Mia

Where is Mia?

Oh, there she is!

The two images at the top were taken last night.  Mia just wanted to be left alone!  

I took the video today at lunchtime.  This was a short attack; often, she heaves like that for minutes, and many, MANY sneezes or coughs.  I believe it is asthma...what do you think?  She's only half-feral now, but I cannot hold or touch her more than a few quickie strokes on her back or a scritchy under the chin.  Time to read some more homeopathic books to see if there is an herb or combination of herbs that I may be able to add to her food to help.  

On the happy side, thanks for the greetings sent for Angel and Chuck.  They don't care for birthdays, and I wish I could emulate their casualness toward gaining another year.

But here's some sad news: Sugarbear in FL was too sick to stay here on Earth, so she's crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  She was 15 pounds when first diagnosed with kidney failure, and was down to just over six pounds yesterday.  A few purrs would help the whole family, so send some along.  My heartfelt condolences to P and M, and the rest of Cat Crew.

Rest in peace, sweet Sugarbear

Closed for Renovation

Mousies!  It's MOLD!  The Cat Hotel has it, so we've stripped everything out, and given it a good wash, then a bleach bath.  The hubby has made a new lid, since the old one was why water leaked in.  It was totally gross, and I apologized to Mama Mia and Patty O' for giving them less than stellar accommodations.  Tomorrow, I will paint the inside with stuff that kills germs and mold, and seals the wood.  Once that has properly dried, we'll reinstall the flooring and fill it with clean, fresh straw.  Fortunately, we still have the old insulated shelter built five years ago, so the 'o' cats have a place to crash during the renovations.

And I've been worried about their health recently.  Mama was sneezing, and it sounded like she was underwater.  Patty has been quieter, almost introspective, and his lymph nodes under his chin are a bit swollen.  And why shouldn't they be sick, surrounded by slimy mold!?  Oh!!!!  If I hadn't have been nosey and popped open The Cat Hotel top to see how the straw was holding up, I wouldn't have guessed there was a problem.  When I saw—and smelled—the mold, it was all hands on deck between the hubby and I to throw out everything inside, then wash and bleach.

To help boost their immune systems, I add a bit of powdered Vitamin C, a sprinkle of Echinacea and Goldenseal, some granulated L-Lysine, and a spoonful of nutritional yeast to each meal.  Now that they are no longer exposed to mold, I am hoping they both improve.  Yikes, just thinking about it is giving me the willies!  They both are eating just fine, btw.  Mousies!

P.S. Angel is hiding in the corner of the bathroom, under the claw-foot bathtub.  She HATES fireworks.  Chucky is ignoring them, except the really big, deep ones that rattle. Patty O' and Mama Mia are simply lounging on the deck.  Obviously, they can tell the difference between fireworks and thunder.  Happy July 4th, everyone!  I hit some good sales today, so I'm pretty pleased (a future post!), except for the mold thing.  Mousies!

Lazy

Chucky on the chair

Patty playing Sphinx

Lolling Mia

Angel up on her perch

Neighbor cat Aries 

All the cats are lazin' around these days.  Chucky has staked out an old chair covered in my long sweater.  Hey, I wear that, Chuck...and I want it back!...someday.  Patty goes wherever I am, and he prefers to be the one in front of the camera, but he allowed me to shoot Mia lolling on the deck one hot afternoon.  Angel sleeps on the top of a book case, which we call her 'perch'.  And Aries belongs to our backyard neighbor's, but she loves our yard; she filches bits of food, and often sleeps on the deck.  However, she has a hissy disposition, and will pick fights so we try not to encourage her much.

And look at this!  We primed the Cat Hotel, then gave it a good coat of house paint.  So now it blends nicely to our house, but it looks like a tank!  The Cat Tank.  We will paint the top and bottom floor verandas, and probably add some more doodads and such, before we move the whole ball of wax into it's intended location closer to the back door.  Of course, I was worried that the 'o' cats might shun the thing, since it smells like paint.  Lo and behold, Mia came right out of it this afternoon when I set out the food bowls.  Gosh, cats just simply amaze me.

