Eli's Story

I am just going to ramble here and I DON'T care who reads it.  

I think I've posted that my niece has had her troubles but she seems to finally found her way out of the dark hole she has been in.  She is in California, has a job, a place to live and still on the countdown for days sober of 126.  When she left town she left a cat, Eli, at her parents house that already had a cat and three dogs.  Sweet Eli was left in a house where he was not wanted, not loved and lived on a tightrope threat of being dumped any day.  As you also may have read if you are a follower my sister and her family are really not very good animal people, not dedicated to them, i.e. previous dumping of Maggie the Cat.  

I got wind of Eli's predicament at a lunch with Sis.  I asked if she had called Street Cats and her response was that they cost money.  Okay, money versus the LIFE OF A DEFENSELESS ANIMAL!  Here we go again.  I immediately called B as she is on the  board of Street Cats and told her I would pay the intake fee (she actually did) and wanted to get Eli out of the desperate situation he was in.  B made it happen!  She also went and picked him up and saw the deplorable conditions he was living in.  He once was a sweet cuddly kitten but was terrified and scared half to death when they finally got him to foster care.  Eli was so traumatized he spent 2 months in foster care when he finally was put into the main Street Cats population ready for adoption.  We were really afraid he was going to spend the entire rest of his life in foster care or the Street Cats facility because of his debilitating fear.  Eli was LUCKY!  After only 2 weeks in the system he has found a forever home with a guy of all things as that is one of his fears...didn't used to be...hmmmmmmm.  This guy came in and fell in love with Eli.

The other part of the story is that Eli was not Sis's cat, it was her daughter's and she was in rehab getting well.  All of this happened over two months ago and Sis FINALLY told her daughter on Tuesday about him being gone.  TUESDAY!  B called the niece on Wednesday to talk to her and was forced with the responsibility of filling her in on all of the horrid story.  Of course she is broken-hearted but understands that Eli is in a much better place.  

I have to tell you my sister is just not a reliable pet owner and her history backs this up.  When she was young and first divorced, living back with my parents she brought a cat home.  That cat lived in the dark windowless garage for a very long time.  I don't even know what happened to him.  Then she moved out on her own and adopted two beautiful cats named Miss Emmy and Sapphire.  Miss Emmy was a case for sure but Sapphire was a jewel (no pun intended).  She was so very sweet.  She had them for several years then got married and pregnant with my niece.  My niece was born at 4 something pounds and was in the NICU for a few weeks but when she was to come home Sis called the vet to come and get the cats, her pets, her friends for several years and have them euthanized.  I could not believe it.  Luckily Sapphire was adopted by the vets son who fell in love with her.  I guess Miss Emmy was put down.  So sad.  Then the story of sweet Maggie the Cat who had been adopted from Street Cats.  She had issues but Sis DID NOT take her to the vet to address the health issues and her total fear of everything and everyone, instead the decided to DUMP her on the hottest day of the year in a neighborhood that was just being built.  Smart move IDIOTS!  That cat was scared of her own shadow, no one would be able to adopt her.  

I haven't even addressed the dogs, which she has a bit more affinity too.  A story for another day.

Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo Baggins, yes that was his name.  About a year or two after we moved into our new house there came a horrible rain storm.  The Hubby came inside and told me to step outside and listen to a sound he wasn't sure of.  I did and from around the house I heard a kitten screaming.  The Hubby ran out in the rain and there in a huge deep puddle in the grass was a very, very tiny kitten splashing around, drowning.  I knew we had some feral cats around and possible kittens but had only seen the momma one.  And there she was under the bushes watching as one of her babies was drowning.  I snatched him up and rushed inside to dry and warm the tiny thing.  He was still nursing a bit as I quickly found out as he started nuzzling on my t-shirt.  The Hubby went to the store and bought canned food and baby cereal and I mixed it up with a bit of milk and he was able to lap it up.  That sweet little thing became my constant companion after that.  Momma said to NEVER EVER have a male cat or dog as they would pee everywhere but I didn't care.  I loved this little guy like nobody's business.  He grew and grew and grew and became a loving pet for both of us, even though The Hubby did not like cats.  I named him Bilbo Baggins as I had just finished reading The Hobbit and he reminded me of Bilbo.  When I sat down he would get in my lap and suckle my t-shirts all the time which told me that he thought me his mother.  That big ole' Tom cat was huge and still nursing on my t-shirts.  We took him to the vet, got him fixed and gave him a very loving home, better than living the life of a feral.

That was about 1977, then September 1979 sweet Ms. B came.  The whole time I was pregnant Bilbo would sleep in her infant carrier and her baby bed, because he was my baby, or so he thought.  It's funny too because when we came home from the hospital he ceased altogether nursing on my t-shirts.  He weaned himself because a new baby was in town.  Don't get me wrong that big boy still loved to cuddle and nuzzle my chin and purr like crazy.  

BILBO BAGGINS

Sadly, about 5 years later he started getting very sick and taking him to the vet we discovered he had feline leukemia.  It was when the world was finding out about the disease and there were no vaccines yet.  I nursed him back from death's door a couple of times and then one day he just crashed.  I rushed him to the vet but it was too late.  He passed away while the doctor was trying to examine him.  I was heartbroken.  He was our first pet as a married couple.  My sweet boy.  Miss him still.  

