As Aunty would say (errr... did say), LET'S ROCK THIS, FOLKS!

If you've never experienced an IBKC fundraiser, now is the time. The kittens will keep you in stitches for the whole 31 days. And to think, this started out with Laurie hoping to raise a measly $3 squillion dollars for her local shelter. Last year, they netted $66 squillion!! Rock on to $75 squillion and infinity...!

I know I've been a scummy blogger, of late, but folks, but don't let that stop you!  This year IBKC raising money for folks, especially old folks, who are having a hard time keeping their furbabes in kibble.  Now, that's worth supporting!  Please, please, lend a hand if you can!

Anniebutt Island and a Crystal Moment

It's been a very busy day but I didn't want to miss a post so soon after returning to the blog. (I'm trying really hard to get around to all of our blog friends so, what time I had, I spent doing that!)

So I figured I could put up one of the pics I have, even if it wasn't part of a foster story.  You so rarely see her on this blog, I thought this one of Annie, the senior member of the Casa's General Population, would do nicely.

Annie is 12 now, and has always been a bit of a "scaredy cat."  But when the new kitchen went in, she claimed the island - I was stunned - she so rarely asserts herself.  I made a few efforts to keep the residents off of the island (they pretty much stay off of the food prep surfaces, which are next to the fridge and sink) but gave up when I realized I wouldn't win.  You see the heat vent comes up right under where Annie is laying and the entire length of the island becomes toasty warm in the winter.  One day I came home to find five of them (yes, she shares occasionally) lined up, basking in the warmth.

Annie has kidney disease and we work very hard to keep the weight on her and keep her hydrated.  After losing Tisha and Annie and Grey, I can't bear the thought of something happening to my little Greyzini.  Of all the critters, Annie has the most nicknames - Anniebutt, Greyzini, Greyzolette, and Bleached Baby, because someone thought her cream and camel markings made her look like bleach had been spilled on a silver grey cat.  They even sang to her - "Bleached Baby, Bleached Baby, give me your paw..."  I do too, now and again!

__________________________________

Oh, how much I have missed during that hiatus!!  I just discovered that Chrystal at Daily Dose of Dogs (aka cats in your coffee) is having a March blogoversary adoption event.  If you haven't been there yet, go check out her beautiful Cashmere and offer a word of support!

Is she a floofalicious lovely, or what?  Having been feral, she needs furever family who is willing to give her lots of time to come to love them.  (Hey, would you ever have thought our Lucy would come around?  And look at her now!)  Cashmere just needs a quiet household to call her own, and beans with the patience to let her take her time learning to love.

*** Note - It looks like we're having problems with comments.  If you have difficulty, and have the time, drop me a line at hubblespacepaws at gmail dot com and I'll let Google know (how many folks, when, etc.!)  Thanks!! Lisa ***

Thankful Thursday & Some Needs Today

Meg passed this along, Robyn's got it up, and we're from MD so... as Meg says, if two people tell two people who tell two people...

Red and Scuse are two young men who have had a rough time of it and need to be rehomed, together. The duo were abandoned by their owners, attacked by dogs (resulting in Red loosing an eye) but landed in a wonderful foster home. You can read about them here. They're healthy, playful and very attached to each other. Their foster mom is glad to deliver them to a good home within a day's drive of Gaithersburg and would even make arrangements for more distance, if the right home comes along.

So, you know the drill kind folks!  Repost, tweet, FB and all that jazz and help these handsome boys find the home of their dreams!!

________________________________________

As you know, I've been away from the intertubes for a while.  When I paid my first visit to SASS, I saw their Mom is not doing well at all.  I'm sure many of you know this and have been supporting her all along.  I am feeling very guilty for not having been there.  So everyone at the Casa would just like Judi to know we're keeping her in our purrayers.

________________________________________

And, from the Casa to everyone who has welcomed us back, it's Thankful Thursday for you!  We're feeling like the sun is creeping back in!

MD Furblings need a new home

Our friend Sue over at Pitter Pats of Baby Cats let us know about this need! Her friend Cora passed along this message:

Keiko Wells

PLEASE HELP!! My grand-dad just informed me about a lady he knows who just lost her job. She is having to move and can't take her fur-babies with her. Does anyone know of a place or rescue in Maryland or vicinity that can help re-home her kitties? We'd totally take them except we are on the wrong side of the country.

