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Cats and Their Agendas

2/14/2021

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This is Rosemary.  She was living in the parking lot of a shopping center before a good Sam brought her to us. Looks contented here? She seemed to love her new home with us: greeted all comers, got along fine with the other cats, NO PROBLEMS! She is not a young cat, and stayed pretty much in the house in the yard, until she didn't. Rosemary started leaving for a few days at a time, coming back, staying for a few weeks then...off again. She was found on the street above us, several times, no, many times, after her disappearances. Brought her back, stayed till next time.  After months of this, she growled when I came to get her, almost bit me, and left immediately after she got home. Well! Fortunately, the folks who had been looking out for her welcomed her, and long story short, she now lives at the corner of Felix and Bernhard. the family there has been coaxing her into the house, introducing her to their dogs...but still she stays out most of the time.  It is not for us to know.
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And this is (or was) our man Marlowe! He was found as a little kitten on our street (unusual, most cats around our home are fixed).  Marlowe grew into the most handsome, perfectly formed, loving cat ON the planet.  We worshipped him, and believed that he worshipped us. He's now with a couple on Bernhard, who won't even let him into their house! At least the woman won't; a cultural thing. But they do love him and care for him, and stay in touch. He has come back a few times, but not lately. Took us down a peg or two.
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​Aaaand...Penelope! We got a call from a neighbor; the caller had our cat Penelope. Thank goodness for the chip! The woman had known that any vet will scan an animal for free...I've had several returned via the chip reading! She wasn't far from our home, maybe 1.4 mile. She had been there for some time, while we searched for her. This was years back; I don't remember if I brought her "home" or not. But she has been living happily with her new caretaker. The woman buys food from us, which makes me very happy. And will keep Penny healthy.
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Not "our" Janey...
This little one came home with me from the shelter. Had gone to pick up another, and saw Janey in the window on my way in. I didn't foresee anyone choosing her: she was older, her coat was bad, and she seemed depressed. Bless her heart!! She broke my heart. Took her ass HOME! Janey turned out to be a love, a quiet little woman, sweet and seemingly content. She kept to a very regular schedule, to the minute actually. 
We were surprised when she started staying across the street, more and more, with our friend Connie.  Connie was happy to have her, being a cat lady herself. Janey established a routine there too. One time she went missing, and I found her sitting on the sidewalk, on a busy street. I picked her up and took her back to Connie. Not long after, she left for the home of another neighbor, up the street! Also a friend, happily.  Janey stayed outdoors, under the steps (??) until she moved on from there. My friend thought that the dog bothered her.  She went back to Connie's, and the next time she disappeared we could not find her.  Restless soul. I guess.
There are lots of stories like these.  There's the one of a gathering ('member those?) when five families at the party thought the cat there was "their cat".

What I'm getting at is that, no news to some, cats have their own ideas about where and how they want to live. I think it's rare that they would choose to be in one house for their whole life. I think too that they deserve to have the choice.





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Trappin' time!

1/30/2021

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Been trapping...want to get the females especially, before they get pregnant...Working with a cohort...more enjoyable...
The challenge is to get enough appointments...the County lets each person bring four at a time, when we can get appointments, and another group does too. Fix Our Ferals is now booking in April! They let me know when they have a cancellation, but it's a struggle. We need more funding, more doctors...
The female below is shown recovering from her surgery in our back room. Unlike some (more's the pity) she ate VERY well!! Yay! the food they get here, which I make, is so good for them. Good for her for chowing down! Often they're too stressed to eat, I'm not sure what she'll be getting now, although I've met her feeders. She was released this morning, back to her 'home'...and happy to be there.
A previous female we'd spayed was so friendly we could just pick her up. She was our miracle: I had a wonderful couple who was ready to adopt, and she's now in a great, safe, loving home!! She's the one in the headshot.
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And, of course...photos of our babies! Nessa, the grey, and April the tuxedo: What's not to love? They will be available to adopt Mid-February! Application Under Available Cats and Kittens, here on the site!
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Takin' a Breath!

12/21/2020

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Friend Sean with Celeste on our porch...Celeste in a reflective mood; me too.  Our Noel is hanging in there, temp (from calici virus) coming down, eating again...outta the woods.  Isabela, missing for a week, is back...we're breathing and sleeping much easier!! Isabela gets spayed tomorrow...last two kittens not yet ready for adoption...quiet (haha, relative quiet) settles. 
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Noel from "the field" in San Pablo
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Isabela from Tara Hills Pinole
We had some awesome adopters this year! The only kind, for these cats and kittens!! Handing them off is always fraught, no matter what. Had 28 adoptions in 2020. Most adoptees were kittens, who went in pairs, two trios, so only 13 adopters....still...ya worry. 
Hope we're not in the eye of the hurricane...baby April is getting a bit of URI, upper respiratory infection...not the end of the world, but she's small enough at under two pounds to cause worry. Kittens can crash and burn very quickly. Giving Echinacea and grapefruit seed extract for a minute before starting antibiotics, if I need to. (for bacterial infection, if that happens) Viruses! Right now, late morning, all sleeping! 
Will work on listing more things for my ebay store. A donor brought some really nice items yesterday...and read some more about DNA and RNA...trying to get a clue about Covid and the vacs.
Matthew continues to improve, slowly. He got acupuncture again this week, and a new gemmotherapy tincture...hardly drooling now. (from his full-mouth dental extraction). What a sweet OLD guy!!


