THursday, August 30

Our visitor, Peekaboo/Nancy has arrived. It's been wonderful to meet her. The cats and kittens are also enjoying her visit.

We have lots of information to pass on today.
Plans are rolling along for our Catstock event. It is 9/22. The carnival is from 2:30 to 5:30. Mike, who will be doing the concert, will come out during the carnival and sing a couple songs in the afternoon. Then the real concert will be from 5:30 to 6:30. He is also doing a mini concert for the webcam viewers on 9/21 at 6:30. He will sing a few songs, just for our viewers! Just this week, his local newspaper in San Clemente CA, did an article on Mike and his journey to Ohio for this concert. I've posted this in the facebook pages.

FFRC has a new on-line store! It's at Zazzle. Goss/Linda has designed this and has done an awesome job. There's LOTS of items on Zazzle that are Catstock and Be An Earth Angel related. FFRC gets a portion of each sale. Check it out at: zazzle.com/fofrescue

As of last night, we have officially kicked off the 2nd FFRC Cookbook! This cookbook will not be printed until sometime next year, but recipes can now be submitted. This will be fun as it's wonderful to see so many names of our family, friends, volunteers, lurkers and viewers in a book together! And the recipes are great. If you'd like to submit a recipe, go to: 03649d6.netsolhost.com/ Later, there will be a different site to give you to continue to submit recipes.

I received an update from Petfinder.com. Last week, we had 1,899 views on our FFRC website. The top 5 were: Betony, Butterbur, Campion, Weber and Ginseng

If you would like to attend Catstock, we'd love to have you! Here are the phone numbers of our local motels.
Comfort Inn 419-784-4900
Hampton Inn 419-784-1515
Holiday Inn Express 419-784-0782
Super 8 Motel 419-782-8000
Our local B & B, Elliot Rose, is 419-956-9981

We had BOXES last night! So many thanks are given to you.
Connie S from OH--pop up cube for Cassidy and friends
Penny V from OH--thistle seed for the birds and a big bag of chips for volunteers
Michlynn from MI--a beautiful picture called Lean On Me. This is so very special and means a lot to me. Thank you.
KimKost--2 big bags of Party Mix cat treats, 3 cases of Fancy Feast
Carla C--a big bucket of kitty litter
Lannml/Lois from Iowa--3 cases of Friskies Gravy Sensations
Friend B from Defiance--Chief receipts
Peekabookitty/Nancy, who is visiting, a box of yummy chocolates from her home state, MA
Penny P from GA--a donation for FFRC thru PayPal

I also have a bit of information for you about Derecho, our little CH kitten. Kate has decided NOT to adopt Derecho. This is HER decision and I will, of course, honor it. I've known since Saturday of her decision, but waited these few days to make sure. Kate already has 12 cats and her dear dog, that they must move across the country twice a year. Even though she loves Derecho very much, she decided that he should be an FFRC cat. With all respect, please understand, that this decision making is closed and it is what it is. I would appreciate if everyone honors her request. Derecho is now known as Derecho Tucker Fauster FFRC Moss.


Derecho Tucker Fauster FFRC Moss

Weds., August 29

I thought we were going to have to have a rowboat come save us all here. We had a water spillage (again!) and flooded the far side of the Rescue Center. Our drain was covered up with a litterbox, so the water had no where to go. With 3 of us cleaning up, it didn't take long to get the job done! The cats and kittens sure enjoyed the action! Ginseng, Dolan and Cypress were wading thru it. Shortly after this clean up, one of the cats flipped over an entire BIG bowl of dry food--all over the freshly swept floor. Oh well--things happen!

Kathy R was here last night and put her touch of art to a cat shelf and a cabinet door. The sayings she puts on are always so touching and colorful. Adds a lot of character. Thanks, Kathy. Badu must've been helping Kathy, as she has bright red paint on her leg. We'll get that off of her today.

Today, the 5 kittens, Oban, Galway, Callaway, Harlow, Harper were moved to Cat's Corner Room--across the hallway from June's Room. This will give them a much bigger room to play in and get them ready for their next step--entrance into the main area!

We have a major leak in the metal roof of Cat's Cove. And we also have 2 small leaks in the metal roof of Kitty City. Both of these roofs are on the Needs Repaired List, as these are both must fix problems. I believe Paul and Jimmy both are going to start tackling this job today. The Cat's Cove roof is 18 feet high.

We will have BOXES tonight! There are already 3 waiting for this evening from Tuesday's deliveries.

Today we will have a visitor that will be staying in Kitty Kastle. It's one of our moderators, Peekabookitty! She is from MA. We are thrilled to have her visit FFRC. Thanks to Sigrid for picking her up in Bryan and driving her here this morning.

Yesterday we had 2 big flies get into the Rescue Center. What a fun time the kittens had trying to catch them. The cats just watched the antics of the kittens. There must've been 9-10 of them all involved trying to get those 2 flies. Then, Octavia arrived and she made quick work of those flies--down the hatch they went. She certainly has something about eating bugs.

We had visitors here yesterday. They were looking for a kitten and immediately they fell for Frith. He will be leaving next week. We still also have a hold on Purrgeron. Our sweet Everett is on a hold and will be leaving this weekend. Still waiting on the family that wants Filbert to finalize their plans.


Farrah says that she is indeed getting her meds twice a day! No seizures for her!

Beautiful Faleena--she has so much love to give.

Tuesday, August 28

Graciela and Zorca are playing together with the track ball. One on one side, one on the other, batting the ball back and forth to each other. 3 white cats sleeping together--Penn, Teller and Miau all snugged together. Roadinia and Liberty are tussling and have just completed 4 complete turnovers while still wrestling.

Our grooming tub continues to be a favorite playing area. Just add a couple ping pong balls and coil toys inside the tub, and it becomes an instant playground! Fun to watch--I saw 5 kittens in there at the same time playing this morning.

We have a new kitten that arrived on Sunday. She's a sweet little thing--about 5-6 weeks old. A tiger with a slight tortiness to her. She was very very hungry upon arrival. Another FIY--found in yard and no mama or other kittens around. Her name is Seraphina, which is another name from the Name that Cat from the Catathon list. She's doing very well. Had a lot of fleas, but with capstar and a cleaning bath, she looks and feels much better!

We had visitors yesterday. A webcam friend, Linda C from Florida came with her mom, Kathy and friend Ruth, also both from Florida. They visited and petted all the FFRC cats, the porchies and covies and visited the farmyard. We also had another visitor, Lyndell from Halifax Nova Scotia who has been staying with our volunteer Ruth this summer. Very nice to have these visitors.

We had BOXES last night! We're ever so grateful to you.
AbbyTabbysMomma--2 cases Royal Canin baby canned food, KMR liquid, 2 bags Royal Canin dry baby kitten and 1 bag Royal Canin kitten dry food
PW--wavy Cat Scratch and Play
Gena R from FL--case of Purrfectly Chickenn, case of Frisky Meaty Bits and 2 BIG bags of pop tabs for Kellen!
Whitney H in OH--card, stickers and tattoos for Hannah, donation for FFRC, activity mat & a catnip mouse toy
Betz & Binky from OH--25 jars of turkey baby food
Lovebug/Pam --lots of cans of sardines, letter and a donation for FFRC
Susan TC in Defiance--donation for FFRC
Sherry & David W in NY--pictures and a card for Bravo. Pictures were of her cat Missy with her son David, Michelle with horse Ginger and 2 other cats Dreams and Dancer and one of their chickens.
Betty W from VA and Samantha the cat--a card and donation for FFRC, in memory of Bravo

Because of the wonderful success of the Earth Angel fundraiser for the Feliz Navidad fund, we decided to do something extra fun! We have a magnet, specifically for our Catstock. We picked 12 names from our mailing list and those 12 people will receive that magnet!


Betony--the mama of the Fiver gang.

Monday, August 27

It's raining! What a wonderful sound it is. We are so utterly dry here. I'm sure the ground is just soaking it up. The cats have been watching the raindrops on the windows.

The cats must have had a major party last night. We had a viewer donate 2 big bags of pop tabs for Kellen. During the night, they "accidently" opened the bags (I'm sure they didn't mean to) and scattered hundreds of tabs on the floor. Can you imagine the fun they had? Would like to have had that videoed!

Graciela is climbing all over the furniture with a spring toy in her mouth. FiFi is giving Dennison a big face wash. Avens bathed Derecho again this morning. Darilyn, Miler and Weber are fussing over a big feather and chasing it.

We had a surprise yesterday. Had a hen, called Helen, show up with 5 little baby chicks, just hatched. So very cute. Paul and I gathered her and chicklets up and put them in a big pen for a couple weeks, as the peacocks were way too interested in the babies.

Just an FYI: remember to reread the Chatter's Code of Conduct every once in a while for reminders and updates. This also goes for the guideline rules for our facebook pages. Please know that personal solicitation is not allowed. If you should get any kind of PM's from anyone that you feel isn't proper, please let a mod know or you can e-mail me. Remember, this is about cats, cats and more cats--that's what we do here! Thank you.

We have an announcement to make!! This will be fun! We had 452 people (another one was added!) that made an Earth Angel donation to the Feliz Navidad fund. We are so grateful. At boxes tonight, there will be 10 names drawn that will be sent a magnet that we have reserved for the Catstock celebration! If your name is drawn, we'll send that special magnet out to you right away! See you at Box time!

