Monthly Archives: November 2010
I had a call from Dr. West at Noah’s Ark at the beginning of the week. A good friend, Tara, had brought a 12-week-old kitten to her that had been hit by a car and had damage to her face and mouth. Tara was horrified (as were Dr. West and I when we heard this) when people who saw the tiny kitten asked Tara if she wanted them to take the injured baby out in the country and shoot her. As Dr. West said, “There will be no shooting of any cats!”
Dr. West has been naming all of the B and O kitties (and even Fruit Bat) that come to her following the alphabet. We were now up to “H,” so Dr. West decided on a Native American name for this little girl. She chose Hok’ee, which means “abandoned” in Navajo. We also decided that since we were approaching Thanksgiving, we needed to honor the Native Americans who lost out when the white folks took over their land. Little Hok’ee is our Native American honoree kitty–a symbol for what we are thankful for all year long–saving innocent lives.
Little Hok’ee had been hit in the mouth by a blunt object that broke several teeth. She will be visiting our dental vet, Dr. Tom Klein, at East Hilliard Veterinary Services to have her mouth fixed. Hok’ee is the fourth kitty to visit Dr. Klein this year after Naomi, Bean Bag, and Oliver. We love Dr. Klein and so do the kitties he has helped.
Little Hok’ee is doing well after the horrors she has been through. Dr. West did her normal test to determine if euthanasia could be considered–was the kitten eating and purring? Yes, she was! Well, by Dr. West’s rules, no cat will ever be “put to sleep” if it is purring and wants to eat. That is the Dr. West anti-euthanasia test. It works every time! Bean Bag passed. Any cat with a giant will to live will pass. Hok’ee did, too. Even with her hurt mouth, she wanted to eat. Dr. West said she is a little piglet.
Hok’ee has tested negative for feline leukemia/FIV. Dr. West started routine vet care and this sweet girl is loving all the attention. We will keep you updated on her progress. Dr. West has kindly agreed to pay all her bills at Noah’s Ark, but we plan to collect donations to pay for her surgeries with Dr. Klein. Dr. Klein always tries to help us out and keep his prices low, however.
Once she is recovered, Hok’ee will also be looking for a forever home, so please keep her in mind. For now, she will be snuggling with her stuffed pig, eating as much as her belly will hold, and thanking her angels for giving her such a good, good life.
My good friend, Cynthia, sent me an email about a declawed cat who has been staying on her back porch. The cat belongs to Cynthia’s neighbors, but they decided they did not want her any more and tossed her outside. Miss Kitty, as Cynthia has named her, was declawed when she was younger, but it was a “botched” job and her feet are now a bit deformed due to this.
Cynthia has her own colony of cats that she takes care of. The problem is, they are not too friendly with any outsiders who try to join their group. So poor Miss Kitty is trying to fit in, but is, unfortunately, miserable in this new situation. She keeps running back over to her old home, crying at the door, hoping they will let her inside again.
Miss Kitty appears to be a tabby Maine Coon cat. She is already spayed and had a poor declaw surgery at some point in her short life. If anyone would have a warm, safe spot for her, Black and Orange will pay to have her vaccinated, tested, and given any other vet care she may need. In fact, if some foster space frees up within the next few months, I’ll see what we can do to help Miss Kitty. But if anyone reading this would like to help this poor cat, please don’t hesitate to email me.
Here is what Cynthia wrote me about Miss Kitty:
“I am really needing to find a forever home for this poor little girl….she was mutilated as a kitty ….botched de-clawing….wish we could make a poster girl of her…..She is living on my back porch….when she gets out she runs ‘home’ and pleads at their back door…they slam the door and pull the drapes….she is so miserable…she hates the other cats…..it’s getting colder and I know she is in pain…I know how my hands feel when they get cold…I can’t imagine having had the tips of my fingers cut off….She is very distrustful (duhhhh!), but sweet natured…She isn’t hurting anything here…what’s one more? But she should be happy and warm, and I have a colony of sixteen cats, who do not want her around. We, humans did this to her….I feel responsible…..”
