Maxwell's New Toy

This is our entry into today's Saturday PhotoHunt: "FRESH"!

fresh from Maxie's new "toybox" on top of fridge

 

Mine, all MINE! 

oh you LOVELY little piece of peppermint, all my own...







































































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This is our entry into the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop! Click the image below to go to Two Little Cavaliers' page - one of the three host sites:

We're also participating in the Weekend Cat Blogging hosted this week over at Sidewalk Shoes.

Big Major Deal!

Oooooh *squee!* I'm so excited! My Alma Mater's hosting this amazing party!

Um... yeah, like... what she said. It's an event for all the shelter pets at Wayside Waifs, to help them find their forever families.  And since Allie & I both came from rescue organizations, we think this is a really cool thing.

Mommy says there are some really great special needs kitties there right now, too. Do you have room in your heart and your home for one of them?


***********

EDIT:
This is a national event sponsored by ASPCA in which many shelters are participating. In the Kansas City area, three organizations are teaming up with a goal of 500 pets adopted this 3-day weekend.

They are:

Wayside Waifs
3901 Martha Truman Road
Kansas City, MO 64137
(816) 761-8151

www.waysidewaifs.org

 

Heartland SPCA
9800 W. 67th St
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 831-SPCA (7722)

www.heartlandSPCA.org

 

KC Pet Project
4400 Raytown Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 513-9821

www.kcpetproject.org

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Sigh....

TNR Tuesday: Part 5 of 5

For a 5 week run, we're cross-posting a series of articles on a feral cat situation in and near Canton, Ohio.

Our "guest blogger" is BZ TAT, an artist and former counselor/therapist who is the founder of Okey's Promise, an outreach through public art designed to create awareness about the connections between animal maltreatment, child abuse and domestic violence.

The original posts can be found at the Okey's Promise blog.


______________

Feral Cat Rescue: The Big Job

As I mentioned in previous posts, I am endeavoring to rescue a group of cats that have developed a colony on my friend’s property in Tuscarawas County, OH.

First, the kittens in the colony were taken to the Tuscarawas County Humane Society cat shelter, where they are receiving treatment for eye infections and upper respiratory infections. Two females were well enough for surgery immediately, and they have already been spayed. The 3 remaining males will be neutered when they are are a bit healthier. All will be placed for adoption when they are ready.

Second, we began the trapping process for the adult cats this past Tuesday. I successfully trapped 7 cats (!) and transported them to One is One of a Kind Pets in Fairlawn, OH for  spay/neutering. It was a 60 mile trip with 7 angry cats, but they were basically calm. My truck still smells like a zoo, though…

All 7 were spayed/neutered yesterday. We discovered that one is very tame and friendly. The clinic staff fell in love with him, and we have decided to put him up for adoption when he recovers from his surgery and an upper respiratory infection. YAY! Mr. Orange Stripey is going to get a furrever home with a loving family!!!

The rest of the cats will be returned to my friend’s property, where she will continue to feed and care for them and the rest of the colony.

Some people question the purpose of TNR. Why return wild cats? Why go to the trouble of catching and spaying a semi-wild animal?

There are a number of reasons, about which you can read in depth on the Alley Cat Allies website. Here is my summary:

1. Cats that have not been neutered continue to mate and reproduce, leading to an overwhelming overpopulation of unwanted animals. There are also numerous behavior problems associated with the mating process that become a nuisance to humans. TNR stops the overpopulation and it eliminates the nuisance behaviors that annoy humans.
2. Cats are territorial animals. They ward off interlopers to their colonies, and they do not attract other cats when they are neutered. Colonies of cats that are neutered control their own populations by their natural instincts. No new cats arrive to the colony through reproduction or wandering, so the population does not grow.
3. Neutered cats tend to have fewer health concerns and they tend to live longer, quality lives in a managed colony. They pose negligible risks to public health according to research.

If you are interested in engaging in TNR activities, that is AWESOME! Please familiarize yourself with the process before you start. It is not an activity that you should attempt without guidance. Read Alley Cat Allies’ TNR Guide or other resources that provide technical guidance, and consult with experienced TNR rescuers. Develop a method for fund raising to allay costs. That is what I have done.