Another FYI: Many times people ask if it's necessary to do flea control of their newly adopted FFRC cat since it is flea free and is strictly indoors. We encourage continued flea control even in the new adoption home. YOU may be the carrier of fleas--it's easy to go into a home that has fleas and bring home a hitchhiker on your clothes. OR a friend (who may have fleas in his home) may visit YOUR home and bring in a hitchhiker. PREVENTION is so much easier to deal with than an infestation of fleas.

Goodness says: Please don't let your pets have fleas!

Sunday, August 26

I think we need cat-sitters in every room and hallway. These kittens and cats are in high gear and really playing hard with each other.....that is, except for Dahnay who continues to lick legs! Such a sweetheart. They've all been in super mode--I've seen them chasing around corners full speed ahead, Derecho is playing with many of the kittens also, kittens leaping in the air in full out wrestle mode, balls being flipped and tails a swishing! What a lot of action!

Yesterday, we had a first to happen at FFRC. We were having a Catstock meeting in the house when I get a call from one of the moderators. She said there's a cat carrying around a mouse. I thought she meant a fun toy mouse and wasn't sure what the problem was, until she said a LIVE mouse. Wow--did that get quick action! I ran out, grabbed a rug, saw where all the cats were huddled and there in the middle was Nemo, with a live chipmunk in her mouth!! I couldn't believe it. I tossed the rug over her, wiggled the chippie out of her mouth and took it across the road to the riverbank. It took off and never looked back! Nemo was SO proud. Apparently, the chippie went into the outdoor enclosure--that was NOT a good idea. I'm sure he will not be back again!

Please help Lisa with A Labor of Love Dog Rescue to win $$ by voting for her at: theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/projects-for-paws.faces?siteld=3 I know Lisa would appreciate this.

Update on the past Be an Earth Angels fundraiser:
Total number of web-cammers who donated: 551
Number of Countries who donated: 20
Just amazing and I thank you each and every one! What a tremendous group effort!

I have a special note for you from our friend Cindy/Bubbles. As many of you know, Cindy is one of our moderators and was quite ill recently and is still recovering. Many of you sent cards and she would like you to know how much it was appreciated! Continue to heal, Cindy!

Our little friend Hannah is also still in the hospital. Please refer to the previous blog about the latest update on her. Hannah's mom has asked for prayers during this difficult time. We love you, Hannah.

This is always difficult for me to address a problem so openly, but I feel I must. Please know that FFRC dearly loves the webcam and all the friends that we have made. The chatters and the lurkers are awesome and extremely supportive of this Rescue Center, of which I am so very grateful. We have a network of about 40 volunteers that mean the world to me. I am grateful also for each and everyone of them. I have recently seen on the camchat that remarks have been said about a volunteer. These remarks are rude, disrespectful and not necessary. I need and love all the volunteers that help FFRC and this disrespect will NOT be tolerated. The moderators are now fully aware of where I stand about this and also will NOT tolerate any rudeness or unkind remarks on the chat. If something happens that is not pleasing to you, please just remove yourself from the chat until later. Remember, we had this Rescue Center 10 years before the cam was even up. Many of the volunteers had to make adjustments to being in full view of hundreds of people during their volunteer time. The volunteers have also made many friends with the chatters and for the most part, thoroughly enjoys chatting during their time here. Some of our visitors that come also enjoy chatting, which is fine! Please be respectful of the volunteers and visitors. Thank you for understanding. Without these volunteers, this Rescue Center would not be possible.

FiFi is beautiful. She's sitting here beside me and her gold eyes just shine! Sometimes she has problems with her depth perception, but she sure knows how to work around it. Derecho has a new friend--that would be Avens! Avens loves to play and also groom Derecho. Graciela is still his good friend too. Treesa just zoomed thru here with a fuzzy ball in her mouth, growling all the way--must still be thinking about that chipmunk from yesterday! Densmore has turned out to be one of the most loving kittens. He's the one always climbing onto our backs and shoulders.

GraceAnn climbed all the way down the spiral ladder today to be petted. She is so beautiful. Preakness just jumped on the desk--I believe she wants to tell everyone to have a wonderful Sunday!

Raza--such a beauty.

Saturday night, August 25

Hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of people know about our little friend, Hannah. Hannah loves FFRC and especially Putter and the 2 Paddy boys. We all know that Hannah has been very ill and in the hospital. When her mom updates me, I've been passing on the information about our Hannah. Here is the latest update:

"We are still in ICU. Hannah has sepsis now. She had been scheduled for a trach this past week when she deteriorated quickly. She is receiving treatment for the sepsis. I'm sure you are probably aware of how serious it is. She is heavily sedated as she has an endotracheal tube hooked to a vent and an OG down her esophagus to decompress her tummy. They are trying to support all her systems until her body can get back in balance and heal itself. Things escalated Aug 11th at home when she became acidotic and quit breathing. She rode the ambulance with her Dad to Lutheran and then was med-flighted here.
Sorry to deliver all this bad news. BUT, I have seen this little girl overcome a lot over the years. We have her computer in ICU and keep the kitties on for her. She is really too sedated right now to be aware of anything (which is good). Just asking for prayers. We know everyone is concerned."

So, please, send prayers up for Hannah. She is a dear little girl that loves life and kitties. Will keep you posted.

Saturday, August 25

It's a cooler morning and the cats and kitties are very frisky. It gives me such joy to watch them play--their energy is boundless and the friendliness of them together is something special. We had visitors yesterday. As you know, we enjoy having people come and give extra petting to everyone. It's a win/win deal for the cats and the humans.

Zelda, Cyrilla and Jaina are all sleeping on my desk. They never realize how much their bodies fill up, overflow and cover up the top of my desk! But, what better way to work, I wouldn't know!

Putter and Emaline are doing great. I keep putting them back out into the Rescue Center several times a day to visit and cruise about, but they always end up back at the door, staring at it, waiting for the door to open and let them back into the house. Putter loves to lay on one of the rugs that Connie from MN made!

Yesterday, we caught up on giving vaccinations and worming. Also a few needed their monthly flea prevention given. We usually have a few to give daily, but some days have many names on the treatment board.

The 4 kittens that were in June's Room, Zorka, Liberty, Drake and Roadinia are doing fantastic. They don't even miss their room and haven't went back in there. They've just joined the kitty gang like they've always known them. It won't be long until the 5 kittens in Thumper's Room will be in Cat's Corner Room to start progressing their entry into the main area. They are so cute and so very friendly. We can't hardly leave Thumper's Room--it's too hard to stop playing and petting them!

Today we have another Advisory Meeting to continue our plans for the Catstock event. Next week I will give you an update on this!

We had BOXES last night. You all never cease to amaze me with your generosity. Thank you.
Mudji--a wonderful rock in memory of Bravo (will go in Albert's Garden)
Mary C/midwestergirl--beautiful necklaces that are hand made (some with FFRC log, hello kitty, cats and epace symbols) They're really nice!
LadyDoc--donation for FFRC
Missymjj & Temy--donation for FFRC
Dean & Debbie/bearmn--donation in memory of Tasha & a donation for Bravo. Also a donation to get Charlie (their sponsore cat) and LeLe (another sponsored cat) extra treats. A book called "Dear Tabby--Letters from Dogs and Cats". Also a picture of their Tasha cat
Paula in NH--donation in memory of Bravo and a lovely letter and picture of Bravo
Cindy C/Chaqua--"Cat Heaven" book, in memory of Bravo
Frank & Linda--In memory of Bravo, a beautiful angel statue that says "in memory of a faithful friend".
Toby W, kitty of Cyndilu from CA--letter and pictures of Toby and Mitzi, hand made sweaters for my 3 Z's, Zeke, Zaney and Zap (complete with a Z on each of them!), and a spare one for a kitty who may need one. (extra thanks--the Z's will love these!)
June/Jolee88--a special hand crocheted blanket for Fifi, green crocheted blanket for Kitty City/Cat's Cove, baby cereal, scotch tape, penils, 2 toys for Derecho, Treats for erecho & Fifi, 8 tubes of nerf balls for kitties, Meow mix tub for Fifi (which she had this morning!)
Anonymous--a case of Friskies packets Gravy Sensations, a case Fancy Feast Kitten turkey, Frisies 32 can of Seafood
Cwall/Carolyn & Steve from OH--cat magnet, baby food, Dry Purina Kitty, sardines, AA batteries, treats for volunteers, 2 cute stuffed toys, kitty face wipes, paper towels, magic erasers, sharpies, postie notes, hand soap & lotion, lysol/clorox wipes, sponges, dryer sheets and paper plates.
Laurie B--a case of baby food (Bella said she'll share with others!)
Bob & Julie H, visitors--3 bags of litter
Stacey R, visitor--paper towels, q-tips & glas cleaner
Shirin T from NJ--donation for FFRC thru PayPal
Jamie M from PA--donation for FFRC thru PayPal

We have decided to update Albert's Garden. Once the current flowers are done, we'll extra clean up the Garden. We will put Bravo's items there. I also have small river rocks (5-6 inches each), with names of some of the cat's/kitten's names on them that have passed away. When done, we'll take a picture of it so all can see.
"What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose;
All that we love deeply, becomes a part of us." Helen Keller


Shirley. How much more relaxed can a kitten be?!

