The Cat with Too Many Names

Elwood, previously known as Lucas, previously known as Miracle, previously known as Trickster, has had a lot of names in the first few months of his life.  He started out with a temporary name of Trickster, because he would always be the first kitten to sneak out of the bedroom and climb a baby gate to get to the rest of the house. 

Then he and his three siblings got sick, and the other three didn't make it.  He needed a miracle to survive, so I named him Miracle.

I called him Mira for short, because I thought he was a girl.  Then I found out he was a boy.  He forgave me but I thought Mira was not a good name for a boy cat.  So then I went on vacation and my cat-sitter named him Lucas.  And I liked that name, so that was his official name until he was adopted.

Then someone adopted him and named him Elwood.  It goes well with his brother's name which is Jake.  Here is Jake and Elwood.

They appear to be getting along quite well.  Now I hope he never has another new name again.

Saturday Adoption Event

Just a few of the pets that were at Saturday's adoption event.

This little guy is Jack.  He has been adopted!

This is Tyson.  In spite of being a big black dog, this guy was also adopted!

I think her name is Isabelle.  She is still waiting for a home. 

This is Leo.  He's also still available for adoption.

This is my foster kitten. 

Her name used to be Mira. 

Then it turned out she was a boy, so he was renamed Lucas.

I hope he doesn't have an identity crisis now.
The pink bed probably doesn't help.

Casey was Adopted!... and other news

My foster dog Casey was adopted last night.  I got an update from his new mom within a few hours. She reported that Casey quickly settled in after checking out his new home, and he just as quickly made friends with the resident feline.  The cat's name is Noel, and she is 17 years old!  It appears that she is quite friendly with Casey. 

Unless of course the cat is just pretending to like Casey so she can trick him into some sort of mischief later.  You can never really tell with cats.

  

 I felt immediately comfortable with his new mom.  She has a lot of experience with animals, and spoils her pets like crazy.  I think Casey is one very lucky dog, and I am so happy for him.  I knew it was going to be extra hard to let him go, but I feel great about this adoption and couldn't ask for a better home. 

In other exciting news, I do believe that Mira the kitten is making a full recovery, and is going to grow up to be a perfect candidate for the Naughty Kitty Club.  This is partly my fault - I have been spoiling her and granting her every wish, and she has become a bit too accustomed to this treatment.  Dry food is no longer palatable - now it must be the premium canned food to be worth her while.  The food should be given as soon as she is hungry - no waiting for specific meal times.  Play time must come several times a day, and any delays will result in a lot of meowing and complaining.  Affection must be given whenever requested, and will be rewarded with loud purrs.  Cuddle time is required before bed, and is also rewarded with loud purrs.  Overall, she's doing great and I am happy to spoil her for as long as I can - I am just so grateful to have her here. 

Last night I also met with some friends for dinner, and we discussed the most recent breakthroughs in particle physics... oh no, wait.  That's not right. We mostly discussed animals, and I explained about Noelle's Vanishing Spot Disease, and how sometimes I live in my own reality (where I discuss things like particle phsyics and I diagnose fake dog diseases like vanishing spot disease).  I'm not sure why they put up with me, but I'm glad they do.  Noelle's spots have not reappeared, so it is still a mystery as to what caused them in the first place.  Although I think it might have something to do with particle physics. 

Noelle has the chicken pox...

Dogs can get the chicken pox, right?  I am sure that is what it is, because tonight she suddenly had these bumps all over her body.  They appeared out of nowhere, all at once.  So I guess it could be an allergic reaction, but she didn't do or eat anything out of the ordinary all day.  Therefore, I've ruled out all possibilities other than chicken pox.  I'm planning to tell the vet that when I take Noelle in tomorrow to confirm the diagnosis.  I'm sure the vet will appreciate my help.   

In other news, Mira is doing great - she has gained weight, is eating and drinking on her own now, and appears to be on her way to a full recovery. 

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a few scenes from the adoption event this past weekend...

  There were four golden retreiver/yellow lab mix puppies available for adoption. 

I couldn't stop taking their pictures.

They were just so sweet and cuddly. 

Even when they glared at me for keeping them awake.  They have an adorable glare.

There were several other dogs and puppies there too.  I didn't take any pictures of them.  I was too busy trying to get the puppies to wake up and glare at me some more. 

Update on the kittens

I'm sorry to say that "Spot" did not survive, and he has now joined his brothers at the Rainbow Bridge.  He fought hard, but even with medicine and force feeding, his little body just couldn't fight off the parasites. 

We finally have a definitive answer on what caused the kittens to become so sick.  They tested positive for a parasite called tritrichomonas foetus.  It causes diarrhea and while it can affect both adults and kittens, it is usually not fatal.  However these kittens are so young and frail that they just weren't strong enough to survive.   Regular dewormers and antibiotics don't work against this parasite, and we actually had to order the only medicine that is shown to be effective against it from a pharmacy several states away.  They are sending the medicine by overnight mail, so hopefully it will get here later today in time to help the last surviving kitten - the one I was temporarily calling "Trickster" (because she was always escaping from her room).

I've officially named her Mira.  It's short for Miracle... because that is what she needs.  Not only does she need to survive these parasites, but the medicine we will be giving her to help her fight them off is very dangerous and known to cause neurological problems so I will be monitoring her closely and if she has any side effects we will have to quit the medication.  Thank you all for your well wishes - I will keep you updated on how she is doing.

On another note, I have some happier news to share.  Last night I met with a lady who is interested in adopting Casey.  She met Casey and everything went really well, and she will most likely be taking him home next week!

I explained to Casey that he was going to be adopted and get to live with a wonderful new mom.  I was hoping the news wouldn't be too hard on him and he wouldn't mind going to yet another new place.  I shouldn't have worried.  He said "Next week??  How about right now?!"  Oh wait, nevermind.  That was my husband Dave who said that.  But Casey did seem excited to hear he would get to live with the nice lady he met tonight.  Or perhaps he was just excited at the thought of getting away from Remi and Noelle and Tripoli and Ziggy.  Either way, he is one happy dog.