My Rayne is in the OCT. photo contest and would love your vote everyday @ http://animalattraction.com/default.aspx?tabid=287&photoid=4561 Thanks and have a great WEEKEND!!!

Barbara, Hi, I just wanted to check in and say "Hi." Allen and I had a great time in Orlando last week. Unfortunately, I was also worried about leaving the cats and dog for so long. I'm such a worrying mom. I'm happy to be back, to make sure everyone gets enough love and attention. I also have the sweeter kitten from that feral mom I brought in next week. We'll get the mom and 2 kittens fixed next Monday. Then I'll make the mom an outside cat at my house. I'm hoping that I can tame the wilder kitten. But I'm nervous about it, since he bit me so hard last week. Halloween is just around the corner! We stopped adopting out black cats today in preparation for the Halloween season. I hope that you, Nerys, and Mamma are having a wonderful autumn. Take Care, Maria

Barbara, Thanks for the info on the feral catch, neuter, release program. I think that kind of thing will help with some of the people I meet at the adoption days at PetsMart. I've been talking with another volunteer about going out and capturing and fixing strays and ferals ourselves. I feel like the problem here is so out of control. It's crazy how many millions of cats are put to death every year in the US. I recently read that there are as many feral cats in the US as there are cats as pets. That means that it's something crazy like 34 million, or maybe more. That's a guess. I had heard that there are 68 million dogs and cats as pets in the US. I don't know if there are more dogs or more cats. But apparently 100% of feral cats sent to shelters are put to death. It's just heartbreaking. After I wrote you tonight, we had a little scare. Cami, my foster cat, got out when I went out into the garden. She jumped right over the fence! I called to her and tried to lure her out of the neighbor's yard with food. It took about an hour, but I eventually found her around the block on the same neighbor's roof. I climbed up and took her off the roof. Thank God! I was so scared that she was lost. We live only a block from one of the busiest streets in town, so I was so scared that if I didn't find her, she would get hit by a car! I'm so relieved. I'm not letting her anywhere near an outside door I'm going to open in the future. She was a stray before and is too good at scaling fences. I'm glad that Gustav is over for you. I hope that their aren't any worse storms this hurricane season. Take Care, Maria

Hi Barbara! How are Nerys and Mamma doing? My little herd is doing pretty well. Sissy is hanging out with the rest of the family about half the time, and isolating in her room the rest of the time. I don't let her sleep in our room because I don't want Schmoiky being mean to her while we sleep. Little Cami is still spending her days in her room and she hangs out with Sissy in the house at night. I try to go upstairs to give her some affection as often as I can during the day. That's all that's new with my little ones. We've had a lot of adoptions lately at the rescue, which makes me so happy. I'm trying to find some ways I can get out and get more cats in the community spayed and neutered. I hope you are having a wonderful September. Give your kitties a cuddle from me! Take Care, Maria

FOR BEING OUR FRIEND - LADYEVE AND BABIES
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Hi Barbara, Nerys and Mamma; Thanks so much for the nice post and here's a couple of cute puppies for you....Sharon; Danny & Pepe...>^..^<
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Howdy Captain and Nery! Yeah, have been quite busy at work. Sending out virtual love to all the four legged babies! Sucrechien

Hi there; THaks for the post and you have a wonderful evening also....Take care; Sharon >^..^<

Barbara, That's fun that Nerys is named after Deep Space Nine. I think I know which character you're talking about. Was she like the security chief, or something? I only watched that show a few times. I love the original Star Trek and am a huge William Shatner fan. My cat Schmoikel is named after a TV character, too. My husband named him after Krusty the Clown from the Simpsons whose "real" name is Hershel Schmoikel Krustofski. Allen thought that was the funniest name ever, so he gave our cat that name. You're right that the new cat Sissie has been through a lot of stress. She lost the "daddy" who had loved her for 8 years - her entire life. Then she lost her home and was put a in a cage at the rescue. She didn't understand any of it. She's clearly happy to be out of a cage and getting love. I've been trying to get her to explore the house a bit when Allen is locked in our room with our other two animals. But she seems very overwhelmed and scared by the rest of the house. So she just goes back to her little bathroom upstairs. I've found that she also enjoys a little room next to her bathroom full of bookcases. She climbs up on the shelves and hangs out. I think that she likes it because it's small, manageable, and near her bathroom sanctuary, so she can get there if she sense danger. My cat, Schmoiky Boy, managed to open the door to the guest room, where I'm keeping the third cat, the one I'm fostering. I went upstairs to check on the cats and he was in there with little Cammie, who was hiding under the bed. I don't have any idea what went on between them. Cammie was bullied by neighborhood cats when she was a stray, so cats really scare her. I'm getting attached to her. I want to make sure she gets a really good home, not just any person who wants her. I feel a lot of responsibility to her. So that's an update from my little soap opera "Cats of Our Lives." I feel like al I think about lately is cats! Take Care, Maria

