A visit from the Three Bears..no, sorry, that would be Four

Ivan is really really really sick

My Ivan cat is very ill. He was originally diagnosed with diabetes, but it looks like there may be other issues. Potassium deficiency, etc. Here he is wobbling about.

That was yesterday. This morning he was doing much better! Still unsteady, but not leaning against things. But then he started vomiting, right after receiving his insulin. So...we would assume his insulin would be too high, right? Because he had no food in his gut to off-set it since he'd barfed it up? He started having a reaction, so corn syrup was prescribed. But he didn't get better and my wonderful vet was able to fit him in for fluids and a glucose check. Turns out he was not too LOW (too much insulin not enough food) but too HIGH (too much glucose).

So now I own a glucose meter and in addition to hating me for force-feeding him, and giving him insulin, Ivan now hates me for pricking his ears every couple hours for blood. But at least I'll know now if he is "too high" or "too low."

Ivan had a stay at an emergency clinic, Colonial Veterinary Hospital, Saturday-Sunday, and they were great. Of course, no one can be as good as my own veterinarian, Cornerstone, who fit me in last week, and today. Ivan had two wonderful techs and a vet hovering over him today, and last night Dr. Shakespeare brought potassium supplements home with her so I could pick them up there after hours because I couldn't make it to Ithaca during the clinic hours.

I don't know what is going to happen with Ivan. I keep hoping he'll perk up and I'll get the miracle of another few years with him. It's been so long since I got the call that he and his littermates had been dumped in Danby State Forest and all had been caught but him. He bit my finger trying to eat tuna off of it so was placed on 10-day quarantine, and I fell in love. I asked my then-husband if I might keep him, and he said "no." I ignored him, so you can see why I'm single now.

I've had three "special" cats. Tommy was my childhood cat. He was killed by a dog at age 12. Those were the days when everyone let their cats out. Rastus I adopted from the Chenango County SPCA for three bucks, and smuggled him into my high school in my sweatshirt. He passed away at age 17 of cancer. And Ivan, well, Ivan came into my life just after Rastus left it. He is now nearly 16.

And here we are.

Too beautiful to still be here.

I have two "kittens" who I haven't been promoting because the longhaired cat has a loose stool. However multiple fecals have ruled out any parasites. I've kept his buddy with him to have someone to play with, and now they are so closely bonded they really ought to go together.



They are the sweetest things but, of course, shy with stranger. But now in the age of video hopefully someone will see how playful and affectionate they are online, and know that once they get over their initial shyness they'll be the cute hellions they really are.

And yes, that monster paw is real, and not a photographic distortion.

Not reading the aspcapro blog? If you are in rescue, you ought to.

There's a lot of good stuff there! Visit it here.

I realize I'm copping out with cat videos...

But I promise some real content this weekend. In the meantime...

iPhone humor

With a great message near the end!

The latest "Simon" video

Way too much "on the road"

Travel is always fun, but home time becomes even more vital when trips are just one, two, or three weeks apart. I'm almost done with planes for the spring...just one more trip flying above the clouds. The last trip to the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, I took the car, and Molly came along.



She loves hotel rooms. I can take her on my next trip as well, but the hotel fee is a pricey $75 to bring her along, and that comes out of my pocket because it's not technically work related. I'll see how my taxes come out and what the IRS will be taking out of my hide.

In the further adventures of feral cat trapping, I caught three cats a week ago--two females and a male. I planned to return any males I caught on my way to Virginia, and have my house-sitters care for the females as they recovered from their spay surgeries. But one cat decided to pop out kittens in the trap at the SPCA of Tompkins County. She gave birth to five. Two were very small..too small..and they did not make it. The other three are doing really well, but I was worried the entire time I was gone that a kitten would pass over and the caretakers I hire when I travel would have to deal with it. A big thanks goes to Lori, a friend and vet tech, who was "on deck" in case something awful happened. Luckily by the time I got back the kittens had doubled in size and mom seems fairly relaxed.

I'll post a better photo of the kittens and the "nursing feral mom set-up" tomorrow, but here's the picture on Day One:



More to come these next few days, while I take advantage of home time.

