What I did this weekend - Volunteering for the AcroCats

Last week the AcroCats came to Portland Maine. I saw the show a couple of years ago and I thought it might be fun to see it again. When I went to check out the times of the shows I noticed that one date corresponded with the day the Catman climbs up Mount Washington every year so I thought about inviting someone to go with me. When I saw they were looking for volunteers and I thought that might be even more fun.

I decided Saturday afternoon would work best. They had an online form so I signed up; I never received a confirmation which I thought was pretty odd, but when I went to check the next day my name was on the list, so I figured they were expecting me. I showed up a few minutes late and after a bit of confusion on my part as to where to go, I met Charmaine. She was busy downstairs boiling chicken for the show so she sat me down with the waiver to fill out (the "do you know you are volunteering and that means you aren't getting paid and we aren't responsible if you are foolish and get hurt" kind of waiver). Unfortunately, the times for volunteering were off on the website and I ended up being there about an hour before I needed to be.

They are so well run, that there really wasn't a need for a volunteer until just before the show when they loaded the cats from the bus into the theatre. We were asked to carry the kitties from the bus to the stage. The cats were brought to the bus door so I didn't even get to see the bus (not that I expected to). I did, however, get to snuggle a kitten.. and you know me, I'm all about the kittens.

The other two volunteers were the ticket takers at the door and I got to play gatekeeper by the stage door because the audience wasn't to be let in until half an hour before the show. Being that everyone there was a cat person, and cat people rock, it all went very smoothly. I was impressed with the number of young boys there, many dressed in cat t-shirts. There was one boy there who was very keen on the kittens and very well-mannered. He asked for permission to touch the kittens and then went back to tell his mom all about them. When he found out they were up for adoption, I know he asked his mother for permission because a few minutes later he came back to ask for an adoption application. It was so sweet. It restored some of my faith in humanity.

When the doors opened, everyone filed in and followed the rules, there was very little for me to do. I directed people as needed and thanked them for coming to the show. I was told when the show started I could take any available seat but I was planning on just standing off to the side, but I saw an empty seat right up on the front row in the corner that was unobtrusive and took it.

Pudge is my favorite for obvious reasons. Jax is also adorable and wandered off many times during the show to let the audience pet her, including the people in standing room only

Once the tricks were over, the Rock Cats performed.

and after that, it was the meet and greet. You could pet two of the kitties and take selfies with any of the others.

My job was then to direct the audience up onto the stage and make sure there was a clear path for them to leave so we could get them all on and off the stage in time to get ready for the next show. Once the audience had left, I help put the kitties in a rigged up cat condo in the back so they could have a potty break if they needed one. Once that was over the job was done and I left. On the way out I ran into this fellow.

He was running right up to me until I took my phone out to take his photo, at which point he veered off and ran under the fence.

PetSmart Adoption Weekend

I found out that the shelter I volunteer for was having an 'adoption weekend' via Facebook.

PetSmart in Biddeford is hosting AWS for a very special adoption event this weekend. We’ll have dogs, cats, puppies and kittens ready to go home with you! 

July 23rd: 9 am - 3 pm
July 24th: 10 am - 3 pm

All adoptions are on first come, first served basis so plan to arrive early at PetSmart. Kittens and puppies are especially popular and will go home very quickly. We will hand out numbers to those waiting in line at PetSmart starting at 5am on Saturday and 6am on Sunday.

Visit our adoption pages to see which animals will be available on which days: http://animalwelfaresociety.org/adopt/

Even if you’re not ready to adopt a new pet, stop by for some fun. There will be food trucks, games and activities for kids throughout the event. We hope you can make it and help us celebrate a fun weekend of pets going home!

For more information, please contact Stephanie Delage at 207-985-3244 ext. 114.

Please note:

-All dogs and cats are spayed or neutered and up to date on all age appropriate vaccines.

-Adoptions run on a first come, first served basis.

-PetSmart Charities donates $35.00 to AWS for each adoption at the store throughout the weekend.

