Friday, October 28, 2011

Where has the time gone?

I can not believe I haven't posted here since July.  I have been full-steam ahead with fostering and adopting - it has been a whirl-wind summer.  To date, I think I have fostered and adopted 35 cats!!  That number makes my heart so very happy.  At home right now, I have 8 purr-babies - the two little orange kittens go to a wonderful home this weekend - I am so excited for them.  I am trying to be diligent updating the PAWS website - and so here is a list of who is currently staying at Camp Countrywood.


Tango (beautiful Bengal/Tabby - I'm in his video, too): http://www.pawsofhertfordcounty.com/animals/detail?AnimalID=3377470
Marvin (gorgeous long hair and green eyes): http://www.pawsofhertfordcounty.com/animals/detail?AnimalID=3588333
Christopher (sweet and shy tuxedo kitten) : http://www.pawsofhertfordcounty.com/animals/detail?AnimalID=3941931

My biggest concern going into the cold weather is... the cold weather.  :)  I bought a heated dog kennel pad - at $40, I think this is the most economic way to provide heat to the kitties.  However, they have to be agreeable to cuddling, since it is one big bed.  I guess I will find out if my theory works or not.  I do know they love their individual beds I made them - they are made out of oil drip pans, and I made removable fleece covers with padding in them.  They love these beds, they were very economical to make (about $4 each), durable, and completely washable.  I'm proud of them!

Little Noah, my blind kitty, is not only my special project, but has a very special place in my heart.  He gets to stay in Eva's room, because he has an upper-respiratory infection at the moment.  But even being sick, he is such a happy, loving kitten.  Oh my goodness - I could snuggle with him all day.  And likewise, he loves to snuggle, too!  His blindness doesn't hinder him at all - he runs and plays and is just a joy.  And now that he is on good food and supplements, his coat is getting glossy, and his little body is getting stronger each day.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Petsmart week

You know, I used to really turn up my nose at big pet stores.  However, the generosity and caring of the staff at the Petsmart in Cary has completely changed my mind.  After doing a few one woman/2 kids adoptathons there, Mary Lou, the manager of the animal rescue portion of Petsmart, asked me if we would like to bring some of our PAWS cats into their Love of Animals area for a week - the area where the cats are in the glass kennels.  I was just amazed she had asked me - I'm such small potatoes compared to these bigger groups that are there.  I guess it was my pleasant personality and happy demeanor?  :)

After talking and planning and more talking and planning with Catherine and Stephanie from PAWS, we came up with a plan.  Catherine brought 8 PAWS cats and kittens on Sunday afternoon (July 17) after my one woman adoptathon (where Thomas found a forever home!).  We spent from 4 to 7:30 getting kennels set up, paperwork done, meds explained, cleaning, cat playing - whew.  went home thoroughly pooped, that's for sure.  And this was after spending all day Saturday at Search and Rescue training.

The set up is this - Petsmart staff does the morning cleaning, and they have a volunteer who plays with the cats for a while.  Then I come in the evenings and clean and play.  That's the plan.  Now the reality is this.  And granted, it's of my own making, not because of any lacking on the part of Petsmart.  It's all me.  So I always drop my oldest son off at swim practice at 6am - this is 2 miles from Petsmart, which is 25 miles from my house.  Usually I go in to work after that.  Instead, I've been going to Petsmart.  :)  I love these cats already, and the enjoyment of watching them play is too strong to resist.

 So when I arrived at 6:15am on Monday, I was greeted with a chorus of meows and let-me-outta-heres.  I couldn't get the locks of fast enough.  Who should I let out first? Who can play with who?  What's going to happen if I do let everyone out?  Think, think!!  And I had also brought Pongo, my foster, to stay  at PS for the day.  He's also howling at me to get out of his carrier.  I'll admit that my head was spinning.  And there was cat litter everywhere.  Every. Where.  So - I just take a breath - and let out the kittens first - Tyner (black kitten), then the orange kittens (Petey and Pauly).  And then Pongo.  A few hissing, but mostly everyone's cool.  So - I just go for broke, and open everyone's cage except Pepsi - I was told he likes to play solo.  Cat party.  Woo hoo!!  My head is still spinning a bit.  Should I clean?  It's like a first day on the job.  PS then told me that their volunteer was on vacation, and when I asked who would clean, they said the cashier.  When I asked if they'd have time to play with cats, the answer was no.

So - I cleaned.  And also read the chart wrong for what to do daily.  I thought it said strip the kennel and disinfect daily - so I did (on Monday and Tuesday).  It wasn't until Wednesday that it I re-read it and that was a weekly duty, not daily.  My PAWS cats have extra clean kennels, now.   So - I found my rhythm.  And the kennels look so nice.  I made beds for all of the cats (spent 2 weeks doing this).  I used a hard plastic car oil drip pan from Walmart for the base, and then made removable, washable, elasticized padded covers.  Super-easy, and able to be washed and pans disinfected.  Cats and kittens LOVE them!  And they look so pretty in the glass window.  I used my bath matts I already had from my dogs, and then I bought some clearance cat toys - these plastic bobbing flowers - for each kennel.   A work of art, if I do say so myself.  Interior decorating for cat kennels - maybe it's my life-calling.  :)  Now all we need - is some cat adoptions!!!  I feel like I am on pins and needles - please, Lord, let someone take these deserving cats home and give them a wonderful place to live, where love, shelter, food and comfort is always plentiful.  This is my mantra, my prayer, I say everyday.

The cat volunteer did come in on Tuesday - to everything already clean, so she could just play with kitties.  I'll  be there at 6:15 every morning, even though Brodie doesn't have early morning practice this week.  And I'm there from 4-7 every night - in hopes that someone will want to adopt - I figure if I am there and more visible and accessible for questions and telling them about PAWS, it ups my chances for adoptions.

Say a little prayer for me.  A prayer for these cats and kittens - who all now hold a place in my heart - for them to find homes.  And for strength for me - it is hard on the heartstrings to do this.  Hard to keep fighting when you are really tired - but I won't give up the fight - every cat, every dog, that I can help - it may only be one step - but it's a step in the right direction.

updates on kittens

All the tabby kittens got adopted!  Yay!  And no sooner than I cleaned up and disinfected the screened in porch.... then my good friend and PAWS volunteer extraordinaire called me - would I have any interest in fostering some kittens from PAWS of Hertford County?  Yes, I sure would.

So I started with 7 foster kittens - a motley bunch from various litters.  Oh, they steal your heart so fast.  Everybody seemed to settle in well - a few days of craziness and wondering where the heck they were, but they soon learned who we were, and have gotten used to their new digs.

It is amazing what good food, good exercise, and good love can do for these little  balls of fluff.  I am a real believer in high quality cat (and dog) food - so they are eating Innova.  After about a week of eating good food and running around (our porch is about 15 feet by 30 feet), their coats are glistening and their little muscles are getting strong.

I've lost track - I think I've done two adoptathons - just me and my girls - Eva (11) and Kassi (4), and the kittens, at the Cary Petsmart on Walnut St.  Minnie, Parker, Thomas, and Mackie all got adopted, and went to great homes.  Yay!!  That leaves me with Maya (black tuxedo), Pongo (black Siamese mix), and little Titan (gray and white).  Titan had the hardest time transitioning - poor little guy had diarrhea and was just pathetic and sleepy.  Slowly but surely, he's come good.  I did take him to Banfield - no worms, bugs, etc - he did have some bad bacteria in his gut - so yogurt and probiotics for him (and antibiotics just in case).  He is now gaining weight and is much more energetic. He LOVES to snuggle next to you, or under your chin.

Maya is a sweetie pie - just an easy-going, playful girl - no trouble at all.

Pongo - oh, how he makes me laugh.  So Siamese! Darting around and playing like mad - and then demanding with plaintive meows and paw swats and actually  yanking on my pants to be picked up and cuddled and loved.  He is quite the character.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Foster kittens!

We are branching out into felines!   My good friend Donna, who has a heart of gold, has been helping out a cat family at her workplace.  Momma cat took it upon herself to have her kittens 15 feet up in the rafters of a store room, so Donna got Momma (called PC, for Pussy Cat, and her 5 tabby/bengal kittens down, and set them up in a crate in a store room.  She has been looking after them for 6 weeks.  PC is so friendly now - rubs and loves on everyone who is kind to her.  The kittens are beyond cute, and so healthy and happy.  Donna has done a phenomenal job handling them and giving them lots of love and cuddles.  They are eating solid food, now, too.

Last night, they made the move to my house, without PC.  They didn't enjoy the car ride much, but have settled down quite nicely at my house.  The are soooo curious and playful!  My kids just can't get enough of them.

They will be getting spayed and neutered on May 18th - I can't say thank you enough to Wake SPCA Spay and Neuter Clinic for helping me arrange this.

They will be ready to go to their forever homes on May 28th!  Their adoption fee will include their spay/neuter, Felv/FIV test, 4 way kitten shot, and worming.  Please contact me if you are interested in any of these cuties.  One female is spoken for, leaving 3 male and 1 female available.

Momma PC will also be spayed on May 18th, and then released back to her "home" - where she may be considered a feral cat, but is loved and looked after everyday.  I like to think of her as a community cat.  Our next project will be trying to catch some of the other community cats, and also getting them spayed and neutered.... always a project on the horizon......

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Scampy found a new home!

I've been negligent about updating my blog!  Scampy found a new home on February 5th!  I was a one-woman, one-puppy adoptathon at the Cary Petsmart.  As soon as I set up, an employee from the Pet Hotel there came over, named Alison.  She really liked Scampy, and said she was looking for another dog - she has one already, who requested a playmate.  She thought about it, and came back about half an hour later and said she'd love to adopt him.

Alison is a dog person through and through - very responsible - fenced yard, does crate training, will take Scampy to the Petsmart obedience classes and the Banfield vet right there, as well as doggy daycare.  Scampy will be living the high life.  I got an update from her about a week after he was adopted - he is doing really well.  Only had one accident, and has otherwise been quite happy and playful, and he and his new dog playmate Cooper get along really well together.  He's also got a new name - Zach.  Can't wait to hear more updates about him!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

So photogenic

I busted out the camera last night - and boy did I have fun.  Scampy is so cute, and hopefully my pictures have captured his playfulness and sweetness.  He's been doing great - setttling in nicely.  He knows how to sit, and come. He is learning to not grab toys from big dogs.  :) My redbone is a bit more relaxed around him now, and enjoys playing with him.  Scampy loves her long ears - such wonderful, easy targets!

He went to the vet yesterday - the vet said he is around 11 weeks old, and weighed 11 pounds.  She thinks he might have a bit of lab in him. So... I might have to up my guess on his full-grown size to around 40 pounds. I need to find an adoptathon around here soon, so he can get some face time.

We also had Steve Wilson, a local dog trainer, come visit our multi-dog household to give us some training tips.  With so many young, big dogs, things were getting a bit too crazy for my liking.  What a wonderful training session - Paul and I learned so much.  We knew the basics, but there was much fine-tuning to be done - just small adjustments, that have made a big difference. I must've asked a million questions, and he took the time to answer every single one.  I highly recommend him!  His website is: http://www.theraleighdogtrainer.com/  His views and philosophies (and you know I have many) were very much aligned with mine - communication and leadership are the key tools to use, not dominance and antiquated gear.  Scampy just followed along with the dog training, too, and was a model student.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

new foster puppy!

Oh my goodness, what a cutie I have!  This little fella is about 10-15 pounds, and is 3-4 months old.  Just cute as a button. He looks like a real Heinz 57 - but I can see a few breeds in there - definitely some kind of non-shaggy terrier - my guess is fox terrier or jack russell, and I think his nose looks a bit like a chihuahua.  I think he'll be about 25 pounds full grown.  He is the color of carmel - like a deer.  Now he came with the name Oscar from the shelter, but I've been calling him Scampy, because he scampers all around when he plays.  He is so playful, always wagging his tail.  He absolutely adores my big 100 pound Shepard boy - they play until they both just collapse.  He loves his food, but is not food aggressive in the least - not something you'd expect to see in a young pup, anyway.  He has done WONDERFUL in the puppy potty training.  Of course, it's more people training than puppy training.  This morning for the first time, he ran to the door to go out - what a clever boy!  And as soon as he does his business, he starts wiggling and wagging and comes running over to me, because he knows he is going to get some well-deserved love and cuddles.  He loves the car - he'll ride in the crate, but really prefers to curl up in one of the kids' laps, or in the front seat next to me.  And he also loves his crate - he goes right in, and curls up, settles down, and sleeps all night.  He is going to to make someone a wonderful, loving pet.  Now the trick is finding his forever home! If you are interested in this cutie, please email me at countrywoodfarm@gmail.com.  He also has a page up on the PAWS website, at http://www.pawsofhertfordcounty.com/.  Now let's see if I can remember how to post pictures!