Tuesday, July 31

Help! Rescue me from Ginseng! I'm kidding, really! He's such a love and a velcro boy. He has the ability to sit on the floor and leap onto my back, in one smooth motion! He also loves to lay on the floor in front of the shop vac nozzle and let you push him around on the floor. What a boy!

We have surgery dates made. Pedra will go on August 7th for her spay. Her mama Val will come that day to hold her and comfort her after her surgery. Then she will stay overnight so we can make sure that Pedra is ready to travel the next day, to her new home. Of course, Kooper will also be going with them. Janak, his new mama, will "visit" him thru Val.

We have the surgery date for Bravo. It's August 15--2 weeks away. I weighed him yesterday and he is up to 2.05. He's a growing boy! He just came in the office a bit ago, and I called him in that voice he likes and gets so excited about. He comes scooting across to me as fast as he could. What a smile he brings to our faces to see him so happy!

Derecho has been here in the office three times, then he goes back to the main area and here he comes again, back to the office! He's so wobbly, but a very very determined kitty.

Asha is watching the birds outside--she's such a contented cat. She so loves to be groomed and to give head butts. I showed her picture last night on the cam, of when she first arrived. It's hard to believe it's the same cat. I also showed the pictures of when Putter first arrived--so sad. I remember thinking that night that he may not survive. But, what a magnificent boy he is now!

Today is Paddy Cake and Paddy Purr's birthday! They are now two. Tomorrow is Badu and Hank's birthday! So...today we will have a birthday cake for us humans and the cats will have their pet-friendly ice cream! We will show the cake at 10 am, our time.

Our visitors, Pam and Rich will be leaving today to head back to Colorado with Queenie with them! I've also heard from the family that adopted Mercy and Floria and they love them! All is good.

We had BOXES last night! I am ever so grateful for the support.
Sonja/sonjamac--2 cases of Friskies Sensations and a case of Whisker Lickins Treats
Diane & Missa--a beautiful card, bed pads that she made, rugs for Cat's Cove and a wonderful memory foam mattress for when Bravo is recovering from his surgery
Hannah and her mom Jennifer--a card, 2 bags of temptation treats, and a beautiful soft rug
Susan/Schinn86 and her cats Cleo and Ralph--For Badu, a birthday card and a donation to FFRC, cat toy, cosmic catnip toys, Gravy Sensations, 4 bags of teats and a turbo tracker scratcher refill
Jo from AZ--Giraffe Print Crinkle Tunnel
Paul_68--a gift for Hannah, cinnamon color bumper bed for Derecho
Becca--hand made knitted sweater for Derecho--it's beautiful and will fit him!
Patty F from Missouri--a very nice letter
Selkie & Blue and Misty too--a thank you note and photos of her cats on their blankies from the Catathon
Jeanette & Furr Haven babies--card of sympathy of Fiver, a donation for Fiver fun and a donation for medical costs for FFRC. Jeanette also wrote a most beautiful letter about Fiver and FFRC--I deeply appreciate this.
Conii and her cats Madissyn & Elliott--a kitty holster for Derecho, 2 packages of Salmon cat treats, Yeowww shark/lemon/tomato toys, several extra awesome comfy beds, a harness for Derecho for stability, letter from Madissyn & Elliott and a bumper pad bed for Derecho
Auntie Bantry--3 can nip sardine toys
Nikka--birthday card for Badu and a birthday card for the Paddy boys
Carol O from CA--coupons

Paddy Cake 2 years old now

Paddy Purr 2 years old now

Ginseng, the ornery boy!

Monday, July 30

Happy birthday to the Paddys tomorrow! Paddy Purr and Paddy Cake will be 2. It's hard to believe-they still seem like kittens to me! They arrived here with their mama on July 31, on the day they were born. They had a difficult "kittenhood" and was so sick so many times when they were little. Their mama had no milk, so these 2 were bottlefed, but had the comfort of their real mama. They are permanent residents of FFRC. Join us tomorrow for birthday cake (for humans) and special ice cream (for the cats)--compliments of a webcam friend!! We'll show you all the cake on the cam!

We had 3 adoptions yesterday! Fayth was adopted by a couple where a friend of our's grandpa wanted a special friend. We gave him baby food, which Fayth loves, to seal that bond! Our Mercy and Floria were adopted together, by a local family. Two great homes for 3 wonderful kittens!

We also have 3 other kittens on hold--Sizzle (who will leave next weekend, with a probably friend!). Kooper and Pedra are also on hold. Val will be adopting Pedra soon, after her spay is done (probably week after next). Janak/Janet from New Zealand will be adopting Kooper but he will be staying with Val. So, Kooper will have 2 moms! They will be skyping between Val and Janet's house!

Pam and Rich are here clear from Colorado. They arrived yesterday afternoon and will be leaving tomorrow morning, with Queenie with them. They have had Queenie on hold for a few months. Queenie loves them and was rubbing all over them!

Nikkaross is here, staying at Kitty Kastle and taking lots of pictures. I know she will be happy to share them with our Flickr page for all to see.

Saturday was a very busy day here. That was our surgery day! All recovered beautifully and were playing already that night. The boys were: Tiki, Raymond, Raymondo, Frogger, Sizzle, Weber, Kooper, Everett, Give, Frith (and a umbilical hernia repair), Campion, Butterbur, Cassidy and Sundance. The girls were: Canton, Shirley, Goodness, Fayth, Betony, Efrafa, Faleen, Faleena, Floria, Mariska and Tweets. Avens has to wait as he had a tiny cold.

Derecho had a physical on Saturday. Dr. Darci thought he looked great and was very impressed with how well he does and how happy he is. She also had another look at Bravo. We will schedule his surgery for the middle of August. Filbert had his ears checked and we will increase his ear medication. Emaline became a total wreck overnight. Her skin issues have escalated dramatically. We are trying an increased medication recommendation from Dr. Darci and will give this 6 weeks to work. We have to realize that this is a life-issue for Emi, but we will continue to do what is necessary to keep her comfortable and happy.

We are featured on the front page of Ustream! Wow! I told the kittens and cats to get to the sink and wipe their faces, brush their teeth and get themselves groomed so they look extra terrific for ustream! They of course, complied!!

I'm so grateful for people who have made or are making special things to help Derecho. These "holders" on him, not only help to "settle" him, but make it safer for us to hold him--sometimes he accidently pops out of our hands. Also thanks to people who have donated items for Bravo and Derecho to have fun for their playtime.

We had boxes Friday night! So many thanks are given for this.
Conii--a very nice card and a box full of treats for the volunteers! Conii also sent a box for Derecho. She had some special tummy holders made for his size.
Paul_M--cat bed for Derecho (has an edge on it to help steady him)
Susan G/Susan345--4 packs of 3 Yeowww catnip bananas. These are shared with Covies, Porchies, Barnies and the rescue center.
Jennifer W/jwill667--cookie snacks for volunteers and coffee cups/lids
Bradley S from WA--4 large bottles of Tide HE
Henry R Peeps & Ohmygoodness--Birthday card for Zelda Belda girl
Susan TC--donation and card for FFRC
Cathy D from CA--card in memory of Fiver
Ruth D from NC--PayPal donation, in memory of Fiver
Gusti from Germany--donation to FFRC to resupply our soda, juice, G2 drinks and water, especially for the surgery day
Joyce D--donation to FFRC for pizza for the surgery day
Constance N from ME--PayPal donation for FFRC

We have heard from the families that recently adopted Sugar Plum, Martha Ann, Daymo and Durell--all are doing fine and are happy!

Just would like to mention that we have so thoroughly enjoyed each and every person that comes for visits--whether they are here as day-visitors or for those that stay either at a hotel or in Kitty Kastle. We have had many visitors stay in Kitty Kastle now, as it's been available for 4 months now! I've heard it mentioned that Kitty Kastle has at times been "not left in a very clean condition". I would personally like to mention that everyone has been extremely respectful of Kitty Kastle and has always left it in excellent condition at the end of their stay. We love having these visitors and will continue to offer Kitty Kastle as our guesthouse. If you are interested in visiting, please let me know so we can check reservations!

The new cat, Canton is a real people-lover. So sweet, loves to be petted and is quick to purr. It's obvious she's been an outside cat, as she keeps going to the door and windows, but we're working on convincing her that indoor life is way safer. The 2 new brothers, Sundance and Cassidy are doing good and are now out and about in the main area. Cassidy is gold and white while Sundance is all gold. Nice boys!

There's those beautiful gold eyes of FiFi's.

Purrdue enjoying the outdoor enclosure.

Friday, July 27

It is so humid outside that it's foggy and the stones look like they've been rained on. What a hot, humid summer we've had. Even with the heat, we try to open the flapdoor or window to the cat's outdoor enclosure daily. They love to go out. It's only a 6 foot wide by 12 foot long enclosure, but has lots of shelves and places to lounge at. Yesterday I checked on them and there were 27 cats there! Our volunteer Gregg and his friend Max built this a few years ago.

Pedra continues to get better each day. We will hold on her spay for tomorrow though, as we would prefer she be in tip-top condition for her surgery. We'll get it scheduled very soon at the vet's office since we probably won't have a big surgery day now until first of September here at FFRC. We will also reweigh the T kittens--Tiki, Talulah and Tabitha and see if they make weight for tomorrow. If not, we'll hold on them as well.

