Fostering – Hewwow

October 21, 2015March 5, 2016

Caesar

Temporary Name:

Caesar

Gender: Male
Color: Brown Tabby
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 8/22/10

Caesar is one of our colony cats that has had a few near-tragedies happen to him. He’s a great big lover that is caught between being a street cat and a house cat. He escaped starvation, a dog attack, a hoarding house, and a seriously injured paw. We would like to get him off the street before his nine lives run out!

Caesar loves people, napping on the bed, and sitting in cars. He’s going to need patience to teach him the formalities of a real home, but his is very willing to learn and loves people unconditionally.

Adopted!

Despite his rough start, and his rough middle to life, Caesar has remained extremely appreciative of the people that take time to care for him.

Caesar before and after being nipped, 8-23-12

He arrived in our colony quite emaciated. He was a gangly and cantankerous teenager who fattened up and mellowed out after being nipped and accepted into the colony as a friend.

There was a terrible incident with a neighborhood dog that tried his best to kill Caesar. I pulled Caesar out of the dog’s mouth after a long chase and wrestle (I admit I was even biting the dog in a panic). In the ensuing drama with Animal Services, our hoarding neighbor claimed Caesar as her pet, and because I had been bit by both dog and cat, Caesar had to be quarantined for rabies evaluation. Unfortunately, his 30-day in-house quarantine turned into a full year incarceration in our hoarding neighbor’s home. On release or escape, he turned up looking greasy, ill, and emotionally drained.

We were able to fatten him up and get him clean, but he retained his weary, broken look for quite a while. He showed some signs of being trapped in a space with too many animals and too little resources–some cat aggression (being very assertive of his personal space), security seeking, and food gulping. Despite his anxieties, he remained a loving, people-friendly guy who wanted nothing more than to spend time hanging out with humans.

Shortly after another neighborhood dog incident (this time with three cat fatalities), Caesar showed up with an injured paw. Because I’m a worry wart and totally broke, I have a 48-hour rule unless something is obviously urgent. SO after two days and Caesar’s paw swelling to three times its size, I allowed myself to rush him to our vet. He receive basic medical care (thanks to VISA who keeps giving me room on my credit card), and his paw has been slowly healing.

But once he arrived with a hurt paw, he had been moved from a street cat to a pseudo-house-cat in our over crowded house. Our hope is to find a long-term foster, or a happy furever home, so that he doesn’t have to risk his neck on the street again.

I’m not going to lie–he’s going to need some patience to fully convert to a real house cat. It is painfully obvious what his life in the hoarding house had been like while I’ve been watching him find his way around our home. I am heartbroken daily to see him limp around and learn about real life with people who care about him. It is clearly his deepest hope to be a cherished pet, and I hope he can find lovely humans to give him that chance.

Update: We recently discovered Caesar playing with a rattle mouse, and discovered he’s a huge fan of toys! There are a few videos on our Facebook page just for fun!

Update: On 11/8/15 Caesar went for a sleep over with a new family. After two days they were in love with the big guy and he was officially adopted!

Health history:

8/22/12 – I finally was able to trap Caesar and bring him to an Operation Catnip clinic where he was neutered and given his rabies and FIV+ vaccines. At that point he was seriously malnourished (see gallery image).

Caesar's swollen paw 10-13-15 — Caesar’s swollen paw 10-13-15

1/11/14 – a neighborhood dog escaped (a known cat-killer) and attacked Caesar. I personally pulled Caesar out of the dog’s mouth after a long struggle. After much drama, I was able to make sure he was free from major injury. he was quarantined in our local hoarder’s house for 30 day (long story). We did not see him for over a year of imprisonment in the hoarder’s house. Since she claimed him as her pet, there was nothing we could do to even see him.

2/15/15 – Caesar was released from captivity (or escaped) back onto the street. He was filthy and foul looking, and definitely emotionally drained. It took a few months of care and kindness to get him back to his former self. He still has some cat aggression from being confined to a space with multiple cats and limited resources.

10/13/15 – Caesar arrived at our colony (two days after neighborhood dogs terrorized the colony and killed three cats) with a hurt foot. After a 48 hour delay, his foot had tripled in sized and he was in obvious anguish. We took him to our vet where he received pain killers and a long-lasting antibiotic. It took several more days of indoor confinement before he began to finally improve.

