Once Upon A Time ~ Scardy a.k.a. Blackie's Story

Once upon a cat there was a time when this one was the most abused and sad barn cat I'd seen in some time. He was absolutely terrified of me and every cat on the colony! He'd run from everyone without hesitation. I could not come even remotely close to where he was or he'd be gone like a shot. Over a few months this summer, I won his confidence with food, talking to him, sitting close by and offering my hand so he'd realize that hands don't always hurt. Every barn cat was mean, if not cruel to him. For whatever the reason he wasn't accepted by any of them. He was hit, snarled at, hissed in his face, chased away, beat up and forced out of shelter in the worst kind of weather. Morning after morning, I'd find him hunkered down on my patio in what little shelter it gave and depending on the food and milk I provided.

In summer, I'd leave the patio door open so he could venture in. Once he was comfortable with that, I closed the door once on him and he, realizing that he couldn't get out ran from door to living room window smashing his nose to a bloody pulp on both before he calmed down enough to see that he was not going to be harmed. He stayed away for a few days after that but came back and this time I was able to approach and pet him. When I picked him up, he tucked himself into a protective ball so I made a point of holding and cuddling him until he became more relaxed with being handled. 

Today;

I rescued him from an existence
of abandonment and cruelty. Its amazing the change in him now that he was given a little help and shelter.  He is expressly an 'indoor' cat now that he has adopted us as his owners. My other cats still hiss and yowl at him, but he has the most gentle way of totally ignoring them!

 
Especially Sassy!

She's my SCREAMER! 
And none too pleased with any cat she feels does not belong.



I think it really annoys her the way he ignores her nastiness and goes about the house like its his home too, in spite of her opinions. He finally stopped the constant hiding a few months ago and pretty much acts like ~ he's home now! This past year has seen all but one kitten (she's too young) spayed and neutered on the dairy, including Blackie ~~ renamed from Scardy. Only lost two cats to a deadly cat virus; one of them, this grey one's brother...(whom I was very sorry to lose)

 
Now Blackie and he play together ~ first time Blackie's ever had a playmate and acceptance by another cat! 

Blackie's own brother, the only sibling I knew of that he had, was put down this fall because of the same deadly cat retrovirus that the grey one in this photo's, brother was put down for. They have something in common these too... they both lost there brothers to sickness. Now, they are best friends who horse around playing tag all over the house!! 

 So here he is, being a little sweetheart. Happy in the home he's been accepted into.

Catspaw

 

The Value and Importance of Adopting Rescue Cats - Part 3

Maya has her story to tell you:

The ‘cutie’ in the middle is Maya.

                             MAYA: The Adventurous Girl

I went to the mall one day and by the end of the day, Maya had joined the family. I adopted her Thursday May 10th 2012, through the Animal Assistance Group. She was only 9 weeks old then, now she is about 15 weeks old and she is also kitty litter trained. I was told that someone went into the Pet Value Pet Store here in the Sault (Sault Marie), with 4 kittens in a bag and just left them in the store without telling anyone. Some time later, the clerk noticed a tiny head pop out of the bag. She  investigated the bag and to her surprise there were 4 very tiny, sick kittens in the bag.

Once the kittens were checked by the vet and given the proper medicine to recover the kittens were placed in Foster Care because they had no mother and were just too young to be adopted out.

Recovered and were up for adoption along with her siblings is Maya.

Maya, abandoned in a paper bag and left in a Pet Store.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maya at home now. She also will be spayed this November 2012.

Although Maya is very small for her age, I think she was the ‘runt of the litter,’ she is full of energy and she investigates anything that moves. She just loves to cuddle up to you with a purr that could melt anyone’s heart. Sasha and Maya have really ‘bonded’ and you wont see one without the other. Now she is attempting to win Xena over and it looks like she is winning her heart to. From the moment Maya came into our home, she just made herself right at home as if she had always been there.

I had not planned on three cats but it seems that each one of these cats made their way into my life and they are here to stay because I couldn’t part with any of them now. Seems they ‘all’ were ‘throw away kitties’ but I believe that EVERY animal born has a reason and a purpose for being here. My life is richer for having these three cats and they all are loved and cherished.

Even the vet remarked that all my cats were ‘very contented’ cats!

All my cats get along perfectly and they are all ‘bonding.’ My cats are indoor cats only and they never give me any kind of problems. If you have your cats fixed they are very good in the house.

They all have had a rough start in life but they found a home where they are loved and safe. I only wish that all cats were as lucky as these ones. And that people think before they carelessly abandon any animal on the side of the street or in a bush and  realize that animals have a purpose too in life and that there are people who really want those abandoned cats. 

These are three stories my cousin wanted to share with my readers and visitors. We both, sincerely hope that Xena, Sasha and Maya and all the other kittens and cats that I have managed to rescue, tame and re-home, have inspired some love and concern for strays, throw-aways and the lost that come round your neighborhoods and doors begging to be let in or for a small morsel of food.

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

Quick Update On Sassy

On February 24th Sassy and Winston were spayed and neutered. Sassy hasn't been feeling good over these past 5 days, she's been experiencing some pain and discomfort, though no infection. She also had a adverse reaction to coming out of the anesthetic; the after affects stayed with her longer. 

The whole rest of the day and night of the 24th she was so dopey she couldn't walk straight and kept falling over then laying there until I came and picked her up. I put her back in her carrier to keep her from trying to wander the house. Her ears where too cold and the instructions said to keep her warm because she was unable to regulate her body temperature until the drug wore off completely. I still had to keep her warm over these past few days.

Now its exactly a week later and she has improved enough to play and is resting comfortably. 

Treat time

Her appetite suffered a little but she always was a small and delicate eater. She seems somewhat confused about her treats and usually eats only half of them; its almost like she is losing her taste for these special morsels. She eats them because the other three do so she follows their lead.

Incision in Sassy's tummy

This is the incision area and its clean with no infection and healing well. 
I am glad the pain has passed for her and she is starting to feel better. 
This same operation did not affect Molly or Emerald the same way, I believe its because Sassy is such a tiny cat and has never had much weight to her that she suffered more from the post-surgery than they did. 

nap attack!

So just to let my readers know that Sassy is steadily improving from her surgery and is feeling much better. 








Catspaw

Barn Cats And a Yellow Lab

I might have told you this before but we live on a small dairy that is also a registered cat colony and there is one dog, a yellow lab who also calls it home. Its not immediately obvious that its a cat colony because most of the cats wander across the road into the bush and the dairy itself is fairly large. Many of the cats have been spayed and neutered but there are a few who refuse to be caught, so every spring a certain amount of kittens are to be expected. For those females who will allow it, the owner's wife takes care of her and the litter but there are some that are feral and are content, it seems, to remain that way. Its a job to even find the little ones when they are of age to be fixed and traps have to be set for them as they are not all people-friendly.

One of Rory's buddies

The barn cats follow him everywhere

Rory, the yellow lab doesn't like anyone to notice the fact that he likes the cats. They are always around his feet and follow him wherever he goes. He gets very embarrassed when its he's being watched with his little buddies. Its funny to watch him almost trip over them when the larger kittens are walking in and through his legs because he's so careful not to step on them. 


Rory is a big lovable mooch but he's also terrified of thunder and will mow you down if you're in the room with him; strangely, he won't hurt the cats.


Catspaw