Of course we went on to have a few more kitties after him but he will always be my first as a grown up.

Christmas Goings-On!

This week I've been a bit slow as a stupid head cold has left me puny.  It's not a bad one but bad enough to knock me down a bit.  There has been so much to do that this is just not acceptable.  The Hubby decided, that it was time we did Christmas cards again.  It has been a few years since we have sent out business or personal cards.  Since the move we unearthed a huge box of best intentions Christmas cards so sure that is just what I did.  What better to do while sniffling and sneezing but to do Christmas cards.  I've probably done 300 or so with about 60 or so left to do.  Today they will be finished, maybe Monday.

Last weekend was Bri's Alliday Show and it was a great success.  Unfortunately, while watching Rio either she gave me this cold or vice-versa.  I suspect though that one of our employees who was hanging over my desk last week moaning and sniffling gave it to me and I passed it on.  DANG IT!  So she's been quite puny too.

There was a sad note on Monday morning as they lost their sweet new kitten Opal Bebe.

Opal came from a large feral community and the community has a lot of health issues that apparently she was not able to fight.  They think she had a stroke or brain bleed.  The very short time she was in their household made a huge impact and struck them hard with the loss.  Opal had bonded very tightly with Bri so she was very devastated.  They got a kitten for Rio and for their older cat, Vera and they were all very sweet together.  precious baby, 

Opal Bebe. 

Cuteness

Okay the title is a bit misleading from this photo...no wait...we are cute!  Briana and I were in attendance at the annual My Furry Valentine.  She has been on the board and part of Street Cats, a local cat rescue for several years.  My Furry Valentine is the their huge fund raiser event and it was Sunday.

Saturday night we again kept Rio.  I was a bit scared it was going to be rough with the sleeping thing but was had a great time with her only waking once in the night for about 5 minutes.  She did through a hissy fit at bedtime but once down, she was down! 

This was morning breakfast with waffle and banana!

Don't you LOVE this little jeans vest.  It belonged to her mother.  I can't remember who gave it to us but I think my mother bought it for Briana.  I dug it out of the trunk for Rio and it is darling on her.

She found her little shelf that has her puzzles and books.  She loves books, PERFECT, we do too! 

Life and Death

Yesterday was my relax day, or so I thought.  I had a fabulous massage and facial but all I could do was think and be tense.  Lots of stuff rolling around in my noggin that caused me to not enjoy as much.  B&B2 are having so much trouble with little Rio this past week.  Today she is 5 months old and all of a sudden the sleeping thing is a problem.  She naps just fine but when they go to put her in her crib she wakes shortly and starts SCREAMING!  They can't figure it out, except I suspect the little bugger has discovered that if she screams she gets picked up and taken to her parents bed to sleep very nice and snuggily.  I have always said they are smarter than we are and my best guess is just that.  I feel so bad for them but hey, we've all gone through this stuff with the little ones, haven't we.  They will get through.  I can't wait to call them this morning because they were going to try to employ a bit of tough love to break this cycle before it becomes a huge monster.  Good luck!

With all the baby goings on they are also dealing with one of their beloved kitty's Pimmy dying.  Pimmy has some kind of kidney disease or cancer and she is just on the edge of leaving her happy little home forever.  B&B2 have given her a wonderful life being as she was a rescue from Street Cats, where B has volunteered since she was out of college.  I think Pimmy is 12 or 13 years old and is a real sweetie.  So there they are dealing with a 5 month old that won't sleep and a dying cat.   The stress is making them a puddle of tears and stress lately.  Luckily, they know it will all be a temporary phase and Rio will sleep and Pimmy will be at peace soon.

On top of all of this we get the news yesterday that our right hand man, Ben, his wife Jamie has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  We knew that they had been going to tons of doctors visits and they had suspected this but the confirmation was yesterday and it is very bad.  She has it in both ovaries and it has moved to her stomach, so far.  Tuesday they will do surgery to remove the ovaries and to see where else it has moved to then she will start chemo.  This just breaks my heart because Jamie is the nicest person in the world and so is Ben.  They are real jewels and I can't make heads or tails out of them having to deal with this.  Yesterday when Ben leaned over the desk area to tell B and myself then walked outside, I turned to B to see tears just rolling.  She is on the edge with all of this and lack of sleep is taking a toll.  I remember when my little ones put me through this, B in particular, my momma was there to help, to let me sleep.  Thank goodness the other half, B2 has been a wonderful, a great partner to understand and be there.  I try to be there too.  They will survive and sleep will again be a part of their lives, someday!  At least Rio is not sick, she is just wanting her momma.

I'm not much of a prayer kind of person at all but I do pass all of this on to our old church prayer chain, just in case.  There are others much better at sending out the goodness to those in need than I am.  I also send out to my friends here to pray, meditate, just send out the goodness for Ben and Jamie in the horrible time of need in their lives.  My heart is breaking for them.  We have here the beginnings of a wonderful life in little Rio and the end of a sweet little furry life in Pimmy and then the unknown of a life future in sweet Jamie.