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26 March 2007

Update on Deucalion

Posted in: Animal Rescue, Featured Animals, Feral (wild) Cat Rescue Stories — Tigger the Terror @ 3:00 pm

Hello Everyone,

Well, I haven’t told you about Deucalion in a while, so I guess I had better fill you in on all he has accomplished since the last post! As you well know, he was a feral (wild) cat rescue whom never had human contact in the 2 years of his life he lived outside.

Well, he tamed down incredibly fast which surprised mom to no end. Now, he never ceases to amaze mom and the rest of the family.

When we have company, he makes sure he is seen by all. He no longer runs and hides, but is well in plain view of everyone.

When we are out of food, he alerts mom and won’t leave her alone until we get more food!

He plays with mom and all others in our household. This is a rare thing for a feral cat to do; then again, Deucalion is no longer feral. He is very much domesticated!

Mom even put him to the ultimate test by opening up the front door and asking him to make his choice; outside or in. Deucalion did not hesitate to turn himself right around and march his self back into our home where he jumped on the cat-a-pult chair and fell fast asleep!

His graduation ceramony will be held next Friday, October 27, 2006.

Well, thank you so much for reading. Until next time, keep your claws sharp and your fangs white.

Tigger the Terror

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Mom has met her match!

Posted in: Animal Rescue, Featured Animals, Feral (wild) Cat Rescue Stories, Funny Animal Stories — Tigger the Terror @ 2:41 pm

Hi Everyone,

Well, you know how mom is always bragging about being able to tame down adult feral cats…well, she has finally met her match with a cat by the name of Dot.

(Read more>>>)

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Nutmeg & Spice-where it all began

Posted in: Featured Animals, Feral (wild) Cat Rescue Stories — Tigger the Terror @ 1:49 pm

Hello, my name is Donna Maltese and I live in

Dallas, Texas and I am
the one who found and captured Nutmeg and Spice. Leigh Foster had
requested that I write my story of them and it has taken me a couple
of weeks to gather my thoughts, as I have been very upset and sad
since they have been gone.
It was one year ago in the month of March, 2005, when I pulled into
my carport (which is across the parking lot from my actual apartment)
and saw a flash across the sidewalk. I immediately got out of my
car, walked up the sidewalk and looked in the bushes and to my
surprise there was a mommy cat with four little kittens. Mommy cat
looked so skinny, hungry and tired. So, I immediately got back in my
car and drove straight to Petsmart. I asked the clerk what was their
best kitten food and he pointed to Purina Kitten Chow (of course the
most expensive kitten food over the counter). I bought the food and
some plastic bowls and drove back home.Mommy cat chose this location because there were lots of bushes on
each side of the sidewalk and the apartment that was right there had
a porch that she can lie on, sunbath and feed her kittens. When I
returned I found her on the porch completely exhausted and feeding
her babies. She was very frightened of humans and passed this on to
her kittens. I quietly put some food and water down in front of the
porch and then I left.Well, this feeding now became a daily occurrence. Actually, I went
out in the morning and the evening to make sure that they were never
without food or water. Mommy cat knew I was good and was bringing
food but she was still leery and would hiss and hide, with her
kittens, in the bushes every time I approached. The funny part about
that was Nutmeg and Spice had no fear and they would peer there
little heads out of the bushes and watch me and listen to my voice.
This went on for several months.July came and the mommy cat and two of her kittens had disappeared
and Nutmeg and Spice were there to stay. Needless to say I became
very attached to them and visa versa. I would have loved to capture
them and take them inside with me, but I have 2 Persian cats named
Monet and Chanel, in a 1 bedroom apartment. Monet has Irritable Bowel
Disease and Polycystic Kidney Disease and this would be way too much
stress on her delicate little system.As the hot summer months of

