Thursday, September 16, 2021

Kitty updates: 

Rascasse is healing nicely on his ear.  We are still flushing it daily but that will probably stop soon.  He is still on antibiotics. The large wound is starting to granulate though. And he is so sweet about his treatments.

Tycho--his back legs are just fine. His front legs too, although we did put the splints on Weds. morning and afternoon.  This will probably be the last time.  His front legs seem strong and sturdy. And straight!

Morrigan's temp is normal now and she is eating better but her respirations are still not right.  She is spending the day at the vet's office, having x-rays and lab work done to try and determine the problem. 

Mama Veronica---what a really nice adult cat she is.  We will get her on the next surgery list.  Kittens are now 4 weeks old. They are playing with each other and toddling about. Sometimes they get on their backs and have a hard time righting themselves again. So cute, so sweet. They are just beginning to sample mama's food.  And we hip hip hooray when they go potty in the little litterboxes!  Yesterday they had their Bordetella vaccine. Two are on hold now--Frumpkin and Cheshire.

We've had several more adoptions!

Shelly and Nina were adopted together 9/10. They are the only pets in the house and so will get all the attention they can handle! They also are clients of our vet, Dr. Darcy and Dr. P!  Shelly is the kitten that was up in the tree and needed rescued. Nina was found at a car shop where she went without food for 4 days. Both are such nice kitties!

Patcho and Jim were adopted together on 9/12. They too are the only pets in the home and has a very devoted new dad! Patcho was rescued from an outdoor area where he was dumped in an abandoned van. Jim was found by himself and needed  to find an inside home. His new name is Iroh. Patcho will stay the same. 

Jansen and Sunday Rose were adopted today, 9/16. These two kitties will bring much joy to a lady's life!  There are two other cats, grown, in the home. Sunday Rose had been found crying in a heavy downpour. Jansen was found by himself at a scout camp, hungry. 

We had a Flash Sale on Tuesday. The money from this will go towards our medical needs.  We have used quite a bit of our medical supplies recently and have had to restock our shelves. The Flash Sale brought in $487!!!  We are very thankful!

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As you may know, Steve and I and our family will be going on vacation together soon.  Steve and I leave on Saturday.  We will enjoy our time at OBX/Outerbanks.  I already know that I will miss the kitties and cats terribly. And our 2 dogs and the volunteers.  And the farmyard. And all the hoopla that goes on here. But, sometimes, we all need to take a break. Vacations offer new perspectives, help to catch up on sleep and are good for the body and mind--all of which I need. 

The ocean waves have been proven to relax the mind.  I love doing things with our family but simply sitting on the beach, watching the waves or just reading is totally relaxing! This is also where I sort things out in my mind.  I have also lost 5 personal pets in the last 6 months and feel the need to let myself grieve for them. It's hard to do that here where we are so busy. 

During these 2 weeks, the Rescue Center will be closed to the public. The reason is that Covid is still quite a worry and we have many volunteers to protect. By closing, it is one less thing for me to worry about while I am gone.....and a great way to keep the volunteers healthy. 

Many thanks to the volunteers, the mods, the admins for being here for FFRC, making it possible for Steve and me to leave on vacation!  

Ocean........here we come!  

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The last 2 days we have been able to trim more of the Porchie's toenails.  Have two more to do but we're getting them done! 

Treatments are caught up for right now inside and outside.  

The roof is officially 100% done! And it looks nice (and safe). Let the rain come!  The kitties and cats have put away their umbrellas! 

Bolly had her spay on Tuesday. She is doing great. Still on soreness meds for a few days.  No more puppies for this great dog! And she is happy about that!

No worries if you don't see Kiara and Camvi very much. They both so love being out in the dog's run--Bella's Place. They both meow and meow when they want out. Kiara was out there at 6:00 this morning! They both will always be back inside during the night time. 

Tycho is afraid of no one!  He is so very sweet but as little as he is, stands up for himself.  A 12lb cat meowed at him, wanting Tycho's toy and Tycho popped the big guy in the nose.  Needless to say, Tycho kept his toy! 

You all take good care, stay healthy. Be happy. Derecho has come to me twice now, wanting to tell you all something. So......here it is....."It's ok to make mistakes, to not be perfect, to be yourself and to do what's best for you".   Thank you, Derecho. 

Friday, September 10, 2021

 Cats are happy.  Kitties are healthy and ornery. The weather has been a bit cooler. All good things for this week.

We've had an adoption!  Jasper was adopted on 9/3. He's our little button lip kitten that Dr. Darcy did the repair on. He went to a friend of FFRC's. I've already heard back. Sounds like things are going good and the cats are all getting along!

