Her Name Is Lacee

Can you see why we picked the name Lacee? This is a shoe lace, doubled and tied in a double knot. We discovered it was not embedded, thank goodness. As I was holding her, hubby was massaging her neck. It was very tight, and we really thought it was embedded. She is very clingy, and moves her head a lot, so every time we thought we could get a hold of it she would move. Hubby started working it, and we spent about 20 minutes just massaging her neck until it became loose enough to create a gap just big enough to cut it off with scissors. Awwww, she seemed so relieved once this was off and started giving little kitten kisses.


My mind plays all sorts of scenarios on why someone would tie a shoestring around a kittens neck. We are now estimating, she has been around in my shelter since she was between 8-10 weeks old.

We have had many reports here on the local news over the last couple of months of dogs and cats being found hung in trees at our local parks and peoples yards. It was reported that some kittens were hung by shoe laces. I don't know if this was the case with her, who did this, why they did this, but I am thankful she found her way to my shelter, and I caught her in time. It wasn't easy, that is for sure.
The minute hubby cut this off her neck, he decided her name should be Lacee. I like it. She is a lucky little Lacee.


She is doing so well. We moved her cage in the house, and she has made herself at home. She wants to be held all the time, and seems very needy. I think she is making up for all the attention she missed out on.
She still drags her legs before standing, but manages fine. She is much smaller then my pictures show. Her fur is still kitten fur, and nails are still those clear little kitten nails. When she has her spay done, we will have the vet check her legs. She is a cute little thing, isn't she.

Kitten,Good News, Bad News

First, I am happy to report, she is the sweetest little thing. She thrives on being petted, rubbed and loved on. I can rub her belly and every part of her. She is very mentally immature. She kneads constantly as I am talking to her, including kneading the palms of my hand. It appears that she may have been separated from her mama too young, by the behavior I am witnessing.

Second, I have determined that she has the same problem with her legs as Grady (rip) did. I wouldn't be surprised if she came from the same place and is related to Grady somehow. Her eyes resemble his. She could have Cerebellar Hypoplasia. When she lays down, she always lays on her hip and stretches her back legs straight out to the side, but the front half of her body is in a sit up position. Then when she wants to get up, she drags her back end and legs a few inches before she can stand on them. They do not bend correctly. She does have a difficult time getting comfortable to lay down until her back legs stretch to the side. But that is a minor handicap, as she has adjusted to that.


Third, I am so ANGRY! . Now that I can pet her, it has been determined that she was not born feral, *sigh*.... I found something embedded in her neck. It could be a collar, but too hard to tell. I can't find any buckle, and it resembles a LARGE RUBBER BAND!

Did I mention how angry I am?

Why the Heck do people, that call themselves humans do this? If I did not have my web cam, I wouldn't even know she was in my shelter, since she always stayed hidden. She is a baby and still growing.

I am so ANGRY!

I am waiting for a return call from our vet to find out when she can go in. After she recovers, and is determined healthy, we will then start looking for a special home for her. She will be considered a special needs kitty, with her handicap, she sometimes misses the litter box, but she tries, her legs just don't work right. We will have to do more evaluating with her coordination and personality as times goes on.

Here She Is

She seems to be doing alright for now. She is scared, but quiet and calm. It appears she has jumped to the bottom of the cage to investigate. I noticed paw prints in the litter box, and it appears she has been eating some of her kibble. All good signs.

When I opened the cage to take these pictures, she didn't put her ears back, she just tried to tuck in as low as possible to hide. no hissing or growling, just watching me very carefully. She is fine with me as long as I don't make any moves toward her.
I won't make any moves toward her for awhile. For the next few days, the only interaction I will have with her will be talking to her while changing her food and water, and cleaning her litter box. Then I will start sitting with her for about an hour every evening. I will use that hour to read out loud, or I can use that time to make some phone calls, so she can get familiar with my voice.
She has some scratches on her nose, but other then that, she looks fine. I am still estimating her to be about five months old. Once she gets a little more comfortable, I will post more pictures, and hopefully get some full body shots. These pictures don't show it, but her body has alot of orange underneath and blended in with the grey.
Now I need to come up with a name so I can start using it as I am talking to her. I will have to think on that one. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to let me know.

