December Plans at the Shelter

The traffic was unusually easy on the way to the shelter this week. We arrived and were greeted by the garbage and recycling bins at the curb, as usual. As I pulled in, #1 Son hit the pavement almost before I parked and ran toward the front window of the clinic side of the building, which Grady was gracing with his presence. Grady ran toward him, too, and smacked his head into the window! He recovered quickly, putting his nose in the air and wandering off as if to say, "I meant to do that."

#2 Son and Little Girl headed over to get the bins and take them to the back of the building while I opened the building and turned off the alarm and Bigger Girl grabbed the kittens, who are too small to go the whole evening without being fed. Then I signed us in and turned to pull down the blinds. As I moved toward the second window, I heard a noise from outside, and peeked out to see those two nutty children of mine getting the bins into position at either end of the parking lot. They proceeded to run at each other and bang the bins together, laughing and shouting as they did so, then running off, one behind the other, dragging bins to the rear of the building. I shook my head and called to Bigger Girl to unlock the back door for them, which she did.

They came in breathless and still laughing, and stepped into the main room, oohing and aahing over the Christmas decor. The place really looks festive, they have done a good job without making it gaudy. There are wrapped boxes, mini trees, and even a small sled that Bigger Girl called "cat sized." This is for the delectation not just of the volunteers, but for the several adoption events that will be held there this month. They are advertising heavily and have a goal of getting every cat currently in the shelter adopted by Christmas. That would truly be a Christmas miracle for us, and I hope it happens.

The main table that usually has a small candy bowl and fruit bowl for volunteers to help themselves had the addition of some home baked wrapped loaves of banana bread, Amish friendship bread, and apple cinnamon spice bread. The kids went for the candy, saying that "Everybody knows no one's banana bread is better than #2 Son's!" I had set the kittens bottles and my water bottle on the table and grabbed a satsuma to work on as I wandered through and assessed how much work there was.

I came first to the colony room with Bowie and JuJu. Bowie is one of the nicest cats ever, while JuJu is just plain cranky. I still cannot believe he ever bit anyone, and wonder what in the world that person did. He has been banned from their adoption area at the pet store for it, apparently, so his best shot is during some of the open house events. Tonight they were doing well, with JuJu quite happy on her high shelf, thankyouverymuch.

Candy, across the hall, is by herself, but her window is open into the next colony room to get her used to the cats in there, and her used to them. #2 Son cleaned her room and had himself a blast playing with her. He would gently poke her from one side, and when she would turn toward his hand there, he would gently come at her from the other side. He had her not knowing which way to go, and all of us laughed to watch him play with her.

The window of Candy's room is opened into the room of Dora the Tortie and her triplet long haired orange tabby brothers, Heathcliff, Peepers, and Squirt. Amazingly enough, although Peepers and Squirt stay on top shelves when no one is around, they are now coming down for loves and pets when anyone comes in. Everyone is adjusting, and all of them seem to be eating, which is a relief.

Muffin and Katy are getting along well, and Muffin is an orange tabby and white long hair with the absolutely greenest eyes I have ever seen on a cat. Her coloring makes her look like she is worried, but those eyes! So beautiful.

Corrie and Devon share a room, as do Roxanne and Sophia. They are doing well, very nice animals with loving personalities.

Nanette, the coolest cat in the shelter, according to Little Girl, is happy.

I went in and had a pet fest with Dustie and Angel. Sweet girls, I have no idea why they haven't gone yet.

Popping into the back room, I saw that Belle was the only cat in a cage. She is scheduled for spay and testing for diseases, and after that will get to integrate into a colony room. If I didn't know she was a stray I would call her a Russian Blue, and she can't be more than 6 months old.

I ducked down and called out for Baby. "Hey, girl, where are you? Growl for me, so I'll know you are here!" She complied, as usual, when i got close enough to the shelf she was hiding on. Ah, the joy of having to look at every cat in the shelter to assure they are doing okay. She is by herself again back in the storage area and kitchens, as T-Boy and Gidget are in the adoption area of the pet store.

Frieda is one loud lady, until she gets what she wants, which is petting. Only on the head and neck, please, any other petting gets a nip or a swipe. She wants love on her terms.

Into the big room to check the sensational six. Grady tried to escape on me twice! -- and both times I barely managed to foil him by catching his body between the door and my leg. Clint was not hiding in any deep recesses, but was just under a chair. He let me touch him once. Prissy hissed at me when I offered to pet her after Grady. Stuck up. Ginny was so happy that I stopped to brush her long tortie fur, and when Grady tried to get up on her table with her, she was very quick to put him in his place. He didn't try again. Zoe is coming out for petting more, I swear that cat must weigh 25 pounds, she is so overweight! No wonder Little Girl calls her porcupine, with that long black hair on that huge body. Nacho's neck appears healed. I don't think he will ever grow hair in that spot again, but the skin is closed and not infected, and only a bit rough in one spot. The rest is smooth as a baby bottom.

When we were done with that room, just to be safe, I carried Grady with me. In order to go turn off the light at one end of the room, as you have to leave the door open a bit or you can't see your way out, and I wasn't going to try to outrun him to the door.

As we finished, Meg showed up and we had a good talk as she played with the kittens and we fed them. She had to come to get kitten food for another foster, and had forgotten I would be there and could have gotten it. In fact, I did run to the back and get it, since I had already turned off all the lights.

So, altogether it was an easy night. Not one cat on meds, nobody bitten or scratched, everyone present and accounted for.

Let's hope that the list of names is very different after these adoption events this month. That would be something.


Today is:

Bona Dea Festival -- Ancient Roman Calendar (celebration of goodness)

Day of Remembrance for Bogatir (Great hero) Svatogor -- Pagan Slavic Calendar

Fairy and Goblin Taunt-and-Tease Saturnalia -- Fairy Calendar

Flamenco Guitar Day

International Day of Persons with Disabibilities

International Day of the Basque Language

Make a Gift Day

Reinvigorate Your Brain by Reading Something Day

St. Francis Xavier's Day (patron of Australia, Borneo, China, Goa, India, missionaries, Outer Mongolia, tourism)

Telescope Day


Anniversaries Today:

Illinios becomes the 21st US State, 1818


Birthdays Today:

Brendan Fraser, 1968
Daryl Hannah, 1960
Julianne Moore, 1960
Ozzy Osbourne, 1948
Jean-Luc Godard, 1930
Andy Williams, 1927
John Backus, 1924
Joseph Conrad, 1857
Charles Alfred Pillsbury, 1842


Today in History:

Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England, 1586
In an uprising over mining licenses, which came to be called the rebellion at the Eureka Stockade, more than 20 goldminers at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia are killed by state troopers in what many claim to be the birth of Australian democracy, 1854
The trial of Jefferson Davis starts with the first blacks on a US trial jury, 1868
Settlers arrive at Petach Tikvah, Israel, 1878
Neon lights make their public debut at the Paris Auto Show, 1910
The Quebec Bridge, after almost 20 years of planning and construction, opens, 1917
The first successful Technicolor movie, "Tall of the Sea," premiers in NYC, 1922
Chinese refugee ship "Kiangya" explodes in E China Sea, killing 1,100, 1948
Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast, 1950
At Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, a transplant team headed by Christiaan Barnard carries out the first heart transplant on a human, 1967
Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter, 1973
In one of the worst industrial disasters ever, a methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills thousands and injures hundreds of thousands, 1984
In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries, not including the US, Russia, or China, sign The Ottawa treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines, 1997
XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California, 2005