all as we can - but wherever you are; please hurry *L*

STILL WORKING

Hogan is still with us. Of all those who have enquired about him thus far, not one has made it to the meet n' greet stage. On the one hand we're grateful because we know that means none were the right ones, and yet on the other, we're disappointed because this boy really needs to be on his own in a home and apart of us wishes that could come soon.

Overall Hogan does really well and still his litterbox habits are perfect. We've toyed with the idea of leaving him full house access when we head back to work tomorrow but at last discussion, it was agreed that for his calmness and out of respect for our boys space (and our peace of mind), he'll go back to spending his days during the week in his guest room. No sense pushing that envelope even further than we already are and having any one of a number of bad things take place.

He's a big sweetheart that will be so happy when he has his own space.

THAT RIGHT FIT

So far there have been three enquiries for Hogan - not bad at all considering he's been with us a month exactly this coming Wedneday. The first actually ended up adopting elsewhere, the second was initial excitement that wained, and the third remains to be seen. This one is a young couple who are preparing to be married and have fallen madly in love with Hogan via his pictures, his bio write up, and the brief discussion we've had over the phone. The concern for me is that they are planning on children in their future, and although we cannot say with any degree of certainty that children was the trigger in Hogan's former family that resulted in his inappropriate litterbox usage, it certainly couldn't have helped. I've been completely honest with them about why he was surrendered and how wonderfully he has done here litterbox wise despite sharing his space with other cats. They are both currently travelling on business and won't be available to meet him for another week or thereabouts so I've suggested we all think about it and if they still feel as strongly about him when they've had time to ponder, I've indicated they are welcome to call us again and we'll set up a time for them to meet him.

Our current feeling is to stand firm on the no kids, no dogs and no cats in his new home. This is where the foster parent's responsbility comes into play.............it's his happiness and setting him up for success that is foremost in our minds. Quite honestly, this couple will be able to find another kitty that will tolerate their lifestyle choices, but Hogan, he cannot make those choices for himself and is at the mercy of whomever's hands he lands in. There are no guarantees at any time, but we must do our best to protect and help those who come into our care - and oftentimes that can mean saying no to good when you know you need great.

NOT SO FAST!

Hogan has been with us two weeks today and I just finished submitting his bio and pictures to the rescue for posting on the website. Basically I think at this point if you we were able to ask Hogan himself, he would tell you that he can't get out of Dodge fast enough! *L*

He has been a wonderful houseguest...........he just happens to hate having to share his space with others and pretty much is of the mindset that everyone in the animal kingdom should retreat or get out of his way completely. So it's official - he does hate other cats but on the upside, he LOVES people!! Part of our regular routine in the evenings is for him to come in and snuggle beside me while I'm reading right before bed. He still is and will continue to have, controlled exposure to the whole house and our boys. In order to keep everyone stress free and tolerant, Hogan is only given free run of the house when we are home; so afew hours in the morning before work and then again when we get home late afternoon until we go to bed. Otherwise, he spends overnight in his guestroom and all indications are that by the time that hour comes at night, he's very ready to go back to having his own space. It is a juggling act here right now but he is overall a super lovely, sweet and very affectionate boy and we're very confident that he'll be adopted pretty quickly given his age, temperment, and who could overlook that handsome face? His litterbox habits continue to be absolutely perfect, so even though there are other cats around and he's not happy about it, the trick was/is to ensure that his stress level isn't totally excaberated to the point where he feels that the only recourse he has is to act out by having naughty bathroom habits - hence the continued use of his guestroom for much needed privacy and de-stress.

All this said, we will ensure that he goes to a home without other pets and no kids and that anyone taking him understands that down the road, that cannot change for him - he will never be happy with either. Just means that his 2nd chance has to be a forever family that completely understands what they are agreeing to if they wish to take him home.

He is certainly personality plus and is not shy about letting you know exactly what he wants and how he wants it. Gotta love that kind of self confidance. :))

THREE WAYS AGAIN

Hogan has officially been here 1 week tomorrow, and yes the picture above is taken from my livingroom. Just as we suspected initially, this devilishly handsome boy wasn't having too much of being sequestered in his guest room - his litterbox habits continue to be perfect so we decided to see how his stress level handled some feline company.

