Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Kitten Bathtime

One of my favorite blogs to visit is "Cute Overload." It always makes me smile and puts me in a good mood. They usually have baby kittens, puppies, bunnies and a cadre of other "critters" that are nothing short of cute. Hence, the name of the blog.

One of the postings today is a video from YouTube.com. It's definitely one of those "aaawwww" videos. Check it out!

Be sure to turn up the volume. You can hear cat purring and kitten mewing that will tug at your heart strings for sure! Makes me yearn for just one more furry companion.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Good Deeds & Happy Homes

My instincts were right when I rescued a cat living outside a hotel several weeks ago. I was going to an evening meeting at a Dallas hotel. Before entering, I spotted a beautiful gray & white tabby. He was mewing rather sadly, so I wheeled over to check him out. A bit dirty, he came over and immediately began rubbing on my chair, mewing to be petted. I cautiously reached down where he began persistently rubbing against my hand, seeking affection. It was a typical HOT August night, and I was worried. There was no food or water to be seen. After prying myself away from him, I went inside and asked the clerk if someone had called the Humane Society, SPCA or Animal Control to pick him up. With the heat, it's animal abuse. I also asked her to set out a dish of water for him.

After the meeting (during which I thought of him alot), I went out again to check on him. He came right up, begging to be petted. I tried to figure out a way I could bring him home, then take him to our local Animal Shelter. Physically, I couldn't do it on my own and knew Foo would have thought I was loony. Before I left, I did let him sneak into the hotel, figuring I would call tomorrow and check on him.

The next day, I called the SPCA and Dallas Animal Control of which neither would do anything. I was furious and frustrated. At 2 am that night, I called the hotel to find out the cat was STILL there. I told the Night Manager, I'd come the next day to get him myself.

The next morning, I went to get him, but he wasn't in his usual spot. I told the staff at the desk about the cat who actually thanked me -- rather than calling me a crazy old lady. I found him in the back of the hotel, laying between smelly trash cans. After some cajoling and luring with food and water, I got him into the carrier I'd brought. He wasn't too happy about that, but I think he knew I was there to help. He mewed a lot at first, but calmed down after I petted him several times during the trip.

My first stop was the Allen Animal Shelter, where I was rudely turned away by a woman who had no sense of who do deal with a soft-hearted individual trying to do a good deed. She was, quite frankly, the epitome of the word bea-atch. Broken hearted, I put the cat (now named Oliver) back into the car where we traveled to the Collin County Animal Services. They took Oliver out of the carrier and remarked what a beautiful cat he was. His picture was taken and posted online as being lost. He had no microchip, so he was definitely a lost soul.

For the next week, I kept track of him online then it disappeared. I called the shelter, who told me he'd been taken to the SPCA of McKinney. I hoped he'd be put up for adoption. Finally, after 2 weeks, his photo popped up on their web site. It was there for about a week. I looked today and noticed it's gone! I can only guess that someone adopted him. He was a sweet, loving cat who I would have kept had I not already had 2 sweet loving cats already. Oliver, I hope you found a loving home. You will be missed.


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Sunday, September 02, 2007

Frazzled Cat Momma

Like many things now days, my intentions are well meant but there just aren't enough hours in my days to get things done. I'm dreadfully behind on many tasks. Of course, when things go wrong (as they often do), I only get further behind.

Lately, one of my problems is "the kids." I don't know what has gotten into either of them.

For Bek, it's tormenting his younger sister. I'm not sure exactly what he's doing to her, but I'm hearing sounds come out of her that I've never heard before. They're downright mean. Of course, I have to rush in, try and separate them, then do it all over again because it never really works.

With Bitsy, it's PMS (or something like that). She's been an outright bee-ach lately. For no reason, she'll whip around and snap at me. Usually she sits on my lap for hours at a time. Not any more. I'm lucky to get a moment or two before she hops down, preferring to look at me from a distance.

Maybe it's the teenage years. I don't know. Any parenting suggestions are greatly welcomed.

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