Cool Shade

Can you see Mia in there?

Sammy stayin' cool

Mellow Patty

The temps went up!  The humidity went up!  The 'O' cats hid in whatever shade they could find...well, except for Patty who just hangs out.  Can you see Mama Mia's little green eyes peeking out from the hosta plants?  She is a master at blending in, don't you think?

Chucky's Ducky Gets Around Some More

On the bedroom floor

Snuggled with Chuck on the Rocking Chair

We just never know where Ducky will end up!  

And some pics taken during the delightful warm weather!

The Cat Hotel is almost ready for business!

Mama Mia taking a selfie

Napping Sammy

Fatty Patty getting comfy
Love that tail curl, and the ears shadow!

It's 75 degrees!

Chuck in his cup bed

Where's Angel?

Where's Patty O?

Construction Continues

Just a quick note, so I can go back outside and ENJOY!  Hubby was sawing and nailing today on the 'o' cats crate, so Angel and Chuck missed their early beauty sleep, and now are napping in their favorite beds: Chuck in the bay window, and Angel in the front picture window, where she's curled up and almost invisible.  Patty O'Malley is sleeping in the neighbor's garden, nicely camouflaged in the dry leaves.  There is a cold front moving in later today, which will bring all kinds of wind and nastiness, but I am going out there to enjoy the warmth for now.

My head cold is better, yet I have a tickle in my throat that makes me cough.  I am drowning that with soothing herb teas.  Thanks for the 'get better soon' wishes!

I continue to open and close the drop trap on the deck each day, as an exercise in accustoming Sammy, Mama Mia and Patty to it so that they start ignoring it.  So far, Sammy simply bolts when I touch it, so we've got a ways to go with him.  He's a smarty cat!  But if he's so stubborn, then I'm stubborn too!  He seems livelier, and allowed me to brush his fur yesterday.  That's fine and dandy, but does not shake my determination to get him to the veterinarian.  Just going to take patience and perseverance.

Where's my breakfast?

As you can see, the 'o' cats are very social.  This video is a classic example of how I am greeted each morning as I carry breakfast bowls.  Patty O' is ALWAYS first, but then he stops dead in his tracks, and I've just about stepped on him!  Sammy brings up the rear, but now that the temps are warmer, he's much more active.  And Mia is in between; she runs halfway out to see me, then darts back.

My friendly ferals!  I love 'em to pieces, and have breathed a very small sigh of relief that Old Man Winter may be on his way out.  Ha...I'll believe it when I see it!

Spring Sunshine

Sammy eats

Patty turning his cute dial up to 11

Mama Mia warming her fur

Ahhh...sunshine!  The 'o' cats were enjoying themselves!  The people were too; hubby and I hit the home-improvement store and scored a garden rake (!) and a few items for both of our upcoming projects: the cat crate update and some soffit repair.  

Hmm, methinks I need a new name instead of 'cat crate'.  Cat House is okay, but no...Cat Shelter is boring...maybe Cat Cube?  Cat Box?  Cat Condo?  If you have an idea, send a comment please!

And thanks for the birthday wishes: having a birthday on the First Day of Spring can be a lot of fun, especially after the cruel Winter we've endured in the Midwest.  Looks like another week of below-freezing temps overnight, then they start to climb.  Woo hoo!

I'm stuck on you

Mama Mia seems to have a static cling problem!  The white bits are styrofoam, from the beer cooler shelter she's chosen.  Three of the four shelters are made from styrofoam, with silvery duct wrap on the inside, plus lots of straw.  Mia must be using the outside as her personal scratching post, and that's where all the bits are from.  I try to sweep them off of her (Patty O'Malley has a few too), but she doesn't like that much contact.  This photo was from last night; this morning she appeared with bits stuck to her face!  Not much I can do at this stage; can only wait for warmer temps, so if I do anything to the shelters (like try to sweep the bits out), she won't be left out in the cold if she gets scared.  I hope she's not trying to lick them off of her!

