Surfin Safari Pwizes From @BabyPatches!

I wonded second place in @BabyPatches Surfin Safari Giveaway! Thank you to everyone who voted for me!


The FedEx man ranged the doorbell and we all barkded really lowd so mom noed iz important! Here is what he bringed us. I noes it from @BabyPatches coz she werks at her mom's store and I can smell her scent on the packages so I know her was on the job doing kwalitee kontrole soopervishuns.


It's a Chase It toy! Checks it out!

I had mom order a Turbo Track wif the $20 gift certificate for foster kitteh Patty wot lives in a different foster home so her can has some funs too.


What is that, foster dog Calvin? There is more?


Oh, of course, the Woofles! NOMMY! I gonna share wif everyone! Thank you @BabyPatches for the wonnerful pwizes!

Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Day Adoption Story

Today, August 12, is Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Day. I was one of those less adoptable pets coz I was so unsoshalized, skeered of peeples and shaking in the shelter. But lookie at me now! Back in 2005 a story was published in "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" wot my mom had writed bout one of our less adoptable foster kittehs and her mirakal adopshun. It was the only story my mom ever writed and submitted for publikashun and it was picked out of gabillions of entries - how kewl is that? So grab a box of Kleenex and let me share that story wif you. (Tell your hoomans to go buys the book if they doesn't has it cause there is lots of grate stories in it bout other kittehs to reads to you and some of them is sooo funnee!)

Persian Love

Lindsey's white Persian head - a snowball with huge golden eyes and a flat, upturned nose - gave her a look of perpetual sourness. Her fluffy feathered tail and paws were worthy of a pedigreed show cat. But everything in between - her skinny little torso and legs - had been shorn to the skin, ridding her of years of heavily matted fur. Still, with a wiggle of her rear and her head held high, she approached everyone as if she were a fashion model sauntering up the runway and displaying the latest in designer feline styles.

She didn't care that the sight of her caused people to giggle. She felt no shame or humiliation, nor did it cause her to think less of any human - all humans were her friends and deserved her affection. I, too, was a guilty party: She made me laugh, that spunky little sprite.


Lindsey, a rescued cat I was fostering, didn't realize my halfway house for homeless animals was not her real home. It was the best she had ever known. She had spent eight years in a shopping cart topped with fencing. Her former people, elderly themselves, meant well and often took in homeless cats. They prevented reproduction by housing each cat individually in carriers. The cats never left their cages. The couple had rescued Lindsey as a kitten when she was tossed from a moving car. The white Persian had been lucky to be given the deluxe accommodations - the shopping cart - but now she had been rescued from her rescuers. I promised her daily that the best was yet to come.

At first, Lindsey could barely walk. A lifetime of confinement left her shaky and unsteady on her feet. Her muscles protested. She wobbled and stumbled. But she refused to give up, and, with practice, she soon began jogging and exploring. Lindsey found such glory in being able to run.

She adored the other foster cats and loved to snuggle with them. At long last, she could touch other cats instead of just watching them through bars. She had never seen a dog before, but that didn't matter - they were living creatures. She approached them without fear, confident of a loving reception.

One day, I found Lindsey upstairs in resident cat territory, with cats she had not yet met. Odessa and Abigail sat together, peering down their long alley-cat noses, wondering what the heck this creature was. They had never seen a Persian before, much less a bald Persian - and such a bold one, who would dare to come in and act like she was everyone's lifelong friend. I let them be.

A while later, I returned to investigate. At the sound of my entry, two heads emerged from a cat bed in the window, cheeks fused as one. The white, fluffy Persian head seemed dwarfed by the huge, coal-black head of my anti-social cat, Claude, who, years before, had lost a paw at the hand of a cruel human. The four-eyed, "Do-you-mind?" glare hastened my respectful retreat. Claude had found a new friend.