Many thanks to Gusti and Joyce D for covering our drinks, snacks and pizza lunch for tomorrow's busy day! We very much appreciate this.

We had an adoption! Actually it was several days ago, but I was waiting to pass on this bit of good news until I heard from the family that adoted him. It's Alphie!! This family had wanted a long hair, male and a nice boy (aren't they all?!). At first they were thinking of Filbert. I told them about Alphie, and his couple potty accidents he had. I firmly believe this was due to stress as he had never had a problem before. They agreed to try him! Their phone call last night was that he's a keeper!

We also took in another adult cat. A webcam friend, LoveMyPetz, found a calico cat that needed some help. After looking at the Name that Cat list from the Catathon, her name shall be Canton! She's a very sweet, very purrable young adult calico.

Putter has been spending a lot of time inside the house. If he goes to the door wanting in, we let him in. If he goes to the door wanting back into the rescue center, we let him out. He has a certain meow that means he wants a snacker. He also loves to lick up my cereal milk! I heard talk that Ada Jane would like to come in too, but I don't think I have enough rugs on the floor for her!!

Right now, we have a black mound of moving fur on the floor--Faleen, Faleena, Raymond and Raymondo. They are playing a hard game of "let's see who is the toughest". That Zavatar is quite a boy. He is a food hound and LOVES to be wherever food is being prepared at. It appears that Octavia has indeed taught him the cabinet trick--get in, grab a packet of food. The problem is this: Octavia comes right out with it, but Zavatar thinks he can open and eat his packet while on top of a layer of cans. Good thing he's cute!

Paddy Cake and Farrah have something in common. They both love those plastic spring toys and will carry them around with their front teeth, meowing their heads off. They each have a certain meow that goes along with this.

Here's very interesting news: About a year ago, we had a bit less than 1 million views on our ustream kittycam. Today we have 3,551,778 views! Wow--pretty cool!

We had a few envelopes last night! Many many thanks.
AuntyFi--rainbow catnip toy for Derecho
Pat L from KS--coupons
Michlynn--Birthday card for the Paddys and a donation for treats for the Paddys
Ruthanne D/Twiggysmom--donation for medical expenses in memory of Fiver
Karen E--coupons and Chief receipts
John & Mary from OR--donation for FFRC
Nicola M from Scotland--a PayPal donation to FFRC, for supplies
Joseph L from United Kingdom--a PayPal donation to FFRC

Fabio wins the Biggest Yawn Contest

Paddy Cakes wins the Biggest Eyes Contest

Thursday, July 26

Queenie was first in line when Donna came today--she got a 10 minute head and neck rub! She thoroughly enjoyed it. Bravo is here on the desk with me--he insists on being ON the desk. So, just in case he goes over the edge, I have the marshmallow poofs surrounding the desk! He is so independent--wants to do things HIS way. Earlier today, he decided he was going to get up to the first tier of beds on one of the cat furniture pieces. He succeeded. Just think of his upper arm strength!

Derecho is so cute. He spends his night time in June's Room, so he has easy access to the little litterboxes. In the morning, when we open the door, he's ready--out he comes and he's so excited to be with us! His very good friend Graciela spends the night with him to keep him company.

Bella ate her whole jar of baby food this morning--paw by paw licks. Her favorite thing to do. Cutie also ate a good breakfast. We've been making sure that she gets her very own breakfast plate and also offer her food several times during the day. She is now back to her weight, before she started losing it. She looks good. Asha is sleeping next to me, with her paw over Purrgeron's neck.

Update on the cp24.com--Animal House Calls. We were to be their "zoom in/zoom out" rescue for their hour show on Tuesday night at 7 to 8 pm. The spokesperson called yesterday and said they had breaking news so were unable to do their regular show. We are now scheduled for this next Tuesday, the 31st from 7 to 8 pm. We'll just do it again!

Our new Cat-Go-Round Wheel is on it's way. Remember the one that was auctioned off for the Catathon? The gracious winner has donated it back to FFRC! What a wonderful thing as we will take the present wheel and put it in Cat's Cove. We'll spend a little time helping them get the hang of it, then watch them have fun!

Kooper is an awesome kitten--he's everyone's friend. He's also a very good friend of Ginseng's. They love to tussel. It's especially fun to watch both of them in one of the clear jugs, playing together! Filbert is on the window ledge, watching the early morning birds at the feeders. He's a great chirper cat.

Jaina is sleeping here in the office--taking a nap on the floor with THREE catnip toys under her tummy. I watched her--she deliberately moved them together before she laid down. Yep, it happened, Bravo tumbled over the edge of the desk before I could grab him--down he went into the poof. No problem though--he's just looking around like he planned it. Mercy and Purrby are on the poof already checking it out--they want to know how he did that!

We had BOXES last night. Many thanks to you all. YOU are appreciated!
D'Lee--case of Friskies Filets, Fancy Feast case & case of Friskies Gravy Sensations
Paul_M--pompom toys, mouse/Kong toys and a Kong kickeroo & a catnip squirrel
Aunty Fi--2 rolls of Hello Kitty tape (!), 3 Yeowww catnip sardines
Sharon T/seagirl--2 cases of Indoor canned food formula
Susan M/daydreamz2--80 count coffee cups and lids
The Bubbas--Purina coupon books with LOTS of great coupons, treats for the Covies and the Porchies which they will love, Bonito flakes, Fancy Feast Appetizers, Fancy Feast Morning cans.
Kelly R in CA--Harry & David Fruit of the Month (cherries, and oh, are they good!)
Deb11111--5 big boxes of Bounce fabric sheets
Kimkost--3 big containers of HE Tide laundry soap, and Bounce fabric sheets
Bianca D/TokTuB-organic Coconut Oil for Emaline and any others that may need it for skin problems
Beth A--kitty cuddle Pal and a grooming mit
ZBMoss (with help from Aunty Bantry)--seems that Zelda Belda girl talked Bantry into helping her send a lovely card to her "mama" Jacci (which of course, I loved!)
Margieann C/Dale4lyfe and Tiffany C/tiffanyRae424--a card with thoughts of Fiver (and a donation for Fiver) and appreciation
Nancy L/luv4cats from WI--coupons
Lillian/zenamolina and kitties Elvis, Oreo, Max, Baby and Xena--birthday card for Paddy Purr & 2 tokens

Sleepy Darilyn

Weds., July 25

The flying kitties continue. There must be catnip in the air. Obadiah, Floria and Tweets are having a wrestling match--not sure who is winning, but they're going at it full force--running, wrestling, running, plowing into one another. I just walked around the corner and was met by 4 kittens running full speed ahead right at me. They didn't even slow down. Then I looked down the hallway and Weber and Linden was climbing up and down the yellow tower--so fast I thought they surely would fall. In the midst of all this craziness, is Derecho. He's gone from the middle of the work area to the front office all by himself, 3 times. There's a feather here in the office he keeps coming back to. And Bravo...what can I say, but he loves my toes. He goes to the door, chirps, runs and "attacks" my toes and goes back to the door, just to do over again. Would I change anything? Absolutely not!

We did not have boxes last night, but we WILL have boxes tonight. We did have an extra fun time on the floor with the cats and kittens. Animal Planet had called last week and wanted to zoom in and out of FFRC, thru our cam, during commercial time for their Canadian show Animal House Calls. So, we made sure the kittens were front and center. I'm told, if you'd like to view this, you can go to cp24.com Click on video, go to Animal House Calls.

Yesterday we had 3 adoptions! Our sweet Sugar Plum and Daymo left with Lynn S and her parents who adopted Martha Ann. Lynn called last night and said they were safely home in Tennessee and that all 3 cats did great on their 7 hour trip. Then on Thursday, her parents will continue home (with Martha Ann) to New Jersey. These were awesome adoptions!

FYI--all inquiries about adoptions don't always end up with adoptions here at FFRC. Lots of questions are asked (about litterboxes, kids/cats/dogs in the house, financial means to care for a cat, etc.) Also vet references are checked. We believe fully that any other cats or dogs that are in a house wanting to adopt, all need to be neutered/spayed. This is our way of making a stand that we fully believe in spaying and neutering. Good, loving, indoor homes are top of my list--that is our goal here at FFRC.

By now, all the orders have been sent out in regards to t-shirts, calendars, cookbooks, catathon orders, etc. If you did not receive your items or received incorrect ones, we want to know! Our aim is to get every order correct. Please e-mail me and let me know.

Farm update: all the farmyard cats are doing great and just received their monthly flea prevention. The Covies got a day of visiting the farmyard--they love to run, roll in the dirt and catch bugs. We try to do this 1-2 times a week for them. By the way--remember the 6 little chicklets that we showed on the cam when they were just a week or so old? They are now teenagers...and we've discovered that 5 out of the 6 are roosters. Lots of crowing going on down on the farmyard!

Pedra is feeling better. Many of you may know, she had picked up a virus. She is doing pretty good, still on antibiotics. She's eating good and playing a lot in Patience's Pen. She's getting lots of TLC which she is enjoying. Putter is doing awesome--he loves to take naps on the bathroom rug and the couch. Emaline's skin problems are resolving once again. Farrah is taking her meds--we have to be tricky at night and not let her know it's "pill time". No further seizures.