I'm assuming Gary is grand-dad and he posted:

Gary Wells

Here's the gal of the pair. These two are pretty mellow. At our first meeting they we both very accepting of me.
We've looked hard for a shelter, but everyone is full up.

Gary Wells

Here's the guy ... needs a good home for himself and his 'sister' of about two years. Owner has to leave them behind due to a job loss and other troubles. My friend will watch over them for a bit but we need to find a happy home situation as soon as possible.

You know how this works girls and boys... repost, FB, tweet, email and let's see if we can't find this pair a home!!!

Hugs,

Lisa

Cry for help - Cats needs someone to help them live.......

Update:

Thank you, everyone, who has offered to help. If you're interested in contributing or fostering, please contact Sonia at the address below!

Original Post:

Our own Sonia, who has fostered more critters than I can count (most recently Justice), asked us to post this PSA. B'more area folks, especially, please post, email, tweet... and let the intertubes due its stuff...

I've been contacted by a local person of a situation in my area. Apparently at this house, there has been domestic abuse. The mother is in jail and the father is in the hospital. There were 30 cats in the home. Animal Control has come in and trapped all but 8 of the cats. The person that contacted me has promised Animal Control she would find homes or foster homes for the remainder. The have not been cared for (infested with fleas and very thin). If all the cats are not gone by the end of the weekend, Animal Control will be back to drive them to their death. Someone in the household signed a paper allowing them to be euthanized. I understand some of the cats are very young and loving.

I have been in contact with the Md Feline Society and they have offered to provide flea medication (Revolution). We are going to bath them and remove all the fleas before we adopt or foster.

I am at my limit and at my location (financially and just not enough hands to give them all the love they deserve). I am desperately trying to help save their lives and find them loving homes (or foster homes).

Please pass this along to anyone you think might be able to help save their lives.

Warm regards,

Sonia

blatchley@stsci.edu

I have contacted the Md Feline Society and the Feline Rescue Association. The Md Feline Society is providing us with Flea Meds for all the cats (Revolution). I will foward you the message I received from the Md Feline Association.

A PSA from One Cats Nip - Rocky Needs Help

Hi folks, our friends over at Lee County Clowder saw this at One Cats Nip and asked if we would help... you know the drill - email, repost, tweet and let the intertubes do what it does best... spread the word and save a life!

See this guy here playing in the pool? He's happy...he's 3 years old and 87 lbs. Yeah he's a big boy he's a pitbull. He's sweet as pie with people but he is dog aggressive. (though to note he came to us with a sister who he got along with smashingly until she was adopted) His owners can no longer care for him so we have been caring for him at my job. None of the local shelters or rescues we have come into contact with will take him. Our building is about to undergo a renovation and is due soon to be under construction so Rocky is desperate to find a place to go...whether it be a forever or halfway home. HE HAS TILL MONDAY 6/20! If Rocky cannot find a place to go his time will be up. So if you or anyone you know can possibly help you can contact us to inquire about Rocky!

East Shore Veterinary Hospital
50 North Main Street
Branford, CT 06405
(203) 488-1686

Let's get the cat and dog blogosphere working together to save this young dogs life! Feel free to re-post as many times as neccessary! Thank you!

Time Sensitive PSA (followed by our regular programming)

Our regular post follows this, but we wanted this to be up front since it's time sensitive.

We received a request moments ago for assistance from the folks who do Baltimore's public housing. Todd called to say they are about to start construction on a building and discovered 5-10 cats are living in its crawl space. They have volunteers to trap the cats and will take care of both the arrangements for, and cost of, spay/neuter and shots.

What they need is someone (or multiple persons willing to take one or two each) willing to shelter the cats once the spay and neuter is done. A farm situation would be good as well.

Time is of the essence though - Todd only has a little over a day to make arrangements for rehoming these cats. Unfortunately, if he has to call Animal Control, odds of euthanasia are very high.

I am full up, but I said I'd spread the word to help. I was surprised and pleased that the city in which I live is making this effort - many would not. If you can help, please contact Todd - his information is below. If you know of someone who might be able to help, please forward this.

