Sunday, July 30, 2006

He's Got A Hearty Appetite...


And a pretty big mouth too! This is Ballou quietly requesting his dinnertime meal (not!) Most of the kitties start asking for dinner about 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon, and dinner is at 6pm, which never changes. I believe they're hoping I forget someday and maybe feed twice!

It took Ballou a whole week to figure out the routine, he chimes in during the early afternoon requests, then like everyone else, waits till later. I still don't have pictures yet of his post-meal bath time, he gets embarrassed easily!

Saturday, July 29, 2006

A New Face With An Ouchy Problem!


This sweet face belongs to Swope, a kitty first on the euthanasia list at the Grayson County Humane Society in Kentucky. He arrived in California last week on Monday evening, and I picked him up Tuesday afternoon. This is his first photo opportunity since he's been here.

How'd he get cross-country? Does he know where the cheap gas prices are? Does he have a secret transporter device? Kentucky Beth (there are 2 Beths - 1 in Kentucky, 1 in Florida) and I have been e-mailing back and forth about this guy trying to figure out what's going on with him. I told her if there was ever an opportunity for him to come to California, he'd be welcome here. She found one! It turns out that her family friends Robert and Carla had a direct flight from Nashville to Los Angeles, so Swope packed his bags for a whirl-wind day of adventure! They kept him overnight until we could meet the next day so he could come home to the sanctuary.

Swope has inflamed gum tissue and a tongue ulcer that makes it really difficult to eat. He's a senior citizen by all accounts, with a (low) estimated age of 15 years old. He's had lab work and a cardiac ultrasound since he's been here to make sure it's safe for him to have anesthesia ~ and he can!

He's pretty handsome, isn't he? He's not particularly attached to his name either ~ any ideas for a new name?

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Wow It's Warm!

Here's wishing everyone cool summer breezes as the weather continues to heat up across the country. At an unseasonable (and unreasonable) 112 degrees today, I found myself praying to the rain gods while trying hard to keep everyone cool. All critters fared pretty well, with the Cabana kitties getting the worst of the weather (if I just had a fan big enough to cool the entire outdoors!) All of the dogs and most of the Cabana cats received cooling baths this afternoon, and the only complaint came from Hot Rod, who thought that was the dumbest idea I'd ever come up with!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

How Can Someone This Cute...

Cause such an uproar that dinner is delayed? (Only by a couple of hours!)

Scooter had a rectal prolapse happen late this afternoon, probably an hour or so before dinner tonight. He had an emergency visit to our veterinarian Dr. Booman (who fortunately was available) and we managed to "put everything back" and put in a purse-string suture. This allows stool to pass, but should keep the bowel inside where it belongs.

Scooter will be on antibiotics and subcutaneous fluids for several days. He's also now moved in to an extra large dog crate in the kitchen (where he spent many days as a kitten) so he can be closely monitored and receive 6 small meals a day (he's hatin' that part!) He'll have to have an x-ray or ultrasound in the next 24 hours to make sure that he doesn't have an intussusception, a serious condition in which the bowel telescopes inside of itself.

We're also discussing surgery for him also. This is, unfortunately, the third time this has happened, and the problem is incrementally worse each time. The surgical fix is an abdominal surgery to go in and actually tack the bowel to the abdominal wall so it physically stays in place. With his deformities, general anesthesia and surgery are an especially big concern. We'll keep you updated as we know more information.

Friday, July 14, 2006

A Boy Named Ballou


This handsome boy, Ballou, arrived late this afternoon after a long journey with his rescuer Beth. Their adventure began very early this morning in Florida ~ yes, Ballou has now traveled coast-to-coast, making friends and racking up those "frequent flyer" miles! Thanks to Beth, the folks at Delta airlines, and Beth's friend Paul, Ballou's adventure to his forever home is now complete.

Ballou looks like pretty much any other handsome black cat you would meet, that is, until you watch him eat. Due to an accident earlier in his life, part of his tongue was amputated, leaving him unable to groom himself or eat mashed up canned food (he needs the can shape so he can grab it to eat it!) His forever home in Florida turned out not to be the case, and Feline Friends has been working hard to place him during the heat of kitten season. When asked if he could live here if they could get him here, I said "Why not?" (Maybe Phoenix would consider grooming him instead of herself!)

He's pretty shy, and I'm sure trying to figure out what the last 24 hours we're all about, so here's a picture of him before he left Florida, contentedly "making biscuits" with his paws. I hope that with some time, he will learn there are many friends here who can help him stay clean!

Visitors!


It was a warm yet exciting afternoon for the animals today. One of our Friends of the Sanctuary stopped by to visit, meet the animals, and best of all, deliver chicken jerky treats! Thank you, D.C., the dogs are still wagging their tails!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Thanks For Your Patience...


Our phone troubles are over and you may now leave a message if you need to!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Phone Troubles...

If you've tried to leave a message for us at the sanctuary over the last several days, we're having phone troubles, which should be resolved by tomorrow. If you call our phone number, it will let you know how to reach us. Thanks for your patience!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Fidelity Leaves Us...

But will forever remain in our hearts. Our "Head Dog in Charge of Cats" lost her battle with kidney failure and chronic sinusitis, and passed away at home last night. She was surrounded by her human, canine, and yes, even some of her feline family. The picture above is one of our last trips to the Del Mar dog beach, where she introduced Luna to the ocean and swimming!

She also leaves behind a large void in the daily sanctuary operations, which now takes 3 dogs to fill ~ Maverick, our Aussie, is now in charge of cats, Luna is Sanctuary Ambassador, and Quincy is in charge of keeping me out of trouble.

This morning, as I went out to care for the Cabana Kitties, I noticed all of the Hibiscus I planted along their yard was blooming ~ proof to me that "Diddle" (her nickname) is still watching over all of us, especially her kitties!

Sunday, July 02, 2006

San Diego County Fair Pics



Here, finally, are our pictures from this year's booth at the San Diego County Fair. This was taken before the fair opened on Saturday. We had an excellent location near the entrance to this new building, so Luna, pictured in this photo with me, spent a long weekend as Sanctuary Ambassador. She and I had a 12 hour shift, including the early morning set-up. I really thought she'd be exhausted after such a long day, so Scooter took a bath in preparation to work on Sunday. When Sunday morning came, Luna was at the door, ready to go ~ sorry Scooter, how could I say no? This was a wonderful weekend, with the opportunity to share the sanctuary's purpose, stories of the animals, and to answer questions about special needs animals. To those who we met ~ thank you, it was a pleasure!
Special thanks to Sandra, the sanctuary's treasurer, as she and her Aussie Jake spent almost all day of both days helping out in the booth. As a large wind came through the building on Saturday, she even caught the display before the entire row of booths collapsed! Luna thought Jake was a pretty handsome guy too (he's pictured in the crate taking a nap). Both dogs got to see chinchillas for the first time too, which provided endless entertainment!