Tuesday, August 24, 2021

 The 5 kitten litter--Eggs, Fuzzy, Wuzzy, Danu and Patty Ann are all doing great. They are super active, eating great and having a great time here in the Main Area. They also now get to stay out for the entire day and night--no more putting them in Paddys Place for naps. 

We have taken on a few more kittens and cats.

Popcorn--all white, two very blue eyes, DSH.  She arrived at 4 weeks of age, only weighing 12.5 ounces.  She and her sibling, Nox (a siamese) were found by ODOT, alongside a road while they were working. Unfortunately yesterday, Nox started showing neurological problems and quickly went downhill all afternoon. He passed away early evening, while being held. Popcorn is doing good and is not showing any problems. She is energetic and wants to play all the time or be held. 

Veronica--a beautiful calico who is a mama. She arrived on 8/19 from a sad humane case. Her kittens were born 8/18 and all are doing great. Everyone is clean and flea free. Veronica is 2 years old with a birthday of 8/10/19. They are in the back Thumper's Room. Today, the blue pool goes on the floor for Veronica and babies to have.  Here's the 7 kittens (names coming soon)--  all have white feet!

Orange DSH, male

Dark orange, ASH, male

Brown tiger, DSH, male

Brown tiger/torti, female, gold dot on forehead

Bl tiger, ASH, female

Brown tiger/torti, female, gold dot on forehead

Calico, female

We had a Flash Help on Thursday that brought in $540.  This again will go towards our roof repair.  I am so thankful for those that donated the items, those that received them (and those that didn't make it!!) and to Marcia too for helping me. And to the mods who are a big part of making these successful. 

This past Thursday was a HumaneOhio day. We love these spay/neuter days.  We sent up 37 cats--21 females and 16 males. Everything went smooth and all cats did well with their surgeries.  

Thank you for understanding about our need to cancel the Fall Festival. It truly was the right decision to make.  Covid and that upper respiratory virus has been hitting very near to us and puts up red flags for us.  We are making sure people are washing their hands and we don't  overload how many people are in the rescue center. We have also ordered a Thermometer with bluetooth and a tripod holder, non-contact digital forehead fever detector.  All people (including FFRC volunteers) coming in will have to have their temp taken upon arrival. If the temp is elevated, an alarm will sound.

We are on the work schedule for the new roof. We don't have a date yet. Keep your fingers crossed no heavy rain to cause further damage! 

Coralie is doing pretty good. Definitely can tell when it's time for her pokie shot.  She is simply such an amazing cat.

Morrigan is at the vet's office today with Dr. Darcy. She will have her leg amputation (finally!) and her spay done.  Thanks to Tracie for taking her. Auntie Gem will pick her up. And we even had a back up driver....Debbie. 

It's been extremely hot and muggy for so much of our states.  Please make a conscious effort to give the pets outside fresh cool water and shade. It's nice too to put an extra dish out for the birds.  

We've had two adoptions:

Nala was adopted on 8/21. Such a pretty calico. She had been spoken for as a wee kitten and now has a fantastic happy home!

Arland was also adopted on 8/21. He has already fit right in and has a new best friend to play with! They love to wrestle. Their friendship took less than 48 hours to happen! His new name is Arly.

I've recently seen pictures of Herschel and Harlow (Vlinder). They are now 5 months old and look so happy and healthy. They love to play and sleep together. 

I've also seen a picture of Churchill. He looks awesome and is close to 5 lbs now. His family thinks that he is sweet and handsome (which he is!). 

Please, if you call FFRC, be patient!  We are short staffed. Today we are 4 people short. 

You all take good care, stay cool and give your pets an extra hug, just for fun! As Derecho says:  YOU make  the world a better place just by being in it!  

 

Tuesday, August 17, 2021 & UPDATE ON SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL

 The special Redbud tree that fell after one of our storms last week, now "lives" in the rescue center! It fits, after much work by Corey.  The tree is secured with wires into the ceiling and also is bolted into the cement floor.  It now displays a few shelves too so the cats can sit in the tree!

The kittens that have been in the back Thumper's Room had their door opened yesterday so they could freely come up front if they wanted to. Over the course of a few hours, they all came up with a few still going back to the back Thumper's Room. This morning, they were all still up in the Main Area, so the door to the back was shut. They're all one big happy family group now! The 5 smallest ones seem to be adjusting very well too. 

We did have a sad event over the weekend. Our little Lugh passed away. He's the little 3 legged black kitten  He was always a bit quiet, low energy level, not super interested in food. He had come from Dr. P's office where they had him for a while before he came here.  I found him limp in the morning and he passed about 15 minutes later. I've talked to Dr. Darcy about this but we're unsure what happened.  Even though he was here such a short time, he mattered to us.

