Bengal, Barney's Daily Inspiration - Club Cat Member Profile

My Cat Blog

May 6, 2013--- Guess its about time!
Good Monday Morning! Have a super day! We want to apologize that it has been forever since we did a good round of blogging on CC. We are well and have told a few friends that mom is planning a big trip to visit family in Norway this summer. Also, a cousin from Norway will be returning here for a visit after. Mom has to do some painting and work on the house too or arrange for it to be done. Kitty care and a house-sitter is arranged. Doggy care is in the works. Mom got her e-ticket and her Passport came Saturday.

We also feel guilty that K.Barney did promise continued stories time to time and so far we have not! Well, we do have one for today, but will have to keep it short. Not a story mom is too proud of, because she should have listened to Angel Pasha, who you met during our Catpaign. One summer night he bit her arm to wake her out of a sound sleep and then ran to the window. To mom's credit she looked out, but did not see anything, so chased Pasha from their room. He tried to protest and kept running to the window, but mom still did not see anything and did not investigate further. Well, she did lean her lesson----- in the morning she talked to her neighbor and found out he had been gone that night and his house was robbed! Mom felt so guilty that she had not done more, but she was so tired and did not see or hear anything from where she was. She sure learned that cats may have more of a sense when something is wrong than most humans realize. Of course, there are still times when we kitties just can't sleep and we want some company.

Come visit me, Our Precious Angels #75646, Heffner #130639-----VFP Goalie, Barney's Daily Inspiration, Handy Andy #149735 VOTE WHISKERS 227256 K. OF MAY!, Our Angel Meezers #74302 ACOTD 2/22/13 Thank You!, Zeus #246330 COTD 1/14/13! Thank you Friends!, Molly Jean #79742 VOTE WHISKERS 227256 K. OF MAY! & K.Barney #74382,Thanks for the memories! 2/13COTM.

05/06/2013 07:10.41 AM

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Happy St Patrick's Day! A Frosty +7 here!
Good morning friends. Thought we would try to make a round again on CC both of kitties we regularly visit and those new friends and some we don't know yet. Got to make this a c/p. We are still waiting to see if Zeus will have found his forever home. Spring has come and their are all lot more kitties on the streets that need rescue. no-kill rescues fill fast. Kill shelters are not a good option for us kitties anyway. That is why mom keeps doing what she does.

We are all well and healthy. The dogs have their physicals coming up April first--- April Fools dogs! When mom comes to pick you up from the vet, after staying there for Easter, they are not done with you! Shots coming up too, he-he. Think Handy Andy has a rabies shot due the end of April, but the rest of us are later in the summer.

The weather is still ice and snow here, with more snow coming this week--- will it never end? Sorry Barney still hasn't done any more stories, but promise we will work on that. Still have to get more pictures posted of our past kitties on the Inspiration page. Will try to label those too. Mom still has to do taxes and we hope that means a refund coming back-- we hope!

Now we are on our way to Pawty with Pushkin and all the other Irish kitties and then on to MHL mouse hockey tonight.

03/17/2013 10:15.51 AM

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2/28/13 Final Official Blog of King Barney! +30
Wow! That does sound final! Tomorrow we sleep in--- wonder if the dogs will understand. Ginger woke mom before 4am today and had to go out. Zeus is trying to wake her up with purr therapy. This month has flown by, though there were days it didn't seems so. We have been kept busy with prayers and visits to sick kitties and families in our realm and with fun celebrations too!

Well, I have been been searching for an appropriate story for this morning and I keep coming back to mom's friend Anne, who isn't a rescued cat or dog, but probably one of our best friends. Mom says she learned most of what she knows from her, about our needs and behavior. Mom met Anne when she first joined the rescue. Anne was the oldest member, even back then, gruff to people, but one could not find a kinder or more caring person, when it came to rescuing cats and dogs. Anne was the real work horse of the group--- making sure everyone had food and supplies, bringing it to the colonies of feral kitties the rescue supported. Live-trapping cats, bringing them to vet appointments for healthcare and spay/neuter. Anne helped with transportation to adoptions and had a special Kennel license for her home. She fostered many special needs cats through the years, ones needing regular medications, having physical disabilities, or diseases such as feline leukemia, which other groups might euthanize.

When mom first met Anne, she didn't talk much, especially to new people. You had to prove that you were there for the long haul. Finally, when mom's car died, she needed a ride to the adoptions and Anne gave her that ride. Gradually they became closer and Anne began asking her for help with such things as kitten and cat trapping. She taught mom about caring for motherless kittens and understanding the needs of feral cats. One weekend Anne had a family event to go to and she asked mom to take care of a cat she was fostering and had a feeding tube. Mom doesn't even remember why it had a feeding tube, but she then realized that she had earned Anne's trust.

You may remember that we announced last weekend that Anne needed to go into a nursing home. Mom does hope to visit soon, as it is not far from our home. Anne surely needs your continued prayers. She was always a fiercely independent person and has not had an easy life. When she was young, she had an alcoholic husband and raised 5 children without much assistance from him. After she lived by herself and dedicated her life to the rescue. Now she is in her mid to late 80s and has both physical and memory issues and surely is struggling with depression, because she always was the one who took care of herself and others. Do apologize for ending on a downer, it was not intended. The up is that we are all in this life together, no matter who we are--- cat, dog or human. As we age, the lines between friends and family blur and we are dependent on both, whether near or far away.We thank you again for being our CC family.

02/28/2013 04:24.50 AM

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2/26/13 Final Tuesday as King Barney! +15
By Friday Morning you will have a new Queen JosieMae#193862 and we will be sleeping in, so we can come come back and begin blogging on our own schedules, as our ordinary selves. We want everyone to know it has been decided to have the official Coronation on Thursday 2/28/13 at 7:30pmEST, 6:30Central, 4:30Pacific. We also want to let you know that since we have received so many positive comments on our rescue blogs, we would like to continue bringing you stories, though on a less regular schedule, say twice a month or more, if mom is up to it. We will continue to leave them on the Inspiration page, so you may also consider that a reading room for our stories. We are still looking for the battery charger to get the camera up and running and will add pictures from our stories on the Inspiration page too.

Well, we did promise to finish Rosebud's story and mostly just to tell what a special kitty she was and how she ruled the house in her day. Once she came to mom the second time, there was no doubt she was going to stay. Mom's friend knew how much mom loved Rosebud and said Rosebud was too old to make more changes. She did tell her too, how feisty a cat Rosebud was in her youth. She got along with Midnight in the house, but if she happened to get outside, she had no qualms about chasing the largest of dogs out of her yard! Once she settled in with mom, she had a few other tricks up her sleeve, so to speak. Not that she wore sleeves. This was still during the time of Pasha the Great and, as you might remember, he had to be kept away from other cats, because he simply didn't accept them. Well, one afternoon mom returned from work to find Rosebud in her room, curled up by the heat register, with Pasha and Agatha! She was grooming Pasha and simply gave mom a look to say, "I'm in control now." Mom almost fainted, but it wasn't a one time occurrence. From that time on, Rosebud was part of a trio.

Rosebud did have her weaknesses when it came to health and some of them serious, like her allergies to fish and antibiotics. Before mom figured out the fish allergy, it meant several runs to the vet and it is not easy to find catfood without fish in it! Rosebud's face and ears would turn bright red when she ate anything with fish and she would vomit, with symptoms becoming progressively worse as time went on. Mom knew about human's with fish allergies and she searched for catfood without fish, finally discovering Wellness Chicken and Turkey flavors, with no added fish oils. The problem with many foods are that while the label says chicken, fish oil is added as a supplement. That is great for most cats, but can be deadly for one with allergies. She also was sensitive to many commonly used antibiotics, which made things difficult in times of illness. Luckily, she was a very healthy cat, for the most part.

So that was Angel Rosebud's story for the most part. She is a very special kitty in mom's heart and lived well into her teens.

02/26/2013 04:55.30 AM

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Good Morning Friends!
Will do our regular blog tomorrow, but want to leave a special request today for prayers for a special friend in mom's rescue. Anne, one of the oldest members of the group and the person, who taught mom most of what she knows, just went into a nursing home on Saturday. She is in her late 80's, balance issues led to falls at home, and also she has memory loss and is no longer able to care for herself or her kitties. The cats, which included 3 ferals and 2 rescued strays, have been moved to new homes and are doing ok. The ferals went to another member of the rescue and will be kept together, with a room of their own. They are used to living indoors, but very scared of new people, so pray for them also. Mom would like me to do a special tribute to Anne on Thursday, but if we don't have all the information then, we will do it as soon as possible next week. That said, since many have asked us to continue doing rescue blogs after King Barney retires, the answer is Yes, though on a less regular basis. Details later. This will be a difficult week for Anne and all the kitties, so your prayers are appreciated.

02/25/2013 05:17.50 AM

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2/23/13 Happy Caturday and Big Thank You All!
Sorry we did not start yesterday, but mom was just feeling overtired with all the snow she had to clear and then there was Zeus, who snuck out twice! The snow was soft and up to his neck. Didn't stop him! Mom just stood outside and let him have a good run, because chasing him wouldn't have done any good and he does know where the door is.

Anyway, we want to thank you so much for our Meezers ACOTD and all the friends, who came by in memory of the fourth Anniversary of A.Rosebud's passing. Rosebud was very special to mom and I don't know how much you know of her story. She was originally rescued as a kitten by a friend of mom's. She was probably over two years, when mom's friend asked her to kitty sit Rosebud and another female black LH named Midnight for the first time, because they were moving to Duluth, MN and did not have a house picked out in that area yet. The two cats were neither spayed or vet checked for a long time, so mom took them on the agreement that she would get that done, with no cost to the family. Mom's friend has a learning disability and the family had other dysfunctions, including an alcoholic husband. The cats were not abused, but there was never money for proper vet care. Anyway, the cats were spayed and returned to the family, once they had a home in that city. A few years passed and the family was moving again. This time they had Rosebud and a year old pup named Ginger and were planning a drive to Florida. Midnight, who was up in her teens, had passed the Bridge due to breast cancer. When mom had her spayed, she had several tumors and they had been removed, but they did come back and she was brought to a vet and euthanized, before they moved again. The Tumors were inoperable and cancer had spread. Anyway, this time they asked mom to take Rosebud and keep her, because they knew mom loved Rosebud and would give her the best home possible. Mom also asked for their dog, a Rottweiler mix. She could see that Ginger was very gentle and friendly, but fearing the family had been living homeless more than once, she knew that often Animal Control people would simply euthanize certain breeds of dogs, if they were taken in. Mom was determined that that would not happen to Ginger. The original contract was that they had to demonstrate they had jobs and a secure place to live. That did not happen. Ginger is almost 13 and still with us.

