Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Looking 4 a Furever Home for...

This is Hershey. He is a Jack Russell Terrier mix
born to Sooner, a Jack Russell Terrier.
Hershey is looking for his furever home.

He currently lives in the North Texas area. He is a Jack Russell Terrier mix. His mother, Sooner, is a Jack Russell Terrier. Sooner and her two sons, Hershey & Brutus, live at my neighbor's house. The puppies were unexpected & they cannot keep them all.

Hershey was born 10/20/10. He is mostly white with some black spots that may darken with age.
He's very affectionate, will curl up & cuddle with you. Loves to play. Loves children. Lives with 1 child under 10 & 1 under 5. As said, he also lives with his brother, as well as a kitten that's apprx 9 mos old.

He's very sweet &  hoping someone out there has a special place in their heart & their home for him & all his love.

You can also find him by clicking here Pet Finder  

If you know someone in the North Texas area who is looking for a puppy that will be a small to medium size dog when full grown, please click on Pet Finder & go through the contact methods there.

Thanks!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Devil

The Outside Guys

Since I introduced everyone to Harley, I wanted to introduce y'all to the rest of The Outside Guys.

Harley
Everyone has met Harley, who just went through a life altering surgery. He, I am happy to say, is no longer a part of this group. It was decided, by the non-cat loving person in the house, Harley will now be a welcomed member of The Critter Gang, of course some members of The Critter Gang are trying to adjust to this new change. Interestingly, Bonnie is really the only hold out. I think she feels infringed upon. Being the baby, she wants all the attention to herself, with a new guy in the mix, she just wants to know she's still all that. Harley, on the other hand, is having to try to cope with getting use to so many cats around and dogs. Yes, the dogs are quite interested in him, but he wants nothing to do with them, throwing a hissy fit, literally, every time one is near him. We, on the other hand, are awaiting the blending. I am sure it will take a few weeks to... well, whenever. It has taken up to a couple months in the past.

Moving on...

Devil
Devil is a left over kitty from my neighbor; he was named by my neighbor's children for the Tasmanian Devil. He has also been referred to as "you little devil". He has always been outside, but this past year was traumatic. My neighbors went through a divorce, where the wife left. She was the caretaker of all the outside cats. Her husband, who is still my neighbor, is not a cat person, but did try to feed them. Unfortunately, with the work hours he kept and not being around, the cats, one by one, left. Harley is one of those cats, but he too left for a time. Devil, a mainstay for 8-10 years never left, but had no where really to go. I started feeding Devil in late spring because he was starting to get real thin and scraggly. Once he began to have regular meals again, his weight started coming back. He began to hang around more. I started to try to keep him cool during the hot Texas summer and find him some relief with food, water and shelter. In August, I pulled some money together to bring him to the vet to have him tested for FIV & FeLV. Since I was handling him a lot, I needed to know; so, I would know how to handle him and not infect The Critter Gang. Unfortunately, Devil tested positive for FIV. Fortunately, he tested negative for FeLV. By fall, I managed to get him a Petmate Indigo Dogloo. As colder weather approached, I filled the Dogloo with an old bed The Critter Gang cats had used and some old blankets. Devil is the territorial male who defends his area well. He is a sweet Maine Coon mix who follows you like a puppy dog. He comes to his name and will sit in your lap for a morning or evening nap. I sit with him often after everyone has been fed breakfast & supper meals.

Bobby
Bobby is a dark gray/black tabby with a sort of bobbed tail; hence, his name. I grew tired of just describing him as the bobbed tailed one; so, I gave him the name Bobby. How original! Bobby started coming around, probably, about 2 years ago on and off. He is a scrapper and used to get into fights with many of the outdoor cats that use to hang around my neighbor's & my place. I am sure he came for the food left out and the females.

[There were other males like Harley's brother, Jake, who is Bonnie's father, and Taz, who is either the brother or son of Devil. I last saw Jake on Mother's Day 2010. He had a severe bite would on his hip from Bobby. I tried to tend it & it seemed to be healing. I wonder, though, if Devil is FIV positive, if Bobby is also FIV positive. In the case of Jake & Bobby's fight, it is possible Jake may have contracted the illness. Taz usually disappears during the summer and comes back during the winter. He has not returned this year. He, too, may be FIV positive, as I believe he may be the one who gave it to Devil.]