The next trapping of cats in the colony will take place next week. Stay tuned!

_________
If you would like to help support TNR for this feral cat colony, there is a ChipIn account set up here.

Monday Medical Issues: Ear Infections

Sometimes I forget we live with a hearing impaired kitty...until something occurs that reminds me of Maxwell's deafness. Like it did today.

Max was hanging out at the kitchen table. Marty was vacuuming and cats were scattering - all except him!

One of the reasons I tend to forget is that he's just so darn healthy (as opposed to when we first adopted him). During his first few months with us Maxwell had an ear infection that would not quit. Two actually: yeast and bacterial.

Turns out that ear infections are prevalent in shelter cats. And as cats are so adept at hiding maladies, its not surprising that they make it into their new home with it undetected.  Often, a pet parent will notice their new kitty batting at an ear, excessive head shaking or tilting his head to one side. Sometimes, as it was with us, the ear begins to exhibit a strong odor.

photo courtesy BigSisLilSis

A quick trip to the vet, and the diagnosis is confirmed. And now the fun begins. Most treatments for ear infection in cats involve ear drops, twice daily.

The challenge is that ear infections can be very painful and make the ear very sensitive. Your kitty probably won't much like being corralled and forcibly medicated.

The other bad news is that some of these infections can be persistent little buggers. In our case, it took five months before Maxwell's ear cytology came back normal. So twice daily for five months, Mom became the Bad Guy. Not fun!

Because of this, many people may opt to stop treatment. If this happens to your cat, please reconsider. Feline ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss. If the infection goes untreated, the nerves of the inner ear could become affected, causing dizziness, loss of balance and disorientation. In rare cases, it could even result in a cat displaying unusual eye movement (called nystagmus) or even cause him to walk in circles.

Maxwell was notably uncomfortable with his balance. Until his ear infection was eradicated, he refused to jump up onto things. Very un-catlike behavior! To this day, he gauges his leaps very carefully before attempting anything. (But in his case, this is probably because he has no eardrum in one ear - and so is completely deaf on that side - and his middle ear is open to the ear canal. We think this may have permanently impacted his sense of balance.)

If you adopt a new kitty - or if you volunteer at a shelter and help place cats into forever homes - please keep in mind that ear infections can become serious matters and should never be left untreated.

Photo courtesy Ian Martin

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Sources:

Pets webMD
http://pets.webmd.com/cats/ear-infections-in-cats-causes-treatment-and-prevention

Pet Education
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2123&aid=272

Vet Depot
http://www.vetdepot.com/cat-ear-infections.html

Lorie Huston, DVM
http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/a/CW-CatEarInfections.htm

Our Pawesome New Jungle Gym!

Daddy & Mommy heard Jackson Galaxy say that sometimes us kittehs need a space to get up and away...
so they installed this pawesome Super Highway in the guest bedroom!

Faraday: of course, I had to try it out first!

Faraday: Mowzers, Maxwell reeeally trusts Daddy's handiwork...

'scuse Mommy's sweater in the foreground...

And then they brought up our condo! SCORE!

One Month...and a New Blog

For those of you who have followed us this past month, 7:21 PM last night marked the one-month anniversary of the Shawnee Fire.

It's amazing what can transpire in a month...yet at the same time, some wounds feel as if they'll take forever to heal.

Case in point:  

11:00 PM last night.

Kathi is over at Amy & Lee's apartment, saying goodbye to Stormy the rescue cat who is heading to Wayside Waifs tomorrow to find her forever home.

A fire truck comes screaming into the apartment complex. Again. Conversation comes to an abrupt halt as, hearts pounding, they rush out -- to find a medical emergency in an adjacent apartment building. Needless to say, the timing isn't exactly great. But as far as Amy & Kathi are concerned, when sirens are involved, the timing may always be bad.

And it doesn't help that Kathi's new apartment still smells like smoke from fire #2....

***

After a month, most people tend to drift away from tragedy. Other things vie for their attention, and at any rate, the victims seem to be adjusting well. At least in public. But we know that grieving and healing take time.

So on this anniversary, we wanted to take a moment to let Amy & Kathi know: your friends are still here for you.