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Matthew
​Best news is that I get to see son Steve and grandson Michael tomorrow! Meeting in Sacramento...we've all been careful, and have not visited since before March!
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Steve & Michael
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Great Information On Hospice!!

12/3/2020

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I have learned a lot from Brighthaven ....and here is a message I got today (Dec. 3 2020) about classes being given on the absolute need for and benefits of hospice care! Enjoy!
​I think you'll have to copy this link into your browser!! But do!


https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwKjnRnkmkzQnJSXDcfzffcCWhW

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Catfish' Story!

11/28/2020

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The Catfish story!
This guy came to us in August, 2019. About six months old. Wish he'd come a lot sooner!!! He had been suffering from an abcess on his face for a MONTH! It had gotten so bad that the infection went into his skull and pushed his eyes out, making him blind in the process. (IT GETS BETTER!!)
The entire right side of his face was one big scab, which was detaching. He saw a Western-only doctor
right away, and the ophthalmologist soon after. He got x-rays, a shot of Covenia antibiotic, etc. Pain meds of course. He then saw our holistic vet for overall wellness advice, acupuncture, and supplements.
Valiant began to heal...his blood panels improved, and the swelling slowly went down. Long story short, his eyes normalized, and his sight came back, slowly!!! Yes, HAPPY!!
Never give up!
He lived the life after that, affectionate and healthy. Grew. Got neutered.
After one undergoes such trauma, we're in no hurry to re-locate them. So he stayed with us, sweet and mellow. Started to go by the name Catfish. Outdoors almost all day...in at night, or not. And, just lately, for whatever reason (over 18 months have passed) he has been staying on the bed all day, and close to me, almost on my face, every night. He may have gotten a scare, or...?? Ya never know: cats!
Needless to say, our man Catfish is much loved and treasured!
The photos are in reverse time order...don't want to show the "before" ones first.


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Cuteness and Grit!

10/12/2020

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Segue into Leo and Andy:  this is Leo with Wavey...Wavey's the baby, who is ready to pulverize Leo. No matter how many times Leo gets him down and makes him scream, the Wave shakes himself off and goes back for MORE!
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And here's Leo and Andy! When Andy came to us to be a friend to Leo, Leo was as small compared to him as Wavey is to Leo now! I was worried that the match would be an unhappy one for Leo, but, noooo: he handled Andy well, handily! Attitude is indeed everything! Interestingly, he grew faster that Andrew did, and now they are about the same size! Andy is shy, and Leo brings him out of his shell! 
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How's the baby?

10/10/2020

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Been busy! Didn't realize that I hadn't written in the blog since July! EEK. No way to catch up, but thought I'd write about the baby, Waverly here, the other baby, Isabela, and the two now teenagers...
This little guy will rule the world...He's game, just as his orange predecessor was! GAME! I took him in from another rescue friend to be a companion to little Tiger Sam, below.
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Tiger Sam is hell on wheels too.  But the little one, Waverly (Wavey) wasn't eating...so has to stay in rehab here. Got another one, Isabela, for T. Sam, but she was also in bad shape. Swollen kidneys and odd red masses in her mouth. Hers is a long story, maybe tomorrow...but she turned a big fat corner today! She's still not ready to relocate. So...tomorrow I take Leo and Andy to the foster, with Little Wavey, and see how it goes. Just for a visit, to test the waters, to see how they relate. (Wavey's eating okay now!!)
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Andy & Leo
To be continued, hopefully tomorrow!
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Adoption Gods Are Smiling!

