Anni’s Story

From Anni’s foster-mom Taylor T.:

When I moved in to my apartment on Leroy Grant Drive in November of 2014, my boyfriend said to me, that this was a good thing, because I wouldn’t be able to bring in any more strays. Living in a house before, it was easy to see strays in my neighborhood, and then bring them in and care for them. He thought that because we now lived in an apartment that this would stop me from bringing in strays. How wrong he was.

After living here for only a few days, I started seeing this tiny little Calico outside. It was getting colder, and it was a weird area to see a cat roaming around, I wondered if she had a home in the building or if she was a stray. I talked to people in my building, and no one believed that the cat was owned.

On the first snow fall of the year, I exited my building and the little Calico was hiding in the doorway. We startled her and she ran away. It was windy and snowy and all I wanted was to get this little kitten inside. I followed her paw prints in the snow, carried a blanket and food and did what I could to get her inside. Unfortunately I was unable to capture her.

(Click for full-sized pics.)

Anni showing her snuggly side with her foster family

A few days later, after continuing to see her, I decided to pick up a live trap. After two days, of leaving it out until the early hours of the morning, and checking it every 30 minutes, I had caught her. I brought her inside, and saw that she was not a kitten, but was just a small cat. When I let her out of the live trap, she went crazy trying to escape the room. She climbed my curtains and was trying to get out my window.

The next day we were able to take her to the vet, we found out she had an upper respiratory infection, and she was treated for that. The following weeks were slow. She was terrified of people. I couldn’t touch her or get near her. After weeks of working with her, spending long hours of reading to her and trying to get her to play, she began to show signs of improvement. She began to let me touch her, I was able to pet her, and when I did, she would purr louder than any cat I’ve ever heard. When she first stayed with me she spent a lot of time in a large dog crate. When I let her out, she continued to improve.

She began playing with toys, and instead of me having to reach out to her for attention, she reached out to me. When I’d walk in the room, she would purr before I could even touch her. For the first couple of months I was concerned she would not ever want anything more than to be pet, but she soon proved me wrong. She began sleeping on my bed with me every night. When I’d sit on my bed, she would jump up and would just go crazy for the attention.

I started to integrate her with the house cats, about a month ago. At first, there was a lot of fights. My cats would hiss at her and she would attack them, she was just standing up for herself. For the past week, whenever Anni is out of her room she just ignores the other cats now. She doesn’t hiss, she doesn’t fight, even when they hiss at her.

In the evenings Anni loves bedtime cuddles. I’ve never met a cat that likes to head butt as much as she does. You don’t even need to use your hand to pet her, as long as you are okay with her rubbing faces with yours. I have 4 cats, and I’ve never met one that shows her love like Anni does. She grooms you, give you kisses and just adores every second of the attention.

Because of Anni’s time on the street, she likes to scavenge for food in-between her meals. She will go through garbage bags and eat anything she can. I can’t slice cheese without her by my side. The only thing I’ve really seen that Anni doesn’t like is being picked up. At first she would not allow it, now she will put up with it for maybe 10 seconds before she squirms too bad. I’d also say she prefers male cats, she has grown close to one of my male cats, and they share the bed, and can interact without any tension.

She loves to play with mice toys, wand toys and laser lights. As a foster, the only complaint I have about Anni, is that she is a foster, and one day she will find her forever home.

She almost always has her little pink tongue hanging out of her mouth.

She is great meeting new people.

She will groom you for as long as you will let her.

Will let you give her belly rubs.

Warren update

From Warren’s foster-mom:

Over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays the lovely Vet Team at Kingston Mills Veterinary Hospital found that Warren has a heart murmur. It was also decided that he was likely older than the original 4 years he was guessed to be. With his health and age in mind it was decided that he would become a part of the permanent foster/Palliative program of Spay Neuter Kingston Initiative so that he will always be well cared for and have the best possible veterinary care. I am lucky enough to be Warren’s permanent foster mom.

(Click for full-sized pics.)

Warren and Monster, Feb 2015

Warren, Feb 2015

Warren, Feb 2015

The first photo is of him snuggling up to Monster after his head bath, Number 2 is just a nice pic of him (you can see his left eye is closed, it’s the one with vision loss and it is more sensitive to the light than normal), Number 3 is my favourite! It’s the best close up pic I’ve been able to get, he usually blinks, lol.

Warren has come a long way from the his first days here. When it was decided he was to become a permanent part of the family I decided he needed a new name just for him. After going through a lot of choices I settled on Murphy, an old family name to fit our new family member. I’m guessing that at some point in his life he had a name that sounded similar as he took to his new name right away, responding every time I call him. I often wonder what his life was like before he was found on the street.