More feral cat spay/neuter

I've been catching cats in Ithaca, trying to clean up the Fast Food Ferals and one business across the highway where a man asked for help. The SPCA of Tompkins County is spay/neutering them for free, which is a huge huge help. It's been awhile since I've had the mental energy to trap (which is a bit odd since this is my busiest travel season for work as well). Maybe the B12 supplements are finally kicking in!

So far two cats have been friendly-acting and were not returned (two less cats outdoors!). There is no reason for a friendly or "wanna-be-friendly" cat to go back on the streets, even with food or shelter. "Gray and White" (her street name) became "Janice" at the SPCA of TC, and she found a home there last week! The man I'm helping on Rt 13 said the SPCA even called him to let him know she had found a home, and that the adopters had told them Janice would be "treated like a queen." What a change from life living under a shed.

Here's a not-so-great photo of Janice rolling around in her crate on the way to the SPCA of TC's adoption center after she stayed with me to recover from her spay:



I am once again way behind on posts. I have some photos of adopted cats who have checked in that I have not yet posted!

The cupboards AREN'T bare

I got a call from Karen Dashfield (DVM) of Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary last week. The had been donated a lot of Science Diet cat food via the wonderful PETCO Foundation, and were looking for other rescues in need. Thursday night I threw Molly in the truck and drove down to my friend Cary's house (adopter of Hope!) to crash for the night, and then headed down to NJ in the a.m. so I could be back to work in Spencer NY by 1pm.

I could have taken even more food, but I was already overloading the Kitty Kia to a stupid extent. We made it home safely, but I kept it to 55 mph even on the 65 mph highways. I tell you, there is nothing more depressing than having every single car pass you for 4 hours. Yet there is nothing happier than having piles of food to feed and to share!

I have other photos to share of the Sanctuary and of Hope, but they are on my cellphone and I haven't yet figured out how to email them to myself. I got to help feed baby lambs, which sent me back many years to when I got to help feed baby calves. Baby season had not yet arrived there for wildlife, so other than stock truck lambs and goats there were no other babies. They will be jumping soon, I'm sure!

So a huge thank you to Dr. Karen and PETCO Foundation. Now that the cats can eat, maybe I can eat something more than mac and cheese myself!

Back from traveling...for now

I'm back from a short marathon of travel to the Texas Unites for Animals and Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey conferences. I had a quick day in between to frantically clean, and now I'm hideously behind on a myriad of duties, but I'll catch up! While I was at AWFNJ, a keynote speaker was Patrick McDonnell of the Mutts comic strip and he is a great friend to animal sheltering and rescue. I picked up two books, one of which I had signed for Debra, who keeps Molly while I travel, and one of which I'm keeping for a future giveaway or auction item (after I read it, of course!)

It was pretty cold, so a conference on the Jersey Shore wasn't all it could have been. On the up side, no one was tempted to walk on the beach instead of going to the excellent workshops. I did go out briefly with friends when word spread that there was a lot of sea glass on the beach. And they were right...I found a few pieces.

More later. There are cats to trap and email to answer!

I love my job...

...when we find stuff like this. And no, Petfinder didn't make it. Other people believe in adoption, and they create this stuff. Incredible and wonderful. I know it's a bit surprising at the start, but hang in there for the end.

Report your Spay Day results by midnight (Pacific time) tonight!

Michigan certifies animal rescues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 4, 2013


Michigan First to Certify Animal Rescues to Save More Lives

Foster-based animal rescue groups are implementing best practices and abiding by a code of ethics

CONTACT: Deborah Schutt, Chair, Michigan Pet Fund Alliance 877-FUR-PALS (387-7857)

Detroit – The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance opened enrollment for the Michigan Rescue Certification Program (MRCP) on Monday, March 1, 2013. Foster-based animal rescue groups that are not yet certified for 2013 are asked to submit an online application between March 1 and April 30. The application link, program description and documents are available online at http://www.michiganpetfund.org/rescue-certification.