Sorry, we were going to tell more about Rosebud too, but are running out of room, so will do that on Tuesday. Needless to say, she also lived with mom several years until she crossed the Bridge. Thank you so much for all your votes, both for her, our Angel Meezers and for me, King Barney. As I come to my last week, I cannot totally tell you what a special time it has been and do hope our friend JosieMae has as much fun as we have. Love to all, K.Barney and family, mom Judi too.

02/23/2013 08:04.08 AM

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2/21/13 Made it to Thursday Day for K.Barney! +2
Got mom up by 4:00AM, but she still isn't awake. Today she is remembering our Angel Rosebud, who passed 2/21/09 and was a contemporary of Angels Pasha and Agatha. Rosebud was the only cat Pasha accepted to associate with after Agatha. Come to think of it, I don't think we have told Rosebud's story, but guess that will have to wait until next week, because we do have to finish Grisha's.

Anyway, mom brought Grisha home and put him in the now famous guestroom. She had high hopes that Pasha would adjust to him, especially after adjusting so well to Agatha, but it was not to be. Mom had to keep Grisha in the guest room, except when she could close Pasha in her room and give him a bit of time to roam the house. She felt very bad and wasn't sure what to do. Going back to the Humane Society was not an option.

Well, it just so happened that mom did have a friend,Marilyn, who stayed with her frequently, while she was looking for a more permanent place to live. Mom had met Marilyn at her church. Marilyn had some learning disabilities, but was very independent and was taking classes to become a certified nursing assistant. Of course, while staying with mom, Marilyn did have to share the guestroom with Grisha, who worked his charm on her too. Whenever Marilyn was there, he was her best friend and purr therapist! Doesn't take a detective to see where this was leading! When Marilyn finally found a place to stay, Grisha went to live with her in her apartment.

We are not quite to happily ever after yet. Marilyn had asthma and after a few months it got much worse and, she was told that she really needed to give up her cat. She was heartbroken, but then another opportunity came up. With her asthma getting worse, she really was not safe living alone and couldn't return to living with mom either. There was an opening in a group home and a community called "On Our Own." Not only was Marilyn able to find a safe place to live and job opportunities, but Grisha found a new home and purpose too, although he had to live in a different house than Marilyn-- as a therapy cat! The house residents cared for him and he gave lots of purr therapy and love!

Again, we are running out of space. Grisha and Marilyn have both passed over the Bridge, but lived very productive and caring lives. Stay warm and we will come back with another story on Tuesday. Hope to see everyone this weekend, with more purrsonal visits and please, if you have questions, we will be glad to answer any we can.

02/21/2013 03:53.57 AM

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2/19/13 Happy Tuesday to You From King Barney!
The temp is +5, but a windchill of -14. The good mews is that its the warmest temp in our state. Can you believe that this month is more than halfway over! I do hope you have been enjoying it and your time with us at the castle. We have also been enjoying JosieMae's blogs and we remind all to vote for her page#193862 daily, so she can be Queen of March.

Well the bad mews is that mom is still looking for the camera charger, but the good is that we will have another pic to go with today's story when she finds it. I thought I would tell the story of her first visit to the Golden Valley Humane Society, Golden Valley, MN, not far from us. It was shortly after her grandmother had passed and during the time of Angels Pasha and Agatha. She was job hunting and found a notice of an opening in Humane Education for the Humane Society. Now, at that time she knew she didn't qualify for it, but she wanted the info.
It sure was an interesting trip too. They gave a tour of the facilities, including the adoption areas, which included dogs, cats and other critters. The cats were kept both in cages and had large free rooms, where they were given time out of the cages. Well, I'm sure many of your pawrents know the danger of visiting the cat area of the Humane Society and mom didn't get out free either. As she walked through a stripped orange paw came out of a cage she passed and grabbed her arm. Mom stopped and said hi, removing the claws from her clothing and giving the cat a pat. She turned to leave and again she felt a tap and the claws grabbed her firmly. Again, she stopped to pet the cat. His eye caught hers, as if to say "get me out!" Mom thought about it, but she had Pasha at home and knew she had been told he was not good with other cats. Anyway, she continued her tour, but had to pass this cat once more on the way out. She did not even have him in mind, when the same paw stopped her one last time. The eyes pleaded--- "Please lady, I need to get out of here--- lets blow this pop-stand!" This time she asked about him and his adoption fee. It was only $35.00, with a gift certificate for a low cost neuter. That day Grisha, which is what mom named him, escaped with mom to a new life! It wasn't the end of their adventures, because, although mom kept him in the guest room and had him neutered immediately, he did not get along with Pasha, who wanted to kill him--- no doubt about it.

As usual, we will have to turn this into a two-parter and finish on Thursday. This story has a wonderful ending, so stay tuned. Grisha was a really sweet cat, downright irresistible cat, and even though mom knew it wouldn't work to keep him with Pasha, he was never going back to the Humane Society.

Enjoy your Tuesday! See you Thursday and hope your week is a lot warmer than our promises to be. King Barney.

02/19/2013 04:07.07 AM

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2/14/13 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY--- K.BARNEY +27!
Good morning friends and Happy Valentine's Day! The Ice Carnival is set up and ready for your visits. Come for Breakfast and stay all day! Special activities for children and kitties of all ages. A very special Valentine's Eve Ball 6:30--8:00pm Central time. All on King Barney's page, of course. Sleigh rides and royal carriage rides for all, as well as midway Ferris wheel and carrousel, etc. Molly could use help on last minute decorations and Zeus and Andy are busy shoveling last night's snow, to be saved for the snow forts and snowballs.

Almost forgot--- we did promise to finish Tigger's story and have to apologize the pictures are still not available. Mom is looking for the battery charger.
Anyway, except for the terrible earmites and a bit of frostbite, Tigger was remarkably healthy. The vet cleaned his ears, gave him a full exam and shots. He was already neutered, but no form of ID. Mom got extra meds for his ears and the chaplain did call back and officially adopted Tigger back from mom, which turned out to be a good idea though you might ask why, since he originally found the kitten. Well, about three years later, the chaplain called again and said he had a problem. He had to move and could not take Tigger, so Tigger returned to mom to find another home. And, as luck would have it, he found one in record time, even with mom's strict screening. He was an extremely friendly orange cat and very outgoing. He found a new family with some children, who loved him dearly and forever. Mom kept in touch for several years.

Don't forget votes for JosieMae #193862, your future Queen of March. Visit Barney's pg#74382 for the Valentine's Ice Carnival, read details in his profile area and see pictures at the bottom of his page. We will add new activities as thought of or suggested and see you for the live-blog Ball this evening! K.Barney and family

02/14/2013 04:53.51 AM

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2/12/13 Happy Second Tuesday of February! +17
King Barney here--- time is going so quickly here and our friend JosieMae #193862 is doing so well on her Catpaign trail for Queen of March. Do keep sending her encouraging meows, as we well know it is not as easy on the trail as it looks.

The weather here at the castle is cold, but we did not get as much snow as we thought. It was heavy and wet though and hard to shovel. Good for ice sculpture, however, and the prep for Thursday's carnival is coming along beautifully. The Carnival will be on all day Thursday, but, if kitties like, we can do live some live blogging between 6:30-- 8:00 Central time. You have to adjust the hours for your area. Thursday's blog will list all the activities and if you have have suggestions, please let us know.

Well, just enough time for a short story for today. This one is about another kitten named Tigger too. This kitten was rescued some years back by a Salvation Army Chaplain, who worked at a homeless shelter in our city. He called the rescue's hotline late one night, with the story of a tiny orange kitten he had found in a snowdrift. The kitten's ears were bloody and itching something fierce, but otherwise he seemed ok, just cold and hungry--- very hungry. The kitten had the worst case of ear mites mom had ever seen. Anyway, the chaplain was attached to the kitten, but couldn't afford a veterinarian. Mom had ear medications at home, but knew the kitten really needed to be seen by a doctor, so she took it on a temporary basis. The chaplain was in the process of moving and promised to call back in a few days.

Again, we must cut this story short and finish on Thursday. Do apologize for leaving you hanging. Mom also promised to hunt for pictures of the two Tiggers and post them on the Daily Inspiration page, but we have to find the charger for our camera. Will be sure to do that as soon as we are able. Have a Super Tuesday and we will see you on Valentine's Thursday! King Barney

02/12/2013 09:52.15 AM

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2/7/13 Finally on CC --- Happy Thursday!
King Barney here, I hope. We will see when I finish this blog and hope I can at least post it to this page and on the CMR. Will do as much delivery as CC allows. We take it that everyone has been having problems too. Other than last night and today, everything has been going well around the castle. Mom's left knee is hurting, so she is trying to rest it today.

Well today's story is a rather short one about mom's first kitten, not counting college days. It was about a year after she began living at home with Gmeow, just before A.Pasha came into the picture. Her mom's cousin Katie and her husband lived just outside a small town in Minnesota on 80 acres of wooded land. They called their home the Tall House in the Woods and it was one of mom's favorite places to visit. Katie loved cats and rescued many during her lifetime. Katie is still alive, but has severe health issues and is no longer able to live in her home and is in a care facility.