Purrby--lounging on the Outdoor Enclosure

Tuesday, July 24

I do believe these kittens grew wings over night--I'm talking about having flying kittens here. They are ALL just crazy--running, bouncing off walls, super charged. I can't keep track of how many have "flown" by me this morning already!

Yesterday, we had an adoption. Durell went to his new home where they have lots of love to give him. He sat in his pet carrier as sweet and calm as he could while he was going out the door.

We had many visitors yesterday from several different states. We truly enjoy having people visit the cats. It's a good thing to make new friends.
We had BOXES last night and items brought in from our visitors!
Kerswill & Amber & Nutmeg from MI--stickers, pillowcases, Bounce sheets, stationery, treats (Octavia proof?), manila envelopes, Appetizers, packets of Wellness food, little packets of blank paper, binder clips, 36 count case of Fancy Feast, a cat krinkle tunnel and a donation made in memory of Fiver and Gnuby.
Paul_M--zaney mice toys and a cat bed with raised edges for Drecho
Ann P and Kikkocat from PA--Hoops & YoYo ornament for Jacci, 6 packs of Whisker Lickins cat treats & a picture of her cat Kikko
D'Lee--case of Whisker Lickins Treats, case of Delights food with Cheddar, case of Halo can food & a case of Friskies Senior diet
Judeanlee--fish shaped scratcher big toy, 4 cat dancer toys, case of Fancy Fest baby food, case of Appetizers, 4 packs of the spring coil toys
Pg M--a bag of assorted cat toys
Anonymous--4 Zaney Mice
Beth A--2 Zoom Groom/brushes
Mary T from MI--card and a donation, in memory of her cat
Patty F from MO--card and a donation
Edith B from MI--letter and a donation
Boon (an FFRC cat,it's his 1st birthday)and Mary & Ron--a case of Friskies, a case of Packets, cat treats and a green wood rocking bed! Happy Birthday, Boon
Emily & Josh (visitors here from Texas)--2 cases of Friskies, 2 bags of Purina One Kitten, hand sanitizers, q-tips, cat treats and a catnip ball
Anonymous--visitor, carpet samples, rugs, paper plates, tape, copy paper, post it notes, paper towels, 3 binders
Lynn S & Lois & Ray S--PT, can food, homemade chocolate chip cookies, whiska packets, cat treats, coffee cups, Keurig coffee, paper plates, clorox wipes, sardines, rugs, towels, volunteer treats

Lynn S is our visitor that will be adopting Sugar Plum and Daymo today. Her parents will be adopting Martha Ann! They live in Tennessee and will be heading back today. Three awesome cats going into great homes.

The grandgirls were here yesterday--the four of them played with the kittens and cats. Grace, Kendra, Kellen and Kerstyn love to entertain the kittens and to feed them baby food. Good for kids, good for cats.

The tentative surgery list is made. We have 14 females and 14 males. It's very possible though that Tabitha, Talulah and Tiki won't make weight for Saturday, July 28th. This will be a very busy morning for us. Once they are done, I'll get them into PetFinders.


Zavatar--the cat with the endless tummy pit!

Tweet and Dolan

Sunday, July 22

Okay--who left the catnip out all night? Something obviously had to have happened, as the kittens have been bonkers this morning. Every where you look, kittens are in high gear and bouncing off the walls. The adults are also participating in their shinanigans. Good luck to all the volunteers today with these overzealous felines, as Steve and I are going away for the day! Yes, I'm actually leaving for a while, for a fun day!

Tomorrow, Monday is promising to be a very busy day here. There should be quite a few visitors off and on all day. We also probably have a minimum of 3 adoptions for tomorrow. Today is also another important day. The feral kittens and cat that we have been helping with (for Jane, in Lima) are going to their new home today. These are FERAL kittens/cat--not tame in the least little bit. They'll be going to a barn, complete with a tack room where they will stay while getting use to their new home. After a week or so, the tack room door will be opened to allow them full access to the barn. This will be a great place (they are wanted!) for them to live and will be cared for, while respecting their wildness.

All is fine here. This blog will be short so I have time to get things together for my half day off! Remember, if you have not received your Catathon order, please don't hesitate to let me know by e-mail. Our goal is to get every order correct! Yesterday when we retrieved the cats from their outdoor enclosure, I believe there was no less than 30 of them out there--they so love this porch.

We had BOXES last night! Many thanks for your support.
Ruth D from NC--a print of flat cats, entitled "cat thermometer" for the rescue center
Carmel D from France--card and cat sticker book for our friend Hannah
D'Lee--CatSure for oldsters, cartons of CatSip (for kittens & friends), Weruva Cats pouch food
Caren F and Molly & Ralph from CA--4 giant bags of Temptation Treats & a letter from Ralph & Molly
Paul_M--panic mouse cat toy for Bravo and Derecho and a Turbo ball toy
Sir Filbert Moss (wow--what a smart boy!)--4 cans of Tiki food, with a requeest for Jacci, Connie, Sigrid and Judy S to do a hula dance (which we did do at midnight with black hula hoops, with the lights off!!!)
Beth A--2 cases of Baby food, Royal Canin and an awesome photo album
Sandra E--4 catnip bananas, 4 cat dancers (for the 2 different barn cat sets, Porchies and Covies), case of Friskies and case of Fancy Feast kitten
Lillian & her cats Elvis, Oreo, Xena, Baby & Max from IL--birthday card for Cutie & token, card for Paddy Cakes and token, screen shots of Fiver and Graciela
Lovebugs321--card and a donation for FFRC
Emily H from MI--donation for FFRC
Allen C from UT--donation for FFRC
Julie C from MA--card and a gift card for Magenta's special treats and 3 sheets of postage stamps
Many thanks for helping this rescue center.

Saturday, July 21

Little Floria is here on the desk with me this morning. She has succeeded in pushing 7 pieces of paper onto the floor. I tell her that those papers are important things, but she just looks at me and purrs. Then I have to deal with Badu on my desk--yes, big big Badu. She not only covers up all the paperwork, but she loves to tear paper up. If I don't keep her supplied with jumk paper, she'll start tearing up the important papers. Oh well, it keeps life interesting.

We will have BOXES tonight! There's some very interesting ones already here from yesterday. Daymo, Miler and Tweets are clawing at the boxes and have succeeded in pulling some of the paper out already.

Mariska is one toughie. I really believe there is nothing that she couldn't do. I've never seen a 3-legged so agile. She can zip up and down the climbing poles so very fast. Derecho and Bravo came inside the house again yesterday, while several of us were visiting. Bravo was weighed yesterday--he's up to 1.15 pounds. He's growing and so is Derecho. Graciela continues to be a big girl in a little kitty body--she thinks she's a 10 pound cat!

I know there's a lot of confusion about the voting for The Animal Rescue Site. The letter that Petfinder sent me says: "This year, you are not eligible to win the Grand Prize (which we won last quarter) more than once. This round, you will still be eligible to win a regional prize, weekly prize, or a Projects for Paws grant, so keep the votes coming in".
Per The Animal Rescue Site's rules:
Did you change the rules for the STATE and REGIONAL prizes in 2012?
Yes, new in 2012, no group can win two regional prizes in a row in 2012, i.e. a group could win a STATE prize or other regional prizes in Round 1 and Round 3 of voting or Round 2 and Round 4 of voting, but not in Round 1 and Round 2 or Round 3 and Round 4. These restrictions only apply to regional prizes such as STATE, CANADA or INTERNATIONAL. They do not apply to WEEKLY prizes (a group can win up to four weekly prizes or one per voting round in 2012). This rule does not go into effect until Round 2, so anyone can win any prize in Round 1 of 2012 Challenge.
*** So....basically what that means is FFRC can win a WEEKLY prize (this happens when an organization gets the most votes for a particular week--it runs Sunday to Sunday).
***If FFRC should win a WEEKLY prize, and if A Labor of Love Dog Rescue comes in second in the STATE (at the end of 3rd quarter which is Sept 16th), then ALOL wins the $1,000 State prize.
***This is my goal for FFRC--I will be putting my votes for FFRC, hoping to win the weekly most votes. Then, I will shift my votes to ALOL, hoping for this organization to win the State.
Hope this all makes sense to everyone. The bottom line is, vote for what you want to do! And remember to "Do the Free Click" for providing food for shelters!

As of this moment, I believe, we have all the orders out for cookbooks, t-shirts and items from the Catathon. More went out yesterday and a few more things will be mailed on Monday. If you have not received your item(s), please let me know by e-mail (fofrescue@gmail.com) and I will check into it. Our goal is to have all orders received and accurate.

I just watched Bravo hoist his body up and over a 3 inch lip to go thru the cat-door to the outdoor enclosure. He is building much upper body strength! I just counted and there are 32 cats and kittens in the outdoor enclosure. There happens to be a few moths flying around--it's a free for all. I don't believe the cats will capture their prize though!

Emaline just spent 45 minutes doing a stare down to Bella. Bella is in a basket that Emaline would like. We told Emi that Bella wasn't ready to give the basket up yet, so we gave her a different one. Now, Emi is napping side by side, 2 baskets together!


Durell--this is one sweetie kitty. Loves people!

Octavia--probably in planning mode for her next thievery job.

