6:06 PM Efah's big day

Today Efah was doted on quite a lot by a lovely couple who have adopted two cats from us before. The moment we walked into the adopt a pet they saw him and just fell in love. They were so in love they contemplated taking him home. But they just lost one of their older cats to an illness the day before and they just weren't sure they should adopt so soon.

I happen to know both of the cats they adopted and so I know that one of those cats is just about as perfect a playmate match as it gets. I am so hopeful about the prospect of this couple adopting Efah I am nearly beside myself. When they left, there were a few positive signs that they might decide to adopt him. But I would love to have all of your prayers, candle lightings, energy work, and Adoption Dances to see if we can seal the deal. This family is Perfect! And y'all know that I only want Perfect for my sweet little Efie Poo.

And now comes the cuteness! I took some fun pictures of both Efah and Nimue at the adopt a pet on November 1st. I'm just now getting around to sharing them.


Nimue checking out the birds at Petsmart.

At this point, she wanted to eat one.

Efah had a moment of interest as well.

But he just was more interested in getting lots of attention from being on a harness. Isn't he handsome?

7:31 PM Efah's first Adopt-a-Pet event

Since Mr. Efah has recovered so quickly from his surgery, I decided to take him to his first Adopt-a-Pet event today. I am proud to report that he did Very well. He was nervous at first, and never did quite feel comfortable in his cage, but all of that is quite understandable. He would calm down when I was near and I would hold him off and on.

Efah also received his first collar. I got him one of those reflective collars so even if he did scratch at it a lot, he couldn't tear it up as quickly. And Petsmart has a new tag engraving system. So his tag is one of those plates that is riveted along the collar, not a hanging tag. It looks Great on him! And he's surprisingly not that bothered by the collar.

I'm so proud of how my little one has grown up!

I also spoke with a couple who is looking for a Russian Blue with some sass. Well, that's Nimue to the T! The guy used to have a sassy Russian Blue years ago and he wants another one. And get this, they have a Catahoula! How funny is that? We had a nice talk about 'houlas. I think they'll be perfect for Nimue. So let's hope they contact me!

Texas Pawprints had a great day overall for adoptions today. We adopted 8 and sent two out to foster. I'm crossing my fingers that we can keep the momentum going for next weekend!

10:59 PM New beginnings - on various levels

Previously I have discussed the various Courtyard Kitties in my apartment complex. Efah is a product of the growing population here. I have often said that I wanted to start trapping cats here, but I've never settled down and done it until now. I've had a trap for several weeks now and my neighbor had offered to help me. We just needed to get a chain for the trap so it couldn't be easily liberated from the premises. Apparently, traps have disappeared from our complex a few times, so better to be safe than sorry.

This week began our quest to trap and sterilize the population of Courtyard Kitties. And who was our first jail bird? Non other than Frankie, the cat belonging to one of my neighbors.


He escaped from her apartment immediately after she moved here and she's not been able to catch him since. Unfortunately, she also hadn't neutered him. Frankie is hanging out in seclusion in my bathroom at the moment while I figure out what to do with him. He's not feral. He's just timid. Outside, I never could get near him. In my bathroom, he lets me pet his head and he talks to me. Although he hasn't moved from that box of fabrics all day. Who can blame him, it's got to be cushy, right?

I've left a note with Frankie's owner and have yet to hear anything from her. Honestly, I don't think I will hear anything from her. She's been rather negligent with him thus far. But we're in Luck! Texas Pawprints is having a Neuter Day tomorrow! So he'll be packed off to the shelter first thing in the morning. They're already booked full, but apparently it's a general occurance that several of the cats can't be neutered for whatever reason, so he just might make the cut this week. Please cross your fingers for us!!! Because I can't trap anymore until he is recovered from the neuter and able to be released with someone.

In addition, I have news about Efah. In the very beginning I thought Efah to be a boy, but then changed my mind. Apparently I need to learn to trust my first instincts because I was right the first time. Efah is indeed a boy. And Very ready to be neutered. While I'm a little sad that I can no longer call Efah "Miss Efahline", this actually explains A Lot! He's scrawny, scrappy, and a down right little punk. A sweet little punk, but a punk nontheless. Efah's being a boy just puts new perspective on his kamikaze play. Efah will also be going to the Neuter Day tomorrow morning in the hopes that he will make the cut to be sterilized as well.


Please keep Efah and Frankie in your thoughts and prayers as even Neuter surgeries which are done many times every day still carry risk. Each time I send one of my kittens to be spayed or neutered, I think of my little Virgo and the accident which caused his passing.

6:08 PM Congratulations Tiberius!!!

Today Tiberius found his forever home! Someone else in the rescue fostered him over the weekend while I was out of town. I wanted someone else to see if they thought his upper respiratory infection was finished. It was, Finally! Goodness gracious we went through a time getting him over that. And he turned out to be allergic to the medication, so it was just that much harder to fix.

When I arrived back in town this afternoon, I called in to the adopt a pet event to see if I needed to pick him up or not and, as luck would have it, his adopter was making the final decision on him and wanted to talk to me to make sure she was making the right decision. So I had a nice chat with her and I am absolutely positive that he has a Perfect home now.

One black kitten down, one more to go. Efah's almost finished with her own upper respiratory infection. As soon as she is over that, she is also big enough to be spayed and go to adopt a pet events to look for her own forever home.

1:31 PM Efah meets the Vet

Today was a milestone in Efah's young life. She met her first Veterinarian. After Efah did not respond to any of the antibiotics we've given her, I decided it was time to throw in the towel and make an appointment. Metro Paws Animal Hospital has a working relationship with Texas Pawprints for more affordable veterinarian care of our foster animals. Thankfully, they were able to see her this morning on such short notice! The regular vets were not in, but the fill in Veterinarian was great with Miss. Efahline. And Efah was Really good about the whole process-except for the fecal sampling. But who can blame her for that!!!

As was suspected, Efah has a chronic upper respiratory issue. It's viral, not bacterial. And she also has ear mites, which was not expected. She hadn't been shaking her head until today. But the really good news is that she does NOT have any worms. The vet said it must be the new food upsetting her stomach.

So her treatment schedule is more Clavamox (from the vet), ivermectin for the ear mites (from the shelter), we're still going to worm her anyways just in case (I have wormer leftover from the shelter), and I'm changing her food back to Halo's Spot's Stew. I'm also to continue steaming her in the shower and syringing saline into her nose.

I really was hoping the Texas made BG food would work out because it is grain free, but she's not the only one who is gassy and having an upset tummy. The litterboxes are generally much stinkier since I changed. Halo's never upset anyone's tummy that I know of. All of my cats are young and healthy, so having a grain free diet isn't as big of a bonus as it is for Maizy. It would be nice, but it is not super important. And boy to they LOVE that Halo's Spot's Stew!!! Thankfully, Pet Supplies Plus has decided to carry Halo's now. So I can just pick it up anytime as opposed to having to order it. That's so much more convenient!

We sure could use some "get well" energy for Efah. And Tiberius too. He's still trying to get over his sniffles as well.

4:25 PM Taking "Mommie Nabisco" to a new level

Little Miss Efah is slowly getting better from her upper respiratory issue due to some antibiotics along with shower steam therapy. She doesn't like the steaming, but she tolerates it. Mostly she tries to hide under my arm. I really hope it is making a difference as I'd hate to put her through ththe stress of the shower for nothing.

Last night after Efah's steam Nimue came into the bathroom to clean and comfort her. Nimue was being very sweet about her bathing opportunity. Usually she is too rough and I have to separate her from whomever is the object of the mothering. I didn't get to that though because about halfway through the bath, Nabisco butted in and decided Efah needed to be removed from the situation altogether.

Efah is around 9 weeks old, so she isn't exactly tiny. But Nabisco actually attempted picking Efah up by her neck. Nabisco never did get Efah off the floor, but she still accomplished what she wanted as Efah walked in the direction she wanted to carry her. When they got to the bathroom door, Nabisco stopped and began a very thorough bath. And in between licks, she would shoot me this rather funny, "How Dare You" look. Apparently, I was overstepping some boundaries with "her kitten." Nabisco has been known to try stealing kittens directly from under mothers' nests, but I think that her protection over Efah has brought her "mommie" status to a whole new level.

12:27 PM Feral cats in the Courtyard

In my apartment complex we have many feral cats. Several of us in the complex put feed out to care for these cats. Some of them are altered, some are not. I was just beginning to get to a point where I was going to look into taking care of altering all that were known to not be altered already.

Today I identified one that needs altering ASAP! The little bob-tailed black cat who has been around for over a year flew by my this afternoon with a kitten in tow. With the help of maintenance, I managed to capture the little kitten, but Mom took off. And I am unsure if there are more kittens. While it upsets me that I may have only captured a partial litter, I have high hopes that there was only one kitten. No one who knows that cat was aware that she was pregnant, so there is a chance that she just birthed one.

My next challenge is to tame this little one, ascertain its sex, and find it a home. I'm getting help with trapping, altering, and releasing the cats in the yard soon. If there's anyone out there who would like to help, I could use a foster for this kitten as well as many other kittens within the rescue. They all need permanent homes too, but I'll certainly take a foster home situation for as long as can be offered!

She's finally tired herself out with being so scared. She's plopped down in the litterbox and nodded off, waking up every few minutes to cry and go back to sleep. Luckily, I'm off work this week. Hopefully, I can get the hardest part, getting her to trust me, taken care of before I have to go back to work next week.

10:08 AM Meet Iggy Jr. He's ready for adoption.

Iggy Jr. is one of many cats in my apartment complex that we call "courtyard kitties". Courtyard Kitties are a collective of cats who have been abandoned, ran away from home, were born on the streets, or got lost and just stopped here. If by my description you are thinking, "wow, there must be several then," you would be correct. At current there is a woman at the back of the complex who feeds around 4 and then there's at least 4 wandering in and out of the front courtyard as well. Iggy Jr. is the newest of the Courtyard Kitties. He's also the Tamest.

Iggy Jr. is named so because he is an identical match to a cat named Iggy that belongs to a resident. Iggy is an indoor/outdoor cat so Iggy Jr. has caused a bit of confusion. As such, the resident has accidentally tamed Iggy Jr thinking he was actually his cat.

Iggy and Iggy Jr. were both neutered together last night through a generous Texas Pawprints program. Iggy is going back to his owner and Iggy Jr. is going back to the courtyard. However, Iggy Jr. really is tame enough for adoption. Texas Pawprints is unable to absorb him into their system due to space and funding issues at this time. This may actually be best for Iggy Jr. as he really is an indoor/outdoor cat and Texas Pawprints has a very strict rule against adopting out for any outdoor situation.

For the time being, Iggy Jr. will remain out in our courtyard but, I would love to be able to place him with a family. If anyone would be interested in adopting Iggy Jr., please contact me. Since he's not in the Texas Pawprints program, the usual adoption fee does not apply, however, I would ask for a donation towards the shelter since their generosity is the sole reason he has been neutered and is ready for adoption.