Whisper was adopted!

And so far, she's doing okay! I was worried when I went to meet her new mom to adopt her, and she hid under her cage and refused to come out (Whisper, not the nice lady adopting her). So I was happy when she was nice enough to call me on the phone (the adopter, not Whisper) and let me know that Whisper is already getting settled into her new home.

We got another call over the weekend from someone wanting us to take kittens. So within the next few days, I may be introducing my newest kitten fosters. They're actually older than the Disney kittens, and I haven't seen them yet but I've never seen a kitten who isn't adorable so I'm not too worried. :-) There are three of them. Oh, and now that kitten season has begun (the time of year when we start getting a LOT of requests for help with kittens) we are once again looking for kitten or cat foster homes. And of course we always need dog or puppy foster homes! So if you're interested in being a foster home for a puppy or some kittens (or adult dogs or cats!) please click here to find out more information.

Lucy was adopted!

Lucy was adopted yesterday - my kitten-cleaning assistant is gone! She is no longer available to clean up the kittens after they finish eating, so I have to clean them up myself now. I think the kittens miss Lucy almost as much as I do! :-)

Speaking of kittens, the four kittens are doing great - they are so much fun to play with. My husband jokes that they don't say "meow", they say "pheeuw", and it does sound like that! They are so tiny and pathetic and adorable, and they eat a lot, and create huge messes. I'm enjoying them more every day. They are still eating kitten canned food and KMR (kitten milk replacement) and I'm finally getting the hang of how much to feed them each time. They all like to climb on me and cuddle up on my neck and purr, and I give each one a turn carrying it around the house with me while I do other chores.... I hope I'm not making them dizzy.

All my other fosters are doing well too. Marco and Polo, my fluffly white cats, had an adventure in the basement - they explored down there for a few days until I finally found them and took them back upstairs. They had food and a litter box down there, so I guess they were in no hurry to leave, but I didn't like them having so many hiding places where I couldn't find them. They're in my daughter's bedroom now and spend most of the time watching out the window, cuddled up together. Marco has to have a dental and two teeth removed next week, then they'll be ready for adoption.

Shiro and Una are doing great - they've been going to PetSmart and are on the website but so far no one has shown any interest in them. I was hoping they'd start to come out to the rest of the house but they seem to prefer to hang out by themselves in a back bedroom. Shiro always comes to greet me and get petted but he doesn't like to leave his room. Una doesn't seem to care if I'm there or not, as long as I bring canned food now and then.

My other two cat fosters, Scribbles and Whisper, are still living at PetSmart. I heard from one family who is interested in Scribbles so I'm hoping she gets adopted this weekend! No one seems interested in Whisper - she has been waiting such a long time for a home, so I wish someone would want her.

I'm down to just one dog foster right now! Noelle is doing great, and I think she misses Lucy and Boo, but she still has Remi to play with. I am sure she'll have a new foster dog friend soon, but I'm going to wait awhile before bringing another foster dog home. My husband left today for a three week trip for Army, so I need a few days break to get my house cleaned and get caught up on chores, before I'm ready to add another dog to the family.

Puppy adoptions; Introducing Artemis

Taking care of 9 puppies keeps a person busy! But I'm happy to report that two of the nine puppies were adopted on Saturday. Keebler and Clover both found new homes. Tonight, Amos is supposed to be adopted, and I have a couple more pre-arranged adoptions for this weekend. At times I think anyone who adopts a puppy is crazy - especially if they work full time. Puppies are soooo much work. But then at other times I think about keeping one of the puppies for myself. Oh, I know I can't (my husband wouldn't let me, for one thing) but they are just so darn cute. It would be fun to watch them grow up, and be able to train them and not have to give them up. So in the end, I do understand the attraction of getting a puppy, even if they ARE a lot of work. For now I'm just enjoying playing with them, and looking forward to the day that I only have one or two left, and I can stop spending all my free time changing puppy paper! :-)

Since I have no room left to bring in new dogs (or puppies), I brought home another cat on Saturday. I know, I know.... but this cat needed me. Black cats are the hardest to find homes for, and a family who was moving couldn't take their all-black cat, and was unable to find a home for him. I agreed to take him sight-unseen, which is always a little scary. The family might say he's affectionate and a great cat, but what if he turns out to be really mean? Still, he had nowhere else to go, so I said I'd take him. His name is Artemis, and I must admit, from the second I saw him, I fell in love. He is quite possibly the most beautiful cat I've ever seen. He has this shiny, beautiful black coat, and bright yellow eyes, and he looks like a black panther. AND, he's sooo friendly. I am very happy to be fostering Artemis, and I will try to take some pictures and post them soon.

As an update on my other fosters, here's the news:

Whisper (tortie cat) has moved up to PetSmart, and has settled in very well. We weren't too sure how she would do, since sometimes she can have a bit of an attitude, but so far she's doing fine. Now if someone will just fall in love with her, we'll be set.

Tulsa (deaf Blue Heeler dog) is also doing well. Since I had the puppies I didn't take her to adoptions on Saturday, so she got another week off. She is driving my husband crazy by barking at the cats whenever she sees them behind the baby gate that blocks the hallway. Scribbles likes to sit there and hiss at her.

Noelle (deaf Pit Bull Terrier mix) has finished her first month of treatment for mange. She will be going back to the vet to get rechecked this week, and maybe she'll be able to start going to adoption events again soon! She's as sweet as ever - the best cuddler I know.

Scribbles (tortieco cat) is another cat with an attitude. She is the sweetest most affectionate lap cat when we're alone, but if any other cats are around, she hisses at them. And if there are dogs around - well, I even avoid her then, because she is downright scary. She spits and growls and hisses and attacks, and I have to protect the dogs from her. I'm possibly going to move her to PetSmart just so she can get away from the dogs, and I think everyone (but especially Scribbles) will be much happier then.

