Thursday, February 11, 2010

3 Kitties Needing Homes - HELP

This is Mario’s mom reporting today.

@PeroDaCat’s mama is scheduled to move to an Assisted Living Facility in Arizona March 1st.  Much to her sadness, she has to find a home for 3 of her 4 dear kitties. The Assisted Living facility will only allow her to bring one kitty with her. Imagine how you would feel if this were to happen to you. So 3 kitties are up for adoption.

I have pictures of 3 of the kitties – all are indoor kitties only.




Pero - showing off his big, beautiful fluffy tail.
Age 2 to 3
Personality: Laidback















Gwim (the Panther)
Age 2
Personality (Silly monkey with brains)











Mama Kitty  (2 pictures of Mama Kitty)
Age 1.5
Personality (kinda bossy, but cuddly)


















Abby (Tortie)   
Age 10
Personality (Scaredy Cat)





@ForeverGinger has started a fund raiser to help with cost of transporting these cats to new homes, ineeded. Please consider helping – every little bit helps and we are trying desperately to find homes for the kitties. Please read Ginger’s page for details.  http://foreverginger.chipin.com/perodacat-fund

@Hollieferguson has a link posted on her blog page also http://hollieferguson6.blogspot.com/

Pero’s mom has been agonizing over which kitty to keep. She has decided that whatever kitty doesn’t find a home, she will keep that one. Please help spread the word that these kitties need homes.  If you have some information or have a lead that might helpful, please email hollieferguson6@gmail.com and she will forward the information to Pero's mom.

If you are on Twittr, you can contact any of the following names as they also have Pero's email address. 

@ForeverGinger
@Hollieferguson
@Flicka47
@LouPeb
@ChesireK
@MaggieTKat - who has also posted this information on the Maine Coon adoption site.

Or you can tweet @PeroDaCat's mama directly if she follows you.  If she doesn't follow you, that won't work.  It might be a little harder to reach her as I don't see her on Twitter every day.

Do not try to contact me for 2 weeks.  We are leaving on vacation tomorrow morning 2-12-10 and won't return until 2-26-10.  Even though I'll be on vacation for 2 weeks, thoughts and prayers will be going out to @PeroDaCat's mama and the kitties.

My special thanks to @ForeverGinger and @Hollieferguson for their helpfullness in taking over since I can't be here and for all the work they have done behind the scenes to help out.

Special thanks also to @Rumblepurr for his posting the information on http://www.blog.catblogosphere.com/

Also thanks to @Flicka47, @LouPeb, @ChesireK and @MaggieTKat for holding on to the email address and being contact people.

We have an amazing group of animals and humans who always seem to come through in helping others.  I just know we will again this time

Monday, February 8, 2010

Mario's Great Adventure - Prelude

Something strange is going on in dis house! It’s a very messy house with clothes tossed about. There are plastic bags stuffed with more clothes. There are also two big boxy-looking things with wheels and handles. I think the oomans call dem suitcases. Then M tells me I’m going on a great adventure for 2 weeks. Now I ask you – what would you make of this!

Well, I overheard the peeps talking about taking a vacation, but then what to do with me. They talked about having my regular pet sitter come in, but then they said I’d get so lonely for 2 weeks cuz she can’t stay overnight. Then I heard dem ask my ooman sisfur if I could come there. (Dis is NOT good news)  They did tell my sisfur dat if it didn’t work out at her house, they could bring me home, call my pet sitter, and she’d come and take care of me the remainder of the time. (Now, I ask you -  why can’t I just go with my oomans?)

My sisfur has two cats. There is Big Guy Amos, a nice gentle, 13-year-old Tortie. Big Guy doesn’t mind being around me as long as I leave his food dish alone. (He’s not overweight by accident.)  Dis is Big Guy and me in front of the patio door looking for birdies.

 
Then there is Missy Hissy Keiko, a 13-year-old Tuxedo cat dat looks like me. Missy Hissy HATES me!! (Just because I stalked her a few times when she’s been at my house, is no reason to HATE me!)  Dis is Missy Hissy’s picture.   (Don't let dat innocent face fool you!)


I’m very grumpy. First my peeps put me through months of vet and dentist visits. Now they are going on something called vacation and dumping me at my sisfur’s house.

Now, I ask you, does this sound like a great adventure to you? I confided in my girl friend @hollieferguson, and she has a plan to rescue me. Leave it to Hollie to come thru for me when my peeps desert me.

Please come back in three weeks to see how dis big adventure turns out (if Missy Hissy doesn't kill me first).

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Where Did My Toothies Go - Part 3

Well, friends, if it seems like dis story has gone on and on, you are so right. It’s still going on a little bit anyway. The Dentist decided on 9-22-09 dat the 4 canines needed to be removed. My immune system doesn’t like toothies or the bacteria associated with them. So, I went to sleep again.

I has to tell you, when all your toothies are gone, your mouth feels really funny for awhile anyway. The first two days after they were pulled, I kept rolling around on the floor because it felt so funny. M said I was on pain killers for 5 days, so I wasn’t hurting. I just didn’t like the feeling of no toothies. I didn’t feel like eating much either. M was about going crazy trying to find things I’d eat. M says my Twitter friends were so very helpful with suggestions on what to try and do and so was the Dentist. My food was mashed or thinned down with cat milk for a couple of weeks. Most of my food was yummy, some not so yummy. M gave the food I didn’t like to a friend who feeds a feral kitty, and dat kitty was thankful to get it. He he – I suppose if you is very hungry, you will eat anything. After lots of days, M surprised me and put my dry kibble in the bowl. Boy, dat really tasted good and I ate it all up. He he –My peeps even broke their own rule and started sharing their fish, chicken and tuna with me. About the only thing I can’t eat now is ooman beef cuz it’s too tough for me to chew with no toothes!

Dat’s a pic of me eating my dry kibble just to prove to all my friends dat you can still eat kibble or crunchy things after you has no toothies.

When I saw the dentist again for my checkup, the redness was still der. He called a pet formulary pharmacy and had a special medication made up just for me. He had been doing research, and another vet in California (wherever dat is) had a lot of success with dat medication for kitties like me. I was on dat stuff for about 4 weeks. He he – it was chicken flavor, it really was pretty tasty. I still took it under protest tho, just cuz I don’t want peeps to think I like meds. (Please don’t tell M or the Dentist tho. It’s a matter of principal. We cats are not supposed to like medicine.)

I was just back to see the dentist about a month ago because M & D were concerned dat there was still redness way in back of my mouth. The Dentist told M and D not to worry because there was no infection.   Since I was eating well, not in pain, playful, and back to being a normal kitty, he’d leave it alone. He said he could do surgery to remove all the bad tissue, but didn’t want to go dat route yet. He told my peeps dat his theory is “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!” (he he – I like his attitude. Don’t want no more surgery – ever!) He did take pictures of my mouth with a camera dat day so he had something to compare with if I came back again. M says it was so funny, cuz der were about 5 peeps hovering over me all trying to see in my little mouth. I didn’t think it was funny tho cuz I still don’t like anyone prying my mouth open. How would the peeps like it if 5 of us cats pried open der mouth and peered inside!

So friends, finally the end of my toothie story. M and D say I have been such a good boy throughout the 14 months this was happening. I has to admit, I was a good boy and only gave everyone a little hard time now and den – I am a cat you know, and that’s what cats are supposed to do.

I don’t know much bout money cuz I don’t have any. But M tells me dat what dey spent on my toothie problem, she and  D could take two 2-week cruises. But, she always adds dat I was worth it cuz I’m such a sweet, loveable boy who brings dem lot of joy! She also tells me dat if dey run out of money, I’ll have to get a job and support dem! He he - I was telling @JessicaKorman dat one day, and she suggested I become a professional lap sitter. If you hear of any job openings, let me know. I would do a very good job and am dependable.

I want to thank all my Twitter friends for their thoughts, prayers and concerns during my toothie ordeal. You were always der for me and M and were so very helpful with suggestions. We loves you all.

I also want to thank all my faithful blog readers for listening to me go on and on about my toothies. Hopefully, I won’t be blogging about dem ever again cuz I don’t have any! He he

I’d also like to thank Dr. Kressen for taking such good care of me for 6 months. If any of my animal friends are having serious toothie problems, I would highly recommend you visit Dr. Kressen’s website at: http://mypetsdentist.com/ and become informed as to what your options might be. If you live in WI or close to our boarder and your vet wants to refer you to a specialist, I would highly recommend Dr. Kressen. His office has seen clients from all of our neighboring states. They truly love each animal they care for der. We are very fortunate to have him so close – only an hour away.

Oh – and they have the neatest resident cat living der, named Sebastian. He just showed up on the doorstep of the clinic one day a few years ago. He is now their official ambassador/greeter. When the oomans sit down in the waiting room, Sebastian will jump up on the nearest lap and start purring. When you check Dr. Kressen’s website out – scroll thru the first page. Halfway down is a picture of a long-haired, light-orange kitty dat’s being held my one of the techs. Dat’s my friend Sebastian.

Please come back next week tho cuz M says I have an adventure coming up. Geeesh – I hope it isn’t anything like the toothie ordeal.

Notable Timeline: Maro was adopted 10-15-08. Our local vet pulled 2 teeth on 2-24-09 and indicated it looked like Mario had lost 1 tooth earlier in his life via some unknown reason. Dr. Kressen pulled all teeth except 4 canines on 7-29-09.  4 canines were pulled on 9-22-09.  Last check-up trip to Dr. Kressen was 12-14-09.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Where Did My Toothies Go - Part 2

Boy, (moving tongue around in mouth) that was some nightmare dat I just had. YIKES – dat was no nightmare. Dat very nice Dentist man stole all my toothies – well not all – I still has my fangs! I must be still dreaming, I thought. This can’t be real!

Well, I wasn’t dreaming. My mouth felt so funny with only my fangs.. Dr. Kressen and my peeps were talking about how he decided to try to save the canines since they didn’t appear to be too bad yet. He said he had cleaned out all the little toothie fragments left behind from previous dental work and cleaned the canines well. He told my peeps it was very important to brush those toothies every single day and not to miss even one day. Den he proceeded to show my peeps how to go about this. He petted me, gave me a kiss on the forehead, said he loved me, and I was such a nice boy. I even got another nose tap! Den he gently opened my lips just a little so he could get at my fangs and brushed dem with something called chicken toothpaste. Yum! It actually tasted good. Den he gave my peeps a tube of dat toothpaste, and two different kinds of medicine – a pain killer and antibiotic, and said to take dem twice a day until gone. (On no – medicine 2 times a day – no way, I thought)) He also wanted me back in 2 weeks to see how I was doing.

Now what cat likes taking medicine? Certainly not me! This is a picture of me bundled up so I wouldn’t fight my oomans on taking the nasty stuff. Yup – it was a very humiliating experience.  he he - I made sure it took two oomans to give me my medicine too.  I wasn't going to take the stuff without a fight!


I has to brag a little (it’s my blog) because I was a good boy with getting my 4 toothies brushed. Dat paste stuff was really tasty. My oomans even showed my pet sitter how to brush cuz dey were going camping on a long weekend. (he he – I was a good boy for her too).  It’s not dat bad getting your teeth brushed cuz you don’t have to open the mouth wide – just a little to get at the teeth & gum line.  The toothpaste really does taste like chicken!

Now if there is a bright side to getting your toothies pulled, it's dat you get to eat good, soft, canned food for a couple of weeks.  You also get lots and lots of attention and laps to sit on.   (Boy, I had my peeps at my becken call)

Den one day I was thrown in dat box thingy again (it is never a good sign of how the day will go). Oh noooooo! Not back to the Dentist man. But dis time he only looked in my mouth and said my peeps were doing a good job of brushing, but my mouth was still red, and he didn’t like the looks of dat. Take some different medicine, he said. He also told my peeps dat when the blood work came back, it showed my kidney enzymes were slightly elevated, which might have been caused from my not eating or drinking much before I had my toothies pulled. But, to be on the safe side, I should go see my regular vet and have dat checked again in a couple of weeks. He also told my peeps to bring me back again in a month so he could take another look. In the meantime my peeps were to keep brushing my toothies.

So, I had to make a couple more visits to my lady Vet. She poked me with the needle thingy and also looked in my mouth. I guess the kidney enzyme test still showed a slight elevation, but don’t worry yet. Let my system settle down and have the test taken again.

We made another trip back to the Dentist, who said – yup – still a little redness, but we’ll watch a little while longer. Maybe my immune system is still raging. Try to keep me from being stressed! (Well, the only thing causing me stress in my life is all the trips in the car to see vets!) He said wait another couple of weeks, den bring me back to him without food and he’ll take more pictures and be ready to pull the 4 canines if necessary.

Stay tuned my friends – my toothie story isn’t over yet.

If you haven’t done so yet, you might like to check out Dr. Kressen’s web site as it is very informative about dental health for all animals – even for my doggie friends http://mypetsdentist.com/

Notable Timeline: Maro was adopted 10-15-08. Our local vet pulled 2 teeth on 2-24-09 and indicated it looked like he had lost 1 tooth earlier in his life via some unknown reason. Dr. Kressen pulled all teeth except 4 canines on 7-29-09.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Where Are My Toothies

Where Are My Toothies – Part I


He he - dis is a pic of me supervising M's work on Twitter. 

Now the story you’ve all been waiting for:

Life in my new house with my new family was pretty good until one morning I woke up and didn’t get my breakfast treat. In fact the food dish had disappeared completely. The next thing I knew, I was grabbed and stuffed in dat box that was used to pick me up at the shelter. In just a few minutes I was back at the VET lady’s place. M gave me a smooch and said she’d pick me up later. It was scary to have M leave me der all alone.  The VET lady poked me with something and I went to sleep. When I woke up, I discovered the VET lady had kept 2 of my toothies. Doesn’t she have enough of her own, I thought.  Why she need mine? Now she’s stealing toothies from the anipals that visit her.

Well, M did come back to get me. I heard VET lady say something bout dey had to pull 2 of my toothies cuz they were so bad. Also, my gums were infected. So VET lady gave M some stuff in a bottle and told her to give it to me 2 times a day. Den M was supposed to give me some sort of soft foods for 2 weeks and come back in a month to be looked at. Well, I thought, der is no way I’m going back to dat place cuz they steal toothies.

I didn’t like dat yukky stuff in the bottle at all, so I’d try to fight my peeps. I guess I just wasn’t strong enough tho cuz dey always won the fight!

Well, M says we have to somehow shorten dis story or it will go on for pages (it might anyway).

I made several trips back to dat Lady VET cuz each time I went, she said der was still infection. She had tried 3 kinds of antibiotics and even gave me a shot of Cortisone. Finally one day she said "I’m afraid Mario is one of those rare cats that might be allergic to his own tooth decay. “ She said she’d like to “refer us to a specialist that deals in animal dentistry.”

Dis was not sounding good. I didn’t understand it all, but I knew it sounded bad.

Then one day night I went to get a snack and a drink of water –but the evil food snatcher came back and snatched both my food and water. I should have suspected dat something bad was going to happen, but I didn't.  (M says I not the smartest kitty they’ve ever had – guess she’s right.  But she does say I'm the sweetest. he he)

The next morning my peeps grabbed me and stuffed me in dat stupid box again. Dad sat in the back seat with me and the box, while M drove this thing called a car. I wasn’t too happy until D opened the box and let me sit on his lap. I liked dat much better den being in the box thingy. It wasn’t nearly as scary sitting on dad’s lap. It seemed like we were in dat thing called a car forever. . (M says it really is only 70 miles away and it took us less den an hour.)

The man VET was kind of goofy, he he. But he was nice. He kept talking to me, petting me, and even kissed me on the head. Den he gave me a real nose tap. Yes – you read it right – a real nose tap. He he, it’s the first time I’ve had a ooman give me a nose tap with der nose! He told M dat he really loves cats.  I must say I really felt special and dat he truly did love me.  He told M and D he was going to take X-rays (whatever dat is) and dey should go home and wait for his call. He said I’d be there most of the day. I just knew dis was going to be a very bad day! Den he stuck me with something and I don’t remember anymore. Now M is going to take over part of the story cuz I wouldn’t understand it all anyway. Besides, I guess I was sleeping.

This is Mario’s mom talking. The Dentist explained that Mario had Stomotitis (meaning inflammation of the oral cavity) and Gingivostomatitis which is another term to describe this condition. He recommended pulling all of Mario’s teeth, but if possible, he would to try to save the 4 canines in the front. He would not know if the canines could be saved, however, until he was actually doing the surgery. He explained that it was good we brought Mario to him because it would be important to clean out the area where the 3 other teeth had been pulled. If there was even a tiny fragment of tooth chip left in his mouth, Mario would forever have problems, and the infection would probably be fatal once the it entered the blood stream.

If you would care to read more about this fatal disease, you can see Dr. Kressen’s very extensive web site, complete with many photos of actual diseased mouths, at: http://mypetsdentist.com/  Scroll to the bottom of the home page, Click on Cat Dental Care  and you will find Feline Stomotitis.  

Dr. Kressen stated that if he was able to save the 4 canine teeth, it would be very important to brush those teeth every single day for the remainder of Mario’s life. Well, I wasn't sure how we'd ever brush a cat's teeth, but we promised to try if he could save the 4 teeth and we'd face the brushing when we needed to face it.

This is enough for this writing. Stay tuned next week to see if the 4 canines were saved and to find out what happened next. 

Noteable Timeline:  Mario was adopted 10-15-08.  Our local vet pulled 2 teeth on 2-24-09 and indicated it looked like he had lost 1 tooth earlier in his life via some unknown means - pulling or accidental loss.  The Animal Dentist pulled more teeth on 7-29-09.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

New Beginning - New Home

I know many of you are anxious to hear how I became toothless. Well, today we’ll get started on dat, but it is a very long story – too much for 1 day M says. In fact, it’s ongoing. So, please stay with us.

The car ride seemed to take forever and it was scary. M tried her best to talk to me and comfort me, but I was worried bout this place called VET. We finally got der, and I met the nice lady VET. She poked around on me a little, den made me open my mouth. Hisssss, I no like dat at all, but I let her do it. “Oh dear,” said VET lady. “This is a nice little boy you have here, but he will need to have his teeth cleaned and maybe a couple of them pulled” Well, I didn’t like the sound of dat at all. VET lady told M to bring me back another day with an empty tummy! Oh, no – I thought. Now what have I gotten myself into. I’m going to go hungry and then they will take my teeth out!  Maybe being adopted isn’t so good after all! M told VET lady dat they wanted to make sure I was pretty healthy kitty so they not have to be faced with big bills. M told her they are retired and income is very limited. (whatever all dat stuff means.)

VET lady said no worry – “just get teeth cleaned, and he might have to have a couple pulled depending on what I find.” "Other than the toothie problem he is a healthy cat." VET lady even told M “You have a good boy here,” cuz I was being such a good boy and even purred a little for VET lady.

Well, I finally got to my new home and had fun exploring. The first thing my peeps did was to take me down some steps into something called a basement and put me in a litter box. Guess they thought I’d be a dumb little boy and not be able to find it on my own. (Sometimes those oomans aren’t very bright!) It was fun in the basement, cuz there are lots of things down there to crawl around and into. He he – I even came out of one hiding place with something called cob webs hanging from my whiskers. M said I looked so funny, and now she wishes she would have taken a picture of me. After a few minutes of exploring, I was ready to see the next room. Dad was stretched out on something called a recliner. I thought that looked like a good place to be, so I jumped up on his lap and started purring. I made myself comfy and stayed there purring for a long time. I didn’t even care to see the other rooms of the house cuz I was happy I had found a forever home with good laps to sit on. Purrrrrrrrrr

Dis pic is of me on Dad's warm, cozy lap.  It's a good place for naps!



Well, I did eventually explore the rest of the house and found my food dish and water. What more could a little guy like me want – food, water, litter box and a warm lap!

M & D were very surprised dat night when I proceeded to jump right on the bed, snuggle down and sleep with them. M said it was like I had lived der for years and knew dat’s where I was supposed to sleep.  (Well, duh - where else would I sleep!)

The next morning I heard M and D discussing what name they should give me. Well, M went off to some place called “the office.” When she came home later, she said a friend at work said I should have an Italian name because M & D had just come back from a Mediterranean cruise and had made 5 stops in Italy. Dat nice lady thought I should be called Mario! So you see, dat is how I got my name. He he, I’m not even Italian.

Now come back next week because dat story is all about how I became toothless!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

A Very Lonely, Empty House


Thank you for coming back for another visit.

Dis is a picture of me (on the left) with my ooman sisfur's kitty, Big Guy Amos.

To refresh your memory, M & D had to go on a vacation right after der Misty crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

Two days after M & D came home from their vacation D says to M, “If a person wanted to get another cat, how would they go about it?” Now, this is a human, M tells me, dat said when they got together a long time ago dat he really didn’t like cats – he was a DOG man. Now 3 cats and 1 doggie later, he wants to know how to get another kitty!  He he, M is wondering what planet he lived on for the past several years. Well, the next day dey came to the shelter where I was living.

I was in a big room with bout 20 other cats, just hanging out, hoping someone would like me cuz I was getting very tired of dis place. Den one day I looked up and saw dis big man and lady looking through the glass at me. When dey opened the door and walked in, I ran right up to the big man and rubbed against his leg many times. He reached down, picked me up, and I started purring and licking his face. It was instant love for us. Meanwhile, the lady went to the snobby Princess cat and picked her up. He he – but Princess didn’t like being held all dat much and scrambled to get down. He he - dat made me very happy cuz Princess was, well, a princess. She thought she ruled the kingdom!

I sat on the big guy’s lap while the lady talked to the worker at the shelter. I could hear dem taking something about dey needed a cat dat would get along with their daughter’s 2 cats. Meanwhile, the big man is telling M “How about this little guy? “ “He’s very friendly & loveable.” The shelter lady even said I would be a good cat based on what the man and lady had told her. But the lady said something bout how they shouldn’t rush into a decision and should come back the next day. Boy, did I ever feel sad den. I thought sure dey didn’t like me. I know de big guy really wanted to take me home right den and there.  Don't know what the lady's problem was cuz I was very nice and loveable to dem.  But I resigned myself to having to live at the shelter forever or suffer the horrible fate of simply disappearing one day, never to be seen in dat room again like I had seen happen to other kitties der. 

I was surprised the next day to see the big man and lady come back. I immediately ran right up to the guy and started purring again. Dis time the lady picked me up and sat down. I purred for all I was worth and even nibbled on her cheek for good measure. It was my goal to really impress the lady so she would love me like the big guy did.

The shelter lady told M & D I really needed to go to a home cuz I had been der 2 months and needed to get out of der. Shelter lady kept telling the guy and lady dat I was really a sweet cat and had a good disposition (whatever dat is)  Well, finally the lady said they would take me but would come back the next day cuz something bout dey wanted to take me to the VET and VET not open on Sunday. So, I got sad all over again cuz I thought they still didn’t want me.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw the lady come back the next day carrying a box. I saw her through the window doing something with papers. Den pretty soon she came into the room I was in and picked me up. I purrrrrrrred for all I was worth. Dis time it worked.  The lady, who I now call M, put me and the box into the car and told me we were going to stop someplace called the VET and it would be okay.  We be der soon.  Well, I was very scared and worried bout what this VET thing was.  I was trying to meow, but my meow was coming out all croaky - kind of like a frog.  M laughed at me and said I sure had a funny meow!  Well, duh - I was in a strange boxy thing being taken somewhere called the VET and was SCARED TO DEATH!

Well, dat’s enough for dis day. Come back again next week and hear what happens next.