Friday, July 20

It's cooler this morning--a mini break from the heat. The cats and kittens love it--puts their energy level into high gear. That little Ginseng is one of the nicest all around kittens--such a love, but super ornery. And the size of his feet--I'll bet he's going to be a big cat when he's grown. Sizzle is here on the desk today, watching me and yawning. Won't be long before naptime comes. McLovin' is peeking over the windowsill, out to the front enclosure. There's some sparrows at the bird feeders he's watching.

We are once again working on Emaline--her skin condition has erupted in the last 24 hours. Again we go full force on it. I so wish we could relieve her permanently of this problem. She'll be having another consulation with the vet next Saturday. You might have noticed that we were having trouble with Teller also. He had some skin issues as well (unrelated to anything like Emaline's). But, I'm thrilled to say that with daily care, he is almost all the way healed!

Little Talulah is creeping up to my toes, which I have to wiggle for her! She's on a great Toe-Hunt. She and her 2 sibs Tiki and Tabitha are such nice kittens. Daymo is laying in the big purple poof, with his head hanging clear over and touching the floor. But, not to worry, Obadiah is laying across his belly sleeping, so Daymo is in no harm of falling out! That's team work.

Our next big event is Sept. 22, a Saturday. It's our Catstock! It will be a combination of a carninal in the afternoon and a concert in the evening. Mike Chamberlain will be coming clear from California to do this! We are super excited. He'll be coming in on Friday, 9/21 and will give a mini-concert to the webcam friends and to anyone that is here. We will have a BIG tent, porta pots (decorated again, of course!), lots of action. We welcome all our webcam friends to come, if possible. Our Putter is going to be the star of one of his songs, with Putter there in-person, I mean in-cat, on the stage! If you are interested in spending the weekend here in Defiance and need to make hotel reservations, here are the numbers to our local 4 hotels and to a wonderful Bed and Breakfast.
Elliot Rose Guest House--419-956-9979 Check them out at elliotroseguesthouse.com

Hotels: Hampton Inn 419-784-1515
Comfort Inn 419-784-4900
Holiday Inn Express 419-784-0782
Super 8 419-782-8000

We had BOXES last night. Everything we receive, we appreciate!
Christyh447--Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Temptation snackers, White Out correction tape
Kathy C from Utah--2 giant jars of Bonito flakes--to be shared by all the cats
Tom M from MA--Friskies Tuscany Medleys
D'Lee--4 packets of Vita Gravy
Kelly/westerncool-- Kong Crinkle Fish with feathers toys (Derecho loves them!)
Betty F from Ohio and Mitty, Tinker & Shasha--letter and a donation to get something for Timothy's birthday! We also got to see a picture of Betty's cat Mitty who has gone to the Rainbow Bridge
tMichlynn--coupons
Kaye S--donation to FFRC in memory of Judy/Gnuby
Elizabeth F--donation to FFRC, in memory of FIver
Janet K from NY--donation to FFRC, in memory of Fiver, for Derecho and Bravo
Nicola M from Scotland--a donation to FFRC for supplies

The Covies are all doing well. They love having their 2 fans--they're up on the wall and put off a lot of moving air. Plus, Paul had cut out some of the walls and put in this great wire that leaves lots of air-flow in. And the scenery they can look at--lots more farmyard to watch over. They love their Cat's Cove.

The Porchies are also doing great. They too have a new fan--it's on the wall and it moves a lot of air on their sunporch. They have welcomed Azar into their group with open paws. Azar still comes in at night and sleeps in the Welcome Room Office.

We got a call from a representative from the Animal Planet. There is a show called Animal House Calls on Tuesdays, 7:00 pm. They found our kitty cam and asked if they could zoom in on our rescue center each time they head into commercials! So, of course, we said "Sure!". It will be this coming Tuesday, 7/24. They said that this will then be on their website if anyone wants to see it (starting on 7/25). Their site is cp24.com Click on videos, then click on Animal House Calls.

Cypress eyeing the feathers--a great toy!

Hard playing results in wonderful naps.

Thursday, July 19

Bravo is such a clown! He is sitting in the corner by my desk, meowing very loudly, then rushing my foot and attacking it, turns around and goes back to his corner. He's done this 5 times in a row now. Silly boy! He thinks he is so brave!

McLovin' is also here, on the other side, playing with the turbo ball track. You'd think he has 5 legs, as fast as he is. Then there is a kitty-gang of play going on by the door. There's Gib, Obadiah, Dolan and Tweets--all play fighting over a leaf that someone must've brought in yesterday from the outside enclosure. Asha is watching them like she thinks they've lost their brains! I love it when Cyrilla is interested in something--her ears go forward and her whiskers almost meet in front of her nose.

Derecho is sound asleep (and being still) sunk into the bottom of the cat's doughnut bed--he looks so comfortable. He and Graciela are very good friends. Putter and Magenta spent the night in Kitty Kastle with Emmalee and Cheryl. It's such a good experience for these cats to be able to do this. Good for the cats, good for the people.

We have names for Fiver's mama and siblings. This litter is going to be known as the Fiver sibs. I think that would be nice. Mama (dilute calico) is Betony. Female, all grey is Efrafa. Male, grey/brown is Avens. Male, grey/white feet is Frith. Male, all light beige is Campion. Male, beige/white is Butterbur. Betony and kittens are all long hair. So sweet, very playful. While Fiver was named Fiver in recognition of our wonderful Friday Fiver and for a Name that Cat, this family is named after the book Watership Down which had a Fiver as a character in the book. So, now, they have names!

One of our moderators, Bubbles has been very sick and in the hospital. If you'd like to send a get well card to her, please send it to the Rescue Center, with Bubbles written on the outside of the envelope. Next week I will pack them up and send them to her. Thanks!

FYI--we have moderators for our webcam and for our FFRC facebook chatters page. Their "job" is not an easy one. They try to balance thousands of people and keep everyone happy. Please give them a nod of thanks and encouragement! These people help me keep my sanity! I also depend on them to help try and keep the cam chat and the fb page peaceful. They're wonderful people who give their time and dedication to FFRC.

Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long at my desk. I really do know the answer to that. For every 4 words I type, usually 2 have to be fixed. You see, the desk is the hot spot playground while I'm trying to accomplish some work. Right now, Emaline, Zelda, Cypress, Ginseng and Frogger are playing tag on the desk with my paper piles and my fingers. Oh, what difficult working conditions I must endure! Would I change it? Nope, not a thing!

We had BOXES last night. So much fun and so many gifts. Thank you--iit's great to get the food pantry restocked!
Cheryl & Emmalee (our Kitty Kastle visitors)--lots of can food, treats for the cats and kittens
Amy D from PA--coupons
Diane P from TX--a card and donation
Jeannine S from NY--a card and donation
Hettie from PA--a card and a donation
Gloria C from GA--card and donation in memory of our Twinkle
Missy MJ, TemyKitty12 & Kristy Marie--card and tea bags
Cathy L from MI--donation
Paul_68 (UK) & Kazz-72 (Australia) a card and a bouquet of beautiful flowers in memory of Fiver
Christy H--4 large Clorox Wipes
Billie K--case of Friskies Meaty Bits
AbbyTabbysMama/Cheryl G from TN--1 case of Medleys, 2 cases of Purrfectly Fish, 2 bags of kitty treats, 2 cases of Fancy Feast Classics, 2 cases of Whiskas
D'Lee--Vita Gravy, 3 bags of Dry Friskies Indoor Delights, case of Friskies indoor can
Siggy from FL--Iams Dry Adult food, bag of Fancy Feast dry, 2 cases of Fancy Feast canned, Friskies case of can, litter
Paul_M--kitty cuddle pal (a warmer), Cat & Mouse Peek & Play, dog Chewy treats, squeaker mat, a cool bear rug, turbo track, laser lights, mouse chaser toy--hopefully
Bravo and Derecho will be able to play with these toys
Billie K from TX--fancy feast gourmet, fancy feast medleys (2 cases), fancy feast grilled, fancy feast with cheddar chicken
Lil from NJ/golilgo--2 bags of Purina One, 9 cases of Kitty treats--a big variety, 3 boxes of Raisen Bran (for Jacci,instead of sardines for breakfast!!)
Norma F from Puerto Rico--2 cases of Lysol wipes, 2 cases of Whiskas Purrfectly chicken, case of Friskies Pate
Penny from OH--a great card--top 10 things to be thankful for,catnip for catnip challenge!, 2 collars, 2 goy packages, taffy for volunteers, snackers for the kitties, slippers (floor sweepers), Whiskas Medley, case of Friskies Fillets, purple rug,dry erase message board poster (top of the list it'll say Pet the Cats!!

Shiny, sleek Hannah

Big, handsome Alphie

Weds., July 18

Yesterday was a heavy hearted day for us here at FFRC. Fiver went to the vets for his eye surgery. I talked to the vets before his surgery and all was well. He passed his physical with flying colors. But, we lost him after the surgery was done. Our vet herself is also heartbroken over this. The surgery to remove that bad eye went just fine. It was during recovery that he passed. Two of the vets was there with him but his heart just stopped. One second here, one second gone.

I passed this news on the cam mid afternoon. My heart was totally broke. People will tell me sometimes that they cannot get another pet because of the heartbreak of losing them. But, the alternative is to NOT have them. By us having our dear little Fiver here, he was pain-free, flea-free, but most importantly, he was so loved and he knew it. His life had changed these last 2 weeks.

