Tags and Awards

I used to have approximately four readers of my blog.  They were faithful readers.  They came back week after week to read all about each foster pet I brought home.  They were with me during Noelle's puppy days, when Noelle was lazy instead of naughty.  They were even with me when I first started fostering cats.  They faithfully read my posts for the first two years of blogging, and that kept me going, and kept me writing this blog. 

Then a few months ago, another pet blogger discovered this blog.  And suddenly I was meeting people all over the world, instead of just the few people I knew in this small corner of the Internet.  And for the first time I discovered other blogs, and these fun blog games and awards.  So today I'm going to share some recent awards and tags that I've received from some new blogging friends.


I received the Sunshine Award from One Pibble's Wish.  The Sunshine Award is given to a blogger who brings a little sunshine into someone's life. Thank you Pibble!  Here are the rules for this award:
- Post the award within my post.
- Send the award to 12 bloggers who add a little sunshine to my life.
- Post links to the 12 blogs I've sent the award to.
- Leave a comment on their blog telling them they've gotten the award.
- Put these instructions in my post so they'll know what to do!

I've seen this award on several other blogs, so I'm just going to post twelve bloggers who add sunshine to my life, even if they've already received it.  I hope you'll stop by and visit their blogs if you need a little bit of sunshine in your life.

• Mayzie's Dog Blog
• House of Cats
• Pitter Patter
• Frankly Speaking
• Two Pitties in the City
• Tucker
• Brutus the Frenchie 
• Daily Dose of Jack
• Dog Eared
• kissa-bull
• Stella, Gunther & Betty
• Mango's Great Adventures

I also received the Happy 101 Sweet Friends award, which comes with the following rules:

- Copy the image and paste it to my blog

- List 10 things that make me happy, and do one of them today.

Noelle asked if she could list the 10 things that made her happy, so I said she could.  So here are Noelle's answers:

1. When mom or dad come home from work and greet me.
2. When we go for a walk somewhere with lots of interesting smells.
3. When Bernice or Angie C. come over and visit me.
4. When Remi or a foster dog plays bitey-face or tug-of-war with me.
5. Sleeping on my dad's lap while he plays his X-Box.
6. Sleeping on my mom's lap while she plays Farmville does important work on her computer.
7. Getting treats just for doing things like sitting or lying down.  It's so easy!
8. Chasing cats.
9. Chewing up frisbees. 
10. Showing my mom and dad how much I love them.

And finally, we've been tagged by the House of Cats and Mayzie's Dog Blog for the photo tag game.  Here are the rules: Go to your first photo folder, find the 10th picture, post that photo and explain the story behind it. Then, tag five blogs to do the same.

So since the House of Cats tagged me, I went to my cat pictures folder and found the tenth picture, which is from May 2009:

This is Anastasia, a previous foster kitten.  I was trying to take her picture for the website, but she was not happy about it.  I did not use this picture on her web page, because she looks a bit scary.  But I liked the picture enough to keep it on my computer.  Fortunately no one ever saw this picture, and Anastasia was successfully adopted. 

And since Mayzie the dog tagged me too, I went to my dog pictures folder and found this one from May 2008:

It is one of my previous foster dogs, named Vala.  She was the most energetic, happy dog I have ever fostered, and she just loved people.  I wanted a picture of her with her ears up, like she normally looked.  But when I had my husband hold her so I could get her picture (otherwise she'd go running and jump up on me), she would put her ears back.  So Dave decided to be helpful and hold her ears up for her.  Poor dog.  My fosters have to put up with a lot from us sometimes.

Thanks Amy and Mayzie for the fun game!  I decided to tag five other foster blogs, in case they want to play too.  Of course they may be too busy chasing after playing with their foster pets to participate.

krazycatlady's blog
Freckles' Foster Friends
One girl, too many animals...
buggaboone
kind hearts

Thank you to my four faithful readers (Hi Grandma!) who have put up with me for so long, and thank you to all my newer readers and new blogging friends for making me feel so welcome in your community. 

Trey and Keisha were adopted!!

Trey and Keisha each found wonderful new homes yesterday.  They of course got a lot of attention at PetSmart, but I was holding them for two people who had seen them on the All Paws website and each put in an application online.   The families were both able to come meet them at PetSmart yesterday and decided to adopt them.  Not a surprise considering how sweet they both are! 