Then, suddenly, Lindsey became ill. Refusal to eat and drink sent her to the hospital - and a convalescent cage. It was touch-and-go for a while, but, finally, Lindsey regained her appetite. She joyfully returned to her foster home, free once again of the hated confinement. Tests showed some irregularities, possibly the result of past nutritional deficiencies. I was sure her retests would be fine, since Lindsey's appetite was back. In fact, Lindsey acted like her old self. As the adoption applications started rolling in, I felt certain that the best was now within reach.

Her story touched people, and interest in adopting her grew, despite Lindsey's advanced age. My duty as a good foster mom meant careful scrutiny of prospective homes. Not just any home would do, only the right home - a home perfectly suited for Lindsey's needs.

That mounting feeling of excitement, that intuitive knowing this is the one, ran through me as I studied one couple's application. Laura and Mike, who already had Fredo the Himalayan and Penny the Persian, wanted Lindsey to share their quiet, peaceful and loving home, where cats were cherished family members. A call to their veterinarian confirmed them as the best of pet guardians. Lindsey would meet them and go home the very next day!

No sooner had arrangements been made than my vet called with the long-forgotten test results. I knew he would not be calling in person if everything were normal. The news hit me hard. Lindsey had kidney disease, and the prognosis was grim. "Make what time she has left quality time," the doctor advised.

With a heavy heart, I relayed the sad news to Laura. "We would still like to meet her," she told me. The ache in my throat eased at her kind words. Nothing could have lifted my spirits or restored my faith in humans more. Not only were Laura and Mike the committed pet guardians I hoped to find, but their selflessness put Lindsey's needs above their own, even knowing their attachment to her could only last a short time.

Although Laura, Mike and I were strangers, we hugged, linked by our common goal to make Lindsey's remaining time special. They signed the adoption papers, but more important to me was the verbal commitment they made - a promise to call it a day when Lindsey's health started to fail. Suffering was not to be part of the deal.

Lindsey settled nicely into her new home. Fredo fell in love with her, grooming Lindsey at every opportunity. Penny had to adjust, but soon found Lindsey more than willing to share Fredo's attentions. The three became friends. Lindsey spent her days exploring her new home and basking in a bed of sunshine streaming through the windows. She spent her nights sleeping comfortably wrapped around either Laura or Mike's head. This was the best - exactly what I had hoped for when I'd made that promise to Lindsey.

It lasted two months. Lindsey became weaker, and when she no longer rallied with treatments and medication, Laura and Mike lovingly allowed her to leave life, peacefully and with dignity. Tears flowed freely in grief, but also in appreciation for having known her.

Lindsey had emerged from her long years of isolation and confinement miraculously unscathed in spirit. The love and sweetness she radiated enriched the lives of everyone she touched. I was comforted, knowing that she had experienced a life worthy of her, even though only for a short time. Against all odds, she had achieved the best.

© 2004 Daniela Wagstaff

Foster Bunny Penelope Goes To The V-E-T!

Pore, pore bunny :(. Oh, no worries, Penelope is not sickie. Her does needs to be checked by the V-E-T and gets spayed afore hers can be adopted. There was this one little thing that had mom konserned. A baldiness spot on Penelope's head wot was not there afore.


Plus we wanted to be sure Penelope is a gurl coz it not like mom or I really noes how to tell on a wabbit. Very hard to tell on young wabbits. Pwoblem is we donnot has a small animal/exotics V-E-T for the rescue group any mores. The V-E-T we used afore hads to sell hers praktis coz hers was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer :( So what to do? When we needs a specialist for the fosters, we takes them to Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. They has an exotics V-E-T and the V-E-Ts there is usually very good so mom called and gotted an appointment. They gotted in the car


and drived there.


Then they waited in the torture chamber for the V-E-T to come.