Thankfully our boys have been doing this almost as long as we have so they quickly sense when there is a guest that requires a wide berth and Hogan is just such a guest. I'd say right now that he appears more scared of other cats than hateful of them, and although he hisses and growls when either Rocky or Silly get too close, overall he's doing okay and so are they. Presently his time outside his room is very limited - first thing in the morning until we leave for work, and again when we get home until we go to bed..............and so far it's working for everyone. Hogan actually purrs when I put him back in his room at night and is quiet as a mouse for the duration until alarm clock time the following morning. Already, you can see that he's discovered the front window and is memorized by the squirrels, birds and dogs within his view. He's also already discovered what treat time is and comes readily to be included when those are distributed :))

We still have 1 more week to go before his quarantine is up and he can be placed on the website for adoption, but it's time that will be well spent as we continue to get to know him and further determine if his litterbox issues in his last home were environmental related. He's been very sweet and affectionate with both hubby and I...........he enjoys lap cuddle times, goes nuts for toys, and has a great appetite so if need be, his future forever home may require one without other kitties, but in return he will be one darling of a friend for that lucky someone.

Time will tell.

GRADUATION!!

Smartie's new parent's have been kind enough to stay in touch these past couple of weeks to let me know how our little guy was doing as he settled in at his new home. I commend them, they took his integration into their family really slowly and didn't pressure him, his new feline housemate Tiggee, or themselves, to have it all sorted out over night. We were so pleased at how well Smartie coped with yet another change, and like they say, the proof is in the pudding.....

He went from this:

To this:

As of yesterday, he has full run of the house and so far, things are good. I'd say our SmartieBean is pretty grateful for his second chance.....

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC

Hogan came to stay with us last night here at Safe Haven. Yes, I did say last night as in not even 24 hours ago.......

He had been surrendered to the shelter for inappropriate elimination all over his owner's house and it had evidently been going on for quite some time. They had another cat, a dog, at least one child, and on top of all those, they were also letting Hogan outside (which is horrible for any cat but one that's declawed?!). He's three years old, one of those tall, strong looking males with a really thick, plush coat, and an adorable bib of white down his chest and on the tips of his toes. I was slightly worried about the lack of litterbox use, and so when I placed him in his guest room last night and went back to check on him, I did so holding my breath somewhat as to what I would find..............imagine my delight when I found that he'd used the litterbox almost as soon as he arrived! Since then he's used the litterbox overnight, and again today while we were at work; he's got a great appetite, LOVES toys, and just before I began typing this he sauntered over and laid half his body across my lap so we could have a really good love session!! He goes crazy for attention, hasn't made strange at all, and has been purring up a storm. Initially the boys presence outside the door appeared to be making him a little nervous, but already that seems to have subsided considerably. Of course the real test here will come when it's time to let him have full access to the house; both in terms of his feelings about other cats in general, and his ability/desire to continue to use his bathroom facilities (and I don't mean the ones he chooses) :)).

The only tough aspect of this so far has been that he kept me up all night crying in his room - and I do mean ALL night. Hopefully, he does abit better tonight since he's had the day to become acclimatized but I suspect that he's a very social boy and won't be all that patient about hanging out in his guest room for too, too, long.

So far, so good. Oh I almost forgot to share the other photo I took.............he likes to roll around, look at your upside down and isn't shy about sharing his belly for your viewing pleasure.

FRECKLE FACE FAREWELL

At about Noon time today, it was official - Smartie has his forever home. We had a lovely couple come out to meet him on Saturday, and they really liked him. Smartie himself was somewhat nervous for the meet n' greet (which we expected and I had forewarned them about), but overall he did great considering where he was just afew short months ago. They came back today to complete paperwork and pay the adoption fee, and will return this Saturday to take him home.

This check out from the Safe Haven will be hard for me. The ones that come struggling and then bloom so much while here, always are. I feel so protective of him and I've done my best to ensure that his new parents understand his adjustment to their family will take time. He will share his space with an 11 yr old male kitty, and I hope that he is kind to our boy and that they get along.

Perhaps it's fostering au revoir time............

MAYBE, MAYBE NOT

Yes, there has finally been an adoption call for SmartieBean that has made it through the inital round! I spoke to the wife of the duo this week in length, to discuss Smartie in abit more detail and to ensure that she realized he would not be an "instant pet"; if the adoption were to move to the final stage. She seems VERY nice and her husband will join her at tomorrow's meet n' greet, they have always adopted rescued kitties and currently have an 11 year old male that is super lonely after the loss of his good friend who passed this past June from cancer.

I have no idea how Smartie will react to the visit but we'll know soon enough. I've only thought briefly about the possibility that this could be it, one, because I don't want to get my hopes up and two, because I would then have to think about how much I'll miss him................neither warm me so I'm simply going to cross those bridges when I get to them.

We shall see.............

DEDICATION

Two weeks ago today my older brother Rick died of a massive coronary - he was 59. It was about as sudden and shocking as you can get...........one minute he was waiting for a bus at the subway, the next a transit employee was performing CPR. If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I also lost a younger sister afew years ago. Actually it will be 4 years this coming Saturday, so now I will be visiting two gravesites every August - so heartbreaking to say the least.