Food trucks? sign me up.  I wasn't sure if I would have enough time or energy to commit to volunteering, but I thought I could stop by and take some photos.. Everything is blog fodder ;)

My husband and I happened to be in the area around 2:00 PM on Saturday and I saw nothing. No food trucks, no big event, I was confused if I had my times right.  We purchased a few things when out of the corner of my eye I saw that they were in the front training area out of sight (and there were no signs pointing us in that direction) I sent my husband out to the truck while I ran over to take a peek at what was going on.  There was a bank of cages on one side of the room, and the kittens were free running on the floor amongst the people, and there appeared to be a lot of people.  I stepped into the room to get a feeling of what was going on and saw only one volunteer there. I patted a kitten and ended up leaving fairly quickly since I knew my husband was waiting for me.

The next morning I found myself heading back over to PetSmart and showed up at 10 AM. There were one and a half dogs left for adoption.  I say half because one was in the arms of someone who was about to say yes (she did) and then no more than ten minutes later someone else showed up and took the black lab that was left.  Even with adoption fees that were just shy of $400 they all went home.  Good for them, but part of me was sad that the cats aren't able to command that kind of demand. They are still considered 'free' animals. That is changing and kittens at least have $199 adoption fees. Considering just a decade ago we had such an overpopulation of cats that we were having to kill over half of them that came into the shelter, I'd say change is happening.. and that is an awesome thing.

Without any dogs to adopt out they took down the tents and moved things inside. There still weren't any food trucks, and no real signage to point out where we were or that there were kittens up for adoption. They made announcements on the speaker from time to time. At one point I went over to the adoption area and saw people looking at the cats so I mentioned that there were kittens in the front of the store and they did not know. I mentioned to the shelter that they should put a sign on the cat area to direct people to the kittens which they did. I also trimmed a few claws of kittens who had sharp pointies and weren't afraid to use them.

While I was there, several kittens were adopted. According to the shelter, 57 animals went home this weekend.  That makes me very happy.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

The shelter had their annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner today.  In the past years it was held at the end of August at a local hotel but this year with new management they decided to hold it in the pavilion in town. It is a beautiful location, so I can't fault them for the decision to move it, and considering the weather yesterday, I can't even fault them for choosing something so late in the season, but today it was a paltry 44 degrees out so it unfortunately wasn't as nice of a day as it could have been, but it was nice to get together with other volunteers and it was very nice of them to take the time to recognize how important the volunteers are in the shelter's success.

I spent some time talking to a lovely woman who wore a cat hat and a small black purse with cats on it, only to find out I know exactly who she is, but I only ever see her when she is working at the shelter and not in 'civilian' clothing. She almost adopted one of my kittens once. It was nice to talk to her.

I did get the t-shirt and shh.. I stole the pumpkins.

Do a Little Dance...

Yahooie!!  I can't believe I won half a pallet of food from Romeo the Cat and PetCo and Royal Canin for the shelter!!

So happy... As you may (or may not) know I am a huge proponent of canned food for kitties (http://www.catinfo.org explains why) and I bet you this is going to help a lot of cats and kittens stay nice and healthy at the shelter while they await their homes.

I usually donate a boat load of canned food to the shelter once a year... usually in the fall when donations start drying up, but I thought hey, if they are coming anyway with half a pallet, how much more could it be for a WHOLE pallet, so I contacted Romeo's mom and asked her to send along a note asking if I could do that.    Won't that be fun...

Speaking of inbreeding (and updates)

I went to the shelter last night to drop off the write ups (see previous three posts) for my three little dumplings and I managed to get a peek at them.  They were just neutered and were still under the effect of the sedation.

When I was done with the video I reached in to pat Lily, and all three started purring even though they were drugged up big time. 

Then I started looking around and saw Weebay and Connie.  Which made me giggle.  Apparently they are being fostered by someone who is going away this weekend because they had a big note on them saying she would be back

I ogled the other kittens and then saw a medical caution on one cage.  It said mom was fine and friendly but there were issues with the kittens.  I did not get photos because it was kind of sad.  Mom is a pretty but standard tuxie and she had four little cute barely week old kittens.  They had a sweet frosted appearance.  Unfortunately one was in a leg splint and another had issues with it's skull not being fused properly.  I went and talked to the staff about them.  Apparently mom came from a home were the cats were left in tact and breeding was rampant and with out any consideration as to who mated with whom.    The little kitten with a bad leg actually has a deformed leg.  They had a sibling who had four bad legs that made it a few days before dying.