Anyway, one day mom was visiting Katie and Katie had a momcat and litter of six kittens that had been abandoned in the woods. She knew they were abandoned, because the mom and kittens were all friendly and allowed her to handle them. Mom played with the kittens that day and when she was ready to leave, Katie brought her one of the kittens, a boy named Tigger and told mom to take him home. Mom protested that she couldn't. Gmeow didn't like cats and she couldn't. Well, Katie wasn't taking no for an answer. She gave mom a litter box and litter, a kitty bed and bowls, so the kitten went home with mom. Gmeow wasn't happy, but mom promised to keep the kitten in her room and kept her promise for sometime--- a few months anyway.

Well, today's story is not merely about how mom got her first kitten, but also about Tigger's first best friend. You will remember that at this time, mom did not have any other pets, so Tigger was very special to her. If she knew all the dangers of cats going outside that she does now, this friendship might never have happened. Anyway, Tigger was in the backyard and mom went out to look for him. She heard him climbing around in a large pine tree and went to call him down. The tree had thick branches and mom stood right next to it, trying to figure out where Tigger was. Just then a head popped out, but it wasn't Tiggers--- it was a grey squirrel! Then, another head close behind--- Tigger! Mom quickly went to rescue Tigger, thinking the squirrel was after him. She took him inside to safety. Well, that might have been the end of the story, but the next day mom heard scratching on the screen door--- The grey squirrel was hanging on it, as if to ask it Tigger could come out to play! Tigger was at the door in a flash--- and wanted out to play with his friend.

Well, that is the story for today and now mom needs a bit of purr therapy after remembering that story and her very special Tigger cat. Remember to vote for Josiemae#193862, so she can be your Queen of March.

02/07/2013 11:16.01 AM

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2/5/13 Wow! First Official Tuesday! +23 & snow!
Good Morning dear friends! Hard to believe my first Tuesday as King and I have been on the thrown for 5 days! Sure glad for that beautiful silken purple pillow I was given after my coronation--- highly appreciated! Remember we have an open Castle policy---- come for brunch and stay as long as you like. Plenty of room and food. Steve--- we found a while truckload of cocoa, with mini marshmallows even. The kitchen staff put an order in for another to come next week and also restocked your and Zeus's TomCave.
Everyone feel free to read the menu up on the profile section of my purrsonal K.Barney page. Let me know anything you want to add.

Business taken care of, everyone asked us to continue our stories, so we certainly will. Thought we would start start off with a couple more Pasha tales. The one for today is about Pasha and mom's G'meow. Now Gmeow wasn't a catlover, but she did have a relationship with Pasha and he with her. Pasha loved Gmeow and would do anything for her. He always sat with her during breakfast and while mom was busy doing other things, like getting ready for work, she would hear Gmeow say, "Now you're not getting anymore!" So if Gmeow didn't like cats, why was she always conversing with Pasha and not giving him anymore of things? Mom finally caught Gmeow giving him the last of her Cherrios and milk. She asked Gmeow,"If you don't care for cats, why are you giving him that?" Gmeow--- "So he will go away." As we said, he always had breakfast with Gmeow!

Pasha was very intelligent. One night he woke mom out of a sound sleep with a sharp bite to her nose! Ouch! Pasha! Why--- he ran in the direction of Gmeow's room. He came back to make sure mom was up and coming with him. Then mom heard Gmeow calling--- she had fallen on the floor. Mom quickly checked. Gmeow actually was ok, but scared. She probably wasn't fully awake when she tried to get up. Nothing was broke and she went back to bed. Had it not been for Pasha, however, she might have been on the floor all night, because she was scared she had broke something and wouldn't move without help. It was cold that night and there could have been more serious consequences. Mom called the doctor the next day, but Gmeow was fine and he told mom just to make sure she stayed away from the stairs at night. Of course, Gmeow still didn't believe Pasha had got mom up, but mom knew the truth and that is what counted. Pasha was a very smart cat!

Well, that is it for today. Please remember to vote for Josiemae #193862, your COTM/future Queen of March. Now Gmeow's Birthday was March 8, 1888. She would have been 125 this year! She did live to 101yrs old.

Love K.Barney and family, mom Judi too.

02/05/2013 05:04.36 AM

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2/2/13 Thank You--- Happy Caturday! King Barney
A very good morning dear Furrends of the CC Kingdom! Wow! Day two! Yesterday we all worked out paws to the bone moving in and want to thank all the kitties, who celebrated with us at the coronation and ball afterward and helped with the move yesterday. We could not have done it without you. Thank you Steve for rescuing Zeus from the storage shed out back--- he was mumbling something about looking for a port-a-potty. Thank everyone for all the donations to storm victim kitties and families. Most have already been delivered, but we shall keep the room available for any donations for those, who may need emergency supplies ongoing. Donations may also be brought directly to Julius Steven's page, as it is his original idea, for which we are all grateful.

Molly wants to thank Chyna, Sandy, Ana, Haley as volunteer chefs and all the kitties helping stock and help out in the royal kitchen, so we can have drop in dining for any kitties in need or just needing a place to warm their paws a bit and chat with furrends,

Our official blogs will be Tuesday and Thursday, with other days allowing us time for more purrsonal replies and time for mom to get a bit of rest! Several kitties have asked if we will continue our rescue stories. That is fine with us, if that is what you want--- there are many more to tell! We want to remind everyone we are planning an ice carnival for Valentine's day and hope you will all contribute to the planning.

Have a Super Caturday all. Up to +1 here at the Winter Ice Palace--- see the picture on the bottom of K.Barney's page #74382. Today is an adoption day for mom and Zeus. While we are not sure if we wish them luck, do wish luck to all the other kitties and dogs at the event. Will keep you posted. Love to all, K.Barney and family.

Remember to vote Josiemae #193862 everyday so she will be your Queen of March!

02/02/2013 04:39.51 AM

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Molly hears the movement of kitties 2/1/13
-11 at the Castle. Josiemae has already stopped by with her blog. Puzzle, Easy and family, Steve, Ana and Sandy, Sassy, Tom.... did they sleep over or come by early? Got to make sure the kitchen staff have breakfast started--- Catnip tea and cider, toast, muffins, eggs as ordered,salmon, trout, waffles, pancakes, cereal, grits, anything the kitties desire. Got to put out signs--- please, when you come to drop a vote at the castle or leave a message for King Barney, do stop for something in the royal dining room and warm your paws a bit.

02/01/2013 03:04.17 AM

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1/31/13 Thrusday--- The Time Grows Near!
Barney here. The temperature here is +4, with the wind -20! Q.A.Sugar has contacted us and requests an early Coronation Ceremony. Details are being set-up as I speak and we hope to inform you before this goes out today. News flash! Q.A.Sugar just contacted us and says that 6pm her time would work. That would be 5pm EST/ 4pm C/ 2pm Pacific. The Ceremony will be rather brief on the CMR page #46883, but with a reception after. After 6:30pm Central time tonight, you may come to Pawty on my page #74382. Zeus has promised to work on the decorating and is asking all Orange cats to assist, probably with TPing the premises, not that we don't trust him. Hefty has already asked Ms Chyna Doll to be the royal chef, so you know the food will be topnotch! Its been a long, but inspiring Catpaign and we have all enjoyed it immensely! All of you have been so encouraging and giving kind praise about our rescue stories. Mom is feeling humbled with your comments, because she only does what is necessary and she knows how to do. We are all humbled by all your votes of confidence and I hope honor you as your King of February.

Not sure where we will go in the month ahead, but trust inspiration will find us. We have been informed that the royal blogging days are Tuesday and Thursday. We will surely visit this weekend on Caturday or Sunday to let you know how our move in to the Castle went and what events are planned for the week ahead. Other days we hope to do a lot of more purrsonal blogging and visiting all the kitties in our Kingdom. Please join in the spirit of Love this Month of February and visit as many of of the sick or otherwise struggling CC families as you are able. Take time to visit new kitties and hunt up old friends you may have lost contact with. Some inactive kitties may still check pages occasionally, so just leave a note and let them know they are in your thoughts and prayers. Be ready for February Fun in the month ahead!

See you at the Coronation, if you are able or semi- live blogging on Barney's page#74382 after about 6:30pm Central time tonight. No early blog tomorrow--- move in day. We will tell you all about it on the weekend.

01/31/2013 04:53.32 AM

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1/30/13 Wonderful Wednesday from Barney +23
And the temp is falling! So good to be indoor kitties! Middle of the week, so Pawrents are probably happy, and MHL hockey night--- see you at the rink! Well today we are returning to our story of Midnight and, as I promised yesterday, it definitely gets better and ends with a twist. Go to the bottom of my Daily Inspiration #249417 and look at the two pictures of Midnight. The first one, marked 1year, is Midnight a few months after she was returned to mom and as she was beginning her recovery. The second is at about 2 yrs of age, just before her adoption to her forever home. Yes, that's right, she regained enough health to go to a forever home and her new mom, a vet tech with one human child, a little girl, kept in touch with mom for many years. Can you see the change in Midnight? The pictures may not show as well as they should, but take it from us, Midnight was midnight black in the first one.

Well, let us go back to Midnight, just after her exam by the holistic vet, a good friend of mom's, who actually came to the house for the consultation. The vet told mom that if Midnight had been a dog, she would not have survived the loss of so much intestine. She still had a long way to go, but as a young cat, it was possible she might regrow part of her intestines. She took blood samples and from that put Midnight on nutritional supplements and herbs to support her recovery. She had mom stop giving the Imodium AD, which Midnight hated, because she said it was only keeping toxins in her body that she needed to get rid of. Midnight did have ups and downs after this, but by 2 yrs of age, she healthy, with mostly normal stool, playful and able to go to adoptions. Mom took her to adoptions, not because she thought she would necessarily find a home, but to be able to tell people her story. One weekend, however, a lady vet tech came by and asked about Midnight and what her needs were. Mom told her that the only special needs were that she needed a B12 shot once a week and occasionally fluids under the skin, if she appeared dehydrated. Not difficult for a vet tech and Midnight was very cooperative, luckily. Anyway, the lady asked if she could try keeping Midnight. Her daughter by this time was petting and loving her up. Mom agreed, with the understanding that Midnight would be returned to her, if it didn't work out.

