Tuesday Two-fur

Holly and  Frasier

Mimi and Frasier

Romeow and Frasier

Frasier and Holly.
He is bigger and fluffier than she is, and has the white stripe down his back.

Okay, so apparently Frasier likes to be in the action..

It is finally Naming Day

This naming day was generously brought to you by four wonderful contributors who helped me raise money for the DCIN. I was blessed to have a few other contributors and it means the world to me. Thank you.

But you didn't come here to hear me wax poetic.. you came to see the kittens and get to know their names.. 

The first kitten to get a name was our little black girl. Tracy made a donation to name a kitten Salome after one of her former kitties. She also suggested the nickname of Mimi which I think is a really good name for her.

Hello Salome, aka Mimi

The next donation came in from Caroline who picked out names for three of the kittens; Winged kitten - Angelo, Girl Cow Kitten - Holly, Boy Cow Kitten - Frasier.

Angelo

Holly

Frasier

I then received a donation from Roberta. She originally didn't have a name suggestion, but after seeing my handsome little black boy suggested the name Romeow. I mentioned that I seriously had wanted to name him Flower but that seemed inappropriate for a boy, and she mentioned she had wanted to name a cat Flower as well. I have been considering giving him a middle name, because this boy has more personality than any kitten I have had in a long time. He is incredibly attention seeking, not afraid to ask for attention.  Not to mention he is obnoxiously cute and is not afraid to show it off.

Romeow Flower McGillicuddy - or maybe not

No one seemed to want to donate to name the momma cat, so I wondered what to call her. I REALLY wanted to call her Scrappy, but that name simply didn't fit her. I was going to name her Miz Thing, but that also didn't seem quite right.  I was trying to come up with something when a final donation came in from Edith who suggested that I call her Katie, which I like very much.

Katie

The kittens are doing okay. They are still having some diarrhea and they still seem paler than I would like, so I took a stool sample into the shelter from one of the kittens who pooped right in front of me and had a lot of liquid and meowed quite uncomfortably; I know because Katie came over and tried to take the kitten out of the box. They didn't find anything so we are going the probiotic route. I gave them some raw goat milk and 12 hours later they already seemed more robust. I've started the probiotics and will give them more goat milk and I'm sure they'll go from okay to great in no time.

#TakeYourCatToWork on #TakeYourDogToWork Day

Today is take your dog to work day, but I say we don't let that get us kitties down.  As you know, I am lucky enough to be able to bring my foster kittens in to work on occasion to help socialize them. I know it is a huge benefit to them, and it improves their self confidence and allows them to adjust to new situations easier when they do it when they are so young.  I wasn't able to bring my current set in as they are a little young and litter box habits aren't to be trusted yet

I know most cat people aren't able to bring their cats to work, but we are not alone, most dog people aren't either.  But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate in spirit..

And know, if you have a young cat or kitten, the more you take them out of the house when they are young, the easier it will be on them when they are older. Introduce them to as many new experiences as possible. Repeat a few of them from time to time too so they are familiar with them. Take your kitties to a friend's house if they are accepting of your kitty, take them to the local pet store. I once took Jack to a local ice cream shop for ice cream; I will admit he made quite an impression on the folks there.

I often see people decry it as abuse when you travel with your cat, I say it is only stressful on the cat when they are not used to it. Make it a positive experience, be loving and full of praise, and you too can have a kitty you can take down to the local ice cream shop.

or that will hide in your inbox

Muffin tops, it isn't just for humans any more

Momma, why are you laughing?

You are laughing at Fleurp right?

Cause I so totally fit in this box.. 

Worldless Wednesday - Be warned, you must have a high squee tolerance

Name a TFK kitty in honor of Chandler

I knew this day was coming. I was pretty sure when Schindler/Chandler/Albert was returned to the shelter after being adopted by a family with other pets and small kids that he was never getting out. I learned yesterday that, sadly, I was right.

