DIN DIN MANOEUVRES!

Having a foster kitty that has any sort of "special" needs whether that be medical, or otherwise, can prove to be challenging at the best of times. Depending upon the magnitude of the issue at hand and the kitty your dealing with, your efforts to ensure that a schedule and/or plan are followed can begin to resemble a covert operation or even a cat and mouse game of always keeping the upper hand (pardon the pun).

In our Farley's case, it's imperative that his diet is strict in nature in order to ensure that he's given the best possible chance of shedding afew of the 22 Ibs of weight that have been his. When he first arrived, I was full of confidance that we'd be more than successful in helping him with this task, infact I'd say I may have been overly optimistic. That was probably due in part to my having forgotten (or preferring to deny to myself), that kitties like Farley who reach weights of this nature are not those who normally would be found to be finicky eaters, or ones that you have to coax to the food bowl at dinner time. No, big boys like Farley are normally first to the bowl, and oftentimes can be found eagerly sitting close by in case there are seconds to be had - whether those come in the form of additional kibble on their plates, or on the plates of their roommates who perhaps aren't as "intense" about consuming everything within the first 5 minutes of the meal!

Now that Farley is completely settled in, meaning his food bowl now resides in the same area of the house as our own two boys, and he's feeling totally part of the family, his love of eating is in full display. Not only does he swallow his meals faster than any cat we've ever had, he also waits patiently for opportunities to help Rocky with his, just in case Rocky has any difficulty in that department!

We've had to become way more diligent in ensuring that after Rocky has had the first few mouthfuls of breakfast or dinner (and being the grazer that he is), we lift his bowl off the floor and out of Farley's line of sight. This proves especially challenging when during the week, the boys are fed just before 5:00am, and I might not be as bright eyed and bushy tailed at that hour, and so it is that I suddenly realize after making my way back upstairs to begin getting ready for the day, that Farley sure to be sure, can be found consuming whatever Rocky hasn't!! Some mornings, I wait nearby so that I can remove Rocky's bowl as soon as he's had his first taste of breakfast........the most hilarious thing is watching Farley watch me, watch Rocky. It quite literally can resemble some sort of board game in which all the players are trying to anticipate the other's next move.

Right about now it's thank goodness for being taller and somewhat faster - although this assignment is proving we will need all our wits to outsmart this particular opponent!!

TIME AS THE GOLDEN KEY

I was somewhat concerned when I found our dominant male's growling and ornery attitude seemingly lingering for longer than normal with our Farley (our latest foster). Unless there are serious personality conflicts (which I'm relieved to report we can literally count on one hand for the all the fosters that have stayed here), the normal displays of disgust with a new roommate are usually subsiding for Rocky "Stinkerboy" - somewhere around the 2 - 2 1/2 week mark. Farley has been here almost a month now, and since I was still hearing and seeing alot of jealousy on Rock's part, a small bit of me began to wonder if perhaps he was just beginning to get really fed up with all of these strangers being paraded through, and just wasn't going to "come around" anymore. **Even typing that now just gives me a dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach**.

But I forgot that real time cannot be controlled by any of us, and I was relieved and so happy today to see that Rocky & Farley have found that truce that is only understandable between felines........any delay in that is just my own impatience I'm sure, and the time it took if we're honest with ourselves, is when they are ready and not before!



Ahhhh yes, once again our Rocky Rockstar has relented - thank you Monkey Man for being such a good boy.............

WHEN THE CRAZY GETS CRAZIER!

Some may remember the neighbour I wrote about last Summer - the one who was interested in adopting, but became quickly disenchanted with the idea when he found out that the rescue my husband and I volunteer with, spays and neuters the cats and kittens in their care.

Well hold onto your hats folks, because what I thought was an isolated incident of one person's backward view on a very important topic, has suddenly become just a little more alarming. During the course of my volunteer work on the admin side of the rescue we're with, I've come across applications from people who have expressed views that are in support of NOT spaying and neutering. When pressed about this, one person was adamant that they consider spaying and neutering a form of mutilation and as such, could not volunteer with the rescue because of our opposing views on what they referred to as an "ethical issue".

I realize I'm going to sound totally naive here but...............ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!!!!!! I mean seriously, how could anyone, and I do mean anyone, feel that allowing cats to reproduce with the current crisis we have in shelters and rescues and feral cat colonies, the world over, honestly and seriously be of the mindset that more kittens born into a world where the ones already here are unwanted, abused and neglected on a horrendous scale - is a good idea. How could anyone think that allowing some poor little female who is still just a baby herself in many instances, have 3 or 4 litters by the time she's 2 or 3 years old, is a good idea?
Have these people been inside the shelter system I wonder, do they see the enormous influx of unwanted cats and kittens that are dumped every day, do they know that the large majority of those same cats (who've been allowed to breed freely), will probably not make it back out of these places alive, but instead, will die alone and afraid in a metal cage, or worse on the streets of our fair city, after having battled the outdoor elements for years on end that included disease, abuse, and neglect?

I believe wholeheartedly that God gave us the ability to pro-create and that that gift is both wonderful and precious. But He also gave us minds to think with as well and to know right from wrong, and most important of all, TO BE RESPONSIBLE! When the shelters are empty, when the colonies no longer exist, and when the rescue groups can close their doors from lack of need, maybe then and only then can other ideas be considered.

Until such time - SPAY and NEUTER YOUR PETS.

MORNING SAUNA ANYONE??