I thought that when I went on the cam to tell everyone about this loss, that I was composed enough to talk to you. But, when I began, I started to cry again. The reason is because I KNEW you were also attached to him and that this would bring heartache to all of our webcam friends. It brought home to me even more, that even though you webcammers are "out there", that you sincerely love our kitties and cats and that you care what happens here in this rescue center. For this, I am deeply grateful.

I received an e-mail with a few thoughts I'd like to share: That when we love a cat on the cam, we also love it for you cammers. Fiver's horrendous introduction to life was incomprehensible, but he managed to garner the strength and bravery to survive it. Fiver, a tiny, beautiful souled kitten, may have lived a short life, but his memory will live forever in the hearts of many around the world. He was and his spirit is, an inspiration to us all.

Yes, our hearts are broken with this loss and with every single loss that we have at the Rescue Center. It's okay to grieve, okay to talk to one another about a loss, it's okay to be sad. But, this will also pull us together, as the love of these cats is strong. Our hearts will heal, As a result, the process instinctually shifts the energy of our day to day living a little more proportionately toward our priorities and what we value most and brings a new or reenergized focus to the forefront. Life is short and still shorter for others, so we need to be fully aware of the kindness that can be given NOW. Tomorrow is promised to no one.

When something we love is gone, it seems like our emotions are magnified and they almost explode with reminiscing thoughts of those most memorable moments shared. It is then that we recognize a little more intensely the wealth of unconditional love and pure joy experienced with that loved one. Appreciation and gratitude for those experiences comes in abundance and floods our souls with light and goodness. It reminds us that we should not take anything for granted or wait for tomorrow.

We grieve the loss, but will forever cherish and hold dear the life and time we shared with them. Cats are awesome--they live in the moment of today--let's make each of these moments for the cats here at FFRC filled with love, fun times and a team-work of caring amongst our people friends.

Fiver also gave us a gift. In addition to the love he gave, because of him we were able to rescue his mama and 5 siblings, also in poor condition. It won't be long until they are out of their room. Actually, mama already has been cruising about.

On to our other cats! Bravo and Derecho spent a lot of time in the house with me yesterday. They both did great--playing, going room to room--yes, both of them! They give such joy. Putter still loves to go inside for his nap on the couch.

We have several cats and kittens on hold--most will be leaving in the next couple weeks. Remember, we have a big spay/neuter day on July 28th, Saturday. As I'm typing, I have Faleen on one shoulder and Ginseng on the other shoulder! Life is good! Emaline is also here in the office, giving licks to Floria and Fayth. I just looked at Raymond and over he fell--for a big belly rub!

That Farrah has a new trick. When she sees me get her night time meds, off she goes! She's fast, but I'm faster (sometimes!). It's becoming a game for her and me, and I win....most of the time! I think she is enjoying it.

Asha is doing great. She is the biggest head-butter cat we have here! Just always remember, don't put chap-stick on before you pick her up--you'll end up with a mouth of fur! Alphie is doing good. He ate a real good breakfast today. I told him about his mama, Judy.

We will have BOXES tonight, since I did not do them last night. We did receive a few PayPals that I would like to acknowledge.
Cheryl/AbbyTabbysMama from TN--a donation to FFRC in memory of Fiver.
Mary/Mudjie from TX--a donation to FFRC in memory of FIver
Renee C--a donation to FFRC in memory of Fiver
Jennifer M from TX--a donation to FFRC, for whatever need we have
Chris U--a donation to FFRC in memory of Fiver

Guess the tail! Yes, it belongs to Macallan--he likes to sleep in a little "divit" on the shelf, always with his tail hanging over.

Martha Ann, always the love bug

Tuesday, July 17

Sheriff Putter is on patrol. He sat looking up at Patience's Pen last night for the longest time. It took me a minute to figure out what he was staring at. Then it hit me--the FFRC sign above the pen. He zeroed right in on it. The sign says: BE NICE OR GO AWAY. I asked him, what that was for, was he worried? This is what he said: "ALL the cats, the kittens, and all the people should be friends. No fussing at each other, no snitching food from one another, no picking at each other. We should be sharing purrs and good comments between people and cats. Hurtful hisses, smacks with the paws and harsh words is NOT the way to be nice."

And then he got this look in his eye--a gleam of hope.

I just waited to see what was coming next. He is a magical, magnificent cat. His next thoughts were: "There are so many people involved with FFRC and so many kitties and cats that are part of FFRC. But, just because there are so many personalities, doesn't mean we can't be kind, considerate and peaceful to one another, be it a cat or a person." And just as he is speaking, a kitten started chirping away at him, complaining about another kitten. Putter put up his paw and said--"and there should be no talking like that about other kittens, you whippersnapper. We ALL have faults, you must learn to love each other, be tolerant and appreciate one another".

I saw "the look" again--you all know that famous Putter Stare. He had one more thought for me: "These kittens and our human friends should also be aware of how important each and every soul is to us. Time is short. I should think it's easier to love one another, to be understanding of each other and to be patient with one another than it is to be harsh with one another. These are decisions we EACH make for ourselves. I vote and wish all to be peaceful. It's a joyous world!" And with that, he gave that little kitten a big lick. And then he pointed his chin at the sign again. Putter has spoken.

We had BOXES last night! Many thanks to you for what you do for FFRC.
Michelle/catcruzer and Daddy the cat--potty bags, volunteer treats, dog treats, Einstein treats, 3 sponge packs, baby wipes, 2 cat dancers, Mr. Clean 9 pack, Bounce sheets, St. Martin Animal Rescue shirt for Jacci, 4 anti-=bacterial soaps, Bic pen/pencil pack, blanket for Jonah & Honey, cat wheel toy for Roland. All the barnyard, Porchies, Covies got a variety of treats and toys! It's gonna be fun out there for them today with these treats!
Cheryl/catwomangates, Emmalee and Michelle/catcruzer--Keurig for Kitty Kastle and variety of coffee and tees. Small basket for Jacci with Love BUgs, cat nicnac, stickers and movie gift card!
Cheryl's mom and dad--a donation for FFRC
TippyNTraylor--donation of an FFRC t-shirt for the person who adopts Graciella and a t-shirt for the next 2 people who adopt a cat
Michelle L and Vincent B--4 books to be shared with volunteers
Lynn LurkerLynn--white wash clothes, kitty treats, blue rug and 2 cases of baby food
Paul M--cat exercise double track ball toy for Bravo and Derecho
Weasley, Dhana, Sampson & Delilah--case of Feast Medley, 2 cases of kitten fancy feast, cat treats
LeggyGal--case of Fancy Feast, variety pack
Henry R Peeps & Oh My Guiness--birthday cards for Jonah, Soyboy and Timothy (Hoops & YoYo made another appearance!)
Daniel P--a donation thru PayPal for FFRC
Conii, Madissyn & Elliott--Tiki cat food--the note was not included in the delivery, so I'd like to share it: "We're so glad you survived the power outage. Please know you were in our thoughts and prayers and missed immensely!!" Thanks, Conii and kitties.

To all our supporters:
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for supporting us.
Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for trusting and believing in us.

Monday, JUly 16

I would like to say a big thank you to all for your support. That is very important to me. When we first started this Rescue Center 12 years ago with my daughter Dawn, I had no idea it would grow to be what it is today. Our goal is try and help as many kittens and cats as possible and to find them good, loving homes. When we first achieved our max occupancy of 12, we thought that that was a lot of kittens to find homes for! We prayed for finding homes and we did find those homes! But the strays, injured and homeless felines kept coming. We now work at 80-110 cats and kittens at almost any given time. And we still pray for good homes. We could not achieve what we do here without your support. From my family, to the volunteers, the webcam friends, our moderators, visitors and the facebook visitors--you ALL are a part of what we do here at FFRC. I thank you for this.

Tomorrow is Fiver's big day. Sigrid will be taking him to the vet's by 9:00 for his eye enucleation. We'll get him back tomorrow afternoon and will keep you posted on how he is doing. He's on antibiotics and soreness meds for his eye. The mama cat and 5 kittens that are in Cat's Corner Room are actually Fiver's mama and family. After Fiver's surgery we will be able to let them visit. We haven't done that yet, as one of the babies has a bit of a cold, and we need to keep Fiver healthy for his surgery.

Graciela had a bit of a cold over the weekend. We kept her in Patience's Pen, giving her a comfy bed, meds and baby food. She's much better today and demanded to be out to play! That's our sign that she's feeling good! Graciele wanted me to thank Lizmo for the get well card!

We had a visitor here on Sunday. Her name is Beth, a webcam friend, who came from Illinois. Her cam name is eaglewatcher.46. She brought some supplies for us! She has had experience with baby puppies with the same problem as Derecho. She brought a wrist wrap that fits his belly. We are using it as a ThunderShirt, to hopefully help him relax a bit and to help control some of his "wiggles" better. We have 2 webcam friends who are custom making tiny ThunderShirts for him. If this works, as he grows we have the bigger sizes too for him.

Our 2 visitors, Cheryl and Emily, who are staying in Kitty Kastle are wonderful! They have taken on the Covie cats! That group of 17 cats have been receiving major grooming. This is a great thing for the Covies. They love the attention. If you ever visit FFRC, please remind us to take you to Cat's Cove. These 17 cats are big, have wonderful personalities and love attention!

Filbert had a conversation with me today...for real! He heard thru the kitty vine that people were offended if someone called him chubby. Well, he wants everyone to know that he IS chubby, but just a bit. And that he can be grouchy, but just a bit. The main thing he wants everyone to know is.....not to worry, no arguing about him! He's perfectly happy just the way he is and he knows he's much loved. Life is good!

Bravo now weighs 1.12 pounds! He started at 1.08. When he gets to be 2 pounds, we can get his surgery done. He is right now in one of the big marshmallow poofs--he so loves these! Today is Timothy's birthday. Timothy is a Covie and is 5 years old. He's been with us since he was 1 year old.

Bel-Rea has listed FFRC has one of their chosen Top 25 Cat Bloggers of 2012! "Your informative, cat-focused posts are a great source of information about all things kitty related"! Isn't that exciting! Bel-Rea is one of the oldest American Veterinary Technician schools and was founded in 1971. Here is their site for the top 25 bloggers: http://belrea.edu/blog/?p=47 We are very honored!

Many thanks to Rhonda S who sent a PayPal donation to FFRC in loving memory and friendship of Judy/Gnuby.
Also thanks to Sydney G from CA who sent a PayPal donation to FFRC.

This is our birthday boy, Timothy!

2 good buddies--Bravo and Graciela

Saturday, July 14th

We had an especially busy morning yesterday. The mama (long hair dilute calico) and the 5 kittens (4 boys & 1 girl, all long hair) were moved to June's Room already to give them more room to play. This cat and kittens are Fiver's mama and siblings. We have a bit of an upper respiratory infection to take care of with mama and kittens before Fiver can visit them. We want to get Fiver as healthy as possible for his surgery on Tuesday.

We then moved the 4 wild kittens (3 blacks/1 black/white) to Kitty City to be with the wild black adult cat. They definitely recognized each other! They are all eating good, but hide when we go in to feed or scoop. We are respecting their distance for them to be comfortable. We have a farm for them now to go to, but we have some vet work yet to have done on them before that.

Each and every time we empty Thumper's Room out, it has to be scrubbed and reset up for the next round of cats. One of the top ways to help control the passing of viruses is to clean, clean, clean!

Sugar Plum is here in the office with me--she loves the kittens and is so good with them. Queenie is playing--seems like she's always in play mode--what a great cat. Martha Ann is playing with Gib who is playing with Mercy. They are all in constant play mode!

The Porchies are doing great and they have welcomed Azar completely into their group. Azar still comes into the Welcome Room Office for naps and night time, but he's very good outside and shows no aggression still. This was a good decision for Azar--to say it's ok for him to be a Porchie.

We have visitors in Kitty Kastle--Cheryl and her daughter Emily. They will be here until next Friday. While here, Cheryl and Emily will do daily groomings on the Cat's Cove cats and get all of them beautiful and handsome!

We had BOXES last night! It's wonderful to have our food pantry replenished.
Norma F/mmiralia from Puerto Rico--postcard from PR
Joanne H from AZ--card to Sheriff Putter
Weasley, Dhana, Samson & Delilah (and a little help from their mama)--2 packages of Temptation treats
SophieandLucy'sDad from MI--coupons
PeggyK/bamagirl from AL--donation to help with Bravo's surgery and 2 sheets of stamps
Betz--card for Cutie and snackers
Kerswill from MI--2 cases of Fancy Feast & 1 case of Friskies Fillets
JillR27--1 bag of Bonito flakes, 2 cases of Friskies & 2 cases of Kitten Fancy Feast
Lewbeth from MA--a donation to FFRC, in memory of Link, her sister's cat
Conii G--6 cases of various Tiki Food
AbbyTabbysMama from TN--2 cases of Purrfectly Fish
AcctConnect from CT--5 cases of baby food
Becca/runbeccarun from WA--A donation to FFRC, in memory of Gnuby/Judy
Tamar B from FL--A donation to FFRC, in memory Gnuby/Judy
Jean & Neil S from OH--A donation to FFRC, to help give Derecho & Bravo a future
Robinson's Gallery from TX--A donation to FFRC
PSW--A donation to FFRC, in memory of Judy-a dear, brave lady

Thanks to Yonatan from Isreal for running off a copy of different countries that viewed FFRC's webcam during the first week of July. The countries were: USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, France, Serbia, Brazil, Venezuela, Israel, Spain, Korea, Philippines, Norway. We can truly say we have friends from all over the world!

One of our webcam moderators is in the hospital. It's Bubbles/Cynthia, also known as the SoapLady. After talking to her husband, he thought she would love to receive some get-well cards. If you'd like to send her one, please send it to FFRC with Bubbles or Cynthia's name on the envelope. We'll give it a week, then box them up and send them to her home.

Good news! You all know those click-on ads that are on our kittycam? Those clicks bring us money. We will soon receive a deposit for $902.10 from AdSense for the month of June. That is terrific. I appreciate those clicks!

Please remember to vote at The Animal Rescue Site. This 3rd quarter continues until 9/16. Thank you. Remember to click on the link that gives free food to shelters.

Almost all of the items have now been sent out for the Catathon, except for recent orders. If you have not received yours, please let me know thru the FFRC's e-mail.

Yum, yum! Those volunteers make good food!

Bella loves this self-groomer--feels so good!

Friday, July 13th

No bad luck here today--it's just another cat day here at the Rescue Center. We have been super busy. You all know we took in Fiver Weds. evening. He's the little kitten that had a major load of fleas and an eye that had the glass injury to it. He's doing great. That little eye "popped" last night, from infection and swelling, but he's still doing fine. He actually probably feels better and it looks better. His surgery for removal of this "dead eye" is on Tuesday.

Here's the big news. The lady who rescued Fiver from a neighbor, also went and collected the rest of the litter and the mama. These are super sweet kitties. The mama is also a purr girl--so loves to have a hand on her. Of course, all had major flea overload and each required 2 baths. The fleas are gone and will never be a worry again for this litter. They all have a mild URI--upper respiratory infection--but are on antibiotics. They've been tested and are negative. They are thin, but good food will help with that.

We also took in 4 kittens and 1 cat for a fellow rescurer. She is trying to get 3 more of these kittens to bring today. These kittens and cat are feral--have been living in a woods, under poor conditions. We will spay/neuter, test, vaccinate, worm, etc. and then find a good, no, a great farm to put them on where they will never have to worry about their next meal again. This is already in "the works" for finding them a farm home.

We had an adoption yesterday! Our Purrkins went to his new home. He went to a family that came last week and fell in love with him. They had another cat at home that needed to have his annual check up and vaccinations before Purrkins could go with them. This will be a great home for Purrkins.

We have quite a few visitors that will be here at the Rescue Center and staying at Kitty Kastle during the summer. We very much enjoy having people come and stay. It's a joy for us and fun for the visitors. I am so happy to have Kitty Kastle for this purpose. It's a win/win deal. Kitty Kastle has been well received and enjoyed.

Bravo has gained some weight. He is now at 1 pound 11 ounces! He's a good little eater now. Farrah continues to be on her full dose of PB pills for her seizures. We will monitor her for another 2 months since changing the dose. If at that time, all is well, she will again go up for adoption. Jaina is doing awesome--showing no signs at all of her cardio-myopathy.

Martha Ann is one of the sweetest kittens ever. She just melts in your arms. She and Fayth have been playing a lot together lately. Another group of extra loving kittens are Raymond, Raymondo, Faleen, Faleena and Floria--they just purr and purr for people.

I would like to extend a special sympathy to the friends and family of Judy/Gnuby. She passed away last night with her beloved dog beside her. We took in Judy's 2 cats --Meggie and Alphie. Meggie has already been adopted and Alphie got an extra hug this morning, for Judy. I remember when Judy was here, she made it clear that death did not scare her, she knew where she was going.

We had BOXES last night! Thank you ever so much for your generosity.
Paul_68 from UK--Greenies for dogs & Kitties, many different kinds of cat treats (already tried some--they love them!)
Cheryl--a new BIG clock for the webcammers to see--it has a black background and won't give such a glare as the white clock gave.
Gitte/Aunty Catnip from Denmark--3 cases of Fancy Feast Appetizers, all different flavors, one of which was Tuna for Cutie's favorite for her birthday
Henry R Peeps & O My Guinness--a really cute Birthday card for Cutie
Judy L from Walbridge, OH who visited yesterday--clorox wipes, Paper towels, pop tabs for Kellen and lots of Fancy Feast cans
Cheryl G from TN--in honor of her Emma Lou's 10th birthday--a gift to FFRC thru PayPal
Mary K from PA--a PayPal donation to help with Fiver's surgery (or maybe shin guards to protect our legs from Graciella & Ginseng) Loved this!
Sally H from WI--a PayPal donation to help with a case of Friskies
Gusti from Germany--a PayPal donation "Happy Birthday, dear Cutie"


These are the volunteer phone people for the Catathon--took a huge amount of phone calls!
Getting set up and practicing for the first round of baskets for the Catathon.

Thursday, July 12

A wonderful day today--cat wise and weather wise! All of them have been zipping around here this morning. Although we're suppose to have a high in the 90's today, this morning is still not too warm, so the energy level is high right now! Kooper is now out and about and acting like he's always been here. Pedra is in Cat's Corner Room, still a little shy, but much better.