I was looking for something else on a web site when the headline “Psycho Kitties” popped out at me. Worried at first what such a title might lead me to, I nevertheless clicked on the link and found myself peering at the updated “Psycho” poster you now see beside these words.
Entering the site, I was, at times, laughing aloud at the tale (forgive the pun) of Pyewackett and Sho-zen. You will do the same, especially when you reach the feline version of the Psycho shower scene.
While this short film has funny moments (most at the expense of poor Sho-zen), it is actually being made by filmmaker Colleen Stratton for a very serious reason–to address feline behavior problems. As those of us in rescue know, most cats end up at shelters because of behavior issues–they are peeing where they shouldn’t, they are attacking other cats in the household, they refuse to use the litter pan.
“Psycho Kitties” is a work in progress and I hope Ms. Stratton can finish the movie. The short documentary offers a great deal of insight about cats who can’t show their feelings any other way than through actions we humans deem “inappropriate.”
Please watch the short film and think what you might do if someone forced you to live your entire life with someone else who terrorized your life (as we sometimes do to our cats).
“Psycho Kitties” Film (WARNING–do not watch this at work as I did or your co-workers might also label you “psycho.”)
The Fall CAT-illion at Eldchrist Winery was a smashing success. We have several people who we have to thank, including Jen and Chris Eldredge, the co-owners of Eldchrist for arranging everything and making this a very special evening. We also have to thank them for the $500 check that they presented to us.
The evening’s big surprise hits, however, were the tarot card readings and the mini massages. I think everyone who attended tried out both things. We have to thank Libby Sparks, who flew in from New York for the evening, just to do the tarot cards. Libby did an excellent job (I know my reading was right on) and everyone who sat with her felt she was wonderful. Libby is the wife of Ernie Sparks, who donated the Mini Cooper car that we are currently raffling off. Between the two of them, they did a lot of good for our organization!
I also have to thank my cousin Jeremy Blanton and his girlfriend, Heidi Boles, for donating their time and talents with the mini massages. They brought their own chairs and every time I looked up, someone was poised on the chairs getting a neck and shoulder massage. In fact, after Jeremy and Heidi left for the evening, we still had people looking for them. If you enjoyed your massage and would like another, you can contact Jeremy via Facebook: Massage Therapy by Jeremy Blanton
Jeremy and Heidi did not bring any business cards on Saturday, because they work in Springfield and thought Plain City and Columbus was too far away for most people. However, if you would like to use them for a massage again, they work at 4490 Derr Road in Springfield. You can call to schedule with Jeremy at 614-546-7105.
A huge thank you to the band, 2nd Story Acoustic for playing for FREE for the evening to help out B and O. The music was wonderful and we were happy to support a local, Plain City band at our event.
Additionally, the food was superb. The mashed potato bar was excellent, as were the strawberries covered in white chocolate. The menu followed a “white theme,” since the Winery cats, B and Mittens are white and I would gladly eat “white” items every day if they were all that good.
And speaking of B and Mittens, the boys made their presence known at the event. Mittens spent most of the evening lying in the comfort of a nice lady’s warm lap. Both of them are so friendly and outgoing that they didn’t mind the noise or the people. In fact, they flirted with everyone. They are the perfect mascots for the Winery and we are so glad we played a part in getting them into one of our clinics.
Finally, we have to thank all of our supporters who came out and had a good time with us. Thank you for buying items from our Christmas tables (thank you to Monica and Shirley for preparing the cards, goodie bags, and jewelry for the table–and thank you to Monica for helping me set up!). If you missed something you wanted on the tables, we currently have what was left at Plain City Druggist.
Thanks to all of you, we raised almost $1500 to help other kitties like B and Mittens.
To see all of the photos from the evening, visit the Black and Orange Facebook page.