7/14/2020

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Sydney and friend!
Yes, this year the adoption gods have smiled on us! This girl just went home with her mother, brother, and their two new kitten friends! We have been blessed this year with the best adopters EVER!! 
Kitten season: approached with anticipation and dread.  Will we be up to the task? Will we be able to do right by all of them, as we must? 
We had twelve needing homes this year: eight babies, two mothers, and one presumptive dad. Last year we had four moms with babies, so, piece of cake, right? Still, we worry...
But we had lots of time to find adopters: the babies were just six weeks old. I wait as long as possible to let babies go, especially if they are with their mothers. I want them to be twelve weeks old. Out of the vulnerable stage.
So we posted them everywhere...and don't discredit craigslist...three GREAT adopters came from CL.  The screening process is the same, no matter where folks come from! Folks came to meet them and choose (was tough) their faves, then left a deposit and signed the adoption contract.  Everyone appreciated that the babies should stay with mother as long as possible...and were happy to wait! I said that July 10 they'd be ready to go.  Our first adopters had the wisdom and grace to choose the mom and the odd-numbered baby of seven, knowing that most folks want kittens, and that the mom might be overlooked. Mother Kristina is actually a stellar cat in every way! She kept her seven babies alive and healthy (!!) in an extremely bleak situation...under a freeway overpass...she's a treasure!
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Kristina was the best possible mother, young as she was! (eight months?)  As you can see, the little ones nurse long after they begin to eat solid food., and the other surviving baby of three (all five were left on our deck in a crate) had both mother and (presumptive) dad, and so was a happy girl. She got spayed of course. In this photo you can see where she'd been shaved.
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Above are five of Kristina's seven. Their adopters have been great about letting me know how well they are doing in their new homes...happy, all!
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Patrick!
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Carmella!
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Percy!
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This sweet family was left on my deck, in a cloth crate they could have gotten out of! The (presumptive) father, in the foreground here, was moaning in fear. It took them a very long time to decompress, to relax, and to begin to trust us. There had been three babies, but two did not survive, alas.
They were elegant and intelligent...admirable cats! Their fur was silky and soft. They were in good health. We had mom and dad neutered/spayed, of course. I would not have relocated them except that mother was not comfortable with the other cats here. But I would not split the family up! Amazingly, a woman adopted all three...we really miss them!
 
And so all thrived, and starting on July 10, went to their new homes, one pair each day, and on the last day, the little family.

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Wise and handsome DA!
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Da with the original three
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New and Beautiful!

7/13/2020

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Kudos to the person who guesses how many cats are in this picture!
Sad story happy ending (for all save one).
I work with, and am supported by, Pet Food Express.  The El Cerrito store manager called me on July 11, saying....gasp...that a box had been found in their parking lot with four cats in it. That's a photo hint. I went down, in the store's bathroom, was a large box with four sad looking kittens in it.  One was VERY thin. There was a paper dish with some toxic, worthless "food" in it. They had wet in the box, and, if they hadn't been found, could have gotten out and been lost to us forever. 
Pet Food Express (more about them below!!) gave me three new cardboard carriers, and helped them into my car. Fortunately, we live close by, and got home quickly. I put them all in a large cage, raised off the floor, and they huddled together in fear, as you see above. Happy photos to follow!! They were withdrawn, and shrunk away rather than struck out when I touched them. Made my job easier!
I left them alone to decompress after I'd talked to them, reassured them that the worst was over, that they'd be loved and cared for from now on, and had sung to them a bit. 
The thin one had been given a very quick look-over at the vet on the way home. I'd thought she'd need IV fluids, but the vet said that because she was so anemic, those would dilute her blood dangerously, and to give sub-cutaneous fluids. I did that, with some B-12 in the line.  Then I spend over an hour combing fleas and flea dirt off her. I had never seen so much flea dirt (shit & blood it is) on a cat. 
She slept with the others. Some ate a bit, others not. Spent another hour in the morning combing The thin one, and giving more fluids. I had been mistaken in thinking, since the other three didn't have many fleas, that she would not pick many up overnight, and that the comfort of the company of her sibs outweighed that danger. 
I could not believe the number of fleas on her in the morning. TMI? I was upset: she could not afford to lose any more blood! I got some liquid food and supplements into her via syringe.  But, sure enough, late in the morning she started the dying process, and was gone in an hour.
​Next comes the happy part.
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Glenda in state
Turning back to the living...
I had consulted with our homeopath the day they arrived, and she had prescribed the remedy for Glenda, above, of Phosphorus, and for Sunny, the calico, one dose of a high potency of Sulphur. Sunny had what appeared to be a bad flea dermatitis, even though she had virtually no fleas. It only takes one...tiny scabs all over her body. Otherwise she, and her two sisters, are in good shape. Interestingly, Glenda was not ear-tipped, as the others were, indicating that they had been spayed. Had little Glenda, obviously a sister, been stuck in a shed or garage while the others were spayed? If she had gotten stuck somewhere, it would have taken weeks for her to get this emaciated. We'll never know.  Bless her! She did live to see her sisters rescued and safe, and to have a day of love and care.
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AnnaBelle!
I don't yet have a photo of them all together.  Here's AnnaBelle...she's opening up to us! They are all in a big bathroom now, all their own, with lots of windows and cat trees. AnnaBelle favors this small condo, the others the bed in the bay window :-)! She is eager to be touched. Comes out and sits on the bench with me, and stands on her back legs to reach my hand...
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AnnaBelle
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Melanie
Melanie was the first to start purring and warm up to me.  She is a bit thin, but eating well to make up for it! What a sweetie!! You can see that her right ear its tipped.  She's glad to be here I'll bet. How they are made to suffer.  If folks are going to leave them in an effing box (who knows how long they were there) for goodness sake leave a note! A bit of history maybe...Or maybe not.  I'd love to know what happened, but maybe better not to know. In any case, how resilient they are! Much more so than dogs. This girl is a joy to be with!
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Melanie
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Sunflower (Sunny)
Well, she's a calico! Much as I dislike stereotypes...she is a bit diffident, and more independent.  Resisted when I picked her up for fluids, and still not ready to relax and trust us 100%. Cautious. You can see her hair loss here, and the little scabs. Poor baby. She is also eating well. They all see the vet on Wednesday. 
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Sunflower (Sunny)
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Sunny & Melanie on the window seat
Lovely all, no? Melanie and AnnaBelle will be ready for adoption after they see the vet on Wednesday, and Little Sunny after her dermatitis clears up! Tell your friends! Adoption applications on the site under Available Cats and kittens!
And now: Pet Food Express! Why go anywhere else??  They not only sell the best food, far and away, no junk at all, but are also EXTREMELY supportive of those of us in rescue! Just one example of their stunning generosity is that....they told me to send them the invoices for these cats' care! Not for a month, not up to a certain amount...just send them. Pet Food Express also has promotions often, which result in literally thousands of dollars for rescue groups, and so much more!! They support us; let's support them! Look at their site, 
https://www.petfood.express/about . 
So: saw the vet yesterday, all of them! Melanie has one bad tooth, which needs to come out.  Vet didn't know what (on earth) was going on with the eyes...
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Welcome Perry!!