Trish was adopted on 8/15. She is the calico with the tail that was amputated.  The folks that brought her in worked on catching her for quite some time because of her shyness.  Trish was fortunate to be here at the time when a wonderful lady we know was laid off of work. She likes challenges and decided she would love to have Trish to give her a good home and to help her feel secure. Such a pretty girl, now with a safe happy home. 

Thursday is our HumaneOhio day. We are hoping to send up 5 FFRC cats. HumaneOhio has been struggling as they are down to 2 vets, from having 4 vets. It's very difficult to find vets to hire. So, our numbers have been cut back so they get the spays/neuters done in a decent amount of time each day. 

We have Morrigan scheduled for her front leg amputation for a week from today. She too is up front in the Main Area now and runs like the wind with the leg dragging. Just think how fast she will be able to go without that draggy limb.  Fortunately, when that nerve was severed, it caused her to not have any feeling or pain in that leg. So she still thinks she is fine, just has to have more effort to carry that limb around. What a super determined girl! 

Yesterday we had our Advisory Meeting. These are always helpful to me, to go over many aspects of FFRC happenings. 

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As many of you know, we have our Felines, Friends, Fun Festival  scheduled for September 11 and 12.  I have been having concerns about this event due to the rising COVID numbers in Defiance County and have been truly torn about what to do. 

So, yesterday I called our local Health Department and talked to them at length so they could advise me and guide me in the decision of whether we should hold it or not. 

Here is some of the discussion--Defiance county's community transmission is climbing. By bringing in friends from "outside" also brings in more possible transmissions.  The only safe way to do tours inside the Rescue Center would be to keep numbers down to 5-7 at a time (including volunteers that would be caring for the cats) and schedule groups going in to visit the cats. That would end up being very difficult. Being outside to visit would be good but because of the number of folks possibly coming, it would be difficult to spread out far enough as the Shelter House isn't gigantic. Serving meals would be difficult to seat that many people safely apart. And what if it rained? 

I asked for guidance in my decision and the advice given was to postpone. I feel that this is the right decision to make. In the best interest of our volunteers and visitors and wanting to be responsible in our actions here, it was decided to cancel/postpone this event. Several of our volunteers have also expressed a concern of having so many people visit all at one time.  I understand that. 

While we have so enjoyed being open again to the public, we still take precautions---it's all in the name of keeping people safe and healthy. We don't overload the amount of people in the rescue center, we wash hands and ask those not vaccinated to wear masks. 

This has been an extremely difficult decision to make. I was so excited to see folks that we haven't seen for a long time and to meet new friends. But, I sincerely feel that we need to be responsible in our actions. I would be devastated if, after the festival and after having been advised to postpone, some of our volunteers or visitors became sick with COVID, knowing we probably transmitted it here.     

I am deeply sorry for the trouble this may cause, especially for those that need to cancel hotel and transportation plans. We started this event in high hopes to have it but now realize that we simply can not do it. I am very sorry.       

Thursday, August 12, 2021

A super busy week.  No wonder time goes so fast!

Yesterday we had an adoption! Sweet Teanna went to be in her new home. Her housecat friend is Ms. M, who is now called Gabby.  Two wonderful adult cats. I am always extra thrilled when an adult gets adopted!  

Our newbies are settling in nicely.  Trish and Tracey Lynn are now in the Main Area. Tracey Lynn is comfortable. Trish is shy but loves to nap in the plush beds.  Lugh's surgical site from his amputation is healing nicely. So friendly. Jansen too is settled in. Such a sweetie boy. Lugh and Jansen are still in the back Thumper's Room. Won't be long until we move these kittens up to the Main Area.  

Frontigny's surgical area is looking better--not as swollen. Antibiotics are continued. Jasper's button is now removed and his lip looks awesome. Lugh's suture site looks very good. 

We also took in a new kitten. His name is Patchoo, a Name a Cat name. He is a grey/silver kitten, 11 weeks old. His birthday is 5/26/21 and he arrived yesterday on 8/11/21. He is personality plus but sadly, arrived with a heavy infestation of fleas. Those, of course, are now gone. He's super happy and has turned his condo upside down in messiness (3 times!) because he wanted OUT.  So, we hurried his initial vaccines a bit so he could be on the floor. This has made him happy since he can run and jump and play now. His favorite thing is to be held or petted! 

Yesterday was a Flash Sale! This sale brought in $835. I thank each person for purchasing the items, to those who donated the items and to the mods who helped run the sale. 