It would appear that our boys are doing their utmost to remind us EACH MORNING, of how much nicer it would be to have their lives - you know, the ones that include the slow, easy pace of living high on the hill where you have others to cater to your every need and thus, leave you with the time to enjoy the finer things in life.

The finer things in life at this particular time appears to include the new morning ritual which has both boys sauntering into our bathroom just after the alarm has gone off (and the heat is automatically turned up a notch or two), and them flopping down right under the register to bask in the warmth. They stretch, they yawn, they lazily look up at us as if to say "Oh yeah........you guys just don't know what your missing", and I admit it - I get sleepy all over again just by watching them, and I've only been up for all of 30 minutes at this point!

Whoever suggested that the life of a domestic cat is boring has yet to meet Rocky and Silly during the course of one of their morning siesta's. I don't know about any of you, but this looks downright heavenly to me.

BEING A MAMA BEAR

Some might say that there are those of us who are "too passionate" about cat rescue or about cats in general. I've seen that expression on the faces of those around me countless times, whether it be at the office, someone I've encountered through volunteering in cat rescue, or someone who visits our home and discovers that we have cats. I'm sure many of you can relate to what I'm referring to, those that feel a cat is just a cat and why such a big deal to protect them?

When I was younger, I would have said I loved cats, now having become so involved in cat rescue, and having seen the abuse, neglect and abandonement that these animals suffer at the hands of others who treat them as if they are disposable garbage that's just gotten in the way of living life, I would say I am entirely passionate about cats. As such, I am also incredibly protective of cats - ESPECIALLY the ones that reside in our home, whether our own or guests that are currently staying with us through fostering.

Farley is not going to be adopted this weekend as I had previously thought. That just goes to show that things are not always what they seem, and that in the end, in fostering you have to be prepared to put the needs of your foster first before the needs and wants of those that may express interest in adopting. They need those of us who are deemed as their protectors, to do just that, protect, and there should be no reason to feel the need to apologize, explain, or rationalize that responsibility, or the intensity with which you as a foster parent perform that role.

Foster care cats are not circus animals. They should not be expected to perform like "the perfect cat" - whatever the heck that even means, nor should they be scrutinized for being individuals and as such, having their likes and dislikes just as do the rest of us. As a foster parent it is my job, and I do it willingly and with full intent, to love and protect these precious little souls that come to stay at Safe Haven so that their second chance is truly that.

EASY, PEASY, PIE.....

Every once in a while on this journey through life, you'll encounter something that ends up being waaaaay easier than you ever dreamed it would be. In fact, it's so easy, you might even catch yourself saying, "I just can't believe how easy that was" - "Why was I so worried?"

That is exactly how things have unfolded with Farley. When I got the email that indicated he was sitting in a shelter downtown and the vet overseeing his care had great concerns about him spending any time at all in a cage due to the fact that he was just going to gain more weight.......I thought to myself, hmmm how heavy can this cat be that a animal doctor is worried? Then afew days later, when we actually went to pick him up and our contact at the shelter remarked on how "large" Farley was, and then the shelter staff came over and gave me a mound of paperwork that talked about how "large" he was, I have to admit that there was a little voice asking myself, okay just what have I gotten us into this time?. All of this was further exasperated by the fact that when I went to lift our carrier with him in it, my first knee jerk reaction was holy moly this guy's heavy!!!!
I literally had images of a grotesque, overweight cat that laid around all day and simply waited to gorge on his next meal before heading back into a food enduced slumber.

Farley is "pleasantly plump" as I like to call him, but he is otherwise just an all around amazing cat. I wish his former family (the ones who referred to him as lazy in their surrender papers), and the shelter staff could all see him now. He's been here just over a week, and although I can't attest to his former self, I can tell you that this boy since being in our home has been playful, engaging, ACTIVE, and just downright adorable almost every second. He likes other cats, he loves attention, he's thrilled by toys and yes, he does enjoy his meals, but not in a gorging sort of way by any stretch of the imagination - why he even purrs while enjoying his breakfast and dinner!

This has absolutely been one of the easiest fosters we've ever had stay with us. I use the past tense here because I'm sure come my next entry, Farley will be in his forever home - oh did I neglect to mention that he has two separate families interested in adopting him? Yes TWO............not bad for a BIG FELLA wouldn't you agree?? :)))

BIG BUNDLE LOVE!

I love writing an entry when I have a smile on my face from the minute I begin typing, and this one is going to be no exception! I'm thrilled to report that Buster has been adopted and although it's still on a "trial", I have a great feeling that he's now in his forever home.

As if that wasn't the best news ever in and of itself, I have more!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to introduce you to the latest guest here at Safe Haven - he just arrived last night and already he has us smiling and finding it hard to not want to be petting him every second. This is Farley :)



At five years of age, he found himself 2 weeks ago being surrendered by his previous family due to a "lifestyle change". They had two other kitties at home besides Farley and decided that for whatever reason, that he had to go. The saddest part of his story isn't just the desertion by people that were supposed to love him forever, but the fact that they dumped him after they did nothing to prevent his weight reaching a whopping 22 Ibs! That's right, this sweet, lovable, gorgeous boy who has a fantastic disposition, is so large that when I bend down to pet him and he head butts me, I'm just about toppled over.



Instead of focusing on the negatives of how unfair his situation has been of late, we're going to focus on loving him silly and helping him to shed some of this kitty weight that he just doesn't need to be carrying around. We're thrilled to have him come to stay with us - and Farley; well I'm sure he knows he's at "the kitty resort" because he's done little else except purr, purr, purr since arriving.