Blog Posts - Bee Holistic Cat Rescue and Care

Bee Holistic Cat Rescue and Care

Rant Alert! "Re-Homing"

4/20/2021

You can't "home" someone, let alone "re-home" them. The word "home" isn't even a verb. A home is created by the one who lives in it, over time. But the real reason this term offends me is because it reflects the casual attitude folks have, even (especially?) rescuers, about uprooting cats and putting them somewhere else. It's said that cats bond more with their territory than with their caretakers...
Am I too much of a curmudgeon? Language, language.

A Year Ago! March 11 2020

3/11/2021

March 11, 2020 seems like another lifetime. Bee Holistic, our cat rescue, hosted a party/fundraiser at beloved Los Moles restaurant in El Cerrito on that date. Little did we know that it would be the last social gathering till...?? Zoom doesn't count. Seeing our supporters and friends, having an Anejo Tequila...fantastic food...sigh.
Our cats and their needs, mysterious ailments, blessed recoveries, and now...newborn babies!!! have kept us sane and happy. Above is mother Frances, from a safe enough place on the El Cerrito/Richmond Border, in the hills. but not safe enough. The woman who had been feeding her called me, and I brought her to our shelter/home. She was not pleased. I did my best to explain that she would be safe, have her babies in a warm, protected place, and, when the babies were old enough, go back home. She came on February 24, and had two weeks of good food with appropriate supplements before her babies were born, on March 5.
they were Honkin!! I weighed two of them at three days (wanted not to disturb mother Frances till then) and they weighed SIX ounces! Average weight at three days is three and one-half ounces! And all the same size! Frances chose the father well! All strong and healthy!
I need to leave them alone as much as possible, as Frances is NOT agreeable to any human coming close. And we know how damaging stress can be...but oh how I long to hold them!! Frances may become more trusting, and I'll need to handle them (tough job, but...) as soon as they're old enough to start having fear of new things and of people.

Cats and Their Agendas

2/14/2021

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.

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.

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.

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.

Trappin' time!

1/30/2021

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.

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!

Takin' a Breath!

12/21/2020

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.

Noel from "the field" in San Pablo

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!!

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!

Steve & Michael

Great Information On Hospice!!

12/3/2020

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

Catfish' Story!

11/28/2020

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.

Cuteness and Grit!

10/12/2020

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!

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!

How's the baby?

10/10/2020

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.

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!!)

Andy & Leo

To be continued, hopefully tomorrow!

Adoption Gods Are Smiling!

7/14/2020

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!

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.

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!

Patrick!

Carmella!

Percy!

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.

Wise and handsome DA!

Da with the original three

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, now Animal Fix Clinic. In 2009 her own non-profit was formed..

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