Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday, January 31

Shhhhhh!  Want to know a secret? Today we will have a Flash Sale. Maybe you don't know the time? Shhhhhh--it's at 3:00 FFRC time! Come join the fun! We aren't doing many items--some cat bowl beds, Pat's wrist/hand warmers, a few scarves, a couple frames. These sales will help us with the propane costs.  

The Super Blanket Raffle Weekend continues on! Don't know abut it? Check out the blog (2 days ago) and the facebook pages and the forum. Lots of info there for you! We love doing a raffle--gives lots of people a chance to win something really nice! The intake of tickets ends at 3:00 Saturday and the drawing will be at 6:00 pm FFRC time.

We had an adoption today! Yes, our sweetie Clayton went to his new home. Our volunteer Becky M adopted him. Within ten minutes of him being home, he was already stretched out on the table with her granddaughter, looking so sweet!

We had BOXES last night! many thanks are given to you. 
Meg A--King Cake to celebrate Mardi Gras. Last year when we had the cake, I was the lucky one to get the baby in the cake. This year, Jimmy's first slice of this delicious cake had the baby in it! It was fun!
Brooke/brookeboss--6 catnip Yeooow bananas, Cat's Meow undercover toy
Lois L/lannml--3 cases of Whiskas Chicken
Widdletigger--2 cases Natual Balance Sardines in juice (for GInger to steal and share!)
LJ323--lots of Hefty quart bags, 8 large cans chicken, 4 bathrugs and 4 shower mats. Also 3 beautiful afghans. A Cat on a Fence (violet, lavender blue & white), a 42 x 55 lavender, purple & white with popcorn kitties and a 60 x 60 green and blue squares with kitties on the squares. All 3 of these afghans are wonderful!
Pat, our volunteer--10 pairs of handwarmers for Day Sale
NYC-Kelly45--2 nyla bone kitty toys, doggie bone toy, 2 cases Gerber baby food, 5 bags of Royal Canin Baby cat dry
Jennifer/jacksmom--wonderful towels! 5 green bath towels, 3 green hand towels and 5 yellow bath towels and 4 yellow hand towels! 

Then we had a late Christmas present from the Montana & Crew (the mama that adopted 5 cats from FFRC). These 5 boxes were held up at customs at Christmas. They were then returned to the sender and they decided to drive the boxes to Buffalo and mail them from there. Simply amazing! 
Each adoptive cat sent it's own box. I was blown away by this. The 5 cats that were adopted were Montana, Januka, Halo, Spruce and Abner (aka Sgt. Sweetie Pie/Sarge). Each box held a beautiful picture of each cat with a donation per cat. The boxes held a huge assortment of items--Friskie cases, Fancy Feast, baby food, a dyson hand held vacuum, dry cat food, Ziploc plastic bags, Q-tips, Lysol wipes, Huggies refills and lots of snackers!  Wow! This was wonderful.  No matter how hard some of this rescue "work" is, when I see those pictures of our cats being happy and so loved in their new homes, it's very very heart warming to me.

Marty has been moved to Dodger's Pen. She right now is taking a nap in the hammock inside her pen. When she's comfortable with this situation, her pen door will be opened. Then we will set the pen back up and bring Coralie up to Dodger's Pen so she has more people interaction. Every cat has their own progression of entering the Main Area. We've removed the bandages from Coralie's feet once again. Now she has a day or two to have them off.

Paddy Purr is sitting on my desk, right in front, half sleeping! He has gained weight and his eyes look a tad bit better. Such a wonderful boy. He's fought his cold battle and has won! He's a toughie!

The floor guys were here yesterday. That 5 foot long strip by 4 inches that was left bare concrete after the new counter was put in, is covered with the blue floor material. They've done a good job. 

We also have some PayPal thanks to give!
Arden and Charmaine--PayPal for Marty's care!
Adrienne N--donation for FFRC
Lynda S--donation for FFRC
Sandra T--donation for FFRC
Ramona S from MN--donation for FFRC

Many thanks to you all for your support of this Rescue Center. I love FFRC with a passion. When we have people that truly "have our backs", it sure makes this work a whole lot easier. I thank you for that. 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Thursday, Jan.30

Wrigley is a high energy kitten! He must've played with that Chase the Mouse toy for 2 hours today! What fun he had. Just love that kitten! It was interesting to watch Freemont too. He sat there for a long long time watching Wrigley play--like he was trying to figure that toy out. He eventually got into the fun! Then Lorenzo decided that he had to join in too--he seemed to like the wand bopping him on the head! What wonderful cats! 

Seymour is climbing again this morning--he's right now on the 4th tier of a cat furniture--sleeping soundly after playing hard this morning. Shiloah is enjoying watching the birds out of the Kitty Kabana windows. The birds have been heavily eating. Cozarelii has figured out how to get on the "princess bed" in the Kabana. He has a smile on his face--I swear he does! Hazel is watching the woodpeckers at a different window.

We had BOXES last night! Thanks ever so much.
Lucy P/lulittle--3 awesome books. A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob--both by James Bowen and Casper the Commuting Cat by Susan Finden. All 3 sounds like wonderful books. I'm right in the middle of reading Uncle Whiskers, a great story about a handicapped cat.
Arden and Charmaine--2 large bags of Purina One dry food -- cats were trying to help me open the box!
Tanya B/Dutchy from Canada--6 Kong Kickaroos with catnip and 12 mega bags of cat snackers
Kerswill--birthday card for my mom
Lovebugs--birthday card for my mom
Austin from OH--donation for PayPal
Henry R Peeps and Oh My Guinness--birthday card for Sevaun's 11th birthday with her $5 for a special treat!
Joan N from NY--donation for FFRC

BOXES will be at 5:30 tonight--we had a late drop from UPS last night so we have 12 boxes already! 

Farm update: the horses are doing great--very fuzzy. They are out in the corrals about 5-6 hours each day. The goat and donkey are also doing good. The chickens are out and about--they're getting extra food every day. No eggs right now though, due to the cold. The geese, peacocks, guineas and ducks are doing great. They are amazing, the way they stay warm in such cold weather.

Remember the Super Blanket Raffle Weekend has begun! Check out yesterdays blog, FFRC Nation or the facebook pages for the information!

Our new cat, Marty is doing really good. She is such a nice young adult. Beth combed and brushed her alot yesterday. Marty is very tolerant of that and is looking cleaner and better. She and Coralie are becoming friends since they are in the same room. Coralie has just 2 legs wrapped today. Dr. Darcy received an update yesterday regarding her. So far, all is going good. This is the time we are in the waiting pattern---to see what more healing can happen. Cats are awesome healers!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Weds., Jan. 29

It's a raffle! This upcoming weekend is known as Super Bowl Weekend, but at FFRC it's Super Blanket Raffle Weekend!  And you are all invited to participate!  In fact, we're starting the weekend on THURSDAY, because it's that big!

We have five beautiful blankets, known as Warped-de-dos, made by Warped in MN.  They are:
A--yellow with blue birds, 58 x 70
B--purple, blue, red, green abstract, 56 x 70
C--butterflies, flowers blocks, 57 x 70
D--purple, green, pink flowers, 59 x 70
E--Pretty Cat, red, white, etc., 57 x 70

These Warped-de-dos are twin size blankies, super soft, washes and dries easily. They are like the Leggydews but much bigger. 

Here's how it works: Each blanket has a letter associated with it. Each $5.00 donation gets your name in a raffle for whichever blanket you ae interested in. If you donate $5.00 for blanket A, for example, your name will go into the raffle for that blanket.  If you donate $25 for blanket B, your name will go in five times.  Five blankets==five boxes. 

We are putting all the names on a numbered list, so your name is associated with a number and on Saturday at 6:00 pm we will draw one number from each box and look at the list to see who the winner is!

We're doing this so more of you can participate in getting one or more of these beautiful, handmade blankets.  If you don't want to participate, that's ok, just be thankful for all who do and of course for the wonderful time and talent of Warped.

Entries for the raffle must be made by paypal, be sure to include which letter blanket you want. Raffle tickets may be purchased starting THURSDAY, Jan 30 through 3:00 SATURDAY, Feb. 1.  Then on Saturday at 6:00 pm we will draw the five lucky winners.

We'll post the pictures of the blankets on FB chatters and FFRC Nation beginning on Thursday. Thank you for supporting FFRC as the money raised by the blanket promotions goes to help pay for our electric bill (over $1,000 for last month). Thanks ever so much! Let the PayPals begin Thursday!! Remember, be sure to put which letter of BLANKET and how many tickets you'd like to buy. Of course, if you'd like, you can do more than 1 blanket! 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tuesday, Jan. 28

Brrrr, goosebumps, chilly, oh my garsh it's cold out there. We are a very cold area, but fairly toasty inside. Wind chills are in the minus twenties. Schools are closed again. Some of the Porchies have decided they are to be called Front Thumper's Room cats as they've invited themselves right inside. This morning there were 5 of the Porchies inside Thumper's Room. They looked so happy to be in. With the shortage of propane though, we have brought the thermostat down a few notches. We have to be conservative.

