Friday, February 20, 2015

almost there

I'm grateful this long, dreadful week is finally coming to a close. It's not been a fun week. Ugh.

Meanwhile, while I'm slaving away at the office with what's left of this work week, Pierre and Oliver are enjoying a nice cuddle on the back porch. The life of cats.



I'm trying, trying, trying not to be jealous...

May your weekend bring rest and joy!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

comfy snoozin

One of the joys I experience during my work day is to check in on the kitty-cams to see what Oliver and Pierre are up to. Oliver's been bringing me much delight lately, as he snoozes in his Guest House.

Jan 23, 2015 3:15pm

Jan 23, 2015 3:40pm

Jan 23, 2015 3:46pm

Jan 28, 2015 3:12pm

Jan 30, 2015 4:36pm

Feb 6, 2015 3:12pm

For those that may not know about Oliver's various homes, his Guest House is the smaller of his two insulated and heated homes that are on the property. This one is by the garage, whereas Oliver's House is on the opposite corner of the property, tucked under a tree. When the sun comes out again in the summer, I'll take you on a visual tour of Oliver's world - stay tuned!

Oliver's Guest House
When it's cold, rainy, and generally just ooky outside, as it is here all winter long, I LOVE seeing Oliver all snug and safe in his heated kitty-home. Seeing him so comfy makes me very happy.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

senior privilege

Getting old must have some benefits...


YUM!
Buddy has quite the affinity for Amy's Mac and Cheese!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Hershey's 2nd Gotcha day!!!

Remember Hershey?? He was my first ever rescue cat that I rescued and found a home for - but he didn't just find a home, he got the most perfect home of all time! Mike adores Hershey more than anything and Hershey adores Mike more than anything! They are the perfect pair!

Mike hosted a gotcha day party for Hershey!! Mike, his girlfriend, Lynn, and Laura and I all celebrated two wonderful years of Hershey! What fun!!! Hershey was the star of the party for sure!


He is such a beautiful cat, he's gorgeous! And his fur is lusciously soft - wow!


Hershey wasted no time sniffing out the gotcha day gift we brought him...









Apparently he's a crazy nip-head!


Mike got him one of his favorite toys, a box!


And what's better than a new box? A box with a fresh nip-nanner of course!



Hershey's had a great year! He's looking as amazing as ever.


It brings me such joy to see how happy Hershey is with Mike and vice-versa. They are truly the perfect pair. Yea for Hershey, being rescued off the street and landing an amazing safe, inside home where he is cherished and delighted every day! A cat could not ask for a better home. A big thanks for Mike for preparing a lovely dinner and inviting us to share in celebrating Hershey!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

feral buddy system

Over this past weekend I did some trapping. It had been a long time since I've gone out and trapped, I think since June when I scored Bert. I've been too busy to take on any projects, but in this case, it was a friendly boy who had showed up at a managed colony. My goal was to drop trap him and his less-friendly brother.

I got the friendly one about 30-minutes after setting the trap. Then I waited for another few hours and the brother never showed! Trapping is very much like fishing, a lot of waiting quietly with great anticipation. I did get to enjoy watching the two resident tabby ferals, a mom and her daughter, who feasted on the bait-food. While waiting, I managed to snap this cute picture of the daughter watching me through the sliding glass door, while her mom ate.


Meanwhile, Pierre survived his experience being trapped and worked over at the vet. He's now microchipped, which I'm very happy about, and fully vaccinated. I decided to have him sedated so all this could be done with less stress. The vet said he looks quite healthy.

Since I had him vaccinated for FeLV and he was sedated, my plan is to keep him captive on the back porch for a day or two until I know he is feeling 100%. The vet said he was fully awake and suggested I give him an extra hour in the trap just to be sure. I gave him an extra couple of hours and then released him to the back porch. I was horrified to see that he was very unsteady on his feet and had difficult time keeping his balance while also franticly trying to escape. Seeing him try to jump and climb while so wobbly really freaked me out as he could easily misjudge a jump and seriously injure himself. There was no way I could recapture him, all I could do is watch, worry, and pray. Thankfully, after some time, he eventually settled in with Oliver and they slept away the afternoon together in their heated bed.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

happiness is...

being with Bert. This guy exudes happiness. He's over the top in love with the indoor life. Hard to imagine he was once homeless. He's still up for adoption and all of his silly antics are going to make someone very happy.