Friday, August 24

I have some information to give to everyone about Derecho. As you all know, we made Derecho a resident of FFRC. I rarely, and actually have never, made a change on a resident. But, I feel a change is necessary. You all know Kate, who does the FFRC calendars. She has fallen in love with Derecho to the extent that she would like to adopt him. Kate has 12 other cats and takes wonderful, loving care of them all. They get all the medical care needed and all the love needed. So, I’ve decided to let this adoption happen. Some of you may disagree, but this is my decision that I’m sticking with. Please realize this is also very very hard on me as well. You, our volunteers and I love him ever so much. Let’s group together on this decision and be joyful that Derecho will have his very own home. Kate knows if for whatever reason, as with all of our adoptions, that if it doesn’t work out, Derecho will come back to his FFRC home.

Thursday, August 23

As I'm sitting here, Ginseng is beside me, half dozing. I swear this sweet boy has a huge smile on his face. He's probably dreaming of what orneriness he can get into today. His big feet are something else--betting he'll be a big boy when all grown. Little Miau is also here in office, playing with one of the new toys--she's skittering all over the floor with it. Not a care in the world!

Today the door is open to June's Room. All 4 of the kittens, Zorka, Liberty, Drake and Roadinia are already out and about. Seems relaxed, ate breakfast with the other cats and are already playing. I love that when they don't need too much adjustment time. Donna is busy this morning cleaning Thumper's Room and those 5 kittens in this room sure make the "job" more fun. They have now graduated to running up and down the steps to their pen--no more walking. Won't be long until we move them to a room here in the main area.

There's a possible upcoming adoption for Filbert. I got the second call on him last night! Hope this works out as I feel he will be much happier in a quieter atmosphere. We'll keep you posted. Weber, Faleena and Avens are having a tussel fight--not sure who's going to win, but they're all having fun!

We had BOXES last night! Many, many thanks. The volunteers are also appreciative of the goodies that are sent for them.
Anonymous--a case of baby food
Nancy/Kerswill--a wonderful letter from her kitty Domino, pictures of her cats and a donation in memory of Nutmeg and Bravo, 2 books of stamps, assorted blank thank you notes and postie notes. For the covies, porchies and barnies: a bed for each area, temptation treats, Friskies can food and Fancy Feast Appetizers. For Octavia: a catnip toy and a card for her birthday.
Paul_M--cat booties, no skid kind, for Derecho. We will try them out today!
Joyce D in CA--a card and donation in memory of Bravo
Anonymous--assorted candy and gum for the volunteers (thanks--we love to be spoiled!!)
Richard & Cynthia S and Sasha--a letter and picture of their kitty, Sasha and a donation in memory of Bravo
Holly W--doritos for Diane to share with the cats(!). For Steve who loves Detroit: Lions cooking aprons, redwings apron, Lions hot pads and table pads and 2 matching aprons, a Lions & Pistons fleece throw. Doggie treats, kitty treats a Rock and Roll toy for the cats to play on and treats for the volunteers
Kelly R from CA & food from her co-workers--step stool, assorted cat toys, 2 Pounce treats, baby food, 2 cases of Fancy Feast, assorted gum and candy for the volunteers, a case of batteries, sardines and salmon, Appetizers, flashlight, brown envelopes, calculator, scissors, pens, baby wipes, 2 vita gravy

FYI: there will be an upcoming exciting message coming out on Monday! No hints given yet!

At this very moment, there are 19 cats in the office with me and every single one of them is sleeping! They were playing hard, but nap time came over them! So peaceful.
We have been "rolling" Derecho on his new green plastic ball. Once he relaxes, he seems to enjoy the movement. We'll try anything to help him be happy!

Sweet Cyrilla. Once she gets to know a person, she relaxes and is ever so sweet!

Weds., August 22

The 5 little kittens (Oban, Galway, Callaway, Harlow and Harper)that are in Thumper's Room are doing great. They are so small, but very lively. We are treating them for a skin condition, so they'll stay in Thumper's Room for a bit yet. Such energy and purrs they have. We put one of the little stairways in front of their pen, so they can go up to their pen or down and play on the floor by themselves.

Our other 4 kittens that are in June's Room are just about ready to be sprung! They are rocking and rolling in this room. They are Zorka, Liberty, Drake and Roadinia. I do have some sad news to tell you about Tansi. She has not been feeling well these past few days: appetite diminished, no energy, big belly. A test was done and was determined to have the wet form of FIP. A happy & healthy quality of life was no longer there for her. FIP is untreatable, unpreventable and unpredictable. The one bit of assurance though is that it is spread by a mutation of a corona virus and cannot be spread to other kittnes/cats. We will miss her, but I'm thankful she was here instead of the probability of her dying a sad hard death where no one was with her. Thanks for caring about her.

Asha, Penn, Teller and Hannah are all on a window shelf, watching the bird feeders--what a beautiful combination of colors sitting there together. Derecho is doing awesome. He's growing a lot. He is able to maneuver around the Rescue Center pretty good by himself. He takes his spills, but is getting better about figuring out how to do what he wants to do. He's definitely a determined kitten! Treesa, Gib and Denniston are here on the desk, playing with a ball. They have no idea of what they are doing to my paper piles!

Yes, in case you heard, we have taken on a horse and a donkey! I've had both horses and donkeys here for many years until the last few years. I've terribly missed that "horsey life". Both came from the same horse rescue and arrived yesterday morning. Donkey is Millie (4 years old) and Georgia is the horse (8 years old). Some of my family came yesterday and we all had a lot of fun riding. Such a wonderful thing! 2 of the greatest things: kittens and horses!

All the Covies and Porchies are doing great. They've been getting a great deal of brushing as they are still shedding heavily. Bondi is doing awesome--she's just incredible. Her weight is good--it doesn't "hurt" anymore to pet her since she's filled out. She sure loves those Appetizers!

Just as an information tidbit: we have new people filling different positions here in the Rescue Center. Linda T/Clemm and Sarah will be doing the Early Morning work. The Main Area work will be done by Lynnette, Bonnie and Martha L. We have a real good crew here and I'm very grateful for this. Lisa has left now as she was offered a full time job doing security work. She'll be great at this. We will very much miss Lisa, but also happy for her to have this opportunity! We'll still see her here though as she will still help keep Kitty Kastle clean!

I continue to hear back from many of the cats and kittens recently adopted. All are doing great. Our 2 newbie adults, Grace Ann and Felton are doing good. They are more comfortable with their new surrounds and are cruising about. I saw Miau way way up high this morning, in one of the cat lofts. I was just getting ready to "rescue" her with the ladder, and down she ran to me, using the big yellow pole! She's pretty sweet!

We will have BOXES tonight!


Weber showing us how to be truly relaxed.

Tuesday, August 21

The wonderful Earth Angel fundraiser is officially over BUT we will always gladly accept donations to be added to the Feliz Navidad fund for our medical needs. We've had 2 awesome weeks of fundraising with you folks! I can now pay off our 2 major medical bills and do it with a great big smile!  We've shared lots of stories about past and present medically needed cats and kittens thru storytime, the blog and facebook. As you know, there will always be more coming in the door and we will continue to do what we can to help them. A "thank you" sounds too simple and not grateful enough, but please know from the bottom of my heart how utterly grateful I am for this fundraiser, made possible by YOU! You viewers, volunteers and visitors never ever cease to amaze me with your kindness and compassion. You are indeed Angels to this Rescue Center!

Here's our total that we had at Boxes last night:  $24,500!!!!!  We had (with help from the cat's iPad) whistles, applause, ka-ching and a drumroll! Then we had lots of confetti (which we then had to clean up right away!). What a fun way of ending our fundraiser!

We BOXES last night. So many people to thank.
Janet B from IL--a lovely card, sardines, magnets of FFRC cats & kittens on them! (some to go home when they are adopted), feather toys for Derecho, FFRC tile plaque, postie notes, clorox wipes, kitty snackers and stickers for our friend Hannah
Mayumi from Japan--sardine flakes, white peach & grape jelly to share, stamps for Jacci's mom, Hello Kitty Stamps and stickers for Hannah
Cynthia H/mnsnowy from MN--hand puppet, lots of samples (shampoo, lotion, etc) for Kitty Kastle, 2 awesome kitty posters!
Penny V--birthday card for Sylvan, cookies for folunteers, 2 round rugs for the Covies, magnetic clips, dry erase markers, 3 dozen Friskie cans, Hoops and YoYo doodle pad/pen
Acatnamedmeow--a Tiger Striped Kitten--oh wait, that was one of our FFRC kits that crawled inside the box!! Small paper plates, case of Fancy Feast, case of Temptaitons and 2 boxes of Q-tips
Elizabeth H from NJ--card, note and pictures from Abby and Becky--the Doodles, sensory toy, catnip & toys,  a large amount and varied kinds of toys (fun, fuzzy, feathery) for all the cats
From Fiver and a nice note from Fiver in Heaven--LOTS of paper plates, can cheese, windup toys, 3 boxes of chocolates for the volunteers, power bars for the volunteers, LOTS of tuna, salmon & sardines (our cabinet for these special foods are full for the time being!!!)
Henry R Peep & Ohmyguiness--birthday card for Sylvan and kittie treats for Sylvan, Covies, Porchies and Barnies
Auntie Julie--a "thinking of you" card and gift Wal-Mart card for Magenta, 3 books of stamps. Magentta sends her love to Auntie Julie
Lizmo, Karen B, Pat L, Carol O, Annette L --coupons
Patricia S/whiteeagle from PA--picture of her cats Aries and Lewes and a Feliz Navidad card
Family of Zander--card and a picture of Zander!
Hilda & Eric G from TX--picture of their kitties Smoke and Abby
Dewitty--card for our girl Hannah
Tami L from AZ--a very nice letter of support
Carol R from DE--donation made thru PayPal, in memory of Sasha, Satin, Rustie, Tippy and Rex
Gusti from Germany--donation made thru PayPal for water & juice for volunteers & guests

I was made aware yesterday, that our kitty cam has now received 4,004,312 views! That is astronomical. I very well remember the first 25 and 100, then 1000 views! Just amazing. We are so thankful for our webcam friends.

