Morning surprises.

We had 2 adoptions on Sunday! Selby went to a home with a little boy. I think Selby will be a great cat for this little fella. Also our Cabbage boy was adopted! I hand delivered him and when I left he was already napping on the couch! The 3 kittens that Jodi fostered went home with her yesterday for an overnight stay but are back already this morning. We found 4 young kittens in the front yard early this morning. Actually it was Kurt William that alerted me. I saw him on the catwalk looking out the window with great interest--ears and whiskers alert! When I went outside (in the dark) they all 4 come running to me. So sweet and friendly. They've already been tested and are negative. We have 2 calico and 2 tiger/torti. Of course, all are girls. Names will be given soon. We also have had a cat returned to us. The family adopted him as a little kitten 5 years ago, but are moving and cannot take him. His name is Tugger, he was born here, he has long beige fur and seems to be enjoying himself already. He's in Dodger's Pen and will soon be out and about. Thanks for your votes--we gained a few points over the weekend! I appreciate your support.

"Be sure to get my good side" -Hudson

Floor work is done!

It sure has been a busy week! The floor in the office and new addition is completely done, and the walls, shelves, and floors have been cleaned. It took us quite a while yesterday, but we finally got all the rooms rearranged and the furniture is back in place. We had quite a bit of help and would like to give a big thanks to all those involved. After all was done and the door opened, Octavia was the first one out on the new floor. We also had some special visitors yesterday. Sillysticks and a friend were here to see the rescue center again. They had a 4 hour drive to get here. Also we had Lovemypetz and family here. Yesterdays volunteers were Stacey, Judy S., Dawn S., Martha L, Becky and Sigrid, We have had two successful days in moving cj about to different areas. I believe she's becoming more comfortable with this. Today she was out in the office for 40 minutes before she "needed" to go back into her safety zone of her pen. So...she's progressing! Weasley is eating great now and so loves his Bella! Kurt has been very busy working in Kitty City, working on the cat walks. When the cat's cove cats come up to Kitty City for the winter, they are going to love it! Fun shelves and so much warmer this winter.

We had boxes! Thank you very much for the items sent.

• Sandra B: straight forceps, curved forceps, stethoscope, very small scissors, bandage scissors--love these
• Elaine and Willis J: fancy feast appetizers for Bella and her friends & Halloween snacks for the volunteers
• Tom P.: cat treats and a giant marshmallow bed!
• Cathi B.: fish & chicken Whiskas & lots of can goods for the cats!
• Gossamer: a 32 box of Friskies.
• Linda L.: Friskies pate, box of 32
• Jatcat: a backup USB drive for the office computer.
• Susan: a UPS for the office computer.

Many thanks to you all for your support! It's dearly appreciated. Bella loves that new huge marshmallow bed. And she isn't going to share it except with the babies! Yesterday I believe she must have been in it for at least 18 hours! Nuki was "lost" yesterday. We could not find her. Late afternoon we finally found her in the food closet (she crawled in under the door) and was so warm, sleepy and sweet. She wasn't worried abut her disappearance at all. Chelan and Dhana are wonderful and they have discovered that Emaline makes a good mama. Both Amera and Adora are doing great. Both are so loving. Good news, we have sold all 275 calendars! The money from this fundraiser goes 100% for our medical needs. A huge thanks to Kate for all her hard work.

Weasley

Floor work almost done!

The floor guys were here yesterday and applied the last coat of epoxy. I was worried this morning that it was still wet. But after putting 1 finger on it, realized it's dry and very shiny. This floor will have high endurance. The guys should be back this morning to reinstall the toilet and put on all the rubber mop boards. I can't wait to move back in and have some normalcy again.....or as normal as we can be!

We had some boxes to open last night! Thanks so much for these gifts.

• Cathi B: Fancy Feast and Whiskas.
• Kelly R: the monthly fruit arrived. This time it's pears...delicious!
• Dave & Sunoco: 4 cases of tuna Friskies
• Gusti: thanks for your donation for the kitties, especially for Dhana
• Thanks to Yuki for the purchase of the bird seed recyclable bag.
• We also received a 32 pack of Friskies--will know today who it's from.

The kitties have been in high gear. It's play, eat, play, nap, play, eat again, play. They've even gotten some of the adults to join in with their playing! This morning Rizzo was sleeping on top of the cabinets inside a big silver bowl with Emaline curled up beside her. Bella is back to normal! She was, for the first time, back up on the yellow table for her breakfast baby food jar. That was very nice to see! Gemini and Claudius are constantly romping together. Nuki's wound on her leg is very slowly healing, but looking good. Wiggles is growing and likes to play with the smallest kittens. I guess it makes him feel like a big boy. Wonder is so very cute, and she can play happily with the kitty gang or by herself and still have lots of fun. Birka's favorite thing to do is still riding shoulders. We have 4 cats that love to sleep on the tree branches with their front legs hanging waaaay over in front of them--Wiffin, Buffin, Badu and Farrah. I like to "tweak" their toes when I walk by.

Warren

Floor work half done!

The work on the floor continues. It has now received 2 layers of quartz and this morning received it's 4th and final coat of epoxy. It should be a very tough, durable floor. Sometime Saturday we will be able to move things back in. Bella is now allowed to have free choice of where she goes and when. We will continue to monitor her activity though, just to keep an eye on the stump area. So far, so good! Nov. 4th is our next day at Elder-Beerman. This is when we promote the Rescue Center and sell tickets for their big Community Day. This benefits the rescue center and the store. Today begins a new schedule for CJ. We will start moving her about a little more, coaxing her to broaden her perimeter of comfort. We will bring her out of her pen and put her on a cushy, helping her to relax in a different surrounding. Her pen door will remain open in case she feels the need to go back in. Cobbis loves to dive into the empty pop cartons and lay in wait of another passing kitten. Chelan is super busy--she's got the entire rescue center all figured out already. Twinkle has gained a few more ounces and looks terrific, and she loves to be held. Derby has been playing with the little kittens already this morning and is enjoying their silliness. Tweeny loves playing with Dunakin--they've become good friends. The triplets (Cassi, Chia & Claudius) are so pretty and super sweet. The new washer/dryer are still fantastic! Picasso enjoys sitting beside Putter and Putter doesn't seem to mind! We had boxes last night to open. We always love this.