The Kitten Is Safe

Finally, I have her. I am so very excited, relieved, exhausted. This kitten has tested my ability to trap. But I finally got her.
One thing I must admit, I was very foolish today. I lifted the roof of the house she was in to make sure where she was. Then I grabbed the trap, set it by one entry, and added bricks to help prevent her from getting out. Then I put a brick and cardboard by the other entry, then set the trap. 10 hours later, she still hasn't come out. I have done it this way for the last three days. Finally I give up in the late evening, as I don't want to trap her, if I am not out there to bring her in right away.

Well, silly me. Tonight, while watching the web cam, there she was, standing on TOP of the trap. I take a second look, thinking, no that isn't her, but it was. She was never in the little house I had the trap set for. I never realised she moved to another house while I was getting everything ready. Anyhow, so I just set the trap with a bowl of her kibble, and left it in the middle of the shelter. One hour later, there she goes, right into the trap!

It took me about 15 minutes to get her out of the trap and into the cage. I put the blanket that she always sleeps on in the little house, in the cage for her. Once she started sniffing the blanket she walked out of the trap and into the cuddler that the blanket was in.

So, now, I need to work on taming her. She is completely feral. This will take a lot of time and patience. It will be all up to her now.

I will post pictures of her tomorrow.

Bailey The Unknown Reindeer

This is not my dog, but he is having a blast in the snow. Make sure you have your speakers on.

Trapping Should Be Easy

We seldom have a difficult time trapping kittens. With their natural curiosity, and sense of smell, they can be lured into a trap with the aroma of fresh food in a rather short time, as they have not become quite street smart or trap wise.

We have even had great success trapping pregnant mama cats with ease.

So why is it so difficult to trap this kitten in my shelter? Why, oh why, I keep asking myself. I think she is rather smart. One of the smartest cats I have come in contact with. She knows she is safe, and knows how to hide.

While watching her the other day, I was crossing my fingers as she took a couple steps into the trap. Oh yes, I thought for sure, that was it, she was going to finally go in. No, she wasn't ready, she backed out, and that was the last I have seen her go near the trap. But, I am getting closer, right? That was a huge step in the right direction.

I was observing her behavior with the Siamese. When he comes into the shelter, she rubs all over him, pushing her head into his body, then she steps very slowly to the trap, all the while looking back at the Siamese, as if she is looking for reassurance. She will only go investigate the trap when the Siamese is there, otherwise she stays away from the trap. I find that quite interesting, as if she gets her confidence from him.

I did trap my other feral, Buttons. He is really driving me nuts. He won't leave the trap alone, and when he finally got trapped, he was NOT happy! When I had to release him, boy, did he hiss and spit at me. I never knew he had it in him. You would think he would learn his lesson now, don't you. No, he just set it off again. I think he needs to take lessons from the mysterious kitten.

Pictures From The Past

These pictures were taken a few years ago, but we are not putting up a tree this year, so I thought I would share these, they are some of my favorites.




Jake, Bandit, & Princess

Jake was very young in this photo with an old time Santa.

One of my favorite pictures of Princess. She went to Rainbow Bridge July of 2007. Christmas was such a fun time for her, It just isn't the same without her. She was Jake's' best friend.

Mysterious Kitten (part 2)

We have determined four adult ferals like the wonderful appealing smell of Feliway, in fact they like it enough to rub their furry little bodies on the trap I set for the kitten, then decide to take a nap right next to it. So that sounds all good, right? Wrong, the kitten won't come out if the other cats are there.