Thanks to everyone for your support of Amy/Sebastian and Kathi/CJ - both financially and emotionally. Words cannot express how much that means!


And now, by popular demand...CJ now has his own blog, CJ's Paw Pad. Go take a look at how well his fur is beginning to grow back in!

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

We want to thank Sparkle at SparkleCat.com for nominating us for this award. We're so honored that such an award winning author and renowned blogger would consider us for this!

With this award, we're supposed to share 7 things about ourselves:

I'm most creative...

Maxwell: when left to my own devices. I keep surprising my humans with all the games I invent.

Faraday: when dreaming! I catch lotsa squirrels that way.

Allie: when trying to express my frustration that my humans won't let me out into that lovely back yard *sigh*...

Mom: when I surround myself with creative people, which I am fortunate enough to do everyday. (though I have to admit, sometimes I get cool ideas in the shower. hmmm...)

[And Ryker would have said he was most creative while practicing his feng shui while barfing. With his IBD, he had frequent and colorful barfisodes!]

If I were a color I'd be...

Maxwell: True Blue!

Faraday: Green! I'm always going, going, going...!

Allie: (all together now...) PINK!!

Mom: groannn....don't ask me that, I don't know!

I often imagine myself...

Maxwell: as a brilliant kitty inventor

Faraday: KING of the Jungle!

Allie: in more bling

I really wish I knew how to...

Maxwell: open the back door

Faraday: open the WAND Toy drawer!

Allie: open cabinet doors like Maxwell can *sigh*

I'd love to spend a lazy Sunday...

Maxwell: napping
Faraday: chasing WAND Toys!
Allie: buffing my mani/pedi
Mom: Flying, reading or gardening :-)

I'm most excited about...
Maxwell: discovering new things (translation by mom: getting into new things!)
Faraday: New WAND Toys!
Maxwell: Dude. What is it with you and the wand toys?
Allie: anything PINK! Even my cat food is pink! (well, it comes with a pink label...)
Mom: being able to make a difference in animal rescue

My secret talent is...
Maxwell: shedding. (I even made momma change clothes this morning, cuz she didn't have time to furminate herself!)

Faraday: Climbing! Windows, Shower doors, Windows, Mommy...
Allie: modeling! *strikes a pose*
Mom: NOT singing. Or so they tell me.

***

Upon receipt of this award, I'm supposed to nominate five other deserving bloggers. 

Sebastian the Sensitive Soul - Though he's not blogged lately due to a serious personal crisis (they lost their home to a fire - escaped with nothing but what they had on their backs) Sebastian has been a wonderful advocate for the shelter kitties at Wayside Waifs!

Bunny's Blog  - Vicki tirelessly advocates for animals, keeping everyone informed on the latest news.

Boris Kitty: 4 Paws for a Cause - Besides throwing a mean #scifipawty on Twitter, Boris also helps raise awareness for such things as Pet Dental Help month and FIP.

Mario's Meowsings - no one has a bigger heart than Mario and his M. They tirelessly help raise awareness of needy animals around the world in their blog!

Okey's Promise - a public art initiative by artist BZ TAT designed to create awareness about the connections between animal maltreatment, child abuse and domestic violence. We give this blog ALL PAWS UP!

Wordless Wednesday: Behind Bars

 

TNR Tuesday: Part 4 of 5

This is the 4th cross-post in a series on a feral cat situation in and near Canton, Ohio.

Our "guest blogger" is BZ TAT, an artist and former counselor/therapist. She's the founder of Okey's Promise, an outreach through public art designed to create awareness about the connections between animal maltreatment, child abuse and domestic violence.

The original posts can be found at the Okey's Promise blog.


_________________

Kitten Rescue Complete. Now for the big job…

The kittens about whom I wrote the other day are now adjusting to their new temporary home at the Tuscarawas County Humane Society cat shelter! I am deeply grateful for the generosity of Megan, Shelter Director, and the rest of the kitty crew for taking in these special little critters.

In the coming days, they will get cleaned up, have their eyes tended to, and be assessed for health concerns. As you can see in the photo, the one with Siamese markings has major eye issues – her eyes are totally crusted together so that she cannot see. Some are coughing and sneezing too. That is not unusual. Megan expressed optimism about their recovery and potential adoption possibilities.