Susan G: 3 pack of those awesome catnip banana toys

Gossamer: 32 pack of Friskies & a case of Whiskas pouches

Stinkypeep: 6 handmade colorful catnip birds and Halloween pins for everyone

Blue: an assortment of Halloween blubies and round ones too for cat beds

Thanks for your support. You ALL are an important part of what we do here at the Rescue Center. You make a difference for us. Please remember to vote!

Preakness

It's a good kind of chaos

The floor work has begun! It's going to be beautiful when it's all done! The last day of work on it is suppose to be Friday. I am so grateful to have this floor--it will be super durable and will last for a very long time. We'll try to get some pics to show you. We had boxes last night and want to say thank you.

GwenCooper: Halloween suckers for the volunteers (hugs given to Putter and Asha for you)

Bonnie P: 24 pack of Friskies

Roberta: bags for caity to make shopping bags

Jeff: organic bonito flakes

G Girl & Paul W: Q-tips & baby food

I am grateful for the support given to the rescue center by all of you. It's what helps us to stay afloat. Thanks also for your votes--we are still in FIRST PLACE! That is awesome and super exciting. Bella is doing fantastic. It's now been 2 weeks since her surgery. She can now be out and about under supervision. We will keep a very close eye on this stump area. "Her" 5 kittens are also doing great. They love Bella. Emaline was seen yesterday grooming a few of the kittens. Picasso thinks he's a big black bear--he wants to take on all the cats when he's playing. He is so funny to watch. Nougie was out eating breakfast this morning with the rest of the gang. Since we had to empty out the office, we have cat furniture stuffed everywhere. The cats and kittens love it--lots of new nooks and crannies to explore. Twinkle is also doing real good with this change. Cabbage's very favorite toys are the coils. He carries them around, swats them, runs after them and generally loves them. What a great week!

Shasta

What a day!

Yesterday was a day that we just had to laugh about. Between the garbage truck pulling the internet cable down, the dog's room light decided not to work, an extra sewer line had to be dug, the inside washer not being able to be used until a new drainage pipe is dug, the eve spout had to be rerouted due to the new sewer line, the stinky sewer tank stunk to high heavens when it was destroyed and the wrong color of quartz was delivered for the floor, it was decided we better laugh instead of cry! Plus it was Paul's birthday so we had cake and a fun time watching him open his envelopes. He also got a major sliver yesterday so we had to perform surgery on his hand! Today the floor gets started, the new line for the inside washer gets dug and the cable line is suppose to get fixed. Also the possibility of an adoption. Keeps life interesting!

We had boxes last night!

Jeff donated items in memory of his Caryl: Catnip toy flippers, Royal canin Dry babycat food, q-tips & a baby fur brush

Bonnie P from CA donated: friskies senior cans, 2 cases baby food, friskies case & 6 bags of dry food

G Girl & Paul W: baby food

Putter's tail looks good today, we did a final soak & clean on it. Bella has been out a little bit more again today. Her incision is looking good! Dolcy, Weasley, Nuki, Dhana & Chelan are all super sweet babies. This week while the main computer and my good laptop are unusable to me, please be patient with e-mails. I may not be able to reply right away. We're still #1--thanks a bunch for your votes!

Chelan

Floor prep day!

Busy day here today. It's a GO for the floor tomorrow! Today will be moving all the furniture out of the big office and the 3 new addition rooms--the bathroom, the Welcome Room and Thumper's Room. A quartz floor will be laid and will take 4 days to complete. Both entrances to the rescue center will not be able to be used, so people will have to use the house entrance to get to the main area of the rescue center. Things will be very interesting for a few days. Bella has been allowed out of hr room twice yesterday and once today, but watched very carefully. She goes to her red marshmellow bed and stays put. We will be very careful how much "thumping" she does on that new stump area. The 2 new kittens, Chelan and Dhana are wonderful. They've been out and about once this morning and was very happy to make new friends. CJ had her pen door open all night last night and did pretty good. She's just a little worried about things yet, but becoming more at ease. Please keep voting! We moved from 2.16 over the weekend to 2.19 overall! Just amazing and I so appreciate each and every vote. Nikkaross left last night from her weekend visit here. We truly enjoyed having her. I believe she petted every single cat here! The volunteers today are Jodi, Martha L, Mary E, Ruth, Jackie S, Michelle & family and Angie. Thanks volunteers!

"I's gonna ask da wizard for Courage!" -Dhana

A Busy Saturday Morning

We had a LOT of action here yesterday. The wonderful washer and dryer arrived and they are awesome! They work beautifully and we are so grateful to have them. Thank you again Mr. & Mrs. Anonymous. The volunteers also appreciate it. Bella's sutures came out yesterday morning. She was very good about letting me do this. She also got to spend 10 minutes today outside of her room. Most of that 10 minutes, she spent on her new red marshmallow bed! She loves that bed. We are going to take it slow, letting her out of her room just a little bit at a time, to make sure that this area toughens up before letting her out full time. Her 3 little kitten fiends are also doing great. Weasley is finally gaining weight. Bella received a couple more cards yesterday too. Brad also brought back the cats' tree climbing pole with the paddles on. It has all new cedar paddles which are about 2 inches wider each. The hemp rope is also new as the old was completely worn out. The cats are glad to have that back--their main source to climb and get up on some of the upper cat walks. Kurt is working on some of the shelves now for Kitty City. When this is done, I'm sure he'll post pics up on his Flickr account to show you the new inside of the City. Nikkaross (Sherry) was here all afternoon/evening to visit the rescue center! She will also be back today. It's wonderful to be able to meet some of the web cam viewers! We received a donation from Betz57 to purchase food for the baby kitties and something fun. We also received a donation from cj cat to go towards cj (the cat's) care. Cj is doing so much better--actually has a little tummy on her now and is getting a little more brave about coming out of her pen. Hudson and Cobbis have found a new pastime--playing, splashing and getting into the water bowls. I have seen them do this for no less than 10 minutes at a time! Kurt William's neck remains great, as long as we keep his plastic canvas collar on. Ohiopeepers made him a few spares. When I went out to get the Sunday morning paper, I carried Putter out with me--he seemed to like that "walk" a lot. We took in 2 new sweet kittens yesterday (is there any other kind?!) They were found in the middle of a yard, all cold, shivering and full of fleas. They are now warm, flea free and playing like crazy. One is a calico, one is a black with starburst-like highlights around her eyes. Both are females, around 6 weeks old. The calico is Chelan (named by Bella) and the black is Dhana, pronounced Donna (named by Gusti). Both Bella and Gusti are webcam friends. We're still in #1 position! Thanks so much for your votes! KEEP VOTING PLEASE!