Kitten Update
My foster kittens went to the vet on Friday but they're still too little to be spayed/neutered, so they have to wait another couple of weeks before they're ready for adoption.  I'm going to have to start giving them treats to fatten them up!  Even though they're nine weeks old, the girls only weigh 1.5 pounds and the boy only weighs 1.8 pounds - these guys are tiny!  They're doing well though.  Orca is the demanding one - she reminds me of Anastasia (previous foster kitten) because she likes to make her desires known by meowing loudly until I do what she wants.  She has me well trained.  Puffin is the quiet one - she kind of hangs back and watches the others before she tries anything new.  Penguin is the explorer of the group.  He's always the first to climb the highest or jump the farthest or explore strange new worlds (like the living room). 

Anastasia was adopted!

The last kitten in my Disney litter has now found her own home. Stasi was adopted to a very nice lady who I am sure will take great care of her. She will also have several other cats and a dog to play with, which is great for such an energetic kitten.



That just leaves me with kittens from two litters, and a few assorted adult cats. I have Mercury the gray kitten and Solara the dilute calico mother from the Solar System litter, and I have four kittens that are unrelated but their names all start with "C" so I'm calling them the Sea litter. They should be ready for adoption in about a week and half hopefully!



I think its time for another contest. I was sure that of the Disney litter, Anastasia would be the first to go, because she's white with black spots and very original markings. I thought Ariel would be the last because she's a gray tabby - pretty, but there are a lot of gray tabbies out there competing for homes. I was wrong as usual, and Ariel was adopted first and Anastasia was adopted last! So let's see if you do better... vote for which of my foster cats you think will be adopted next. If you want to make sure you win, feel free to adopt one yourself. There are no actual prizes awarded, but winners do get bragging rights. :-)

Sedna was adopted!; Update on my fosters

It was a busy weekend for Heartland volunteers. In addition to our regular adoptions at PetSmart, we had two other events going on. Some of our volunteers went to a special off-site adoption event, and they were nice enough to take a couple of my foster cats for me. One of the cats, Sedna, found a new home at the event. Thanks to Julie, Ashley, Sue and Lisa for volunteering at this event! Other volunteers held a bake sale fundraiser at Dierberg's. They did a great job raising money for Heartland! Thanks to Brenda, Erin, Becky, Teresa, Lisa, and Michael, and all the volunteers who donated baked goods for the event.

Here's an update on my fosters. I started this blog so I could write about my foster pets and go back later to read it and remember them and things about them, so I want to write a bit about everyone I have right now (no counting please).

Noelle - She turned one year old this week! Happy Birthday my girl. Noelle is the longest term foster I've had, and the favorite foster I've had. She gets so excited to see me every time, and just comes flying at me wagging her tail as fast as she can. She had a home visit with a family this week that sounded like a perfect fit, and I was scared I would lose her - but she attacked their dog and so she came back home with me. Last night I gave her a donated stuffed animal, and she got to engage in her favorite pastime - destuffing! Tonight after work I get to go home and pick up stuffing that is spread all over the bedroom. She's worth the extra work though. :-)

Kai - Kai is a temporary foster dog that I've had a hard time letting go. Her foster mom finally convinced me she should come back to her, so later this week she'll go back to her original foster home. She's such a good dog - rather timid and shy, but she's improved so much in the past few weeks. Her favorite thing to do is to sit by the baby gate that blocks the hallway to the back rooms where the kittens are. She LOVES the kittens - a little too much. She will sit at that gate for hours, waiting for a glimpse of the kittens. Even when I have the bedroom doors shut so no kittens could possibly come out, she still sits there staring down the hall, looking for them.

Gator - Gator has improved a lot in the past couple of weeks - he no longer bites my shoes or feet or legs every second that he can. Now he only does it once every 10 or 15 seconds! He has the cutest puppy gallop, and when I call the dogs and they all come running, he is so cute always lagging behind everyone else because he's too little to keep up. I was hoping that Gator would be adopted this weekend, since he's such an adorable puppy, but he was not. I recently received an e-mail from another Heartland volunteer who's neighbor brought her a puppy that she didn't want. So in order for me to take in that puppy, another Heartland volunteer offered to take Gator and foster him. So tonight Gator goes to a new home. He's already been there to be "dog-sat" for a few hours, so I'm sure he'll do fine - actually he'll be spoiled rotten - first time foster homes are usually awesome at that. :-)

Pip - Pip is a very small beagle mix who is living in my daughter's room with some kittens. He acts JUST like a kitten - I'm a little concerned that he doesn't know how to be a dog. It would be good for him to be around other puppies or dogs right now, but he's so little that he'll get hurt playing with any of my other dogs, so he just has me and the kittens to play with. He likes to climb up on my shoulder when I hold him, and he likes to play with feather toys, and he loves to wrestle with the kittens. He sleeps in a cat bed too.