Thanks!

Lisa

Todd Cohen, M.A.

Community Liaison

Housing Operations

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City

417 East Fayette Street, Room 266

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Phone: 410-396-4091

Fax: 410-783-1867

E-mail: todd.cohen@habc.org

Has Anyone Seen Hazel? And Excitement at the Casa.

First, a PSA: Hazel is Lost! Please Keep an Eye Out for Her!

Maryland readers: Little Hazel lost her family in the Hanover/Arundel Mills area on Saturday, April 23rd. Mom Esther, and her family, are frantic. They have checked shelters and rescues and are now branching out to nearby areas and contacted us, among others. We know the odds, but it's always worth it to put it out there. Here are Hazel's vitals:

Name: Hazel; Breed: Rat Terrier; Color: Black with White Underbelly, Brown paws and spots.
Weight: 6 LBS; Collar Color: Pale Pink (NO TAGS); Sex: Female; Age: ~4 years

If you should spot Hazel, please give us a call at 443.823.3944, and we'll get a hold of Esther, ASAP.

Such Excitement at the Casa

Oh, but another first, first... @Ted - no, I didn't make the roman shades. A friend of mine, Carol did. And the valances in the dining room, and the chair seat covers in the dining room. Nice having handy friends, eh? (And thanks everyone for the sweet comments about the remodel. I do love it!)

Excitement with Mama Lucia: Last night I almost popped back on line to give you an update... Mama is really starting to relax! Last night she honored me by rolling over and opening the milk bar for her babies while I was just an arm span + a hand span away. Squeeee!!! Sorry I didn't have the camera with me - it's the first time I've seen her nurse, live and in person!

Excitement with Miska: This morning Miska struck abject terror into my heart. I went down to feed Mama, do a quick peek and then was going to hit the road for work. But only 3 kittens were under the bed. Miska was missing. I looked and looked - no Miska. After giving up and starting to climb the stairs, something hit me. I'd seen what I thought was a plastic bowl upside down under the vanity leg. ????? I just cleaned on Saturday and there were NO plastic bowls downstairs.

I felt under the leg and realized it wasn't plastic, it was pyrex... a quick glance confirmed the pyrex bowl was missing from the scale (used to hold the babies while weighing). You know how adrenaline gives you extra strength? I lifted the end of the vanity as much as I could, with one hand and pulled the bowl up with the other... and a little black paw flopped into view. My heart dropped to my stomach. A touch told me he was ice cold - there was no response. Trembling, I gently moved in to scoop Miska toward me... and the little black paw was snatched back out of my sight. OMG! What relief!! He was scared and chilly, probably asleep when I moved the bowl, but otherwise fine.

While I warmed him, I tried to figure out what had happened. He must have climbed in the bowl and overturned it on himself. Sure enough the bowl is just small enough for him to have scooted it under one leg... across the width of the vanity, and under the other leg, before he got stuck in a corner. With the drawers above, there was no way he could have gotten out. I realized, with some relief, that the tiles are textured (plus there are grout depressions), so running out of air was not a danger. The little pyrex bowl has been replaced with a larger version, and put up, out of reach of little explorers!

I'll cut myself some slack on thinking it was a plastic bowl... it was all the way in the (dark) back corner and I suspect he was asleep, up against the side. I do not need this kind of excitement and neither do any of Mama Lucia's little family. We scoped the basement for anything else that might be a kitten trap... safety first!

As you can see, the kittens are quite mobile. That's Lessa's butt sticking out of the tube on the cat tree. Yes, she made it. This is old hat for her:

I think I owe Mama Lucia an apology. I feed mama plenty of wet twice a day and leave dry kitten kibble 24/7 just to be sure she's getting enough calories. The last couple of days I've been admonishing her for being messy with her kibble. Turns out maybe not...

And tonight, mama once again laid out in front of me (instead of her usual crouch or tucked position). Here's Lessa, showing mom what a good groomer she is:

Almost immediately, the sibs came thundering over. And Lessa decided to climb Mt. St. Mama.

The sibs thought this looked like fun and joined in.

Three kittens on mama's head.

Three kittens on mama's head and one thinking about it.

Everybody joining in the fun. Including ear noming.