This poor boy had so much going against him, but despite all of that he had a personality larger than life. I took one look at him last year and fell head over heals for him. He was sitting in a cage with a bum leg and a huge notice of diabetes, and I knew immediately I had to bring him home if only for a short time.

I could not adopt him. I know my house limits and my first responsibility is to the cats that I have vowed to take care of. I considered it anyway, I tried bargaining with Jack, but he said that unless I could spend even more time with him it wasn't going to work out and short of quitting my job that wasn't going to happen. Yes, I have adopted some of the world's neediest cats.. and I love them beyond measure.

I brought him home with Abby - another diabetic cat who was also surrendered because of her condition - and he proceeded to pee on several items around the room, including the door... and still I loved him. I know he was just 'moving in' and trying to make himself feel at home. He only did it that first day; I might have felt a bit differently if he had kept it up.

He took to Abby like he was an old man sitting on a bench feeding the ducks and she happened to stop by. She was so fearful and I know he was a good influence on her.

I matted up some fur I combed off Chandler 

He loved being brushed, and he needed it. Diabetic cats who aren't well regulated often have poor coat conditions. His leg healed from apparently being shot with buck shot, something I only learned about a year later when he came back and they took some x-rays of him, but he continued to limp. His coat started to molt, especially around that leg and it was assumed that he was developing arthritis making it harder for him to take care of himself, so I would make a point to go in when I could and brush him. I pointed out the gobs of fur I got off him to the staff and they made it a point to ask volunteers to comb him as well which helped him. There were times that I would stop by and see him but he was 'busy' with some of his fans.. there were often people patting him and cuddling him.

Despite the attention he was still living in a cage. I did my best to give him time out of it, but I couldn't get in there as often as I would like. Others fell in love with him and did the same. Despite the attention he still seemed to be in decline. I mentioned it to the staff and he went for a check up. At one of those check ups it was determined he needed some digestive enzymes..

When that happened, I pretty much knew. He was diabetic which is a huge hurdle for anyone to get over. He needed supplementation for arthritis, and now digestive enzymes.. but his personality.. oh his personality.. he won so many people over.. everyone who met him loved him.. sadly none of us had a spot in our home for a boy with so many needs.. There was one woman who was a nursing student.. she would have been perfect for him, but she went to school in a different state and she felt there was too much travel to safely adopt him, never being sure where she was going to be when his insulin dose would come due..

Still I loved him, and still I hoped..

trying to catch the butterfly wing shape on his back

If only love were enough.

When I stopped in last Friday I was told that he had a seizure. The thought that it was time was bantered about, and my head agreed that it was most likely time (not that it was my decision) but my heart ached. I went and spent time with him. I held him, I kissed him. I gave him treats he shouldn't have had because of his diabetes but that he loved. I had hoped to be able to take him home for a few days once the decision had been made, and had made that known in the past, but apparently he went down hill so quickly that they decided it was best to just let him go on Monday.

I know that it is for the best, but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't ache. I wish I could have brought him home to sleep in my bed and fed him some real live dead chicken and let him gobble up those treats he loved so much before saying goodbye..

I wish I had known his full life story. I wish the people who let him go would know how his life ended, although I'm not sure they will care. I wish I had been there for him in the end..

But he was loved, his life and his spirit celebrated. There will be tears shed for his parting.

Dude.. I loved you.

The last photo of him

Some might say that no one cared enough to save him, and I think that is a mean horrid thing to say.. there were a number of people who cared so much it hurt, but there was nothing they could do.. there are just too many homeless pets, and pets surrendered later in life for medical issues are so far behind the eight ball that they seriously don't stand a chance. Statically an animal surrendered into the shelter system in the US has a 50/50 chance of getting out... anything that tips the scale, even a little, makes that statistic even more dreadful.