The V-E-T comed in and sayed that yes, Penelope is a gurl. (Whew! We donnot needs to think up a new name.) The V-E-T sayed it is hard to guess age but Penelope is pwobably 5-6 months old. Do the math - Penelope could has been an Easter giftie bunny for chilluns. GRRRRR. All you hear at Easter time is bad, bad to give bunnies for Easter gifties but peeples no listen. Then when the chilluns gets bored with the bunnies and the peeples see how much werks they is, they turns them loose outside. This is what could has very well happened to Penelope. So tell everyone "Say NO to live bunnies for Easter!" (Click on the pic below for some grate bunny info.)


So anyhoo. Penelope got a very thoro exam. I mean hers even gotted the THERMOMETER!!!


Lookie how good her was. Penelope never struggled or putted the bitey on anyone. Like mom thoughted, she is a little skinnee so she has to gane some wates. Other than that everyfing looks good. And that baldiness spot... Well, mom thoughted mebbe Penelope was some kind of speshul wabbit breed wif a mohawk. The V-E-T sayed Penelope has grease on her head and that is wot is makin her furs spike up! BOL, BOL, silly mom. We is hoping that baldiness might be from the grease on her head. The V-E-T found no mite buggies so it not that but she thinks mebbe it can be ringworm - oh noes! That is so hard to gets rid of and so contagus. Penelope could has picked it up while running luse outside. We has to wate on the culture results to be sure. That takes a week or two so get comfy Penelope. You is going to be wif us a whiles!

Meet Penelope, My New Foster Bunny!

Isn't Penelope just the kewtest bunbun ever? She is so fwendly, never tries to put on the bitey and not minds at all when mom pets her or picks her up.


She is a little skeered of me but I just sayed "hello" and leaved her alone.


Somebody had seen Penelope hopping around their yard for 5 days and they broughted her to the animal shelter. Penelope was not going to be getting fresh veggies at the shelter and she was in a tiny cage in the kitteh room so I told mom she had to bring Penelope home for us to foster. So mom stopped and buyed some veggies on the way home with Penelope.


Penelope luvs hers fresh veggies so much that she yanks them out of mom's hand when mom brings the veggies to her cage! And then she does NOM NOM NOM NOM until the veggies is all gone. We can feel Penelope's little bones but she should put some wate on fast with all the noms she is getting here! (Pee Ess - the veggies in the pic above lasted for 5 days! She nommed that plus pellets, orchard grasses and hays!)


We has Penelope in a big cage. We used the doggie x-pen on top of a tarp which gives her 48 x 48 inches of space. You cannot buys a cage that big! We is all about giving our foster pals space. We no likes the cages they sells in pet stores coz they is way to wittle. We gaved Penelope a couple of litter box options (different styles with different kinds of litters) to see what her likes best and if she uses her litter boxes like a good gurl, then we will lets her hops around the room some. Cept for we has to be careful about Calvin, the foster dog. He wants to nom on Penelope big time! We dunnot allow nomming on each udder here.

Paulinskill Valley Trail (Blairstown, NJ - Stillwater, NJ)

We did our hikings on a Friday this week coz mom has plenty of vakashun times to use up over at her werks and today was supposed to be a grate wevver day. Just look at the pic of the sky on our drives out to the hikings. You can sees what a beeootiful day is was gonna be and this was at 7 o'clocks in the mornings!


We started out hikings at the same place as last week cept for we headed east instead of west this time on the Paulinskill Valley Trail.


Because we was on a Rails-to-Trails hike, there was old mile markings from when the train trackies used to be there. The "JC" means Jersey City so each marker is how many miles to Jersey City. We passed 7 of them so that means we hiked over 12 miles today! Probably 13 miles since we started before the first marker and turned around a bit after the last marker.


There was also some interesting historikal markers on the trail. This stuffs is all from way before I was birfed.




And lookie, we saw more horsies! Akshually, we probably saw about 20 horsies today but we didn't take pics wif all of them. I is now very horsie experienced and the horsie moms and dads all komment on how well behaved I is around the horsies.