Barbara, You're probably right that Sissie's skin condition and hair loss is because of stress. That's what the vet said, too. She's gone through so much since her last owner died, poor girl. I'm trying to make her comfortable, but I think that she won't be relaxed again until she's integrated with my cat. I'm taking the process slowly, because my cat is VERY hostile to her at this point. My dog, on the other hand, is excited to have another kitty around. He LOVES kitties! That's fun that Nerys is a breed you happen to love so much. Is Nerys a Norwegian word? It's such an unusual name. I hope you're having a great week with your kitties! Take Care, Maria

Hi Barbara, Nerys and Mamma; Thank you for the post! I enjoyed it very much. I also like networking with Pet Pals. You meet so many wonderful people here. Hope you are enjoying the site; and yes; they are helping Pets...Have a wonderful evening..Sharon; and Fur Kids" Danny & Pepe' >^..^<

Barbara, I agree about people buying pure breds. The millions of dogs and cats who are killed every year could be save if people would just stop buying purebreds and spayed/neutered their pets. I've had little Cammie, the cat I'm fostering for about a week now. I'm letting her and my other cat and dog look at each other for a couple of minutes at a time to get used to each other. The older cat I told you about from the shelter is now staying in my guest bathroom. She has to be checked at the vet for a skin condition where she's losing her hair. Once she's got a clean bill of health, I'll see how she does with my other two. I hope you are having a great week. Take Care, Maria

Hi and thanks so much for the post. It's very nice to meet you. My kitties thank you for the compliments. Have a wonderful day...Sharon; Danny & Pepe...>^..^<

Barbara, I love the stamp of Nerys! She looks so beautiful in that picture. It captures her full, regal mane. Yes, I'm worried about Schmoiky Boy's stress over the kitty foster house guests. I so wish I could explain things to him. But instead I'm just trying to give him lots of love and play time, so he knows he's still the number one kitty around here. That's wonderful that you do fund raising for the Humane Society. Toofy came from there. Schmoiky was from a county kill shelter. The Humane Society does amazing work. Have a wonderful week. Maria

Hi Barbara! Last night for about 5 hours I was over at the cat rescue where I just start volunteering. I really love it. Of course, I want to save all the kitties! I'm also fostering a small female adult cat at home in my guest room for one of the other volunteers. She's such a sweet little thing. I hate to turn her back in to the rescue, where she'll have to live in a cage until someone adopts her. Right now it's kitten season and the adult cats like her don't get adopted at all. So these poor adult cats sit in their cages for months. It's no life for a cat! But I feel like we need to adopt this other older cat from the rescue, because I don't think she'll ever be adopted. So many cats that need homes! I'm thinking of trying to market the rescue online at Craigslist. I hope your little cuddlers are having a good week. Mine keep sitting outside my guest room door, where the visiting cat is staying, sniffing and crying, trying to tell me there's a stranger in there. It's so cute. Take Care, Maria

Did you have a good July 4th weekend? I've been trying to find a home for this 8 year old cat at the rescue. But I've had no luck. A cat that old isn't generally chosen. And she is so unhappy in her cage after having the owner who loved her die of cancer recently. Poor girl. I am worried that if I adopt her my own pets will be really unhappy. But I think there's a possibility that my cat my like the company, especially because he hates when we leave him all alone in the house. Anyway, I have a hard time making major life decisions. But I think that if I can't find her a home, I'll have to take her. I hope your kitties are both doing well. Take Care, Maria