Because we've had so many newbie kitties come in lately, we'll give you a rundown of them!
Oban, black/white, male  (pronounced oh-bun)
Galway, gold tiger, male  (pronounced gaul-way)
Callaway, marble gold tiger, male
Harlow, torti, female (beige up right eye & rt. front foot toe is beige)
Harper, torti, female (rt. side of chin is beige)
Tansi, brown tiger, female
Zorka, black/white, female (white on chest & tummy)
Liberty, calico/torti/tiger blend, female
Drake, black/white, male (black dot under chin, like Octavias)
Roadinia, black, medium hair, female

Monday, August 20

My first thought is--I sure love this Rescue Center! I'm thrilled to be doing something I have a passion for. I'm also so very thankful for my family, friends, volunteers and our kittycam viewers whether you are a chatter or a lurker. The cats love you too! I would like our viewers to realize that I sincerely KNOW you care about these kitties and cats. Even though you can't reach out and physically hug and pet these cats, you are still emotionally tied to these cats. Our hurt is your hurt. Our joys are your joys. We KNOW you care.

We have visitors this weekend. Vaunita and Toni are here for a 2 day stay. They are from Erie, Pennsylvania. We certainly welcome them. It's been wonderful to have so many visitors to FFRC. All are so friendly and fun to have here. Vaunita brought some goodies for the Rescue Center: KMR, Appetizers, Temptation Treats, baby food, a kennel water bowl, wash cloths, Royal Canin baby can food, 5 cases of various types of cat canfood. To top it off, she also brought 3 boxes of chocolates--yum! We thank you! And the cats thank you!

I've heard back from so many of the newly adopted cats and kittens--all are doing great. Isn't it wonderful to know they are in good homes, being loved on! September 8th is our next spay/neuter date here at the Rescue Center. We'll have a list of them to do again!

Our Catstock event is also getting closer. Mark your calendars! The evening of 9/21 is a mini-concert for the webcammers by Mike! The big event starts 9/22. Carnival is 2:30 to 5:30 and the concert is 5:30 to 6:30. The carnival will be filled with lots of fun activities: air bouncy houses, sack races, friendly clown doing balloon designs, face painting, pony rides, and LOTS of carnival games. We will also have BBQ chicken with a full meal. Mike will do 2 songs in the middle of the afternoon to entice people to stay for the concert!

We will also be selling Mike's CD's. I've listened to it and it's wonderful! If you are interested in having this CD, we will now start selling them. If purchased here at FFRC, they are $15. If you would like them mailed, it is $16 for inside USA and $18 for outside of USA. You can send a check by mail or pay by PayPal. Be sure to mark it for Mike's CD!

Mike lives in California. His local paper will be doing an article on him soon. The topic? Him driving all the way to Defiance, Ohio for a concert! When it's published, we'll give you the site. If you'd like to check out Mike's website, it is: singingtvguy.com

Haven't seen Putter or Emaline much lately? They have become glued into the house--I put them out for a little walk-about, but what they do is walk to the door and wait for it to open again to go back inside. I try to coax them out more so you all can see them. It's obvious they were both house-cats before. They know all the comforts of house-living. If I happen to fall asleep on the couch at night (which happens a lot!), when I wake up, not only are my cats on me, but so is Putter and Emaline! I couldn't find Putter yesterday. Finally located him--he had climbed the flight of steps and was stretched out a mile long on the bed, in the sunshine!

Tonight at 6:30 we will have BOXES! At the end of boxes, we will have a grand wrap up of the Earth Angel Fundraiser. So excited! The support has been tremendous. I haven't looked yet myself at the Grand Total, so will be anxiously awaiting box time too! Thanks to you all for making this possible. First thing we'll do is get our 2 major medical bills paid for--what a relief!

We have 2 cats on hold--Everett and Purrgeron will have their very own homes soon!

Everett and his gorgeous eyes!

Purrgeron--speaks volumes with his eyes!

Friday, August 17

It has been nearly 24 hours that we lost Bravo. My heart has been so heavy today--so very sad. I have the joy of knowing we have made life happier for our cats here at the rescue center and I have the great sadness that comes when we lose one of these precious lives.

I have read parts of face book and have gotten thru some of my e-mail. Some things have brought on the tears again, some have made me smile at the songs and prayers and kind words. But, I am called to know in my heart, the gratefulness of the outpouring of care and love that has been shown. We will all indeed miss our Bravo. It makes me realize how much of a family community that we have. This is no longer "my" rescue center, but "our" rescue center. You are all a very important part of FFRC and what we do here. You are important to us, even in our every day functions.

We had Boxes night before last. I am grateful for every item received.
Tony/onebad1 & Nefertiti--handmade beautiful raxor handles for Steve and myself. These are a beautiful work of art.
TippyNtraylor & Ashley too--6 bags of bubble gum, 4 containers of Clorox wipes, kitty treats, Dwn liquid soap and cookies for the volunteers
Cathi B--5 cases of Appetizers
Kelly R--3 blankets for FFRC with the Catstock design
Stinkypeep--handmade cat nip toys, some with catnip, some without
Cantoncat--3 cases of ProPlan food (for Bondi and friends) & 2 cases of Friskies
Donna/Mkmouse--3 boxes of brown envelopes
Beth A--exercise ball for Derecho
Chris/dewitty--Appetizers, gravy Sensatins, Fancy Feast for ALL the cats (cause the deserve it!) and a large wonderful scratcher toy for the Covies
Patty V/Middiesmom--6 cases of Appetizers, 4 case of Purrfectly fish packets
Anonymous Friend--4 bags of Royal Canin baby kitten dry food.

We had TWO adoptions! Our sweet Tiki went to her new home today. Her new mama has the entire weekend to settle in with Tiki. I'm so happy for both of them. Yesterday afternoon, McLovin' went home with Amy, one of our volunteers. Amy now has 3 cats, 2 of which are from FFRC. Two awesome homes.

We are in our second week of our Be an Earth Angel. What an extraordinary fundraiser this has been. As of Thursday night, 8/16, our total was $16,586. I think this is wonderful and I'm so grateful. Tomorrow night will be the finale of this event. One of our volunteers has invited Steve & I over for a picnic, which starts at 6:00 pm. So...we would like to go to this, and delay BOXES till 7:00 or close to that time. Come join us tomorrow night, Saturday, for the last day of Be an Earth Angel. We will show the Grand Total amount collected. How exiciting!

Yes, Bravo is gone....but this Rescue Center will carry on. With loving something with your whole heart, comes the price of sadness when something tragic happens. I know our hearts always have room to love more and more. Our hearts are such, that the more we give, the more we have to share. It's a renewable resource! So, even though my heart feels like a giant ache, there's still love to give.

Remember how Bravo so loved life? He had so much fun enjoying every day to the fullest. Let's honor that, let's cherish that, and let's get on with tomorrow. We have a lot of cats and kittens here that need us and the love that we can give and there's more in our future to tend to.


Efrafa--one of the Fiver kitties

Friday, 8/17 12:45 in the morning

I am in total shock. Our little Bravo has passed away. I've been on the phone tonight with Dr. Darcy 3 times, all after boxes. I showed Bravo to everyone on the cam at the very end of boxes, as I was then going in to get some sleep. When I showed Bravo, I also put him on the floor to let people see how wonderful he could already walk, partially with his torso up. I then went into the house with him and started getting him ready for bed. After about 20 minutes, I noticed he started breathing heavily and mewed strangely. I called Dr. Darcy because his color quickly became pasty looking. What followed in approximately the next 25 minutes was a pure nightmare. Dr. Darcy had me do several things to try and help him. He urinated, had trouble breathing, his body temp quickly declined, his color became worse, he vomited, then became unresponsive and within that short amount of time, he passed away, while I was still trying to do the things suggested.

I am totally heart broken over this. These are the things that make me ask myself how much can I take of these poor sweeties that pass away here. Sometimes I think I cannot experience any more sadness.

Dr. Darcy talked to Dr. P who quickly suggested that there were more things wrong with Bravo than we knew about. We found out during his surgery that physically things with his legs were not normal. On the one leg, there was no sciatic nerve, there were muscles missing, some of the tissue was like jelly—all abnormalities. The 2 leg deformities were abnormal in themselves. Dr. Darcy and I talked (and cried) at great length. She felt that we could not have put off his surgery any longer, so we can’t suggest that we should’ve waited longer. She again went over the drugs used—all very safe and still would be her protocol of anesthetic drugs. It was brought up that something within himself failed—an organ that possibly was also deformed.

In the afternoon, he had been eating by himself. He also “walked” around in the house by himself several times, still lifting that torso up. Dr. Darcy and I was elated. He also took a comfortable nap with Graciela. These are all things that assured me that all was fine with Bravo. But somewhere, sometime very quickly after boxes, something went wrong. Very wrong. I will not have an autopsy done. Dr. Darcy and Dr. P both felt that his death was out of our control, beyond anything that could’ve been done to save him, given how quickly this all took place.

