Introducing Wicket

This is the new boy, or perhaps I should say ONE of the new boys I am working on. He is the one I mentioned in my last post that is not feral, but rather a stray, most likely dumped.

He has been here for a couple months now. When he first showed up he was wearing a collar, and the tag was very visible from a distance. I am unable to get close enough with all that hair he has to see if he lost the collar or just the tag.



He is very scared, and does not seem to be very street smart. He is finally coming as close as 10 feet to me, but not close enough to pet. He will watch and wait for me to put the wet food out for the other ferals on the back patio, and as I walk away he will come up and eat along with the others.



Unfortunately when he sees Karl or Storm, he panics, screams the most terrifying scream. I can actually recognize his yowling while I am inside the house, he has such a distinctive and unique sound. I have worked with hundreds of ferals and strays through the years, but I must admit, I have never heard the type of sound and panic that comes from this boy.

I am hoping to trap him this weekend. I am still not sure what I am going to do with him. I really do not want to release him to live outside as a feral. Knowing he had a collar once, tells me he is tame, he is just scared. If I can work with him, I will attempt to foster him until he will be ready for adoption.

He is such a magnificent boy.




The cats are keeping me quite busy lately. It was calm and quiet around here for awhile; I miss those days. We have many strays, perhaps some born feral, as I have spotted three young cats, possibly around 6 months old hanging in and around my shelter.

Busy days ahead!

Cat Trapping

Remember *The* Karl?! Aw, I really love this boy. He reminds me a lot of BT. A big, strong feral tom cat, who really, deep down is just a pile of mush that wants a home to call his own, and feel safe.

Finally got him trapped this past Sunday for his neuter. He had some pretty nasty battle wounds behind his ears, and neck. The vet shaved , cleaned, medicated and ear tipped him as planned.

We couldn't just let Karl take a trip without his partner in crime, so yes, we also trapped the Linx Point, which my husband so dearly named Storm.

Isn't that just an adorable face!

Storm was not too happy in the trap, as you can see in the photos the newspaper was shredded within minutes.

He also had wounds that needed cared for by the vet, and also an eye infection. Both boys were quite easy to trap. I originally set out the traps Saturday evening, without success. The only ones I kept trapping were the other cats in my existing colony. Sunday early morning I reset the traps with little hope, but within 10 minutes of each other, they both didn't hesitate to walk in.

We didn't get them back home until late, so they had to sleep in the traps overnight, until I could release them Monday morning. If any of you reading have ever been involved in TNR and releasing a feral, then you know the feeling you get, when you open that trap to release them. A feeling I can't really explain comes over you. Here is a cat you have never come close to touching, a cat born feral, terrified of humans. As a caretaker you build a special bond with these cats, a different sort of bond and relationship that you would with a normal household pet. They want to trust you, but they don't, and not trusting is what, for the most part, keeps them safe. We have this understanding. As they ran out of the traps, they jumped on the wall, stopped, turned, and just looked at me, then at their surroundings, then back at me, then they knew, they were home.

I have another kitten similar to Lacee who has shown up, I am now working on trapping. I also have a stray, that most likely was dumped, and causing quite a bit of ruckus around here. Those two are my next priority.

So many things have been keeping me away from blogging. Eventually, I hope, things will settle some. Until then, hope all is well with all my blog friends.

Happy New Year

2009 has gone by so fast, I try to look back and think of all I have accomplished. It had been a trying and difficult year. 2008 and 2007 wasn't any better, I am thinking, three times is quite enough, so 2010 should be a good year!

I have had some heartbreaking losses, pet and human alike. I have made new friends, stayed in touch with old friends, surrounded myself with more positive people, and kept myself away from the negative ones.

I have made great friends here in blog land, and appreciate the kind comments you leave, the friendly emails, and the phone conversations. Many of you here have become extended family. I thank each one of you for such kindness, and putting up with some of my many rants.

I thought I would end the year with everyone in my household healthy and happy. Wishful thinking on my part. Hubby is sick with a bad head cold, so lots of resting for him this weekend.

Lacee is having some trouble with her throat. We knew this would happen as she grew, as the shoelace she was hung with had done some damage, so keeping a close eye on her eating and swallowing ability is a must right now, then we will determine what the next step will be.

Oscar is doing well. He is losing weight, not a good sign, but he is happy and content, and that is all I want. As long as he is happy and pain free, then so am I.

Bandit has injured his leg, and we are waiting for an appointment with his vet to determine if he has an ACL tear. He is on strict rest in his crate, and only potty breaks on leash. He must remain quiet and calm, which means we also need to keep all the dogs quiet and calm, not always an easy task.

I don't make New Year resolutions, I never have, as I feel they are too easy to break. I will leave you all with just a few words.

Don't compare your life to others, you have no idea what kind of journey they have or had to get where they are today, or how their journey continues.
Don't have negative thoughts. Invest your energy in the positive moments of every day.
Smile and laugh more. Remember, smiling and laughing is contagious, so pass it around. Try to make someone smile everyday.
Dream more while you are awake, and always believe those dreams are a possibility.
You are in charge of your own happiness, so Be Happy.

Best wishes to everyone and Happy New Year!
Always Dream and Always Believe.

Merry Christmas

I posted this photo last Christmas, but since I am such a sentimental fool, and Jake and Princess are no longer with us, I thought, why not, they still deserve their blog time, even if it is just in a photo.

I have contemplated on what to write about for weeks, and have had many instances where I would tell myself "I have to remember to write about this", but, the correct words just are not there.