It’s really interesting to watch him as week by week he gets more comfortable in his new home and comes out of his shell just a little bit more. Miss Tia is still his best friend and they can often be found snuggling up in a chair or following each other from room to room. When she stopped following him, he started following her. Every time she meows he comes running to see what is up and it’s obvious to anyone she has him wrapped around her tiny little paw.

He’s also made friends now with my other large, male cat named Monster. Murphy is strangely not a self groomer and his biggest joy is having Monster wash his head for him. At first Murphy would approach Monster when he was grooming himself and stick his face under Monster’s chin and you could see the bliss on his face while he was being cleaned. Now he tries to get his face washed as often as he can. It’s quite funny to watch because he will try to lay down as close to Monster as possible to get his attention. A couple of times I’ve watched him accidentally sit right on Monster when he guessed his distance wrong! This could be due to the partial vision loss he has in one eye that was also noted by his vet. Likely this loss is attributable to an eye infection that was untreated, possibly while he was living outside.

Warren, Feb 2015

Warren, Feb 2015

Warren, Feb 2015

Number 4 is Murphy just chilling out on the big bed enjoying his new place, Number 5 is a great shot too, I walked into the room I have designated for cat stuff and crafts and there he was asleep in the box with his head hanging out. I had to run and get the camera! I find him like this half under the bed too with his head hanging out so he doesn’t miss what’s going on! Number 6 is his new favourite sleeping position that he learned from Monster. On his back with all four feet in the air! lol He’s so cute when he sleeps like this.

At night he loves to come to bed for awhile and be pet. Head scritches and cheek scritches are his favourite. He will move again and again until you get just the right spot and then he will happily purr away until your hand gets tired!

I can still see some of the fear that being alone outside left in him. Whenever he hears someone come in the door he will slink down on his belly and run as fast as his feet will carry him into the bedroom and under the bed, one of his favourite hiding places. I hope to one day see him not afraid anymore. Every trauma takes time to heal and I’m happy that S.N.K.I has given him the opportunity to do just that.

Delacourt’s Story

From one of Delacourt’s rescuers and caregivers:

HISTORY:
In the fall of 2014, while on a mission to live trap a few stray cats for the spay and neuter program SNKI was helping out with, we (myself and colony owner Paul) accidentally caught Delacourt. We at first thought he was one of the cats we were trying to catch, but when we took a closer look (while he was in the live trap), we realized this was definitely not the cat, but knew it was an unfixed tomcat. It was clear to see that he was suffering from an illness. His right eye was almost white in colour and infected and he was having a hard time breathing. He was literally blowing mucus bubbles out of his nose. He was scared, so we left him in a heated garage overnight and I made a call to SNKI to let them know about the situation. They didn’t hesitate to take this big guy on and advised I take him to Kingston Mills Vet Hospital that morning. At this point I didn’t know much about his personality. I had never seen this cat before, but Paul said he has seen him a few times around the farm.

He was soon fixed, vaccinated, etc…and we were called to come and pick him up. We were told that he was constantly head butting the cage while at the vet clinic but he didn’t like to be handled much. At this point, we had him in the cage ready to go back to the farm to release him back with the colony. I talked with Joanne and had asked if we could keep him indoors for a few days until his eye healed and he could breathe a bit better….that is what we did 🙂 We soon found out that he was a very loveable/sweet cat with bigger health issues.

After a couple of days, we noticed that he wasn’t improving much, so with the advice from SNKI, we took him back to the vet. He had lost a bit of weight since his initial visit and they did tests on him. They gave him some more medication and we soon realized that he had the Feline Leukemia virus (FeLV). 😦 We had more medication to give him and continued with that over the next few weeks…… He is a lot better today! He is still on medication and has his respiratory issues and sneezes often, but he will always have that. He is drinking and eating and from his last visit to the vet, he gained almost 2 kg. The challenge is keeping him at this weight. He loves to eat.

(Click for full-sized pics.)

Vader, now

This just in, from Vader’s foster family!

Some new pictures of Little Vader aka Vadey

Little Vadey has made such a transformation from the terrified little 6-8 week old kitten he was when he was brought in to the Vet Clinic I work at with his 2 siblings.

This here is proof, that time, patience and maybe most importantly love can create a wonderful relationship between not only us humans but the animals as well. It is not only myself that enjoys the special personality that Vadey has, my son, as well as my Chihuahua Sheldon and even sometimes as you can see from the photos the tolerant and very patient 85lb Sawyer.