The day after I learned of Rick's death, I was sitting in my home office thinking upon his life and the life of my sister and feeling a great sense of sadness. Suddenly I received notification that I had a new email waiting in my inbox and somewhat absent mindedly, I opened it. There before me was a lovely email from formers adopters "S & A" who had taken home our Marigold. Here's an excerpt of her email and the lovely photos she enclosed:

We are so happy to tell you that Marigold is a HUGE part of our happy family. A and I got married at the end of June and to incorporate Marigold into our wedding, we added her to our cake topper. Marigold is becoming quite the well-travelled cat - staying in hotels in Brockville, Ottawa, Montreal, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and this weekend we're off to Gravenhurst. She's happy to go into her carrier, and she is well behaved in the car. Once in a hotel room, she loves to explore - smelling EVERYTHING before settling in on the highest vantage point in the hotel room. We love her dearly, and cannot imagine our lives without her.

It wouldn't be enough to say that this email/pictures made me smile. In the moment of raining sorrow, the Lord reminded me that there will always be sunshine after..........

NICE N' EASY

Smartie has been with us 3 months now. A couple of people have expressed interest but it didn't even get to the conversation stage with us as they all changed their minds about him before meeting him. I know that means they weren't the right family for him and yet, it's difficult when fostering turns into months because it will be that much harder all the way around to say goodbye when the time comes.

That said, he's doing great. He's morphed into quite the little suck and has to have his lap snuggle with Mom every night now before I head upstairs for bed. Hubby pointed out that it's not his lap he seeks (which I hadn't actually realized), so it gave me a nice feeling to know that he seeks me out for that affection time. Smartie is still at least initially terrified of alot of things, and can practically jump out of his own skin with many of them, but his recovery time from those incidents is alot faster now and he also thoroughly enjoys keeping our Silly young by constantly trying to spar him into wrestling matches. *L*

He's a nice boy who just needs a nice home - may it come.

FROM THE FIELD

You might remember Bumble & Ziggy, probably two of the most gorgeous cats looks wise, that we've ever fostered! Their Mom keeps in touch with us and I swear that these two hunks just get better looking the more I see of them.

If there was a Hollywood for animals, these two would surely be the paparazzi's favourite pastime.

Of course it goes without saying that what warms our heart the most is how fully they are loved and so well cared for!

WORDS OF WISDOM

I came across this and thought it summed up my feelings where rescue cats are concerned perfectly...........

Please share with anyone you may know that is considering adopting.

SWEETIEPIE ALERT!!!

I'm not sure that SmartieBean could get any cuter if he tried...........

Just a little over eight weeks now since he came to stay with us. Honestly, I'm a little surprised that we still have him but we suspect that his heart murmur is what is making people shy. Little do they know, our Miss Remy had the same grade of heart murmur as Smartie and she lived to be sixteen.

Well until the right person finds our sweet boy, it just means we have longer to enjoy his lovely little self.

TRUE AFFIRMATION

We received the loveliest email from "M" the other day who adopted our Quincy (now known as Oscar) about a year ago. She was writing to share that she and our little buddy had moved out to New Brunswick and that he's doing well.

I'm not sure if it was what she wrote, how she wrote it, or what I saw that made me well up with tears; truth be told maybe it was a little bit of all three. Although we continue to foster and help to save lives, I've also become quite involved in another side of the rescue, the side where people decide to return cats/kittens adopted out by us and amongst the legitimate reasons that come along (and there are truly some), you also listen to and read stories that have people demanding you take the cat back after 3, 5, or 10 years of that kitty being apart of their life for alot of ugly reasons. New partner (who doesn't like cats), new baby (and our child has to come first now), new job (I won't have the hours to dedicate to an animal), and my personal favourite, I'm moving (and Cuddles cannot come). In dealing with situations and excuses like these, you can start to become abit despondent, and frustrated, and sad, that there are so many who discard their pets like they would a worn pair of sneakers or a piece of furniture.

And then along comes people like "M" who clearly loves Oscar and considers him a true friend - read and see for yourself:

I thought you might like a little update on Oscar. It has been one year since I adopted Oscar and I couldn't be happier with that decision. He is such a good companion. He has endured a lot of change in the past year with his sweet, playful, and cuddly nature intact.


In January we moved to New Brunswick. We drove over a period of three days and I was quit concerned about how he was going to handle such a big change. I did a lot of research about how best to make the move with the least amount of trauma for him. In the end I decided to try a lavender and chamomile scented collar and travel during the day, when he usually sleeps. He did so much better than I could have hoped for. He slept in his crate with minimal fuss while on the road and even made himself at home in the hotel rooms.


He seems to love it here in NB. He has a great time watching the birds, deer, ground hogs, and other animals that he can see from the windows. He continues to purr seemingly endlessly and has become a very pushy lap cat.