There are 5 kittens in all. One was a little squirrely in my first capture attempt, but she made it to the shelter on the second try.

There are many fabulous cats at the shelter. If you are interested in adopting these kittens or other cats, check out their page of adoptable cats.

The trapping process with the adult feral cats begins next Tuesday. A friend from Peace for Pets is lending me some traps, and I will take as many as I can trap up to One is One of a Kind Pets in Fairlawn, OH for the spay/neuter. We have a warm place for their post op recovery and then they will go back to their habitat.

The process will be continued on other dates until we feel certain that all the cats have been vetted.

What an adventure!
BZTAT

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If you would like to help support TNR for this feral cat colony, there is a ChipIn account set up here.

***

Did you hear? CJ now has his own blog!

Please drop by and say hello!

Links to the ChipIn donation sites to help fire victims Amy Palmer & Kathi McKinley:

ChipIn widgets use flash and don't like iPhones or iPads or iAnything.
So here are their direct links:
Kathi & CJ:  http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/1e30f40968e5479d
Amy & Sebastian: http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/c5ef34ac5a9c5a13

The Dangers of Windows!

We made an unexpected trip to the vet on Friday, thanks to a window cracked open 6 inches...and George of the Jungle. Excuse me, I mean...Faraday.

I was out in the backyard, Faraday insisted he needed out there too. Yowling at me from the barely-open window didn't suffice, so he proceeded to climb it.

It was a standard double-hung window, like this:

And when Faraday got to the top of the opened window, he curled his paw around behind the lock...just as his weight caused the window to come crashing down.

His paw was pinned between the upper and lower window, the feline equivalent of slamming the car door on your fingers.

The minute I saw it happen, I raced inside. Faraday was wriggling like mad to get loose! I had to lift the window to release his paw. Poor little guy - the vet said nothing was broken, but he warned swelling was going to be a problem and to keep little mister Tarzan quiet for the next week. (HA, fat chance!)

Favoring his right paw for a while

 He's actually been pretty quiet these past few days - I'm sure it's because he's not feeling well.

Yeah mommy but I scored your chair!

So...NO WAND TOY PLAY until next weekend, kiddo!

And I will be extra careful in future to ensure that the window is either closed or fully open - but only when I'm home. And I'll never leave an open window unattended!


________

ChipIn widgets use flash and don't like iPhones or iPads or iAnything.
So here are their direct links:
Kathi & CJ:  http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/1e30f40968e5479d
Amy & Sebastian: http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/c5ef34ac5a9c5a13

Sunlit Sunday

What? No kitties?
Well, okay.

Allie loves Springtime and can't wait for the garden to grow so she can explore - and supervise all our puttering and weeding and stuff!

***

Your Daily CJ!

Investigating the cabinet under the sink

Looks like his brother Cosmo taught him a few things....

The Strange Spinny Thing

 This is also our entry into today's Saturday PhotoHunt: "Play"

Momma got tired of hearing us complain we were BORED, so she brought out this new toy...
well, at least we think it's a toy.

It sure kept Maxwell occupied, trying to figure out how it worked!

(But then again, he's the Thinker in the fambly. Me, I just wanna nom on it.)

Allie: Does this Top make me look fat?

***

Look at how great CJ's looking! 

We're participating in the Weekend Cat Blog!
Click the image to be directed to this week's host page:

Can You Guess...?

Ever wondered what "CJ" stands for?

 We challenge you to a guessing game!

We'll go first:
Since Kathi's a huge KU fan, we pick....."Cute Jayhawk".

(warning: we're not entirely certain we'll be able to get the truth out of Kathi....*grin*)

Lazy, Thankful Thursday

CJ, bird watching from mom Kathi's bed

We are thankful for our four-legged companions who make us laugh, keep us company, snuggle close on a cold night and - overall - enrich our lives in so many ways.

Maxie gets a bath

Faraday's a star! Come see his guest post over at CatLadyLand today!

Wordless Wednesday: Glam Girl

Audrey Hepburn, eat your heart out!