Quick Details

Litter box: B [very familiar with a litter box but because of his hoarding past, he is still concerned about safety]
Other cats: D+ [again, due to his hoarding history, he is defensive toward other cats who enter his personal space but he likes being part of a family]
Cuddling: B- [He loved people and being held, but may be emotionally needy at times]
Food: A+

Caesar before and after being nipped, 8-23-12

Caesar’s release from hoarding house 2-15-15

Caesar loves cars 4-12-15

Caesar’s enormous paw 10-13-15

Caesar’s swollen paw 10-13-15

Caesar was such a good boy at the vet 10-13-15

Caesar with hoarding house in background 10-20-15

Caesar’s face 10-20-15

September 17, 2015March 5, 2016

Paulie

Temporary Name:

Paulie

Gender: Male
Color: Grey Tabby
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 5/1/15

Adopted!

When Paulie first arrived in the colony at the end of August, I thought he was a she and I called her Polly. In getting her fixed and checked for a microchip, we found out she was a he, and changed it to Paulie. He is an insanely cute little grey tabby boy, and although he’s skinny right now, has the potential to grow up into a big throw pillow cat. His fur is so soft and almost feels double thick. He’s also very talkative!

Although I originally thought he was a lost or abandoned kitten, in getting to know him I feel like he’s had minimal interaction with people so far. But he is a pretty relaxed dude who seems fascinated by people and living indoors. He loves toys, and he really loves to cuddle other cats. He instantly starts to purr when you pick him up. We’re working on getting him used to snuggles. He like to lay next to you, but he’s not sure laying ON you is such a great idea yet.

He suffered from sores or wounds on his paws. Although we believe the condition is in permanent remission, he should probably be watched for a few more weeks. Right now he is sleeping a lot, and eating even more. He’s at that age where he’s growing like a weed, and he started out kind of skinny so he’s catching up.

He adores ping pong balls, and any kind of dangly toys. He’s taken to our cat trees and likes to sleep in the top perches, preferably upside down and stretched out. So far he seems to like all other cats and is happy to make friends and cuddle with any cats. And he isn’t bothered by our dog. He’s quite independent but is very social and would probably do best in a house with another chill cat.

Health history:

8/26/15 – Neutered and given vaccines (rabies, FIV, FeL, etc.) at No More Homeless Pets. He was treated as a stray/feral, so he was also ear-tipped.

9/8/15 – Vet visit. Received check up and long-lasting antibiotics to treat his feet. [He suffered briefly from what we can only guess is something called ‘pillow foot’ (Plasma Cell Pododermatitis). It is an autoimmune disorder that vets don’t know enough about yet. It’s not a disease, but likely something triggered by stress. It’s where the immune system goes weird and attacks the pads of the paws causing them to swell and rupture. He was treated and bounced back amazingly well. There’s not reason to believe it will ever come back.]

9/20/15 – After a great consult with a specialist, we’re happy to conclude Paulie probably didn’t have ‘pillow foot’ after all. He likely had a reaction to the stress of being trapped and having surgery, and then being brought indoors. He’s pretty much healed up and ready to meet people finally!

Quick Details

Litter box: A+
Other cats: A+ [He wants to be friends with everyone]
Cuddling: C+ [He is still learning about lap sitting]
Food: A+

Paulie likes to sleep in weird positions, 9-16-15

August 3, 2015January 4, 2018

Zoey

Temporary Name:

Zoey

Gender: Female
Color: Brown Tabby
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 3/1/14

Adopted!

Zoey has had a rough start to her short life, but she has retained her cheerful, playful disposition. She loves all cats. She loves all people. She is learning to like dogs.

In early summer, Zoey was confiscated from a hoarding house in our neighborhood. At Animal Services she was evaluated at 1.5/5 on the body fat scale, and deemed emaciated. She was treated for parasites and infections, and held for adoption. But after 30 days, ACAS needed the space, and since no one showed interested in this tiny cat, they opted to release her as a feral cat to her original neighborhood rather than euthanize her.

When the tech came to release Zoey and her companion Zelda, Zelda took off running as fast as she could. Zoey wouldn’t come out of her carrier. I pulled her out and she tried to go back in. The tech and I weren’t sure what to do because the other options were grim, but Zoey didn’t know that. I carried her to my yard and showed her my colony cats, their food, their shelter. She tried to hide in a corner of my porch and curled up in a miserable, terrified ball. I realized that she probably spent her whole short life inside the hoarding house and the outdoors was too overwhelming for her.