As much as I wanted to go with some older kittens for a while and stay away from those troubled kittens who bring me nothing but hair pulling strife, and as much as I wanted to try fostering at a different shelter, I can't turn my back on them.

I have no idea if the two with issues will make it long enough to make it into foster care.  I don't know if they will or won't make it (leg kitten probably will) or if the vet will feel it is better to put it down (apparently they had to put another foster kitten down for skull issues very recently)   But they know I'm willing.  Guess I better scrub the daylights out of the kitten room right quick.

one more update: I asked about Jordan.  She's being fostered by CPV and he is giving her special antiviral drops for her eyes and has her on a hypoallergenic diet.  I am very surprised he took her in and is fostering her himself, but I am glad she is getting the care and attention she needs.  I hope she continues to do well and finds a great home as she is a very loving cat.

OK then...

So.. I checked my email last night..

Ok, I admit, I was chicken, I had my husband read it and tell me if I had been yelled at or not.

See my first instinct is to yell and scream and try to force the shelter into doing what I want, and I know that is a bad idea on many levels, so I tried to be as diplomatic as possible and convey what I knew and what I wanted and left what I felt out of it.  not sure if I succeeded..

and I can never tell how things will be perceived.  If the manager reading it had a bad day, no matter what I said it could easily be taken as my trying to force things.

The reply was also very diplomatic.  Reminded me a LOT of my mother (and no, that is not a good thing)  It said my input was valuable and appreciated, and that I am very valued and appreciated, but decisions about adoption are the discretion of the shelter.

In my previous email I ended with what I would like, and that would be for Peter to have some info on his adoption that he should be an indoor only kitty (because of his nature to run and hide when facing new things) and that he would be better suited to living with another friendly outgoing cat.  (and that he had the vaccine reaction) I mentioned that I could have sent along a write up and photos for the website, that I would be as proactive as possible finding him a home.  Well she said getting the write up would be a good thing, so I culled a few photos of Peter (was hard to find some with out Tinsel somewhere in the shot) and I did another write up (which I don't think was my best because I was so emotional) and sent that back as my reply.

I do really appreciate and respect the manager I'm dealing with.  She has been with the shelter for years, and has really grown into the position and brings a lot to it.  Unfortunately being an open admission shelter they deal with a small budget and do not pay what (I think) they should for staff.  As a result most of the staff is in their young 20s and while they do care, and they do a good job, I think the fact that the median age of the staff is so young does effect things.  I think (I have no idea) that the decision was made (to separate) with out talking to anyone with out knowing the facts of Peter simply because they were doing so well where they were at the time.  They didn't know that Peter has issues with change, they didn't know how he hid from me when he returned here.  They didn't know.. and they didn't ask.  Which is an absolute shame.  I don't think they did it out of malice or to tick me off.  I think they thought they knew best, that it would get them adopted faster - which for the most part would be better for most cats.

So, now I'm back to what do *I* want out of this. I am hoping with time I'll forgive the arrogance, and move past this.  (I don't like the word arrogance, but I can't think of a better one.  Arrogance is very harsh, and as I said, I don't think the decision was intended to be harsh or rude)  I'm not happy that the fact that the woman I called asking for information never called me back - especially since this woman is the one I have previously trusted to stay in my home and care for my own cats. 

One thing I do know for certain, if I do continue to foster (and chances are good that I will), I am going to HAVE to stick to my previous rule of no more single kitten fosters!!

(for those new to this blog, the last two to the crew were single kitten fosters, and the two before that were kittens that were left behind after the rest of their families went up for adoption - Twee because she had a severe reaction to the sedation when she was neutered and Kit because she was painfully small and I had kept the rest of the two families (a pair of sibling cats who gave birth to four kittens each with in a day of each other) for way too long.)

So this is basically over.