We have also taken on 2 more kittens--

Tycho--pronounced tie-ko, which means success. Tycho arrived on 9/2 with a birthday of 7/15/21. He's a beige kitten, weighing 1.01 but is 7 weeks old. Obviously, his weight is low for his age. He also arrived with a heavy flea infestation and had tapeworms. Both parasites were treated and are gone. Still working on his anemia but is improving.  He also arrived with a neuro problem with all 4 legs.  His back legs wanted to splay out and not hold his weight. But his front legs were much curved in and kept folding over.  We splinted the front legs. First day was for 18 hours. Second and third day, for about 12 hours. For the fourth day, we took them off after having them on again all night. And he hasn't had them back on since.  Legs are so much stronger, he's bearing full weight and is running on sturdy legs! He's a sweetie for sure!

Rascasse--Arrived 9/5/21 from a sad situation. He weighed 1.01, 6 weeks old, very thin. His birthday is 7/25/21. His weight too is low but his appetite is good. He had a flea infestation that was very heavy. Rascasse also has a very large wound that encompasses his whole right ear and check and some of his neck.  He has had many flushings of this wound, scrubbings and debriding the bad edges. He is on antibiotics and soreness meds.  Each day, the wound looks a tiny bit healthier. He is another sweetie and loves attention. He's a good eater and will catch up on his weight, just like Tycho will.

We had HumaneOhio yesterday. We sent up 41 cats and kittens, all community cats except for 3 of FFRC's. We sent up 1 female and 2 males--Jim, Nina and Beans. All 3 did very well.  Of the 41 cats, there were 22 females and 19 males.  A good day.

On Thursday 9/2, we had a Flash Sale! Many to those that donated the items, to those that purchased the items and to the mods that  helped with promoting it and to the Flash Mods who help keep the sale organized.  This Flash Sale brought in $807! A super sale!

We had a Fun-Raiser on 9/8, Weds.  Wow--what an absolutely awesome time that was! First, the winners:

Item A--$250, won by Susan Br

Item B--$95, won by Martha L

Item C--$95, won by Connie Sp

Item D--$775, won by Sara Ro

Item E--$140, won by Jessica Me

Item F--$115, won by LadySonja

Item G--$310, won by PeppiCallie

Item H--$190, won by MLS

This came to $1,970.  The Bump Ups came pouring in!  I was blown away! It was so amazable. The total Bump Ups were $2,730.

This made our Grand Total at $4,700-ish!

The monies from this last Flash Sale and Fun-Raiser was done to help us raise funds for the Roof Repair. The roof work started on Tuesday. Hopefully will be done today, Friday. The majority of the roof had to have all new sheeting put in, followed by the roof paper, then the shingles.  New edges also are being done. To help with the moisture problem, a big fan has been put into the roof to keep the air moving in the attic.  This has been a huge undertaking and at a cost of almost $12,000.  We met that goal during the Fun-Raiser!!!!  And even went OVER the goal. That extra money will be applied to our growing medical supply bill. 

The reason for the growing medical supply bill is due to all the treatments we are doing to the injured kittens that have arrived, distemper vaccines, disinfectants, etc.  

You folks have pulled us through another financial worry.  My whole self says what an amazing act of kindness this is. I feel so much gratitude for all of your financial help, your good thoughts and prayers. This support is what gets us through the rough times. I sincerely do not believe we would be in existence without what you all have done for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love this rescue center and always will do my best for the kittens and cats.

Mama Veronica and 7 babies are doing good. They have nice round FFRC tummies. Eyes are bright and alert and legs are becoming stronger. The toddler stage has begun! This next week will bring the babies out and about with bumblings! But they will get stronger and soon be all over the back Thumper's Room! 

Morrigan has been struggling a bit.  Running a temp off and on and just feeling off.  Dr. Darcy is aware of this and is advising what we should do.  She did eat this morning! 

Yesterday was a spa day for the Covies--nail trims, weights and brushing.  Such a great group of cats.

Steve and I and our family have a vacation soon. We will once again be going to the Outer Banks in NC. It's a heavenly place and we all love it and enjoy it.  This year, we have another jump from an airplane, paddle boarding in the bay, airboat tour, family picture on the beach and lots and lots of lazy time! We all thoroughly enjoy being together as a family. We will be leaving on the 18th and coming home very late on the 2nd. There's many volunteers helping with the FFRC,  all of my pets and the farmyard. All will be fine.

Take care, enjoy this beautiful weekend. 

September 1, 2021

 It's been a week.  A hard week. Emotions have run high in both directions. 

I had posted about Zelda, CDot and Janie on FB but had not put it in a blog form. I was asked to put it on the blog where some folks read it here, rather than on fb.  So...........with a very broken heart.......here it is again.  If you've already read this, skip down to the line below for new info on what is going on. 

I have such terribly sad news to pass on. I have lost 3 pets who have been near to my heart.