Barbara, It sounds like you know a lot about cats! I'd never heard that about putting perfume on all of them. That's really clever. I've been trying to figure out if this sweet little white cat could fit in with my two prima donnas. I know we have enough love for all. But I don't want to give my cat Schmoikel any more complexes. The dog is such an attention hog that I think the cat is insecure enough as it is. But at the same time I really hate to see such a sweet cat locked up in a cage. I hate to see any of the cats in cages. I think that a lot people just love the cuteness of the kittens. Plus, when they are kittens, they are much more willing to be picked up and cuddled by strangers. The older cats are traumatized by living in cages and they often were abused or abandoned before they came to us. So they don't show as well when they first meet people. True cat people who love and understand cats get that it takes a while for an adult cat to warm up. But most people are very impatient. They want the immediate gratification of a cat that cuddles and purrs right away. I'm glad I'm doing this. I think every person who volunteers gives the cats a little more love each week. And when they are living in cages, the more affection and socialization they get, the less depressed they will be and maybe more ready to be adopted. Some of the adult cats are sweet and respond to people. Others are in recovery from abuse or the shock of going from roaming outside, living completely on their own, to being cooped up in a cage. They don't understand that it's just temporary. So of course they are freaked out! BTW, I thought that you were smart to get Mamma used to being in her carrier before the first trip to the vet. I never thought of that with Schmoikel. He really gets upset in his crate. But when he had to spend hours at a time in it when we drove from San Diego to move to Sacramento, he did seem to get used to it and calm down after awhile. You have some great tips. Take Care, Maria

I was thinking about you and Mamma yesterday because I was volunteering at a cat adoption day at PetsMart. There were a couple of mamma cats with their litters of kittens. The kittens were so adorable! But I really worry about some of the older cats getting adopted. It's so sad for a cat that had a good life somewhere to suddenly be living in a cage. We have one named Sissie who is 8. She had a wonderful home with a man who loved her very much. She stayed by him through cancer. He died recently and his wife brought Sissie to the shelter and said she didn't want to look at the cat anymore. I think she felt her husband paid to much attention to the cat, or something. Sissie hates being in a cage. I try to leave her out of it for as long as possible. But she hisses and fights when she has to go back into it. Poor girl. I wish I could adopt her, but my cat would never forgive me if I brought another cat into the house. I'm going to start asking around with my mom's retired friends to see if anyone will take her. So many cats need good homes. I'm glad you could provide one for Mamma and Nervys. I hope you had a great weekend and are doing well. Take Care, Maria

Put the word out................ Please take the 20 seconds to do this. Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple... Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute.. (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and Click On The PURPLE BOX 'fund food for animals' for FREE. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know. http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS!!!

Barbara, I agree that animals have a much better memory that most people believe. Toofy hadn't seen my mom in two and a half years. I picked her up from the train station one day and as soon as he saw her from the car window, he started going crazy with excitement. He usually barks at strangers, so his excitement and enthusiasm over seeing her was definitely specific to seeing someone he knows. The trainers I have taken him to have said that he has the markers of an abused animal. He particularly barks and freaks out around Hispanic men (but not Hispanic women or children). I've often wondered if maybe the person who abused him was an Hispanic man. We used to live in San Diego, so that odds are good. I so wish I could know what his life was like before he knew me. I do know that his first owner was probably an elderly woman who died without making arrangements for someone else to adopt him. He was sent to the Humane Society. Three different families returned him to the shelter because they couldn't deal with his separation anxiety. We have had him for the last six years. All we can do is give them love and security and hope they know that the bad things that happened to them in the past are now over for good. I'm sorry for whatever Mamma went through in the past. I'm so glad she's one of the lucky cats who now has a loving home. Tonight I'm starting to volunteer for a cat rescue that adopts cats out of PetsMart. I will clean out the cages of the cats and play with them and give them love and attention. Take Care, Maria

What a sweet story. I'm so sorry you lost your other cat. Cancer is so rampant among pets. It's really scary. I've had two dogs die of cancer. Now I'm so concerned about exposure to chemicals, even flea killers. But I don't think there is any sure fire way to keep cancer from happening. All we can do is out best. That was so cute how the little kittens all came out the second day they were at your house, just like they'd always lived there. It's so amazing that no matter what animals have been through, they can usually bounce back with the simplest acts of kindness. I'm so glad they found you.

I know what you mean about how you can tell that Mamma still has the scars from her life before she lived with you. My little dog, Toofy, was abused before me and abandoned by several people. He has a lot of anxiety. But I know he's so happy to be part of our family. He's absolutely spoiled now. I love hearing about people like you who give love and a home to animals that are all alone like that. Mamma is lucky she picked your porch! -- Maria

Nerys and Mamma are so cute! I was really touched when I read how you adopted them in your post on the forum. I'm so glad that you were able to give them a loving home.