Rowdy - Rowdy hasn't been properly introduced yet, but I'll introduce him and post his picture soon. Rowdy is, well, he's the opposite of rowdy. He's very laid back for the most part. He loves to go outside and roll in the grass. He doesn't appear to care for bones or most treats. He doesn't want to play with most toys. He mostly wants to sit in your lap and be petted. Then maybe go for a walk, then straight back into the air conditioning for some more petting.

Scribbles - My foster cat who is living at PetSmart. She's kind of taken Whisper's place as the "cat with an attitude" at PetSmart now that Whisper is adopted. I hope Scribbles gets a home soon too - she is such a sweet cat when she's not at PetSmart or around other animals, but no one has been able to see that since she's kind of mean while she's there.

Marco & Polo - These guys are also living at PetSmart temporarily, and they get a lot of attention up there. They're my most laid-back cats I've had in a long time. Although that could just be because I'm used to hyper kittens all the time now. :-)

Anastasia - The last of the Disney litter, Stasi is living up at PetSmart temporarily and hopefully will be adopted quickly. She's my little complainer - she is very vocal and quick to complain if she's unhappy, but she's also quick to purr if she's happy.

Mercury & Venus - The last two of the Solar System litter - they're doing great. Both of them constantly try to sneak out of the bedroom they're in and join the rest of the house, even though Kai is stalking them on the other side of the gate. They are super affectionate and friendly and purr everytime I pick them up. These kittens are going to be big - they're about double the size of the Disney litter at the same age.

Chessie - She's the most playful of all the kittens I have. She's constantly running or climbing or jumping.

Capri - I never particularly wanted a Siamese cat - I've never been drawn to their looks, and was surprised they are always in such high demand. But I think if I adopted a cat of my own, it might be Capri. She's a Siamese mix - cream with chocolate points, and blue eyes, and she's so affectionate. I can't figure out what it is about her that makes me want to keep her so much, but I am considering the idea of adopting her.

Cabbie & Cilla - These two kittens are so funny - they're roly-poly kittens who are probably a week or two younger than Capri and Chessie. Cabbie has a cold right now, and Cilla has some missing hair so they're both quarantined from the rest of the kittens while they undergo treatment. They don't seem to mind so much though - they are playful but not as much as Chessie - and they're affectionate but not as much as Capri. They're mostly happy with each other, a few toys, someplace comfortable to sleep, and lots of canned kitten food.

Pictures of fosters

Finally took some quick photos of my fosters. Here are the four Disney kittens. Aurora, the tortoiseshell, is the biggest cuddler of the group. Ariel, the gray tabby with a white face, is the most outgoing, and possibly the fastest of the group. Anastasia is the loudest. She always cries out like she's being killed when I pick her up. But she's really very sweet most of the time - she cuddles up with me for naps. Aladdin, the only boy, is the best climber of the bunch - he can climb up on anything. This morning one of the kittens (I forget which one) climbed onto Emma's face. Fortunately she didn't mind... but that might be where the cut under her eye came from (and here I've been blaming Noelle or Remi).

Here are some new pictures of Emma. She's been shaved so she looks kind of silly, but her hair is starting to grow out, so she doesn't look as silly as she did at first. Or maybe I'm just getting used to the way she looks.

Here are Emma and Noelle playing. They love to wrestle and chase each other. In the second picture, Noelle is rolling over after Emma knocked her down and ran away. They really love each other. :-)

I met some semi-feral kittens last night. They're the opposite of my kittens, who've been bottle fed and are used to humans. These guys were not happy about being touched, and even though they weigh less than a pound, they were still scary! It makes me appreciate my super-affectionate kittens even more. It also makes me appreciate those cat foster homes who take on scary semi-feral kittens and turn them into loving affectionate kittens. Give me a fear-aggressive dog over a feral cat any day! You may laugh at the thought of being scared of a 1-pound kitten, but they can be pretty ferocious! Here's an example from Anastasia, who doesn't like being photographed...

Shiro and Una were adopted!!

I'm excited to report that two of my foster cats were adopted. Shiro and Una are brother and sister - Pixie Bob/Desert Lynx mix. They went home last night with a great new family - a mom and two children who are so excited to have two new family members.

I'm also cautiously hopeful that Whisper will be going home tomorrow. I am planning to meet her new mom at PetSmart to do the adoption tomorrow afternoon, and I hate to announce it before it actually happens, but I've talked with her new mom several times and she is very excited to come get her and take her home. Whisper has been waiting such a long time in foster care (well over a year) and I really hope this works out for her!