Mama Lucia. A study in patience!

(Actually I think she may have been thinking, "Just sitting there taking pictures, are you? Think this is funny, do you? Just wait until they climb your legs for food. I will laugh. Laugh, I tell you!")

Why NOT to get bitten by a cat

Well, I'd heard this could happen. Usually, I've gotten a bite, gone to the doc, gotten some antibiotics, hauled the cat (if it wasn't mine) to the vet 10 days later for a rabies check and prepared to complete all the city paperwork. But sometimes the cat's spit will land you here...

Yep, the ER.

I'm doing this post as a cautionary tale (because I didn't take cat bites seriously enough) and to show you the truly amazing (I'm sure once in a lifetime) digs I wound up with for the next 2 days. You may rest assured I will be MUCH more careful in the future.

I got my antibiotics from the doc within hours of the bite and did the usual soaking, etc., assuming things would go as they always had. I didn't feel too sporty at work on Wednesday, after the bite, and went home early for a nap. Around 6:15, I got up and went to Bible study. My hand was somewhat redder than it had been when I'd laid down. By 8:30 members of the study were saying it looked worse than when I came in. Sure enough, the red area was bigger. *sigh* I schlepped down to Patient First, just before they closed. They took one look and sent me to the GBMC (Greater Baltimore Medical Center) ER for IV antibiotics.

To say I was put out is an understatement - I've had to have an IV before (an hour long deal) and thought it was just timing sending me to the ER, since Patient First was about to close. I zipped home, grabbed my meds ('cause I knew they'd want to know what they were), wrote the "Glitch" post below and, just in case, freshened everyone's food and water and did a quick poop scoop.

I hoped to be home by the wee hours of the morning. Next thing I know, they're admitting me. At that point, they said one more course and they'd check my blood work again. I was still hoping to get to work by noon the next day.

They finally released me late this afternoon - after 40 hours on IV antibiotics, with my hand bound and constantly elevated (your arm will ache, let me tell you!). I missed 3 1/2 days at work because of my carelessness ... not fair to my employer or co-workers and I feel horrible about that. I had to impose on my sis to come feed and love the critters and take care of some paperwork that was due by 3/31. Sheesh!

But I must admit there was a small plus side - I was plunked into what the staff repeated referred to as "the best room in the hospital." Thanks to ye old cell phone, check it out!

But, wait, there's more... here's the OTHER side of the room:

Two lounge chairs (another is on the other side of the bed), a sofa and assorted small chairs graced the room. Yeah, that's my drip, on the left, that I had to drag everywhere... no showers for me - I felt totally gross when I got home.

But check out the view from my chair by the bed:

Here's the view out the front window:

And, since this IS a cautionary tale, here's what the bound hand is going to look like if you wind up in the same situation:

Oh, yeah, and your other hand will be sporting one of these:

So, please be more careful about being bitten than I've been. I feel like a teenager, just waking up to the fact that, yeah, it can happen to you!

Some Fun Stuff (A Baby Pool and Sophie's LOL) and some Good PSAs

First, if you haven't met Maggie over at Love & Hisses, you should! She a pregnant momma who STILL has not birthed those babies, and Miz Robyn is running a baby pool ($5 a guess), to benefit Challenger House, on when the kittens will be born. The prize? You get to name one of the little darlings!! Go on over, have some fun, and do some good!

Also at Love & Hisses you can read about Tom, a sweet, loving, gorgeous orange tabby, six years old from Chattanooga, TN, whose furever mom crossed to the Bridge about two years ago. For a year and a half, while her kids were wrangling over the estate, he was alone in the house with someone stopping by a couple of times a week to feed him and scoop poop... and not much more. THEN he was adopted by a woman who found him TOO loving, and shut him in a bedroom for 6 months, and didn't have the sense to surrender him. Sheesh! Spread the word, folks!

And to top it all off, dear Wendy has featured Sophie in a LOL.. Our young lady needs to let it go appropriately, it seems! :-)

Adopt the Internet Day

Thanks to The Cats of Wildcat Woods, we were reminded that today is Adopt the Internet Day!!! And how perfect - we'd planned to reactivate our Petfinder account to help Poco and Teddy (and tomorrow, a surprise new face... no, not Wally, someone else!) find homes, so we hustled our butt up and did it! Here are the details:

What It's All About In honor of Petfinder's 15th birthday, Petfinder is asking people everywhere to pledge to spread the word online about adoptable pets on March 15, 2011.