Yesterday and each Monday at 9:00, the Jenna Radar will flip itself on for a very short cycle to rotate the oil and be sure it's working properly. Oh, what a lovely sound that generator made....I thought of it as a purr! It was wonderful!

Slowly but surely we are going thru the website and updating each category. This will take a bit of time but we will get it done! Ginger is in top form--Octavia would be so proud of her. She is a great apprentice! Just this morning alone she thieved 4 packets of food. Tabitha too has become an accomplished "nester". Remember, she had 2 cases of paper towels donated just for her. And she loves it! She will take the roll of paper towels (that's on the holder) and unroll and unroll a length of PT. Then she pulls it off, mushes it up and takes a nap! She's so sweet, she even shares her nest with others! We sometimes "borrow" some of her towels to use them! She doesn't mind!

As many of you probably know already, S.T.O.P., a cat rescue in Mansfield, OH had a fire. (reference to it is in late blog yesterday). FFRC has extended help to them. THe director, Diana, will keep us posted and let us know if/when we can help with some of the cats. She sent an email just this morning, and said their biggest concern is for the cats with eye damage from the fire. As FFRC knows more about the situation, we will pass it on to you.

We had BOXES last night! Please know how grateful we are to you.
Barbwick--with a note--fish kitty bowl with lid for a flash sale.
Oilsandsgirl--jumbo automatic atomic digital clock--check it out--numbers are 4 1/2 inches tall!
For Jimmy--2 official FFRC Customer Man t-shirt!! (from Mod friends)
Jay H--2 large bottles of L-Oysine for Asha & friends
Mayumi from Japan--2 cases of Chicken tulle and 2 bags of chicken steaks
Leggygal from CA--2 large bags of Royal Canin Kitten dry food
LJ323--2 crocheted samples of how the cat bowl beds are made
Kelly R in CA--bags of sugar free candy and regular candy for the volunteers, Bag of cat snackers, Fancy Feast, Appetizers and baby food
Susan C--donation for FFRC
Helmin from UK--donation to FFRC as a help for the quilt project

FFRC has always had a plan of action for an emergency. Due to the fire at S.T.O.P., we want to update our Emergency Plan. We had actually started this process last week. We now have 9 fire extinguishers in place and 9 smoke detectors, some with carbon monoxide detectors built in. Our Instruction in Case of Emergency paper has been updated. We always keep extra carriers in the middle shed just for this occasion.

We had 3 adoptions this past Sunday. Xena went to her new home. I do believe she was thoroughly loved by her new family even before they left with her! Next was Miss Eltoe, followed by Miss Molly. I believe these 3 all went into wonderful homes. I've already seen pics of Miss Molly--all looks well!

Ming had a real treat last night--he got to spend a night in Kitty Kastle with Sarah and Beth. Sarah spent the night so that she didn't have to contend with road conditions this morning. Ming so enjoyed being "the only cat"! He's a great boy. 

All is well at FFRC. I so appreciate the extra effort that it takes to keep things going with this cold weather. We truly do have the best volunteers! 




Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday, Jan. 27

Hug your cat. Kiss your dog. Keep them close and be grateful for them. This cold winter that many of us are experiencing is so very hard for the outside pets.

I also got a couple notifications about the fire that happened to S.T.O.P. (Stop the Overpopulation-Pets) just this past Friday, in Mansfield, OH.   S.T.O.P is a cat shelter. This is only about 2 1/2 hours from Defiance. I called the director to talk to her. Her name is Diana. I was privileged to talk to her about the situation. Apparently they have 42 cats at the vets office under treatment, 2 are already in foster care and 3 passed away in the fie and 1 is still unaccounted for although seen in the area. 18 of the cats at the vet clinic are in fairly stable condition. The reason for me calling was to offer FFRC's help. If we can take some of the cats and continue their treatments, we would be honored to do so. I told Diana my greatest fear with our Rescue Center is fire. To have to experience this tragedy would be heart breaking.  The purpose of this blog? I'm asking for your help. I asked Diana her #1 need right now and she said prayers. I said I would post that on our blog.  So, if you are a prayerful person, please pray for the cats that belong to S.T.O.P and for their healing. And pray for guidance for Diana and the volunteers. This is a tragedy I hope to never have to experience. Thank you for being the kind of friends that makes it possible to ask this request of.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday, Jan. 26

All went well with our surgery day yesterday although it was a very long day. 
Those that were spayed:
Patricia--physical good, weighed 6.05
Miss Eltoe--physical good, weighed 4.08
Miss Molly--physical good, previous fracture is stable, weighed 2.07
Xena--physical good, weighed 3.09 (Vet thought these 5 cats have savannah or bengal in them)
Mary Kay--physical good, weighed 3.05
Piet--physical good, weighed 3.06
Zata--physical good, weighed 2.05
Yvonne--physical good, good weight now, weighed 7.09

Those that were neutered:
O'Hare--physical good, weighed 3.03
Wrigley--physical good, CH confined to head wobbles and slight body imbalance, weighed 3.08

Shamballie had his pin removed. Past fracture appears to be stable. Had a bit of difficulty retrieving the pin, was a bit sore directly after surgery, but doing great now. Given soreness meds. Putter--not now. It's not your turn yet.

Coralie, our frostbite girl, was a very long surgery, about 2 1/2 hours. We had difficulty keeping her body temp up. We may look into a heater surgical pad for future needs. Dr. Darcy did an awesome job. Her ears look great--removed about 1/2 of them. When the fur returns, she'll look wonderful! About 2/3s of the tail was removed--no more carrying around that dead tail end. We worked a long time on her feet. There's one paw that may not need any pad removal, just a declaw on the toe nail beds that are dead. But that's better than a toe! On a front paw, 3 out of the 4 pads (not a dewclaw) had to be removed. This leaves her with a very stubby foot. One rear paw had to have 3 nails declawed. We're hoping to save those pads on that foot. The other rear foot has to have tissue removal yet, but it's temporarily down to healthy tissue. We want to see if she can produce some more healing before her next surgery. Both hocks are troublesome, but much of the "caps" were removed. We're hoping for lots of granulation to happen. This cat is simply awesome. Just love her to pieces. Her attitude is--it's ok, let's just get on with it and enjoy life! Please, if you know of an animal outside in this brutal winter, please check on them. 

We've heard from Bonnie! Her surgery went good. She stands a good chance of a successful surgery. We will get those cards to her very soon! Bonnie is a special person to FFRC and hopefully you will see her sometime again soon. Her brace on her neck has to be in place for 6 weeks. 

We completed our Afghan Auction last night! Wow--what a wonderful auction this was! Such beautiful handiwork. 
Jacksmom--won afghan A for $255
Gusti--won afghan B for $180
Lady Doc--won afghan C for $176
Littleonemine--won afghan D for $247.  
Ann F sent a donation of $142 to round up this afghan auction to $1,000!  I want to thank all the bidders, Ann, the chatters for adding to the fun, Canton cat and the mods for helping with this sale and the people who made the afghans. We are very grateful!

We had BOXES on Friday evening. We are thankful to YOU!
Terese in NJ--flannel cat nip toy with feather for August, Jackson and Shamballie
Yankeechick--red blanket with paw prints for Freemont, catnip ball toys for Lorenzo and Derecho
Nancy/Kerswill--letter, yarn for Pat, 2 bags of pompoms, pop tabs/box tops for Caryn & Kellen, bag of crazy stems (giant pipe cleaners), Keurig black tea cups, hole reinforcements, sugar free goodies, packets for the volunteers with goodies, 4 wildlife cards, Rescue Roast coffe K cups
Zsa Zsa and mama Kathy--case of Nature Tuna/Chicken, 2 cases of Halo Spot's Stew Cat Turkey, bag of Royal Canin Indoor Adult, 5 cases of Tiki Cat can
Joy in Ohio--green kitty doily made by her mother who has Alzheimer's, pop tabs and pull tabs, various office items including colored paper, construction paper, chalk and stickers
Anonymous Friend--flowered round beach towel, peanut butter & chocolate pecan fudge (very very delicious), kitty pictures, collars, cardinal cat toy, 4 colorful rugs
Pat L from Kansas--4 boxes Whiskas gravy sensations
Elizabeth/Liz from UK--6 packages cat snackers, Ferrero Rocher candy--yummy
Lisa, our baker friend--10 pies and lots of homemade cookies!
Connie K--donation in memory of Larry
Mary/Midwestern from IL--donation in lieu of payment for American Doll clothes made by Leggygal
Judy HK--donation in memory of Jack P
Tom & Jean from Defiance--Chief register tapes
JenniB from FL--donation for FFRC
Nancyerin from FL--donation in memory of Paul
Wanda E--donation for a portrait!
Joyce D--thanks for the pizza for surgery day!