Cuddle Puddle

Bella's room change

Bella went into a different room today. This morning her sutures come out--she is so ready for this! Bella and her 3 kittens are now in Cat's Corner Room. It's a bigger room, actually Bella's favorite. Starting today the thickness of the padding on the floor will be reduced also, to get her ready to be out in the main area. Won't be too much longer! Wiggles hurt his little wrist today on his front leg. It's not fractured, but it sure did hurt. He took a couple hours of rest with Bella and now he's doing fine. CJ's pen door is open again today. Yesterday she ventured out just a little bit. We're just letting her take her time. Twinkle is looking good. She doesn't miss a meal, loves to be held and loves her cushie beds! This morning the new washer and dryer will be arriving. We're so excited about this. It took us twice as long yesterday to do all the loads because of the washer. It'll be so very nice to have a good working pair! Tasco is such a handsome cat. He's using the litterbox 100% and is now ready to go to a new home. Nougie has been seen frequently playing with the other kittens--he's coming along and realizing that life can be fun. Nuki's leg injury continues to heal. Such a wonderful little kitten. Whenever Ernestine goes to her favorite cat furniture and lays down, Fozzy and Rizzo seem to find her--they still like to "nurse". Such a good mama-she doesn't mind. Tody Nikkaross, a webcam friend, will be visiting the rescue center. Kate is already working on the 2013 calendars for the Rescue Center. Thanks so very much for your votes--we're still in #1 position which is so awesome!

New washer and dryer on the way!

We did it! Steve and I went to Lowe's and picked out a commercial grade Maytag washer and dryer! It was a tough decision but we asked lots and lots of questions, heard about different washers/dryers, and finally I think we made the right choice. We also decided to get a 5 year year extended warranty on it, that covers everything (parts AND labor) for $180. I got an e-mail from an FFRC friend that told me how to get a 10% off coupon for Lowe's so the total bill was $1717--almost the exact amount of the total donated through gift cards. The washer/dryer will be delivered Saturday morning. Thank you again to Mr. & Mrs. Anonymous--you made this possible for us! Sigrid and Rod also donated $200 for the washer/dryer, but with their permission given, we can use that for other needed items from Lowe's.

We also had boxes last night!

Many thanks to:

• CarolinaAsh & Boots: Whiskas, tuna, treats, bella food, Penguin toy and candy
• Nikkaross: bonito flakes
• Madisonpepper: 5 cases of Fancy Feast Appetizer packs (oldsters, Bella, kittens and all will be fighting over this!)
• Casey the cat: a special donation from her human & letter from Casey

Bella and her 3 kitten charges are doing great and the wall in her room has lots of get well wishes! She gets her sutures out tomorrow so she'll be very happy with that. We're working extra on little Weasley, he needs to have a better weight gain than what he's done this week. Nuki's wound on her leg is slowly healing, what a nasty thing for such a little baby to have. Putter's tail is also healing, so no tail wrap for him today. Jeepers is doing awesome and looks like a healthy cat now. He sure loves to play. Paddy Cake has that cat-go-round wheel down pat; he gallops in it. Peverley has discovered the fun of the coil toys and bats them everywhere. When another cat tries to take it, she simply picks it up and carries it to another place to play. What a smart girl. A few crispy fall leaves got carried into the rescue center yesterday and the cats loved it! They played so much with them the leaves were all crushed up! CJ is filling out nicely. Tweeny is one of the prettiest tortis ever--her gold just shines on her. If you haven't sent me a picture of yourself yet, please consider doing this! I have the board and clips all ready to hang the pictures.

Cinnabon

Washer/Dryer update

Steve & I just came back from Lowe's. We had success! We have purchased a commercial grade Maytag washer and dryer! This is pretty cool: With a 5 year full warranty, and the washer & dryer, the bill came to $1,717. The gift cards came to $1700. Isn't that wonderful? I had also went to the post office (per advise of a web cammer) and picked up a moving info envelope that had a 10% off our total! The original bill would've been $1898, so we saved quite a bit! In addition to our Mr. and Mrs. Anonymous gift cards, we had 2 other people donate $100 each for the washer/dryer. They are Sigrig (a volunteer) and Rodney O. from Venezuela. Since the gift cards covered the washer/dryer, with permission from Sigrid and Rodney, we could use that for some other much needed supplies from Lowe's. Linda T. (another volunteer) also donated a $10 gift card. So, this $210 will go along way in helping with supplies!

We have angel anonymous donors!

What a day of events we had yesterday! First to arrive was a UPS envelope. Upon opening it, I found two $350 Lowe's gift cards, with a note that they were for a new washer! We have been coaxing our current washer every day to keep on working. I was thrilled, extremely surprised and grateful! It was signed Anonymous Donor. Then we had an adoption. Our Merci that has been with us for 11 months, got her very own home. I've already heard from them and it sounds like she's already adjusting. These 2 events were so awesome. Then we received 2 boxes for evening box time. In the afternoon, a truck pulled up into the driveway. I just happened to be outside and a man walked up and handed me an envelope, then turned and left. I looked at the white envelope and it said "Please open with Boxes-thank you". It was added to the evening box items. We first opened the 2 boxes. One was from an anonymous donor and contained 32 cans of Friskies! We sure do appreciate that. The 2nd box was from nikkaross, a web cam friend. She sent 2 cases of baby food, a case of Whiskas packets and a Catnip filled banana toy (which the cats have already drooled on big time)! Thanks so much nikkaross. We're looking forward to your visit on Saturday. Also want to say thanks to Susan G. from NH. She sent a UPS for the web cam computer. Now, when we lose electricity here, the cam will stay on. (Thanks Susan! I will hook it up at the end of next week. We have to move all the computer equipment out of the office since they will be resurfacing the floor, and when I set everything back up I will incorporate the UPS -Kurt) We appreciate this. Bella also received 2 more cards! They are all hanging up in her room.