It did work out and very well, at that. Mom kept in touch with the family for many years and the last time she saw them, Midnight was 12 years old! After the age of 3 or 4, she was off the B12 shots and eating a normal diet. The only odd change is the one you will see in her pictures on the bottom of the Inspiration page--- she changed from a sleek coal black to a cat with black points and a more plush, grey body--- no one is sure whether it was the result of her medical condition or that it could be breeding.

01/30/2013 04:03.00 AM

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1/29/13 Good Tuesday Morning from Barney-- +31
Last Tuesday of January? Got fitted for robes last night! Sure is a strange feeling.Kind of warm here again today, but they promise by tomorrow night we will be back in the sub-zero range. Just doesn't feel like a real Minnesota Winter without it! Hope all of you are ready for a real mystery today, because the story is a strange one.

I do hope someday mom can get the pictures changed to digital, so we can post them. The cat in today's story was named Midnight and when mom fostered her as a kitten, she did not have a speck of white on her. She was cute and friendly and soon had a new forever home or so we thought. The problem started when she was five months old and went for her big girl surgery. All went well or so it seemed, but the next morning her pawrents noticed some of the dissolving stitches had come out. They immediately called the vet and brought her in. By the time she got to the vet all the stitches were out and her intestines were exposed, requiring immediate emergency surgery! Now her condition was such that it was even debated whether she could be saved or not. The vet did his best, but had to remove all of the bowel and most of the small intestine due to contamination. The adoptive family was very upset and called mom,because they were not sure they could care for Midnight. She would require a special diet, vitamin supplements and other medications, possibly for life. When she returned home, she also had bad diarrhea and was not always able to make it to her potty box on time.

After trying to care for Midnight for less than a week, the family decided it was best to return Midnight to mom, since she had more experience in caring for a cat with special needs. At first Midnight had to be kept caged, was on Imodium AD and a number of other medications, which controlled the condition, but did not cure it. Mom was concerned about all the medications and Midnight's lack of progress. She decided to contact a holistic vet friend, who had helped with Pasha towards the end of his life.

Whoa, we are running out of space here! You know what that means-- stay tuned tomorrow and the best is yet to come. Don't fret, its a good end, I promise! Mom will see what she can do about the pictures too. Have a Super Tuesday! Barney and all.

01/29/2013 04:51.13 AM

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1/28/13 Good Monday Morning from Barney!
Where am I?? Oh yes, sitting at the top of our tallest livingroom cat tree getting ready to dictate to mom. Hefty and Molly are at her side, hopefully checking for accuracy and details. Their eyes are closed?? must be scanning info from mom's brainwaves... The weather here is much warmer +30 with white stuff on the ground. Cold white stuff. Mom went out in the yard last night and allowed me to come out with the dogs. Super-sized flakes! Nature is amazing and all I want is to adjust the temp a bit!

Our story today is that of a cat now known as Angel Whiskers and no relationship to any CC cat here or across the Bridge. He belonged to a friend of mom's, who mom occasionally kittysits for. Mom even remembers when he was first adopted, because she was the one, who made it possible. Another lady called the rescue hotline on a night mom was checking the calls. The lady had found a handsome charcoal tuxedo, declawed cat, and was not able to keep it. She did not know what to do. Mom knew her friend Phyllis was looking for a cat and she decided to call her, before checking for a foster home. Phyllis decided to go see the cat, so she and her then young daughter went with mom the next day to see the cat and ended up taking it home. Everything worked out well, but because Phyllis had family out of town, mom promised to do any kittysitting needed.

Today's story takes place a year or two later, not sure, but in the meantime Whisker's family had also adopted a red Beta fish, we will call Finny, not remembering his real name. Whiskers loved Finny and always carefully supervised his feeding and bowl water changes. Now mom had also had occasionally Beta fish and was not worried when Phyllis asked if she could take care of Whiskers and Finny, while she was on an out of town trip to visit family. The guestroom was available and they were moved in for a week. Whiskers seemed to remember mom, who frequently visit him in his home. The problem came the next morning, when mom came in to feed both of them. Whiskers was very happy to see his food, but when mom turned to take care of Finny, He hissed and went to stand in front of the bowl to prevent mom from touching it. He was protecting his fish from mom! Mom had to back off and sit down to have a talk with him. He may have been nervous, sensing the other cats and dogs outside the room (us), but mom really believes he was protecting his fish, who he would watch for hours at a time. She had to initiate some play with Whiskers and offer him treats until he finally relaxed enough for her to approach and feed his beloved Finny. As the week progressed, mom was able to care for Finny and even change the water in his bowl, but always carefully supervised by Whiskers. What a story mom had for her friend, when she came to retrieve the pets and, would you believe, they still talk about it to this day!

So there you have it, the story for today. Have a Meowrvelous Monday!

01/28/2013 05:57.39 AM

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1/27/13 A Late Start Sunday for Us---- +27
Barney here, mom gets slower and slower, but we will have to forgive her. She moved a large bookcase out of our room yesterday in preparation for a new dog bed coming this week. She calls it a dog bed, but I know its for us and we may, if our doggy sibs are nice, let them sleep on it. Mom got another bed of the same kind a month ago for Lucky, who is the larger of the two and has arthritis. Well, who of us doesn't, except maybe that kid Zeus! Lucky didn't even want to go near the new bed at first, because I claimed it immediately! Now that it isn't so new, the dogs alternate during the night, each taking it for a couple hours at a time and we cats are back to sleeping with mom, which is our preference anyway. Mom decided the solution to the problem was to get another ex-lg orthopedic foam bed, identical to the first, with a plush cover, and to be delivered sometime this week. This story is obviously to be continued after the delivery.

Sorry this will be a shorter blog today and I will be working on the VFP game edit later Capt. Rascal. While mom was cleaning yesterday she did find the family album of past Angels and foster kitties. There are plenty of good stories to come! Besides fostering rescued strays, mom occasionally kitty sits for friends. Tomorrow's story is about a cat named Whiskers, not our CC friend, and his pet fish.

Not much of a weather report today, at least for Minnesota. The temp. is +27, but the threat is freezing rain later in the day and turning to snow. Could be icy in the morning and, if so, mom won't be going out. Stay safe friends and have a Super Sunday! A good day for meditation and cat naps.... Barney and family. Mom Judi too.

01/27/2013 06:26.26 AM

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1/26/13 Another Happy Caturday from Barney!
My last of the Catpaign??? 0 degrees here in the frozen North! Scarey, Scarey all of it --- not really, as we are all furrends. Its been quite an experience and we loved every minute. A big apology to those we miss with our blog. Mom is not always the most organized c/p er. She tries to double check, but makes mistakes. We try to check in the evening too, so if we see your note on Barney's page and mom hasn't gone to bed early, we will still deliver. Also, we are always posted on CMR and Barney's Inspiration page. Do thank you all for your patience. Mom is also changing our data plan for our wireless to get more data for less of the green papers that Hefty wishes she would give to us, because he says they are really tasty!

Well, Today we have finished talking about our current family, but have a few choices as we go back in history. Cats and dogs are not the only critters mom has rescued in the past. A few of you may have met our Angel rats on SAC. Yes, rats and no, we did not discover they were delicious! For the most part we only socialize through the bars of their cage/home. Angel Max did get out once and, yes, we kitties, Barney, Molly and Hefty even visited a bit until mom woke up and discovered the situation. No, she did not get a picture, but wishes she had. She just got too rattle and scooped Max up, scaring him and getting bit in the process. First she came downstairs, having just got up to let the dogs out and trying to wake up to get ready for work. She walked in the living room and went to say good morning to our rat, as was her habit, only he wasn't there and the door to the cage was open. She began to panic and search with her eyes--- she discovered us, all three kitties sitting in a line--- and, Max sitting in the middle! Now she double panicked! Her instinct was that if he ran, he was a goner. Possibly correct, but we will never tell. What a scene and no camera close by. She was not going to hunt for one either. Carefully she approached Max and he started to head for something to hide under... We were given a very stern, "Don't do it!" Awww Mom! Well, she grabbed Max, got bit, but didn't let go and put him back in his cage. Now she put twist ties on his door too. Talk about not trusting us! We are surely insulted!

Sorry for such a late morning today and do hope its a wonderful Caturday for all. Mom hopes to relax. Her cousin Janet, by the way, passed her CNA test with flying colors on the first try! Thanks to all those CC prayers!
Have a Super Day and we will see you tomorrow. Remember we want Sunday to be a day to answer your questions about anything--- help us out here! Love you--- your friend Barney.

01/26/2013 06:54.05 AM

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1/25/13 Rollercoaster High Friday +15
And dropping! Another down and up--- mom. can't you fix the weather?

Barney here, if you haven't figured that out. Mom is tired and needs a nap already, so after we post here and on the CMR, she is going to claim a well deserved catnap. Had a moment of panic last night. Got a call from Rebecca/Malika's dad about 9pm. He was going out to visit a friend and though he would take her with him. Somehow she got out of her carrier and loose in the parking garage! She was hiding under cars and wouldn't come to him. He didn't think she could get out of the garage and it was heated, but he was afraid what might happen when cars started moving around in the morning. Mom did manage to calm him down a bit and told him how important it was to be calm when looking for a scared cat, because we pick up on human panic and were more likely to keep hiding. She also advised using tuna as a lure and for him moving as quiet as possible, using his eyes and ears to figure out where she was. He also had put signs up immediately, which turned out to be how she was found. While he ran in to call mom, someone else in the apartment building saw her and took her in, because of the cold weather. He called mom back about 11:30pm to say she was found and home safe! Mom did tell him she wanted a call, no matter what the time. Malika had her rabies tag on and is microchipped, but only the vet's number on her tag. That would have meant that the person would need to wait til morning to call the vet or take her into animal control, which on such a cold night probably wasn't happening.