I give great thanks to my Heavenly Father that he continues to aide us in this work by bringing lovely people like "M" and kitties like Oscar, together.

CHEEKY MONKEY

Several weeks later and this is Smartie. Soooooo sweet and his favourite thing of all is hopping up into our laps for quality loving. He's still nervous about some things (ie: terrified of plastic bags), but he's so much better than when he first arrived. He's also starting to stay quiet all night long, for a while there he would cry in the night pretty much every night of the week - moving here was very hard on him.

So when he's not being cute and lovey, he likes to chase Silly around the house for horseplay. You can imagine how well that goes over..............Rocky he just tries to avoid like the plague! *L* He's has alot of kitten like qualities still which is just too cute and makes him all that more endearing.

We're hopeful that his forever family is right around the next corner.

PICTURE PERFECT

Smartie is making loads of progress now that he's been here almost a month. I could go on and on about all the hurdles he's cleared but I think I'll let these next few pictures do the talking. Suffice it to say that undernearth that terrified little face and exterior, lies a very adorable, sweet and oh so loving young boy.

He's officially up for adoption now - so fingers crossed that the right family finds him.

KITTENTUDE

I start by apologizing to all you Shakespeare lovers out there.............we've decided to rename Malvolio. It just wasn't flowing off our tongues and more importantly, after 2 1/1 weeks of using it continually, he doesn't appear to know it even slightly. This seems to happen alot we find and we're often left wondering if these same owners ever even used the names they give to their pets? My two boys know their names (and their nicknames even), at the drop of a hat so we're always baffled when rescues come to us who act nameless. That said, we've decided to call him SMARTIE - because whether he's nervous or inquisitive, his eyes become the size of smarties! :))

We also reintroduced Smartie to the entire lodgings here at Safe Haven late last week and in just afew short days, he's doing much, much better. He's still incredibly nervous with sudden movements and certain objects (a real fear of plastic bags is apparent), but he spends more time out now than hiding, and will come running when the food dish is being filled (typical male - always hungry) :)). He is also still easily spooked when being petted but that too is showing signs of improvement, and we've even heard him purring albeit ever so slightly afew times now while having his chin scratched.

The biggest part of this update is that he is REALLY enjoying the company of our boys, loves to play hide n' seek, and has alot of kitten like antics that are just too adorable to watch unfolding. We will absolutely want him to go to a home with another young cat like himself because we suspect that as he's had the boys to observe and has sensed their feelings of safety; it has helped his own. Our boys are too old for all his desires to play but at least it's wonderful to see him engaged and oh did I neglect to mention how chatty he is! - a real talker.

His forever home will need an experienced owner and lots of patience, but we see the light on the horizon and once again it looks beautiful.

SMALL WINS

It's been up and down with Malvolio. The up is that he has a fantastic appetite and perfect litterbox habits, to many those might seem like not such a big deal and to be expected; but when your dealing with as many other issues as we're uncovering with this little guy............those have us very grateful!

It has taken us 11 days to get to point you see above. That's Malvolio content to sleep in the cat bed ON TOP of the fuzzy housecoat instead of using it to bury himself underneath of it to hide. This past weekend we tried giving him access to the rest of the house and our boys. Surprisingly, he didn't do too badly with the latter, but he found his way to the basement on Friday night and stayed in the same spot until Sunday morning - not moving, not coming out to eat or drink, having buried himself in the smallest corner he could find behind a tonne of stuff where we had to take a flashlight to find him. So we got him out of there and back up to his guestroom, where now instead of hiding, hissing, and growling every time we enter the room or he hears a noise, he's now enjoying the comforts of the cat bed and will do so in front of us.

He startles easily, is very freaked out by sudden hand movements, and petting him is an art form because you have to wait until his pupils are not the size of saucers (meaning he's not as stressed), and even then you can start only to find that within three seconds he's terrified all over again.

So here we are celebrating the small stuff and hoping that the big stuff will come.

4 DAYS & PROGRESS

Today marks almost 4 full days since Malvolio came to stay and we're delighted to report that we can now pet him! He's still extremely shy and uneasy, but he does rub against us now and has allowed us to pet his head and I even got an underneath the chin scratch in which he seemed to enjoy.

He startles easily and has taken to laying on one of the end tables in his room behind a big plate I have there - he's party hidden so again I think it makes him feel safer. It can't be comfortable but he seems to like it and it's all about whatever helps him to feel secure in his surroundings. His pupils still become dilated and huge very quickly, so we're being very respectful of his need for slow right now and not pushing the envelope with him at all.

There's a sweet boy in there - it will just take abit of extra time for him to settle in and trust. After all that's happened to him, how can anyone blame for him?