Next to open was the white envelope. The contents of this totally blew me away. I was so surprised I didn't know what to say. So, first, I went into the house to show Steve and to compose myself. Then showed it to the web cammers. It contained 2 more Lowe's gift cards, each for $500. The enclosed note said: "Please add these gift cards to the other 2 you received today to purchase a new washer and dryer for the center. Signed, Anonymous' Husband". How totally unselfish and amazing this is. Words cannot express my gratitude. I am deeply grateful. Steve and I are going to Lowe's today to check out the washers and dryers. This next pair will be an industrial grade.

All is fine here. Kittens are growing, are ornery and fun! Bella is doing great. She loves her 3 little charges and takes good care of them. Good for the kittens and good for Bella.

Cyrilla

Putter's tail

Poor Putter. We had to give Putter extra attention yesterday. He had about a 2 inch long laceration on his tail. His beautiful tail had to be hair-clipped, ointment applied and his entire tail wrapped (so it would stay on) in blue vet-wrap until this morning. It should heal just fine. It's hard to boss kittens around with your tail looking smurf colored. Bella is doing great. She and Dolcy & Weasley are still in June's Room. We let both kittens out a couple times yesterday to cruise about. Bella is eating better and is enjoying pawing the baby food jars again. Our new kitten, Nuki is wonderful. Her front leg that was so terribly swollen is almost back to normal. The wound is healing nicely. She has a good appetite and will probably join Bella's kittengarden group in June's Room today. We had 2,195 hits on Petfinders last week. The top 7 hits of all the cats/kittens listed were Badu, Cobbis, Tasco, Chaplin, Birka, Gonzo and Emaline. We had boxes to open last night!

Big thanks and gratitude to:

AnnaMarie: 3 cat grooming wipe boxes

Cobbis: 2 cases of Friskies & 1 case of Fancy Feast

Bernice J: a therapeutic bed for Bella (it's awesome!)

ClassyCat2: letter to Bella, marshmellow bed & holder & volunteer treats

Kim K from MI: $25 gift card from Meijer

We have an awesome group of kittens & cats (as always!). They're healthy, happy, silly and fun. There's alot of high energy here along with all the purring. If you'd like to visit, we'd love it. We enjoy visitors. The volunteers yesterday were Judy M, Judy S, Martha L, Brenda & Dorothy. A few more weeks and Cat's Cove cats will be back up to Kitty City, all snug and warm for the winter.

Bella received some get well cards!

It's been 6 days now since Bella's surgery. Her incision site is looking perfect. She even scooted out the door yesterday before we realized it! She is now in June's Room with a very well padded floor to cushion her stump area. She has a little friend with her--Weasley. Weasley was an abandoned kitten found--he was so pitiful and would cry and cry. So..he now has a friend in Bella. She even grooms him. Good for both cats.Bella has been receiving get well cards. Imagine that! They are hung up in her room. Nova, Marja & Bettina are all 3 in a home together. The family had adopted 2 cats from us before. Both recently passed away due to "old age problems". They were ready to have cat friends again & asked me to deliver 2 cats of my choice. I "accidently" took 3. They were going to decide which 2 of the 3 they wanted to keep. A phone call late last night produced the desired results--they re keeping all 3!! This makes for a joyous day for us! All 3 are adjusting beautifully. We have a couple families that will be visiting soon in the hopes of finding their new cat family members. The first one is scheduled for Weds. morning. The beautiful slate grey cat, cj, is doing much better. She's eating better and loves to be petted. We took in a new little kitten yesterday--another solid light grey female. She arrived with a severely swollen front leg. At first, there was concern that it may be fractured. Today, with antibiotics and leg soaks, the swelling is almost gone. I don't believe it's fractured, but she has a very nasty large abrasion that is infected. What a sweetheart this kitten is. She must be very brave. Her name is Nuki. We have much to be grateful for in the way of receiving donations.

Mama3cat-lots of cases of fancy feast & whiska packs,

Carrie, Eric & Jim-a Bella bag, toys, stuffed monkey, silky pillowcases, treats, cans & packets

AnnaMarie7-Salmon treats, Hawaiian Tuna, baby food

Bearmn-KMR, greenies treats, pill pockets

SaraEO-4 cases of baby food for Bella & friends

Someone asked a good question. How are we funded? We do not receive any county, state or federal money. We have to raise it on our own. We had the Catathon this year which raised enough money to pay for our new addition. However, for our general fund we depend on donations, recycling money (about $720 yearly), Chief tapes (about $800 yearly) and adoption fees. Our adoption fee is only $90, but we have a minimum of $200-$250 in each and every cat. We have our calendar fundraiser which brings in approx. $5,000 yearly. We have also won money from The Animal Rescue Site which helps alot. The remainder is made up in donations by people like YOU. I am eternally grateful for the support shown to us. Whether it's in supplies, money or votes, it all helps us tremendously. Thank you.