Janie has passed away after showing more signs of her heart condition progressing. She hasn't been eating too much this past week. And upon exercise, her tongue has been turning blue. We've known for some time that her heart murmur is extremely bad. Dr. Darcy told me that sometime we will just see that she has faded off in her sleep. I had her on my desk (she likes to nap here when I'm working, on Saturday). All of a sudden, she took a couple extra deep breaths and passed. Janie came to me in March 2009--she needed to be rescued and our local shelter asked if we could help her. Janie has been known far and wide as a cat-dog as she has lived in this rescue center for years. She has always been kind, sweet and loving to the cats and kitties. Her best cat friend is Camvie. We have all shared in taking care of her. Never will there be another dog like Janie. She was so so loved.

CDot ............ this one is extra hard. I took my boy home with me several days ago. He is such a needy boy and I had decided to try him at my house. He did just fine and enjoyed playing with my cats. A horrible, totally tragic accident happened. He and Bonnie were zipping around the house. CDot jumped up on a dresser, slid off and landed on his chin/face. He was instantly gone. My heart is totally crushed, as he was my special boy. I don't think there will be a cat in the world that loved me for myself like he did. I just don't know how to deal with this one.

And then my very precious Zelda. We've all known her cancer has been progressing, yet she has been eating. Dr. Darcy and I feel her primary cancer was in her intestinal tract which caused awful results for her, let alone the discomfort of her arm where her cancer has so grown. I've talked to Dr. Darcy about Zelda again this week. She reminded me it's her quality of life, not the quantity. Why oh why is it easier for me to comfort others, to help them understand the death of a pet. My desk.....again....Zelda was with me. She fell off from the desk while trying to get down. In her two places, the counter where she had her box of snackers to nap in and her drawer to lay in, we have furniture so she can easily get down. This time, she tripped on the bad leg and fell on it. This was severely painful to her. She has already been on max doses of pain meds. That was it........it was time to let my girl go, with a very broken up heart. Zelda has been mine, in heart and soul for years. I chose her and she chose me. We had a special connection that I don't think I'll ever have again.

This has been truly so very hard to write, but it's my "duty" to tell you, as these three pets were also loved by so many. It's just, all 3 so close is unbearable for me. I have been asked how I deal with deaths before. I pray alot, I spend time alone sometimes, I treasure the memories. But......this time is very hard. Forgive me if I'm not out and about for right now. If I didn't have this rescue center to keep me going and to keep my mind busy, I don't think I could bear it. Let's just all be kind to each other, extra kind, in memory of these most 3 treasured pets. These were the bestest pets in the world and I will miss them forever.

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The blog will simply be to get caught up on things. Because of the difficult week, I believe some of this is "new" news that I haven't mentioned even on cam.

We've had 3 more adoptions.

June Bug was adopted 8/28---he went to a dear friend and past volunteer of FFRC--Isaac. This is Isaac's first cat of his own and he will be wonderful at this cat-care thing. June Bug was pretty happy about this situation.

Fendi and Frontigny were adopted 8/28. They went together, just like how they came here to FFRC. They were the cemetery kittens--so sick and emaciated. Their hearts always had love in them. The home they went to has a family that was so happy to get these two boys. I've already heard back from the family--the boys are settled in and love their sliding glass doors, the big couch and the beds.

We also took in 2 new kittens. They came in separately but both from a vehicle situation.

Beans--black/white, male. He is 9 weeks old with a birthday of 6/25/21. He was found by his crying as he was up in a truck engine. He has a cute black dot on his nose.

Nina--calico/tiger, female. She is 8 weeks old with a birthday of 7/2/21. She was found at a car shop and had been with no food for 4 days. A real sweetie. She was thin and had fleas (gone now!) but came in purring.

These two names came from the Name a Cat list. They both arrived 8/27/21. They've been hanging out in the front Thumper's Room. Today though, the door was opened into the Welcome Room and the Main Area. We'll see what they think of all the action.

Thursday is our next Flash Sale at 3:30. Lots of items never seen before in our flash sales. Come join us. This money will again be put towards our Raise the Roof fund.

Morrigan is doing terrific, from her leg amputation. She was zipping around the next day.

Mama Veronica and her 7 babies are doing good. We went through 3 days where mama decided the softest place for her babies were in the litterboxes (all clean, of course). Finally, I believe we have her convinced that the big bed with the thick quilt is much softer. Babies have their eyes open and starting to look about. All have the FFRC bellies.

Today was spa day for the inside cats. We trimmed nails, cleaned ears, checked some teeth . Everyone looks good. We also weighed the babies of Veronica--all are of good weight. Next week will be spa day for the outside cats--Firecats, Porchies, Covies.

I'd like to say a heartfelt thanks for the compassion shown to myself and FFRC while we are dealing with the loss of our 3 pets--Zelda, CDot and Janie. It's been very difficult dealing with the loss of these beloved pets. I tend to keep extra busy and then keep even busier yet. It's been hard to deal with each of these losses but the support from you all has been uplifting and I'm forever grateful to you. I realize that these losses are felt by all of our FFRCNation. Please take care and we will eventually feel a bit better. Hugs.