Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Why puppies for Christmas is a bad idea


Most of the dog owners I know say to me "If I had only known"...  the bane of my existence.  I talk about cats and cat food on my blog and my own struggles with my cat's health issues not only to document what I've done and choices I've made and why, but to help other people understand why I did what I did, but also to open the door for more information.  I am perfectly happy listening to anyone who wants to tell me that they took a different path and the information they have learned.  I might not always follow that path, but I really love to learn what worked for others so I can share that information too when the situation might happen to arise for someone else who might need the information.

Well while surfing around today I ran across this post about "buying puppies". (and I would guess in turn there is the same to be said about pure bred cats too - but you don't hear about it nearly as much)  Yes, we all know that it CAN be done right.. but all too infrequently it is.  People get impatient and and want a puppy for a certain time in their life (Christmas puppies anyone?) or on a whim.  They don't want to wait the breeding, the gestation nor the 8 weeks until the pups are minimally ready to go to a new home.

So do you have any idea how these pets come to be at "just the right time"?  I mean what dog would naturally breed to whelp in the beginning of winter?    Ayup.. puppy mills.

I've seen the result of puppy mill puppies.  A friend of my mother adopted one.. it was a mess.  She felt she was rescuing it - which she was - but she was still supporting the cycle.  She paid for the puppy.  The poor puppy would have died if she didn't step in, but while that would have been horrible for that puppy, it might have started a cycle that would have prevented more mill puppies from showing up.  I mean if money is lost then they won't be doing it.

So PLEASE.. NEVER buy a puppy with out being able to see the parents and vet records.  NEVER buy a puppy with out a contract that states the seller will take the pup back at any point in it's life.  NEVER buy a puppy with out doing EXTENSIVE research on the breed and what are some of the qualities of that breed are that you might not find oh so endearing.  I mean herding dogs are adorable but do you really want to be herded all the time? and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check out petfinder.com or your local shelter and find out if there dogs that are your breed that you are looking for who need a home... or ask about breed specific rescues.  No matter what type of dog you are looking for, there is a rescue for that.  Save a life, don't add to the misery that these dogs in mills have.  If the breeder is hesitant to answer ANY question you have, walk away.  I'll talk about my foster kittens till I bore you.  You can't ask a question that I wouldn't answer.  Reputable breeders love their puppies, and will want you to report back to them and let them know how things are going.

I wish I would hear more often from my former fosters..   *sigh*

oh wait.. rant about puppy store puppies.. yes..

But I'm not ever going to buy a puppy you say.. ever bought anything from a store that sells puppies?  You have supported the cycle.  Back in the day before I knew what a puppy mill was I used to love going in and looking at the puppies.. they are so cute.  I get it.  But once I learned.. I can say I'm glad those stores are far fewer around here then they used to be.

So now that you knowSpread the word.
(preaching to the choir aren't I?)

Wordless Wednesday - Jack


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sleepy, Sneezy...


Well I do have my hands full with the new fosters.  They are sneezy at this point, and the little black and white one had *something* go on with one of his eyes.  I say something because it "glued" shut, but there was no major discharge nor did it seem excessively inflamed.  (it was inflamed, but not so you would notice just looking at him)  I put some purlube on his eye to "loosen things up" and he did NOT like that.  Fought me tooth and claw while I got it in (which is how I know his eye was inflamed.  I love it when they try to keep their eyes shut.. heck I just love it when kittens are healthy enough to fight back... then he rubbed his eye for the next few minutes. 

The shelter sent me home with meds in case this blows up into full blown URI.  We are close but I don't think we are there yet.  A snotty nostril and that one eye issue.  But I'll keep a very close eye on them.

They are also not quite as social as I would like.  Typical that one of them is fascinated with my husband.  sat on him and stared at him for quite some time.  The tortie decided she would try to swing from the electrical cords.. *rolls eyes* and I did my best to put a stop to that - but you know short of removing them all together just about anything I would do would just cause more attention to be brought to it.  The tortie and one of the tiger males attacked the nob on the bureau.    It's always amusing to watch batch after batch of kittens do the exact same thing.

