New Set of Problems

My life has taken a strange turn.  I now have a homeless woman     (a niece of my former husband who is now deceased) and her chocolate lab living in my home.  She is therefore, my daughter's cousin, but really no relation to me.  I don't mind too much, but I am worried about my cats.  I have 4 and they aren't too pleased with the dog.  I must admit she is a good dog, but she's big and they
are afraid of her.  I told her she would have to keep the dog in the
room in the basement where she is sleeping and make sure she
takes her out frequently because I don't want any accidents in the
house.  Well last night we had a power failure just as I was 
returning from the mall with some fast food for supper.  When I went inside she was in my TV room with the dog and all my cats were hiding and fearful.  Finally she took her out to walk and pee and then brought her downstairs, but that wasn't until after we had
eaten the Chinese food I bought.  My cats did not come out of 
hiding until we finally went to sleep after the electricity was on. 

It's not so much that I mind that she is here, but that I don't how
long she'll be here and I'm definitely not happy about the dog.  
Even though the electricity finally came on I was unable to 
sleep last night. I had to reset my bedroom alarm clock and it
took me about 45 minutes, because it has a tedious way to 
reset it and I didn't have the directions.  I'll need to print them
up again if I can find them online again.  

She does have a car, but yesterday her LR tire blew out so
Larry and I went to Sears to get a new and have it mounted on 
her tire.  I don't know where this is going, and I don't know 
how long she'll be here.   Probably a while more than I'd like.
Today she had just brought the dog into  the house off leash, 
and she immediately went after the first cat she saw.  Sadly that
was Chloe my most timid and fearful cat.  She is still in hiding 
several hours later.  Poor little girl.  I almost told her she would
have to leave but I felt sorry for her so I didn't, but I did have a
talk with her.  I have to tell Lauren no more boarders esp. if they have dogs, big dogs. I will post about this situation again
to update on this situation (which I hope will cease to be a situation
in my house).

Let It Snow

Talk  about rain for 40 days and 40 nights, it feels like we've had 40 snowstorms: fluffy snow, heavy wet rain and snow, and more fluffy snow and even some rain.  Will it ever end?  It certainly is making my impending move to FL a lot more appealing.  My body hurts from shoveling and I didn't even do that much.  Larry used
the snowblower and did most of it.  I cleaned the vehicles and did a fair amount of shoveling the stairs, the areas where the sb doesn't fit etc.  It is still snowing as I'm writing this and TC is still meowing to go out. I tried to tell him it was too cold and wet, but he was determined.  But I didn't give in.  One of us has to have
and use some common sense and I guess that I am the one.   I feel sorry for all the little animals like squirrels and birds that are out in all this stuff.  It's hard for them to find food and shelter.  I spent today( and a few other days when it snowed) running outside with sunflower seeds and peanuts for the birds and squirrels.  They come to door and bang on it and the birds come up to the door and sit on the rails. I give them the peanuts and they prefer the shells be removed first (the squirrels seem to like the shells better).  I get
great joy and fun from  giving them the seeds and peanuts and other leftovers.  My concern is who will feed them when I'm in FL?  Even the birds seem to trust me they ignore me when I'm under the bird feeder, and just this week I had an exciting experience.  I saw a little bird in my shed banging against the windows trying to get out.  I quickly put shoes on and a sweater and rescued him.  He was a bit afraid of me, but I was able to pick him up and put him outside.  Now I check the shed every day just to make sure no birds are stuck in there.  It was a tiny bird, smaller than the palm of my hand.  It was also
an exciting experience for me, not so sure about the bird's appreciation of the experience though.

Long Time

It's been so long since I've written in this blog  that I wasn't sure if I still had the account.  I'm planning on a major move to FL, (from CT) so I'm sorting and tossing  a lot of stuff and still have much work to do.  I will keep readers updated about my moving plans as things happen.  I wish I could just avoid the whole thing. But there's no such luck.

When Kitty Needs Meds

I haven't had a blog entry in quite some time.  There are lots of things I could write about from my kitties to a move to FL, to a visit with my granddaughter, but I've been in a bit of a funk.  One of my cats has had IBS and was on several meds and had a few visits to the doc.  He now hides when he sees me coming.  It breaks my heart, but I can't blame him.  The good news is that when I stop for a few days between visits to the veterinarian's office he seems to forgive me and lets me get close to him. At one point (after the second regimen of pills and liquid meds) he seemed to be relieved and jumped on the bed early in the morning and snuggled with me for about  half  an hour before jumping off and letting me get up. I thought I heard a sigh of relief as he settled down on my stomach, stretched out and took a short nap.  I was forgiven!!!  Then his IBS came back and further treatment was needed.  He is now on an intermittent
treatment every other day or every 2 days.  He's a gentle little boy and would never hurt me, but he does try to keep his mouth closed tightly, not allowing me to pry it open.  Then after I put the medicine in his mouth and get him to swallow he bolts and hides for hours, sometimes up to a day.  That's when I feel sooo guilty - even though I'm only trying to help him.   It's like I have lied to him and he is now disillusioned.  So far he's been off the medication for
a week or so. He seems to be over his trauma, but if I reach for him he still tries to back away.  I have to be fast.  I really  hope he's ok now. Though the monetary expense can be high  there is also an emotional cost of administering medications and treatments,  and it can be very stressful.  

This kitty doesn't forget what I have done to him and avoids me after administration of some foul tasting liquid or pushing pills down his little throat.  Dogs do seem to be more forgiving or maybe they have shorter memories.  But they too have their limits.  I'm hoping they all stay healthy for at least a year. Now go hug your pets.

New Kindle

I bought myself a Kindle just before Christmas so I could read from it on the way to FL.  We left Christmas day for FL and arrived on the 27th.  I really enjoyed the Kindle.  I was even able to download some
books through the wifi in a restaurant. It does make reading very pleasant and effortless.  It holds your page
and is light and easy to hold .  If I had had more money I would have bought the more expensive model with the free 4G for the lifetime of the Kindle.  But this one is great once you get a few books on it.  I found so many I liked with prices anywhere from 0. 99 to  $3 or 4 and up.  I love short stories and books about
cats.  I was able to find many of them.  I bought the paper-white model and love it.  The battery is good
for days without recharging and doesn't use battery power when it's closed (as my cell phone does).
I think the other brands such as the Nook etc are about the same.   My grandchildren have Nooks
and they love them too.  I have a nook app on my laptop and find it nice to use as well.  And though
I'm not traveling right now (until next year) I'm still using the Kindle everyday.  Another plus is that
I can remove the books that I have read from my device and Amazon will keep it stored on their site
pretty much forever or as long as I'm alive.

I think that using a Kindle or Nook would be a good way to encourage children and teens to read. If
they find it enjoyable, they'll use it more and won't have a lot of books hanging around the house.
Of course my grandchildren still like to go to the library to get books, and I like the atmosphere of the
library to read and pass time. I wonder if the library will ever have a lending library of electronic
books.  That would be neat.

According to my significant person my local library does have the set up to lend books for Kindle and Nooks.  I'm not quite sure how it works, but I think I'll look it up and find out.  In the meantime remember books or gift certificates for books are great gifts for almost everyone.   Older folks might like the size
adjustment ability for the screenprint.  And I should point out that Amazon is not paying me to promote
the Kindle.

New Kitty

New Kitty

There is a little black and white tuxedo kitty in my neighborhood.  A few weeks ago I invited him in and he's been coming to my home 2-3 times each day for a bite to eat and some love of course since then.  But his behavior is puzzling because he's lovable and friendly inside, but afraid of me outside.I can't pick him up or pet him, but I can open my door and let him in.  Once in he's a lap cat, purrs loudly, pushes his head into my hand when I pet him and eats the cat food I give him.  He prefers the canned, pate, or ground.  He doesn't like the little cubes of "meat" and if I serve that he licks up the sauce and then walks away.  As a matter of fact so do my other cats.  I must remember that when I'm shopping for cat food.  Unfortunately I have several cans of the cubed stuff.  Perhaps if I mash it with a fork he'll give it a try.  But it seems that I shall have to remember those preferences next time I shop for cat food.  

It is now about 2-3 months since little Timothy Cat or TC for short  allowed me to

bring him inside.  I had to introduce him to the litter box 'bathroom', and he is doing

well in that area, but he wants to go outside howls everyday - early morning and 

after dark.  He wants to hunt the night creatures.  But I fear losing him if I let him

out, or that he might get injured or sick.  I have had him neutered and immunized 

against the usual cat diseases, but infections from injuries etc could be bad and 

expensive and maybe painful to treat.  So in he stays and he's not too happy with

that. But he is a lovable, if unpredictable little cat and very playful.  My other cats don't

interact much with him, but they don't seem to dislike him either.  So all is good except I now have one more mouth to feed and vet bills to pay.  He is a fun kitty, but he does
have a few rules.  

Cats know your every thought. They don't care, but they know

Sick Kitty etc.

One of my cats is a bit under the weather.  He was neutered and had immunizations and blood tests last week and took almost 2 days to recover from all that.  Then yesterday he had a few more shots as a
follow up - because he was a stray he needed to have 2 doses of a few shots (feline leukemia was one
of them).  He seemed ok during the evening and jumped on bed for a cuddle for half the night then he
left for other sleeping quarters - a cushy chair in the kitchen.  When I woke up he was still in his chair
but a little lethargic and cried when I tried to move him.  I did pick him up and put him on the table in
front of the window in the tv room.  He whined and cried as though it really hurt.  I was almost in tears
myself.  I called the office as soon as it opened, and they  gave me an appointment for 9 am.  I got
there at 8:30 or so and they took me right in.  He had a temp of 104 F and that is kind of high for
such a little guy.  The doctor said that he was like this after the last shots he had at the time of the surgery     so she thinks that maybe next time he should get half of the shots and a few days later the rest.  That's
ok with me, but it will cost me for 2 visits. But when you have  pets, you have a responsibility to take
care of them which includes food, shelter, love and medical needs.  Just like having children.

 And just just like children you have to plan for their lives if you should die before they do.  Rescuing is
 complicated because if you take in a stray and are barely able to feed it,  not able to give medical attention
or provide for them after you are gone should you not take the cat in?  Then if no else does is he better off?
  As a community all of us need to be more responsible pet owners and do what we can to help them.  A
warm home with cheaper food, and no medical care is better than living on the streets and getting
attacked by dogs, cars and cruel people who hurt them as sport.  I guess it's all relative and one
can only do so much.  But keeping an animal off the mean streets or dangerous wooded areas is
certainly a worthy goal.  I hope a time will come when there are no more homeless people or
animals.  We have so many charities devoted to this problem that it's hard to pick which one to
support.  But I think any of them  would be good.  My favorite is "The Cathouse on the Kings" in
California (northern) because I love cats and they do too. They have a huge area ( several acres)
all fenced in so the cats can be outside and still safe.  There are a few cat friendly dogs there as well.
They will even take on pets who survive their people.  It is necessary to make arrangements in your
will and there is a cost for the estimated care.  I think I will do that for my kitties some day.  Right
now I'm not expecting to die anytime soon (don't we all say that?).  I'm pretty sure my daughter
won't step up and take them, although she does have a cat and some other pets.

My other favorite cat rescue is the Blind Cat Rescue.  That is a beautiful safe place for blind cats.
I think there are a few cats with other type handicaps and some with multiple handicaps who get to live
theirs lives in a warm, safe, happy environment and have their needs met.  It is an amazing place: clean,
safe, and cat friendly to the max.