Bella update

Bella continues to improve. Her appetite is still off, but that's possibly due to the medicines that she's on. She's happy and starting to get a little anxious to get out of the pen. Next Saturday her sutures come out. Bella is such a trooper. She just goes with the flow of what is asked of her during her recovery. Stacey & Jodi makes sure her bed is very thick, per the suggestion of Dr. P. Bella and I would also like to thank you all for your concern and giving ways regarding Bella. She even got a get well card that I read to her! She's received a couple styles of-collars--they seem to work and are comfortable on her. I use the blow-up e-collar for certain times of the day and today she'll get the "no bite collar" that she received yesterday for night time instead of the cone. I think she's enjoying all this attention, but sure wishing it was over too. We had an adoption yesterday--Tookie went to her home in Dayton. Her new grandma and grandpa picked her up for her new family. She arrived at her home last evening. What a big day for her. As you may have noticed, we've been letting the audio on more frequently for you all to enjoy--it's our way of saying thanks to you all for your support. We are still #1 in the Animal Rescue Site Shelter Challenge! What an awesome accomplishment. We still have to keep it up for 6 more weeks. That $5,000 would be so wonderful for the rescue center--an unbelievable amount of financial help. Kurt has been very busy working on the brackets and shelves for Kitty City. When the walls were put up last month, we had to take down all the old shelves which made them unusable for the new wall because of the way they were designed. So, we're starting from scratch. Usually about the second week of November the Cat's Cove cats come up to Kitty City to spend the winter until April. This year they will be far more comfortable and warm than previous years. Many thanks need to be given! A big thanks to Brenice J from Utah for the no bite collar for Bella--this will certainly help her. Cape Cod Cat also sent her an inflatable collar which also works great for day time. Shorebird (Judy from Maryland) sent a case of fancy feast and a case of Gerber baby food. Sunbeam (Pat & Donna from PA) sent Hormel chicken and some of that yummy Bonito flakes. You all are awesome. Please forgive me if I ever don't give the proper thank yous--I try to keep it all straight. I am always appreciative--you all make a big difference for the Rescue Center. Next Saturday is our day at Elder-Beerman to sell tickets at the door. They sell for $5 and we keep the $5! A good deal. Connie D and Judy S. will be doing this event for us. Dolcy is back for part of the day with Jodi. He has been keeping Weasley company at Jodi's house. We still have a few 2012 calendars for sale. Let me know if you're interested. They make great Christmas presents. They're $20, plus $3 for shipping. You can pay by check or paypal. Please remember to vote!

Bella's Recovery

Bella is recovering nicely. Her appetite isn't up to speed yet, but that will come. She loves to have her cone off (under supervision) and get belly and head rubs. Her incision looks great. We had 2 special visitors yesterday. Speedy and Vickie were here! Both are web cam viewers. It was very nice to have them here. Today DCTV will be here to film the next show. These are aired for a month at a time on our local TV station. Tookie will be leaving us on Saturday around 4:00. She's an extra wonderful kitten. We also had 2 other adoptions yesterday--Turing and Diffie. Kurt adopted them! Dugster, Turing and Diffie have been special friends for the last 2 months--they need to be together. Thanks to Wal-Mart for their delivery yesterday of cat/dog food. We will put it all to good use. Thanks to Speedy and Vickie for your wonderful donations yesterday too. I think you brought a little of everything on our wish list! Many thanks. We also had a box to open last night--2 cases of Friskies and 1 case of Fancy Feast. I'm not sure who this came from, but thank you so much. If you are a viewer and not a chatter on the web cam, and you've sent a box of donations that doesn't include your name, feel free to e-mail me with your information so we can acknowledge it! I always like to mention names as YOU all are so important to us. Twinkle now weighs 6.06! When she arrived she was just 5.05. She looks wonderful. We all love her and are enjoying her life here. We have the door to CJ's pen now open. Maybe she'll venture out soon. Merci likes to lay close by and watch her--maybe would like to make friends? We had the outdoor enclosure open again yesterday-they love it. Won't be long until we'll not be able to give them access to this area. We got the quote back for the new floor for the big office area, the bathroom, Thumper's Room and the new Welcome Room. It's a go and will have the quartz finish on it. We're very excited about this floor--it'll be a great floor for many years to come. We'll have to budget and plan to do the big area of the rescue center. Please remember to vote--we're maintaining our lead!

Amera

Bella is back home!

Bella is recovering from her surgery and is back home. She has a new stump area, sutures and a head cone. Bella has to stay in a thickly padded pen for 2 weeks. Her sutures will come out next Saturday. She doesn't like the cone but will get more use to it as the days go by. The problem area (ischiatic) has also been shaved down and made more smooth, so hopefully this won't cause such a pressure point from inside her stump. Time will tell how things heal. Thank you all for your wonderful support and caring messages about Bella. I've given her lots of hugs from you all! Thanks to Dawn S. for the great box last night. Lots of things! Dried salmon cube treats, bonito sprinkles, lots of toys, pill pockets, garden greens, catnip bubbles, Thanks Dawn. The new dark gray kitten is here in the rescue center, but in Dodger's Pen. Her name is CJ, after our web cam friend. She's very thin but eating good. A very sweet girl. Hope Nuki had a happy birthday this week! We are expecting Speedy and Apollo (web cam friends) to visit us today. Tomorrow, Friday at noon, DCTV will film here again at the rescue center. Tasco is such a beautiful cat. He loves watching the birds from the cat shelves, even will share "his space" with the other cats. Kurt Williams neck continues to be just fine. I'm not ready yet to remove his collar though. That Cobbis is one ornery fella. Then if Hudson gets involved with Cobbis--watch out! They are an ornery twosome. Cinnabon and Hettie are another twosome that sure can run and play hard together.

Adora

Bella's Bum Bum

Our sweet Bella is in the vet hospital. On Monday, her "bum sore" took a turn for the worse (Bella's amputation and partial paralysis of other rear leg and tail is due to a car accident when she was 6 weeks old). Dr. P wanted to examine her, so off she went to Bryan. An x-ray revealed what the problem is. It appears that her pelvis is elongated due to the car accident which has caused the ischiatic spine (http://maxshouse.com/anatomy-sleleton.htm #12) of the pelvis to be very close to her stump. Now, because of the bite wound, it has caused further pressure on this area, resulting in it not being able to heal due to her constant bottom drag walking style that she has. So, the big question is, how to repair it. Today she will undergo surgery to revise that area. I'll keep you all informed. Tookie and Jeepers also went with Bella to the vet hospital to be spayed/neutered. They are both back here at the rescue center and doing great. Kurt has the stain applied to the wood brackets that he made for the Kitty City cat walks--they look wonderful. We're hanging on to our #1 spot for the voting results! It's amazing. A cat rescue in little Defiance, OH! Please keep voting! In addition to Octavia teaching the kittens the art of thieving, she has now shown Nova how to eat cobwebs! I watched Nova watching Octavia yesterday rolling those cobwebs up, then Nova went and found her own cobweb to roll up. Octavia is just priceless! Nougie is becoming a bit braver--he's being a little more adventuresome. We took in a new kitten yesterday. Could it possibly be another sister to Amera? This one was found just down the road a few houses and is also long hair. We'll give her a name today.

We had boxes last night!