Christmas time is such an emotional time for me, and most likely for many reading this blog. I hope many find the true spirit of Christmas, within your hearts. Christmas is about generosity, but not so much of giving of material things, but giving of your time. Please find the time to spend with family, friends, and those near and dear to you. We often get caught up in our own hectic lives, and tend to forget or take the time to be with those we care most about.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring, we don't know if this will be our last Christmas with family and friends. Don't wait until it is too late. Pick up the phone and call that special friend or family member, and let them know you were thinking of them today.

Try to see the goodness in others, even in a perfect stranger. Lend out a helping hand this holiday season. Find forgiveness, offer a warm embrace, a gentle smile, and a little of your time.

Merry Christmas!

History Repeating Itself

I took this photo almost three years ago. A beautiful Linx Point Siamese male feral. He would sleep next to Oscar when Oscar was hanging out in the shelter. I always believed he was Mac's daddy, as Mac looked identical to him as a kitten. I could never get near him, but he didn't seem to be a fighter. He just wanted a warm place to stay and food to eat.

It has been almost three years since I took this photo also. I referred to this boy as *The Mean Guy*. One big tough tomcat he was. Fighting all hours of the night and early morning. He is the one who did the most damage to my sweet Oscar, causing so many injuries. He also use to fight with the guy in the above photo too. It seemed that the Linx Point and Oscar both just needed a safe place away from the dangers of street life and mean tomcats.

I spent hours, days, and weeks, trying to trap *The Mean Guy*. He wouldn't have it. He was trap wise, and avoided the trap like the plague.

Once I brought Oscar inside, The Mean Guy disappeared, and so did the Linx Point. Never again to be seen. Oscar, my sweet angel boy, who was so traumatized by the fighting, he panics if any of the cats touch him with their paws. They all seem to understand and tend to be gentle with him, and allow him to just be the calm sweet boy he is.



Now, the story turns. I took this photo this week. A beautiful Linx Point Siamese. After many photos and observing this boy, I have come to the conclusion, he is the same boy that disappeared nearly three years ago. Still beautiful, don't you think?

I have no idea whatever happened to The Mean Guy, perhaps he is still out there too, somewhere. For now, we have The Karl. You all must remember me posting about Karl. He is such a sweet boy, that has taken over my yard and shelter as his territory. He has accepted his place in the colony, and my shelter is his home.


The problem now is history is repeating itself. Instead of The Mean Guy, we now have The Karl and The Linx Point, fighting, all hours of the night, and early morning. This happens, I am use to it. Until I can get them trapped, and The Linx Point neutered, fighting will continue. These two are often found nose to nose screaming at each other, until I can break it up, but also they can be found sleeping within a couple feet of each other.

My sweet sweet Oscar. Even with the safety of being indoors, and no longer being on the receiving end of all the fighting, he is still getting hurt. Oscar is inside minding his own business, enjoying the comforts of indoor living, curled up on his soft bed, dreaming whatever cats dream of, to be awakened by screaming, yowling, fighting cats outside the window.


Oscar is so traumatized from his past, it is natural for him to run and hide. He becomes so panicked, that he keeps scraping his back trying to hide. He tried to run past the other cats on one of the shelves in the cat room, and fell off the shelf. He tried to hold on, and climb up, and scraped his back in the process. I finally got his wound looking better, then it happened again last night.



When I first discovered the wound, I was very upset. All what went through my mind was one of the cats had hurt him. I promised Oscar when I brought him in nearly three years ago, no harm would ever come to him again, he will always be safe. Then when I witnessed how he was scraping his back, and realized what was happening, trapping the Linx Point became a priority. I can not allow Oscar to be injured.

On another important note, Oscar has Nasal Cancer. I don't know how long he has, but I do know that he has suffered more in his life then he ever deserved, and I will not allow him to suffer even one day. He is doing okay for now, but in order for Oscar to continue to live his peaceful life, I need to stop history from repeating itself. I sure hope The Mean Guy doesn't suddenly reappear too.

Maiya Update

Thank you all so very much for the prayers and good thoughts for Maiya and her family.
Her mom doesn't know what to think, and just continues to feel Maiya is a miracle.

Maiya has been off the feeding tube for nine days now, and has surprised us all. She is doing wonderful with all of her mouth feedings. She is being fed four small meals a day, and held up in the upright position for 20-30 minutes after each meal to allow gravity to help the food pass through her esophagus and make it to her stomach. As of today she has not regurgitated any of her meals, that alone is not normal. Even with the tube feedings, she would still regurgitate some.

So, Maiya continues to surprise us all. She is happy, energetic, and enjoying being able to eat and act like a normal dog.

We still have no idea what tomorrow will bring, with Megaesophagus being such a serious disease, things can change quite drastically overnight, and the care for a Mega-E dog is very individualized. Her family is taking each day they have with Maiya as a blessing.

Maiya, and Megaesophagus

I wrote about Maiya a while back. You can read about her and Megaesophagus here.

Maiya will no longer keep her feeding tubes in. We think they are starting to bother her, as she is constantly pulling them out.

Maiya's family will manage her for as long as they can with mouth feedings; but they don't suspect that will last long. Then again, Maiya is always full of surprises so no telling what will happen. This is a very trying time for Maiya's family, they are now walking into the unknown.

In the end...Maiya will tell them what to do. They are listening. We don't know what tomorrow will bring.

If you believe in the power of prayer, please say a prayer for Maiya and her family.

A few photos taken recently of Maiya playing with her little brother.

Silly girl.