I have been trying to come up with a way to raise money for myself and some upcoming vet bills recently and asked my Facebook friends if they might be interested in naming a kitten for $20. There was much interest, but I wasn't sure if that might seem to be too much of a money grab. Well I've decided to do it and donate to the DCIN fund. The DCIN helps owners of diabetic cats with funds so they can keep their cats. Owners are far too often overwhelmed not only with the idea of diabetes, but the financial burden that comes with it. DCIN (Diabetic Cats in Need) can help with those costs. Right now they have a challenge going on for anyone who signs up for a monthly pledge for a year, it will be matched fifty cents on the dollar, so any contribution made will be increased.

It was suggested that maybe I should have an auction for the naming rights, but I'm going to go with the first six pledges (mom needs a name too). The minimum is $20 - but I'm not going to stop you if you want to send more *smile* - and once the total is in I will set up a monthly pledge with DCIN.

To name a kitten, send a gift via Paypal to Connie @ kittyblog.net. In the comments please note the name and the specific kitten if you care. I will attempt to be fair and do first come first served, but I fear everyone is going to want to name our winged boy and no one is going to want to name the mom, so if you could provide a second choice, I would appreciate it. If you don't care, please let me know that, so I can send you the photo of the kitty in need of a name and then you can pick. My only requests is that the name be family friendly and that it isn't impossible to spell/pronounce. If you don't have paypal, email me we can work something out.

I have often said, and I will continue to say, that diabetes is a disease I would never wish on any cat, but if you receive that diagnosis I want you to know two things. First, the learning curve is steep, but it is short! If you jump in with both feet you will be amazed at how quickly you realize that it wasn't nearly as daunting as you thought it was. Second, you will probably never have a closer bond with a cat. Caring for Em was something I will always treasure. I'll probably never convince anyone to go out and adopt a diabetic cat, but that will never stop me from trying... The need is so great.

So hopefully with this tribute to Chandler, we can prevent another kitty from being given up.

Two-fur Tuesday

Looks like we might end up with more mirror affirmations with this litter.. (I so should clean that mirror)

Update on the kittens

The kittens are progressing nicely.  Sadly they aren't as smart as some litters of kittens I have had in the past, but that can make for some fun times - well once they finally get this litter box thing down. We have had some vomiting and some diarrhea so I went to the shelter over the weekend to get some dewormer for them. Hopefully we can get solid stools because I am so over cleaning up after but scoots..

We also have been fighting ants.. I really hate ants because I know they are just doing their 'job' of cleaning up the world, but darn it I simply can't deal with it and killing them all is my only recourse because they are simply too small.  My job is to save lives, not take them.. I keep trying things and hopefully we will hit upon something that will keep them out of the house.. I so do NOT want to call an exterminator..

Well you didn't come here to hear me moan about ants, especially on a Monday. I know you just want to see the adorableness.. so without further adieu,

Do you think you could keep the squeeing down to a miminum?

Our fluffy boy was the only one to come out for photos

We don't need our photos taken..
(but if you wait long enough, they come out)

Black girl

Winged boy

cow boy

the girls

It still amazes me how much smaller the girls are than the boys. This happened in the last set too, but generally does not. The little cow girl has more attitude in her little paw than all of the rest of them combined, which makes me giggle.  Hopefully we'll have names soon..

Caturday

June 19th is a very important day

On June 19th:

• 1862 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln outlined his Emancipation Proclamation, which outlawed slavery in U.S. territories.
• 1867 - In New York, the Belmont Stakes was run for the first time.
• 1910 - The first Father's Day was celebrated
• 1912 - The U.S. government established the 8-hour work day.
• 1981 - "Superman II" set the all-time, one-day record for theater box-office receipts when it took in $5.5 million.
• 2015 - The Crew of Tails from the Foster Kittens celebrates International Box Day!

Kit starts the day out with a bang while Fleurp waits in line

Jack checks out a box

Muffin declares the box perfect

Kit shows off the 'on the box' method of celebrating Box Day

The kittens wanted in on the action too

May your day be boxtastic!