We had a few dogs in our family over the years, mostly for short times.  The first one I remember was Gyp who adopted us from who knows where.  It was during the Depression and my folks had enough trouble feeding our family so advertised on the radio and some lucky family got him.  He was a mixed breed.  Then we had Skip who belonged three streets north, but stayed in our neighborhood, mostly with our family.  A family up the street knew the owners so he became their dog.  He was a white terrier and when the new owners went away, I took care of the dog.  When Norm was 11 years old, he wanted a dog and my parents consented.  Mother said the dog should be "female, at least six months old, housebroken, short hair, spayed.  Guess what we got:  female, six weeks old, definitely not housebroken, long hair, not spayed.  On top of that, Dad and Norm got her from the pound and she threw up on the back seat of the car on the way home.  We loved her anyway and she died after 10 years.  By that time, Mother had died and the poor dog was left alone in the back hall and basement while we all were gone during the day.  She was a Heinz variety.  After Norm married, they had a couple of doxies, both named Fred.  Oh, I forgot the St Bernard they had, Kim, who ate the book of wedding pictures.  I think that was "it" with animals until Annie/Cate wanted a cat.  I suggested she get a calico, but she brought home a part Belgian and part "something else" cat who she named Kendrick.  And you know about Kendrick.

Mary Ann

Good morning all. It is about time I post something so I don't forget you are here.

More Shan shenanigans. Remember the SmartyKatt toy we were talking about a few months back, the one with the blue skirt and the rotating "mouse" underneath? Well, Shan has learned to turn the darn thing on. He bites the plastic button in the middle. I've actually seen him do this twice. His record, so far, was yesterday at three times in one day.

Clever Shan!

Does Shan also turn it off? 

Mary Ann

No, Darn it!

My two sisters and I grew up with animals. The first I remember was my mother's three Pomeranians, Nietzsche was blonde, Rochester was black, and Polly was black and white. My dad had a sideline taking in problem hunting dogs, labs, Weimaraners, Shepards, etc. and retraining them for their owners. Then there were the usual parakeets, rats, mice, guinea pigs and hamsters in the fifties and sixties. There were several dogs and cats along the way with the last being Maggie, a wirehaired terrier, and Benjamin, an Applehead Siamese.

My older sister was crazy about horses, my younger sister, dogs and while I like all animals, I've always gravitated towards cats. As adults, my sister raised Tennessee Walkers and had Irish setters and small dogs while my younger sister raised and showed Dalmations until she had kids. She still had small dogs.

I have known people who don't like pets or only have an animal for an outside job or don't want them in the house, but I've never understood that mentality, each to their own I suppose as they don't understand mine either. I worked with one gal who took the kids aging mutt to the dog pound as soon as they left home because she only had the dog because the kids begged for one and it stayed in the yard. When it caused a rift between her and the kids and they are not close, she blames the fact she got the dog in the first place! I'm sure there are other factors, but that was the final straw.

MarsGal, regarding Shan, it is always the smart ones you have to watch out for! They both charm and exasperate but never leave you indifferent! 🐱‍🚀

I know that not many share my interest in watching the various fosters,(62 litters in ten years!); go through their daily antics in the kitten cam. The same as I am not interested in watching the same boats repeatedly go down canals or locks. We're all different which is good. However, I thought some might be interested in the followup of the cats visit to the vets per eye removal;

"Peanut & Pickles did not have their eye procedures today - Pickles? was thought to maybe have a Snotty URI at his last vet check but it was thought it was the eye gunk. Likely was the eye gunk but it's a URI too. Antibiotics for everyone! They're also being switched to a new eye antibiotic drops.

Peanut? might lose both eyes. One eye was clearly bad but the relief vet (who is also an eye specialist) had doubts about the other eye. She took a lot of pictures and will be corresponding with other eye specialists.

The reason I put a ? after their names above is that I'm not absolutely certain who's who. Since their procedures were canceled, nothing was written on the notes, and the relief vet won't be back until next Tuesday. But since Pickles is sneezing & Peanut's left eye looks worse than Pickle's left eye, I believe I got them correct.

Everyone is scheduled to go up to Purrfect Pals next Tuesday for neuters and eye surgery for Pickles & Peanut."

What this means is probably fewer adoptions available for the kittens who may spend their lives in care. This foster dad is only one of several in that area so it seems likely that there needs in my own opinion, some type(s) of a plan for feral cats and kittens. All of this could have been avoided with an earlier routine vet visit and antibiotic.