Here's a shot of Patty O'Malley has he watches me drive away.  Such a handsome boy, and he has an endearing chirp that he makes when greeting me.  Bet that rock he's sitting on absorbed some heat from the sun, and is warming his little tuckus!

Friendly Ferals

Sammy

Mini Mia

Patty O

In between snow and sleet storms, I managed to hang out with the 'o' cats this weekend.  I marvel at how friendly they have become; even Mama Mia who hates the camera.  She often rubs against my ankles, and has a lovely purr.  Sammy has been shy a lot this Winter; preferring to hang out inside a warm shelter. And yet he hung out with me long enough to pose.  Patty O is just a nut, as he often races around in the snow, playing with sticks and leaves, and pretending to chase the squirrels. He chirps at me when I get out of the car, and he will always put himself between me and the other cats.

When the feral cats first caught our attention, we couldn't get anywhere near them.  That's why building shelters out of scrap wood and Styrofoam coolers made sense.  Now, they are my very dear friends, and this wild Winter has caused me to reevaluate the set up.  I've been shopping online for insulated shelters, and there are some spectacular cedar cat homes that have everything I would wish for...for some really hefty price tags.  I will keep looking, and may even go DIY.  I don't mind going in and out; I just want my friends to have the very best I can provide.  We are pals!

P.S. Happy February!  Are we getting closer to Spring?  Hmm, the groundhog said NO.

I kissed a cat...and I liked it!

Mama Mia on bottom shelf, Sammy on top shelf

Funny thing with this nasty, cold winter...it's made Mama Mia into a love bug!  She purrs now, and allows me to pet her so much more than ever before.  Sometimes, she won't start eating until she's gotten her fill.  And yesterday, the three 'o' cats swirled around, getting as much 'hands on' time they could get from me, and I leaned over and gave her a big smooch on the noggin!  She did not back away, and...lucky for me..she did not swipe at me with her sharp claws.  Maybe she's witnessed my repeated kisses to the others, so she just decided to give in.  Yippee!

Been smooching kitties since Angel and Chuck were kittens.  Sometimes, I look like Gomez from the Addams Family, when he's kissing Morticia's arm.  Smooch, smooch, smooch down Chucky's back, or even Angel if I can get a hold of her squirmy body.  When Patty O'Malley allowed me to pet him, and now demands petting, head bunts, and licks of my hair (!), I started smooching him too.  Then Sammy got in on the act, and now...ta da!...Mama Mia.  How cool is that?!  

A downside to kitty smooching...fur and motor oil.  Yep, one can get plenty of loose hairs stuck to one's lips and face.  And, of course, the time that I discovered that hubby's old car leaked oil, because a cat hid UNDER that car and I got more than I had bargained for.  Pfft!

Mia and Kittens

Mama Mia today

In July 2009

Mama Mia showed up in the summer of 2009, heavily pregnant.  Our feral pal Hobo had escorted her to the food dishes on the deck, literally walking her through our yard as her bodyguard.  She didn't show us her kittens for many weeks, then voila!

Sneakers

Honey

I was beside myself, trying to figure out what to do.  Leave the kittens outside with their momma (and dad?) or grab 'em and bring them inside?  I could not get close to the kittens, figuring in time I would be able to.  We decided to TNR everybody then, and caught Hobo and Honey; Sneakers managed to go in and out of the traps without tripping the door, and Mia refused to go near them.  Then one day, both kittens were gone.  I searched everywhere, and asked many neighbors.  I found nothing, and no one had any information.  I put up 'Missing!' signs, and visited animal control every third day for six months.  The kittens never showed up again.  Months later, I used the drop trap to capture Mia, and she was spayed.  But I was heart-broken over those kittens, so with the help of my sister and niece, I found a call-in radio pet psychic, and dialed that 800# until I got through.  The psychic told me the kittens were taken by a neighbor 'close-by' and that they were happy.  Some relief that they were safe, but their disappearance from my life has been difficult.  I mean, look at those sweet kitties!  Mia has always been fearful of me, but recently she's allowed me to pet her, and even scritch under her chin.  She lets out a low purr that I feel in my heart.