The cats are now back in Cat's Cove. I do believe they were all smiling! Thanks to Sigrid, Linda T and Haley for helping to transport them back to the Cove from Kitty City. They look quite comfortable with their nice clean Cove, all clean blankies, new screen windows in and 2 great fans! We then pulled everything out of Kitty City and water blasted it clean too. Even the furniture was cleaned! All is back inside the City and rearranged, awaiting it's next "duties".

As you may know, Azar has become a Porchie. Actually he's an Office Cat/Porchie Cat. During the night, he sleeps in the Welcome Room Office and during the day, he cruises with the Porchies. Remember, he was returned for aggressive behavior. He then displayed this same behavior here inside the Rescue Room. One day, he decided he was going OUT and OUT he went. Since then, he's been super sweet. Gets along perfectly well with the Porchies and quite willingly comes back to the Office for naps and bedtime.

We took in a new little kitten yesterday. His name is Fiver (another Name that Cat from the Catathon and in honor of when we had our Fiver Friday for medical needs). He is about 8 weeks old, a long hair gold/white male. Unfortunately, during our big storm 2 weeks ago, he received an injury--a piece of glass penetrated his left eye. The glass has been removed but has caused extensive damage to his eye. He's been tested and is negative! Fiver arrived with at least a thousand fleas (no exaggerating) on him. He was very dehydrated, anemic and yet purring. He's had 2 baths already, all fleas are dead, he's eating the Fancy Feast Kitten like there's no tomorow and he's still purring! He's on antibiotics and soreness meds (for his eye). If he continues to improve, we have him scheduled for an eye enucleation for Tuesday. He will feel so much better than.

We had BOXES last night! Many many thanks! Our food pantry looks so much better!
Kerswill from MI--box of Friskies Shreds
Marilyn S/maddisonpepper--assorted box of Fancy Feast Appetizers (to be shared by ALL the cats)
Aunty Fi--heatable cat bed (Derecho is sleeping on it right now)
Pat L from Kansas--2 pouches of Temptations, pillow cases, tote bag, handmade Nap Quilts, pop tas for Kellen
Laura/Medic--2 boxes of Friskies poultry and beef
Jill R--Royal Canin, 15 pounds dry kitten food
Mary R/prisotis--4 giant Clorox wipes, 2 cases of Fancy Feast, 2 cases of Kitty cans
Connie S/donnawan from Maine and Sally the cat--5 catnip toys with Dr. Pussums catnip--which is now a CHALLENGE! If you have any local or "extra good" catnip, send it in and we'll have a game of what Catnip the cats like the best!!
Patty V/middiemom from OH--KMR, 4 cases of Friskies & Nine Lives, a case of Friskies Gravy Sensations, 3 boxes of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, 300 count paper plates, 4 bottles of Dawn Dish Soap
AnnaMarie--10 packs Whiskers Licking cat treats, a case of Friskies Indoor can food, case of Friskies Pate, case of Friskies Tuna/egg and a case of Friskies gravy Sensations.
Anonymous from Amazon--Fancy Feast grilled, Friskies gravy sensations, Friskies might bits
Patricia M from IL--2 news articles, cat related from her local newspaper
Sandra E--donation thru PayPal in memory of Brandon's grandfather

Miler thinks that the tighter he curls up for a nap, the better the dreams!

This is Bondi's Pen, which she loves. The door is always open, she has her thick bed, her own food and water and steps that she can use to get her old legs to her pen!

Weds., July 11

We have names for the 2 new kittens! The grey swirl tiger is Kooper, a name from the Name the Cat from the Catathon event. The grey torti is Pedra--made from the name of the person who rescued her. They are now both in Patience's Pen where they can see all the action of the Rescue Center. Kooper is a real play-boy--loves people and the toys. Pedra is shy so we are holding her a lot. Val spent time yesterday holding her a lot, to let her know that people are ok. Amy D., a webcam friend, told me that Pedra means rock in Portuguese--a very good name for a tough little girl. She's the kitten that had to have the button surgery when she was tossed from a car.

The door is open now to Cat's Corner Room. Tiki, Talulah and Tabitha are now out and about. This is also the room that Derecho has been staying in. We will not be able to just let him loose yet in the main area unsupervised. We will probably get the playpen back out again so that he can be safe in there, yet the kittens and cats can get in to play with him. Conii, a webcam friend, ordered a xxxsmall Thundershirt for Derecho. We received it yesterday and yet, it is still too big. He needs to grow some. We have found that if we gently put our hands on him, that his shakiness is much less. Thanks to Conii for supplying this Thundershirt. We understand that it may be a bit sad to see Derecho in all his shakiness. But, please know, that HE doesn't consider himself different. This is how he's been his whole short life. There's a chance that the tremors may recede a bit, and maybe not. But, we do know that they will not progress. So....we choose to celebrate his life and not feel sorry (or at least not too much!) for him! He purrs, he eats by himself, he loves to play, he's a happy boy! That's the beauty of being a cat--they don't feel sorry for themselves! They just go ahead and figure out HOW to do something that may be difficult.

I have been overwhelmed lately with the support given to FFRC. The Catathon was AWESOME (a tad over $39,000 raised). During our week of power outage, we were taken care of by so many people who brought us generators, ice, water, support, fans and prayers. The friendships we have made with visitors is wonderful. The support of the volunteers is the best--truly a unique group of giving and caring people. The webcam viewers, as they say to me, always have my back and FFRC's concerns in their hearts. We are surrounded by loving, gracious people and I thank YOU all for that.

It's cooler here today--only to get to 90's! We will open the window and little door to the outdoor enclosure again. Today is also a big move day here this morning, for the Cat's Cove cats. The Covies had to come up to Kitty City during the brutal heat, to stay cooler as there were several in distress. We now have the 2 fans that Jatcat donated for the Cove in place, on the wall. Paul has cut sections out of the wood walls and put in wire to bring in more of the breezes. The cats will LOVE this as it gives them even more viewing options! This morning, the Covies return to their spring, summer and fall home.

Diane cooling off with all her little dolly kitty friends! Happpy Birthday, Diane!

One of our oldsters, Magentta.

Tuesday, July 10

We had an adoption yesterday! Our sweet Purrdita was adopted to a family that has previously adopted from us before. She is going into an awesome family with 2 other cats.

There are a couple events that happened while the power outage was happening. Our sweet boy Hudson was returned for pottying a bit, inappropriately. I had a family that was interested in Penn or Teller and was waiting for their skin issues to resolve. Because of the very high heat and humidity in here, I called the family that was interested in Penn or Teller. They remembered Hudson from a previous visit and came to see him. They have now adopted him and so far, no potty problems!

We have a new hold on a kitten! Sizzle is now on hold and probably will go to her new home the first weekend of August, along with a second kitty from here!

We also have an update on Sumer and Buttons. Sumer had her spay surgery about 2 weeks ago and went to a home (was going to be a foster) to keep her safe and INDOORS during the Catathon. Sumer had been an outside cat with a great desire to go back outside. We were trying to convince her otherwise. But, after her spay, her desire to go outside heightened and she successed in "escaping" out a screen door. She is now their outside cat and is staying put on their porch and yard area and is quite content. Since they had really wanted an inside cat, they've fallen for Buttons, who is NOT having any potty issues there! So....all is well.

We took in 2 young kittens yesterday. One is a kitten that was tossed from a car. She also had the hanging lip like McLovin' had. The people that saw this act happen, scooped her up and took her to their vets for the chin/button surgery. Her sutures are now out and she is now here. Not named yet! She is a grey/cream torti, a bit shy, but we're working on her. The other kitten is a grey tiger swirl, male, that was found in a hay mound. No mama around. He's ever so sweet and started sucking on the person's lip right away! These 2 are sharing a pen and are both feline leukemia/FIV negative. They will get their baths today.

The voting has begun for The Animal Rescue Site. We are only up for one win this session--having the most votes in one week per The Animal Rescue Site due to our past wins. So, for this quarter, maybe you want to vote for your local or a state shelter or rescue OR you could vote for A Labor of Love Dog Rescue in Defiance, OH. This is Lisa's dog rescue--she also works here and could use the winning $1,000 for a fence for her dog rescue which is at her home.

We need to have people understand something. Goss, who does a lot of the video taping for the BOXES for FFRC does this out of the kindness of her heart. She is not obligated to do this every night. Please, don't assume that this is something that can be done every single night. It is an act of kindness that she does for us. When you "see" her, please pass on your thanks for what she does for FFRC!

Please check our Friends of Felines' Rescue Center's facebook for updates and info. Remember, we also have a wonderful website with tons of info: fofrescue.org

Between the volunteers, the webcam viewers, the moderators, the facebook participants, I am realizing how great of numbers we have that are involved with this rescue center. Please, realize, we try to do the best we can to keep all happy, but that is an impossible task, with such a broad audience, but we try! I appreciate each and every one of you. We love what we do here at this Rescue Center with a passion and enjoy sharing it with you. Please remember, the cam chat and the fb pages are always G-rated--be kind and considerate of all the people that may be reading. This Rescue Center is all about the cats and kittens--let's enjoy them!