Vader is my “Eye of the Storm”. He has the capability to wreak havoc on just about anything that dangles, shines, has a shadow, rolls, can be batted by a paw, or wags (Sheldons/Sawyers tail). As tedious as it can be to monitor and deter him from some of these behaviors *after I laugh and take pictures and videos* overall I enjoy it. His health condition is unpredictable, and I am just so happy that he is with me, bringing myself and the other members of my family, laughs and smiles, and yes sometimes even a “Huff” of frustration. Had he not been caught, vetted and diagnosed, he could have died alone out in the cold. Luckily he was given the opportunity to thrive and bring joy to us. I have no doubt that Vadey is a happy, currently thriving kitten at now approx 5 months old.

Maybe some would say that he would have been best out in a colony, and would have known no different way of life. That might be true, but you can not look at the pictures above below and say that he is not happy, and better off with me.

As Vadey and my relationship grows, we develop more routines and rituals.

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Nighttime routine

Nighttime routine second step

Vader’s playground Sassy

Photo 1 Part one of our nighttime routine – He curls up on my lap and wraps/hugs my leg. He is a hugger when I carry him, he will also wrap his front legs around my neck.

Photo 2 Although a bit fuzzy this is the second step to our night time routine where I have put my book down and he crawls up on to my chest and sometimes will lick at my eyes

Photo 3  – Also before bed time. Sawyer was lounging on my bed and Vadey decided to make Sawyer his play ground – As you can see in the picture he is biting at Sawyers paw. Not an aggressive bite, he does this when he is excited and feeling playful. Sawyers face is unimpressed but he is very tolerant of the playfulness Vadey brings to the household.

The newest one is our evening ritual. Vadey will come jump into bed with me and settle himself down on my chest and stare up at me. Usually all wide eyed and looking for an adventure his eyes narrow *a sign to me that he is very relaxed* My days are hectic, almost always, I am a single mother, with a full time job, and I look forward to getting into bed, relaxing and reading before I go to sleep and then having him join me on my chest. I talk to him and pet his face and body, and he just stares up at me purring. I feel like this is our moment together at the end of the day where we just appreciate the quiet and the warm comfy place we have to sleep.

Having him at home with me is extra “work” but the love I feel for him and I think he feels for me, makes it all worth it. The thought of him curled up in this cold weather, trying to keep warm, and hunting for food and shelter is unbearable to me. I feel like Vadey was a special gift brought to me, and I to him *as well as SNKI and the folks involved with this program* So many cats come in, but I picked him to foster and it ended up that he needed a long term place to stay and as sad as the end will be when it comes, as we do not know how long he will be with us, I am grateful for the memories we have made and the ones we will make.

Foster Mommy and Family,
Kristin, Deacon, Sawyer, Sheldon and Sassy

Learning to Speak Danish

A day in the life of Blue, called Tilly by her foster-mom, and Nimbus, aka Hamish, as told by their foster-mom. Click thumbnails for full-sized pics!

Two months ago, Tilly—a seven-week-old feral kitten—was paired with a fifty-seven-year-old woman—Marie—in a foster home. A month ago, Hamish—a similarly young male kitten—was introduced to the female kitten to ease her loneliness while the woman worked.

The three personalities now each view their task as preparing the others for the next step in their life: the kittens for adoption into a forever home and the human for relocation to another country. Meanwhile, they are also learning a Danish word. The word is hygge. Hygge literally translates to mean “cozy”, but it means a lot more than that.

7:05 a.m.

The woman wakens. She stumbles to the bathroom, where Tilly silently follows her in from somewhere unknown.

Good morning.

Hello. Can we eat?

Yes. I’m hungry, too.

Tilly is rubbing against Marie’s leg and Marie is gently petting her soft fur, communicating shared happiness; Hamish appears coyly at the door. He is a man on a mission: breakfast. She smiles at him, a greeting. He closes his eyes slowly and reopens them, a greeting.

In the kitchen, each person eats a hurried meal and then moves on to the next thing. Marie is most productive in the morning and the cats have accommodated that sense of urgency. She in turn has learned to move slowly around eating cats to build trust. Hamish changes position at his dish so she isn’t ever directly behind him.

Marie is getting dressed when an aroma greets her. It has been suggested that when cats don’t cover their poop, it is an indication that they feel safe, that their environment doesn’t include predators who could track them by their scat.

I implore you! Please cover!

Marie is nearly shouting this failed attempt at humour down the hall, impatient. She senses a habit forming, having seen this same behaviour the past two mornings. Two cats scamper out of the spare room and, bodies tense and tails lowered, their nails clack across the wood floors as they race to the opposite end of the apartment.

Implore!

*silence*

*sigh*

She goes to the Pooh Palace and covers the offensive mound herself.