Putter--you are so impatient today, buddy.  Soon.

Want to help a school class have some fun? One of our viewers is a teacher and her class is studying pets and people in all countries and states. If you'd like to participate, please send a postcard just stating where you are from and what pets you have! The address is:
Ms. Robin's Class
Downs PreK
3831 Mars Hill Road
Watkinsville, GA  30677

Patricia and Seymour are now in the Main Area all the time. They are doing great. Seymour is a climber--he loves to get up on the Kuranda Towers! Dr. Darcy was able to look at the x-rays of Seymour. Her findings: she still feels his mobility problem is from some sort of trauma. The x-rays show a big curvature of the lumbar region, with much narrowing of the vertebrae which results in nerve damage. Also both femur heads show misalignment into the pelvic joint. Even more important is what the heart shows. There is a distinct malformation of the heart--not the normal picture of a heart. This could be the explanation of what happened last week. Instead of asthma as previously thought, his respiratory problem could have been from this heart issue. We will keep a close eye on him and will do a repeat chest x-ray in the future. 

All is fine. Cats are busy watching the birds eat at the feeders. We are again in more winter weather. It is very cold here, very windy and another 2-4 inches of snow expected today. We will cancel our volunteer meeting as it is more important to think of the safety of the volunteers driving. 

Ok, Putter, now it's your turn! Yes, sweet boy--tell us your thoughts. 
From Putter--his advice for all of us: "You should surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."  Thanks Putter--love you. 









Thursday, January 23, 2014

Thursday, Jan. 23

Patricia and Seymour are up in the Main Rescue Center half of the time now. You may see Patricia prancing around--she's thoroughly enjoying all the windows. Seymour loves the toys. These are such nice cats. Both are blending in very well. 

We had BOXES last night! Big time thanks to you!
Cheri B--monthly Spoiled Rotten box--kitty kisses snackers, sprong toy, wooly fun toy, feather toys, 2 grooming mitts and 2 cans of Halo Spot's
Anonymouse Friend--4 of the K&H microwaveable pet bed warmers
Michlynn--bag of spiral yarn toys in catnip, 8 beautiful crocheted scarves for Day Sale, small framed stencil picture of Strawberry Wreath
Anonymous Friend--from Nordstrom--24 of the 2 pack of low cut socks for a Flash Sale--lime green and pink with kitties
Anonymous Friend--green bed and blankie for Coralie, colored paper for packing, box of Carter thermal blankies, crochet multi-colored blankies, 4 rolls duct tape, 5 super mega snackers for all the cats, bag of Jelly Belly buttered popcorn flavor, box of peacock thank you notes, 9 large fleec blankets
Sheila/oilsandsgirl--blinking buddy toy, flashing firefly mat, 2 quiet glow moth toys, senses speed circuit toy, 2 cases Whiskas Purrfectly Chicken and a case of Whiskas Chef flavored packets
Norm from CT/taishan05--letter, bunches of colorful sponges, 12 O'Cedar mop head replacements!
Yankeechick--5 rainbow mice for August and Jackson
Betsey in ME--donation in memory of Kodie M
Eaglewatcher/Beth--battery pack for the monitor for surgery
Tabitha's friend--a case of Sparkle Towels for Tabitha's nest!
JoAnn S--a memorial donation for John H and Helen G

Speaking of Tabitha's nest--she loves the roll of paper towels that hang in her cabinet. When the nest is low, she unwinds a bit, tears it off and adds it to her "pile".  What a girl--she's priceless!

We also had a few Paypal notes to make:
Anonymous Friend--PayPal in memory of Intrepid
Leslie M from KS--donation for Coralie
Selena and Scott W--donation for FFRC and to name a cat for a family member
Halos Mom & Dad--a donation to help with Coralie's medical needs

We had some sad news. Our Intrepid that was adopted out recently has passed away. The cause is unknown. While this gives us much sadness to us who cared for him as a kitten, we send our condolences to Intrepid's family.  We never know day to day what life will bring. Give your family and your pets that extra hug today.  

Yesterday was a big travel day for Hark, Markie and Barky. They were escorted by Angie and Bill to their new home and mama. I've already heard from her this morning and it sounds like all is well and happy! 

We now have 3 adoptions scheduled for this coming Sunday. The times are 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30. The 2 kittens are Miss Molly, Miss Eltoe and Xena (the first of the Chicago 5 kittens). 

Our new cat that we took in about 10 days ago, Jimmy James is still in Thumper's Room.  We've tried a couple times to acclimate him into the Main Area, but his words are no, no, no--I prefer the quieter Thumper's Room! So, he's still there and very comfortable there! 

We are having a surprise Flash Sale today--afterall, isn't that what a Flash Sale is--a surprise! We aim to get all orders done, mailed and sent 100% correctly.  If you participate in any of the sales, please remember that we need your PayPal or check before sending orders out. Thanks! And if we make an error or you do not receive your order, don't hesitate to send me an email! 

The generator/Jenna Radar is now done and complete and ready for action! How thrilling! While we hope there won't be a need, should we have a bad storm again, we are now prepared! This has been a very cold, windy, snowy winter for our area. 

I just did a FFRC belly check this morning--Paddy Purr, Cutie, Zata and Yvonne all pass!


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tuesday, Jan. 21

The Jenna Radar is here! Yes, indeed, FFRC finally has it's generator! I was surprised yesterday when the Gustwiller crew arrived in the morning and proceeded to work on installing our wonderful Jenna Radar!  Today, the finishing touches will be done. Wow--I'm so so glad to have this added protection for FFRC. It's a beautiful site! 

Ming is rolling on his back and is acting like a kitten. I still feel sometimes that that is where his mind is--in kittenhood. He will be a fun cat forever! He loves the track toy and those banana catnip toys! The Chicago 5 gang is the chirpiest group of kittens I believe we have ever had. They run and play, all the while, chirping chirping chirping to each other. It's a beautiful sound. I marvel at how friendly they are. When they first arrived, I must admit I was a bit worried but they've succeeded in becoming so very friendly! 

And talk about friendly cats....Freemont is at the top of the list. He is a doll---so friendly. We love him to pieces. Pania has started a new adventure. She loves to climb up (slowly and surely) to the very very top of the giant Beanstalk cat furniture. Then she lays down with her head between the pedals, waiting for someone to climb up and bring her down. Easy going up for her, hard to get down. But she doesn't mind our helping her! 

Our visitors Julie and Patty who brought Seymour and Patricia from MN, are on their way back home now. Safe travels. The visitors who are with us right now are Leenie and Nikka. Welcome! 

Tomorrow early morning is when our "ark" group will be making their way to their new mama. Bill and Angie will be flying with them (2 in one crate/1 in the other). Hark, Markie and Barky will earn their flying wings as they make their way to a new happy life. We'll keep you posted as to their journey. There's a possibility of a 4th friend going with them....more later on that. 

On Friday night, at 6 pm, we will begin another group of for the Afghan Auction. They are beautiful! Pictures and descriptions will soon be on Facebook Chatters page. The bidding will end at 6 pm sharp on Saturday night. Let the fun begin!

On Saturday we will have another surgery day. We tentatively have these cats scheduled: Patricia, Wrigley, O'Hare, Mary Kay, Xena, Piet, Yvonne, Miss Eltoe, Zata and Miss Molly. Then Coralie will be done last. This will be a major undertaking. If we cannot do her spay, that will come later, but her frostbite wounds will be tended to first. 

This Sunday we will have a busy day. At 11:30 will be Miss Eltoe's adoption! She has her very own home and she picked her own human all by herself! It's such a joy when they do this. Then at 12:30, Miss Molly will be leaving to go to her forever home. At 2:00 is our Annual Volunteer Information Meeting. Lots of things going on. 