***

Your Daily CJ:

Look Ma! No scabs! (well, almost...)

 

TNR Tuesday: Part 3 of 5

For the next few weeks, we are cross-posting a series of articles on a feral cat situation in and near Canton, Ohio to help spread the word.
Our "guest blogger" is BZ TAT, an artist and former counselor/therapist who is the founder of Okey's Promise, an outreach through public art designed to create awareness about the connections between animal maltreatment, child abuse and domestic violence.
The original posts can be found at the Okey's Promise blog.

_________________

And the rescue is about to start…

Yesterday I wrote about how I was going to help with a friend’s feral cat colony. I mentioned that there were kittens in the group that had health issues. I got some good news about them today.

The Tuscarawas County Humane Society has a cat shelter, and they have agreed to take the kittens. Yay! Not only will they take them, they will also get them vetted and nursed back to health, and then put them up for adoption when they are ready.

I plan to catch the kittens tomorrow (I hope they won’t need traps) and take them in to the shelter in the evening. I will follow up with the shelter and keep you posted on their progress.

There are still adult cats who will need to be trapped, spay/neutered and returned to the wild. I am considering 2 programs for this. One is One of a Kind Pets in Fairlawn, OH. Fairlawn is quite a distance, but the program has better availability.  The other program is the Tuscarawas Co. Humane Society who uses the mobile Rascal Unit for low cost spay/neuter. Although it is closer, there is less frequent access to them.

Whichever program I choose, both will entail some costs for the spay/neuter process for each cat. I have started a ChipIn fund raising event to raise money to cover these costs. (Please see widget in sidebar of original post) Each spay/neuter will cost around $60. Transportation costs may need to be covered as well, if we use One of a Kind Pets. Any assistance that you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

All of the donated money will go to a dedicated account at the CSE Federal Credit Union in Canton, OH. If donated funds exceed actual costs, the money will be used for another rescue effort.

Please follow the rescue efforts on the Okey’s Promise Facebook page. Wish me well!

***

Pawprayers for Amy & Sebastian: 

Today is the day that the tenants are allowed to walk through the remains fo the fire. We can only imagine how difficult this will be for Amy & Lee.

Kathi told us she's staying away. We completely understand! Still, it's hard knowing others may find treasured belongings while there's no chance for you.

(Since the fire began below Kathi's apartment, and other apartments collapsed down on hers, there is nothing left for her to recover.)

Your Daily CJ

I jumped in the shower with Mom
and I'm now all WET!

The New Normal...or is it the old?

What is it with cats and paper bags? We don't know, but we were sure happy to see CJ engaging in "Kitty Normal" yesterday!

What? No salmon?!? I specifically remember adding salmon to the grocery list!

Cats and Trauma

I ended Friday's post with the question: Can Sebastian and CJ experience trauma?

The answer, of course, is yes.

In the very excellent book, "Animals Make Us Human," Temple Grandin states that cats can exhibit high levels of OCD-like behavior triggered by anxiety and fear. This stems in part from the fact that cats tend to be very set in their ways, much more so than dogs, and don't always adapt well to new circumstances. They can go from calm to terrified in seconds -- she says it's because cats have very small frontal lobes, the part of the brain which functions as the "brakes" for emotions.

Listen to this:
"Cats get intensely attached to their homes, too.  ... (they) can be obsessive about their surroundings ... A man told me that his indoor cat notices every tiny little change in the environment and will stand by a dripping faucet until someone comes and turns it off."

Now lay that template over what Sebastian and CJ have experienced in the past two weeks. Considering what they've gone through, it's really amazing they're adjusting so well to their new environments.

Testament, I think, to the great love and care their humans have given them.

Ironically, the book, "Animals Make Us Human" is the only book remaining from Amy's library. She had loaned it to me to read. I'm looking at the sweet face of a tabby cat right now, staring out from a book plate on the inside cover: "From the library of Amy Palmer."

***

Your "Daily CJ"

Contemplative CJ

________________

We promise to continue to post the ChipIn links for both Amy & Kathi for the foreseeable future.

Kathi & CJ:  http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/1e30f40968e5479d
Amy & Sebastian: http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/c5ef34ac5a9c5a13