What You Can Do Now

• Add a badge (like the neat one above) to your Web site to show your support.
• Take the pledge that you will tell one person about pet adoption. By pledging, you'll enter for a chance to win one of 10 Pet Hair Eraser^®Vacuums from BISSELL.
• Donate your Facebook status and photo to an adoptable Petfinder pet. Simply replace your photo with one from the Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery and post one of these messages:
• More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!
• I adopted my pet from Petfinder and now I want to help get this pet adopted! If you want to help pets in need of forever homes, please repost this!
• Share an adoptable Petfinder pet on Twitter with the hashtag #adopttheinternet.
• Add a link to your blog, Facebook or Twitter post to Petfinder's Adopt the Internet page!

Simple!!

And who are we promoting? Well, of course, Poco and Teddy and the little lady who has been in our sidebar from TCOWW, pretty Avon. Click on any one for more details!!

Oh, and what about Wally?? We're still waiting! *sigh* Sophie is worried she will never have a boyfriend... but we're telling her patience is a virtue!!

Up Close and Personal with Poco

But first, this important PSA...

I'm keeping this at the top of each post until we know Little Bit's fate. Please go over to Brian's Home. Little Bit, a sweet SC lass, is urgently in need of a home. She's gone through traumatic surgery, is having problems recovering because of being caged, and now will be out of time at her shelter on Friday, 3/11. Spread the word, good folks... Tweet, FB, and repost... this little intertube community of ours has done amazing things. Let's pull one off for her! As our good Auntie would say, "LET'S ROCK THIS!"

*******

Now, let's get up close and personal with the lovable Poco!

Details about Poco (he was the one she housed, says Kathy, so she knows more about him):

This guy has the cutest personality and he's routinely funny. He is around 1-year old, and has plenty of kitten curiosity but is also quite the diplomat with other animals and he seems to have a mature, watchful acceptance of new situations. He loves people and is curious about other pets and not overly shy nor overly aggressive. Very well-adjusted! I think he might do well in a house with other animals, including a dog.

He, like his brother, completely loves to be petted. He will close his eyes and purr loudly. When found, he loved being petted more than getting food -- and he was starving. A really neat thing about this guy is that he's easy to medicate! When found, he had many parasites, which needed various courses of antibiotics. I could just kneel down, put fingers lightly on the outside edges of his mouth, and pop a pill partway down his throat, as the technique is done. Not many cats will let you do that!

Funny stuff: One day he trotted into the room with an old sock toy of Ernie's (my now-deceased dog) in his mouth -- just like a dog! Also, when in the bathroom, you may see 'the claw' -- the arm extended under the door or to the side of the door. He is very playful! But he also settles down to nestle next to you on the couch and fall deeply asleep.

He was neutered and given all shots and vaccines and de-parasite treatments.

What a lover!! Tomorrow, we'll get a closer look at handsome Teddy!

Animal Cruelty - You Can Make a Difference

Friends, I am saddened that my first post, after being away for so long, is so disturbing. Some of you may know of the nursing mother, Mittens, who was intentionally burned by her owner's 17 year old grandson and his friend, here in Baltimore.

Both Former Commander and PetDiva let me know about efforts to assure that this crime is fully prosecuted. I take no joy in recommending that 17 year olds be tried as adults. This, however, is a horribly cruel and deliberate crime and a clear message needs to be sent that animal cruelty, especially by those old enough to understand the consequences of their actions, will not be tolerated.

I think it is important that our officials hear from us - especially those of us who live in MD. Folks with political connections tell us calm, thoughtful and concerned is the most effective tone for letters and suggest we keep them brief, on this topic alone, and polite. Our objective is to have this crime prosecuted. The petition site has a copy of the letter that is being sent in that effort, and don't discount how effective a flood of snail mail can be! Please consider doing both the petition and snail mail, if you've got time.