We had BOXES last night and Saturday night and have much thanks to give.
Caren F--case of Fancy Feast Kitten, case of Friskies Salmon and case of Friskies Pate, package of coil toys and nip puff ball toys
Elizabeth/widdletigger--note for Octavia, 2 cases Meow Mix bowls, 2 sided clock with a pretty wall mount
Bonnie, Michael & Dave--a beautiful wicker bassinet for the cats
Pat/Cathouze & Ellen/Furkitty & fur kids---note, 2 packages snackers, bunch of hot cocoa, Fancy Feast variety cans, 2 containers of Earth Friendly cat nip and 2 canisters guar free cocoa
Leenie--4 boxes A&M clump and seal litter--good stuff!
Judy & Phil--day visitors--100 forever stamps
Millie/Glenda W from MA--a PayPal donation 
Deborah W from KS--A PayPal donation
Gusti--PayPal donation for Coralie to help with her meds
Eugenia S from Russia--donation thru PayPal
Brooke B--PayPal donation
Timothy M from FL--Paypal for Snappy & Whisk's catnip pad for their birthday
Zoltan N--PayPal donation
Tigercat/Great Aunt Julie in IA--2 crinkle chutes, case of Appetizers, 2 cases of Fancy Feast kitten and 4 pkgs. Command hangers

We also had our Afghan Auction on Friday to Saturday this past weekend. What a wonderful success! These were the South African afghans donated by Rosemary--all were so beautiful. The results were:
We had 72 bids, made up of 23 different people. 
The winning bids:
Afghan A to Demiloon for $300
Afghan B to Hull for $200 (and then donated to Bonnie!
Afghan C to Carolminda for $240
Afghan D to Lovebugs for $302
This made a total of $1,042. Oilsandsgirl donated $58 to make a total of $1,100!!! I thank you so very much for this successful event!

I've been asked a few times about Zelda's limp.  Yes, she is limping more. Remember she has chronic pain in her shoulders and elbows from her original injury, from when she was stuck in between the two walls as a kitten. We need to work on weight control with her--would love to see her shave a little weight off. This will help with the amount of pressure on her front leg joints. Maybe we can practice jumping up and down from boxes several times a day?!!!

We have another cold front coming in. All is well though. The Barnies, Covies and Porchies are doing well--lots of heated areas to go to during this big freeze. 


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Saturday, Jan. 18

The Seymour and Patricia family arrived late last night, about 11:30 pm. What a long day for Patty and Julie who drove them all the way here. We put the cats on the floor right away so they could stretch their legs and go potty. They both ate some dry food, can food and had a good drink of water. Then Patricia started investigating the room and Seymour played with the toys. He probably thought---why worry when mom's here--she can do the worrying! They both look wonderful. We notified our contact person at BENCH that they arrived safely. 

It's wonderful to see Seymour doing his thing. We've seen him twice now get into the litter box, wait until he feels his back end plop into the box, then go potty! When he scooches around, that tail is straight up like a rudder with a flag on the end. I believe he thinks he's just fine and that there's nothing wrong with him! I do believe this is a spinal cord problem. We have seen it 3 other times. It's probably when he was developing in mama, his positioning was "wrong". He is fortunate that he has use of that tail--it means he has control over bathroom issues. You could probably think of it as a "kink" in his nervous system--not much "brain telling power" reach his legs. His rear right leg does have a bit of ability to push off at times. Bottom line is this--he's an awesome cat, he's a happy boy and he loves to be out and about. He and Patricia will spend some time in the back Thumper's Room to acclimate to all of these changes. 

We had two adoptions yesterday! George and Kona left together! Their new mom/dad already love them! They also stayed awhile to visit all the cats and us! Had a very nice time. 

We have a few more kittens on hold. Barky, Markie and Hark will be leaving this next week. We also have Miss Molly on hold. She will be leaving on Sunday at 12:30. Zata is on hold but has to be spayed first.

We had a BOX last night and several BOXES the night before! Thanks bunches for all these donations!
Widdletigger--a whole case of papertowels for FFRC and Tabitha!
Gusti -- donation in honor of Dianes birthday for her to name a cat and best wishes
Liz S from UK--a donation to help with the cost of bringing Seymour and Patricia to FFRC
Catslife--donation for FFRC to use where needed
Jacksmom--donation to FFRC in honor of Kelly R who did a kind deed for Jackson!
Arden and Charmaine--12 jumbo rolls paper towels, 3 boxes Bounce, 6 gal Tide HE, 4 gallons Mr. Clean
Beth/Eaglewatcher from IL--musical 5/1 holiday clock
Northpole--snow roof rake for FFRC
Lori from Defiance--donation in memory of Richard S and for his kitty Sadie
Tobyswife--2 special mylar balls for Pania (which she has been playing with!)
Mary H from Archbold--lots of snackers for the cats, kitty face wipes, markers, flannel/fleece blankies
Jan--2 appetizer cases and some Mega cat Temptation snackers
Diana from South America--a wonderful, blue cat stoller. It's really nice! I can just image Bella wanting to go on stroller rides as soon as the weather is nice! And Walter too! And.........oh, this could be so much fun! 

Good news from Ustream! We received our revenue share from the Ustream Partner Program for the time between 11/01/13 to 11/30/13.  This has been the best revenue yet from Ustream to FFRC. Are you ready for this?!  It's for $2,927.90!! I am thrilled and grateful.

The countertop is in place! We have most of the drawers, cupboards and cabinets all organized! Breakfast was prepared on the new countertop and it was wonderful to have more room! Magenta is thrilled to have her place back! We have some painting to do yet.

We are in the process of our first Afghan Auction for the year! We have 4 stunning afghans up for auction on FB chatters page. Check it out. Bids can be upped from $1 to $20. The bidding stops sharply at 6:00 pm (FFRC time). Next Friday and Saturday, we will have another afghan auction!

The cats are doing great. Health issues remain good. We still have some URI with Camvie but we are aware that this is a chronic problem for her. She has so much love to give and will still make a family happy! Freemont remains in the Main Area. Birds are feeding heavily so the cats are thrilled to watch the activity. The cupboard that is now Tabitha's nest, will have a rail on it to keep her paper towel bed in place. She'll also have her own paper towel holder in this cupboard so she can continue to build her nest as she wants! 

Today Coralie will spend the day with her dressings off so she can do some grooming on her wounds. She's so been wanting to do this. This will be a good thing. 

Our 2-week visitor friend, Diana from South America will be leaving us today. We have so enjoyed her visit. She has been staying with Sherri, Sophie's mom. Patti and Julie who are sisters and brought our 2 Minnesota cats last night will be here for 2 nights. 

Next Saturday is our surgery day. It will prove to be a busy day for us. Next Sunday at 2:00 will be our annual Volunteer Meeting. This is where we go over ideas, our future goals and catch-up time on many items. 



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Thursday, Jan. 16

Wow--what a busy day yesterday was! Dion was here and installed the wider door in Kitty Kastle. We wanted to enlarge it to accommodate a walker. The other door was only 24 inches wide while this new one is 33 inches wide! That means now though that we have to get Kitty Kastle ready! The door needs several coats of paint, the door trim needs painted and the dust from cutting the wall needs to be cleaned up. This will be a nice improvement!

Yesterday also was the new cabinets and cupboard day! Dion had these in place in the afternoon. We still have to have the countertop placed and lots of tidying up to do around the edges of the cabinets. The base of this isn't as big as the past one so we have a 5 foot by 4 inches area where the bare cement is. We'll be talking to Bruce, our floor guy for suggestions. Then we have the job of getting everything put away in their new proper places, find a place for the Cam clock and the B Zelda Box note. 

The cupboard above the refrigerator is where Tabitha has already picked for her paper nest. Her nest that was in the old cupboard is now in it's new place. She was napping there this morning. I've already been showing Octavia how to open the doors! She laughed at me--this is going to be easy for her!

Seymour and Patricia's trip is delayed due to blizzard conditions in Minnesota. Julie and Patty are planning on leaving early Friday morning. We have decided to go ahead and take Patricia as well. I've had a couple people interested in adopting her and so we inquired if she could come along with Seymour. So, they both will become Ohioans! 

Freemont is now in the Main Area. Oh my goodness, this boy is having a ton of fun! He loves the toys, he's a busy boy and has been everywhere so far. He loves legs--definitely uses them to help stabilize him. What a love he is. 

Coralie had a good soak yesterday and has her bandages all on again. I've talked to our vets again about her and explained what is going on. To update you--2/3's of ears are dead tissue, 2/3's of tail will be removed. Of her 4 feet, possibly may have 5-7 toes that will be removed. and we're still concerned about the back of her ankles on back legs (this is where a cat rests when laying down).  We're not giving up on this sweet, loving girl. She's a happy cat and is walking on her padded, medicated dressings just fine. Time will tell. Right now, there's no hurry to "do anything", except see how much healing we can get. This winter has been hard on so many animals. It saddens me to think these things happen, simply because of the cold. This doesn't have to happen. 