Jatcat: Royal Canin dry baby cat food, 2 cases kitten Fancy Feast

Kitkat45: laundry soap, dawn soap, bleach, dog/cat treas, shampoo, q-tips, toys

Dakota19788: cat notebooks, Fancy Feast, Whiskas, toys

Tom P: poptabs for Kellen

Thank you so much for helping with our supplies--the cats and I are appreciative!

Xubie

Still #1, KEEP VOTING!!!

What a beautiful weather week we've had. The cats and kittens have been spending lots of time in the outdoor enclosure during the day. They love it. I had a good laugh watching Octavia when we first opened the window to the outdoor enclosure. She immediately started licking up the cobwebs again. You can tell that it must be a little sticky! What a special girl she is to have this talent! Had visitors yesterday which of course the cats love. They never get enough petting and fussing over them! Today’s volunteers are Mary E., Ruth, Jackie S., Michelle & family and Angie. Linda came in and helped me with the early morning work--very nice of her! The 2 new kittens Adora and Amera are doing great-so sweet and playful. We've been feeding Dulcy every hour and a half. He's so small but doing a great job of eating. Twinkle loves her new collar. She looks so pretty with it on. Chia, Cassi and Claudius are amazing. They can be playing in different parts of the rescue center, but when it's nap time, they find each other to cuddle up with. Nebraska has made friends with all the kittens. He's an awesome boy who is very friendly. Yesterday while working on the computer, both sets of twins, Happy, Hettie, Cinnabon, and Macallen, laid on the desk

Kurt continues to work on the catwalks and sleeping boxes for Kitty City. It will look wonderful when it's done. With this great weather we're having, the cats will continue staying in Cat's Cove. Paul will be putting on the 2nd layer on the roof of Kitty City today. They'll be nice and dry this winter. I have to mention this again--everyday I'm thankful for the new addition. Thumper's Room, the bathroom and Welcome Room are a huge plus for us! We're still #1 in the voting stats. Please continue to vote so we can maintain our lead!

Telo

Thanks Connie D. & Martha L.!

Yesterday was our Wal-Mart day from 10 AM to 1 PM. Connie and Martha did this PR event for us, which helps to raise awareness for the rescue center. We always have a donation box out, and this time around we made $110! Thanks Connie and Martha. Pet Supply Plus is doing a rescue/shelter awareness month and FFRC gets to be the recipient of this event. Whatever donations they receive will come this way in about a month, so THANK YOU Pet Supply Plus!

Thanks to mrsohiopeepers, who called me the night before to tell me that Happy was sitting on top of a box with a kitten under it who couldn't get out. Sure enough, there was Cinnabon, just waiting to be rescued. Typical brother/sister act! Speaking of sisters, the 2 that arrived (one on Friday and the other on Saturday) are doing great. The brown tiger is Amera and the gray tiger is Adora. These 2 kittens are wonderful and super friendly. They were allowed to be out and about this morning for what I thought would be a short excursion, but they are so happy and comfortable, that they will get to stay out. We now have 2 kittens on hold. Tookie will be going to her new home as soon as she is spayed and Grominique will be going to pj's home (a web cam friend) this week. We are so happy for both kittens!

Yesterday Kitty City received a new roof finish. We had a couple leaks, so Paul was on the roof all day yesterday applying the roof paint. A good job done with good results. Brad, our friend who has made a lot of the cat furniture for the rescue center came yesterday and took the pole with the paddles back home with him. It's been used so much that it's worn out. It'll be returned, with new paddles and new hemp rope on it! Thanks again to Catlady for the cherry cheesecake, it's delicious! We are still #1 in The Animal Rescue Site Shelter+ Challenge! That is sure a nice thing to see. Sometimes I pop on during the day just to look at that! Thanks for putting us there. Keep voting!

Boxes!

Many thanks to:

• Gemini: can food, paper reams, volunteer treats, post-it notes, pill pockets, donations to help with the Paddy Travel Box postage and pop tabs for Kellen
• Baxter-Bailey: Vetericyn for us to try on Bella (already started!)
• Dorothy Y from CA: a Maneki-Neko bank (called the beckoning cat)
• mrsohiopeepers: a folder to help me keep names straight!
• Anonymous: case of Friskies

This makes twice now that I've received this little note:

When the world says, "give up," Hope whispers, "try it one more time."

That should be our motto! We WILL keep trying and working on ways to make the lives of the cats here happier and healthier. Thanks again for all your support--YOU are awesome!

Jeepers

Double Post Again!

Friday:

It's been 6 weeks since Farrah had a seizure! We're very happy with that but still counting the days. Time will tell if we need to do any further adjustments on her meds. We've got our map up and soon I'll be applying pins from people who have visited here and who have donated items! Looking forward to doing this. We'll also use the blue pins for Paddy's destination for the World Tour. The Paddy Travel Box left Thursday and is on it's way! Talked to Dr. Cindy quite a while yesterday regarding Bella's bum. We are going to carry on with keeping the staples in her wound, removing them every few days to be sure all is clean, then reapplying them. Don't worry--it doesn't seem to bother her at all as her sensory feeling there is pretty minimal.

Boxes!

Many thanks to:

Vern S from MI: adult dry cat food

twocatsfromnj: babyfood, Fancy Feast, Whiskas, and Friskies

Arlynn J: a cap for Paul

Medic: Fancy Feast

Saturday:

We love visitors here at the Rescue Center. Yesterday was great as we had a couple of our web cam viewers here for a visit, Catlady and Siamesemich. I believe they were able to pet every kitten and cat here, including Cat's Cove residents. We also had Dawn S come in the morning (a volunteer/viewer) with her great auntie. It's taken 2 days, but the big job of deep vacuuming all the furniture followed by shampooing them is done. Many thanks to Stacey and Judy S. for this huge project. The furniture looks like new!. Yesterday Kurt and I found a kitten outside the property. After much coaxing, it finally came right up to us. Big purr & head rubs involved! About 12 hrs later, found another one in our yard. I have to believe they are sisters. Both are long hair, tigers, same size. When I put them together, they nose touched and rubbed shoulders! The brown tiger is Amera and the gray tiger is Adora. It's official. Kate and Jack are going to adopt Mary Katherine! I'm so happy for this adoption. Mary Katherine is fairly shy but Kate and Jack have enormous patience to help her be happy.