Please don’t ask me the WHY question. The vets don’t know and I don’t know. Why did this happen? I don’t know that either. All I do know is that I would still take that little boy in again and again and yet again, if he was presented to me, even knowing the heartbreak it would cause. Sometimes we are not meant to know the WHY. But, Dr. Darcy and I both feel, that with every death, something good will come of it. I have always felt that way. I HAVE to always figure something out each and every time so that there’s some sense of it. All I do know right now is that Bravo was extremely loved, he made us all laugh and smile, he brightened our lives and made our hearts grow. Words cannot describe how his death hurts and saddens me. I also know that his passing will cause many tears all around the world. As terrible as this feels, I am thankful that God had given me the chance to have Bravo and the ability to continue to go on. Sometimes I think that I cannot possibly do this again. And then….another kitty or cat comes to the door. I wish I could take this terrible sadness away from all of you, but I cannot. Please know that although my heart is terribly sad and aching, I can still feel a deep appreciation and gratitude for all of the love you give to our FFRC cats. I am grateful to you for giving that love thru the cam to this rescue center.

As I was starting to prepare Bravo for bedtime, I was chatting away to him. The last thing I told him, minutes before this awful event started, was that there was no way I could ever let him leave—he was to be an FFRC cat forever. He belonged to all of us.

Please know if I could take this heartache away, I would. It's because we care so much, that the heartache is so great. We will continue our rescue and open our hearts again and again to these wonderful cats.

Thursday, August 16

What a day to be thankful for! Bravo is done with surgery and now starts his road to recovery. I would like to say thank you to everyone for your prayers, kind wishes, lit candles, etc. for Bravo's surgery.
Here is the time frame from yesterday:
10:02 am Just leaving Kate's house. She is driving so I can hold Bravo. He is purring.
10:34 am We have arrived.
10:53 am Physical done, sedative gien. Getting sleeping, still purring
11:21 am Just took Bravo to get him prepped. Getting his IV placed and legs shaved. We will go in soon to watch.
12 noon Surgery not started yet. His blood pressure is good
12:12 Surgery started at 12:05
12:25 Working on right leg first. Blood pressure good, temp was a bit cool but now warming up
12:42 Warming up a tiny bit. 1/3 done with first leg. Pulse, heart rate good
12:52 Right leg removed, now major stitch up job. Trying to do it in such a way to minimize contact with foor. Blood pressure good.
1:16 Okay, first leg is done. Will take 20 minutes to prep second leg. Color good/pulse, oxygen level, heart, blood pressure good.
1:48 Starting second leg
2:10 Little trouble with this leg due to rotation of the entire leg. It also has rotated the muslces, vessels, ligaments. Blood pressure is good. Temp is down a little
2:20 Left leg definitely proving to be difficult. Much rotation of leg
2:32 Left leg removed. Definitely have a major job of stitching ahead. Many deformities of this leg. Very little bleeding. Temp is good
3:02 Surgery done 3 hours of anesthetic Now to recovery
3:26 On way home. Very out of it boy

I wish to say extra thanks to Dr. Darcy, Dr. P and the tech, entire staff. They are awesome. Bravo is having a bit of trouble with the pain. Last night was difficult. Dr. Darcy called 4 times to check on him. Today is better, still hard to hold without soreness, which is to be expected. We have Bravo either in a big crate in my house or in June's Room with a very padded floor. We will take his IV port out today.

I was so joyous last night though. After syringe feeding him, I placed him down and he took 4 steps WITH HIS TORSO UP! We are not sure what he will end up doing--whether he will be a bottom scooter (like Bella) or a torso up walker or a combination of both. Any way he does it, is fine by me! Bravo spent the night in the house with me so I could keep up with his various meds and continue to syringe feed him.

He has 3 sutures that will be removed on Friday. The other sutures we will remove in 10 days. We want him to be low-keyed for the next week to 10 days. This will be hard for Bravo, as you know, he prefers to be active. But, this was major surgery--so rest is important.

Again, thank you all for your support of Bravo.

Our week for Be an Earth Angel continues. Saturday night is the end. What an awesome 2 weeks this has been. The support you all do is phenomenal . I am greatly appreciative of each and every donation. We will have an update on the total amount of donations tonight after boxes!

We will have BOXES tonight. There's a possibility that boxes will be at 6:00 tonight. This would allow me to get done a tad earlier (very short of sleep). Bravo and I need an earlier night tonight! I'll shoot for 6:00, but as you know, sometimes it gets crazy here and things happen!

All else is wonderful here. The cats are awesome and the kittens are wonderful! Lots of playing going on. Their energy levels are astounding.

Mariska says Thanks for helping with the Feliz Navidad Fund for the Be an Earth Angel week! She is doing great.

The cats love their plastic jug--the best place for a nap!

Weds., August 15

Today is Bravo's big surgery day. I wrote an e-mail to Dr. Darcy yesterday to tell her hundreds of webcam friends and volunteers are praying for Bravo, her, Dr. P and all people involved in Bravo's surgery. She wrote back and said "oh my goodness! There are so many webcammers and thank them for me for the prayers. Right before bed now I am going over the surgery and will review again in the morning as is my standard routine." I am always so grateful for the vets that we have--truly wonderful gifted people.

I will not be doing e-mails the rest of today. Kate and I will be going together to take Bravo to the vet's today. We will stay there at the vet's office. I will be texting the updates to our moderators who will let you all know the latest by posting on the cam and the facebook.

I received a wonderful letter from a webcam friend. She has been with us since the very first year. Her letter meant a lot to me and I would like to share part of it with you.

"Could you ever have imagined what this "cam" would grow into. I and many many others have been privileged to take part in the new floor, the storage area, the driveway, computers, fiver Friday and many other things including more than our share of tears. THe tears whether for happy or sad have become another part of our togetherness. Rita's stories only add to the wonder and specialness of FFRC.

We have all gotten to know the volunteers. We are a family, just a little different than the conventional kind. Amazing to hear, talk, and see people from other countries and other states. Even neater when they come to pick up their fur babies. We all rejoice!

From Lennie's love of Weasley and Dhana we got a cookbook. From Janet we got that marvelous accent and to see her on Skype with her new fostered baby. From others there have been wonderful arts and crafts. The condo for Kitty City is a work of art. The calendar from Kate is always wonderful. From Purrbody to Scampi to Magenta to Farrah to Putter to Squirt and now little Bravo and all those in between, we will be there for them and for you. We've got your back!"

This letter meant so very much to me. Thank you. We have indeed become a community of family and friends. I no longer see just the cam--I see lurkers, viewers, PEOPLE behind that lens! Thank you indeed, for being a very important part of FFRC.

We had BOXES last night!
UK webcammers--a package of Webbox Lickety Licks for the oldsters. (the cats love this so much, they opened the package before me and helped themselves to a couple sleeves!)
Anonymous Friend--Temptation treats, 3 cases of Fancy Feast Kitten can
Anonymous G--a wonderful bunch of items for when Graciela is adopted: toys, note pads, Putter magnet, catnip toys, health record, book of cats and kittens, cat frame, litter scoop, jars of baby food, canned food, cat bed and matching blankie, Revolution--some items are for the owner too! Treats for the Covies and Barnies, Donation of sponsorship support for Farrah and Graciela
Diane/volunteer--sent a card to Master Bravo" for his surgery

This is our dear Bravo. As you can see his one leg just juts out straight--from hip to toes, is fused into one "stick" of a leg. The other leg is shortened and held tight to his body from hip to knee. His knee and ankle are floppy--no control. He is going to be a happy, zooming boy after his surgery. No more useless legs to get in his way. I will give him many hugs and kisses, all from you--his friends.

Tuesday, August 14

Happy Birthday to Octavia!! She arrived here 9/29/09 at 6 1/2 weeks old. She was such a tiny little kitten. Today she is 3 years old. She's already gotten an Appetizer for her birthday breakfast! She also received a box in the mail yesterday, for BOX time! In it was a letter from Octavia to Canton asking her to purchase a shopping cart. Which Canton did--it was in the box, along with a shopping bag! Canton's letter to Octavia included a map and directions to our local supermarket. So, I discovered this morning that the shopping cart has wet wheels--obviously Octavia used her map and found her way to the supermarket. So, THAT'S why she's been napping already this morning--she's tired from her trip!

It's a cool morning and the kittens and cats have been very frisky. Right now, Bravo, Butterbur and Durell are speeding by me. Derecho is in the donut pillow play fighting with Campion. Farrah, Obadiah and Dennison are zooming around on the catwalks above me. Oh, to have such energy--I love to watch them!

Emaline is doing really good. She still has a few sores, but with her 2 injections under her now, they appear to be healing. One more injection for her--a week from Saturday. She has been spending a lot of time in the house. You can tell she enjoys it. Sometimes if I doze off and am on the couch, I'll wake up to her laying on me and purring! Putter seems to like the house too. He waits for me to finish my breakfast and enjoys a few licks of milk.

FFRC is sending out a prayer request. Our little friend, Hannah, that watches the cam all the time, is in the hospital. Her mom has asked for prayers. The cats and kitties have provided Hannah with a lot of entertainment. We have all grown to love this sweet girl. I'll keep you posted.

We had two adoptions yesterday! Raymond and Frogger went to the same home, together! The young man that adopted them was here last week and picked them out. We also took in 2 more adults. Felton was adopted from here 7/2008. He had been born here to Sister Sadie. Felton is a BIG white boy cat, now 4 1/2 years old. His housefriend also came with him. Her name is GraceAnn. She's a long hair grey female, very nice and is 7 years old. Their dad has recently passed away and their mom has to move away and cannot take them with her. So....they are here, relaxing in Thumper's Room for now.