We have some thank yous to give!
Anne-in-uk--donation "a bit towards transport costs for Seymour and his Mum". 
Neil & Jean S from OH--donation for FFRC and a Happy New Year!
Anonymous Friend--a donation to help with Seymour's travel to get to FFRC
Anonymous Friend--a donation to help with the overnight stay for Seymour and Patricia's drivers

Here is a second video clip of Seymour--www.keyc.com/story/24450797/seymour-the-cat-headed-to-sanctuary-in-ohio

Azar is back! He was spotted about 3 days ago. We got a phone call that Azar was seen so Jimmy went down and sure enough--it was Azar. He looks good, ate a big meal and went to sleep! He's still inside where we're trying to keep him. 

Next week our "ark" 3 group of kitties will be leaving for their new home. Hark, Markie and Barky will be flying on a jet plane with Connie D and her granddaughter. Destination is "over East". We'll let the new mama disclose this information if she would like to. Rest assured they will be going to an awesome loving home. I'm so happy for them!

We had two adoptions yesterday! The family that has been waiting on DeLeon to be neutered were finally able to take him home since he had his vet visit the day before. He was purring like a freight train in their arms! The second kitten to go in the afternoon was Fiesto! I do believe the second he was spotted, it was destined that he would be this lady's new pet! Fiesto hung around us the entire time we were doing paperwork and health records--he was ready!

Putter wants to speak--he has found something that is important: "There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy." Author unknown, but Putter says its his!! Take care, folks and have a wonderful, happy day! 






Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Tuesday, Jan. 14

Seymour is coming! Seymour is coming!  Introducing Seymour......he is a 6 month old 1/2 Persian that has some spinal cord injury. This has probably been an issue for him since birth. Seymour and his mama Patricia are at a shelter right now called Riverside Regional Pet Shelter/BENCH in Mankato, MN. Here is a link to see him --  http://www.keyc.com/story/24419588/pick-of-the-litter-january-10-2014

Now, the TV News says he "needs" his mama, Patricia but the truth is, she's ready to move on and find her own home! And Seymour wants some play friends. So, Patricia will stay there and be adopted while Seymour will make his way to FFRC where he will have tons of friends. Our promise, as requested, to this shelter is that Seymour will always be here--we will give him forever care and love.

These two cats were left at the shelter, in a box, in their parking lot. While Seymour's back legs don't work properly, the really important thing to note is that he can hold his tail straight up! That means he can "feel" when he has to potty and he makes his way to the litterbox just fine. And his rear right leg has a little flutter motion that he can make--like to help "scoot off". And scoot he does--very quickly and perfectly! 

Two cam friends who are sisters live in Mankato. They have offered to drive Seymour here. Their names are Julie and Patty. I'm so very grateful for them to make this trip. The plan right now, is that they will arrive here at FFRC late on Thursday. They will then spend 2 nights here in a hotel so they can have time to visit the Rescue Center and get ready for the long drive back. Again, thanks so much Julie and Patty!

Our Coralie girl is so so sweet. She just is so tolerant of her treatments. We rewrapped her feet this morning and will try and keep these on for 2 days. She is truly a purr girl. Freemont is a charmer. He knows how to work it! Rub, rub, rub and yep, you fall in love with him! He loves to rub on legs. What a boy.

Piet is growing. Clayton is a funny boy--always in the middle of all things orneriness-wise. Mellow is here in the office looking pretty sweet. She loves her cushie beds and to have the top of her head rubbed. 

The lilly flower and spider beds have arrived. Casters will be put on today and they will then be in use. The kittens are already climbing on them and napping. Because of our order, we were able to purchase the Beanstalk Tree. It's awesome! It is yellow, green and pink with many leafs extending out from it for cats to nap in. They actually "sink down" into the leaves for a comfy nap! The top has a sort of "crown" that can hold 5-6 cats to nap! It's wonderful! 

We had BOXES last night. Big time thanks to you--your hearts are awesome!
Brooke (visiting for a couple days)--Chicken Soup for the Soul, cat toys, cat snackers and most importantly 2 containers of Fudge!
Cindy M1 from NY--note, mouse pads from Zazzle for Lynnette and Jacci--so cute!
AuntyFi--5 smart crushers, different colors for adopters
Sheriff Putter by way of NY--kitty sized tools for kittys to help Dion with construction
Anna B--case of Appetizers for Tabith & friends
Zsa Zsa and mom Kathy--6 cases of Fancy Feast Appetizers
Laurie H/felinetoyz--a box of colorful things! 5 rolls decorative duct tape, laser inkjet paper, steno book, colored paper reinforcements, sticky notes, colored magnets, doodle pad, swirl pad, stickers
Kayton19--The Best Cat in the World Book for anyone that has lost a precious one
Missbekkah/Miss Bekkahs Corner--crocheted cat balls
Gusti--large bag of Royal Canin kitten, case of Royal Canin baby cat
Geremy K--potty bags, 4 cans Sheba, 4 cans Fancy Feast, 7 rolls flexible bandages, snackers, beautiful purple rug and towel
Sheila/oilsandsgirl--3 covered Kitty Campers with heaters for Porchies or Barnies
ErikaM from Hong Kong--Christmas card for FFRC and Farrah
Jan M from NY--donation--wherever is needed
Realty Five of Defiance--donation from a sale that client chose FFRC as their charity!
Sophieandlucysdad/Mike from MI--coupons

We also received some PayPals! I thank you.
Shimazu Ai--donation for FFRC
Lois B from OH--donation for FFRC
Eric Hamersly--donation for FFRC
Jatcat from CA--donation for an awesome HP laserjet Pro Printer--many thanks!
Shannon S from OH--donation for the care of Leonard and any other FFRC needs

Our Toy Sale/Poof Sale yesterday went great! I appreciate all the support. Lynnette has been super busy today putting orders together! 

I've talked to Dr. Pettigrew about the 3 cats that spent the day there at the vet office. DeLeon was neutered. He's doing great. Little Miss Molly had her leg x-rayed. It of course showed the old fracture site of that rear leg. It shows a complete mend. It's crooked a bit and a tad shorter than the other leg, but nothing wrong with that. She keeps the leg and will be just fine! They were pleased with her x-rays. Shamballie also went to have his pin removed from his front leg. After looking at his x-ray, it was decided not to pull it yet. More healing and mending is needed. Possibly another 2 weeks. 

Now, to discuss something rather sensitive. I know a few of our viewers have asked about Janet--if she is coming to visit FFRC since she is in the US. The answer is no. I let Janet know that we would let our viewers know this. I believe honesty is the best policy. I will not go into details or reasons because that is not necessary. But Janet and FFRC have parted ways due to a difference of opinions. I wish her well and a happy life. Now...it's time to put this away. Please...I expect to see no gossip about this, no speculation, just respect for all involved. This is not open for discussion. Thank you.

Tomorrow is an exciting day! Dion will be here (yes, I know--plans have changed slightly!) The door to the bathroom will be enlarged to accommodate a walker. Then the fun stuff happens! The new countertop and cabinets for the Rescue Center will be installed. Octavia now realizes she will still have full access to the food pantry--that was such a worry for her. And we finally calmed Tabitha down too. We assured her she will have a whole section for her nest--not to worry! The cat's hard hats and little tools are ready for use! 


Sunday, January 12, 2014

Sunday, Jan. 12

Things are going great here at FFRC. We had four more adoptions yesterday! First, Miss Marti, my desk friend, went home with Tammy. A long 9 1/2 hours later, they made it home. Sounds like Miss Marti has fit right in already. Love the picture on facebook!

In the afternoon, Mogo went to his new home. We had a couple that had come here 3-4 times looking for a kitten to be spoiled. And they found Mogo! Then, in the afternoon, Curt and Connie arrived to take home their precious cargo---Turtle and HoHos. These are the last of Paul's 6 cats. But knowing that Paul loved Curt and Connie both, made this an extra sweet adoption. Connie already told me today that they snuggled right into bed for the night! 

Freemont continues to do better and better. He's a wobbly boy, but he is improving. He's got the hang of our floor and he wants into the Main Area very much already. That will happen soon. He absolutely loves legs and feet--I think he uses them for support! He adores people and is very good with the other cats.

Sweet Coralie. What a doll she is. So very patient with all of her treatments. I took her dressings off this morning so she could have grooming time. All 4 feet are still a bit swollen and she has some tissue hardness. Her ears will end up being about half the size as normal--but she says ears are overrated anyhow! I just realized today the extent of her tail damage--more than I thought. She will probably lose half of her tail. Again---she's not too concerned about this either. She thinks short tails are in style. It's more her feet that I'm concerned about. Time will tell where this is heading. She'll probably get a 4-foot soak today. What a lovely personality she has. She loves a good long belly rub.