After much debate, I have decided to publish pictures of Mittens at the end of this post. It is quite disturbing so, if you would prefer not to see them, I've left scroll space after this article, so you may read everything without viewing them. There are three news links - please be aware that Mittens is pictured in all of the videos embedded in the stories and Mitten's picture (albeit one of the least disturbing) is on the petition site.

Fortunately, it appears as though Mittens will recover! She is nursing and eating and the video of her with her kittens is quite life affirming. If you would also like to help toward Mitten's recovery costs, BARCS is accepting donations to their "Franky Fund" which helps severely injured animals.

The piece FC sent follows:

On January 8, 2011, a witness told police that her grandson and his friend, both 17-year-old males, took the family cat out onto the back porch, covered her with a milk crate then doused her with lighter fluid and intentionally set her on fire. The cat, Mittens, suffered 3rd degree burns and is now being cared for at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter along with her three young kittens.

Here are three news articles detailing the case:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-burned-cat-follow-20110131,0,5110620.story?track=rss

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2011/01/31/cat-set-on-fire-in-baltimore-city/

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/26668505/detail.html

According to Maryland Code § 10-606 this sounds like a clear-cut case of “aggravated cruelty to animals” yet these young adults are being charged as juveniles. Animal abuse is a felony crime and should be taken seriously. With extreme cases of animal cruelty on the rise in Baltimore, it’s time to send a clear message these crimes will not be tolerated and perpetrators, even if teenagers, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

What You Can Do

1. Please sign the petition to have these suspects charged as adults at http://www.change.org/petitions/17-year-olds-should-be-charged-as-adults-for-setting-cat-on-fire

Note: You can delete your address from your “profile” after you sign the petition, but it must be present for the signature to be valid.

2. Send a brief and polite letter or email to Gregg Bernstein, State's Attorney for Baltimore City, asking him to prosecute those who abuse, torture or kill animals to the fullest extent of the law, specifically the teenage perpetrators who intentionally set the cat “Mittens” on fire.

Gregg Bernstein

Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City

208 Mitchell Courthouse

110 North Calvert Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Email: gbernstein@stattorney.org

3. Send a brief and polite letter or email to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asking her to support police and animal control investigations and enforcement against those who perpetrate felony animal abuse crimes as in the case of the cat “Mittens.”

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

City Hall, Room 250

100 N. Holliday Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Email: mayor@baltimorecity.gov

4. Send a brief and polite letter or email to Baltimore City Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld asking him to handle incidents of animal cruelty as seriously as other violent felony crimes. Police spokespersons indicated they already know that animal cruelty is an indicator of violent crimes against people.

Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld

Baltimore Police Department

c/o 242 W. 29th St.

Baltimore, MD 21211-2908

Email: frederick.bealefeld@baltimorepolice.org

5. Send a brief and polite letter to Major Johnny Delgado, Commander Northwestern District Police asking him to handle reports of animal cruelty as seriously as other violent felony crimes and as such to fully investigate these crimes.

Major Johnny Delgado, Commander

Northwestern District Police Station

c/o 242 W. 29th St.

Baltimore, MD 21211-2908

Disturbing pictures follow. Please stop reading now if you would prefer not to see them.

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Thank you again for considering helping with this petition and letter writing campaign! It's not just for Mittens. Your participation can help in the effort to set a standard of zero tolerance for animal cruelty.

Lisa

We're alive... but little Ollie is still hurting... can you help?

Hi folks. Yes, we're still alive here - I've got auditors at work (this is normal, not a bad thing, but intense) and Winnie is still not doing too well, so lots of time is being spent with her. I know I've sorely neglected the blog, and visiting my friends, but life is in the way right now. Hugs to everyone - I do miss being part of our little community! Fortunately, life goes in cycles, so we will be back... hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Cynthia sent us a sad email so I've grabbed a couple of minutes to put this post up. Little Ollie still has not had his second surgery, because Max's House has not been able to raise enough funds. From Cynthia:

Please forward this to all of your animal-loving friends. I know everyone's budget is pushed to the limit right now but if you can spare even a small donation to them, please make it - the smaller donations add up also and help out. If you can't donate, then please help by forwarding this on so a ton of people will get it and help out if they can.

I had emailed Max's a while back when I first heard about Fran & Ollie, hoping that when the time came, they would be adopted together. They reassured me when they both were healed and ready to go to forever homes that they would be going together - they are a very bonded pair who depend upon each other.