I'll be focusing on Tweedle and Eli for the next few days because they are going on Tuesday to have their teeth cleaned.  As previously mentioned, Tweedle had severe reactions to anesthesia (clinically died both times they tried to spay her.  The second time the vet finished the spay while the tech started to resuscitate her)   My vet is the vet who spayed her, and he swears that he has a new sedation that is much safer, and she should be fine.  I trust him.  I trust that they will watch her like a hawk and if there is any trouble do absolutely everything for her. I'm thinking Wednesday night we'll have a nice nip party and a nice yummy treat for dinner..

Vet Visit for Fleurp

Bet she is wishing she never asked for all that extra attention now.. :)

She is NOT a fan of being scooped up before breakfast, shoved in a carrier (how I did it with two hands I'm not quite sure) and being driven around at speeds unnatural for any cat.  Fleurp has a cute little chirp instead of a protesting meow.  It is almost like "hey, this isn't the way my world is supposed to work.. I'm cute, I get what I want"

They took her out back, and I forgot to ask them to draw a little extra blood in case we needed to do an FELV/FIV test.  I have been wracking my brains about what might make her anemic, and I thought that would be one thing, and I know how much she hates getting blood drawn.  Well the tech heard me curse myself for not asking when she brought her back, and asked what was up.  I explained I was thinking I wouldn't have minded if they predrew a little extra blood in case she was anemic so we could do an felv/fiv, but since it didn't happen, not to worry about it because we will cross that bridge when we come to it.  Well she took that to mean, lets run the felv/fiv test.  *sigh*  another $50 out of the budget.  But I guess in the long run I shouldn't complain, because I would probably wonder, and now I know.  It just irks me because I did not give permission for it to be done.  This is the second time a "miscommunication" happened at the vet..  The first being when they didn't clean Jack's ears when I specifically asked for it..

No big deal...  Well Jack thought it was, cause he hates it when I clean his ears, and it would have been nice to do it while he was sedated..

anyway.

She's not anemic, she hasn't lost weight, she's not felv or fiv positive. 

She just likes playing with screws.

and drill bits.

and eating dirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a side note, my vet does some work with the shelter, and I thought they might take the information regarding injectable vaccines better from him then from me.  They obviously injected Peter and Tinsel on their flank. The protocols for injections has changed, and they should be given as low down on the limbs as possible, the reason being that if VAS (vaccine associated sarcoma - aka cancer from the vaccine) were to occur, it would be in a place where you could remove the whole limb and the cat would have a better chance at an outcome.  I have tried to explain things to the shelter in the past, but being a non vet, I don't hold a lot of weight.  When I told him that was what they were doing, he was concerned and also mentioned to me that some of his recent dealings with the shelter were.... well to be politically correct (and sharing with out giving out too much info) .... were wonky.  We are wondering if there is some sort of management shift, or something going on.  It was very comforting to know that it wasn't *me*  (I tend to be a little paranoid about that..)

I am trying to decide if I want to write a letter about P & T (I tend to be a crier when I talk to people in person about things I'm passionate about and it is more of a nuisance and makes me feel I am being taken less seriously) or just let this go stand back and see what happens.  There are a couple of organizations in the area who I am sure would really love having an additional foster home, so if I decide that I can not deal with their new way of doing things I can reach out to others, but I think right now I just need to take a break and come back to reality.  I have been fretting and fretting over Peter - almost to the point that this is a death sentence for him - which is completely not the case.  It got so bad last night that I found myself waking up several times and fretting.  The non emotional part of my brain knew it to be silly to not be able to let it go, but apparently my emotional side is about five years old and just could not let it go.  I think my cats understood I was upset (and maybe even thinking of bringing Peter home) so six of the seven (DH's cat hung out with him) made it a point to be as close to me as was feline possible. which for those of you with out obnoxiously affectionate cats, means as many whiskers and fur bits up your nose as possible.  I tried to get photos, but it is hard when they are so close, and it is still dark out

I did find it comforting after writing about Skippy last night to find him snuggled up into my belly as I slept on my side. ( I do think it a little amazing that I can tell all of my cats apart in the dark or with my eyes closed. ) Then again this morning as I was just about to get up to take Fleurp to the vet, he walked into the room and looked up at me.  I said "Hi Skippy" and he immediately got up and jumped on the bed and came for a good 20 minute snugglefest - water works included (my boy drools when he is happy)

and just to share, this was my ride to the vet.  35 minutes one way.. by the time I headed home, most of the snow was melting off the trees and being a nusance.