Piet--have you noticed how wide his ribcage is? There's a reason--he has his wings tucked alongside those ribs. Yes, that is correct--wings. That girl can be on the floor one second and half way up my back the next second. She is fast--I know she must have wings! What a sweetie she is too. 

Zata is doing wonderful. We are back to full FFRC tummy. She's eating great and thoroughly enjoying it. Miss Eltoe is unbelievable. You almost half to look twice now at her--she's no longer skeletal but sashaying around here with a tummy on her too! 

We had BOXES on Friday night! Big time thanks to you all!
Elizabeth/widdletiger--a case of 32 boxes of Apple Juice and 24 K-cups with lids
Tobyswife--4 pack of mylar balls for Pania (she was batting one around this morning)
Laura H/Medic--case of Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers
Great Aunt Julie/tigercat from IA--4 kong natural toys with catnip, 2 kickeroos and 2 cases of Weruva packets
Lorenzo's friend--4 Aramrkat Kitty Beds--very nice for the Porchie cats
Kikimycat--birthday cards for Mayor Anony and Wigglin Walter with their pictures, for their December birthdays
Plee9 from KS--7 very pretty pillow cases
Sarah/Romeomom--donation for Anna Marie's 4th birthday. (she received a leggydew for this!)
Arden & CHarmaine--a donation to help with Freemont
Marilyn S--donation for FFRC
Gusti--a donation in celebration of Anna Marie's 4th birthday
Domingo F from Italy--a donation for FFRC
Debra M/W from OH--donation for FFRC

Our snow is about 1/3 of the way gone. Temps have been in the high 30's and low 40's. The Covies got out to cruise about on Friday and they will do so again today. The sun is shining! The birds are eating heavily at the feeders which is fun for the cats in the Kitty Kabana Room. All is fine here. The cats and kittens are healthy. We're a happy group of volunteers too! 








Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday, January 10

We passed! We passed! The Ohio State Board of Pharmacology passed us 100% on their rules and regulations! Whew! So glad that is done. Actually, it was a great learning experience for me and FFRC. It's also a good thing to keep current with these things. I appreciate your support. I'm soooo glad that that is done and we passed!! 

In celebration of our Passing, there will be a cake coming from Kathy K from IA! Also lunch was provided by eaglewatcher. I so much appreciate your generosity. The cats insisted on a yummy for themselves so they got another ham bone! That's the crunch, crunch, crunch noise you probably hear on the cam! 

More good news! Coralie's dressings were changed today. Two days ago (we are to change the dressings every 2 days), she had 12 black pads. Today.......there are only TWO!!! Isn't that just wonderful?! And both rear feet are improved too--the infection is getting under control. Her ears are very hard and black, but she's already told me that she'll look cute even with short ears and I believe her! We'll keep a close eye on her toesies and feet and ears. If we need to make a debridement appointment with our vets, we will. So far, so good!

Our new boy, Freedom has arrived! Oh my goodness, this boy is a love machine! He loves to be held, loves to be petted, loves to play! He is a bit like Lorenzo and Derecho how they use our legs to help with support. He's probably more severe CH than the other cats. But, that boy has a heart of gold---truly loves people and the other cats. His determination level is at a very high mark! He has a tiny bit of a runny nose so we'll keep him in the back Thumper's Room for a little bit yet. We'll show him to the cam though occasionally

CH--besides meaning Cerebellar Hypoplasia, what else could it mean? I like Coming Home. I also like Capable and Happy. 

More good news! We have three adoptions tomorrow. Our sweet Miss Marti will be going home with Tammy who is visiting here for a couple days. The other two cats are Turtle and HoHos. These are the last of Paul's 6 cats. They will be going with our friends Curt and Connie. All 3 will have awesome homes. 

Want more good news? Our friend Diana that is visiting from South America has extended her visit by a whole week! She is staying with Sherri B. We're so glad to have her stay longer! 

Yesterday was another fun Snow Day! In the afternoon, Lynnette, Kelly, Diana, Sherri, Jimmy, Haley, Tammy and myself went out on the farmyard--snow angels were made, snow splits were done and snowballs were thrown! A few went in shorts and tshirts---coooooold but very fun! I believe the horses thought we were crazy!

We will have BOXES tonight, but the time is at 5:30 pm instead of 6:00. 

We had BOXES last night! Many, many thank yous to you!
Laura/Medic101--case of Fancy Feast grilled
Mary O/Merry_Marvin from CA with Peanut--allkinds of note pads, penciles, travel bags, school box, etc. Fun things! A stuffed kitty that meow's! Books--wonderful books. Dish towel with kitty & fish, 2 Diamond Oregon mugs for Jacci & Steve, 4 packages K-cups with lids
LJ323--13 crocheted kitty beds made with knit jersey for FFRC & Day Sale--2 bath rugs memory foam, Cans of salmon, chicken and sardines, bag of Sunkist dark chocolate and raspberry sticks
Beth A/eaglewatcher--3 K^H pet bed warmers
Jacksmom--kitty card, pop tabs for Kellen, Giant black rat with light eyes, lots of toys, Tiki food, case of Fancy Feast fish/shrimp, case of Friskies gravy sensations, Christmas Kitty Plate by Fitz n Floyd, Meow plaque, Frames--two wonderful cats ones, kitty pin for Jacci   Also a leggydew for Coralie. 
Mary C/midwesterngirl from IL--case of Royal Canin kitten & 3 bags Royal Canin kitten
CacheMaine/cameoD & Trudy--40 crocheted beautiful blankies for FFRC and Day Sale--we are using them today! And a beautiful afghan with blues, greens and cream
Kathy G--donation in memory of Jack P
Joyce H--donation for Jack P
Peter B from NY--a thank you card
Trudy S from Bryan--donation to FFRC
Betz--letter for Bill & Angie
Yoder family--donation for Jack P
Dee & Jim S--donation for FFRC
Pat & Ellen--a donation from their amazon and ebay sales, for FFRC. 
Oilsandsgirl--donation for those who braved the cold to make snow angels, for the Feliz Navidad fund
Kate E from UK--donation to help towards the heating bills!
Jakesmeowmy--donation to use wherever needed
Geremy K from WI--donation for the head rub that Steve gave to Magenta 
Dawn D--donation for Jimmy's hurt head from the icicle!
Dawn/itsanoone from MI--donation in honor of Jimmy's concussion
Lucy/Lu-Little--a wonderful CH vest for any of them that can use it and some Bondi Licks! 
Ted E/chiefted--for his special blanket for Wrigely: "When I saw that one of the Chicago 5 was a CH kitten I knew that he should have a blanket to call his own".  Thanks, Ted

We will not have surgery after all tomorrow. The vet tech is sick. It is rescheduled until 1/25.  

The temp is up! It is now 40 degrees! It sure is dripping everywhere outside. Today the Covies are out running--and they are truly having fun and stretching their legs! Must feel great.We are doing great here at FFRC. 







Thursday, January 9, 2014

THursday, January 9

Our level 3 has been lifted! We can now drive with caution. The temp the next few days is suppose to be in the 30's and low 40's. Things are looking up! Yesterday a couple of the volunteers were able to come in--they were able to catch up on their specific things they do. Elizabeth and Emily went back to their homes last night. Sarah will go back home today. I am so so grateful for them--they stayed thru the entire rough weather time! 

Our inspection that was to take place today at 10:00 has been pushed to tomorrow at 10:00. Our inspector has been affected by the weather too. So.....tomorrow is the big day! Surgery is still scheduled for Saturday. 

We did not have boxes last night.....UPS has not had any deliveries due to road conditions. Today we will have some more snow fun with our visitor friend from South America--Diana!

Piet is sitting up on my desk but falling asleep. He's trying very hard to stay upright! Zata is doing better. Her appetite has picked up. Yesterday we all agreed that Yvonne looks better yet! While she's still so thin, her energy level is better and her bones are covered a bit. She's a beauty. Piet just gave it up--she's now curled up on a cushie and her eyes have closed!

The CHicago-5 are fantastic. It's amazing to me how quickly they have "friended up"! Their shyness is almost gone. They love to play. These 5 are zoomers--they are so very quick. Climb this, jump from that, run from room to room. Yet when it's time for naps, they all find each other and curl up into a big tiger ball. So sweet.

One of the viewers made a comment today that I like. CH means Come Home! I am trying to figure out a time to get to Bowling Green, here in Ohio. There is a shelter there that has a CH male, black cat, about 2 years old there that needs a home.  They have accepted FFRC as his forever home! Here is his bio: "This guy is quite the lover and a survivor. He has been living with CH his entire life as an outdoor cat. What he lacks in coordination, he makes up for with his HUGE personality!"  Because of the weather, we have been unable to get him yet but hopefully very soon now. 