Back to Bobby... Bobby now stays mostly at a distance from Devil. There's an old van here I have placed another old cat bed in. I give him water and food there, as well. I don't know if he uses the bed because I rarely see him. He comes around, mostly at night and in the early morning. I know he's there because for one, I see him from time to time slinking to the van, and two, because his food is gone. Occasionally, a possum or field mice come into the van to finish the food Bobby has left, but I can tell when they have been there. Mouse poo and the possum makes the food & water bowls dirty. I saw the possum once. The closest Bobby let me come is about 40-50 feet. I zoomed in and took his picture. The picture here is the best one I have of him. He's very elusive and shy around people.

And there ya have it... The Outside Guys!

The Penguin Siamese Is Growing Up!

"I am Siamese, if you please... I am Siamese, if you don't please!"
Yep, that's right!

Bonnie, the little Siamese with the black & white parents, is growing up fast. She turned 9 months old December 14th & was spayed on December 15th. What a way to celebrate her 9 month birthday!

Special thanks to Noah's Ark Animal Shelter in Gainesville, Texas for offering low cost spay vouchers and to the staff of  All About Pets Animal Hospital where Dr Wendy Rhoads performed the coming of age surgery for Bonnie.

Of course, in typical Bonnie, aka Bon Bon, fashion, she was up to her usual antics in no time. Keeping this little wild cat quiet for any length of time is quite a chore. By the next day, she was running at top speed through the house with at least 2 cats on her heels followed by me trying to keep her calm.

Harley... A Changed Man!

New flavor of Yoplait Delights... Harley!
All your biker buddies'll love it!
Harley would like to thank all those who contributed to his medical expenses.

A very generous young man, teenager really, came forward. I say young man because his actions speak more of the man he is becoming than the teenager he is. When he saw Harley's needs, he put aside his own wants and desires. Money that was to be used to buy him a Christmas gift, he instead wanted donated to help Harley get the medical attention he needed. To this generous young man, Harley says "meow mew" {thank you}!

Now, a little info regarding Harley's vet visit...
Harley was tested for FIV & FeLV. Both tests came back NEGATIVE. This means, of course, he does not have these two dreaded kitty diseases. He is a healthy 18 month old kitty.

Harley was neutered and will no longer have to worry about those male kitty things: hunting females, protecting his territory, spraying stuff he calls his, fighting off other males, etc.

Harley did have ear mites, tape worm and, of course, the dreaded fleas; so, he had to be treated for these. A dose of Drontal took care of all wormy issues, an ear cleaning while he napped and a dose of Revolution for the ear mites & fleas, which by the way, I found out also takes care of roundworms & hookworms... who knew!

Harley came back a changed man... and a much happier one!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Harley's Digs

 Hi, y'all... Harley thought y'all might want to see where he spends most of his time.

The entrance to the bus Harley stays in.
 This is an old handicapped city bus that's used as a storage/work shop by someone who claims to not like cats. However, Harley has begun to win him over.

The doors on the bus have to be propped open because the wind blows them shut. Until I realized it, Harley would get locked outside of in the cold. Temperatures have been dropping at night to the high 20s & low to mid 30s lately. We've had freezing rains and winds over the past week... and it's only December. We are expecting colder weather next week. December is usually a very windy, rainy month with very cold nights.

Come January, we usually get frigid ice storms. I have already had to dump frozen water bowls; so, I can imagine what January is going to bring.

Harley eating breakfast
with his bed in the foreground.
I am hoping to have Harley neutered by the middle of December. I am also keeping faith that after he is neutered he will feel comfortable enough to bunk with one of the other male cats, Devil or Bobby. Bobby's feral, however; so, I don't know if any of them will bunk with him. I rarely see Bobby; I just know he comes and goes.

The second picture is of the area inside the bus where Harley eats & sleeps. The bed is an old cat bed lined with a blanket. He has a little handmade Animal Cracker toy I made for him that he likes to play with.

The bus does stay a little warmer than the outside temps and the windows allow him to sun in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Yet, I still find leaves and seed heads to the long grasses inside... yes, even all the way to where his bed is, which is almost to the back of the bus.

Oh, yeah, there is also a roll around chair he likes to sit in.

All he really wants is to be loved and cared for; so, I am trying to provide a little comfort and compassion for him.