Even though I was at my cat limit, I brought her inside my house because she was breaking my heart. I set her up in a crate for the night. She stayed in her crate for two days sleeping and being too scared to come out. And then little by little she snuck out to explore the house and make noses with the other cats. As soon as she discovered rattle mice, she was convinced this was an awesome new magical place. She LOVES to play. She discovered the kittens and earned a place as their fun big sister. She discovered cuddling on the bed at night. She discovered sunny windowsills and always-full food bowls.

She is now an amazingly happy cat, and she’s ready for a home of her own where she can continue to discover how good life can really be. She’s tiny and active, and would be a great apartment cat. She loves every cats she’s met but would probably do best with another active cat, or even on her own.

Health history:

5/13/15 – Alachua County Animal Services confiscated Zoey from a hoarding house. She was treated for malnutrition and evaluated, as well as given FELV/FIV tests. Treated for respiratory infection, ear mites, and tapeworm. She was deemed adoptable and held at Animals Services for adoption.

7/3/15 – After over 30 days at Animal Services without interest, they arranged for Zoey and Zelda to be released to their original neighborhood (rather than be euthanized). First she was taken to No More Homeless Pets for spay and rabies vaccines.

8/3/15 – After living with Zoey for a month, I feel confident about her health and behavior status. She will likely have a minor sinus problem and drippy eye that comes and goes with stress levels. It doesn’t seem to bother her, but she might benefit from vet care in the future. She likely had an untreated infection as a small kitten.

Quick Details

Litter box: A
Other cats: A+ [She wants to play with and be friends with everyone]
Cuddling: B+ [She loves attention and is still learning about lap sitting]
Food: A+

Zoey loves sunny windowsills, 7-615

Zoey has a cute stubby snout, 7-6-15

Zoey adores rattle mice, 7-9-15

Zoey likes to find small places to nap in, 7-13-15

Zoey loves attention, 7-27-15

Zoey really loves the bed, 8-8-15

Zoey has a little squint to her left eye, 7-6-15

Zoey is a tiny cat, 7-31-15

Zoey loves cuddling at bedtime, 7-15-15

August 2, 2015

Bittersweet Days of Babies Growing Up

Today was one of those bittersweet days that I had to face. It happens every time we have kittens. And it’s a good thing. But it always makes me sad.

On the first day of kittens, I pull out Sammy’s old dog crate and set it up with bowls and tiny litter tray and a cozy cardboard box. Then as they babies get old enough, they get time to run outside the crate, but not for long. Eventually they earn the privilege of being free all day, and only get crated at night. The very last stage is where they get free roaming rights, with their crate open as always until they learn to use the big cats’ food bowls and litter boxes.

And then I have to decide to disassemble the kitten crate and pack it away because the babies are little kids now and dashing around the house. The next stage is to get them all fixed and vaccinated, and then adopted to permanent homes.

July 5, 2015

Izzy the Sassy

Temporary Name:

Izzy, (a.k.a.) The Sassy

Gender: Female
Color: Torbie & white
Fur: Long
Born: Approximately 6/9/15
Mom: Unknown
Family: Unknown

Update: Adopted!

Izzy came to us suddenly on a hot Sunday. A friend found a kitten in her apartment stairwell and didn’t know what to do. After a few hours, the kitten had moved up to the third floor landing, with little intention of going down again. She was filthy and starving. I drove over to pick up the single kitten who was much smaller and dirtier than the pictures.

Now Izzy has had a spa break at a foster mom’s house, she’s back in action and ready to meet potential new friends. This little girls is a firecracker, and will tell you exactly what’s on her mind. She is bold and adventurous, and even when she’s nervous, she’ll charge full blast into a new situation. But when she slows down from her wazzies, she’s aggressively cuddly.

If you’re interested in bringing Izzy home, make sure you’re prepared for a super energetic and active kitten. She’s going to have long fur and will need some help with that throughout her life. She’s getting used to lots of other cats, and a dog. And she spent a few weeks with toddlers. So she’s going to be a great kitty friend to you!

Update 8/26/15: Izzy was officially adopted by her new mom and re-named Jade because of her amazing eyes!

Sponsor Izzy getting adoption-ready. She’ll be spayed, get her rabies vaccine, and be treated for parasites. Total cost is only $80 through No More Homeless Pets. Send any support by PayPal or Google Wallet to radhakrueger@gmail.com. Check out our Support page for full info.

Health history:

On arrival, Izzy got a bath, but she still had sap or something in her tail. She was very hungry and skinny, but otherwise looked to be in great health. There was the usual crusty eyes and nose of a street kitten. I would estimate that she was almost three weeks old and probably away from her family for a few days.

