Shelter Round-Up

We walked into the shelter to find the "clinic" half turned topsy-turvy, and lots of stuff lying around.

Team Blue from the Blue Cross company and other volunteers had taken out all the old carpeting and tile from the "clinic" side of the shelter, and painted the office. The office is a lovely shade of calming green that works great in an office setting. I say that as a person who really doesn't like green paint indoors.

There was a great deal thrown out, and a bit more needs to go. It is starting to shape up, however.

Curly Sue, Simba, and Candy greeted us when we came through the door, and Chyna meowed at us from a large run cage in a corner.

While the office dries, Chyna is out by the front window and thrilled beyond belief. She loves being where she can see comings and goings and get lots of attention. She even neglects her food in delight at the petting and what she can see out of the huge window. In her playfulness, though, she had sloshed her water and even turned over her food bowl, leaving the food on the bottom of the cage.

Miss W. was trying to sort out the human kitchen. She is thrilled with how things are coming along.

So, as to the cats this week, Annie has been adopted and will be picked up tomorrow. Sweet girl needs to be out of the cage, so that is great news.

Nanette, Billy, and Grady are still playful and silly and there is now a note on Grady's room card telling where the Grady Gloves are located if he escapes. He really loves to be petted and picked up, but hates being touched if he thinks you are going to put him back in his room. He didn't escape tonight.

Clint and Duke are the laid back boys they have always been. Nacho is healing, and gets along well with Devon.

Sheba and Noonie have been joined by Corrie and ChiChi. That foursome seems to be doing better. This was needed as Angel and Dusty both have eye weeping again.

It happens any time they get under stress. It is not a good thing to be so easily stressed in a shelter situation, especially as they are such sweet girls. After I put Dusty's eye medicine in, she just gently tucked her face under her paw for a moment, then purred for petting. Angel knew what was coming and tried to hide, but when she realized she couldn't get away with that she sat still, then purred also when I loved on her.

Frieda is herself as usual. She is calming down a bit more, a bit less hissing these days. She just needs someone who will love her for her difficult personality.

Ginny is on a totally different food and it has made all the difference, her tummy troubles are gone.

Francie is a pretty new calico with tummy trouble, but she had nothing on Candy. Candy went nuts when put back in her cage, and Little Girl had to use the Grady Gloves to keep from being bitten. This child who also cleans kittens who have pooped on each other and all kinds of other messes, couldn't stand the nasty stuff in Candy's box, and I had to take care of it myself.

JuJu was also in her usual mood, and Little Girl got a scratch and grabbed the Grady Gloves to clean her cage, too. That cat is a hissy mess.

Rosie and Stella were sharing a cage as they wait for room space to open. Rosie is a hide in the litter box gentle girl, and Stella is a holdmeholdmeholdmeholdme sweetheart. She didn't want to use the time out of her cage as it was cleaned to roam, no she wanted to be in the arms of whoever was cleaning. She needs to be adopted by a person with a big lap and lots of time to spend petting her.

When putting Curly Sue and Simba back in their room, #2 Son noted that this week, like all others, there was no food or water in their room. Those two are skinny as a stick and eat everything they are given, as well as being energetic and loads of fun to play with. When he put them in their room with their fresh food and water, the food was more than half gone withing about 3 minutes. I told him to put in just a bit more. The standard amount is fine for a lower energy cat, and even too much for some of these who are happy to lie around and get fat (thus the need for the lite food for many of our shelter residents). For these run-around-like-a-chicken-with-its-head-cut-off-while-playing cats, however, a bit more is needed to keep them from losing weight.

Bowie and Rory are in a room together. Bowie is laid back and quite content. Rory is absolutely terrified. Once he calms down, he is fine, but he jumps at the slightest sound, and hides when anyone first comes in his colony room. After he realized it was me, he came out and was nice to Sweetie, who came by just to meet him. I think that dog spooked him well, and his weeks of seclusion in a very safe cage have made him jumpy and unsure of himself.


So, no serious troubles at the shelter this week, and it is going to be looking better and better as we get the remainder up and running.


Today is:

Best Elf Awards -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of Everything Green Except Money (Hooray for veggies! You'll need them before you have that root beer float.)

Feast of Transfiguration, Orthodox Christian

Hiroshima Day

Independence Day -- Bolivia; Jamaica

National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day (Shouldn't that read, anti-halitosis?)

National Root Beer Float Day

Peace Festival, Japan

St.Hormisdas' Day

Tan Hill Festival -- Ancient Celtic Calendar (Teinne, the Celtic Holy Fire)

Wiggle Your Toes Day


Birthdays Today:

M. Night Shyamalan, 1970
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob, 1934
Andy Warhol, 1928
Robert Mitchum, 1817
Lucille Ball, 1911
Clara Bow, 1905
Hoot Gibson, 1892
Alexander Fleming, 1881
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, 1861
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1809


Today in History:

Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada founds the city of Bogota, Colombia, 1538
Holland (The Dutch Republic) sells Brazil to Portugal and the two countries sign the Treaty of The Hague, 1661
The first private military school in the US, Norwich University, is founded in Vermont, 1819
The Russian Geographical Society is founded in Saint Petersburg, 1845
Alice Ramsey and three friends (none of whom could drive) become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, 1909
Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, 1926
The Federal Voting Rights Act is signed, 1965