Well, we are so happy to be reporting that Malika is safe at home this morning and not having to ask your prayers for her, although we will ask prayers for any other lost pets in this brutally cold weather. Besides the cold, they face dangers trying too keep warm under parked vehicles, coming into contact with antifreeze and other toxic substances. It takes less than a teaspoon of antifreeze to kill a cat and the irreversible damage to liver and kidneys is done very quickly. It tastes sweet to us, so we may be easily fooled to try it. Humans, if you must take us with you, please make sure we are in a carrier and that the carrier is secure--- check all latches and nuts and bolts holding it together.

Guess that is our message for today. We love you! Stay safe everyone. Pawrents, accidents happen with us, just as with your human kids, but some can be prevented. Even our mom has had a carrier start coming apart on her, so check, check, check! If something happens and your cat does get out, control your panic. Easier said than done, but you need to be able to think what to do next and not to panic your cat anymore than it already is.

01/25/2013 04:51.08 AM

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1/24/13 Another Frosty Thursday from Barney! -7
Feels like -20 they say--- guess I'll stay in my fuzzy donut bed and dictate to mom. Mom went to the post office yesterday and says she will stay home today.

I talked about myself yesterday and many of you said you could relate to the dental issues. We should remind our Pawrents February is pet dental month--- please check our mouths and take care of any issues. Mouth health affects the whole purrson-- cat, dog, human or other critter. Please take note cats and kits and cooperate with the exam. I will try to take my own advice!

Well, yesterday I promised to start telling about the dogs in our family, both of which are cat friendly and well trained by me! I remember one day when mom was frustrated and they were both in a state of excitement. She gave the sit command and nothing happened. All I did was hop in the chair next to her and raise my paw--- both bottoms hit the floor immediately! She just stood there with her mouth open and wondered, did I just see what I thought I saw?

Our oldest dog Ginger is a lab/rotty mix, about 65 lbs and 12 yrs old. She has kidney disease and is on medication. Our younger dog, who most humans think is older, is named Lucky. He is a Golden/bloodhound mix, 10 yrs old and about 90 lbs. Both came from friends of mom, who were unable to keep them. Ginger came from a friend, whose parents decided to move the family to Florida and were continually having housing issues. Mom offered to keep Ginger until they got settled. Ten years later, she is still with us. Lucky came from a man going into assisted living and he was unable to keep such a large dog. Mom worked with his niece and she asked if we could take him, because the family wanted to euthanize him and he was a healthy 5 yr old at that point. Lucky originally was slated to go into our foster program to be adopted out, but mom discovered he did not get along well around other dogs. He did get along with Ginger and with us, but maybe he understood that it was the end of the road, if he didn't! Mom always calls Lucky my Barney's dog and I have found him very useful. When I want to go out, I walk under his belly so I can't be seen. I feed Lucky and Ginger, of course, the treats off the top of the fridge. Lucky can also rip open food bags that I am unable to.

Well, that's it for today and I am not sure about tomorrow. Mom pulled out an album of past fosters and family members. I might also recall a few more dog tails or ? Hope everyone has a Great Day and keep warm and safe. Let me know where we should go with our stories.

Just saw a story on the news that a number of chimps used for medical research are being retired to a sanctuary where they can experience life free of cages and as natural as possible, because they could not live in the wild. About time! We wish them a great rest of their lives!

01/24/2013 04:10.54 AM

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1/23/13 A Warmer Wednesday Here +7!
Barney's back--- Mom slept in again today. Said she is trying not to come down with something. Been sneezing, as I do on occasion, only more. At least the weather is warmer, though going back to the deep freeze tonight.

Well, back to my story and how I came to stay here. As I said yesterday, I started in the adoption program but, Zeus take notes (think he has already) I was stressing out to the point mom was afraid to take me out of the carrier! Hissing, Spitting, Claws out whacking! I would do anything to stay with mom. The thing that worked best was sneaking out of the house, when she let the dogs out--- walked right out under the big one's belly. His name is Lucky, by the way. Mom's rule, the rescues rule, is to keep cats indoors. A good idea, but not mine. That was one of my most fun games and if it was after dark, the better! Mom had to get one of those little lights out. I went all over the yard and even followed behind her--- she turned around and I was right at her heels--- he he he! We cats are soooo clever! Mom finally decided that if she didn't keep me, how could she be sure someone else would be so careful not to let me run. Lucky she did decide to keep me too, because I did have one health issue, I had been hiding, but the vet discovered one day, when I couldn't eat, due to pain in my mouth. My gums were inflamed and several of my teeth were loose and rotting. Not a good situation for us cats. Most of my teeth needed pulling and I am down to 3 fangs. Now you may ask, how can he eat? Very well, thank you, now that my mouth isn't sore. I even catch mice and birds, but mom has to rescue them, because they might slowly suffocate in my mouth. Its somewhat embarrassing. There are small critters out there telling strange tales of the toothless cat.

Well, that is most of my story. Tomorrow, I will tell a bit about my 2 dogs, Ginger and Lucky, and how it helps to have large dog friends to do your bidding. I have them well trained. They know I have access to where their treats are on top of the fridge and are very willing to do a number of things for me, like propping the backdoor open with their butt.

Have a Super Day and stay warm or cool, depending on where you,live. We love you all dear friends! Barney and family.

01/23/2013 04:32.44 AM

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1/22/13 -10 Tuesday from Minnesota Barney!
Hello again friends--- BBBbbbbbrrrrr!!!! That is all I can say about it and I am not going out til Spring! Zeus did try it again yesterday when mom let the dogs out. Luckily she had her coat on and just went out to see how far he would go. Not even halfway across the patio! He turned, looked at mom to tell her she must have done something and he ran back to the door as quick as his legs would carry him! I sat back in my bed an chuckled--- some day you will know better kid.

Guess its finally time to start telling my own story. Barney looks thoughtful as he settles down beside mom to dictate his story. Some parts are on my page, of course, but I will try to pull it together a little more for you. I was born on a farm in Wisconsin, across the Minnesota border. There were a good number of young cats and somehow our farmer decided there were too many and was threatening to do us in! A neighbor called mom's group, among others, to ask for help with the situation. She said someone was going to shoot the cats! I was about 7-9 months old and one of those accused of contributing to the cat population explosion! I was friendly to humans and she wanted to find someone to take me out of there and get my Big Boy surgery. She thought I was part-Bengal and a beautiful spotted tabby. Well, you remember my current mom had dealt with a Bengal named Tyler/Toby before and so she stepped up and offered to be my foster. The rescue group was given permission to come on the farmer's property to trap and remove me and several other young cats for neutering and to go into the adoption program.
We were neutered, given necessary vaccinations, checked for parasites and tested for FeLeuk/FIV. All our tests came out negative and I was delivered to my current mom to go into the adoption program.

Guess I need to stop here, but you obviously know at some point she decided to keep me. I will give you a hint--- Zeus isn't the first cat to act badly at adoptions. It was also discovered that I had bad teeth and infected gums. No early dental care in my former situation to be had.

Have a Super Day and those of you who live in cold Winter climates, stay warm, indoors, if possible. Please pray for, feed and give shelter to those, who cannot. Human pawrents, please spay/Neuter all kitties you are able to help in that way, whether your pets or ferals. If you cannot financially afford to help, contact rescues and make them aware of the situation.

01/22/2013 04:25.00 AM

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1/21/13 A Frosty MLK Day to you from Minnesota!
Good Morning from Barney--- and a Super Frosty one here -8, with a windchill of -25! The coldest night in over a year for us! Zeus better not try sneaking out today or he will have a big surprise.. The rest of us plan to stay snuggled in our nap spots for some time to come! I have heard a lot of humans have the day off for the Martin Luther King holiday and mom would, if she was still working. As it is, she is going out for lunch with some teacher friends, who do have the day off. They are picking her up this afternoon, so all she has to do is bundle up!

Well, to finish up Hefty's story, when mom got him, she had no intention of putting him in the adoption program. Our last Siamese mix had crossed the Bridge almost a year before and mom insisted she cannot live without a Siamese. I do love my brother Hefty, but to say we couldn't live without him--- hmmmmm---- not sure... We are not exactly sure of Hefty's age, but he has to be in his teens. His weight is his only issue and its going nowhere fast. Mom tries to feed him less and he seems to nap more. Exercise is not his forte, other than Mouse Hockey, of course. Mom tries the wand toys and he rolls over on his back to kick at it. Now Zeus jumps in so fast, there is no contest! Well, Hefty, like the rest of us, gets lots of TLC, and mom does her best to get him moving, so you won't hear him complaining any time soon.

Today we do want to ask you to get your COTD votes in for our friend Crush #244193, a beautiful and mellow kitty, who plays hockey on the OC team. Zeus is particularly excited, as this is a teammate of his.

Have a wonder-filled day wherever you are, keep warm, and we will see you tomorrow! Besides events for the MLK Holiday, it is also Inauguration Day for the human President of our country. No matter what your views, it is a very historical event. Love to all, Barney and family.

01/21/2013 03:58.32 AM

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1/20/13 Sunny Sunday from Barney!
Not here actually, its a cloudy and cold -1! The wind was howling last night and we all snuggled by mom or in the plush kitty nest beds! Zeus and I escaped out about 9pm last night when the dogs went out. Mom chased after, but she even had to go back for her coat. She knew we would not go far, but she was worried--- sometimes its good to know your mom worries!

One friend asked yesterday if our Andy and Milo ever saw each other again after Milo was adopted. No, unfortunately, but mom has pictures and has talked to Milo's new dad on the phone a few times. He is healthy and well loved.

Well, besides getting a very late start today,we were unsure whether to start a new story or another topic. We have two more current kitties to talk about, Hefty and myself, Barney. Hefty and his sister Tasha, originally named Pasha, came from mom's godson Jonathan. Mom got Pasha first. She changed her name for obvious reasons, because mom had Angel Pasha many years before and she did not feel comfortable calling another cat by that name. She began calling the new Pasha "Tasha", so it would not be too confusing for the kitty.
Hefner "Hefty" and Tasha were brother and sister and had come from the Humane Society several years earlier as brother and sister. They had traveled with Jonathan twice to Florida from Minnesota, where he had been working. After he lost his job, he and his wife came back to Minnesota to live with his mother and Tasha and Hefty were having a hard time adjusting to living with her cats. One of his mother's cats was very old and the Siamese were picking on him. Jonathan's mom called mom to ask if she could help. Let us explain that his mom and mom had been friends since ninth grade. They are now both retired--- scarey! Mom agreed to take Tasha first and Tasha soon found another forever home through adoption. Mom might have kept her if she realized she would be getting Hefner a few months later, but Tasha had found a wonderful home and mom could not ask for her back.