6/18/2020

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Car was in the shop, and fellow cat lady drove me out to feed my colonies...she drew my attention to....Perry, now named. He was thin and his hip bones protruded. I'd been seeing him since I started feeding there, about six months back, after the previous feeder died.  he looked okay, was eating...but we both noticed something about his mouth on looking closer.
The following night, June 15, I was actually able to scruff him and get him into a carrier. Brought him home and put him in a big elevated cage in my bedroom.   Covered him so he'd feel safe (er) and left food, water, and litter. Then I was able to see that yes, there was something wrong with his mouth, or jaw, or chin.  He was drooling, and the chin looked swollen. But he ate! "As long as they eat..."
Spoke with Dr. Chris and she recommended a couple of homeopathic remedies. She's a vet, but has come to use homeopathy almost exclusively. He was better the next morning...not so much drool, and some question as to the swelling. Maybe just a big chin.  
Next step, June 17, yesterday, he saw Dr. Reed.  She was not having the humans enter the clinic, and there was no one to help hold Perry.  Fortunately he's the kind of "feral" who withdraws rather than lashing out.  The good doctor did a pretty good exam, heart & lungs fine, got some acupuncture needles into him (and out of him) and saw that he had a wound under his chin but no other injuries. The wound might have been a burst abcess or something else.  He'd live. No pus. He got a shot of long-lasting antibiotic, and home we went! Dr. Reed had left him in his small carrier and took the top half off to do the exam and treatments. (I'd put it into his cage, and since it was smaller than the cage, he went into it to feel safer) I took the top off again when he got home, and covered him with a towel.  He was dehydrated, and I carried him into the bathroom, closed the door, and got fluids into him, under the skin, with a shot of B-12 in the line. He let me!! He's so sweet!!


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I don't often post the sad stories, but this one may be useful or comforting to someone.  First off, Perry turned out to be a female!
I worked with our homeopath, who recommended remedies for her.  She was as I said, quite dehydrated, and stayed so despite being given fluids every day. She also remained lethargic. So I brought her in for x-rays ("rads" now, for radiographs), and blood work. The blood work showed a lot of values "off", but again nothing to indicate imminent demise. Negative for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency viruses. The vet said that she did look terminal, but he had no idea why.  The other vet looked at all the reports and pictures after she died, yesterday, and she was also mystified.  
The reason I'm posting this is to illustrate that there are always mysteries. A nurse friend with long-time intensive care experience reminds us of this: Many who are thought to be dying recover, and many who are thought to be viable, die. 
​Perry was loved, warm, and safe in her last days.

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    About Cynthia

    ​The founder of Bee Holistic, Cynthia Burke, has been caring for cats most of her life, volunteering with such groups as the wonderful Animal Balance, and Fix Our Ferals. In 2009 the non-profit was formed, with the help of a freind who was invaluable in that process.

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