A to Z Challenge: P is for Piffle!

Piffle and enough!

This time i mean it.

In the past, i have tried three times to work with both a mama cat and kittens, not just bottle feeding orphans, but getting a mama to adopt them and help out.  Let's face it, it hasn't worked out for me, all; in fact, all three times have been an unmitigated disaster.

The first one was several years ago when i was told the mama had successfully raised her own, then a second litter, and some new orphans had been found.  Could we take the mama and these new babies and see if she would nurse them, too?

The resounding answer was no, she wouldn't.  She was absolutely over that and after two litters in a row i don't blame her, cats aren't made to be maternal for more than 6-8 weeks at a time.  So i ended up having to bottle raise them anyway.  We also ended up with Sweetie falling head over heels in love with the mama cat, and Kida the Mosquito, so called as she  is always buzzing around, is still here, and still planning stealthily at least once a week to figure a way to hide in my room so she can use my bed as a litter box.  Piffle! i yell every time i find she has managed to do so.

The second time was last summer, and long-time friends may remember.  As i tried to bring the mama into the house to see if she would adopt the ones i was bottle feeding then, she became frightened and bit the tar out of me.  Despite rapid treatment, my whole arm swelled to the elbow from the bacteria that live in a cat's mouth and i spent a week in the hospital on serious IV antibiotics.  Piffle! and ouch!

This third time, i was told the mama was doing a great job with her own week-old babies, and would i like to have her here, see if she would, after settling in, also take Ame, the single kitten of the same age.  Sure, i naively responded.

The mama cat paid us back by, as soon as she got into our home, rejecting her own kittens.  She hissed at them as soon as we got her and the kittens out of the carrier, and ran off to hide.  They are now being bottle raised, and mama has dried up.  She will be spayed and returned to the people who found her today.  Piffle! i really needed siblings for Ame, because kittens raised alone often turn out weird, but i didn't want it to happen this way!

So, piffle! i say.  If anyone ever asks me again if i want to try introducing a mama to some kittens i'm bottle raising, they will get nothing but a rude snorting noise as i tell them i'll pass.  If you want to take the kittens to that mama, wherever she is, and see if she will bother with them, fine, and i won't hold my breath.


Today is

Adult Autism Awarenes Day -- sponsored by aheadd.org; i know the poster child!

Army Day -- Iran (Rouz-e-Artesh)

Buccaneer Days Festival -- Corpus Christi, TX, US (rodeo, festival, parade, and fun; through Sunday)

Cleaning for a Reason Week begins -- raising awareness of Cleaning For A Reason, which helps provide free residential cleaning to women fighting cancer

Dogwood Festival -- Camdenton, MO, US (a rite of spring festival under the beautiful dogwood trees; through Sunday)

Fiesta San Antonio -- San Antonio, Texas, US (ten days of fun; annual celebration that honors the memory of Texas heroes who fought in the Texas war for Independence. More that 150 events, with sporting events, fireworks, dances...all culminating with the traditional "Battle of Flowers" parade!)

Get to Know Your Customers Day (celebrated the 3rd Thursday quarterly)

Goddess Month of Maia begins

Independence Day -- Zimbabwe

International Amateur Radio Day/World Amateur Radio Day -- celebrating "ham radio" around the world

International Day for Monuments and Sites -- UNESCO

Invention Day -- Japan

Laundromat Day -- the first self-service "washateria" opened on this date in 1934 in Fort Worth, TX, US

Look-Alike Day -- internet generated, a day to try to look like someone you admire; some sites list it on the 20th

Make a Quilt Day -- obviously begun by someone who has no idea how long the process really takes!

National Animal Cracker Day

National High Five Day -- raising money for cancer research, sponsored by the National High Five Project

Newspaper Columnists' Day -- The National Society of Newspaper Columnists in honor of the anniversary of the death of Ernie Pyle

Pet Owners Independence Day -- the day to let your pet do the work and chores while you lie around and enjoy having only the responsibilies of your pet; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Poem in Your Pocket Day -- carry your favorite with you to share with friends and family to celebrate National Poetry Month

Ram Navami (Smarta) -- India (regional; Hindu celebration of the birth of Lord Rama)

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day -- it's a dangerous condition, learn more here

Smile Big and Say Hi for No Particular Reason Day -- if some site gave the reason for this, it would defeat the purpose

Spring Fair in Puyallup -- Puyallup, WA, US (fun for the family, every year since 1900; through Sunday)

St. Agapitus Day (Patron of Palestrina, Italy; against colic)

St. Agia's Day (Patron against lawsuits)

"Third World" Day -- the phrase was first used on this date in 1955

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri -- Furukawa, Japan (one of the liveliest dance festivals, with elements of dance styles from around the country; through the 20th)


Anniversaries Today:

The University of Alabama is founded, 1831


Birthdays Today:

America Ferrara, 1984
Melissa Joan Hart, 1976
Maria Bello, 1967
Conan O'Brien, 1963
Eric Roberts, 1956
James Woods, 1947
Hayley Mills, 1946
Leopold Stokowski, 1882
Clarence Darrow, 1857
Lucrezia Borgia, 1480


Today in History:

Boleslaw Chrobry is crowned the first king of Poland, 1025
The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid, 1506
The Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History) is founded in Madrid, 1738
The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and William Dawes, upon seeing two lanterns in the church steeple, set out to warn that "The British are coming!" 1775
Fighting ceases in the American Revolutionary War, eight years to the day after it began, 1783
Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico, 1881
The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria, 1899
Denmark becomes the first country to formally adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals, 1902
Quetzaltenango, second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1902
The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, 1906
The RMS Carpathia brings the Titanic survivors to NYC, 1912
"The House that Ruth Built," Yankee Stadium, opens, 1923
Simon and Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book, 1924
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opens, in Ft. Worth, Texas, 1934
The League of Nations is formally dissolved, 1949
29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference., 1955
A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum, 1958
The Republic of Zimbabwe is officially established with the swearing in of Canaan Banana as its first President, 1980
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, from the Triple-A International League, begin the longest game in professional baseball history, 33 innings, 1981
The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision, 2007