MRCP is the state’s first voluntary certification program for rescues and is open to all companion-animal rescue groups, including dogs, cats and small companion mammals. The program was developed by a task force of representatives from local rescue groups, animal shelter and adoption centers and animal advocacy organizations, including Paws for Life Rescue, N.B.S. Animal Rescue, PapAdopters & Placement Service, Humane Society of Huron Valley and Puppy Mill Awareness of SE Michigan. Input and feedback was gathered from a large number of rescue organizations, shelters and advocates across Michigan.

“Each year, more than 100,000 homeless cats and dogs in Michigan are killed in shelters. The majority of these companion animals are healthy or treatable and could be rehomed if organizations worked together,” said Deborah Schutt, chairperson of Michigan Pet Fund Alliance.
The initial program launch was held at the 2012 Michigan No-Kill Conference in Lansing, where Michigan rescue groups and shelters learned and shared animal care standards related to healthy environments, nutrition, exercise, socialization, daily health checks, transport, behavioral rehabilitation and medical protocols.

Eleven rescue organizations have been certified so far.

“The intent of the program is to share best practices, improve shelter capacity and ensure that the rescue organization is reputable," said Courtney Protz-Sanders, executive director and founder of Paws for Life Rescue.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development is responsible for the oversight of 188 licensed animal shelters, which does not include the 200+ animal rescue organizations currently operating in the state.

“New rescue organizations like mine, with a passion for finding caring homes for the animals in our foster homes, are often left to recreate the wheel or learn the ropes through trial-and-error experience,” said Jaime Wolfe, co-founder of N.B.S. Animal Rescue, which through this program is now a 5-star certified rescue.

“This program helps implement safe and proven medical protocols that rescues may not be familiar with, such as pediatric spay/neuter. If we don’t want to be a part of the problem, we must be vigilant in guaranteeing that all pets are sterilized,” said Mary C. Rupley, DVM, senior consultant.

Certified rescues are asked to operate according to a code of ethics. These ethics dictate transparency, honesty, respect and operations that further the goal of highlighting reputable rescue groups.

“We are striving to develop more relationships between the rescue community and the shelter community, so that all healthy and treatable animals can be saved,” said Ellen Stuban, co-founder of PapAdopters & Placement Service. “Some rescues groups have signed waivers stating they will migrate away from relationships with breeders, stop attending auctions and no longer transport animals into Michigan, and instead will focus on pulling animals from local shelters in our state,” said Pam Sordyl, founder of Puppy Mill Awareness of Southeast Michigan.
Rescue organizations apply for certification annually and when it is granted, they are provided documentation that can be displayed on websites, in printed materials and at adoption events.
“The simple task of promptly returning phone calls and answering e-mails are all components of a well-run organization,” said Kelly Schwartz, director of facilities and volunteer programs at Humane Society of Huron Valley.

As the program becomes more established, it will provide added benefits to certified rescue organizations, such as grants, educational opportunities, specialized behavior training for volunteers, fundraising opportunities and cost reductions through joint purchases and ventures.
It is the intent of the Michigan Rescue Certification Program to:

• Leverage best practices and collaborations to eliminate the 90,000+ deaths of homeless healthy and treatable cats and dogs in Michigan

• Provide a code of ethics and best practices for rescue organizations

• Assure the public, including adoption event hosts, businesses, donors, adopters and potential volunteers, that certified rescue organizations operate according to the standards set by the Best Practices Handbook and the Michigan Certified Rescue Organization Code of Ethics

• Assure donors and animal welfare funders of professional capacity

• Improve collaborations and partnerships by assuring shelters and other rescues that certified rescue organizations operate to standards that are reputable and have been vetted for partnerships

The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance a 501 (c)3 charitable organization, works to end the killing of healthy and treatable homeless cats and dogs in Michigan by collaborating with animal shelters and rescue organizations to achieve No Kill through training, technical assistance, education and advocacy.

