How Cute Is This??

Meet our newest addition! He goes by the name "Lucky Peter" but I'm pretty sure we'll be shortening that before long. Dedicated local rescuers found him and another kitty near a dumpster in Chula Vista. The other kitty is healthy and in search of a forever home. Both were covered in fleas and filth; they were lucky to be so young and survive outside in our extreme summer temperatures.

This little guy ~ he's here because he's far from normal. He has trouble with his hind legs, with abnormal nerve supply on one side. His physical with our veterinarian Dr. Booman yielded some surprising "extras". He also has intestinal motility issues (he backs up in the poop department) and he also has an abdominal hernia. He has coccidia, a treatable intestinal parasite too. He's pretty darn young, about 5 weeks old, and weighs less than 1 pound right now ~ even tinier than Scooter was when he came to live with us!

Right now, he's on medication to improve his gi function (get the poop out!), plus medication to treat his parasites. He's also been started on a low residue diet, like Scooter, to help keep the stool volume smaller. He's a real love sponge who wants nothing more than to be carried around in a pocket or hidden in your shirt so he can nap. He's a cutie who will give Scooter a run for his money as he gets older!

Nothing Like A Good Nap...

to refresh you! Ms. Maggie curled up on the new quilt in her room today and napped the entire afternoon away. Her keen sense of time, however, had her wide awake in time for dinner!

Um, What Do You Mean Manicure?

Pax, our beautiful Ring-neck Dove, had an appointment with a pair of nail clippers this afternoon. He is permanently handicapped after having a broken leg heal in the wrong direction. It points out to the side as you can see in the picture. He's never learned to perch, and lives on a carpeted surface so he doesn't get pressure sores. The down side is he also doesn't wear down his nails like a normal scavenging, perching bird.

Bird nail trims are even more delicate than those of a dog or cat. They can bleed profusely if trimmed too close (no pressure!), or even die from the stress of handling. I'm happy to report that with Steve holding him, he was the perfect gentleman, the nail trim went well, and Pax didn't get too stressed out. He's happily eating this evening!

Dog Bed?

Cameron has decided that everything "dog" is also "cat" or at least "cat friendly". From dog beds to water bowls to dog food bowls, this little girl has no trouble in putting her little 6lb body right in the middle of whatever the dogs want to use. The more dogs that want to use it, the better!

Our critters have been faring fairly well in our 100 degree plus temperatures. All kitties are eating canned food in order to keep them eating, Piggie is getting hosed down twice a day plus a huge mud hole to lay in, and well the dogs have to be coerced to go outside to pee! And, thankfully, we have no fires burning in our part of the world. Here's hoping for a fire-free fall!

Well, If You Must...

You can take my picture! I realized that Skyler never had "after" pictures taken once his ears had healed. He's quite the handsome guy! Today, we moved him in with the other house kitties, much to his disappointment. He's enjoyed being an "only cat" but really needs more exercise. He's already discovered the outdoor patio, so we hope he'll find the accomodations acceptable!

Here's His New Cast!

Pilot is sporting his new, shorter walking cast. He now gets the use of his foot! He's walking very well now, and has worked up to 25 minute walks twice a day. More exercise for the both of us! He also has a sleeker waistline to show off ~ weighing in at 73lbs. We're very happy with him at this weight, so he now gets a little more food at mealtime ~ something he's very happy about!

Pilot's Home!

A happy and exhausted Pilot is home tonight! He progressed well in his rehab, and is now walking 20 minutes a day. It's up to us to continue his walks morning and evening, increasing the time every few days. When he's walking a comfortable 30 minutes twice a day, his cast size will decrease. It'll keep getting smaller as he gains more strength in his knee. Tonight, he's sleeping in every bed in the house when he's not glued to my side.

Welcome home Pilot!

Animal Updates

It's been a while since I've posted, because the critters have been keeping us busy. Here's what we've been up to:

~ Pilot had knee surgery on July 3rd. He had a torn cruciate ligament in the knee of his previously fractured leg. Although he's been healing, his progress has been slow. He has severe degenerative joint disease in that knee which has slowed things even further. He left this morning for a week of "boot camp" with his rehab therapist Rainy. Please cross your fingers that he heals and walks quickly so he's home soon!

~ The "lil old lady" trio has moved into the main cat room in the house. This was in an effort to help them stay cooler since it has a fan in it. Construction has been slow on "Poo Corner", the new cat enclosure for Scooter, Tara, & Uno.

~ Roger Rabbit passed away suddenly a week ago today. By all appearances, he was acting normally that morning, but lay down for a nap and didn't wake up. We all miss his carrot-begging antics!

~Marci passed away Thursday. She was also completely normal, carrying on all of her normal cat activities. We're happy she had 4 years with us, given the birth defect she was living with. Phoenix especially misses her!

~ Liberty has finished her laser therapy treatments for her jaw and is now able to eat dry food and biscuits again. She is so comfortable that she can even chew on a Nylabone!

~ The animals are surviving the July heat with few complaints, just lots of water and extra canned food in the evening!

The Website is done!

The newly designed website is up and running!

Please be patient while all of the animal stories get entered, but once again we can be reached by e-mail. Let us know what you think!

Invisible Kitty

MeiLi found the new stroller that was generously donated to us over the weekend. We set it up, I left to feed dinner, and came back to find MeiLi blending in quite nicely with the color. She spent several hours napping there, very happy to have a new super-secret nap spot!