We had a discussion yesterday on cam. I know in my heart that 99% of our web cam friends are awesome and friendly and are here for the cats.  We get our share of trolls, which happens anytime you're on the internet. But, our awesome mods zap them away. However, 3 things were re-established.  I feel it's important to mention these 3 things.

1--There is to be no criticizing ANY of the cats here at FFRC.  This is their home, whether it's permanently or temporarily. There is never a reason to be critical. If a person criticizes a cat, you will have that comment deleted.  If it happens again, you will be banned. 

2--There is to be no bossing any of the volunteers from the chat.  Recently, people are getting a bit pushy and downright bossy,  trying to tell the volunteers what to do, even snapping of fingers (emoji). These volunteers have been here for years and they know what they are doing. Be assured, the volunteers and I are on top of things with the cats. Do you realize, without the volunteers, there would be no rescue center? If you are being offensive, your comment will be deleted.  If it happens again, you will be banned.

3--There is to be no disrespectful comments to the mods on chat.  Do you realize, without the mods, there would be no chat at all?  These wonderful people give their love, their patience, their time to help FFRC. Be thankful, not critical. If you criticize our mods, your comment will be deleted. If it happens again, you will be banned. 

This Rescue Center is a place of joy. Please....only bring peace, friendship and a good heart into our Rescue Center.  These words are important to all of us here at FFRC. We believe in kindness, we believe in friendship, we believe in being positive.  I don't mean this to sound rude, but if you cannot go by these three above mentioned items and be a positive influence to FFRC, there are other rescues to watch. 

Our cams/chat is extremely important to FFRC. It truly is what has kept us going for many years. We've made wonderful friendships, we have received tremendous support both financially and emotionally from our cam friends. But.... the chat HAS to be positive and friendly and courteous.  Or, it won't work. So, please, think about what you put in the chat.........if it's not positive, if it's offensive....don't type it. Or be prepared to be banned.  Read what you type first and think about it. 

I sincerely feel 99% of our viewers are absolutely wonderful.  And for that, we who are involved with FFRC will stand up for what we believe in. I would like to thank those chatters for your support. Many of you have been with us for years. And many of us have made wonderful friends here! You are the folks that know that THE CATS COME FIRST! 

We had a special Redbud tree fall over in the winds of our recent storms. This was a tree given to Steve and me by our dear neighbor who has long ago passed.  We are trying something........we've measured, we've thought about it and we're going to try and bring the trunk and branches into the rescue center for the cats to climb.  Not sure if it'll work, but we're going to give it a try! 

Friday, August 6, 2021

 We are still runneth over. At this moment, we have no open quarantine condos available for any incoming. 

Here's the newest newbies:

Trish--female, calico with white chest. adult but unsure of age yet.  She has been seen for about a month, with a very very sore tail. A family befriended her and brought to FFRC on 8/4/21. Her entire tail was degloved. She was sent to HumaneOhio on 8/6 for a tail amputation and her spay. She will feel better soon as that tail was mighty sore.  She is on antibiotics and soreness meds.

Tracey Lynn--a beautiful torti, with 1/2 nose black and 1/2 nose gold! She arrived from a humane situation. Poor sweetie had hundreds and hundreds of scabs on her body--all from flea bites.  It's amazing though--get rid of the fleas and the scabs start healing. She is a short hair

Lugh--a black cat whose name means courageous. He is a sweet black kitten. He arrived at Dr. P's vet office, after being tossed from a car. He landed on his right shoulder which severed his radial nerve. He had that leg amputated on 8/3/21 and then came to FFRC. He's a great kitten, a pro at purring. 

Jansen--a white/gold tiger. He was more grey and gold upon arrival but after a good sudsy bubble bath, he is indeed white and gold! A sweet boy who arrived today and is utterly exhausted.  We did our initial things that we need to do--testing, bath, worming and then tucked him into a heated blankie. He went fast asleep and is still napping.  He is 8 weeks old with a birthday of 6/11/21. His paw pads are very abraded with a large area that needed trimming off.  A sweetie who loves to purr.

We also have had a few adoptions:

Elio--adopted 8/2,  our little boy with 3 legs, gold tiger/white. He went into a great home. I've already heard from his family and he is totally running about the entire house. I'm very sorry that I did not do this adoption on cam......his adoption came at a very busy time and I was struggling on getting things done. 

Whimsey--adopted 8/5. She went into a home with a new mama. I've already heard from her too and Whimsey has adjusted quickly and beautifully. Her pictures show a very content and happy cat!

I'm very sorry to let you know that our sweet little Algy has passed away.  This happened earlier this week and I was waiting for the blog to let you know.  He started going downhill, stopped growing, was not interested in life. Dr. Darcy and I talked intensively about his situation. It was decided to let him go peacefully, without any further struggle. The reason......I wish  I could tell you but this is one  that we do not know.  