So there is your preview of at least the first half of the week ahead. Lots to cover and think about. So glad we have been getting so many positive and wonderful comments on all our stories. We do enjoy telling them, as much as you enjoy listening. There is sometimes a lot of sadness and pain in rescue, but it is all the great, loving forever home stories that make it worthwhile. Of course, all of you know that too and that is what makes the CC family so wonderful! Have a Super Sunday, rest, and be ready for the new week ahead. Love to all, Barney and family and mom Judi too.

01/20/2013 05:13.29 AM

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1/19/13 Good Morning & Happy Caterday!
Barney Here--- Mom has her coffee, so we are ready to go. 29 degrees here and that is supposed to be the high today. We will see. They say the winds will howl amd below zero temps are coming from Canada. What part of "We don't want it" don't they understand?

Back to Andy and Milo and a bit more info on the names. They came to us with the names, so we don't really know who named them. As far as we know, they did not come from another group, just a lady, who regularly feeds strays out of her garage. After they were returned from their first adoption, we added a CC page for them. Almost immediately we found out there were another Andy and Milo, and in MHL hockey! Hi Furrends! Mom changed our page to Handy Andy and Milo,but dropped Milo's name when he was adopted a few weeks later.

So Milo was adopted by a lady, who had had a LH Black cat before and wanted one again. She only wanted one cat and, even though Andy and Milo had come in together, mom knew Andy got along well with us and would be OK. Andy missed his friend a lot, but soon another young foster joined us and then he was happy to have a playmate. Andy still was not adopted and one day mom noticed some sores on his skin, mostly on his back legs. She brought him to our vet and she concluded he might have an allergy, possibly to fleas or food or environmental pollen, as Spring had come. He didn't go outside and no fleas were found on him. She also listened to his heart and found a heart murmur, though it was very faint. Andy was first given prednisone for the skin condition, but it did not help much. It was actually a CC friend, who suggested her cat was on another medication and mom might ask her vet to try that. The new medication did work and was reasonably priced.

It was due to Andy's heart murmur that mom decided he would stay with us. He was doing well, but she was worried that the stress of biweekly adoptions might be too much of a stress on his heart. Neither the group nor she could afford heart surgery, even if it would help, but we could provide a low stress home and lots of TLC. From Andy's behavior, he doesn't have any limitations from his health issues. He still plays rough and enjoys MHL on CC! Mom watches and loves him and gives what medications he needs. He will be with us for life, as long as he is enjoying the best quality of life we can provide.

Well, tomorrow is Sunday and we invite you to ask questions about any of our stories this week or anything else you wish to ask. We will answer, if we are able. Have a Super Caterday and enjoy whatever you wish to enjoy! Give your pawrents lots of purr therapy.

Please visit the Knight family, as their doggie Carly Knight(#11000DC) crossed the Bridge yesterday. Their note is also posted on the CMR. We hold them all in our prayers. See all of you tomorrow!

01/19/2013 04:35.34 AM

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1/18/13 A Real TGIF from Barney!!! 20 degrees
Sorry furrends, mom just is having a hard time with the early schedule. Her eyes are blurry this morning and she is blaming us, imagine that! It's probably Molly's fault. She decided to sleep in Zeus's room and Andy too. What do they know, maybe its a bit warmer in there. A few of you asked for the rest of Molly's story. We basically finished it yesterday, except to say she generally keeps the household on schedule. Ah-Ha! She gets mom to bed on time, gets her up, makes sure the dogs get out, makes sure mom gets food on the tables at the appropriate times, etc! You have the idea.

Well today we are starting Andy's story. Also known as Handy Andy, Andy came to us about 3 yrs ago, He and another cat named Milo (not related to any other Andy and Milo on CC) were with a group of cats being fed in a garage off a Minneapolis alleyway. The volunteer feeding them noticed that Andy and Milo were friendlier than the other cats and thought they had been abandoned by a neighbor, who had moved out a few months earlier. Andy was the youngest, under a year, and Milo always ate together with him and made sure he got his share of food from the bowl. Our volunteer was amazed at how the older cat always shared with the younger and concluded that they must have been from the same household, though not the same age. She asked if a foster home could be found, because she did not have room in her home and was concerned that a few cats had disappeared from the alley and , perhaps, came to a bad end.

Mom immediately volunteered to take both cats, because she had just had our last foster adopted and the large guestroom was available. Plenty of room for two cats, as long as they got along, which they surely did.

Before coming to us as fosters, Andy and Milo went to the vet to be checked out. They were basically in good health, except for parasites, worms and fleas. Andy needed neutering and Milo was already fixed (didn't know he was broken!). They were definitely friendly and went immediately into the adoption program.

Well, again we must continue the story tomorrow. We will tell you, however, that Andy and Milo were originally adopted by a family with one other male cat, a white Persian, but they did not get along and were returned to mom, because of fighting. Mom had advised the family to keep the cats separated and to use gradual introductions, but, as happens more often than we would like, the humans did not seem to get "gradual" and said the cats were breaking through the plastic barrier they had erected.

01/18/2013 04:40.45 AM

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1/17/13 Happy Thursday from Barney and all
Getting a later start here. Mom was so tired, we just had to give her an extra hour. Luckily the dogs cooperated an slept an hour more too. The temp here is down to 9 degrees and expected to drop to 4, before going the other way for a brief time.

Well, yesterday you got the first part of Molly's story. She was rescued from under a porch in a rough neighborhood. We forgot to mention that she also had an injured eye, which we do not know if it was an accident or abuse, but it was infected when she arrived and still has some scar tissue on it.

When Molly arrived at our house, she got the guest room, which mom does for all of us, and a trip to the vet to get checked out. In spite of living outside for so long, Molly was not feral and was friendly to mom, even though she had been around many humans, who did not treat her well. She was just glad to be inside and able to sleep at night and not worry about freezing. She cooperated with all the vets treatments and took her meds. Soon mom was able to take her to adoptions.

While many people showed interest in her story and Molly was friendly to all, she did not get adopted. Finally, after several months, mom was told of a situation with a lady named Edna, who was actually one of the founders of the ARF Rescue. Edna was retired, blind and, for the most part, bedridden. She had 24/7 attendants, but her last kitty had died of old age and Edna was suffering from depression. She had never been without a cat. Friends had tried another cat at her house, but it was scared and hid. Did mom think Molly could help? It was worth a try. The house had large sunny windows, cat perches and lots of pillows for resting,as well as loving humans. When mom brought Molly to the house, it was love at first touch! Molly came out of her carrier and explored a bit. Then, within minutes she went to Edna's bed, hopped up on her own, and went to Edna's hands to be petted. Edna was delighted. Molly stayed with her and purred. She would hop down, explore a bit more and then return to Edna's side, as if she knew exactly why she was there. Mom had tears, but she knew it was the best possible place for Molly and she could visit anytime. Molly seemed to understand how mom was feeling, when mom tried to kiss her good bye, she swatted mom's face! Not hard, but enough to say, I know my job and I'm fine here.

Molly stayed with Edna almost two years, until Edna passed over the Bridge in the Fall of 2010. Then, although several caregivers and friends wanted her too, she was returned to mom, as in the agreement with Edna, to have her forever home with us. Mom said she had done her duty in caring for Edna and had more than earned a forever home with us. Molly sleeps on mom's arm against her chest every night. Mom thinks she seeks out the feel of her heartbeat and shares the vibration of her purr.

So, dear friends, have a Super day and we will begin Andy's story tomorrow.

01/17/2013 04:59.01 AM

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1/16/13 Wednesday--- Mid-Week, Mid-Month !
Barney here and our Catpaign is half over! Can you believe? Plus 26 degrees this morning here in Minnesota. The weather guesser says its up and then down to the deep freeze! I've hardly started talking about my current family. All the excitement and celebration the last couple days with Zeus's COTD yesterday! Wow! Now he is sleeping in like a baby. Not a peep yet this morning. If we missed anyone saying thank you for votes, shame on us. You are all precious to us and we are thankful to all. We do want to say Good Morning and Catgrat Fuzzy on his COTD today. May he have as wild and crazy a day today as Zeus did yesterday--- make it happen friends! Today its open, which means tomorrow is a surprise--- ???

Well, we talked about our foster? bro Zeus for a good two days. Today I want to talk about the lady of the house and not mom. Our sister Molly Jean runs the show. She came in as a foster just a bit after I did. I read on her page, mom said I used to give her the evil eye and pick on her-- don't remember that at all! Molly lived a hard life on the streets of Minneapolis. She was probably someone's cute kitten, who was kicked out of the house or let go when she reached the age of puberty/her first heat. People in her neighborhood reported to rescuers that she was living under a porch and had had several litters of kittens, who did not survive. She was still under the porch, it was winter, she looked pregnant and the landlord wanted her gone.
The investigator from mom's group was worried that she might come to a bad end and called to see if we had room, which we did.

Molly had kittens, but they died just after birth. She had a lot of parasites and was malnourished. Mom even waited a bit on her big girl surgery, because she needed to gain some health. The tips of her ears were frostbit.

Well, obviously Molly's life was all uphill from here, but we will have to wait til tomorrow to finish the story. We will tell how she went from an abused street cat to a loving therapy cat, giving back many times to those, who rescued her.

01/16/2013 04:04.24 AM

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1/15/13 Happy Third Tuesday??? Good Morning!
Barney Here--- Wow! You would not believe how Zeus is bouncing around in Joy! He hurried down to have breakfast, only to find a pile of greetings, toys and treats and that Beautiful Shiney Badge on his CC page!! Party, Party!! He shouts--- invite all our friends! Thank you, thank you dear CC furrends for my COTD!! Mom is trying so hard to tell him, you have to eat a healthy breakfast first. Will he do it? Not today--- a kid in a candy shop has nothing on our Zeus! Thank you so much CC furrends, this is what Life is all about!