Boxes!

Thank you to:

Deette: a beautiful pink collar with stars on it for Twinkle, our oldster. Looks beautiful on her!

Catlady: a homemade cherry cheesecake, apples/cider, baby food, cat treats, people treats, etc.

Siamesemich: cleaning supplies, can food, cat treats, human treats, etc.

Connie D: cat face wipes

twocatsfromnj: Friskies

I am so thankful for the support of the web cam viewers and our volunteers and friends of the rescue center. I saw a saying yesterday that I liked. It goes something like: It's great people like you who make people like me grateful. Very true words.

Tookie thinks she is a Bumble Bee

Paddy World Tour Kick-Off!

The Paddy's Travel Box is taking off today! First visit is to Sevren in London! Keep an eye on facebook. At every stop a picture will be taken and posted on facebook and also put into the box. You can also follow Paddy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/PaddyWorldTour . When all the pics return to the rescue center, we'll put them together! This will be a fun event. Petfinder is finally caught up. We will be posting the new pictures to go along with the new entries soon. Yesterday was a wonderful day. We actually had the audio on for 36 hours! We would like to try and do this fairly often to show our appreciation of YOU for helping to support the Rescue Center. We are still #1 in the Shelter+ Challenge! Please vote daily and ask your friends, families and e-mail friends to help us win the Grand Prize! Our floor is in dire need of repair. This prize money could help go towards the new floor. Just mopping it is now causing the finish to lift and flake. The kitties are also pulling it up. They seem to think it's fun! We have a company that can produce a floor that will be wonderful, long lasting and can take the abuse that it'll receive here. We're hard on everything; floors, washers, shop vacs, etc.! It's a busy place and things are used a lot. We are grateful people here and have people to thank, but Amazon has not been putting in the sender's names lately. I always worry that I may not have the names of all the wonderful people that send us donations. Please know that what you all do for us is extremely important to this Rescue Center. Deb B. sent 2 cases of baby food and 4 cases of Friskies. Vern S. sent 2 cases of Whiskas packs and 2 cases of Royal Canin Baby Cat can food. Jillr27 sent 2 cases of baby food and 2 cases of Friskies. Beadladee1 sent KMR and L-Lysine Powder. Sabrina & Cantoncat sent Fancy Feast, cat treats & Friskies. Gwen & hummerfan sent 2 cases of Senior Friskies. Blue sent some wonderful ribbon cat teasers that she made. She's also been selling items at shows for FFRC. You all are terrific. Our food cupboard looks so much better! Kurt Williams neck continues to look good. Twinkle is happy and seems to be very content with her life. Ada Jane loves to lay on the dryer when it's going--it jiggles her & warms her up! This Saturday we'll be at our local Wal-Mart from 10 AM til 1 PM doing some PR to raise awareness. Our 2 volunteers who will be helping with this are Connie D and Martha L. Once again, please remember to vote!

Chia, Claudius, and Cassi

Viewer Appreciation Day TODAY!

Our way of saying thanks to the many web cam viewers is to have the audio on for you at the Rescue Center! Hope you enjoy. I know we enjoy sharing our kitties and cats with you. We had boxes last night which we're always grateful for. Beth A, from KY sent Fancy Feast, Whiskas and baby food--all items in big demand. Sillysticks sent items from Staples which were bleach, HE laundry soap, map pins for our new board. Sabrina & Cantoncat sent 2 cases of senior Friskies which the oldsters love. Gossamer sent a pack of 112 rattling feather fur cat mice. Thanks to Beth, Sillysticks, Sabrina & Canton and Gossamer for these gifts to the rescue center. We love opening boxes. These gifts make a huge difference to the Rescue Center. Thanks also to Caity B. who has made those wonderful shopping bags out of the cat/dog/bird/grain bags. They are really neat. We are still #1 in The Animal Rescue Site voting stats! What a thrill! Please keep voting for us. We took in a new cat last night. This ancient of all oldsters is a Himalayan cat, already neutered male, declawed front. This cat was apparently seen 2 weeks ago already in extremely poor condition. When the family went out to get him, he was no longer in sight until last night. Many thanks to this family for bringing this cat here. This fella is so very old, only weighs 4 lbs. 12 ounces and is probably the worst of all cats hydration-wise that has ever came here. We're giving fluids in a timely manner and keeping him warm as he's having a hard time keeping his body temperature up. He's getting a name that means something. It's Michio--the strength of 3,000. It saddens my heart that we may not be able to help him. How can these things happen? Today we will begin “Where in the World are the Paddys?” We are sending out a stuffed Persian toy to represent Paddy Cake and Paddy Purr. First stop is to Sevren who lives in London. She will take a picture of the Paddys by something that represents her area. Then Sevren will send it on to someone else of her choosing. After the Paddys have made 20 stops all around the world, they will be returned to the Rescue center. The pictures taken will be posted in our facebook so everyone can keep track of where they are! Sounds like fun!

Shasta

1st Place so far... KEEP VOTING DAILY!

We've started out at a wonderful pace in the voting at The Animal Rescue Site. We're #1 this morning! Wow! Now we have to keep it up. There's a potential $6,000 that we could win. Please vote every day and pass on this info to your family, friends and e-mail friends. We sure would appreciate it. This makes for a very happy day! Jeepers is doing great. He's now out and about and seems to be making friends. He's got a wonderful purr. Putter was being silly and fun yesterday. He was cruising around at a fast pace and even played with the catnip bananas. That was very nice to see. Mary E, the Monday morning volunteer and I clipped nails yesterday, cleaned ears, got treatments caught up and did a few weigh-ins. We are thankful that we had 4 boxes to open last night. Littleonemine sent 2 cases of baby food, KMR, a case of Friskies and a case of can chicken. The chicken is a real treat. Sometimes it's added to the breakfast mix and they eat it right up. Gossamer sent a case of 32 Friskies cans--thanks a lot! This is one of our main foods here. Cathi B sent 4 cases of the Whiskas packets. The cats love these because they're extra juicy. All 3 of these donors are web cam friends. Thank you very much. We took out Bella's 3 staples today to check her bottom wound. I do believe we finally have some healing going on. After it was cleaned and flushed, it was stapled again. She's still on antibiotics. The cats were out on the enclosure all day yesterday--they sure loved it. Outside one of the windows are 2 bird feeders. Sometimes there's 6 cats sitting on the window shelf just watching the bird activity. Kurt is putting up one of the long catwalks today that goes to all the catwalks on the far side of the rescue center. The cats will love this. It also has the cat rails on it for protection. Remember to vote!