Springtime in Maine.. got to love it.

So, after all this verbal diarrhea, I'm pretty much were I was on Sunday.  But at the very least I am able to step back a bit and look a little more objectively.  The worst has happened (they were separated) and the world did not end.  I'm just at a diverge in the road, and at some point I have to make a decision which path to take.  I think the longer I take to make this decision, the better.  Kitten season doesn't start up fully until late April/May so I have plenty of time.  Also no reason (besides horrid kitten fever) I can't take the whole year off if that is what *I* need to deal with this and how things are handled in the future.


I want to be as clear as possible that while I'm upset with what is currently happening, I still greatly respect the shelter I volunteer for.  They do a great deal with in the limits of being an open admission shelter.  I could never deal with the decisions they have to make on a daily basis.  While I wish it was slightly different then it currently is, and there is nothing wrong with wishing for improvement, I don't feel that it diminishes the work they are able to accomplish.  If their policies become something I can't work with in because of how emotionally invested I become, it does not mean that either one of us is wrong, just that we are on either side of an idea.

Well, Tinsel was adopted.... (and some verbal diarrhea)

I'm not happy. (but I am happy for Tinsel)  I have been reluctant to post about what has been going on as I wasn't sure if it was an actual issue or not. 

I stopped in to see Peter and Tinsel on Saturday evening.  Their write up which originally had "we must go home together" written on it by a staff member had a post it on it saying they could be separated.  I was quite upset, and went home wondering why.  Wondering if I even had the right to say something... well I guess I always have the right to "say something" but probably not to push the matter. 

I had taken the post it, hoping that would be enough.  Hoping that it was someone not in authority who had wrote it, and that by removing it that it wouldn't happen.  I fretted and obsessed, and finally I gave up and called the shelter staff member who is in charge of PetSmart.  She didn't answer her phone, so I left a message.  She did not call.  I called again in the morning, trying to be very pleasant, and saying I just wanted to ask a question about policy and it would just take a moment.

I really needed to know why after three months this decision was made.

So she didn't call. So I called the shelter manager on Sunday.  I left her a message as well but told her I didn't really need a call back about this.  I was started to feel a little obsessive about this.  Once again, what am I "allowed" to say/insist on.  I mean these aren't my cats.  I'm "just a volunteer".  I've been volunteering for a very long time, more then a dozen years, maybe 15, maybe even 20.. I'm not really sure.  I've been fostering since they started the program. 

I also was hoping that it wouldn't matter. That they would be adopted together. 

I went by this evening.  Tinsel was gone.  My write up was gone.  Peter was in the cage all by himself.

I am bothered that it was not discussed with me.  (Do I even have a right to think they should have asked?)  I'm bothered that I did not get a call back.  I'm bothered that they would igo along with them be adopted together for three months then all of a sudden decide, well maybe not.  Granted Peter does really well when he is comfortable in an environment, but when change happens he pulls inside himself.  Even coming back here when he was sick it took him a while to come out of his shell.  Tinsel helped him accept that the world was not out to get him.  If Tinsel could do it, Peter thought he could do it.  Will Peter be OK with out a friend.. I guess, but I think he would do so much better with one.  (Or at least in a home that is understanding that he is like that - but with out a write up, the new home will not know)

I want so much to grab him and bring him home.  But I did that with Skippy, and while I do not regret bringing him home, I'm not sure it was the best thing for him or the resident kitties. I'm sure Peter would do OK here, but he might do so much better in a less complicated household.

*sigh*

So I'm not sure I feel comfortable fostering at this point.  I get so emotionally invested.  I am supposed to bring these little ones into my home and love them, and nurture them, and care about them, and my feelings don't stop at the door.... and I'm not sure I would be any good as a "maker of good kittens" if they did.