Texas passed on by, my babies were now
staring to grow up. I work from home, so I found my self going down
there 3 times a day to make sure that there was plenty of water and
of course food. Nutmeg has long hair and the heat affected him a
little more, so he drank lots of water. I some how came up with the
names Nutmeg and Spice and started calling them by their new names.
Eventually, they would come when I called them. If they were under
the bushes and heard me talking with someone in the parking lot,
they’d come right out and stand a couple feet from me. Nutmeg loved
to stay under the bushes and Spice was the little traveler. She
wouldn’t go far, only from building to building, but she’d always
come back and was waiting there at feeding time. Now you have to
understand that we are not allowed to feed wild animals in my complex
or we would be fined, so I had to hide their food and water in the
bushes. Another roadblock was that the guy, Richard, who lived in
the apartment where the bushes were said I can feed the cats, but
then he blocked off his porch so they couldn’t go on it. That broke
my heart.Winter soon approached and I thought that they would take off, but
they stayed. As they became more comfortable and attached to me they
would come as close to 1 foot from me, but they wouldn’t let me pet
them. I then turned to one of my dearest friend’s, who is a
veterinarian, Dr. Anna Gardner, www.petsynergy.com. She advised me
to make a shelter for them out of boxes, fleece blankets and plastic
bags. So, I created what looked like a space ship in the bushes.
Nutmeg and Spice sat right there and watched me create this
masterpiece. Now the beauty of this, is that where I put it no one
could see it, not even Richard who lived right there. I also had the
housekeeper, Shalise and the grounds keeper, Manny, covering for me.
Needless to say Nutmeg and Spice loved and used their new bungalow.Shortly after, Dr. Anna Gardner advised me that I really needed to
try and capture them and get they spayed and neutered, or the problem
would multiply. She also stated that they were not true feral cats,
as true feral cats would not even come anywhere close to humans.
These were definitely homeless cats, since I have raised them since
they were about 4 weeks old and they would come when I called their
names. I didn’t want to get them spayed and neutered until I could
find an inside home for them where they could stay together. So
between Dr. Anna Gardner and myself, we contacted over a dozen cat
rescues and were turned away. When they heard my story they still
classified them as feral and basically shunned us away. They
wouldn’t even listen to reason. They all said that they would be
untamable and would never be able to be touched. Dr. Anna Gardner
has worked with and rescued several cats like this and assured me
that they can be tamed as she has accomplished this herself. It just
takes lots of time, patience and love, all of which I had given to
them and just needed to find someone who would follow in my footsteps.I then turned to my friend Laura Long-Edwards, The Pet Fur’tographer,
and asked her if she could take pictures of Nutmeg and Spice to put
on the web. She did just that, and between her, Dr. Anna Gardner and
myself over 500 emails went out on January 10, 2006, looking for a
new home for my babies. Well, by the Grace of God, he sent me Leigh
Foster. I was ecstatic when I received her email. We all thought
that she was a perfect fit.Now, the next issue was to find a foster home that they could go to
after their surgeries to recovery and to give me time to find
transportation up to Michigan. So emails went out again. And once
again, by the Grace of God, he sent me Darlene Gibbons. This was
great as she is a cat rescuer and lives in Carrollton, Texas, which
is only 20 minutes away from me. So, I then booked the spay/neuter
appointments for February 3rd and then went and rented the traps to
catch my babies. I had to pull all food up the night before I was to
trap to get them real hungry. I felt horrible. They were starving
and even came across the parking lot to look for me.The evening of February 2nd turned out to be a nightmare. I had never
trapped cats before and I was doing it by myself. Well, I really
can’t say that because I only called Dr. Anna Gardner about 20 times
for assistance. As always, she was there to guide me. She had me
start at dawn and by this time they were beyond starving. Since they
were kittens, they had never gone without food nor did they ever have
to go and find food, as I was always their supplier. Under Dr. Anna
Gardner’s counsel I took one of the traps and placed it in the bushes
and put tuna on a paper plate and placed it under the trap. I then
turned around, walked down the side walk to get the other trap and
BAM! I got one with in the first 5 minutes! It was Spice. She was
frightened and was trying to get out. I couldn’t believe it. I
didn’t know what to do because I didn’t think it would happen so
quickly. I thought of what Dr. Anna Gardner had told me and I got my
bearings and proceeded with her directions. I then took a towel that
was sprayed with Rescue Remedy and covered the cage. She immediately
calmed down. I took her up to my covered porch and put another towel
over her and she was quite calm and was there to stay for the rest of
the evening. Now came the hard part. I thought that if Nutmeg saw
his sister get trapped, that he would have run away, but he had no
fear. I then moved the trap to another area and I went up stairs and
then would come down every 15 minutes. And every time, Nutmeg would
come out of the bushes and scream. He was starving but he would sit
in front of the cage and would not go in it. At 9:00pm I caught a
stranger cat and he was really freaking out and I let him go and it
was pure entertainment for Mr. Nutmeg. He sat on the step and watched
the entire fiasco. I finally gave up at midnight because I had to get
up early, so I took the trap and put it on my covered porch next to
Spice and thought that maybe he’d come up to look for his sister.
Well, no such luck. I got up at 5:00am and no Nutmeg. I showered
and this time I decided to use sardines instead of tuna and I covered