All of this could have been avoided with proper care initially.

Patricia - That is bad news about Peanut.  I hope it turns out that it won't be necessary for him to have the drastic eye surgery.  Since the appointment won't be until next Tuesday, that's a reasonable period of time for the antibiotics and the drops to work.  I'll be holding good and positive thoughts for all of them, but especially Peanut.

Thanks, Marilyne. The usual routine is after the cat or kittens are deemed ready for adoption, usually at 8 weeks and two pounds, they are neutered or spayed and sent to an adoption event by the presiding rescue organization. In this case, Perfect Pals in Western Washington State. I have twice seen kittens with ongoing disabilities sent to one of their three long-term care facilities. One is especially for FIP.

While it looks as if Jalopeno's eyes are clear with just a little sight lost, the others have various issues due to the original first URI.  Two were thought very ill at first and not expected to live, but medicine and care brought them back.

All of them have vision issues with Peanut the worst. Peanut and Pickles have fluid built up behind the eye lens causing the lens to protrude out into the eye. The eyes will eventually rupture from fluid buildup which is why the corneal ulcers and why removal will help that rupture pain and the fluid build-up by the brain. The only unknown for Peanut's worsening case if it will be one or both eyes.

Since kittens don't know they're disabled, he plays, wrestles, and sleeps in a pile amongst his brothers. The only difference is that when the foster brings in the food, he will rap his knuckles against the food so Peanut knows and comes to where it is. The foster also announced as of the 21st. that all items in the room would not be moved to help Peanut and Pickles learn the layout. At this time, no adoption proceedings are planned for any of the kittens.

This is my sixth litter since last November, and I get caught up in each one. I've seen kitten disease, stillborns and one kitten who died two weeks after birth. I've seen some disabilities too. I have also seen kittens and cats come back from the brink, one kitten was born eight days after the other kittens were stillborn, and the original surviving kitten died on the same day his sister was born,(see above). They make no claims with the cams as they're showing you real life. However, the overwhelming number of cats and kittens being adopted and others going to permanent care facilities instead of roadside lives is heartening

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEmawBJsPLgttggzm4Z45Mw

Receiving eye meds this morning. You can see their playfulness as well as their eyes.

This foster dad also has a hospice of aged cats that are not on cams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLgafo2w7sk

Patricia, kittens are always fun to watch.

Kendrick had an excursion today and he wasn't happy about it.  A few weeks ago he barked at me.  I thought he was trying to cough up a hairball and this continued for a week when I told Tom and Annie that the cat had to go to a vet; the barking was not usual.  As time went on, the barking lessened but did not stop.  One morning after he had been at the foot of my bed for a while, I noticed something on my bed and I figured he had finally gotten rid of whatever it was.  It turned out to be a label from an apple or tomato that didn't make it in to the wastebasket and Kendrick probably stepped on it, then got it into his mouth while trying to get it off his foot.  End of barking.  But he is five years old and has never had a checkup since he was neutered.  Annie made an appointment and today was the day.  It took both Tom and Annie to get him into the carrier and you should have heard him howl on the way to the vet.  He settled down in the office, still in the carrier.  It took quite a while before we were called, but they had had an emergency earlier in the morning so their schedule was behind.  The doctor checked him over and took something to see if he had a chip and it turned out he did not (Annie had thought he had one when she got him).  He was fighting to get off the table but either Annie or I held on to him with a firm grip.  I paid for a chip and he was given a clean bill of health.  Whew.  He was glad to get home.  I thought he'd be mad at me but he's been back to his normal routine of sleeping a lot since he got home.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, that howling is generally called "singing the songs of his/her people." 🎶   

I enjoyed watching the kitties this morning. Oscar and Lucy are a lot less fun to try to get meds into them. Shan hasn't had the pleasure yet, but he is the best about getting his nails cut.

It's funny but usually I do not hear a sound from Kendrick, even though I see his mouth moving.  This morning I let him out on the porch while Tom took the trash to the front of the garage and Kendrick told me he wanted to come in - and I heard him.  Yesterday I had my "ears" in so I heard him then, but I think he was angry enough that he was SCREAMING!  Things seem back to normal today.  Shortly I am going to check the mail and I'll let him out again.  When/if I don't forget him, he's very good about coming back in the house.