Hard times for Wildrun/Owl House cats

It's been a tough week for Wildrun/Owl House adopters. Two families have reported in via Facebook that their cats, adopted from us, are ill or have passed on. Sweet Pooh is suffering from congestive heart failure. He was born in a trap while his mother was waiting to be spayed at a feral cat spay/neuter clinic. And Lori's cat Ophelia passed over today with the help of a veterinarian due to complications from diabetes. They were both refugees from the Kitten Summers from Hell (let's not even go there now) and they were very lucky. In both cases, other kittens in their litters did not make it. In both cases, even though their lives were short (8-9 years) they have wonderful, loving homes.

On the home front, Storm, sister to my sister's cat Sylvester, is very ill. She is rapidly losing weight (cancer, kidney failure?), still is drinking and eating, but sits up periodically after eating or drinking for a little while, and seems uncomfortable in a crouch (cancer?). She is flat-footing a bit (diabetes?) in her hind legs while still having plenty of strength to leap. However, this has all occurred within three days after bringing new cats into the facility (upper respiratory?) and she has a rapidly drying crust in the corner of her eyes. So I've got her on antibiotics and we are waiting for lab results as blood was taken right before the local veterinary clinic closed on Friday. The fact this she is both eating and drinking both heartens and worries me.

Daily love and mental stimulation is vital for a cat. My sister's cat Sylvester is glossy, shiny, and sweet. Stormy, his sister, has always been a bit dull looking even though her fur and body type is exactly like his. She is beautiful, but you can't help but see the difference between a cat in a loving home (Sylvester), and a cat in a "sanctuary" (Storm). When my ex-husband and I were pre-honeymooning in California, we stopped at a cat rescue, and mentally I swore that I would never have a place that was full of such sad and dull-furred looking cats, no matter how safe and well-fed they were. Yet now I have four that look just like that. Luckily, there are only four. Others, like Tiger Tom, have escaped that fate. Look at him now.



Storm has always has some serious attitude except during thunderstorms, when she wants to be comforted and held. Today, I picked her up and held her (no thunderstorm) and she purred and purred. I'm not sure that is a good sign.

The barn is drab and dusty, no matter how clean I keep it. You can put down vinyl floors, paint the walls pretty colors, and give them soft clean beds, but it still isn't a home. It may have windows, but it's no place for a cat to be for so many years. We have people who visit here, but not every day. They see me when I clean twice a day, and I cuddle and comb them, but that is literally for mere minutes. In the house with my pet cats, Ivan and the others sleep next to me for hours, get toys thrown, wander about the house, etc. That is one reason I dream of the straw-bale building by the gorge, with an outside enclosed area. It would be more pleasant for the cats, and more pleasant for people to visit...making it, again, more pleasant for the cats.

It occurs to me...

That my mother and sisters may not have seen this, and that Linda would likely be very impressed by the video editing to match the music (smile). And who can resist a kitten?

Thinking of building a straw-bale cat facility

My electric bills are scary. I just worked out a budget payment with NYSEG. To NYSEG's credit, even though they like to include the not-yet-due amount in the alarming "YOU ARE BEHIND" mailings, they have catch-up program for people like me, and they did discretely ask questions to see if I qualified for state assistance (I do not. Understandably, there is no program for people who make a relatively good salary but insist on living in huge houses and rescuing lots of cats)

I finally went back to my original firewood business to purchase wood, even though it means hauling the wood up the hill to my house from the driveway, because he has a dump truck. However, he arrived with more-than-a-cord for my $200, and it's dry, small, burnable wood, not the huge rotted stuff that the previous guy was supplying (before he decided to drop trees in the road and take a neighbor's tree--but we won't go any farther on that).

At any rate, we stood in the driveway talking about fuel costs. He suggested propane for the current cat facility, and I lamented that I one day wanted to build a more economical space. He pointed out the back of my driveway. I mentioned there was already a slab there and his eyes got wide and said that cut a lot of money off a project. "Even just a garage, insulated, would be better."

That's something to think about, and so I did. I noodled around looking at pre-fab small barns, but I had already done that route at my old house, and I know unless you sink a lot of money into them, they really aren't cozy.