We had BOXES last night and we're very grateful for this help!
Michlyn--coupons
Trudy S from OH--donation to FFRC
Bantry--tshirt/night shirt for Jacci with a cat design and a chew bone & squeak toy for Jazzie.
TippyNTraylor--card for all volunteers and kitties, volunteer treats and goodies, cat treats, fish play mat for kitties, bandaids, purple collar for Farrah, cans of sardines, bag of cat toys, bandaids for Diane, and a chicken friend for Connie
Becky M from Defiance--case of Fancy Feast appetizers, 2 cans of KMR, case of Fancy Feast Medleys and a case of Fancy Feast Gravy lovers
CGcry--large purple marshmallow poof
Jatcat--2 big, powerful fans for Cat's Cove! We will get those on the wall out there today!
LadyDoc--2 big containers of powdered gatorade for the volunteers
Val S--2 cases of Fancy Feast Kitty food

Little McLovin' thinking about how many toes he can attack! This little boy runs around like he has 6 legs!

Mariska--all stretched out while out in the enclosure. She's filled out so nicely and is so active and strong.

Sunday, July 8th

What a wonderful Saturday we had! People here to visit, our Kitty Kastle guests (Val S and Janak), electricity and water, BOXES, the health of the cats and kittens and wonderful volunteers and viewers--what more could we ask for?! Another thing to be thankful for: another webcam viewer is here for a visit--cgr from Lima. One of our moderators, LovemyPetz, brought her here!

Buckeye is running around with a peacock feather in his mouth and he is NOT going to share it. The problem is, the peacock feather is long and so the kittens chase after the feather as Buckeye runs with it. Buckeye keeps running, trying to stay away from the kittens so he can have it all to himself. What a circus!

The pictures that I showed of MAX the other night that Kristi sent in, was indeed Maximillion, He has gotten huge! He looks very happy and healthy! Even after the electricity went out, we were still sending out packages and envelopes from the Catathon. If you have not received your items by a reasonable amount of time, please contact me by e-mail (fofrescue@gmail.com). We still have about 10 packages to go out yet.

Remember, tomorrow starts the voting again at The Animal Rescue Site. We can win ONE WEEKLY award. Let's do it!! Then for the second week, we could vote for A Labor of Love Dog Rescue!

We had a few BOXES last night--always a fun thing and so appreciated.
Filbert and friend sent 12 rolls of two inch tape.
Anonymous Friend sent 2 cases of Fancy Feast (one is the new Morning Medleys that Putter loves!)
Mudjie/Mary--six cases of baby food
Janak/Janet--10 bags of cat treats, case of appetizers, a case of Fancy Feast, case of Gravy Sensations, 2 cases of Friskies and a big box of Sardines in oil!

McLovin's sutures on his shoulder were removed this morning. His wire and button that has been on his lip/chin were also removed. Both areas look awesome and healthy.

At 11:00 a.m. today, we have a surprise 1st birthday cake for Preakness. Come join the fun! The Cat's Cove cats (temporarily in Kitty City) are doing so much better now. We will keep them in Kitty City until we feel it's safe and cool enough to move them back to their summer quarters. We are today putting in 3 more screened in windows in the Cove so there will be more air flow.

I realize that there's been a bit of tension during this week of no electricity. But, we're back on, all is fine! I understand that it's been hard all the way around, even on the chat and FFRC's chatter's facebook. Let's all pull together again and get on the same page--we're here for the CATS AND KITTENS! That's one of the purposes of the Rescue Center--to share the love of felines! If there are any hard feelings, etc., please, let's put those aside and enjoy the friendships that are here at the rescue center for you and enjoy our cats! Thank you.

Saturday, July 7th

Yes, yesterday's blog said July 13th--just consider that my heat-pickled brain!! So sorry! Today is indeed the 7th. We've had power on now for a day and a half. I will never ever take electricity and water for granted again. Or air-conditioning. Yesterday our high was 104, today it's suppose to be 106. Then we're suppose to cool down to lower 90's. We had a bit of a scare yesterday morning when the electricity went down again. I think we were all thinking the same thing....for how long this time? But, it was for only 10 minutes. But, in that 10 minutes, the temp went up 4 degrees in the rescue center.

All is well. It'll take a bit to get back all the way to normal (whatever that is) here in the rescue center! There were several cats in distress last night in Cat's Cove--open mouth breathing, uncomfortable. We had lots of volunteers here visiting last night, so we all pitched in and did a Covie Move. We turned the a/c on in Kitty City, did some rearranging, filled up bowls with ice and water and brought all the Covies to the City until this heat lets up. This morning, they all look so much happier and more comfortable.

We have visitors for Kitty Kastle this weekend. Val S from Michigan and Janet/Janak (an FFRC moderator) from Napier, New Zealand are here. We always welcome Val who has been here several times. And we're so glad to welcome and met Janak. Very nice to have visitors! The cats are loving all the extra attention. Val even brought the 4 cats along that she adopted from here.

I talked to one of our vets last night. We are both in agreement about little Derecho, that he has Cerebellar Hypoplasia. He may get a tiny bit of improvement on his "shakiness", but is not a progressive disease. Basically, how he is, is how he is. Please know that he is a happy boy, doesn't realize there's anything different about himself. Cats are awesome in their ability to continue on in life, being happy.
He and 5 other friends are still in Cat's Corner Room. In a few more days, they will be out and about.

Silas went back to his home yesterday. We were actually boarding him until his mama recovered from being ill and returned home. After much discussion with the family, I was very happy to have him return to her. Silas definitely reacted to her and I'm quite sure he's a happy boy to be with his mama again.

We have several cats on hold right now: Queenie, Daymo, Sugar Plum and Purrkins. Alphie has been cruising about freely and investigating everything. A real sweet boy. The kittens have been back to full play-mode now that it's cooler here in the rescue center. They are making up for lost play time!

We had BOXES last night! Due to the power-outage, we did open the boxes that arrived during that week we had no power. I thank you for your understanding of this. We weren't sure if anything needed to be refrigerated and some of the boxes contained items of urgent need.
Abigail C/Chai_Me--For Octavia and her merry band of thieves, a Robinhood Hat and Arrow and a Bag to carry the "loot" in. Also Gravy Sensations, Appetizers, Treats and Wellness packets.
SusanM--case of 4 large Clorox wipes
JudyL--beautiful pictures of Meggie and Alphie for their new adoptive parents
Mudjie--case of Friskies Pate, 32 cans Friskies Seafood, Bravo Bonus Bites Salmon treats, 6 Lysol wipes, 2 cases of Friskies packets
ValS--for Mariska--a get well Hoops/YoYo card and belated Hoops/YoYo Bday card for Putter
Terri B--4 cases of Fancy Feast
Anonymous--Whisker Lickins pouches
BeachKatz--Birthday cards for July kitty birthdays as well as appetizers and temptation treats for the kitties
Lynell & Mark S--coupons
Nancy S/walker conan--2 boxes Friskies gravy sensations & paw point coupons
Anonymous--case of Friskies pate
Anonymous--xlarge bonito flakes & packages of spring toys
Harley & Gizzie & Coooper--turbo scratcher, 3 catnip mouse toys, bag full of kitty toys
Anonymous--a multicolored Kookamunga Funky Fish Cat Bed
Rita-a lovely card about the loss of her Frankie Marie and the addition of LuluMarie, a newly adopted 15 year old cat into their family. Pictures of Johnny, Sparky, Cecelia and LuLu and Frankie Marie
Charlotte M/Brutus4--congrats card on successful Catathon, sardines, kitty treats, seafood can cat food & chocolate (helped us thru the power outage!)
Joanne H from AZ--3 cat dancer toys, large stuffed snake, extra large stuffed bumblebee pillow
Sandra E--2 bedding mats (1 for porchies/1 for covies), package of illuminated balls for the next adoption, turbo track, 2 large lounging bed sleepers (one is for Putter)
Jim & Kathy T--sponsorship of Emmaline in memory of Sissy and a picture of both Sissy and Cali
From Filbert with help from a friend--mouse holder and a cat scratcher
Jodiann87--big assortment of toys, lots of coil toys, Purrfectly fish packets, 6 cases of Fancy Feast, 1 case of kitten Fancy Feast and a rat toy with blinky eyes
Anonymous--2 big cans of powdered gatorade (a much used item this week)
Linda T/Icemaiden--2 cases of Friskies and 1 case of Friskies gravy sensations
Jim & Annette L from MI--stone for the Rock Garden. It says: "Garsh - I love cats". I love this!
Leggygal--4 cases of assorted Fancy Feast
Boon & Pocus--in honor of their birthdays, gave FFRC a blue Bunk Bed set for the cats and kittens!
Kristi C from PA & Max--a nice card and wonderful pictures of Max to share.
Vrs1cats & Schinn81--a postcard from their vacation of Hawaii
Anonymous--a Pet Fusion Cat Scratcher Lounger
Henry R Peeps & Oh My Guinness sent a 9th BD card to Muffin

Starting July 9th, Monday is the beginning of the 3rd quarter of voting again for The Animal Rescue Site. Because of our past 2012 wins, we are ONLY elgible for one weekly winning in this 3rd quarter, meaning if we have the highest votes for one week, we will win $1,000, then we're done until the 4th quarter. I'd love it if we could shoot for that $1,000 win! Then, if we could help A Labor of Love (Lisa's dog rescue here in Defiance), by giving her all our votes for a week to possibly help her win $1,000, that would be awesome. Your votes are always appreciated.


One way to stay cool--drink ice water!

When it's hot, lay still and flat!