What more can we say? Just a few words on the importance of friendship and support. Mom got us on CC a bit over four years ago. At first, she wasn't sure what to expect, but very quickly we were welcomed to CC and began making furrends. After a year, we were still on, had gotten a couple COTD awards, without even asking to run, and had been asked to join MHL--mouse hockey. That was a natural for us, though mom protested a bit, saying she knew nothing about hockey.
Our dogs joined DC and, at that time, we even had a couple rescued rats on SAC. Mom remembers one day hearing Dr. Phil saying, "How can anyone get on the computer for hours and pretend to be their cat or dog? Well, we want to answer that for you Dr. Phil! It is the most natural and normal thing in the world! We join together in a community of love, caring and respect for all. We support each other through our ups and downs in life, through our common interests in a safe environment. There have been a few mistakes, we are never purrfect, but we are a strong community, because our hearts are pure and we care for one another.

There, I have got on my soapbox, though I want to know, why a soapbox? Why not a catfood box or crate of cans? This blog may be a bit shorter than usual, but it is Zeus's day to celebrate and celebrate we will! No live blogging, mom has to go help her cousin Janet, who is studying for her State Boards, which she is taking next week to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. You might remember that is her cousin that lost her dad from Alzheimer's a year ago, just before Thanksgiving. So come Party on our pages, share and enjoy all the treats and toys to be had! Love to all--- Barney, Zeus, Handy Andy, Molly Jean, Hefty and mom, Judi.

01/15/2013 04:34.35 AM

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1/14/13 A Monday Morning Wake Up! Barney waves!
Actually we are the ones needing to wake up, judging from the votes already on Zeus and my, Barney's pages! It's only 5 degrees here, but since we are indoor cats, except when we manage to escape, we have to go by the dogs report and they came back with frost on their whiskers!

Well, you might guess that today we will be talking more about Zeus, since its his day to run for COTD. His basic story has been told before. He came from a kill shelter in another state and someone in our group, who keeps an eye on the net, saw him. a couple other cats and a dog. Our group was able to take Zeus, another cat and the dog. Mom took Zeus and what an adventure that has been! He was 8-9 months when he first came to us. His big boy surgery and shots were done before he came to our home. Mom worked on his socialization with us, both cats and dogs and her. He goes to adoption events at PetCo and PetSmart every other Saturday. The main question people ask now is why hasn't he been adopted--- mom's question too. It is also the question of new fosters when they join a group, how long does it take? Previously we talked about Penny, who was adopted within two weeks. Zeus is still with us after six months.

First of all, mom's group screens new homes very carefully. The cats and dogs are posted on Petfinder.com for our group and area. Zeus goes to adoptions every other week, twice a month. He does not show well, because he is very scared. He by now thinks he should stay with us. Mom loves him like crazy and he knows that. He hisses and spits at potential families, though mom did try Feliway last week and it seemed to help. She also got him a high-edged round bed, which he can hide in. Yes, we want very much to keep him, but our home is full and if we keep him, it means no more cats can come in until one of us crosses the Bridge. Not going to happen for a long time! We hope. Other than all his mischief, Zeus is a sweet cat and even demands his share of lap time. He still attacks mom's ankles and feet, but when she says ouch and enough and, if necessary, stops him with a hand on his scruff, he does stop. She then walks away and ignores him for awhile. Being ignored is not something Zeus enjoys!

So there you have it. We are not giving up on Zeus. He is welcome to stay and we love him dearly, but at this point he is still going to adoptions and we are still hoping for a purrfect forever home. Mom's heart will break, but it will also heal, when we know its "One more stray out of harms way," the motto of our rescue.

01/14/2013 04:02.18 AM

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1/13/13 Second Sunday!
Barney here--- a hard morning to get mom and even the dogs up. Only 3 degrees out! Hefty and I curled up with mom last night and Zeus, Molly and Andy curled up in the cat beds in the spare room, Zeus's room. Mom shut Zeus in there, because he was being pesty and Molly and Andy opted to go in with him.

Several of you asked to know a little more about Lynne and her cats, all of whom have since passed over the Bridge several years back, including Lynne. Lynne passed suddenly about 7 years ago from Cancer. During her life, she had done many things, including being a Science Fiction writer and, for the most part, writing reviews of Science Fiction books. While living with mom she was semi-retired and writing book reviews for a library publication, "What Do I Read Next."

Concerning the cats, George was a beautiful black LH and Felecia's first husband. Reggie was her second husband and the father of Baby, or Kelly, as she was later known. Felicia was Siamese, Reggie a very bright orange, and Baby/Kelly was a dark tortie. George and Reggie were neutered when they arrived, but mom made sure Baby/Kelly and Felicia were spayed within a week of their arrival. After coming to mom, the cats lived long, indoor lives and passed from all age related causes. Only Felicia out-lived Lynne and became a good friend of Pasha and Agatha. Felicia was also very attached to mom and mom to her.

Well, that is the end of that story, unless you have more questions. A rather short blog today, but tomorrow I am starting some stories of our current family, including Zeus, who will be running for COTD!

Have a Super Second Sunday of January! Say that 30 times as fast as you can and your tongue may be twisted around your eye-tooth, so you can't see what you are saying! Love you, Barney and the whole family!

01/13/2013 04:16.25 AM

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1/12/13 Happy Caterday to all!
Barney here again and how I do love that Caterday expression! Well, I have been doing a lot of thinking this week about the theme for our January Catpaign. We have talked a lot about mom and our rescue group. So far most of the kitties we've introduced have been past Angels. I do want to talk about the current kitties too, so I guess we can call our theme a self-portrait of our CC family.

While I can't remember exactly how long we have been on CC, it has been about four years. My first COTD was 2/26/09. Mom discovered CC a short time after the death of a good friend, who had been living with her for several years. The way mom met her was through another friend, who had known Lynne from childhood and knew mom from working together at the U. of MN. Lynne lost her apartment when her landlord was remodeling the building. She had four cats and needed to find someone to care for them until she found another place to live. Their mutual friend approached mom with the problem and asked mom if there was any way she could help. Mom already had several cats she was fostering and really was at her limit. She was living by herself in the house she inherited from her grandmother, who had died a year before. Finally she asked where Lynne would be living and the answer was that she did not know. Mom thought on the problem. It did not make sense for her to take more cats, but she did have room for another human, if she was sure they were a safe person to live with. Her friend assured mom she had known Lynne since childhood, so mom decided to take a chance. Mom decided the only way she would take the cats was if Lynne came with and cared for them. Lynne's male cats George and Reggie had been neutered, but her females Felicia and Baby (who was Felicia's baby) were not. Mom made an agreement with Lynne that she would help get low cost spays for the girls, but Lynne did need to agree to have the cats spayed, if they were to live with mom. She quickly agreed.

Well, tomorrow is Sunday, and Sunday we would like to keep as an open day for questions about anything you may want to know from the week before. Depending on the number of questions, we will try to answer all, but may have to save some for the coming week or for purrsonal blogs.

01/12/2013 04:04.56 AM

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1/11/13 Hope its a Super Second Friday!
Barney here! Had to enlist the dogs help today for getting mom up. A sharp bark and then I pounced on her! We have work to do, mice to catch, cans to open! Woke up to a beautiful sight--- that bright shinny badge on the CMR page! A very Special Catgrats to our CMR! You do so much and truly hold our community together!

We are so glad everyone enjoyed Tyler/Toby's story. Yes, he did pass over the Bridge almost 10 years back, but mom still holds him forever in her heart.

Cats come to our rescue in many ways. Often people have found cats and call the group hotline to see if we have room. We may have an opening in a foster home or will ask them if they can be a Foster/Finder, which means they keep the cat and either they or we do the necessary medical checks and neutering, and then they bring the kitty to adoption events, until it is adopted to a permanent home. Current volunteers may know of needy kitties in their own neighborhoods and ask permission to bring them in. Perhaps they have been feeding them or even have them in their home already, but need help with medical bills. Some, like Zeus, come from the internet. Volunteers may see lists of cats due to be euthanized at kill shelters and will seek out openings at no-kill shelters, who are able to rescue them. Other volunteers will do the transport of those kitties and dogs to their safe haven. Another way is when kitties themselves find a volunteer and ask to come in. Some years back mom was met at her bus stop by a young Calico named Penny. Penny meowed a mile a minute, when she saw mom get off her bus and head up the block to our house. It was winter and Penny was wet and probably had been lost or dumped, possibly because she was in an early heat. She walked with mom, sometimes running ahead meowing, and when they got to our house she stopped and looked at mom. Mom looked at her and asked, "Did you want to come in?" Not a moment of hesitation--- mom opened the door and Penny ran in. Mom popped her up to the spare room, got her a potty, bed, and bowls of food and water. The next few days she checked for lost cat posters, vets and other rescues to see if anyone was looking for a lost cat around 5 months old, possibly younger. Nothing. Penny was checked by the vet, spayed and went into the adoption program. Even with their strict screening practices, she was adopted within 2 weeks.

01/11/2013 04:05.34 AM

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1/10/13 Thursday is Here! Barney is Here!
And mom is up by 4:00AM! Feeling a lot better than last night, when the arthritis in her left knee was really acting up.

Well, back to the story of Tyler. We do hope you got to read the first part of the story on the CMR or our Inspiration page #249417. We apologize for not completing page deliveries, but mom was not able to sit comfortably after she got home last night. You will remember that Tyler was suffering from malnutrition due to growing up on a diet of fried chicken, which he surely did not object to. He almost died and his owner, not cruel, but totally ignorant called mom looking for help.