Next, I tried a little catnip. Uh Oh, can you see it now? That went over real well. Instead of relaxed cats enjoying the soothing results from feliway, now we have four crazy wild ferals having a blast in the cat shelter.

The trap.

The new sleeping arrangements, once the kitten is trapped.

Where the kitten currently lives.

I lifted the roof of the house, and there she was, and where she is currently.

I am absolutely crazy, I know. I have my doubts that I am going to be able to tame her now. I won't give up, but I have never dealt with such a stubborn, hard to trap kitten before. Adults, yes. Kittens, no.

Yesterday, I blocked one entry again, and opened the roof, and tried to get her to walk out into a carrier. She won't budge. The little house she is in has 2 levels. The top level is completely insulated, with just a little crawl space to crawl to the bottom. Once she is on the bottom, she is in another area completely out of reach. No way can I get her out of there without just taking the entire house out of the shelter, and making her leave. She has made herself completely at home.

Now I am thinking since we see her chasing crickets all the time. Perhaps if I put a jar of crickets in the trap, she will be curious enough to go in. I don't care how insane that makes me, I am up for trying anything. Hubby keeps telling me "you have to get the kitten, you have to get the kitten". UGH! I know already, it isn't like I haven't been trying. Hubby put on his leather gloves thinking he could grab her. Uh, no, I already tried, and she is getting big, and not such a small kitten anymore.

The really humorous part of this, is every time I go into the shelter now, the other four ferals follow me, I am sure just snickering in their kitty language with one another watching to see what other interesting smells, foods, feathers and little gadgets I am bringing them for their amusement.

So, I am off to go sit in the shelter and see if I can come up with any other crazy cat trapping ideas.

The Mysterious Kitten

Here she is, the kitten that has been keeping me up all hours worrying about her safety. Please excuse the very poor quality photos, all taken from the web cam, but I thought I would share a sneak peak, even if they are not all that clear.

I am getting very discouraged. She is getting older, and the type of behavior she is exhibiting, she is already very feral. I have not seen her leave the shelter. She uses the litter box in there, and eats and drinks in there. I often see her chasing crickets. I have never seen her climb on the houses, and most times she is inside them.

She is very close to the Siamese, and he is very patient with her. I am worried my other ferals are going to hurt her. If they see her out, they chase her back into the houses, swatting at her through the entry ways. Last night one of my ferals had her cornered in another part of the shelter, I had to get the squirt bottle and chase my other feral away. I then got a really good look at the kitten. She has a cute little squished face, with a round apple head shape, just like my Mac, in my cat room. She does have orange tabby stripes on her face, but the rest of her is gray and white. She is really a cute little thing.

I have been keeping the trap set all the time, re baiting, but she is terrified of it. She hasn't gone near the trap. I can see her sneak out of the houses to eat, keeping her distance from the trap. The Siamese went halfway in the trap last night as I was watching, he got spooked, backed out and set it off. He and the kitten ran back into the houses. The kitten watched from a distance when the Siamese approached the trap. I do not want to trap the Siamese yet, as he seems to bring the kitten out of the houses, and she feels safe with him. But darn, I am at a loss.

Time is of the essence now, as she has already passed the age of easily taming. I have a cage in my garage all set up for her, so WHEN I catch her, hopefully I can spend some time working with her, only time will tell if she is workable.

This is a Tomcat that has been coming around peaking down at her. Not good.

This is her and the Siamese eating together.

I need a lot of luck to catch her. I just don't have any other ideas. She is by far, the hardest kitten I have ever tried to trap.

Crazy 80's

Just like the title says, except it isn't just the crazy 80's, it is in fact a Crazy 80's Christmas!
You read that right. My hubby's company Christmas Party is going to be an 80's theme.

Now, I am such a party pooper. I told him I was not going to dress up for the 80's. No way, no how. Not to mention I have no clue what to wear, although I did attend high school in the 80's, but I really don't want to go back there. Hubby told me we have to go, and I told him that is fine, but I am wearing *NORMAL* clothes.