Mary Ann

Update on the foster kittens, collectively known as the Five Guys;

"No eyes were removed at this time. The eye specialist thinks that they may be saved. They are being started on blood serum (which was donated by a dog) which can help eye ulcers heal better & faster. Everyone gets their eyes treated except for Jalapeno who was given the all clear. Three different types of eye care will be given to them 4 times a day until their recheck on the 5th of September.

Everyone was neutered except for Pickles who still has a trace of an upper respiratory infection & will continue the antibiotics. Everyone was vaccinated."

Patricia - YAY!  So happy to learn that it looks like four of the "Five Guys", are getting better, and that their eyes might be saved!  Jalapena, has been given the all clear, so does that mean he will be adopted soon, or transferred to a new foster home?  I do hope that all five will continue to thrive, and will eventually find permanent homes.

We've been hearing about, and seeing lots of pictures of domestic and wild animals who have been seriously burned in the ongoing California fires.  My cousin's daughter works at a wildlife refuge in Southern Cal, and recently posted a picture on Facebook of a bear cub, with it's paws burned bright red.  They were using some kind of innovative treatment using fresh fish scales, that they adhere to the paws, and somehow provides healing?  I'm going to try to take the photo off of FB, to my desktop, and hope I can send it to you to post here in this folder.   

Marilyne, Jalapeno was lucky enough not to have eye damage from the original URI. It is dragging on as it has been five weeks and poor Pickles who has the two bad eyes is still suffering while the others have recovered from the original infection.

When they were brought in, no mama cat in sight, their infections were so bad that their eyes and nose were totally encrusted and they were starving as they couldn't find food. Two of them weren't expected to live. They are, however, developmentally delayed by about two to two and a half weeks.

I don't know if they will separate Jalapeno from his four brothers. He has bonded with one of his brothers, and they normally insisted that the bonded ones go together. However, that one, Relish has very little vision, so I don't know how that is going to play out.

The following photos are from the 27th. First Pickles and then Peanut. This is after five weeks of care, and they are 13 weeks old now but actually, developmentally about four weeks.
They are active playful kittens because they're with their brothers and feel safe with food, water, and meds provided so they don't know they're disabled.  Kitten zooms!

Kitten zooms!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5cJNFFveys





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You spoke of climate change and all those poor affected animals. Here is an article explaining how what's happening in the Arctic effects California and what is affecting the globe and will continue to affect everyone and everything.


https://getpocket.com/a/read/2306065612

I found these on Google on the bear cub;

https://www.google.com/search?q=bear+cub+paws+burned+california+fires&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

Patricia  - Yes, the black cub is the same one that was on my cousin's FB page.  The fish skin bandages sound amazing, don't they!  I see there's a brown cub also.  It make me feel so sad to see these poor wild animals. How confused and frightened they must be.  Every time they would show news coverage of the thick of the fire, you would a see deer, trying to outrun the flames, and of course the shelters are full of cats and dogs that are badly burned.  The whole situation is just heartbreaking.

Where are all the dog people? Lying around panting in the humidity?

Sasha, enough with the humidity! We have had six weeks of moisture with daily fog, rain and sodden skies and earth! Some flooding and some evacuees coming here from further upriver and the rivers are expected to run high and bankful into next week. It's causing hassles for subsistence hunters, fishermen, homesteaders and others living alongside the five major local rivers.

I think the dog people are not as invested in posting about their pets.

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I knitted some cats, does it count?

And that is adorable, Bubble! You are one with many talents!

Patricia, it is hard to imagine what inconvenience, let alone the losses, those people are suffering.  i live near the Grand River and it floods every Spring  both north and south of us, but there are hills between here and there.  I don't say never, but if we do get flooded the whole world should look out.

Bubble, cute, now who is going to wear it.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, other than places such as Minto Flats which floods at the drop of a hat, many areas were so used to the prolonged drought we had that they had become complacent. I'm just glad for the system of dams and spillways built after the 1967 flood. Without that system in place, it would have been much worse!

I went out last Saturday to grocery shop, and I continually felt chilled. Today I have to go back out, and I'm dreading it.

The kittens go back to the vet this morning, are there by their time, and I'm hoping the week with blood serum, more antibiotics, and medicated eyedrops will have saved their eyes and that Pickles is now well enough to be neutered. That URI has lasted eleven weeks, three of which were medicated!

Mary Anne, all my knitting at present is donated for sale where I volunteer.  Money goes to kindergarten of disadvantaged kids.