Kiwi (torbie cat) is my friendly, perfect, highly adoptable cat, except that she vomits occasionally. This cat is one of the best cats I've had - everyone who meets her loves her. She is friendly, gets along with everyone and everything, and would probably be adopted right away if she were healthy. However since I got her she's been vomiting every few days, so the vet checked her out and suggested a change in diet to a special prescription food. I'm going to try that and see how she does - hopefully the new food will do the trick.

Boo (American Pit Bull Terrier puppy) is growing so fast! She's so cute, and her ears seem to be growing at a faster rate than the rest of her body. She still has more energy than she knows what to do with, and has become adept at climbing baby gates and fences to get to where she wants to be.

More about Nicoh

I took a few more pictures of Nicoh now that he's been groomed. I know I say this about a lot of different dogs, but Nicoh is just the best dog ever. He just wants to be held and petted all the time, and I'm happy to oblige every chance I get. He gets along well with all the other dogs, and the cat, and he's housebroken, and so cuddly!


That's Whisper in the bottom right corner of the second picture. She is doing great; she's like a totally different cat than she was at first. Now she no longer runs from the dogs, and she seems to think she owns the place. She's started jumping up on tables and counters, which my husband isn't happy about, but I'm just glad she appears so much at home finally. I know it is hard to go to a new place, and I was afraid she'd never get used to all the dogs at my house, so its nice to see her finally settle in.

We were contacted today about someone else who found a dog who had been hit by a car, and the dog was pregnant, and they need help placing the puppies into homes. There are so many needy animals out there, and I wish I could help the family who took in this injured dog, but I already have a house overfull with puppies.

My adorable eight foster puppies are doing wonderful. They are so much fun to watch - they wrestle and give these little tiny puppy growls while they play, and then they fall over, or sometimes they knock each other into the water bowl. Granted, they are very very messy, but so sweet! And then they all curl up together and nap, and I love to watch them.

Update on my fosters

Nicoh (poodle mix) - Nicoh is doing great - after just a few hours with him, I am totally in love. He is very sweet, and just wants to be held and petted. He appears to be house-trained - at least, no accidents so far! He also did well with all my dogs! He gets along best with Tulsa - they love to run and play together. He's a bit intimidated by Remi and Noelle right now. He is going in tomorrow to be groomed, and then to the vet on Friday to be neutered.

Tulsa (deaf Blue Heeler) - She's SUCH a good dog - I grow to like her more every day. She is very responsive - probably because she is deaf, she relies more on her other senses to stay attuned to what is going on, so she's always watching, and responds immediately when I call her with a hand signal. She does whatever I ask of her, and has perfect house manners. If only she would display her great personality at PetSmart - but since she is so noisy there, she's going to get to take a week off from adoptions and relax at home this Saturday. Hmmm... maybe that's been her plan all along!

Noelle (deaf pit bull mix) - Poor Noelle has demodex mange. Fortunately this is not contagious, so she doesn't have to be quarantined. But she does need daily medication, and twice weekly medicated baths. She also will not be eligible for adoption until the mange is cleared up, so my husband is happy to know she'll be around for at least another month. It will also give me time to keep working with her, and perhaps even get her started on her intermediate obedience training class during that time.

Whisper (cat) - Whisper is settling in nicely, and is even starting to come out to the rest of the house around the dogs. She's stopped bossing Tommy around, and comes out to greet me and be petted whenever she sees me.

Tommy (cat) - Tommy is moving up to PetSmart! He is so friendly and cute, and so hopefully he will be adopted quickly. By moving up to one of the cages at PetSmart, he'll have a lot better chance of being seen and adopted. So tonight is moving night for him.

Bugsy (cat) - I almost forgot Bugsy! He's been living up at PetSmart, and you know- out of sight, out of mind. :-) Seriously, I am happy to report he is doing good. He gets all sorts of attention up there - I stop by when I can, other foster volunteers stop by, the volunteers who clean the cages there twice a day all give him lots of attention, and even my mom stopped by with my niece and nephew to visit him earlier this week! No one has really forgotten him, but he is still waiting to find a perfect home. Hopefully his new family will find him soon!

Introducing Tommy and Whisper

I took in two new foster cats last week. Both cats are very sweet and friendly, and they are slowly becoming accustomed to life here. This is Tommy - he is about 1 1/2 years old, and he is very playful. I am hoping as he gets used to the dogs, he will start coming out to be around me more, but right now he spends his time either in the cat's room or in Rachael's room.


This is Whisper - she is around 4 years old, and more laid back than Tommy. She bosses him around most of the time, and has claimed the bed in front of the window has her own, so she spends a lot of her time laying there and looking outside.



And since I had the camera out, I had to get another picture of Noelle.


She's so funny - a few days ago I gave her and Duncan each a raw carrot when I was preparing their Kongs (filling rubber toys with food and treats to keep them busy while I was gone). Duncan immediately ate his - he loves carrots - but Noelle decided that it made a better toy than a treat. She carried it off and started tossing it up in the air, then doing her cute puppy hop over to get it, and tossing it again. She was having a great time until Duncan finished his carrot and ran over to get hers. She tossed it up, he grabbed it when it hit the ground and took off running. She thought "oh good, a game!" and went running after him, as they usually do when they play chase and take toys from each other. But then suddenly Duncan stopped and turned around, and you could just see Noelle looking - where's the toy?! And there was Duncan, chewing as fast and furious as possible, until gulp - no more carrot. It was hilarious.

We had a few dogs adopted yesterday- one of the adorable puppies - Guinea - was adopted. Also Annie, a black lab puppy, found a new home. Hopefully we will also have some mid-week adoptions this week!