We continue with our Be an Earth Angel fundraiser! This has been so exciting. More stories continue at BOX time and on the facebook. Our new total as of last night is..........$12,603!!! How so very exciting! This means the world to me and FFRC. Gives us a comforting feeling, knowing we can continue with our medical needs. On to more stories!!

We had BOXES last night.
TippyNTraylor and Ashley too--10 packages of paper plates
Elizabeth M from MI--coupons, purple collar for Bella and a snuggle toy for Bravo for after his surgery. Her kitties are Ginny and Ariel
Judy B from WA--coupons
Cathi B--12 Fancy Feast appetizers
Annonymous Friend--3 cases of Royal Canin baby can food and 3 cases of Fancy Feast kitten can
Mary K/McKane--2 cases of Fancy Feast kitten can and a case of Gravy Sensations and a case of Friskies can
Cindy H/Chaqua from MO--10 beautiful fleece homemae pillow cases (in memory of her cats Tula & PeeWee). We had pictures of these 2 sweet cats also.

Tomorrow is Bravo's surgery. His surgery probably will start mid-morning. I am planning on taking Bravo and staying for the duration. He will come back home to FFRC tomorrow. We will have June's Room all ready for him. I will keep the mods updated with whatever is happening. Look for their posts on the chat and facebook. Be patient for postings! Prayers are welcomed and appreciated.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Octavia! She's cleaning her toes from her big breakfast!

Our sweet Bravo--he's all ready for his surgery for tomorrow.

Monday, August 13

WOW!!! Our campaign to help replenish the Feliz Navidad Fund thru the Earth Angel fundraiser is going super great. Many many heartfelt thanks to you all. Daily you will see a story about a past or present cat in the FFRC's facebook page by Canton. She is a terrific storyteller about our FFRC cats! You will also hear stories about FFRC cats at BOX time each night this week. In the daily blogs will also be a written storytime!

Please know that if you cannot donate, that is fine! We understand. We simply enjoy sharing our cats and kitties with everyone thru the kittycam. We've had a few people who have donated $1.00 and $2.00 gifts. I have promised to use every single penny that is donated wisely. But, please know, that your moral support is hugely important to me, as is your clicks on the cam ads. And remember, it was by your voting clicks that we won the weekly prize last week for $1,000! Many thanks to you ALL.

I am truly reminded of the Lean on Me song and the other one I love is You've Got a Friend. We have made so many friends that we feel we are woven together like family. It's a good thing!

Our totals so far for Earth Angel fundraiser for the Feliz Navidad Fund:
8/7------$3,669
8/8------$5,457
8/9------$6,404
8/10-----$9,000
8/11-----$9,910
8/12-----$11,086

Our little newbie kitten Liberty is such a doll--for no bigger than she is, she sure can purr! She's still just half eating by herself so we will continue to syringe feed her. The other 2 newbies--Zorca and Tansi continue to be held alot to give them confidence to be around people. We have visitors today from Indiana--Medic and her mom Belinda. They will help with giving lots of attention to all the cats!

Danae has decided she's a "licking cat". She licks legs, elbows, feet, even toes! Not sure what this is about, but she's sure enjoying it! Maybe because her "kittens" don't want her to bathe them anymore?!

We had an adoption yesterday! Our sweet Sundance was adopted. He went into a home where the new mama is so very excited about having her. I'm thrilled for Sundance. She said that she'll post pictures in facebook for everyone.

We also had a returned kitten--Faleena was returned. Please know that when we have a returned kitten or cat, the owner is honoring the signed contract. ANY cat adopted from FFRC that needs to be returned, whether it's 2 days or 20 years, or for a good reason or for no reason, we want them back! I'm always thankful for the owner being responsible and returning he/she to FFRC. So, welcome back, Faleena!

Our vet's office is in the running for one of their cats to win the bragging rights of having the 2012 Pet Idol of the Year! They called this morning and asked us to help Spore win. It does cost $1 to vote, but they will make a donation to their local shelter with all the winnings! If you'd like to help SPORE win, please vote for him by going to: www.bryantimes.com, then click on the Pet Idol link and it'll take you to Spore! Good luck, Spore!

Here is the story of Trooper: One Saturday evening in June, 2004, a mother and her daughter arrived at FFRC, carrying a little orange and white kitten. They saw him being mauled by a large dog and stopped to help. His front right leg was gone and his little face was mangled. We gently and carefully treated his wounds, and kept him as comfortable as possible. Over the weekend, he received fluids, antibiotics and pain meds. On Monday morning he went to the vets and surgery was immediately done. Lucky little Trooper found a loving home that very day, as one of the vet's staff fell in love with him and wanted to adopt him!. He recooperated at FFRC and then went to his new forever home.

I want to say a huge big gigantic thanks to our volunteers. These volunteers are awesome. They give so much of their time, love and compassion to this Rescue Center. Without them, FFRC would not be possible.

Sunday, August 12

We took in a new kitten a few days ago. She's very unique in her looks--a torti/calico blend--very interesting markings. She arrived here after being another one of those "just found" kittens. She had a few fleas, much dirt in her ears, very thin and with an upper respiratory infection. But, that kitten sure can purr and knead! Michelle, one of our weekend visitors, took it upon herself to be Aunti! She syringe fed her for us all day Saturday, as the kitten didn't want to eat by herself. After many syringes and passing many roundworms, she finally decided to eat a bit on her own last night! Michelle has named her Liberty! This is a real lover bug kitten! She's on antibiotics, special foods, eye drops and ear drops.

Last night we had BOXES!
Utah 47 and her cat Tommy--a very nice letter, a neat stuffed chicken that plays the Dancing Chicken song (which has been played numerous times already!) and some paracord bracelets that she made, to be given to some of the kids here--ever so nice of you!
TippyNTraylor and Ashley too from FL--a big case of Charmin Toilet paper and candy treats for the volunteers
Caren F from CA--a PayPal donation to sponsor Betony

We are continuing with our Be an Earth Angel fundraiser. Remember to check out the facebook page to catch the stories too by Cantoncat. They are truly awesome reminders of some of our past cats!

Last night we had an update on the total for the Feliz Navidad fund, which is growing thanks to you, our Angels here on Earth! Last night's update was ...........$9,910!!!! There is only one word for this and it is awesome! And another word--gratefulness from US!

Here is a story about PETE. Pete arrived on June 3, 2004. He was an all white cat and arrived in poor condition. Two weeks prior to his arrival, he had been hit by a car and severely injured. He stayed under the porch of the family who rescued him. It took them days to coax him out from under the porch. When he arrived, he was terribly thin and frightened and his right rear leg had a nasty compound fracture, which required an amputation. Following the amputation, the surgery site abcessed. Pete continued on antibiotics and soreness meds and as he healed and filled out, his wonderful personality emerged--a sweet boy that loved to be cuddled. He was adopted into a home with a family that wanted him very much.

Here is a story about Deetle. Deetle arrived in 2004. He was a very old oldster who the family no longer wanted. Sometimes I think people think that "old age" is a disease. Heavens forbid--we ALL, hopefully, have the blessing of growing old! Deetle arrived, familly left and he adjusted beautifully to his new home here at FFRC. He only lived for another 7-8 months, but what a good time he had. He was doted on, brushed daily, given whatever food he wanted and was just enjoyed by us! He knew he was loved. So, even though his time was short with us, it felt "ok", as we knew he appreciated and enjoyed his time here at FFRC.

Saturday, August 11

We opened the door to June's Room yesterday for part of the time. Rosetta and Bennette decided they didn't want to venture out yet, but they were fine with kitties coming into their room to visit. That's a good thing. Zorca and Tansi are doing good in Dodger's Pen. Tansi especially needs more hands on--she's a little worried girl yet. But, we'll heap on the attention and hopefully, that will help.

Yesterday we caught the Treatment Board up to date. This is the board that we update about every 8-10 days. It helps us keep track of when and who needs vaccinations, wormings, second testings, flea prevention, ears checked, etc.

We have our visitors! Michelle is here (from Ohio) for the weekend and is staying at Kitty Kastle. Emily (8 years old) and her mom, Annie are here too. Annie's mom, Suzie2 was also to come from Florida. But, due to bad weather the plane couldn't fly. Hopefully they all 3 will be able to come another time. Medic and her mom, Belinda (from Indiana) will be here tomorrow for 2 days.

Badu, Zelda and Purrby are again on my desk. So cute--all look quite happy and I do believe I hear a little snoring from Badu! Penn and Teller are on the window shelf by the bird feeders--intense watching going on. Yesterday, Farrah went nuts over a batch of birds that was outside the enclosure. I've never seen her move so fast--she was "flying" along with them, keeping track of them!

We had BESS last night--Boxes, Envelope, Sack and Stories! It was fun.
Gecko--2 big bottles of L-Lysine (we use this in their breakfast mix every day)
FFRC kittens/cats--a surge protector for Kitty Kastle
Middlemom--a really neat cardboard cat lounger
Darkcat--birthday card and donation in honor of the Paddys birthdays
Michelle/diegocat and her cat Rusty--cat binder, homemade scotch/oatmeal cookies, sardines, whiskas packets, cat treats, post-its, 3 different pen packets
Caren F--a PayPal donation in memory of her past kitties Sarah, Mathilda and Malcolm and also for her present kitties Ralph and Molly

Starting next week, we are putting in ads weekly in our Crescent News--posting our website and petfinder site. We will be picking a different adult cat weekly to try and find a home for. This time of year is our slowest for adoptins--happens ever single year. As the months get cooler, adoptions go up.