We also took in another cat yesterday--a female gold tiger, young adult. She was found on Monday, outside, covered in ice and unresponsive. The couple that found her took her in and warmed her with warmed up towels. The next day, Tuesday, she began to eat, but her feet started swelling terribly and her ears began to turn black all from frostbite. They brought her to us the next day, Weds. Dr. Darcy will see her on Saturday but in the meantime has given us a protocol of treatment which we are following. For right now, all four feet are wrapped with burn ointment on them. Many of the toes are black and hard. This cat is a dear--such a sweetie. She is most definitely not out of the woods. While she is eating good, we need some healing power going on as all four of her feet and 2 legs are affected. She can life with shorter ears after they are healed--that won't be a problem. Her name is Coralie. Please keep her in your prayers. 

Cozarelii loves to play with the laser birds. And he so so loves his snackers! Keesha is becoming a big wheel runner. We saw Zata on the wheel yesterday too! DeLeon and his friend Dodger are so fun to watch--they were born to tackle play. Over and over again. Little Miss Molly is playing with everything that moves! Daisy, Meowzer and Hark have become good friends too--even with the size differences. Give these 3 a feather and all kinds of fun can happen. Plop, plop, plop, plop---that's what happened yesterday. I picked up my peacock afghan in the house and out plopped four Z's onto the couch! Oh, were they toasty! 






Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tuesday, Jan. 7

Brrrr---cold----wind---snow---and more Brrrr. Yep--it's cold and snow and blowy. It was -14 this morning with a wind chill in the mid -30's.  The snow has stopped though and late yesterday we finally had the parking lot plowed. We are still in a Snow Emergency Level 3 (for the 2nd day). This means that no one is to be on the road except for an emergency. Yesterday, I believe, was the first day in many many years that we had no visitors. 

The kitties and cats are doing fine. We had a bit of a panic Sunday night. The outlet going out to the farm burned and blew. That meant no electricity to the entire farmyard--no heater water buckets for any of the animals and no heat lights to keep warm for the barn cats. They all had clean, dry bedding but it was still a worry with the temps so low. Monday morning early, Gustwiller's came and put a temporary fix on the problem. Soon after that the heat lights were working again and the buckets all thawing. They will fix it more permanently later when the weather is better. They are planning on putting in Jenna Radar between the 2nd and 3rd week of January. 

My heartfelt thanks to these 5 people--Elizabeth, Sarah, Emily, Jimmy and Haley. They came before the storm hit and have stayed right here with FFRC during this hard weather. Because of the Level 3, no volunteers were to come in, for safety. These 5 people helped to keep us up and running, the cats fed, the place clean, the laundry caught up and kept our spirits up! I am so so grateful to them. Elizabeth, Sarah and Emily filled in for all the volunteers plus did their own jobs. Jimmy kept things running smooth in the farmyard. Haley has kept Kitty City nice and clean. You are heros to me and the cats. 

Today we needed some extra fun! We took hot water each with a different color of food coloring. We took these outside, threw up in the air to see if it would crystalize. It didn't, (found out we should've used boiling water), but we sure ended up with a very pretty parking lot! Then we decided we better knock off the snow overhang on the back roof. Well........that turned out a bit differently than expected. The snow came down with a big chunk of ice, right on Jimmy's head. This caused a small cut on his poor noggin' and so we had to fix him up---pressure and a bit of glue. He did though have to put a 2 foot icicle up to his forehead like a unicorn! Oh my garsh, I laughed so hard my sides hurt (sorry, Jimmy!). Then the cats had to have a "snow party". We brought buckets of fresh snow in and put it on a vinyl tablecloth. The cats were very curious. Tomorrow we'll have to do that again, sprinkled with tuna juice! Then Emily decided to do a "face planting" in the snow inside. It was great. So, we're just now starting our morning work and it's after 12 noon! But, we don't mind--fun is important too! 

We had BOXES last night. My big thanks to you!
Anonymous Friend--2 bags of cat snackers, 2 blankies, 7 balls with bells and a kitty cube
Tobyswife for Pania--her own personal food bowl with hearts and swirls and a Pet a Cake bed (looks like a slice of strawberry cake)!  And she also received her own leggydew! Pania is thankful!
Eaglewatcher--lunch for all of us during this hard weather!
Anonymous Friend--another meal provided for another meal!
Annette B--Box of Whiskas Purrfectly chicken. For the volunteers--bag of Russell Stovers candy singles. a HUGE peanut butter cup and a DVD for my grandkids "Hoops n Yoyo Ruin Christmas"
Ted E/Cheifted--For Wrigley & Cubby--Chicago Cubs blankie!

Alan & Susan G from GA--card with note, Bag of Famous Amos choc. chip cooks, M&M's bag of Hershey's, Flipz white chocolate pretzels, bag of 3 Musketeers, paper plates, 13 gallon garbage bags, paper towels, non-scratch sponges, q-tips, lots and lots of mousey toys, snackers, large can KMR, Serpentine kitty scratcher (or Bella Lounge!)
Dr. Paul & Linda B from VA--donation in memory of Jack P
Bryant & L\ynnette K from GA--donation in memory of Jack P
IGive.com--a dividend check
Laura & Steve M (Jordan's parents)--note with donation (they adopted Tortie & Keeper)
Jim & Peg M from Defiance--donation in memory of Jack P
Nancy B from IN--note with donation
Yaiza/Yaiza-moon, Soniapaws & Jasper from Spain--picture of a beautiful Jasper and a 3-D holiday card with kitties and doggies
Gill--Catknit ankle socks and 2 kitty with sunglasses wallets
Lori-Cat--looney looops toys
Austin W from Paulding, OH--donation
Connie & Craig A from Defiance--donation
Maryanne O and Peanut/merry_marvin--card, coupons and comics
Jeff W from VA--card and donation in memory of Jack P
Lillian from IL and kittys and card
Terese/yankeechick from NJ--card and feather toys for Kiko!

The surgery date has been changed from the 25th to the 11th. That is this coming Saturday. The weather should be good so it should be a go. It won't be a big surgery list, but we'll have plenty of physicals for Dr. Darcy to do too. We will be able to do the Chicago-5 litter, Piet, DeLeon, possibly Miss Eltoe. Also Shamballie will have his pin removed. Miss Molly will be checked again. Hark will be checked again also. Yvonne will have her physical but will probably hold yet on her spay. Suzanna, Hazel and Kari Kat will have a physical since they were returned. August and Jackson are already neutered but they too will have their physicals.  

We also had a returned cat. It's Venice. She is such a beauty. Her family had some things come up that made it impossible for them to keep her so they made the long trip back to Defiance. Venice is done with her quarantine time and with permission from our vets, she is now up in the Main Area as of today. She is so so playful. What a wonderful cat. 

For those of you who are having a cold hard winter--spring is just 10 weeks away! We have some things that will be happening for the month of January. Jenna Radar will be "planted" and in working order! The new cabinet/cupboards will be in sometime soon. These will take the place of the red and yellow cabinets. We will have lots more counter space! 

Take care and stay warm!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday, Jan. 5

Okay--button down the hatches. Make sure all outside cats have their heaters on and dry/clean blankies. Lots of hay and straw for the horses, donkey and goat. Plenty of feed for the geese, ducks, chickens and peacocks (oh, and the guinea hens!). Porchies have all heaters plugged in. Covies are toasty warm. Shovels are ready to do their job. Keep that faucet dripping in the front Thumper's Room. Pet safe salt ready to use. Plow guy at the ready.  Bird feeders full. Are we ready for a new snow and the big upcoming freeze? Yep, we're ready.  Let the snow begin!

We had an adoption yesterday. Our sweet Dovie girl went to her new home. Garsh, some of these cats are extra hard to let go. Sometimes I want to grab them and take them in the house and act innocent--I'm not sure where that cat is anymore. But, I also know in my heart, that I wouldn't let them go unless I was SURE they were going into a great home. Dovie's new mama called last night. She had already eaten, pottied, drank and napped. Sounds like she's going to be a very happy girl in a loving family. 