Well, I have known about this for a month, and the party is coming up in just a few weeks. Hubby mentioned this Crazy 80's party again this morning. I guess I have put this off long enough. I have to go. I have to dress for the 80's. Hubby is the boss, I am the boss's wife, so it IS a must. I am not going to win this fight. So, on top of dealing with all the craziness, and ups and downs of my household lately. I am now on a mission, to find that perfect 80's outfit. What to wear, what to wear. So many decisions.


Hubby will make a PERFECT Don Johnson from the Miami Vice days, oh yeah, I could create that look for him. No problems there. Just have to go find a white suit. Hmmm, I wonder if I can get away with another color? Probably not.
I can just picture me, the boss's wife, showing up like this. YIKES What the reputation I might get, the talk of the party for sure. No, not me. No way, no how!

Oh, this is me, all the way, casual with a little sex appeal. I WANT to go casual.

I think I had this exact outfit in high school, and I hate to admit this, but I like it! Too casual, I know.
Well, back to searching for ideas for this Crazy 80's Christmas Party. Maybe I can pretend I am really sick on the day of the party?

Another Cat Angel In Heaven

You showed up a year and half ago. Just like all the rest, searching for food, shelter, a safe place to stay. It took almost a year before you decided it was ok to come into the yard off the cat walk. I remember the first time I walked out the back door and found you sleeping so peacefully on the patio swing, your eyes barely open, hoping I wouldn't notice, or make you leave.

Then I was finally able to pet your head, often times getting scratched in the process. I wouldn't give up though. I wanted you to know not all humans were bad. You were one of the easiest cats I have ever trapped. Really, I didn't actually trap you. I just put the trap out, baited it with food, and held the opening, and let you walk in, and I shut it behind you, so it wouldn't startle you when it shut. What a trooper you were. Everyone at the vets office during the spay-a-thon said you were the biggest cat there, and so quiet, among the 190 cats there that day for their spay/neuter, you my dear BT, received so many compliments for being so big and handsome.

Yes, you were a stray, turned feral. I believe you had a home at one time, what it was like, I have no idea. I have lots of guesses, as something has caused you to not trust the human hands.

You quickly became very possessive over me, not wanting other cats near me. You often sat by the back door, waiting for me to come out. You would follow me around the yard, never fearing the dogs, you knew you were safe here.

It is my nature to care for all animals, but I am attracted to the misunderstood, the unwanted, the sick and the needy, I suppose we can call those the special needs. You were misunderstood by many, but I understood you perfectly.

You were already old when you found your way to me. Your teeth were brown, the ones you had, you were missing many.

Just two months ago, you finally allowed me to pet you more. This last month I had been blessed with being able to hold you, and rub you behind the ears. Thank you for giving me that gift, a gift I will remember always. I never gave up on you BT. You were a good boy. A special boy. I miss you sitting at the door waiting for me. I miss you following me around the yard. I miss you talking to me in that husky tomcat meow, when I am bringing you wet food.

I missed you tonight when I brought out five bowls of wet food, and realized I made a mistake, I only needed four.
You are at Rainbow Bridge now, with all the others that had gone before you. You are free, safe, healthy and young once again.

I miss you BT, I hope when you left this earthly world, you knew how much you were loved. You deserved better. Your time with me was too short.

Rest in Peace Sweet Boy.

Cats and Feathers

Cats are so entertaining. Just playing with the feathers and watching their prey drive come out is so hilarious. Poor Mac, with his crossed eyes, he really had a hard time focusing, but isn't he cute? LG was completely out of breath and panting, I had to put the feathers away, just so he could catch his breath.

Daycare

This picture cracks me up. Her shirt says "It's My Brother's Fault". His says "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time". They are 2 of the children in my daycare, and I will just say, this describes them PERFECTLY!

Our future Artists.

Oh what fun we have with Shaving Cream!

At last, Nap time!