We are continuing our Be an Earth Angel fundraiser this week and next week. Our total last night (including PayPal, checks and cash) was.....$8,995. Our volunteer, Connie kicked in $5, which then made it an even $9,000!! Wow--talk about being ecstatic and grateful!! We will continue story-telling thru this fundraiser event!

This is the story of Champ. Champ came to us on 4/25/03. He was a siamese blend and absolutely handsome. He had been found with a leg hold trap (horrible things) caught on his tail. The people that found him had removed the trap. He appeared to be so very thin and probably no owner. So....he made his way to FFRC. He immediately had a major scrub done of his tail as it was very neucrotic. Antibiotics were also started. Unfortunately, he had to have his tail amputated, but he was able to keep 4 inches of it! He could wiggle and wag that tail just like normal. Soon after the sutures came out, he was adopted by a family who dearly loved him.

This is the story of LoLa and her family. Lola arrived here with 4 little kittens in tow. The person that brought her had wanted LoLa, but not the kittens. This person was not willing to get LoLa spayed, so she relinquished her also. Shortly after their arrival, another litter was brought in. Mama had been killed by a car. So....LoLa was asked if she could take on a few more kittens. She agreed, with the promise that she would get extra Fancy Feast every day! So, she took on another litter (after they were tested, wormed). Such a big happy family. All were spayed/neutered and every one of them adopted!


Simone, a Covie, was one of the sorriest looking cats to ever arrive here. He not only had one eye, but was literally covered in bite wounds, so very emaciated and couldn't even hardly walk. But, when the top of his box was removed, up popped his head! He looked around and my thought was, "he wants to live", and so he did! He's still with us as a Covie resident.

Ada Jane, a permanent resident. Ada Jane arrived in 2/11/05. She was on the euthanasia list at a shelter. She was 10 and the family didn't want her any longer due to her "getting on in years". What? How could that be? We took her without hesitation and so glad we did! She looked very sweet and was pronounced healthy by our vet. She has the cutest way of turning her head sideways and trying to say "meow", but nothing much comes out but a tiny squeak! This is what she does to us when she wants an extra treat. How could anyone resist that?! She is still with us as an Oldster. She is now 17 years old.

Friday, August 10

First, I have to say Happy Birthday to my daughter Dawn! I love you!

Our Be an Earth Angel adventures continue! We had story time last night after boxes, as we will again tonight! Canton is also putting stories of some of our past cats on the facebook page. Our Feliz Navidad account has grown!! Last night at 6:30 pm, is was........$6,404. Isn't that just terrific?!!! Wow! This is YOUR happenin'--because of YOU! Tonight's total will reflect the checks and cash that we have received so far.

Right now, Purrgeron, Badu, Zelda and Hannah are stretched out on my desk. This must be 34 pounds of cat-weight, anchoring all my papers down. The trouble is, Purrgeron has his foot by the printer and every time it prints, he "helps" by sticking his paw up there, which immediately stops the printer. What to do! They may slow me up a little, but they sure are great desk friends! (At least up here, Purrgeron can't find any cans or jars to stick his head into!)

I talked to Dr. Darci yesterday about Bravo's upcoming surgery. She and Dr. P will be doing the surgery for Bravo. They are all set, have talked about this and feel they can do a great job for our little boy. They've even went over anesthetic protocols and drug usage for him. They are ready! I will be going and staying with him. I'l also keep the mods up to date, so they can post info on the camchat.

Our 2 newbies, Zorca and Tansi will be moving up to Dodger's Pen today. They need more human contact. They've had their bath and are right now sleeping on a warming disk. We used the new yellow hair-dryer. It works great! We may also be opening the door to June's Room today and see how Bennette and Rosetta does--I believe they're thinking it might be nice to cruise about.

This weekend we have visitors! Diego Kitty/Mechele will be arriving today and staying at Kitty Kastle. We also have Linda, Suzie2 and Anne visiting Saturday and Sunday. We are very much looking forward to these visits. The cats are too--I heard a conference going on over in Cat's Corner Room--the cats were discussing ways of making sure our guests feel welcome!

Danae is still keeping track of her "kittens". They're almost as big as she is, but she likes to know where they are. Putter was out and about all night in the Rescue Center, instead of the house. Emaline's skin problems are improved. Tomorrow she will get the 2nd injection of the 3 planned for her. Hope this will give her longer-term relief.

This is a story about Guendolyn. She was a soft gray and white young adult cat that arrived at FFRC on 3/4/03. Her right eye looked just terrible and seemed to be so sore. Dr. P examined her and realized the eye was non-functional and was so deteriorated, it was sunken into her eye socket due to a past injury. She also had an obsessive licking problem, which despite various treatments for the skin, continued. In early April, the eye looked worse and enucleation was recommended. The eye was removed soon after that. Skin tests came back negative and fortunately, following the eye surgery, the licking stopped! Guendolyn was ready then for a permanent home, which she found! A happy ending for a wonderful.

We had BOXES and ENVELOPES and STORIES last night! My sincere thanks.
Penny B from OH--M & M pretzel candy and other volunteer treats, stickers, 4 food cans for the dogs, Wobbler cat toys, 18 fancy feast gravy lovers, 10 appetizers, Hoops & YoYo card
SofieandLucy'sDad--coupons
Goss--coupons
Sherman & Sarah S from Ohio--letter and info about Fayth. They adopted Fayth and love her!
Jodiann M from MI--a card with pictures of her cats, Marissa and family

Honey, a Covie cat. Honey has skin problems that we constantly monitor, sometimes requiring medication. She's a sweetie and loves people.

Thursday, August 9

We won, we won, we won!! We received the most votes from the voting contest at The Animal Rescue Site for Quarter 3, Week 4. We will receive a check from PetFinders for $1,000. We are thrilled here to have won this! This is all in direct relationship to YOUR votes!! Thank you.

It's a cool day today--what a change! Putter has been sitting in my kitchen for about 2 hours just checking things out. When my cats go by him, he just stares. I love it when he looks at one of the Z's--he looks like he's quite mystified by them!

I've heard back from Caryn, my daughter, who now has 2 kitties in their home! Vollie (a kitten they found) and Ramondo are doing great! We've also gotten another report about Sizzle and Faleen--all is terrific there--happy kitties. All is well in adoption-land.

For those of you who don't get to watch breakfast, you'd get a kick out of Bravo. He's a sardine lover. Each morning at breakfast, before the plates are put on the floor, the kitties gather for their 2 tins of sardines. They LOVE this, especially Bravo. He gobbles up as much as he can, growling all the time. Yes, our sweet Bravo growls and says back off to all other cats!

We have 2 new kittens. One is a baby found by Angie and Bill's family. She's a little brown tiger, already knows to purr, a little shy but will be fine. Her name is Tansi.
The other is a tiny kitten, about Miau's size. She is a black kitten with 2 colored marks on her forehead--she already will put her head into your cupped hand for loving. Her name is Zorca (from the Name the Cat list). They are still in Thumper's Room and are becoming good friends together.

We had BOXES last night! Your donations are much appreciated.
Betty--in the past week, she has sent quite a few boxes of litter! We deeply appreciate this. Every piece will be used!
Priscilla G--4 cases of baby food
Laura H/Medic--2 cases of Fancy Feast
Kerswill--note from Nutmeg, also Amber and Demon Domino, pocket folders, 2 boxes of Bandages, reinforcement circles, Appetizers, Clorox Wipes, Temptation Snackers, case of Friskies, and a great yellow hair dryer for the cat's baths!
Aunti Bantry--card, kitty snackers, fuzzy balls, binder clips, postie notes, mousies, book "Toto the Tornado Kitten", tshirts for Lisa, Caryn & Jacci. Extra thanks!
Carol S from CA--Royal Canin dry kitten food, bag of Purina One kitten food, freeze dried catnip cat treats
Shelley & Val H--litter, baby fod, cans of cat food
Maya H (used her own money!)--case of Friskies with cheese, 2 bags of kitty treats, Special Friskies cans and snacks for the Porchies
Kathy & Laura--day visitors--canned food, cuddle crinkle bag that Bravo loves, snacks, baby food, Appetizers and pouches of food
Kelly S & Apache E--day visitors--5 sheets and a cash donation in lieu of birthday gifs for the Rescue Center!
Gregg-volunteer--donation from a garage sale that he had

As you may know, during the night (or even during the day), if anything abnormal happens or the cam goes down, the moderators call me. Well, last night I got a call. I was told that Purrgeron had a plastic container on his head. So, I ran out, and right there in front of me was Purrgeron, just walking around, with a plastic jar stuck on his head--didn't seem to bother him at all! I had to laugh though. The jar had been in the trash and still smelled of yummy chicken treats. He's a little piggy! Gotta love him!

This week and next week we will continue to give you special stories about past and present cats and kittens that have required a bit more medical attention. This is part of our Be an Earth Angel to help reestablish the Felix Navidad fund to help with medical needs. If interested in helping, you can go to fofrescue.org and look for the Earth Angel link. Thank you!

We have a new total! The evening of 8/7, our total was $3,669. The total for the evening of 8/8 was $5,457! Isn't this just wonderful--lots of support and lots of gratitude on our part!

The Story of Vijay--On Feb. 1st, 2003, a small cat with severe eye problems arrived at FFRC. She was named Vijay, after sweet Victory, who had become an angel earlier in the day. On 2/10, Vijay was taken to the vets--the iris of the left eye was perforated and the right eye had a large corneal ulcer. Vijay was spayed on 2/21 and left eye surgery was performed to seal the punctured area of the cornea. She arrested immediately following surgery, and required 27 minutes of resuscitation. She survived! On 3/7, the left eye was very swollen and 3 days later, the eye was enucleated. Vijay turned out to be a happy, healthy girl and was soon adopted!