We have had some PayPal donations that I'd like to send a big Thanks to.
Pat & Ellen--a donation for Farrah (hug given to her from you!)
Susan S from WI--donation in appreciation of the volunteers, use wherever needed
Joni G from WA--donation for Magenta and Jolene
Eaglewatcher/Beth--for a pizza for lunch for the hard working crew!
Sarah P from MO--donation for Zata (snuggle given!)
CJ M from OH--donation for FFRC
Susan L from OH--donation for FFRC
Tobyswife--donation for Dovie and a leggydew and catnip pad for her

We also had BOXES on Friday night! Big time thanks.
Andrea F from CA--card with donation for Feliz Navidad Fund and a Walmart gift card for Pat to be able to continue to make things for FFRC
Julie & Matthew L--Happy New Year card with their kitties on it (Lucky, Leo, Trinity, Bentley and Lexie
Jeannette B from TN & Fur Haven Kitties--note and lots of pocket calendars for the volunteers
FaithyMD--Happy Birthday, Faithy!  She is celebrating her birthday in true Hobbit fashion, by giving gifts to others. Bunny card, Under Cover Mouse toy, Tote blue/green (Steve's already used!), 2 pieces of pyrite, Hobbit key, Hobbit broach (very pretty!), Bobcat baby plate and a charging station for batteries and mobile devices
Melissa P/melpenrod--mylar balls, toys & more toys, Fancy Feast and cat snackers
KnittenKitten2--3 K&H Lectro Soft Heated beds with covers--big thanks
Vickie B/nyckitty--5 bags of Royal Canin baby cat dry
Anonymous Friend--2 cases Northern toilet paper, 2 big boxes of 30 gallon Glad trash bags and a case of sardines in olive oil

The Chicago-5 and the Beach-2 are out and about! Their door to their room was opened today for them to make the decision to go in and out by themselves. The Chicago-5 immediately were out. Then came August. Jackson is thinking about it. But, wow--what progress! That Cubby--he's a rascal, so sweet and ornery. Wrigley is right there too among the orneriness. The two shy girls, Xena and Mary Kay are making big leaps and bounds of being more self confident. And then there's O'Hare--she loves to have a head rub. August and Jackson love the catnip toys and are becoming more confident as well. It's so so nice to see them adjusting to FFRC life!

As many of you know, Zata had a couple days of not feeling as spunky as she normally is. She's been started on antibiotics and syringe fed. This morning and last night she started eating again by herself. We still supplemented a bit this morning. I saw her a bit ago, go up to Derecho and swat his tail. Derecho reached over, put his arm around her and groomed her! She's a sweetheart for sure! 

Forgive me if this week I get behind on emails and other things. We have a very important day here on Thursday morning (weather permitting). We have a pharmaceutical inspection. Our goal is to meet all regulations 100%, but I've already been told by the inspector that no one passes the first time. That's part of what this inspection is about--to help us comply. So, we have already started working on this and will continue the next 4 days to work on this. It's very time consuming but very important to me and FFRC to do this right. Unfortunately, we will lose June's Room as a transitional room for the cats. It is now the med room only. All will be well and we will work around this inconvenience. The condo pen that was in June's Room is now in the back Thumper's Room for our use.

All is well here. Cats have been super ornery and playful! Just how I like it! Putter was even playing in the house. Keesha has been running the wheel big time this week. The cats are doing chirping songs as they watch the bird feeders. This morning Clayton got inside the refrigerator THREE times (no worries, we are careful and knew immediately he was there) and he also clawed 2 water bottles which made a big water puddle. He watched me clean it up! George must think he's going to get cold--he's been dragging a blankie around all morning. Kiara is snugged under the pile of warm laundry. Just love these cats! 




Friday, January 3, 2014

Friday, Jan. 3

Snow, snow, snow. And very cold, brrrr-y cold. And more snow coming on Sunday. Do I like winter? Sure--love the snow, just wish it'd stay off the parking lot and roads! People have asked me how all the animals are doing. The Porchies are doing great--all snugged in their heated beds inside the sunporch. They are eating good and will come out occasionally, but they do love their beds! The Barnies are doing good too. Lots of warmth on those hay bales. They also have heat lights (away from the hay and straw though) and so they are happy.  Jimmy is being sure they get extra food to help stay warm. The Covies are snug as a bug in a rug! They're taking full advantage of their heated beds and the power of buddy sleeping! 

The farm animals are also doing great. The horses are fuzzy and definitely enjoy being out during the day. Their stalls are always clean and ready for their return in the afternoon with grain and good hay. The ducks/geese are so funny. There are places for them to go to to get out of the winter, but they insist on staying out in it--facing the wind. I've told them--go to shelter, but they're not listening! The peacocks are also doing good. Birds have an incredible way of keeping warm within. The donkey and goat are also doing fine. They have their little barn that won't let any wind or snow come inside.This is also where the chickens like to hang if they're not already in their coop. All are snug but I'm sure they'll be glad for spring.

The cats here are doing good. The general health is awesome and for that I'm extremely grateful. Lots of energy is spent for play. I saw Miss Marti do a flip in the air this morning to land on top of DeLeon who rolled her then they started grooming each other! I love the friendships that these cats have. Derecho right now is on a rug, with his paw over little Piet grooming him. Miss Molly will have her x-ray soon.

For the last 3 mornings, we have put the CHicago-5 and the BeaCH-2 in the Kitty Kabana Room for a few hours so they can run and make friends. It's time to branch out a little for them! Today the door to the front office/lavender room is now open so they have two rooms to cruise about. Jackson and August are getting the hang of it. August likes to walk the orange catwalk by the windows. Both August and Jackson use the "wide back leg stance" to help with their walking.

The CHicago-5 now have names:
Xena--brown tiger, female with spots
Mary Kay--brown tiger, female with more stripes, muted look
Wrigley--black tiger, CH, kink in tail
Cubby--black tiger, biggest of the group
O'Hare--brown tiger, long hair

Wrigley and Cubby are by far the most active and friendliest. Wrigley definitely has the "Walter head Wiggle" going on. He is a loverbug! Cubby is the great explorer. They are all coming along, slowly but surely. They sure do love to eat! They have such gorgeous faces.

BOXES are going to happen tonight! Fun! But, let's start at 5:30 instead of 6:00.  That way, if I need to do catching up tonight, it'll give me a bit more time. Come join the fun!

I've heard from so many of our recently adopted cats. I love to hear the stories! Sounds like things are going great. It is said that if a cat comes from a rescue/shelter that cages, it generally, on the average, takes 7-8 days to fully acclimate to their new home. But for a cat that's been in a cage-free environment, generally it takes 2-3 days. Isn't that wonderful?! I love that. And most people when they call me back say within 24 hours their new friend is cruising about quite happily. It so pleases me to hear that our cats are doing good. 

Miata isn't happy though in the rescue center. It's very obvious her life before here was more "to herself". I will take her to the Back Thumper's Room for her to be more comfortable. Too many cats and kittens around her is not her style. Then she'll be happier.  Suzanna has fully been enjoying her return to the rescue center. She's made many friends. She's is so pretty. Shiloah too is making friends and is playing more and more. She sure loves catnip. Both Miss Eltoe and Yvonne are gaining weight. They are still very thin but they're on their way to the FFRC belly-look.  Shamballie will have his pin pulled on our next surgery date. He is one super sweet boy. Zata is growing and thinks she's a lion in a little kitten body. Love this little girl! 

We have thanks to give! The cats have all voted--it's unanimous--each and every viewer, mod and admin are the best in the world! 
Anonymous Friend--donation for FFRC
CharfromBiloxi--donation to help with the Chicago-5's care
Carol N--donation for FFRC
Shannon W--donation to help FFRC
DebbiDear--donation for FFRC
Jowlee from MD--donation to help all the kitties
Aunty Fi--donation in memory of special friend Anna Marie--her birthday was 1/1 and in honour of other FFRC friends
Oilsandsgirl--to use where needed
Bonnie & Don K and family, in memory of Jack P

I'd like to give the moderators a special thanks. With their help, we have ordered another Water Lilly and Spider set for the Kitty Kabana Room. You know---this truly is the kitties favorite place to sleep--curled up in the middle of the flower! I was able to order it in orange and yellow! It'll be here fairly soon. Thanks, Mods. 

This month will also bring about the "planting of Jenna Rador". It will be right out the window of Kitty Kabana. What peace of mind this will bring. Also in January will be the extended countertop (need more space!!) and the cabinets and cupboards. We'll be taking out the old (will use them elsewhere for FFRC). This will give us more space to store things. Kathy has said she will repaint the cabinet doors so no worries! 

Today we will be moving the pen condo from June's Room to the Back Thumper's Room. In it's place will be a cabinet for med storage. It will also have a very small refrigerator on the counter to house the vaccines and refrigerator meds. We are doing this to continue with our compliance for new med regulations. 

Kona is rolling on a rainbow catnip toy. Fiesto is playing like crazy with the turbo track. Zelda and Kiara are on my desk. Little Xena came running over to me! Asha is taking a nap with one eye open--she's watching the kittens playing. Paddy Cake is on a shelf watching all the action. All is well in the FFRC world! Peace to you all.