the trap. So when I came out, Nutmeg was waiting for me. I set the
trap up and he was right by my feet. I turned around and he went in
and the trap door didn’t work! So, I came back and Nutmeg came out
yelling at me as if to say, “Hurry up!”. He was practically on my
feet. So I fixed the trap door turned around and BAM! I got him and
at that very moment it started to rain. I ran him up stairs, covered
him and put him right by Spice and he calmed down. Evidently, he did
not like tuna! Go Figure. Needless to say, I was on my knees
thanking God that he had guided me to trap them both before the
weather took a turn for the worst.The spay/neuter went well. To my surprise Nutmeg was male and Spice
was female. Their behaviors told a different story. Even the vet
was surprised. Now it was off to Darlene’s house, where we had to try
and get them in a 2 tiered cage. This was difficult as the only time
that they have ever been touched was by the vet. Well, we had quite
a time getting them in the cage and they were so frightened. Thank
God for Darlene’s experience. We pushed the cage against the window
and covered it with a blanket. Now once again, Dr. Anna Gardner is
to the rescue. She advised the following: Spray the blankets with
Rescue Remedy Spray, Plug in the Comfort Feliway Zone, Put the
following in their water daily: 1 dropper full of Bach Aspen (for
apprehension and vague fears), 1 dropper full of Bach Rescue Remedy
(for calming), and dissolve 1 tiny tablet of Aconitum Napellus 30X
(for fears) (Hyland’s brand), and then were to put in there gravy
food a 1/16th of a teaspoon of powdered vitamin C (Non-Acidic Natrol
Ester-C powder, 100% vegetarian), to boost their immune system. I
went over every single night and did just that and also cleaned their
litter and the cage.In the mean time I was panicking as to how we were going to get these
cats out of the cage, get them to the vet for a health certificate
and then on to a plane. So, I proposed a plan to Leigh, to come to
Dallas and help with the cats. I told her that as soon as my income
tax check came in that I would pay for her flight to Dallas and all
meals and expenses. She gladly accepted and I couldn’t wait for her
arrival. I usually make a yearly donation and this was my donation
this year. I was actually seeing my money going to help kitties that
I knew..my babies.As the weeks went by Nutmeg and Spice were getting acclimated to
their new indoor surroundings. One night on February 28th, 10 days
before Leigh was to arrive; I was cleaning their litter and didn’t
realize that I was petting Spice. I was very upset that day because
my Monet was very ill and she was on my mind. So I then started to
pet Nutmeg. I was so excited that I was beside myself! I called all
my friends and told them the good news. Dr. Anna Gardner was not
really surprised as she had stated before that they were not really
feral cats and thought they could be tamed as they were very docile.
I do believe if I gave it another month I would have been able to
pick them up, as Nutmeg eventually let me move him across the cage.
But I already paid for Leigh’s fight and didn’t want to loose all
that money and the plans were already in place.March 9th approached quickly and Leigh had arrived. I was so
excited. We went back to my place and I showed her where it all
began. Then it was off to meet the little ones. I assured them that
it was alright and Nutmeg was very cordial, as he let Leigh pet him.
We didn’t stay too long as we didn’t want to wear out our welcome.
The next day came and Leigh was not really feeling well. We had a
little difficult time getting them out of the cage and into their new
carrier and bed that I had purchased for them, for their journey back
to Michigan. We went to the vet, Dr. Trisha Ballard,
www.alternativeveterinaryhospital.com, and she didn’t even take them
out of the carrier. She just wrote up the health certificate. Thank
God! She also had me purchase Composure Liquid, by vetri-science, to
put in their food to help calm them down for the fight. Leigh still
wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to upset them, so I went over the
rest of the nights and fed them and put this in their food. This
really helped to calm them. Good thing after the flight that they
had experienced.March 13th came way too quick and I was a devastated. I cried the
last night I saw them and cried the entire time at the airport and
thereafter. I made sure that I gave Leigh all their meds, food,
Nutmeg’s favorite sardines, blankets, toys and of course their new
carrier and bed that I had purchased for them. Leigh took a video of
me to play for them so they wouldn’t be scared and promised me that
they would have a great home. That they were going to stay in a
bedroom with a bed, TV and a window. And that she would play the
tape of me and put on Animal Planet. And then she would leave their
carrier with the bed and blankets with them for awhile so they will
feel safe and that she would also slowly introduce her family and her
other cats, in due time. I felt at ease and much better after
hearing her game plan. I wasn’t crying because I wasn’t sure what
kind of home they would have, I was crying because I was giving up my
babies. I felt like part of my heart was being taken away. After
they left I cried the entire day and I still cry a little bit each
day. They were a big part of my life and have left a big imprint in
my heart.I have learned that any cat can be tamed if you just give them a part
of your heart, have lots of patience and put your faith in God, as he
will always send angels to assist.I am so pleased that Leigh was able to continue the holistic regimen,
from Dr. Anna Gardner, in addition to essential oils, after they
returned to Michigan. It’s such a compliment that Leigh is using
the phrase I told her about “Never Say Never” as it so fits a feral
rescue, and if I every win the lottery, as I have stated repeatedly
to all my friends, that’s what I will name my Rescue Group!In closing, I say this from the bottom of my heart and with tears in
my eyes, God bless and thanks to all who have helped in giving my
babies, Nutmeg and Spice, a chance for a safe and happy life.Paw Hugs and Kitty Kisses,
Donna Maltese