So, I do need to have a conversation with the shelter about this.  I need to decide if this is something I can accept.  if it isn't, will another shelter have different rules about this sort of thing?  If not, what am I going to do with all my new found free time?  and how bad is the kitten fever going to get watching others foster such as IBKC  (I mean come on, have you seen Mr. Kirby??)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a side note, I called the vet today.  I'm going to bring Fleurp in the morning for a blood draw to see if she is anemic again.  She's back at the dirt and still playing with screws even though we picked up every single one we could find.  I scheduled Twee and Eli for a week from tomorrow for dentals.

What I did this weekend...

Besides hang out with Peter and Tinsel?  yup, I had an interesting day on Saturday. 

A few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to help out with SpayDay.  I said sure, what do you need and when?  I was told there would be emailed information, and I was good with that.

Well what I didn't realize is that the email would come two days before the event.  I was a little put off by that since it is my husbands' birthday weekend (birthday on Monday) and there was a darn good chance we would have had plans to do something together.  But since both he and I are last minute kind of people, we hadn't settled on anything, and his brother wanted him to come help him with some things, we decided to each do our own thing.  So I went south to a clinic that was participating.

For $25 you could get your cat castrated, for more (I don't remember the exact amount I think it was $40) you could get your cat spayed.  Pretty good deal.  The people prepaid either at the clinic or at the shelter so basically I was checking people in, getting them to sign consent forms and ID'ing the cats to make sure we knew who was who in all of the may lay.

27 cats were brought in.  it was quite amazing watching the staff work.  As it seems in every vet clinic, there was one woman who was doing a million things, and she amazed me.  How she kept everything straight I'm not sure.  There were a bunch of us who were trying to help but felt we were more in the way sometimes.  I trimmed a lot of claws, got a few mats out of fur (oh those bug me to no end.  We had three older Persians who must have been used for breeding in the past who were COVERED)  I also got to watch a few surgeries (which is when I realized for certain I am sensitive to ISO - the sedation they use - as I kept getting light headed.  I wondered if it was the act of cutting and sewing up a cat that made me want to lay on the ground until I watched her sew one cat and did really well until all of a sudden I wanted to be on the ground.. so I figured it was the ISO)

The surgeries are really interesting.  boys go FAST.  snip pop snip tie glue.    Even the girls went pretty quickly, the first surgeon had it down to 17 minutes per cat. 

I was there from 7:30.  People started showing up at 8:00 am  I left at 4:00 PM when the last cat was sedated and headed into surgery.  Seems like such a long day for such a small portion of the unaltered cats to be taken care of, but part of me was thrilled that 27 cats would no longer be adding to the overpopulation.


So then I got home and hung out with Peter and Tinsel.  Tinsel is turning into quite a love bug, he wants his attention and he wants a lot of it.  He's also hit that awkward teen age lanky stage, and watching him trot across the room he looks like a black panther, dragging his feet on the ground before planting them.    It is a shame he is across the room in just a few bounds, and doesn't have more room to run, but he'll be leaving at the end of the week (or maybe early next week) and HOPEFULLY his furever home will finally show up and take them home.  (and no, it is NOT going to be me.  As much as I love them, there is no more room at Chez Connie Maison des Chats)

They are both way better at taking their medication then I thought I would have a right to hope at.  It is clindamyacin and it is horribly bitter tasting.  I spend a few minutes apologizing for having to give them icky stuff but that it will help them feel better and promising them yummy food for dinner.  I went and got a bunch of shredded type canned food (they prefer that to the loaf stuff) and they seem to say "GROSS!!" after I give it to them, but they do not seem to get mad or be upset.  Peter is not a fan of it, and will let Tinsel go first, but when he sees Tinsel getting loved on, he comes over and rubs against my ankles.   I usually sit down there for an hour, and half of that is just sitting watching them play either with each other or toys.  Tinsel is partial to a little red furry mouse he bats around and grabs and carries off.  They like to come and lay on top of me for a few minutes, then jump down and play a bit, then snuggle, then play, it is rather cute.