Updates on my other fosters:
Scribbles is my tortie cat who has an attitude and doesn't like other cats, or dogs, or being at PetSmart, which is where she is currently living. If anyone knows of a single adult who has no other pets, Scribbles will be a wonderful pet - she is loving and affectionate and a purring lap kitty who is very sweet when she's not unhappy. The problem is she doesn't show well at PetSmart because she is unhappy, and yet she is also very unhappy living in foster care with other dogs and cats. I try not to take in animals who are going to be unhappy in foster care, but the person who gave me Scribbles said she was good with other cats and okay with dogs. Oh well - at least she has somewhere safe to live until the right home comes along. And if anyone who doesn't have dogs is interested in fostering Scribbles, please let me know. You get a free cat with free food and medical care - not a bad deal. ;-)

Marco and Polo are my two long-haired all white beautiful cats. They shed EVERYWHERE but they're so friendly and affectionate that its a small price to pay for their company. Marco has been getting Clavamox (an antibiotic) since he had a dental and he's finally done with that - good thing since he hated it! At least he's deaf so he couldn't hear me coming with the medicine. ;-)

My four Disney kittens are almost ready for adoption. They were supposed to be ready last Saturday but had coccidia, so they're getting daily medication for that. Hopefully they'll be ready in another week. I want them to have a chance to get adopted while they're so small - but I have to admit, I love having them around. They are so cute! And everytime I go anywhere near them, they immediately start purring.

Noelle is doing good - with her typical happy-go-lucky attitude. She gets into everything, and nothing ever bothers her. If I take away the sock she's chewing on, she just walks over and gets a book to chew. I take that away, and she walks over to find a pillow to chew on. Each time I give her a dog toy to chew on instead, but she just looks at me like "why would I want that?" and finds something else that's forbidden to chew on. She's impossible, and yet so funny that you can't help but laugh at her. Her funniest thing, which I keep meaning to videotape, is when I put down a bowl of food, she'll run from the food dish back to me, wagging her tail and licking me, then turn and run back to the food, take a few bites, then back to me. I've never had another dog do that, and I can't figure out why she does it. She does it with Dave too whenever he feeds her. Maybe she just wants us to know how grateful she is for the food!

Emma is improving every day. She's doing very well with housetraining. I am always leery of saying any dog is house-trained, at least until they've gone a couple of months without an accident, but so far she hasn't had any accidents in the past couple weeks, so she seems to be getting the idea. She's also stopped jumping up on me as much, although I think Noelle taught her how to put her paws up on countertops and find good things that way, so we still have some work to do. She's going to PetSmart this weekend and several people are supposed to come meet her so I am hopeful that she'll be adopted soon!

Artemis was adopted!; Introducing Ariel, Anastasia, Aurora & Aladdin

I didn't post it earlier, but my foster cat Artie was adopted a couple weeks ago. I visited him in his new home a few days ago, and he is doing great! He has a wonderful family, and another cat named Louie to play with. He has been renamed Luckee, and I think it fits him, since he was lucky to find such a great family.

With the help of some other Heartland volunteers, I've named my new kittens after Disney princesses and princes. Here are some pictures of my newest fosters:

Aurora is a tortoiseshell. I joke about how I am not a fan of tortie's, due to some of them being known for a "tortie attitude", but so far I have to admit that Aurora is my favorite of the bunch!

Ariel is a gray tabby with a white face. She is usually the first one to find the food dish. All of the kittens are eating very well now - they are incredibly messy, but oh so cute!

This is Anastasia - she is the only one that dives headfirst into the food dish and lays in it while she eats. Yuck!

The only boy in the group - this is Aladdin. He is the climber of the bunch - he is the first to climb up to the top of the cat playpen, and often the only one to go up there and sleep on the top shelf while his sisters stay safely on the bottom floor.

Once the kittens are done making such a huge mess while they eat, Lucy, one of my foster dogs, is happy to step in and help with the cleanup. She'll lick the kittens faces through the bars, and they'll push their faces against her tongue to make sure they get all clean. Then everyone is happy!

Boo was adopted!

I miss her a lot, but I'm really glad that Boo found a home with a wonderful family and another dog to play with. They were originally hoping to adopt Noelle, so I took her to meet them on Friday. However, Noelle decided she wasn't crazy about their current dog, so we decided that perhaps Boo would be a better fit. We were all sad that Noelle didn't work out, but it is a great home for any dog so I'm glad that they decided to give Boo a chance instead. And Boo did great with their other dog, so hopefully it will be a perfect fit.

While I was at PetSmart, a family came by and asked if we could help with some kittens they were caring for. The kittens' mother had been killed, so they had been bottle feeding the kittens, and they were finally old enough to begin eating on their own. It's been a long time since I fostered kittens, so of course I had to take them! I will post pictures of them tomorrow!