Izzy’s ride home, 7/5/15

Izzy update, 7/15/15

Izzy’s first bath, 7/5/15

Izzy in stairwell, 7/5/15

Izzy cuddlebug, 7/15/15

Izzy in a little box, 7/5/15

Izzy, 8-4-15

June 23, 2015

Kawaii “The Cute”

Temporary Name:

Kawaii, (a.k.a.) The Cute

Gender: Female
Color: Black & white
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 5/10/15
Mom: Magnolia
Family: 4 kittens

Update: Adopted!

Kawaii was the third of the four caught. Her name is a Japanese pop-culture word for ‘cute’ or ‘super cute’. She is also the smallest of the four, as well as the most calm. Her facial markings are very unique. She loves napping in her kitten hammock the most!

Health history:

On arrival, Kawaii had clear eyes, but on the second day, she seemed to get a little crusty like her sister’s. We didn’t see anything abnormal about her eyes but cleaned them for the first two days and they cleared up. Otherwise she seems fairly healthy.

Update 8/30/15: Kawaii was snapped up suddenly by a friend of another adopter, and quickly won over her new family’s hearts!

June 23, 2015

Katana “The Brave”

Temporary Name:

Katana, (a.k.a.) The Brave

Gender: Female
Color: Gray & white
Fur: Short
Born: Approximately 5/10/15
Mom: Magnolia
Family: 4 kittens

Update: Adopted!

Katana has been a brave and outgoing little girl since she arrived. She is super energetic, loves to play, and keeps her sisters going. She’s not afraid of much. Although she enjoys the kitty hammocks, she loves stretching out on the floor and sleep all sprawled out.

Health history:

When Katana arrived, she had a very crusty left eye. We didn’t see anything abnormal about her eyes but cleaned them for the first two days she was with us. We still keep a careful watch on her left eye, and clean it regularly just in case. It seems to be healing well and is less puffy every day. Otherwise she seems very healthy.

Update 8/28/15: Katana was officially adopted by her new family and loves her new friends!

June 13, 2015November 11, 2015

Cats and Watermelons

June 11, 2015

Getting Moxie Fatter

I took Moxie in to get weighed, and we’re super excited that she’s getting healthier! She gained about .75 pounds in a little over three weeks. In a few more weeks she might be healthy enough to have surgery to be spayed, and get her shots.

She has an amazing personality, and is getting to know how to live in a house with people and cats and dogs. We also discovered she loves the red dot, and is learning to love other toys.

June 3, 2015

Another Double Vet Visit

Poor Charlie's Nose, 6-2-15 — Poor Charlie’s Nose, 6-2-15

Sunday evening we noticed Charlie’s nose looked split and raw. The wet, squishy part of his nose. He looked like he was in a little pain, but it didn’t prevent him from running for his food bowl or jumping in the litter box while it was being cleaned. So I followed my 48-hour rule. If things get bad, if blood is gushing, if drinking of water stops, all bets are off. But otherwise we wait 48 hours before going to the vet.

Monday didn’t show much improvement. Worse. On Monday evening, the Dude started doing something weird with his mouth and caterwauling randomly. So I called for a vet appoint first thing on Tuesday. We won a 3PM spot.

I was sitting working when Charlie crawled into my lap to have a nap. I thought he was purring but on closer inspection, he was shivering. I called the vet for a sooner appointment. At 11AM I wrestled the two boys into their cat carriers and hauled them into the car. Charlie started freaking out, rolled onto his back panting and legs waggling in the air. Meowing and the works.

This was their first vet visit and they were super nervous. Charlie went first for a weight (about 11.5 pounds!) and then the Dude (10.5 pounds). Hearts, gums, temperatures, internal parts. Everything got checked.

There was some back and forth about possible problems. The deal was to get Charlie’s infection under control, and The Dude was a mystery. They got worming meds. Charlie got an antibiotics jab. We got some antibiotic wash to go home with for Charlie’s nose and the Dude’s mouth.

On his release, Charlie crawled into his brother’s carrier and curled up behind The Dude. We had to sort them out before I could schlep them out to the car because they are big boys. Arriving home, the slunk out of their carriers and departed. Charlie promptly found a hiding spot in a closet where he hid the rest of the day. The Dude slunk around, hiding in doorways and around corners, glaring.

This just adds to the feeding and health regimen that fills my day. I sometimes get weary of the constant work, but I feel like these kittehs are going to be the beloved pets of wonderful people one day and I woe it to the cats and the people to take care of them as if they were my own. Plus, credit cards, right?