Then I accidentally came across a straw-bale construction page and saw this:


No, I don't want that fancy cottage. But I loved the idea of something small, attractive, and with a built in bench on the window side (just more bales!). It would likely be affordable, and I might even be able to schedule a barn-raising to get this done. I would need the framing, windows (easy enough to score off craiglist), the roof trusses (or someone skilled enough to build them), good quality very-dry straw bales (straw isn't cheap, but it's cheaper than wood and insulation), wire, and stucco. I could have it set up to be heated with propane, and could run electric underground right from the house. I could also build little straw bale elevated cat shelters on the back for the farm cats (big enough to set traps in!).

What a nice little dream. It would likely even increase the value of this place, if built correctly. This year I think I'll concentrate on clearing off and saving the concrete pad, and moving the brush back. It's right on the gorge, so would be a very pretty spot with the brush gone.

Spencer Community Showcase tomorrow (Sunday!)

We've been attending this event for Spencer-area businesses and programs for years. Billee was one of our first ambassador cats before she was adopted. It so hard to realize she has passed on. I always take one of our older cats with me, and this year it will be Tommy.

I will have a bunch of stuff available--some of which was donated to us to raise funds, like my mother-and-sister-made catnip toys, as well as those Jiffy Tags I mentioned on the blog earlier. I think I even have some catnip in antique bottles left. I plan to grow another major crop of catnip this year, so I need to clear the shelves!

There are always some really nice crafts at this fair. My purse (which I need to replace, so I will be shopping, too!) came from this fair about 5 years ago, along with a little barn wood house that lights up from Flywest Prims. I've donated a cat bed pack to the fair to raffle off, and I will also have one to raffle off from my table. So there will be lots of "stuff!" Last year--when I didn't have a table--they even had an organic farmer with organic meat.

Have you been putting off having your cholesterol checked? They are doing that, too. If someone comes by to watch my booth for a second, I plan to run over because mine hasn't been checked in over 8 years.

So come on by! It only takes a little while to pass through. You could do lunch at Reese's or DaVinci's, or try some of the food they are having at the fair itself.

When species are hated

I don't really have a decent amount of time to think about this post. However when I put something off to "post later" I often forget to post anything at all, or I lose track of the link.

This article about the hatred of the wolf by some conservationists drew a surprising parallel in my mind to the hatred of cats by a small but very vocal group of conservationists.

I'm not talking about the valid discussion about whether cats should be outdoors or not. Obviously, in a best possible world, all cats would be safe and loved in vibrant and perfect indoor homes, with supervised-only access to the outdoors. We aren't in a perfect world and we never will be.

But this essayist attempts to tackle the issue of the desire among some "conservationists" to irrationally advocate the destruction of an entire species. While I absolutely do not think the parallels are exact, I do find the similarity compelling. I honestly feel that even if TNR was proven to work--with published results---in every situation in which is was utilized, and we could verify without question that the number of outdoor cats was decreasing, there would still be angry, vocal people who would despise cats in the name of conservation.

I was on the phone today with a representative of a national advocacy group, and we talked for a moment about valid "outdoor cat" concerns versus the simple hatred of cats. It's a tough thing to address publicly, because anyone who might suggest that "You know, the issue here is that you just dislike cats" sounds like the speaker is dismissing the seriousness of the issue, as well as the seriousness of those who are legitimately concerned about the impact of outdoor cats on other animals.

Yet clearly, reading this wolf article, there are species besides cats that are NOT non-native, that are NOT "pets gone wild" and that DO belong in the wild...and nonetheless they are in some cases hated and viewed as a threat, and even, dare I say, viewed as trash. These are my words...not the author's.

I think perhaps that by examining the persecution of "legitimately wild" species, we might be able to understand, a little bit better, those certain over-the-top and irrational efforts we have recently run into where the persecution of cats is also promoted in a manner that seems beyond logical. At some point we need to understand why some anti-cat public statements sound less like conservation, and more like hatred and hysteria. It may in fact be...because they are.

Too much spam

I'm sorry, but anonymous posters will no longer be able to comment. It seems like all I do is moderate spam. I left it open to anonymous comments hoping more people would feel comfortable adding input, but it seems like the comments have remained about the same (with the exception of the spammers!) I apologize to anyone for whom the restriction is a nuisance.