They are a pound and a half, so they'll be New Year's kittens.  They MIGHT be Christmas kittens, but then *I* wouldn't have kittens for Christmas.. I'll be selfish if they barely make it

Declawing now Illegal in Isreal


Good News for Cats in Israel  

Great for them, sad still for U.S.  But hey, maybe it will start the discussion again.

I just had to appreciate the almost $20,000 fine for having your cat declawed now that it is against the law there. And yes, there are provisions in the  law for medical necessity for either the owner or the pet.  But there are provisos like the cat must be kept indoors and must be micro-chipped.

Making her list


You may go out and get me things
I didn't have the heart to tell her that those fliers are out of date.. I know I know, I so need to pick them up, but the cats just love to lay on them...

Monday, November 28, 2011

My Day at the Shelter


I started off not knowing who I was looking for, so I wandered around the shelter thinking it would be obvious.  I went into the supply room, and look, they are still full of food...
I kept looking and found her in the cat rooms.  Turns out they weren't doing a "professional photo shoot" like I was expecting.  They needed to get the cats on the website in general, and setting up a scene and transporting the cats too it would take up too much time and would be stressful on the cats.  And since there was an obvious need to get them photographed for the website, that is what we did.  A shelter worker cataloged who we took photos of, the photographer took the photos, and I did my best to keep the kitties calm and preforming.  There were some really beautiful cats.  One sweet girl was 90% fluff and 9% claws.  She had a total of 27!!  I didn't get any photos of the kitties in the cage rooms, as there just wasn't time or room.    We went into one cat room and I got these...
She comes with a permanent wink and is super sweet
We then went into the small animal room, and we took a photo of the albino rabbit that wasn't on the website.  Since I have rabbit experience I got him out and we took some good picts.  I stopped and looked at the brag board.  They post photos and letters of new owners..
it really is a shame he can't  relax.  - I love the modesty flash reflection
We then went into the second cat room.  Where I got these photos.  The big black kitty is "Diane" and she is an absolute sweetheart, and determined to let everyone know that since she is plus sized, her love and adorableness is also plus sized
another multi-toed kitty
Diane
Out in the lobby they have kitten cages.  and look who was still in one
Sadly Rory didn't make it home for Thanksgiving.  He's also got some inflammation in his eyes and is on meds :(  He is sharing his home with two littler kittens who were all snuggly with one another, and I thought they were siblings, but they weren't.  While I was taking photos, a woman came up and was all wanting to adopt Rory as a friend for her new dog.  I wasn't sure that would be the best match for him - it might have been - so I was content to let the universe take care of that one, and when she asked me about the other kittens in the cage I mentioned the little tiger jumped right out of the cage into my lap, and she took a look at him and he won her over.  I think Rory is starting to understand the adoption game and is a bit more outgoing.  I'm sure his time is soon.

It better be, considering Minerva was already adopted (on Black Friday actually) she went to a home with a lab and where the pet needed to be good with children.  I hope she opened up a lot while at the shelter and this is the perfect fit.  The Minerva I first met would have NEVER fit in that home, but the Minerva who left here might have.. I'm sure she learned a lot in her time at the shelter, and I bet she is ruling her roost.

Well.. I need to get going.. I've got "things to do"
How many kittens do you see?
check again

Mom is very sleek and beautiful.  The tortie is a girl, the rest are boys.  Three tiger boys (one with out white paws) and one black and white (I so very much wanted to call Bug) so names are going to be fun.  They were born in mid October.  The woman they were staying with is going in for surgery.  I am a little surprised they don't have names - maybe they do and the shelter just didn't get them which is very much  a possibility - but since there aren't names now, I'll have to figure them out.

Wearing her heart on her sleve


I'm headed to the shelter today to help a professional photographer take photos of the animals.  I saw a news story on on the CBS Morning show about how dramatically professional photos can increase adoptions.  I shared the story with the shelter and they thought it was a wonderful idea and had someone in mind.  It is finally coming to fruition.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Misery


I just noticed that Kit's photo while at the vet didn't make it to the post. 
I'm hoping to remember to give her some Pepcid before bringing her to the vet next time.