Our Covies and Porchies and Barnies (the cats from the 2 barns) have asked to have a say (Putter was their spokesperson). Between these 3 categories of cats, there are 33 cats that we care for. An FFRC friend asked a very important question yesterday that the cats will like to talk about. FFRC also assumes medical care of these 33 cats. Some of the money received from the Catathon was used to help with this, but the Feliz Navidad fund will also benefit these cats as well. Each month these cats receive flea prevention. They also get wormed 3 times yearly and receive yearly vaccinations. Recently, Big Al had a growth removed from his ear and we had a Covie have a tooth removed. Big Al also has been treated for 2 bite wounds lately. Hank continues to have eye drops in his right eye. Many times, whenever we get one of these cats brought up to the Rescue Center, we'll do another leukemia/FIV test, just to BE SURE our cats are healthy. Eyes are treated, ears are cleaned, anything these guys need, they also get. I appreciate that we can continue to care for these 33 cats. They really are nice!

Porchie, Big Al says thanks for helping with his ear surgery.

Tiramisu, one of the spring kitties, says thanks for helping with the KMR formula that was needed for all the baby kitties.

Weds., August 8

We had another adoption yesterday! Faleena went to her new home. Her new family has a lot of time to spend with her and give her lots of love. I believe she is going to be a super happy kitty in this new home! Today, Val and Shelley and Maia will be leaving. Val will be taking Pedra (for her) and Kooper (for Janak)!

Yesterday we had 2 cats that went to the veterinarian's office. Pedra went for her spay. All was fine, physical good and she's completely recovered already. Jaina also went along for her 3rd x-ray. Good news....finally for this girl! She has a 3 out of 6 grade heart murmur, but the engorged heart veins are no longer there! She is better! So, now Jaina can safely go up for adoption. We're all so happy for her.

Badu was kind enough to drop a whisker on my desk. It is FIVE inches long--isn't that incredible! She loves to lay on the desk when Zelda isn't on it. The problem is she's SO big, she literally covers up all my paperwork! Oh well, the things that we have to put up with!

As you probably know, we have started our Be an Earth Angel campaign to raise money for the Feliz Navidad fund. This week we are simply telling stories about different cats that have needed more than the general care. The Feliz Navidad fund is being reactivated to help us cover costs of special needs (surgeries, meds, etc). The website is open already to take any donation that you would care to give. The site is fofrescue.org. Just click on the Earth Angel link and it'll take you to the site.

I will tell you about a cat that I adopted from FFRC a long time ago. Her name is Sherry, named after the person who rescued her. Sherry had a mama and siblings. Unfortunately, all were very very ill. The mama died and all the litter did also, except for Sherry. Sherry was so sick. She had a severe upper respiratory infection. Her one eye is so terribly scarred by this virus, that she no longer has site in it. The other eye is weepy most of the time. She also has heavy duty sneezing fits, even to this day. This is her way of life, nothing more can be done. She's had her share of vet visits, antibiotics, but she is as she is. This is the thing--she's a happy girl. She was given a chance to live. She's one of the most sweetest cats ever. That's what we want to give to as many cats as we can, space permitting and money permitting--just a chance to be happy. This Feliz Navidad fund will help us with this.

We weren't going to reveal the amount of the incoming donations till Sunday night and then do it nightly till the 18th, but..... we have to change that plan. YOU have come thru already to help us with this fundraiser, so we have to keep you up to date on the totals. I should never ever doubt that which I am told every so often. You have our back here. It is such a comfort to know that we do indeed have Angels here on Earth for this Rescue Center. The total last night at 7:15 pm was............$3,669. I am ever so deeply grateful for this.

Please know that if you cannot donate, we certainly understand. We still love your support of the kittycam, your votes and your clicks and most importantly, your friendship.

Octavia came up to me at my desk this morning and stared at me. Then she went to the window that goes to the outdoor enclosure. Mind you, it was still very dark outside. But, I raised the window and out she went. She spent 8-9 minutes gobbling up those spiderwebs that she loves so much. When she was done, she meowed and wanted back in! I guess that was her breakfast!

Bravo has his wonderful leggings on his back legs again. We'll see if they stay on better this time. His surgery is a week from today. We're hoping to prevent any friction wear on his rear legs with these leggings. Want to keep him as healthy as possible for this big surgery.

McCallan is "playing" with 3 kittens--Goodness, Obadiah and Ginseng. He's taking them and rolling them over on their backs, then cleaning their eyes and ears. I guess he didn't think we're doing it properly!

All is well here. We have a happy bunch of volunteers, kitties and visitors.

Thought you'd enjoy this--the Purresa litter!

Tuesday, August 7

Happy day! It's a great day here at the Rescue Center. I look out over the front office and count 13 cats sleeping peacefully. Then in the main area, Derecho & Butterbur are going to town playing on the cushion. A wadded up paper ball is his main toy today. What a joy to watch him play. Then on the far side of the rescue center, there are 5 kittens running up and down the same piece of furniture--must be tag time. In Kitty Campus Room, Cutie and 3 kittens are napping away in the top of the bunk beds--it's a tight fit, but cozy!

I just found out that the second big storm that we had a few days ago produced 1 3/4 inches of rain. It came down fast and hard. The good news is that Kitty City stayed dry.....no flooding! This is wonderful news to me as I was always in great fear that any rain would cause more flooding in the City. This would've ruined the insulation and the wall boards very quickly. This means the Parking Lot Project was a success!

Last night at boxes, we kicked off an event for FFRC. It's known as Be an Earth Angels for FFRC. It's a way of building up the Feliz Navidad fund, which in the past has been used for medical purposes. Our goal is to get our medical bills paid up again, pay for the immediate upcoming surgeries and to then possibly have a bit of extra to pad the Feliz Navidad fund.

YOU can become an Earth Angel! If you can spare $10, please go to our website fofrescue.org. There's a special link there to click on to guide you to a PayPal page. Or if you prefer to send a check or money order, please just send it to FFRC, designated for Earth Angel. This week is a prelimary time, before the real week which is August 12 thru August 18.

We want to recognize our Earth Angels...so all the names of the Earth Angels will be posted on a special webpage. Each night NEXT WEEK, I'll give you an update on how we're doing. If you'd like to jump on board, you're welcome to start the donations now! Very possibly this week, we'll do an update on the PayPal to let you know how we're doing. We'll have a big board ready each night when we give the PayPal and check updates so we can keep track. Even if you can only donate a dollar, it's a dollar more than we had before!

Your Earth Angels donations will go entirely to cover medical bills. In just the past 3 months alone, we've done 76 spays and neuters. Plus, we've had several "special" surgeries--McLovin', Mariska, Fiver (even though he passed away, we still have his bill). Coming up is Bravo's big surgery. It will also go towards Emaline's meds, Farrah's seizure meds, ear medicines, antibiotics. Today, we have a spay that will be done and Jaina's 3rd chest x-ray will be done. Every day here, someone is getting different meds. This will also help with the initial $300 cost that we have in each and every incoming cat and kitten. Flea prevention is also given every single month to every single cat. These medical bills add up quickly!

When we had the Fiver Friday, that was a terrific bonus to us. We were able to get all past medical bills paid up in regards to supplies and veterinarian bills. It was wonderful! We also had enough to cover medical things for a short time after that. But, that fund is now gone and so, we would love to replenish it again. I promise to never ever ask for help, unless it is truly needed.

I know our webcam friends do so much for FFRC and I deeply thank you for this. We could never do this without you. Since we started the webcam, our friends from around the world has helped us in so many ways. We now need for our Angel friends to help us again.

And, if you can't, we understand--truly we do. There's other ways to help--votes, moral support, clicking on the ads, etc. You are ALL angels to me. We run this rescue center, but YOU rescue the rescue center! So, we are calling on all Angels to help us again.

On March 3rd, 2002, Victoria was born at the rescue center. She was born with her eyes open. Even though her sight was limited, this did not curtail her activities! Her right eye deteriorated, and lashes were rubbing against her left eye, causing scarring. On 4/29/02, Victoria underwent surgery on her left eye--a portion of the upper lid was removed and a new one was reconstructed. What a victory! Her left eye was repaired (entropian) on 7/17. At this time, she was also spayed. Victoria found a wonderful home and family when she was adopted. Her picture is in Cat's Corner Room, on the ladder wall. Her surgery was covered by an anonymous donor--another Earth Angel friend!

We had ENVELOPES to open last night! Many many thanks.
Hannah & her mom--birthday card for the Paddys
Nancy D from OH--a donation to FFRC
Jim T and family--donation for Emaline with a note and pictures of their 2 handsome kitty boys
Eric/lovemypetz--visited on Sunday and brought Fancy Feast Appetizers, kitty treats, hammock house and an angry bird toy (which has already been all over the rescue center!)
Thomas P from UK--donation thru PayPal to sponsor Putter, Asha and Magenta
Carol N/cn1919--donation thru PayPal for any need that we have

Bella says thanks for helping with her "emergency bum" surgery this year!
Remember Zelda when she arrived? So very thin and had those awful sores on her hips. She had been stuck between 2 walls and desperately tried to get out. She needed help. Once she arrived here, it took a couple weeks of antibiotics and daily cleaning of her wounds till she was better.