We spent some cuddle time together on Tuesday morning, he's such a love.

Blissed out Bert!
Something I discovered recently: Bert's not a big fan of being held, he tolerates it but doesn't really relax into it, however if you flip him over and hold him tummy-side up, he completely relaxes and loves it! What a silly boy!

On a different note, Wednesday morning I'll be trapping Pierre and taking him to the vet for a microchip and updated vaccines. This has been something I've been wanting to do for a long time now, and I really regret that MK never got chipped. This is going to be a very stressful ordeal for me and him and I'm quite anxious about causing him stress but I know ultimately it will be the best for everyone.

Monday, February 2, 2015

comfort

It's been a bit of a rough morning. I took a friendly TNR-rescued cat into the clinic this morning for a neuter and emotionally fell apart in their parking lot as I thought about possible outcomes for MK. I made it home and Oliver was there to greet me with never ending purrs and loves.


Once inside the house, I spent some time crying, writing and praying. What started as peacefully asking God for comfort turned into pleading for comfort. I know that when I'm emotionally overwhelmed, I have a difficult time sensing God's gentle presence, so I begged that God would provide his comfort in a loud or tangible way - something I could really pick up on.

I look up and there's Nahum hopping up on the bed.


Nahum in ancient Hebrew means "comforter"


I received my comfort, in a real tangible, fluffy package


And if that wasn't enough, Willow had to get in on the action too


Prayer perfectly answered. Now, I'm going about my day with gratitude.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

missing one

My beautiful MK remains absent, with no sign of him anywhere. I've hung more posters around and every night I put out extra food for him just in case he comes home.

family portrait                            January 15, 2014

I've scoured the neighborhood looking for possible places he could be trapped. There are a few abandoned houses nearby that I wondered if he could have gotten trapped into, but after a thorough investigation, I didn't see any places where he could have made entry. 

MK, always ready to cuddle                           July 31, 2013
More recently, I've started searching bushes and hidey spots, places he might have crawled to if he was hit in the road and tried to drag himself to some cover. But again, no sign of him. Our local shelter is a kill-shelter, where animals get 72-hours to be claimed. So I've been scanning through the pictures of stray animals they have in custody, but looking through these pictures is heartbreaking. So many beautiful cats who's futures are uncertain.

June 9, 2013
I've not been able to get my mind off of MK. I keep checking the cameras throughout the day looking for some sign that he has returned. It doesn't take much for me to reconnect with the heartbreak all over again and the tears flow.

June 9, 2013
I think I remember reading somewhere that the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is about three years. I've had MK in my life for a little over three years. Sigh.

June 9, 2013
I can tell that both Pierre and Oliver miss him. Pierre and MK loved to cuddle and excitedly rub up against each other. With his cuddle buddy gone, Pierre is constantly trying to rub up against Oliver, who only tolerates it for a short time. Oliver gets his loves from me and doesn't rely on his kitty-family for physical affection. Pierre and MK relied mostly on each other for that affection with only occasional physical loves from their papa.

I captured this rare family portrait the other day - eight cats in one photo! Can you spot them all? The only cat missing out of this picture is MK.

Jan 29, 2015
With MK being gone almost two weeks, I'm really having a hard time holding onto hope. I've heard stories from others about cats returning after extended absences and those stories help. A friend's backyard feral cat, Little Mama, went missing the day after MK did, and she returned 8 days later.

If you all could help me hold onto hope, that would be greatly appreciated. I so appreciate all the warm thoughts and prayers you all have sent our way, your support and love means a lot to me - thank you.