Dulcy

Voting starts today!

Yesterday we had the Pet Blessing ceremony here at the Rescue Center. In addition to the people and pets that participated here, we also had close to 300 webcam viewers. I was very pleased that we could include the webcam friends to join us for this ceremony. I've been asked by several people if we could make this an annual event. I think that would be great. Thank you for joining us for our first Pet Blessing here at the Rescue Center. We took in a new cat on Saturday. His name is Jeepers. He is a white cat with black splotches, about 5 months old and is a real people lover. He's now in Patience's Pen, checking out the rescue center and will probably be out on Tuesday. Thanks to Felinetoyz for your donation to sponsor Bella. Your requested hug and kiss to Bella has been done! Zelda is doing great. All that remains of her ordeal is a little scar on one of her hips. She loves to play with catnip toys. Kate still has Mary Katherine at her house helping to socialize her. Things are going fairly well. She'll eventually come back to the rescue center. I think we finally have Emaline's ears under control, at least for a little while. It's been a long, constant work on those ears, but that's fine We just want those ears to feel better. Emaline loves to bathe Happy and Hettie. Cobbis is an ornery little fella. He's so much bigger than his siblings. He's definitely a clown! Putter has had a few bursts of speed and silliness today! Twinkle is doing awesome--she is such a joy. Denae and Denelle spend alot of time together, side by side, watching the birds out the windows. Remember, we start voting again today. The link is under the webcam page. Please vote daily for us! This may result in a money prize for us! Thank you.

County

Today will be better

First, let's just talk about Snooglies. As many of you, our sweet old girl passed away yesterday early afternoon. I and so many people loved her. We only had her for a few weeks, but she made a big impact here. So, we will miss her very much and we will continue to care and love the other cats in our care. We had quite a few visitors yesterday, including Peverley and Gail. Peverley is a web cam friend who found the kitten that was named Peverley. Gail is a web cam friend. They also brought many donated items--dry cat food, can food, toys, plates, cookies, etc. The cookies are very good! We also received a gift from Kelly R. in CA who is also a web cam chatter. Kelly has donated a fruit of the month club membership from Harry & David. The box we opened yesterday were Royal White Peaches. I don't think I've ever tasted a peach that delicious before. Thanks Kelly! Cookies and fruit are in a pen for the volunteers to share. Thanks also to Cobbis for your donation in memory of Snooglies. We have a new kitten that arrived yesterday. It's a male, about 5 months old, white with black splotches and is tested negative for leukemia/FIV and heartworm! He's very sweet and has a huge purr. His name is Jeepers. He was rather hungry, but we've taken care of that! A very nice young cat. Chia, Cassie and Claudius are such sweet kittens. When it's nap time, they almost always can be found sleeping on top of each other. It's the same with Hettie and Happy. They're also sleeping buddies. That little Dulcy couldn't be any cuter. Everyone has to pick him up and cuddle with him. He can look right at you with that look of sweetness. KW's collar is still on him and his sore is healed. We will continue to keep the collar on him for a couple weeks. Can you believe it--Ernestine's Muppet kitties still seek her out for a little mama-nursing. She always lets them! The new kitten Nebraska is doing great. He's a few shades darker grey than Selby. They are friends and also nap together. It was brought up on facebook yesterday that maybe it'd be a nice idea for any of you web cam viewers to send me a picture of you (and your pet if you have one). I think that is a fantastic idea! I'm already starting to receive some and am looking forward to putting these all on a picture board. It'd be nice to put a face with a name. Just send it to the rescue center's e-mail at: friendsoffelinesrc@gmail.com or you can mail them to:

Friends of Felines' Rescue Center

14597 Power Dam Road

Defiance, Ohio 43512

"I once caught a fish THIS big!" -Asha

Some days are harder than others

I need to let you all know that the black stray that was found in our sunporch yesterday has passed away. We named him Webster. He was a very very old cat, already in kidney failure and in the dying process when we found him. He ate a little yesterday but would not today. We kept his 2 heater pads all warm and toasty. This morning I reheated them for him. When I went to sweep his room, I thought he was sleeping, but he had passed away. We barely had him 24 hours, but knowing that he was warm, tended to and petted on makes me happy that he was here for his last day. I also need to give you a heads up on Snooglies. She is showing all signs of kidney failure now. We're prepared to make her time with us as comfortable and pleasant as possible. She's sitting with me right now. I have been honored to have this grand ancient cat with us these past few weeks. Bella's bottom sore appears to have a little bit of healing going on! We will continue working on this very difficult problem of Bella's. Farrah has been 5 1/2 weeks seizure free so far! She continues to take her meds every morning and evening in the pill pockets. We have thanks to give for some boxes and 1 envelope that we received yesterday. Dave and Cyndi from CA sent money that was earned at a rummage sale. Thanks for your hard work. Bubba sent a case of Friskies, a can of KMR Powder and Babycat Royal Canin dry food! Guaranteed all of this will be well used! We also had an anonymous donor of 2 cases of Friskies and 1 case of Fancy Feast. I'm grateful. Kiara our sweet cat got her own card from Sabrina (Cantoncat's cat)! Kiara is strutting around here bragging to all that will listen to her. Kiara asked if I'd give a special thanks to both Sabrina and Canton for their sponsorship! Tomorrow at 2:00 is our Pet Blessing, sponsored by the Rescue Center, officiated by Rector Gene. If you would like a special blessing on your pet, you can have him/her in your lap or a picture close by. Just would like to tell you how much I appreciate all your support. It's awesome and humbling and it's what helps to keep me going. Thanks! We do have some good news. I've heard twice now from Patricia Ann's new family. All is well. No cats, no kids makes a difference for this particular cat. They are being very patient with her.

Hudson and Asha