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Nutmeg & Spice Update March 20, 2006

Posted in: Feral (wild) Cat Rescue Stories — Tigger the Terror @ 1:14 pm

Merry first day of Spring to Everyone!

What a glorious day it is (although it is a tad bit chilly here in the North, but lots of sunshine!). I hope everyone is experiencing a very positive and uplifting day! If not, then try to smile while reading this post and hopefully by the time you are done, you’re day will be a little brighter! *huge SMILE!* Nutmeg and Spice are doing so wonderful! They look happier and are becoming quite comfortable in their new surroundings! They don’t even give me a second glace anymore! Now, for those of you whom have never tried to tame a wild cat, this is truly a miracle that they are taming so fast. Trust me when I say that those whom have tamed wild feral cats or attempted to are picking their jaws up off the floor right now. That is why I am talking to you right now, so they have time to catch up with us! LOL….(I know, I’m warped. That’s part of my charm. *smile*)

(Read more>>>)

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Nutmeg & Spice March 17 2006

Posted in: Feral (wild) Cat Rescue Stories — Tigger the Terror @ 1:03 pm

Hi Everyone,I am very excited to report that Nutmeg and Spice ate everything that was given to them last night and drank all of their water! Their stool looks awesome and all is excellent! This is such a very good sign when dealing with feral cats!

(Read more>>>)

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