Anyway, after the vet and mom got his strength back, mom discovered he had extremely aggressive behavior issues, partly due to the malnutrition and poor eyesight, part due to the fact that he was not used to living with other animals and may have been played with roughly as a kitten. He was neutered. The vet ended up suggesting a direct approach, which worked rather remarkably. She gave mom a very bitter tasting bandage spray to spray her clothes in and told her to be well covered by thick sweats and then approach Tyler as usual. At this time he had to stay in the spare room, because he would attack the other cats and dogs. The bandage spray had little scent. Mom went to Tyler and approached him normally. He actually looked forward to mom coming, but was fearful of her leaving and that was when he attacked! That day he hit her legs full force with tooth and claw! And stopped--- foamed at the mouth and totally backed off! Mom ignored the behavior and left. Later she returned and proceeded to talk to him and play with a wand toy and then leave again. She did this many times that day and for days to come. Tyler never attached her again. A few times he appeared to become fearful and think of it, but he backed off and gradually the behavior disappeared totally.

The time came to find Tyler a good forever home. He did not do well with the other cats and dogs and could not be brought to adoption events for that reason. It so happened mom was talking to a neighbor/friend. Her friend was a vet tech and studying for work in animal control. She visited Tyler and decided to try working with him. Since she only lived a couple houses away, mom could visit anytime. In a very short time Tyler bonded with her and her husband and became their fur-child. They changed his name to Toby. Eventually got 2 dogs and another cat and Toby, no longer a terror, lived well into his teens, in spite of his very rough start.

01/10/2013 03:22.49 AM

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1/9/13 A warm Wednesday from Minnesota!
Barney here again. Have to apologize, because we are posting on CMR and our Inspiration page this morning, but mom will be going out with her cousin later and will not do the home deliveries until later this afternoon and evening. It's +34 already, can you believe? Rain tomorrow and then back to the deep freeze.

Well, our topic today is kitty nutrition. The story today, however, concerns balanced nutrition, not obesity, for cats and a story about a cat, who was given enough to eat, but all the wrong thing--- only fried chicken!
This happened many years back and mom was taking calls for the rescue. A call came in from a desperate old man. His first words were, "My cat is dying!" Mom asked what happened and he told her it just stopped eating and was now hiding in the bottom of a kitchen cabinet. He said he could not afford a vet and mom could not think of anything, but to ask to see the cat. He gave his name and it happened to be near her work. She had to ride home with the kids that day, you remember she used to be a HeadStart teacher, so she asked the driver to drop her at the apartment, after dropping the children. Mom thought later about the safety of her decision, but that was the old days and she heard the desperation in the man's voice.

The cat was in the cabinet and the man brought him out. Mom saw there was nothing she could do but get info and bring the cat to a vet. The cat's name was Tyler, a purebred Bengal, and he had been a gift to the man as a kitten from a friend. The old man loved his cat, but he didn't know anything about feeding them. He knew they liked meat and since he worked at a fried chicken place, he had access to free fried chicken to take home at closing. That is what he fed Tyler and Tyler loved it--- as a growing kitten, he ate lots and lots! Now, however, at about 7-9 months he was dying and the man had no clue. Mom quickly got him to release the cat to her. She called her vet, who luckily was still open, and then a friend for transport, since she didn't have a car.

Tyler was suffering from extreme malnutrition and the vet was not even sure if she could save him. Mom wasn't giving up. They gave him fluids and syringe feeding a nutritional mix, until he gained strength to eat on his own. The vet told mom his eye sight was poor, due to vitamin deficiency and that is why he hid in the dark cabinet. Mom kept him in a covered cage and gradually increased the amount of light. Only after Tyler was recovering and gaining strength did mom discover another issue. He was extremely aggressive and must have been teased to fight. He attacked her with tooth and claw one day. He was also aggressive toward other cats and had to be kept separate from them. It may have been the scent of cats on mom that triggered him. He did not have a problem with her entering his room, but he did not want her to leave. Possibly abandonment issues.
Do apologize for cutting the story here, but blame blog space.

01/09/2013 05:26.17 AM

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1/8/13 Happy Tuesday!
Barney here again and I have made it through my first Catpaign week, with only one disaster--- today I was a good paragraph into my blog and mom accidentally did something and the whole thing disappeared! AAarrrgggh!!! Then she did something else and there was no going back! Oh well... Maybe we should let her get a bit more sleep.

Today we were all set to discuss the topic of kitty nutrition and mom turned the news on and there appeared a story about a cat named Holly, who was lost in Daytona, FL and showed 62 days later within blocks of her home in W. Palm Beach, FL, 190 miles away! Luckily she was microchipped and the kind folks, who found her, brought her to a vet and her family was found. Her feet were raw and she had lost weight, but she was OK and she is home. A truly amazing and inspiring story. Humans still don't know how cats actually do these things, traveling home over long distances, without the aid of maps or compasses. If you wish to read more, please look the story up on the net news. The story was on our morning TV news.

Something to take away from this story is that ID's are important, even for indoor kitties. This was an indoor kitty, but traveling with her family in a mobile home at the Daytona Speedway. Her family thinks she was frightened by fireworks and somehow got out of the home. They stayed for several days searching for her, putting up flyers, and checking with local authorities. Finally they had to leave, feeling sure their kitty was gone forever. So glad that wasn't the end to the story.

We are all microchipped and also have collars with tags. The microchhip is under our skin in the shoulder area and has an ID#, which rescues and vets can read with a scanner. Technology has improved since the early days, when different chips needed different scanners, and rescues or shelters can often get free scanners from the companies, if they chip animals in their adoption programs. If you do have a chip, it is important that pawrents update info such as phone and address changes. A collar tag with phone #s is also a good idea, but for cats, make sure it is a breakaway collar, so we don't choke, if we get caught on something. Having extra collars with tags on hand is always a good idea. Also, pawrents should always have current pictures of their animal companions.

01/08/2013 05:08.04 AM

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1/7/Momday, Monday----
Barney here and we did get mom up earlier today---
4:00 am---Best time yet! Much warmer day too and going to get to the mid +30's they say, whoever "they" is! January thaw, I guess.

The topic today is animal rescue and if we don't hear some opinions, its earlier than we think! Zeus is our only foster at the moment, but mom has been doing rescue on a regular basis since the early 90's. Her group, the Animal Relief Fund of Minneapolis, MN was started in 1987 by a few ladies sitting around a kitchen table. The belonged to an earlier rescue, but were not entirely satisfied about how things were going. One issue was the fate of feral cats and animals with special needs. Their intention was to start a no-kill organization, to foster in homes and rehab cats and dogs, who were not being helped by existing groups, which at that time were very few.

Mom discovered the group in 1989, when she was caring for her grandmother, at that time 101 yrs old and still able to live at home. Gmom used to get her hair done at a shop located across the street from a small second hand gift shop operated by ARF. Mom was curious and , of course, crossed the street to learn more. She spent time visiting with the ladies and 2-3 store cats.

A few weeks later, she happened to find a beautiful long haired muted Calico, who she named Katya. This was just after acquiring Pasha and Agatha. Pasha was tolerant of Katya for a few months, but when she didn't leave, he began attacking her with the intention of driving her out of the house. It was clear, he was not going to change his mind, so mom kept her in a small bedroom and joined the group as a "foster-finder". They paid for Katya's spay and mom was able to get a ride with her new friends to their adoptions. It took time, a few weeks, but Katya did find a wonderful forever home, with a family, who treated her like the queen she was! Mom kept in touch for some time after. The group has several important rules, but most importantly, they spay/neuter all animals, screen families to make sure they are forever homes, do home visits, when necessary and make it understood that if the family can no longer care for the companion animal.

01/07/2013 03:18.48 AM

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1/6/13 Good Sunday Morning!
The first Sunday of our Catpaign! Hope its a good one--- will be seeing many of you at MHL tonight. Just a note on the adoption yesterday, both mom and Zeus are still with us. Mom used Feliway Comfort Zone spray, as suggested by some kitty friends and it did seem to help. Also, she gave him a comfy hooded bed, which he sat on top and hugged, but he was grateful for it.

So you know, we will talk more about mom's rescue tomorrow, but several kitties asked to hear the rest of Pasha's story, so that is our topic today.

As we told you last time, Pasha was a free cat, with several health issues and only half neutered as the vet couldn't find one of his testicles. The condition is called cryptochid, which means his testicles were inside his body, instead of where they should be. He also had the abscess in his tail. Mom's vet was able to restore him to health and Pasha lived a long life with mom, with many more adventures in teaching her about cats. Soon after getting Pasha, mom realized that he was also very depressed, perhaps because he had bounced from home to home. She decided that perhaps he needed a companion and when she saw Agatha,an unusual torti-point Oriental SH, in a Mall petshop, she asked to take her immediately! Mom would never buy from a petshop now, but this was when she was young and didn't know better. She brought Aggie home in a box, intending to sneak her up to the spare room for a gradual intro. Aggie had other ideas and popped out of the box right in Pasha's face! She was about 12 weeks old and very bold. Pasha was so surprised, but decided to pretend she wasn't there and went about sniffing the box and around the room. When mom brought Agatha home, she had also forgot that the lady, who gave her Pasha said he didn't like other cats. Later, she discovered, as she began volunteering in rescue, he didn't hate all cats, but was prejudice and only accepted Siamese. Others he would attempt to run out of the house, so mom had to keep him separate and only let him out of her room, when the other cats were in the guestroom. Another adventure happened when mom had a friend come to live with her, after her grandmother's death. Her grandmother had lived to 101 yrs and mom cared for her at home. Anyway, this friend had 4 cats and had lost her apartment, so mom took her in. Pasha was kept away from her cats, because he was super aggressive toward them and could not be trusted. However, one day mom came home to a surprise--- her friend's Siamese Felicia, had somehow got in mom's room and was curled up and washing Pasha's head! Agatha was culed up with both of them.

There are many more Pasha stories, but this blog will get cut off soon, so we must go for today. Pasha lived to about 13 yrs of age with mom and it was a very sad day, when she took him to the vet that last time. He suffered for some time with kidney failure and mom had given him daily fluids until he just told her no more. Barney--- until tomorrow.

01/06/2013 05:14.53 AM

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