Category Archives: Animals

18 Months

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This seems like a milestone. I remember six months was still very raw. A year was significant and friends made sure they were with me. Now? I’m mostly numb. And sad. And trying to get stuff done. I lost two cats a couple of weeks ago, but I also discovered a new one. The brown tabby I’d been seeing on the Ring camera and thought was Garfunkel (but seemed smaller than I remembered him) was actually a young female. I’ve been working to befriend her so I can get her fixed–she’s complaining in the crate above Jase’s as I type and is scheduled to be spayed tomorrow. Since I have Simon and Garfunkel, I tried to think of a name that fit that theme and could only come up with Mrs. Robinson, which seemed too stuffy for a kitten, so a friend suggested Bobbi. I’m going with Bobbi for this new girl.

Things are progressing swiftly with the house — or at least multiple projects are ongoing. They began preparing roofs last week. They removed the old shingles and applied new synthetic felt and valleys.

Sanding and priming is ongoing — they are on the last two upper walls. Once that is completed, they will begin applying color coat to the house.

I have hot water again. The new on-demand unit is working well.

Some of the PVC on the northwest side of the house has been replaced with PEX, and my bathtub has been removed. At some point, the bathroom remodels will begin, so I need to get my mural tiles ordered. The ramp is also progressing.

They got the last of the boards on the garage that needed to be flipped done, so that project is nearing completion. The garage roof replacement is nearly complete, and the house roof replacement is underway.

You can see where they are fabricating and installing new second-story shingles.

Also, the ramp looks like it will be nice and sturdy.

Daisy: September 20, 2016 – December 3, 2021

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Daisy was the last surviving kitten from Zelda.  She was a beautiful kitten, but she didn’t choose to socialize with us.  We brought her into the house after she was spayed at six months, but she preferred to keep to herself. She was always near, but was not willing to let us touch her or handle her. Thursday morning, she was sleeping in the bathroom, let me pet her, let me pick her up and hold her, and she felt cold. When I put her down, she didn’t run away. I picked her back up, took her downstairs, and put her in a carrier. I knew she was sick.

Our primary vet is off on Thursday, so I took her to our secondary vet, and he and his team began working on her immediately. She was severely dehydrated. Blood work revealed renal failure with some kidney involvement. They got her onto an IV with several medications. She perked up by mid-afternoon, but there were some troubling neurological signs which didn’t bode well. She deteriorated neurologically overnight, and by the time I got there on Friday morning, she was gone.  The mostly likely cause was acute renal failure accompanied by a stroke.

Rest in peace, dear girl.

 

Daisy

Cats: Foster Kitten Progress

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The foster kittens are doing well. I was concerned about Josephine (she was hanging back when I opened the crate and not coming forward to greet me like the other three), so I arranged for Milam Touch of Love’s main foster team to work with her for a few weeks prior to her spay appointment on October 23.

Josephine is dealing with a lot of adjustment to the new environment and has been less amenable than I thought she would be to the changes. It’s only been three days, so we’re being patient. She’s lost her siblings, moved to a new home, is learning to deal with different people and animals, and it’s lot for a young kitten to do. She may have bonded with me more than I thought she had, though.

Kate and Tartoo bound to the front of the crate when I open it. They get lots of attention. Tartoo just cuddled in my arms for quite a long time this morning. Maybe he’ll be a lapcat. Ghost is not far behind in extending greetings when I open the crate.

Since turning them loose in the dining room to play results in troubles recapturing them, I’ve fallen back to closing them in the bathroom with me and Walter to evaluate their development. Kate was the first to experience this. She was most interested in exploring. She was hesitant with the new-to-her cat toys. She was wary of Walter but interacted a little with his paw when he stuck it out of the lower cat tower house. She was not anxious to be caught, but since it’s a confined space, I was able to corner her and catch her.

Tartoo was next on the experience. He actively engaged with the toys and exploring the room. He and Walter weren’t interested in each other. When the time came for me to pick Tartoo up, I had to sort of corner him, but he just hunkered down and allowed me to pick him up.

Ghost got a very brief session this morning, and what was most notable was her reaction to Walter. She hissed and wanted nothing to do with him.

Finally, Gracie is still here. She still has no interest in interacting with me, but I frequently find her at the front of her crate watching. I suspect the household cats are interacting with her to some degree. If all goes well, her barn sanctuary reservation is on October 15. I know she’s ready to be able to move freely again, but she’s been a perfect houseguest.

Cats: Adoption Extravaganza

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The kittens and I went to Belton yesterday for the 4th Annual Pet Adoption Extravaganza, sponsored by Rescue Magazine. This was a marvelous event. Milam Touch of Love’s booth was back-to-back with the Rockdale ACO’s booth, so we worked together. Rockdale brought six dogs, and they were adopted within the first hour. We encouraged her to bring more animals, so she made the trek and returned with five more dogs. One of those got adopted, so she had seven adoptions yesterday. (For anyone not local to me, Rockdale is a city in Milam County, so it’s an area Milam Touch of Love is committed to supporting.)

Milam Touch of Love brought my four foster kittens, a fostered lab mix, a mama lab mix with four of her puppies, and a boxer mix. Everyone but the kittens was neutered or spayed, current on vaccinations and heartworm/flea preventative, and microchipped. The kittens are current on their vaccinations and flea preventative but not spayed or neutered yet (old enough by some standards but not mine). Mama lab mix and her four puppies all got adopted. Our other two dogs got some serious looks but their right people weren’t at the event, I guess. The kittens got a lot of attention in the afternoon but no takers. I was thankful a couple of the lookers didn’t develop — the kittens were tense and concerned throughout most of the event, but they were distinctly uncomfortable for one or two of the people looking at them.

This adoption event was well-run and attendees were generally knowledgeable about what it takes to own a pet and were very receptive to our suggested adoption donation. It helped that all our dogs were fully vetted. We had five volunteers at the event plus the Rockdale ACO. Our volunteers worked in both booths as needed, helping with questions, paperwork, and generally watching over things. We had a wire pen set up for visitation. This allowed people to interact with the dogs before deciding if they wanted to adopt them, and I believe this was helpful. People and pups could spend quality time in a more relaxed situation to have a chance to get to know one another better. We’re looking forward to participating in this event next year.

Cats: Some Fostering News

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I haven’t done a good job of updating lately. At the end of July, I found myself in a fostering situation for a mama cat and her four weaned kittens. For those of you counting at home, you know that means 16 cats in the house, three outside, a dog, … Continue reading →

Cats: Outside Update

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The outside boys are doing great. Scooter, Socks, and Walter are all eagerly waiting outside the back door for their morning can. They’ve become quite obnoxious about butting their heads against the can and making it difficult to fill their bowls. I’m working on getting them to back off until … Continue reading →

Cats: Zelda’s Bird

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For well over a year, we’ve noticed that nearly everywhere Zelda goes, she is accompanied by a mockingbird or two. These birds incessantly chirp at her and frequently dive-bomb her. Zelda is remarkably laid back about this constant harassment. I captured some of what she deals with on the game … Continue reading →