Black Friday


The day started out like this.. all happiness and coziness...  but notice Eli is no where to be seen. Smart boy that one is.  I got ready by getting out the Christmas collars...
Yes, The Crew gets decked out for the holiday.  It is a good time for me to get my butt in gear and get new collars for their everyday use as those are getting a little scraggly.  Then there was the gathering. I threw cookies down in the hall.  I try not to use cookies for this type of gathering, because it tends to cause trust issues, but I needed to get Eli. He has trust issues to begin with, and apparently he knew something was up.  (are you figuring it out yet?)  The gathering went well, and ended up resulting in this...

a yup.. it was time for a vet visit.  I threw the cookies in the hall and ended up herding the cats into rooms that don't have furniture they can hide under.  I took them out one by one and changed out their collars and put them in a carrier and DH played tetris with their carriers and got everyone in the car.  30 minutes of singing later and we were there.  While fun was had by no one, everyone checked out great.  Twee's eye flared up pretty bad, and Muffin actually started with an inflamed eye as well but I am sure that was simply from stress.  Today Muffin's eye is back to normal.  Twee is going to get some medication for a while.  And yes, once again Twee swore like a sailor while there, my sweet sweet girl who is all innocence and light 354 days of the year.. She did last year too, so this year I didn't let them all out of their carriers but took them out one at a time.  Didn't help her.  I think next year I'll try taking her down all by herself.

We did blood work on the four older cats.  Jack, Muffin, Eli and Twee all checked out fine - although Twee fought them so hard that she now has three different shaved patches on her - she is not a fan of being on her back unless it is her choice.  There was weight gain all around (I told DH he was over feeding them!! if he won't listen to me maybe he'll listen to the vet.. {but honey, they are so hungry!!  um.. no darlin, they aren't.. they just like to  BE fed.. })  He also gave Kit a shot of Pepcid, because she became quite car sick.  She drooled so much I was a little afraid she might become dehydrated.
Nope, no kitty here to examine, I promise!!
Sorry Muff, your nose gave you away
I'm ready for anything, but I'd rather be home
Handsome kitty in the window
Bow Ties are cool
I want back in my box!!
Muff, Let me in!!
me too me too
you can not see me!!
They got home and were miserable for a while.  Promises of never forgiving us were heralded about, Kit, who vomited in her carrier and got a slight bath completely disappeared.  And the remaining traitorous treats were left uneaten in the hallway
But then dinner was served and that was eaten, the treats were cleaned up as fodder for forgiveness.  The bed certainly was not going to be ignored for...  for... well what ever reason it was they were mad, because they just won't be that mean to themselves.. and once there the evil of the day was long forgotten.

DH was concerned about Kit, and worried she wouldn't forgive him.  I told him that once she was dry she would show up... and I was right
sleep tight
An almost $700 bill.  That was my Black Friday.  I helped keep my vet in the black :)

and just to be fun, when we got home we got a reminder card that the crew was due to be seen..

and for those of you who hoped along with The Crew that turkey would be a part of the menu, well it wasn't.  We got precious few left overs...but we knew that would be the case and we bought them several cans of Merrick Thanksgiving Day Dinner.  The turkey came out so good (it was brined in an apple cider solution) that I'm thinking we'll have another one before the year is out.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Kit - the Super Model


We found a cute new dress for Kit. It looks and feels like cashmere.
I love my daddy and my daddy loves me
I'm so pretty
Let me sit on my pedestal
Work it, Work it...
Yup, I'm a pretty girl.
I also got a cute t-shirt shirt too..
I deserve a really huge treat from Santa for letting you dress me like this
So I shall sit by the cupboard that has the treats until it happens
nom nom nom nom nom nom nom
Kit happily wore the dress for several hours until we took it off.  I hated taking it off cause she looked so darn cute, but I knew she would end up damaging it scratching herself or trying to groom herself.

Jack's shirt came off before the treats came out of the cupboard.  He's not a big fan of being dressed up, but he'll put up with it for me.
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