A few updates:

Morrigan still needs her amputation of her right front leg. We have a possibility of two dates coming up to get this done.  In the meantime, she is perfectly getting around with that draggy leg. She's a happy girl and so very pretty. 

Sunday Rose still has a tail that is healing from the mousetrap. Is on antibiotics and soreness meds.

Elton's bite wound is healing nicely.

Jasper's button lip will be removed today or tomorrow. It looks so very good!

June Bug--his wounds are healed and all covered......finally!  Now, to see how much fur will grow over the scars.

Some of you may notice from the cam that little Frontigny's neuter site is very large and red. I talked to HumaneOhio and they feel he has a clot. Regardless, it hurts our little boy. So, he too is on soreness meds. He is at this moment, curled up with Marilyn napping. 

Janie--just an fyi--our little girl's heart is not good. Most of you already know she has had a progressing heart murmur for a long time and in the last 6 months is very significant. Yesterday and today she is very quiet, sleeping alot.  It's obvious that she is having some trouble with this. She is truly the best dog-cat in the world.

Zelda--she too has been very quiet the last two days. Her appetite has decreased. She is on soreness meds. I'm hoping she will pick up again and enjoy more time with us. She is right now, as she is often, on my desk, napping. I love her so much.

Bolly and pups.  We now have 3 puppies.  The 3rd pup came last week and is actually one of Bolly's own puppies. All the other pups have been adopted. The last one, who we call Abby, a fawn, will probably be leaving Monday for her new home.  It's been a bit of a crazy house and yard with Bolly and three pups! Kenya, the chocolate female, will also be leaving soon and will have her home with Ashlyn (my granddaughter) and husband Josh.  The third pup has a new name.......Abner Moss and will stay with Steve and me and Bolly!

As you already know, we hold two low cost spay/neuter clinics with HumaneOhio a month. We are currently booking for the end of November.  For right now, we are going to hold on taking more surgery appointments. That will allow us to catch up a bit on the calendar. In September, we will continue to take appointments. It's hard for many people to book that far ahead. 

Also, at this time, our rescue center is full and overflowing. At this moment, I have no open quarantine condos. That means no new intakes until more adoptions are done. This is truly the most difficult, heartbreaking thing about rescue work--never ever having enough space for all those kitties and cats that need help. It truly is hard on the heart. We are spaying and neutering as fast as we can, but simply put, we can't keep up. Please, don't criticize us when  we have to say no.  We've said a lot of yes, but ........... it's simply impossible  to keep up with the need. 

We had a fun-raiser this week! Many thanks to all who made this possible! It was a great event! Here's how it went---

BOXES

Pat D -- Hole Punch, with reinforcement holes

Bill & Lisa S -- Donation in memory of Patricia Schmel, 4 FF Appetizers, 7 Broths, 2 packs of Squeeze Ups (Bondi Licks), 2 Bags of Temptations 

Clair & Paul B -- Plaque in Memory of Molly Moss -- it's beautiful

Mary SoCal -- 1 gallon of Mr. Clean 

Allen & Elaine -- Bolly, Abner, Kenya Toys and more toys! And an Awesome Photo album of visits past 

Fun Raiser:

A - $ 110 -- Won by Angela & Tony 

B - $ 75 -- Won By Sue P

C - $ 440 -- Won by BellaBell

D - $ 100 -- Won By Sue P 

E - $ 220 -- Won by Tweeti Tweet 

F - $ 170 -- Won By Clair & Paul for the volunteers 

G - $ 270 -- Won By Jabber Marie  

H - $ 505 -- Won My MLS / Linda

Bumps from - Marco German, SchleeNC, Kittysmom, Flymom, Daydreemz, Susie S, Jaxx, Gusti, Tears from a Dream, Kat B, Jo603, Yvonne VDK, Yorkiemom of 2, Anonymous, Steph in UK, Ken.

Fun Raiser Total $ 1,890

Bumps                 $ 2,010

Grand Total $ 3,900

The monies from this fun-raiser is going towards our roof repair. It has to be done. We have no choice. It was not realized how bad the roof is over most of the Rescue Center. We tried to see if our insurance would cover it but that is not to be. So, we will keep plugging away at this. After all, we have to keep the kitties and cats dry. Steve and I will help with this bill also.

Yesterday was a HumaneOhio day--we love these days! We sent up 39 cats and kittens, including 5 FFRC kittens. Total was 22 females and 17 males. Because HumaneOhio is now down 2 vets, they cannot do as many spays/neuters as they could before. That means our numbers have been cut back. But, we are grateful for every slot they give us and will continue on with spaying and neutering.