Then I decided I would play like a horsie:


Then I metted a new fwend. His name is Pele (like the soccer player) and he is a hoomungus Rhodesian Ridgeback dawg. We hiked together for a while and did some swimmings. Pele was very nice.



Then mom saw this on the sides of the trail and it really creeped her out. Is it some sort of shrine or a religis kult thingie? Oooooo. Spooky.


So Pele and his mom gotted to their car and sayed good-bye to us and we finished and gotted to our car. On the way homes, the traffiks suddenly stopped on both sides of the highway.


What was the pwoblem? Oh, it was those construkshun werkers. Boo.


At least our side didn't stay stopped for too long but on the other side it was stopped for miles and miles and miles. Those poor peeples.

But we maded it home and it was a grate hiking day. I is going to nap in my hidey spot now. Bai.

Farewell To Our Foster Piggies, Thelma and Louise

As you can see, our piggie fwends is all gone.*sniffles* But rilly, it is a happee gone. They has left for they's furever home. Their new mom adopted a hamster from us long times ago and when she founded out Thelma and Louise was needing a home, she wanted to adopts them. That was so pawsome coz we noes they is going to a grate home!


Mom packeded up their dinner noms to go:


And here they is in their travel cage. They has a rilly huge cage on wheels at their new home:


If'n you dinnot noes the stories of Thelma and Louise, or if'n you would likes to revisit their time here wif me, I gives you the linkies coz you has to noes where they commed from to appreshiate where they is going.

Thelma and Louise dumped at shelter in the middles of the dark nights.

Cleaning out the piggie cage wif the piggies in it!

Thelma and Louise star in my produkshun of "G-Force"

Thelma and Louise wonned People Pets cutest Twitter pic! (click on the "next" button - they be the second ones)

Thelma and Louise on Petfinder.com

Holy smokes, the gurls hads a wild and crazee time while they was here! We hopes they enjoyed it coz we sure did enjoy hasing them wif us!

Update from Thelma and Louise's mom on 8/7/09:

Just wanted to let you know that the guinea pigs have settled in nicely. They are very hungry and very loud! And also very sweet and well-behaved. My cats ignore them completely. Thanks again!

Paulinskill Valley Trail (Blairstown, NJ - Hainesburg, NJ)

So today we did hikings for 11 miles on the Paulinskill Valley Trail. We took lots of pics of me by signs saying how far to different towns so we putted them all on the map.


There was lots of farms there what the trail passed thru so mom tooked this pic of me next to the giant corns:


Then all of a suddens there was a clearing and lookie, a little airport with airplanes!


At the airport was a restaurant where you can grabs a bite if'n you wants some noms and they even has horsie parking! But there wasn't any horsies there.


Then on the other sides of the river we seened where peeples set up chairs and a fire pit right on the waters. I could just picture sitting there in the dark nights with the waters flowing, roasting noms on the fires...


Finally some waters I could gets into in the Paulinskill River so I could cools off my furs.


And some more waters at Lake Susquehana:


What could this be? Who has feets like this?


Not me.................................... not mom....


OMD! It's horsies! Mebbe they is going to get noms at the airport restaurant.

The horsies stopped right next to me and their moms talked to my mom. They told her I was such a good girl to sit there quietly and not spook the horsies. I really did want to sniffs them, you know, like dogs do when they says hello to each other. But mom said that is not appropriate greetings for horsies and they would kicks me into tomorrow so no sniffings. Boo. But is was the closest I has ever been to a horsie.

When we was done with the hikings and heading home, we saw a farmer's market. We hads to stop there coz the piggies had eaten the last of their lettuces for bwekfast and we needed to get more. So we buyed them farm fresh veggies.


Oh, the eggs, well mom said she is making farm fresh eggs for dinner for us dogs tonight! Wowsa!

The piggies is hasing their dinner:


We dogs is hasing our dinner as soon as it kewls off: