Cats Like Bags

Sati is a huge fan of plastic bags. She often steals them when we bring in groceries. Can you find her ear poking out of the one above?

She likes bags enough that she didn't even notice when she ran off and it was still hooked on her tail. See, she's perfectly calm with her bag-pants despite Peach getting quite excited. A few seconds after the photo op, he pounced on her and the bag was no more.

Please note: plastic bags can be very dangerous to cats just like they can be to children. NEVER leave a cat (or dog or child) alone with one. It's okay to let them play with them, as long as you're monitoring them.
Here's a safer and equally fun alternative: the paper bag. Sati approves.

Play Dead....Good Boy

Starsky likes to get himself all nice and comfy in the dog bed. Apparently, having his legs straight up in the air is quite enjoyable...

New Blog

So, I realize I've already been quite lax on updating this blog but I'm about to tell you it may get worse. I'm planning to tryout for roller derby. I don't expect to make it this round (tryouts are in October and I just started last week), but I'm hoping to make it by next year. Meanwhile, there are open skates and occasionally workshops for us "skater-tots" (roller derby girl wannabes) so that will keep me pretty busy. I've added a blog on my profile to keep you up-to-date on my skating progress, if you're interested. You can also go to it here: I Wannabe A Derby Girl. I will try to keep posting photos, info on this blog but we're at a bit of a stand-still pet-wise right now: no fosters, everyone fairly healthy and accident-free.


Even the pets have gotten lazy - Peach can't be bothered to get up...but he's still going to find a way to smack Boulder around.

Funny Pet Pics

Sorry for the long absence (a lot of personal stuff going on). We haven't had any new fosters, but with 6 pets (3 dogs & 3 cats) we've been busy enough.

Peach learned a new trick in the last couple months - jumping on the shower door frame. He fell off a couple times before he got the hang of it; now, we'll often find him just hanging around up there in the middle of the day.

The most amusing way to torture the pets is to stick peanut butter on their noses...they'll be licking at it for hours!

Petsmart Grand Opening

This was a very big weekend - Friday was the 2008 Turtle Derby at work to benefit the Children's Center (our lab's turtle, "Neuro Ned" came in 2nd in his heat, but didn't get to go to the finals); Saturday we went climbing again after literally YEARS of not doing so (awesome, but I'm very sore now); and today was a Petsmart Grand Opening in Abingdon. There were giveaways (we snagged some on Saturday after climbing, along with some good opening-day deals on the staples - dog food, cat food, cat litter). In addition, Luna's House was there both days for an adoptathon. What's great about Petsmart is that they don't sell cats, but do have a cat area...for rescues to put their animals in. They generally work with one rescue (makes life easier) for each store and Luna's House won the right to have our cats/kittens featured at this Petsmart. They have such awesome cages (which I forgot to get a picture of) with plenty of room to roam and lots of cubbies for the kittens to play in. It also features an easy-to-clean surface that they put fluffy beds on.

Above, you see the greeter for the Opening Day festivities - the Petsmart dog. He was a hit with the kids, but the dogs HATED him...they all went ballistic when this guy roamed around. Guess they've never seen a dog that big.

This sad-looking gal is Margot, who was my charge for the day (when we are well-staffed, we pair people with particular animals so that you can be the go-to "expert" for people interested in that particular pet). And yes, she has two ears...she's just one of those dogs that has 1 floppy ear and 1 erect one. She is very shy, about 3 years old, and luckily had an adoption pending on her. She actually left early in the afternoon for a "home visit", which is the last chance for a rescue's trained volunteer to take a look around the home to be sure it is a good place for that pet. By then, the adoption application had already been approved and any other dogs may or may not have met him/her (any dogs the family has must meet the potential adoptee before everything is finalized, to prevent any fights or returns b/c they don't get along).


We had about 4-5 dogs at this event and plenty of cats. We did well - enough kittens were adopted that we had to have someone bring in new ones from foster homes. In addition, a couple other dogs were in Margot's position with an adoption pending a home visit. Timmy (above) is a pit-lab mix who was a typical ball-of-fire play-play-play puppy. He found great amusement tearing up that piece of rope and trying to get everyone he met to pay attention to him. He did finally zonk out in the afternoon and then we pushed him around in a cart with a balloon tied to it. He and another dog, Darcy (puggle mix), both had serious inquiries with applications by the end of the day. They're getting neutered/spayed tomorrow and then, fingers-crossed, they can go to a forever-home after their 5-day recoup time. Pretty good event!

Daphne

Well, I am returning Daphne to Luna's House tonight. I realize that I am no longer able to foster her and it is better for her to be with someone who has more time and space to take care of her. If you are interested in adopting her, please contact Luna's House directly. At least she was able to enjoy some of the lovely weather we had last week before I had to give her up - she very much enjoyed being outside.

I Don't Get It

Poor Starsky. He's been with us for about 5-6 months now, but there are still so many normal dog-concepts he just doesn't understand. Like tennis balls. Originally, he simply had no interest in them. He sees Shelby playing with them, though, and has started trying to take them from her - big mistake. Luckily, Shelby gives a warning nip before she'd fully bite him. So, we got him a bright pink ball of his own (Shelby has claimed the 3-4 yellow ones). He stared at it for a good 5 minutes, sniffed it, and then attempted to eat it. Oh well, we'll keep working on that.


Yesterday, he about gave me a heart attack. I've been working on a final paper for class, and decided to take a break and bring the dogs outside to visit the neighbors. Starsky loves our neighbor's English bulldog, Cleavus, and they started racing back and forth across the lawn. Cleavus kept sliming him (bulldogs are big droolers) and we were all having a good laugh...until we heard SNAP and Starsky kept running. He'd broken the leash and was headed, of course, straight toward the main road outside our development. We ran after him, trying not to get so close that he would run further toward traffic, and called his name. Literally two feet from the road (and CARS!) he turned and came back toward us b/c he spotted Cleavus (we'd brought him along to try to convince Starsky to turn back to us). He ran right up to Cleavus and I was able to grab the remnants of his leash to wrap around my hand. That was certainly more than enough excitement for one day...and now we need to buy yet another leash.

Poor Sati

The cats are overdue for shots (not horribly overdue and they are inside-only cats so it isn't too bad). Sati proved easier to catch, so she went first. We already knew she had a problem with her gums, but thought we had been taking care of it with special oral sensitivity food and a supplement we add to the cat water (which is safe for all the cats). Unfortunately, she needs a little more help than that.

As you can see in these photos, her gums are very red and inflamed. We had no idea because she (like most cats) isn't fond of people opening her mouth and never made any of the typical signs of pain (scratching at her face, meowing, hiding, etc.). She purrs and plays like nothing is wrong.


There is no cure for Sati's gum problems; it is a genetic anomaly that affects quite a few cats. What we are doing with the food and water is helpful, but she will need a full dental at least once a year (possibly twice a year, but we're going to start with once a year since it is expensive). Misty's making her an appointment for next week and we still have Peach and Boulder to get to the vet. Boulder was there not too long ago b/c he went blind (the medication seems to have worked and we're pretty confident he has some sight back), but we didn't want to put him through getting shots then as well since he was already so traumatized. Peach is always a hit at the vets b/c feline cutaneous asthenia (the stretchy skin & flaccid joints from lack of collagen) is so rare. Plus, he's just a sweetheart.

Daphne Prefers Animal Planet

Yep, we're still fostering the rabbit. Daphne is proving a bit difficult, but she is a sweet bunny that I'm sure would make someone (i.e. someone ELSE) a great pet. Mostly, I think she just doesn't get enough attention at Casa El Perro y Gato. I let her out at least an hour a day, but that often means letting her run around the room while I'm working on the computer. We've tried having the cats out with her, but they get too rough. She's also been peeing outside her litterbox, which I can't seem to stop. I've tried bigger boxes, corner boxes, putting newspaper and towels underneath, etc. Still, she chooses to pee right beside the box, which suggests it is her being a vindictive little brat. As if there wasn't enough to clean...

Peach Hugs

Every morning, I wake to the sounds of cats fighting inches from my head (or sometimes across my head given that the broken bed is back on the floor) about an hour before my alarm is set to go off. Joy. But, in an attempt to make it up to me, Peach always gives me a hug when I get out of the shower. It is hard to get a picture of him doing it, but it is a literal hug with a paw on each shoulder and his head against my chin. Who can be mad at a cat that does that?

Something is wrong with this picture

Whenever you have a rough day, there is always one of these furry kids to welcome you home with love and wagging tails. Wait a second....Starsky shouldn't be welcoming us home - he gets crated during the day (otherwise he eats the house)!

Notice anything about his crate (other than the mess)? Perhaps the fact that all the carabiners are still in place (the simple latches weren't enough to stop him from escaping, so we had to put an additional lock on the crate using carabiners). Look toward the back right....


Yep, good ole Starsky not only escaped from his crate, but he also left his harness behind...attached to the STILL-LOCKED crate. We're dumbfounded and may have to install a watch-dog camera to figure this one out.

Sweet Dreams

When Tasha gets too whiny at night, someone inevitably ends up on the couch. But, of course, that is no escape from all the animals since a couple are bound to follow and join you.

Meanwhile, Tasha happily takes over the bed and is quiet...this was probably the reason for her whining all along.

Starsky's First Dog Park Visit

We took Starsky for his very first dog park trip. He was a little apprehensive in the car ride over, but he got so excited when he saw all the dogs running around. His little butt wiggled so much that his whole body was flopping from side to side. He even found another beagle, which made him very happy.

Shelby spent most of the time lying next to Misty, but she still enjoyed the fresh air. Tasha mostly walked her perimeter and ate grass, which she later threw up. But she did find this nice big guy to play with for a little while.

Ah, now that is one happy Starsky!

Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Parade and 5K Race

It was a busy weekend. On Saturday, Daphne went to an offsite adoption event. She had a great time and voluntarily climbed into a little girl's lap to be petted, but she didn't get adopted. I'm just thrilled to see all the progress she has made from a scared, not-so-nice rabbit to actual pet-material. If you know anyone looking for a bunny, Daphne is pretty awesome.

On Sunday, we traveled to downtown Baltimore for their St. Patrick's Day Parade and 5K Race:


I was NOT running, but Misty did, as you can see above. She was too fast to get as she came at me and Tasha watching from the sidelines, but I did get a photo of her back as she went by. She actually shaved a good five minutes or more off her treadmill time, which is tremendous.


We got to the city at about 11:30am, even though the race wasn't until 1:15pm and the parade didn't start until 2pm (we were worried about finding parking). Pets on Wheels was #64 or so out of 90-something groups, so we had plenty of time to sit around waiting. We got a little bored, so we tried to draw clovers on the dogs. Tasha's came out pretty well, I think. Don't worry, the spray was non-toxic and SAID it washes right out, though I discovered it was a little harder to remove than claimed.

I love this photo. Tasha is always draws a pretty good crowd, as does Kayleigh the Great Dane here. You can see the little boy really really wants to come pet Tasha and has drug his mom halfway across the street to get to her.


Ahhhh, Tasha actually rides well in the car after a parade has tuckered her out. And the best part is that she sleeps through the night after one - no whining at all hours to pee or be fed or to stand in the rain.

Blind Kitty

We went to a meeting for the Luna's House Rescue group Friday night after work. When we left, everyone was being their usual whiny, grumpy, play-with-me-now selves. We were gone about 2.5-3 hours and, when we returned, we noticed something was wrong with Boulder. He is usually the first one to the food bowl when I go to feed the cats, but he didn't show up at all. I called him, thinking he might be downstairs or accidentally shut into a closet (hey, it happens - they wander in when we're not looking). He finally appeared on the other side of the baby gate, but he wouldn't jump it and just seemed "off". Misty heard me asking him what was wrong and she came to look at him. Turns out, he's now blind!

We kept an eye on him all night, but none of us (including Boulder) could sleep. He was obviously upset by this sudden turn of events - he could see one minute; the next, he's blind. At least when an animal gradually loses sight, it is easier to adapt. We took him to Misty's vet before her morning appointments on Saturday. The vet commented on how tolerant and nice Boulder was for the exam. The optic nerve was okay, no signs of neurological damage (like what you might see if he fell or was hit/bit), but he was definitely blind. His blood pressure was slightly elevated, so they suspect it may have spiked on Friday night, rupturing both retinas. They had actually seen it in a cat the week before, though that cat had only ruptured one of its retinas and could still see out of the other one.

So, the plan of action is to obviously cater to Boulder's whims. Aside from that, we have medication to lower his blood pressure, which *might* allow him a tiny bit of sight back...though it is doubtful. He is getting his blood pressure re-checked today, as well as finding out the results of his blood tests (to see if he has a thyroid problem). He already had a heart murmur, but it was small and probably not related to any of this. We set Boulder up with a brand new bed that has very low sides (so he can crawl in easily) and catnip (so he can smell his way to it) - he seems to like it. We will also have to put him on a leash to get him to walk around the town house to re-learn where everything is by steps, smells, and sounds instead of sight. Poor guy.

Welcome to the Family, Demon Dog

Isn't he just such a weirdo? Who sits on the arm of a couch? Well, we think Starsky has joined the "unadoptable" ranks, which means we'll be adopting him. He is just incredibly destructive due to his separation anxiety and, if we didn't adopt him, he was going to be moved to another foster home. We would never know how he did in his next home and would be worrying about whether he reverted back to being scared or if he bit someone (from fear) and was put down (since he was already on probation for that). So, he's going to be ours.


This was one of his more annoying destructive acts recently. He tore apart the window fan that we've been putting on the floor for Tasha. She's been whining non-stop since it was destroyed, so our first priority will be to buy a new one.

Not Such a Good Dog

Ah, the joys of fostering. Starsky has severe separation anxiety, meaning he has to be crated when we are away from the house. Unfortunately, Misty and I both work full-time so he is crated a lot. The crate we have is about 4 times the recommended size for his breed at least, so he does have some room to move around. It is obviously not an ideal situation, but we (and the beagle rescue) felt it was better than having him in a cage at the vet all day and night....or having him put to sleep. That's the thing with fostering; rescues sure know how to guilt-trip you.

Well, Starsky has managed to find a way out of his crate. The first time, I think he somehow wedged the bottom tray up and squeezed around it (the bottom bars of the crate are big enough for him to fit through, but there is a full tray that sits on top of them). After that, he managed to break out. He bent the front bars of the crate and chewed a large enough hole in the bottom tray (see the blue arrow below) to fit through.At first, it was almost cute the way he would great you at the door with every toy from the toybox, some of your clothes, maybe a blanket from the bed, etc. Then, he started getting more destructive in his frustration. He pulled down the curtains in the front den (this he actually managed to do while still inside his crate!) and shred them. We weren't heartbroken as Peach had already partly shredded them by climbing up them (note to cat owners: don't buy lace curtains). Then, he ripped a hole in the carpet:

He wasn't done though. Since the crate is broken and useless, we kept him in the upstairs bedroom for the day on Thursday. Shelby and Tasha were with him, which we'd hoped would keep him entertained or at least in line. They failed their duties as mentors, though, and Starsky ripped up the carpet all along the doorway:

Tonight, we're buying a new crate and starting Starsky on medication. He really is a sweet dog and adores people, despite his obvious abuse (he tends to cower, even with us, at times). He'd make a great pet, but he needs someone that can devote more time to him and maybe has an actual yard to get out all his energy.

And to think, Misty thought fostering the rabbit would cause a lot of trouble. ;-]

Picture of the Day

Isn't Tasha so cute? She seems a bit confused about how to sleep in her bed, but considering she has been favoring the closet and crate as sleeping spots lately, this is an improvement

Foster Bunny

Well, I got my wish and we now have a foster bunny. This brings our animal total up to 7: 2 dogs & 3 cats that are ours, 1 foster dog, and 1 foster bunny. This is Daphne and she was once used for research in a laboratory. Her eyes are actually black; they came out devil-red in the photo. She is not too fond of people right now and is a bit "cage protective", meaning she'll snort and smack you if you put your arm in.

Bunnies are a lot more work than I'd expected. Daphne has to get 2 cups of fresh greens (at least 3 different kinds) every day along with 1/4 of her rabbit pellet food and fresh hay. She also uses the bathroom wherever she feels like it, so I spend a lot of time picking up rabbit droppings...especially when I let her out of her cage for exercise.

So far, I think only Peach has made friends with her, and that is only because he likes to eat her hay and play in her cage. Daphne gets along well with cats, but ours aren't the nicest to her so they mostly get kicked out of the room when I let her out. And it should go without saying that the dogs aren't allowed in the room - I bought a new extra-tall pet gate that has a small door for the cats to go in/out and a handle for us humans. Let's see them try to jump that!

I Bought A Car!

I did not pick out my first or second cars. My parents bought a dependable Saturn for my first car. It was awesome not to have car payments and I adored my little boat of a car (though I was terrified of driving). When I was in college, some idiot hit me head-on at 80mph in the rain - he crossed several lanes of traffic to do it. My first car was totaled and I was really banged-up (neck, back, and wrist injuries), but I was glad to have survived it. The insurance covered medical bills and the car damages, so my second car was mostly paid for. Since I was laid up at school with injuries, my parents picked out this car as well - another Saturn. Still a great car and I have very fond memories associated with it. Seven years and 170,000+ miles later, my car was costing more than it was worth. So, I had to go car shopping.

I did lots of online research and decided to stick to 3 companies: Saturn (since I was familiar with them), Honda (b/c of reliability and high safety ratings), and Toyota (same reason as Honda). I also decided on what were the most important attributes: safety, fuel efficiency, and cost. I was bummed to determine that, even after the gas savings, hybrids were too expensive for my budget. I actually made a chart that graphed cost of vehicle vs. average fuel efficiency. I also called my insurance to find out how my rate would change for each car (click on the above picture for a bigger view of my chart). That brought me to my final four that I intended to test drive:

2008 Honda Fit - 5-door hatchback with "magic seats"
Pros: cheapest in cost & insurance; most fuel efficient (avg 30mpg); lots of extras come as standard (side air bags, A/C, power windows & doors, etc.)
Cons: smallest engine; smallest wheels (14" Fit; 15" Fit Sport); had heard it feels a little unstable to drive on highway

2008 Scion xD - 5-door hatchback that replaces xA (Scion owned by Toyota)
Pros: next in line for cost & insurance; fuel efficient (avg 29mpg); bigger engine than Fit; also lots of extras as standard
Cons: not as much cargo space as Fit; I don't like the console (speedometer & tachometer are combined and the center has like blinders on it); wider than Fit so not quite as maneuverable (though it is shorter than Fit)

2008 Toyota Carolla - 4-door sedan
Pros: 3rd for cost (after adding what is standard on Fit & xD) & insurance; fuel efficient (avg 30mpg - same as Fit)
Cons: boring car; not as maneuverable b/c wide; have to add on a lot of what comes standard on other cars

2008 Honda Civic - 4-door sedan
Pros: fuel efficient (avg 29mpg); extreme reliability (work colleague has one with over 200K that is still going strong)
Cons: most expensive for cost & insurance; boring car; not as maneuverable b/c wide

After my test drives, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Fit performed. It did not feel shaky (and we took it on the highway); it turned on a dime (quite a change from the Saturns); shifting gears was completely smooth. The dealership only had 2 Honda Fits, both Sport models. I looked at what extras came with the sport model for the extra ~$1000 (cruise control, MP3 connector, bigger alloy wheels, plus stuff I don't care about - rear spoiler, paddle shifters, option to run car in manual, etc.) and decided it was worth the cost.

Here's my new cute little Honda Fit next to my old Saturn (which has since been sold to CarMax - check them out; I got more than I thought for the car). The Sport version also has fog lights, rear spoiler, and bigger (15") alloy wheels with wheel locks (apparently people like to steal these wheels).

View of the console - I really like the placement of all the controls in the Fit. The Sport version adds cruise control, paddle shifters, and MP3 connector.

The back seats are actually fairly roomy and very comfortable - they even recline! They have headrests, but I took them off for better visibility out the back window (I'll put them back if anyone ever rides back there). They are 60-40 split, so we can ride with dogs and humans.

This hatchback has pretty good cargo space with "Magic Seats". The picture shows it in "Utility Mode". The back seats can also fold up to create a "Tall Mode" that will fit a standing bicycle. On long trips, you can fold the front passenger seat down and recline the back seat for "Refresh Mode", like business class seating.

It's a fun car to drive and has made my daily commute a lot more pleasant. Now, all I need is a name for her.

Starsky Made a Friend

Aren't they cute? Tasha is being very tolerant of Starsky, which is very good for his self-esteem and overcoming his fear issues. He is smitten with her and loves to follow her around. When I come home from work, I take him & Shelby out for a potty break. When we come back inside, the first thing he does is run upstairs to check on her in the closet.

Tasha's New Trick

Tasha has been feeling much better, but she's developed a little quirk since she took ill. She's been sleeping in our closet a lot. She's usually in there when I come home from work and sometimes goes in there at night. We've actually figured out that she eats more food if you feed her in the closet late at night. No idea why she wants to eat in the closet at 11pm, but at least she eats. The crate you see above is actually for Starsky, the foster (aka El Destructo), to prevent him from tearing up the house. Apparently, Tasha is fond of sleeping in the crate when we're all home and Starsky is out of it. Weird dog.