No Pictures, Please...

I'm just out of the bath! Cameron got a bath today because it was time for her to "freshen up" a little. She loved it, and spent the entire time purring away!

Skyler Had His Surgery...

And he's feeling much better, thank you! The Animal Dermatology Clinic was kind enough to both consult and do surgery very quickly, so he didn't have to sit with ouchy ears for long! There's a great chance that, if he stays out of the sun, his cancer won't continue to spread in spite of some narrow margins on his ears. He had 2 bowls of food that afternoon after surgery, and another 2 bowls when he got home. He has to wait 2 weeks to get the e-collar off, since that's when his sutures come out. He's doing great, very happy and extra purry and hungry too!

Meet Skyler!

Skyler is a gorgeous long-hair kitty with enchanting blue eyes! He came from the Central Shelter, where he was scheduled to be euthanized because of his ears. Skyler has cancer, squamous cell carcinoma to be exact, on both of his ears. Most kitties can have laser surgery and the affected ears are essentially removed. His right ear is too advanced for surgery. We're consulting with our holistic veterinarian Dr. Laflin for input on using homeopathy to slow the progression of his cancer.
In the meantime, Skyler eats, and purrs, and eats more! He's not painful, but does prefer you don't touch his ears ~ feel free to scratch around them though. He was also covered in fleas, which the shelter treated with frontline, however he still got a bath this afternoon which he loved - he purred the entire time!
Please keep this little guy in your prayers. He won't be with us a long time, but we intend to make it a great time while he's here!

Sure I Fit!

Pilot has decided that he does fit anywhere, including Steve's chair! This didn't last long, though, because his favorite way to sleep is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out on one of the couches! He saw our favorite holistic veterinarian Dr. Laflin on Thursday, and he had a chiropractic adjustment as well as an acupuncture treatment. He is moving around with a lot more energy, and although he is a little stiff today, I think he will continue to improve!

I Love My Bed!

Libby loves her crate, I mean loves her crate, after a hard day outside playing. She's curled up with her favorite Kong toy, which she can't pick up, but likes sleeping with. Crates are rarely used around here for anything aside from feeding Scooter at mealtime (since he's so food aggressive), but we have one in the living room serving as an "end table" as well as a dog bed. Holly was the first one to enjoy hiding in her little cave, but over time she's decided she doesn't need it anymore. Then, just as I was thinking of taking it down, Liberty moved in, and once again, the crate has a purpose!

Our Website & Some Technical Difficulties...

While you can now follow us on Twitter, I'm afraid I screwed something up during today's website update, and now the menu is gone. Please be patient while I try to figure out what happened!

Man, You Smell Funny!

Here's the scene I found this evening as I went out to feed dinner~ no one can believe Ballou is Ballou, since he got a wonderfully scented aloe bath along with his haircut!

A New Summer Hairdo...

For Ballou today ~ lucky guy! He gets a haircut twice a year, and a bath once a month or so, since he can't clean himself. He's pictured above in his "jungle kitty" mode, making sure that he gets his time in front of the camera, but making sure that all who view the picture know that he's quite the great hunter!

Ballou lost his tongue in an accident several years ago, and he eventually wound up here after being adopted and returned. He doesn't realize it's a problem, he just uses his lower teeth to bathe himself, which unfortunately leads to pretty big messes in a long hair coat. We compromised last year by deciding just to keep him body shaved ~ no more brushing that he hates, no more unsanitary mess that I hate!

Meet Kismet!

Kismet joined us a couple of weeks ago. He hails from the Central shelter, where there was concern about upper respiratory infection and a drooling problem that he had. It turns out that the respiratory infection cleared quickly and the drooling ~ well, that's just what he does when he's happy.

And when is he happy? When ever someone is petting him, talking to him, or near him! He is a larger boy, weighing in at 15lbs, with, well, a little extra in the middle. He does like to eat! But, he enjoys humans so much more that he leaves his food for the chance at a lap!

We always change the name of an animal as it comes from the shelter, that is until now. Kismet fits this handsome guy so well, we just decided it should stick! He is living in the Cabana, which now has the nickname "grey tabby manor" since everyone there is a grey tabby to some degree. While Pepper thinks he's cute, she's quick to point out her "queen" status. And the boys are a little intimidated by his size, but all are settling in well together!

Meet Pax!

Pax joined our family a couple of months ago. He (she?) broke his leg in an outdoor aviary. Birds can heal pretty quickly, and by the time the injury was discovered, the leg already began to heal at an almost 90 degree angle. It made him unable to use it, and unable to stay with other birds who would pick on the weakened one. Pax is a beautiful Ring-neck Dove, who lives in a 28"x 42" enclosure situated on the top of Roger rabbit's hotel ~ keeping him up high where he can see everything going on and the dogs can't "play" with him!

Now, you may ask, how do you accomodate a handicapped bird? He has a shallow dish (a plant saucer) for bathing, a carpeted floor, and low dishes for food and drinking water. Not being able to perch poses some challenges. The carpet keeps sores from forming on his legs as he hops around. The plant saucer bathing dish gives him a chance to stay clean without worrying about drowning!

Pax will work with us to teach people that with a little imagination, even special needs birds can have a full life!