Ollie Needs Your Help

Sadly, we still haven't been able raise all the money to pay for Ollie's surgeries.

Ollie cannot have his second surgery until the remaining balance is paid and we must be able to pay at least half of the cost of the second surgery up front before the surgeon will perform the second surgery. Because of all the kittens we've rescued this kitten season, and all the abandoned, surrendered, and "foreclosure pets" we have rescued from certain death in municipal kill-shelters, most of which need medical care, our medical fund is exhausted and our credit is overextended. We desperately need your help to get Ollie the surgery he needs to repair his eyelids. Any amount you can afford will help a great deal and will be deeply appreciated.

On behalf of sweet little Fran and Ollie, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Moosie Repost and Quick Update

Our friend, Brian, asked us to spread the word about Mossie a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, we were up to our ears in caring for Winnie and work and had not even checked our email. Soooooo.... here's the scoop for those of you who aren't already up on Moosie's plight...she's a sweet lady and both her furbling and human recently passed to Rainbow Bridge. She needs a home and she's right here near Charm City!!! Pop on over to Brian's Home and read her whole story, please... and pass the word to anyone you know who might fill this lady's last years full of love!

Winnie Update

Well, Win's T4 test came back on Tuesday and were good -her levels are normal now. The transdermal meds clearly are doing the trick. Unfortunately, her kidney function readings are now borderline. So, off to Doc Andrew we went today. The good: She's gained 2.5 oz since Saturday! Woohooo! The bad: She's got a very slight tremor over her entire body and Doc isn't sure what's causing that. She's been peeing and pooing outside the pan for the last few days but, in the last 24 hours, she's been good. *sigh* So, baring any downturn, we're scheduled to go back in two weeks for another check. Doc, of course, will be available by email anytime I want to check in or ask questions, so I know we've got the support we need to keep an eye on our old girl.

It's late, so I'll close, but tomorrow, we've got some good news! :-)

Texas Kitteh Needs To Rule Alone

Metz Darling wrote to us about a friend of hers, Brinn, and her furbabe, Sheba. Sheba loves her two legged subjects lavishly. Inexplicably, her majesty began torturing her furblings. Brinn has tried everything she knows to help Sheba but, sadly, nothing has worked and everyone is quite miserable. It's tearing her apart and Brinn has come to the difficult decision to rehome Sheba, both for Sheba's quality of life and that of her other furkids. You can read Sheba's whole story, and get to know her, over at Metz Darling.

Wisely, Brinn is spreading the word through our intertubes community... as we are folks likely to understand a kitteh with special needs and special love. So please, spread the word!

On the Home Front

I know it's been a while since the last post and I haven't been visiting (I miss you! But there aren't enough hours in the day right now!). Lotsa work - auditors arrive next week - and kitteh illness have kept me busy lately. Our matriarch, Winnie, has been diagnosed as hyperthyroid. Unfortunately, the pills made her throw up and the transdermal meds aren't quite right yet. She's taken to peeing and pooing inappropriately (and often!) - clearly to tell me she's not well. (I know, my honey, I know! We're trying!!) So, my focus has been on her - she's 16 and I've got that bit of fear since she's not responding to the meds as she should and she's still losing weight.

Sophie has been Winnie's companion during the day, since Win needs to be confined to an area she can't hurt with poo or pee when I'm not home. For some reason Win is good when I'm around and awake. The girls spend the night in the bedroom with me at night and, so far, Win has been good there, too. (But if she's allowed the run of the house at night, I wake up to a mess.)

Of course Annie, Bitty and Peggy Sue need extra attention, what with all the focus on Winnie and being banned from the bedroom at night. *sigh* I'm sure some of you may have experienced this side effect of an illness in the house - when one furbabe is getting extra attention, everyone else needs to be reassured they are loved, too.

Sophie is an accepted part of the household now and I need to start trying to get her out there as soon as things calm down. Frankly, the little one cuddling up with me, in that trusting, undemanding way that kittens have, has been a comfort and I'm getting attached. I'm conflicted... I can't keep every kitteh that passes through the doors but little Sophie is worming her way into my heart.