Heigh-ho, heigh-ho…

Thursday, November 19, 4:02pm
Lots of work these past few weeks! We sent Ghana and Kitkat (now Kafka) out to their new home. Chiroru, now Leo, will be adopted by his foster family, and the 2 remaining siblings from this group are now being considered by a couple for adoption. We’re a bit over the number of kittens that we still had at the same time last year, but we’ve had more requests for adoption this year, so I think we’ll be alright. Have decided to collect all of the adoption pictures and notes from adoptive families on each cat’s page connected to the rescue list. Keeping it all in one place should make it easier to provide clear updates.

Went out to ARK’s autumn workday at the site of the new sanctuary. We picked up rocks and cleared branches in preparation for when building starts. The leaves were gorgeous, the air was fresh, and we all had a good time while getting a lot done. Some of the volunteers brought their dogs along, and it was fun watching them enjoy running around while we worked. Such a lovely, natural location for a sanctuary…I just can’t wait for building to begin. We had a nice barbecue in the evening and some folks camped out in a large tent at the site, but I went back and stayed at ARK’s shelter. I enjoy checking in on some of the happy residents there, and also chatting with volunteers.

Also attended a party at the Osaka Ramada Hotel, marking ARK’s 20th anniversary. They allowed dogs to attend the party, which was a first for the hotel! Everyone dressed up, and there was a parade entrance for the dogs.

Poppy has gone to stay at the clinic, to see if the vet can find the cause of her neurological problems, and a treatment, as he’s not completely convinced it’s lymphoma. She had become unable to walk easily to her litter box or to stand without wobbling severely, and we were worried about her falling into a very uncomfortable position. It had become particularly heartbreaking because she couldn’t bear to be separated from us, and kept trying to walk up the stairs. I had her on my lap whenever possible, even through the night, but she would attempt to get to her litter box, and fall off the bed. The vet recommended that he keep her at the clinic, to see if he could find a treatment that would improve her condition. David is going out to the clinic this evening, with Birdie, so he’ll check on her progress then, but we are very concerned about Poppy’s quality of life. Birdie continues to have her drips, sometimes here at the shelter and sometimes at the clinic, but the more important issue is her anemia. We’re having a difficult time getting her to eat much–even AD–and she has lost a great deal of weight. I open packets of every food imaginable, throughout the day, and she’ll nibble a bit, but nothing substantial. Fantasia, on the other hand, quickly volunteers to clean up the leftovers! Our vet is not at all keen on doing blood transfusions, though I’m not sure it would even be a consideration in this case, and I believe he’s already giving her Epogen injections. Not sure what else we can do, but David will talk with him about it tonight.

Specter and Wybie are back from Nagoya for a bit, since Cassie needed to make a trip to her home country suddenly. These two boys are so big and strong! She’s done a fantastic job socializing them and giving them the best of care. Their siblings staying at the shelter are a bit behind, but are quickly catching up. We seem to have cleared up most of the health problems that they came in with, though some will have permanent eye impairment. But it’s not really noticeable, as far as their physical appearance is concerned, or their ability to move around. Tricky remains at the clinic, since his condition has improved, but still remains delicate.

Shana had gone to be fostered long term with a retired couple that we had helped with TNR several years ago. She’s come back for a few days, since she developed drippy diarrhea, and the couple didn’t want to leave her alone in that condition, when they went out of town overnight. No parasites or bacteria, so we assume it has to do with a change in diet, or stress related to relocating. This is a cat that wants constant attention, and we were so relieved when we found this placement for her. I’m hoping we can clear the diarrhea up by adjusting her diet, so that she can go back as soon as possible. They’ve called asking when she can return, and she cries so mournfully from her cage, but we want to be sure that she goes back in good health.

We received some terrible news last week…One of our previously adopted kitties died tragically, after being let outside. This is a good family, and they are completely devastated, but it has caused us to firm up our indoors only policy. It’s such a difficult issue…healthy kittens are being destroyed at animal control centers daily, and it seems a shame to deny them homes based on an adopter not being willing to keep their pets indoors. Good people often have strong views on whether cats can actually be happy, without access to the outdoors. Of course we think an outside enclosure solves that problem effectively, but we also believe that cats can live very happily indoors for their entire lives, and there is so much sorrow when an accident outdoors occurs. We do return feral cats to live outdoors after neutering, since their nature makes this necessary. However, there is no safe way to let a cat freely roam outside, and if a cat has become accustomed to indoor living, there is no reason to let them out. We’ve done our best to get that message across, loud and clear, but we have to do better.

New rescue…a 5 month old kitten abandoned in front of my school building. She was in a panic at first, but is slowly calming down, and David has been able to pet her little by little. She had obviously been living outside, as her ears are scabby and dirty, and her growth seems a bit stunted. All white, with one blue eye and one brown, I think she’ll be a real beauty once she cleans up and socializes a bit more. With 4 new local TNR projects underway, I have great hope that we will see an end to local abandonment in the near future!