My Baby ~~ Winston

This is Winston. He's my only male among three females ~ all fixed and he's my Baby!

He is also quite a unique character...
 
 






Winston and his mother, Molly...
when she isn't reproving him with a bat to the ear or a whack on the head for some imagined offense or just because its Tuesday.

A winter days slumber on the old rocking chair.

This, I have no explanation for! 


He's just 'Winston'

 
Is it morning yet?  Or... What do you mean its Monday, what happened to my day off, Sunday?

Winter's day nap.

Back in March, we had a nice day and this was as far as Winnie was going to enjoy the great outdoors ~ and that, was that!

So, how many cats to you know who habitually lay like this?

 Winston, inquiring after butter for his morning toast. Where's my Toast??

 Winston strongly suspects someone, who is not a family member, is on top of the fridge...

I have a plastic covering over the window so Winston can't climb up. Instead he's investigating an unusually bright orb in the night sky. Oh, what can it be???

These are only a few reason as to why he's my baby!

Catspaw

The Value and Importance of Adopting Rescue Cats - Part 2

Sasha's story:

Sasha, rescued in the street from an on-rushing car

'Here is Sasha. He just loves everyone. He is 2 years old now, neutered and has all his shots up to-date. I call him my Christmas Surprise because I was on my way downtown 2 years ago when I heard a kitten screaming just ahead of me. To my horror I saw this tiny kitten, no more than 5 weeks old, in the middle of the street just as a car drove right over him. I quickly ran over to this terrified little kitten thinking that I better rush him to the vet when he gazed up at me with those big saucer eyes and seemed to say: I’m lost, please take me home?

As I looked him over to make sure he was ok I realized I had something of a problem. I already had Xena and I wasn’t looking to get another cat. But then again, Xena was just turning one year old at the time and she did seem quite lonely when I had to go out. There was no one in sight and it was getting dark and very cold. I had a choice to make. My heart wouldn’t let me just toss this helpless kitten aside in a snow bank where he would freeze to death or land back on the road and get squashed by a car for sure or a dog may get a hold of him or someone may find him and be cruel.

But as I was holding this tiny kitten in my arms he started to purr and crawl inside my coat where it was warm. Suddenly it came to me that it was Christmas Eve!! All my life, growing up as a child, I had always wished for my very own kitten in a basket with a big red bow, just for me! Never got it. I realized then that if I had not gone downtown that night, I would have never found this kitten and the outcome for Sasha would have terrible – he would not have survived and would have died a hideous death. But I brought him home and in a few days Xena accepted him and now they have bonded.

But all I can say is: an Angel must have been watching over this tiny, helpless kitten that night and brought me there to save him and bring him home on Christmas Eve --- of all nights! Sasha found a home that night.

Hey, who says: miracles never happen and a child’s wish was fulfilled!'

Next is Maya's story

Catspaw

 

2.5 Growlers, A Screamer and A Beggar!

Of my four cats, three of which are female, I have two and a half Growlers, a Screamer and the beggar is usually two of the four.

When was the last time you heard a cat scream?  There really isn't a sound like it and it can't be mimicked by human vocal cords. If I absolutely had to part with any of them, only Winston could relocate and there is no way I'm parting with him!

Wondering which are which yet?

Winston is my male tabby and he's the biggest darling you will ever meet.

Sassy, on the other hand...

She's my Screamer! No cat screams like Sassy!  She sets the entire household on edge with her screams and she screams when any cat, other then ours are around. Yesterday she didn't realize that she was laying beside a grey barncat in the office, when he moved and touched her, she screamed. She is also one of my growlers. Poor Winston, he's surrounded with moody females, each with a temper and he's always getting snapped at or a whack on the nose for no reason. He always exits the room as fast as catly possible and with as much dignity as he can keep intact.

You would look at Emerald, sitting on the chair and think to yourself, what a beautiful cat!  Well...

Depends how you like your cat personalities.

She is my Chief growler.

She absolutely HATES to be picked up and will growl at you for it! Come to think of it, she hates a lot of things. She growls if you pet her when she doesn't want it, she growls if you pick her up, she growls if you don't give in to her demands, she growls if you let other cats into the house, if you've touched an alien cat and then have the audacity to pet her... Ya, well, you get the picture. Emmy will not only beg food from you, she will down right take it off your plate if you're not watching. We love her anyway ~ we kinda have no choice!

Molly and Winston are pictured here ~ Mom and son, though half the time you wouldn't think so. 

Molly comes in a close second in the growler department but with something added ~ a Real Catattuide! Molly is one of those cats who believes the world and more importantly, that we in particular, owe her a living. She is the principal one to give Winston a cuff, a slap, a whack, a growl whenever she sees fit. She is very Moody and a very particular beggar. There are only certain things she demands and she demands them, incessantly. Molly is also very animated, she will come and ask to be let outside and will ask persistently if you don't do it right away.

That leaves my Winston...

Gifted with the sweetest disposition that the females lack, he's become far more vocal since he's been neutered. He 'puts up with' his mother ~ Molly, Sassy and her daughter Emerald. He's a strategist though, when they start with the growling, screaming or bopping ~ he's OUTTA HERE! He will only growl if the barn cats come too close.

As you can well imagine there is seldom a dull or reasonably quiet moment to be had in this house, especially with the constant invasion of about four barncats who like to spend the day inside sleeping and out of the cold and wet where they usually spend their nights. Its been a slow process but my cats have learnt toleration. That, of course, does not mean always acceptance of the rule of sharing what they consider their exclusive territory. Oh well.

Catspaw

Post Surgery; Sassy and Winston

A newly spayed Sassy at home, note her eyes are fixed & dilated from the sedative

A phone call on the night of February 23rd sent me on the road or rather on a snowy highway by seven, the morning of February 24th with two cats in two cat carriers. One for neutering, the other to spay. Sassy has been in her second heat of the late winter, early spring and has been mated several times by one or two of the barn cats. It is totally impossible to keep her indoors once she gets started but I already knew she'd be going in for this fairly soon, so I let her out. Reason being that Winston, who was still in his 'kitten' mode until her first heat, began to realize that he was growing up. Though he had no clue as to what to do when Sassy came round him he started in with his annoying 'yowling' around the house and demanding to go out.

Sassy goes into her 'flip-flop' routine and he serenades her and that as far as it goes because of her rejection of him. So the idea that indoor cats, especially related ones, will mate for the sake of, is completely untrue. He's also started this continual serenading at night, just at bedtime of course.

For the trip down they were quiet and calm in their carriers seeming to enjoy the ride; they were the same when I left them at the vets. Upon collecting them, they were awake and quiet for the ride home too. Only on getting them in the door and settled in again at home did I notice Sassy could hardly stand and walked drunkenly about; at times she plain fell right over!  

I had to pick her up and carry her

Sassy can't walk straight

Sassy keeled over

She's a skinny, light-weight little thing and the sedative affected her more. So back into the carrier she went for what was left of the day and into the evening. 

Resting

Emmy

 As I typed this blog last night she was in her carrier resting quietly while Winston, who recovered just fine and Emerald took turns checking on her by peering through the cage door and sitting on top of it. They'd sit/sleep right beside the door where Sassy can see them so she didn't feel caged and alone. 

She's not alone with family

She's still pretty dopey in this pic

Before I drove out yesterday  to collect them in the late afternoon, I rummaged through the linen cupboard to find several slightly worn towels, then I rummaged again through the kitchen and came up with a few cans of cat food to take along with me. A nice and helpful way to say an added thank you.

A special 'Hi' from Winston who is doing great

Today, February 25th, Sassy has made a full recovery and both are doing fine. 


Food for thought; please remember that the SPCA and other Vet Clinics really need whatever supplies and food, even Canadian Tire money, that you can spare. Say thanks to them this way too.  

Catspaw

Well Written Ads Successfully Find Homes for Cats and Kittens

You’ve raised the kittens and it’s time to leave the nest. You have rescued a stray and it’s time to find a good home; what should happen next? To find them a loving home advertising for free, is the quickest way to go, on the more popular classified search engine sites. 

First, find a website like Kijiji where you can advertise everything from selling toasters to giving away kitty’s to good households, read the guidelines and write a really great ad. When I had a litter from my unspayed females to find new residences for (they have since been spayed) and when I rescued three throwaways that were tossed from a car near the dairy we live on, I posted ads on Kijiji that got three hundred responses within the first two to three days and phone calls/emails inquiring about them the same day. Since then, I have successfully found homes for fourteen kittens, three of which were strays and one six month old fixed male cat. How did I do it? Read on. 

Knowing me for the writer I am, I like to include a bit of a story about them that catches people’s attention and I always include the cutest pictures I take from a bunch that I have. I like Kijiji because I can write more than on some of these sites and I can easily update my ad with changes. Here is an ad I wrote for a stray cat that came round one night – yes, of course I took him in. 

“3 weeks ago a 6 month old (my husband estimates his age as 6 months), Fixed, white multi colored cat was abandoned at the farm and has been wandering from house to house ever since looking for someone who will accept him. He is clearly an indoor cat and has been trying to live outside in the barn ever since. The other cats here do not accept him so he's been getting rough treatment from them. I was able to catch him and he's very grateful to be indoors again, as he's not used to the harsh cold outside. He's unusual with a large head and large paws, six toes on each paw! He is healthy. His temperament is VERY loving and gentle. Even after such terrible treatment, he's very responsive to human kindness and compassion.

Please, I know he's not a tiny kitten but he is still a kitten. At only 6 months old, he is as loving as one. He would adapt well to a home with no other animals or to one with younger animals. I believe he would be no trouble around children. He really needs a home and with the Christmas Season soon to be passed, sometimes human compassion passes as well. I would love to keep him but I already have 4 cats and they are not taking kindly to his presence. I have to keep him separated, in a cold porch, by himself, visiting him once in a while until someone claims him and calls him their own. He desperately needs a new home! Please, someone, give him one. He is litter box trained.

Please contact me by email or phone to see him. I will give cat food and kibble to the new owner of this homeless baby.”

Although this seems like a lot of text to include in an ad and I usually write a little less, I included this much because this cat is older and most people want kittens. It’s more the content than the length that got me the results I wanted for this older stray. I have found that telling a story about the animal helps people understand the urgency of finding a loving home for it. This extends to any animal be it cat, dog or bird. The time of year also seems to have a bearing on an ad’s success.  I wrote this one at Christmas last year when it was popular to give a kitten as a gift. If necessary I will keep the animal for a little longer until the new owner can collect it and I usually offer canned cat food or kibble when they come. Because it was the first cat for the new owner, I put together a small 'care kit', he couldn't believe I'd done that and was very appreciative. I have had an email since, the cat has had a vet visit and is doing very well. His new master is happy with him.

Catspaw

And Then Came…

And then came… Winston. Once again Sassy and this time Molly graced us with little ones. Now there were eight kittens and three cats in our family. Emmy was curious about them but highly concerned lest they take the attention away from her. I assured her this would not happen and she was happy, though she remained suspicious of them until they grew older and she realized, they were her personal animated ‘toys’. She was never too rough with them as they made a good job of nipping her if she did.  

I had found homes for them on one of the more popular classifieds engines online and as each one found a home, I found I had one left, a little tabby male with a darling personality. Compared to the three females he is mild and calm and half the time couldn’t figure out what all the ruckus is about with the sparing between Molly and Sassy. Winston is Molly’s baby; it seemed that people wanted females instead of males so we kept him for ourselves.

He’s a beautifully colored dark stripped tabby with a line of color that extends under his chin making him look as if he’s wearing a white bib. He is the calmest of the four and rarely gets excited about much, being more cautious about new things whereas Emmy will dive right in, regardless of the consequences. 

Being of an age now to be aggressive in play, a fact Emerald distinctly dislikes since she can be somewhat of a bully at times, their play can get quite yowly at times. Winny is strictly an indoor cat at this time, the one time he did venture outside he wasn’t impressed; he’s decided it has to be the right temperature for him to grace the world with his presence. He prefers to look out the window instead.   

Now that I have introduced them all, the intention of this blog is to not only share cat stories but to endeavor to offer other information from my own personal experiences with these unique animals and share them with my readers. In upcoming articles I will write about practical things like how to write successful ads that get immediate results when finding homes for kittens and cats, especially online; naturopathy that I have used for cat health and well-being, raising kittens, saving strays and throwaways; how to help farm and feral cats.  

I hope you will stay tuned for these upcoming articles, stories, quotes, ideas, names and even a cat food or treat recipe or two. Thank you for stopping by. 

Catspaw