~Thank You~

I've been trying to visit everyone and thank them for their condolences...... I have only been able to thank about half of you before I began having trouble commenting and connectivity issues.

The outpouring of love and support during this very sad time has been wonderful and very much appreciated. It helps to read comments from friends and hear from others who have gone through the same thing. Chevelle was such a special girl and it's so nice to know you all thought the same way about her. I wish I was able to thank each one of you individually, but I can't. This is for all of you kind souls out there!!

Some of you may remember my foster kittens, "Muffins" and "Pancakes."

Chevelle Has Left for the Rainbow Bridge

Anna Chevelle

May 01, 2000 - July 03, 2012

I've been dreading this post since we found out last week that Chevelle had cancer. She had been completely normal until June 22 when she suddenly stopped eating. We brought her to the vet on June 25th and after labs, x-rays and an ultrasound, she was diagnosed with masses in her liver and abdomen. Nothing could be done and we were sent home with anti-nausea and pain meds. We had been assit-feeding ever since, hoping she would regain her appetite at least to stay with us a little while longer....that, unfortunately, never happened. One of the hardest decisions of our lives..... We had to let her go to be at peace and pain free. She left us this morning. She is now reuniting with Cal and that gives me comfort.

Since the diagnosis, we'd spend as much time outside as possible. When she was outside; walking through the grass, rolling around on the concrete, she was the happiest.

 I'll love you forever, I'll miss you for always.

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.

Dixie Dog Got Treats!!

Look what came in the mail just for our sweet Dixie Dog! It's a treat gift bag from The Barkers Dozen!

It includes super yummy treats like: Gluten Free Sweet Paw-Tato, Organic Chicken Dog Treats and Organic Carrot Dog Treats! I can't figure out which one she likes best because she eats all three so quickly! I'd say she loves all three just the same :)

Dixie Dog is a happy girl!

THANK YOU, THE BARKERS DOZEN!!

Happy Birthday, Saylor!!

Big Boy

We’ve had a stray male kitty hanging around the neighborhood since late last year.  He would come up to our house most every night to get a bite to eat. We could never get close enough the do the old collar trick. You know, when you put a collar (with your phone number on the tag) on the stray kitty to see if you get a phone call from his actual owners…  I could only get close enough to see this kitty was unneutered.

Here he is captured on our wildlife camera. The date and time are wrong....

He liked to pick fights with the other neighborhood kitties because….well, that’s what intact males do….. We almost immediately put out a box trap (with the door removed) and would feed him in it every night. When we felt like he was comfortable enough, we decided to set the trap. No luck! Anytime that trap was set, he knew it and he wouldn’t go near it. We tried jack mackerel, tuna, catnip for cats……nothing would entice him enough to enter. This was frustrating!  Finally, we decided to use the drop trap, the same trap that helped us capture Gretchen a few years ago. Worked like a charm on the first attempt! Yay! So we took him to the vet and had him neutered, vaccinated and ear-tipped.

Big Boy with his ear-tip!

We call him “Big Boy.”  Big Boy’s trips to our house at night aren’t quite as frequent since his neuter. Can’t say I blame him, I’d probably be pretty mad too. However, the great news is he is no longer picking fights with the neighborhood outdoor cats and he is no longer able to spread his seed :) Yay for TNR!

Dixie Dog and Her Seeing-eye Cat, Maya!

I just can’t believe my Maya is 12 years old. It’s hard to believe that 12 years ago we were bottle feeding him and his sister, Chevelle, after they had been abandoned by their feral mother at a dilapidated horse barn. He hasn’t always been the healthiest of kitties and I often wonder if it’s because he didn’t get his mother’s milk long enough? His weight has never been much over 10lbs and up until a few years ago, he had pretty bad asthma. Since Maya is getting older, his appetite isn’t what it used to be. Lately, he pretty much turns his nose up at dry kibble, so I’ve switched him to canned cat food. He seems to prefer this much better and it’s not as much of a challenge to get him to eat his meals.

One of Maya’s great attributes is his love of our Dixie Dog. Dixie is maybe 13 or 14 years old (rescued, so the age is unknown) and she has gone completely blind. Maya is almost always at her side when she walks around the living room. We joke that he’s her seeing-eye cat and he’s guiding her through the maze of furniture.

Maya also likes to stand behind Dixie and let her whap him with her tail. I never have understood why he does this, but he sure does seem to enjoy it. He also really enjoys nibbling on her ears and jowls. Dixie never seems to mind; in fact I know she loves the attention.

Happy Birthday, Maya and Chevelle

Happy Birthday,

Maya and Chevelle!

12 years old today! Yay!!