There's No Bizness Like the Stray Cat Bizness

Feisty and Angel

I wrote this post on Saturday, but didn't have time to publish it. You will see why when I post again tomorrow.

I have been overwhelmed lately...so whats new? As you may know, a mother cat brought 4 kittens to my porch a couple weeks ago. I did the humane thing by feeding them and to my surprise...they stayed. (gasp!)

Now my intentions are pure. I can't turn my back on strays, especially in winter. My electric bills and food bills will testify to that.  I have 4 heat lamps running, numerous beds and blankets arranged to thwart the cold...and I go through so much cat food...and not the cheap stuff either. No, they're eating pretty darn good, ala Friskies and Iams, both kibble and canned. And while I'm saying that so are my raccoons.

Last Wednesday I waited until Ray went to work, then ... I went to work. I placed two square cages (used to hold my cats during hurricane threat) on my back porch. I then waited until the raccoons left (at 7am on the nose! I swear they adhere to a very regimented schedule of foraging. I rarely see any of them linger beyond 7am.) Then, while the cats were milling around, waiting for breakfast, I slipped the food into the cages...and in they walked. I closed the doors behind them. Success!

Well, not really all that easy, but I'm going to skip over how one of the kittens refused to get inside a cage and how the sister cat was MIA. And I'm going to skip the part where I knocked over the water dish and generally scared the snot out of the cats with my clumsiness...but still they were hungry and went into the cages and all turned out lovely.

Happy Birthday Herman!

Happy Birthday to Herman @TattleCat who turned 12 today. On February 2nd his buddy @TweetingTruman is throwing Herman a #Spypawty on Twitter. Herman chose a Catsablanca theme with black and white avis made using 1940s film stars. Sharlene Parker, who anipal tweets as Truman, is a dear friend who set up this party, sent out twtvites to his friends, and also set up a great blog to showcase the party's exotic theme: http://spypawty2.blogspot.com/

Herman @TattleCat, Truman @TweetingTruman and Thomas @PuppyNumber7 have been making cool avis for the anipals who don't have the apps or computer software to make their own. Here are a few Herman (ahem...I) have made so far:

Elizabeth @LilacBeagle

@DylCat1

@Henrythecat2002

@KaKay41

@Mikey_W_Cat

@RiverWhimsie

@StreamieWhimsie

@Taliessa

St Francis of Southaven

The other day my friend Natalie sent me the paw print quote. My sister Carolyn called me St Francis of Southaven. My friend Sue called my place Koz's Happy Home 4 Unwed Kitty Moms. Calling me a Cat Magnet or Crazy Cat Lady is a given. If they are homeless, hungry...and pregnant...they find me.

Last week a Mom cat and her sister, both maybe a year old and really small in size, arrived with four kittens in tow...2 black, 2 tabby. They took up residence on my back patio, already set up for my Siamese Yum Yum and Jesse the Wonder Cat (named that before I began tweeting for Herman @Tattlecat and actually met @TheWonderCats.)

My first encounter with Mom Cat was friendly. She let me pet her. The sister and kittens kept their distance and would come out of hiding only after I put down the food and left. Earlier this week while petting Mom Cat a tabby kitten was close enough for me to run my hand down Mom's tail and touched his nose. He blinked, but didn't run. Good sign.

Yesterday I found that same tabby sleeping in Jesse's chair under the ever-burning heat lamp (250 watts!). When I reached down to pet him he didn't run, and ended up with a wonderpurr body massage from head to tail. Later that night I managed to touch to all of the cats including the skittish sister. So progress is being made to tame them, although they aren't technically what I'd call feral. I've dealt with feral. Angel, a tabby who littered my backyard in Jacksonville for several years before I lured her into a trap with a salmon steak sauteed in lemon butter, was the Queen of Feral.

These photos were taken this morning during breakfast. The fog you see is the cold frosting my camera lens. I have 3 heat lamps burning for them, so no worries, they are snuggy warm.

I Can't Say No to Kryptonite Kittens

"Please don't make me move."

Look at that face. Is that a face you say "No" to?

No, as in no, you can't eat the food I left out for my regular cats. No you can't warm yourself under the heat lamp. No, you can't stay.

I've never been able to say No to an animal in need, and as of this morning I found out just how needy a couple year-old female sisters are when, at 4 this morning my husband woke me up.

"Come see what's sleeping under the porch lamp."

Uh oh. A raccoon? No, that's no big deal. Just last night I was touched to discover a young raccoon had curled into a tight ball on the porch sofa. I took its photo moments before it got up and wandered into the cat house where I had a heat lamp burning. Clearly it had done that before.

baby raccoon

I got up and followed Ray into the living room. We are light sleepers in our house, and tend to roam during the wee hours to discover what exactly goes on both in and outside the house. Ray gestured out the window.

Kittens! Three of them curled into a cozy cluster under the lamp. Two black, one tabby.

4 am -- kittens

 I could see Momcat inside the house. From a prior meeting I knew the Momcat to be relatively tame. I mixed up a can of stinky cat tuna with kibble and took it out to them. YumYum was asleep in the camp chair under the better of the two lamps. For whatever reason (Divine Intervention) I'd whisked her buddy, Jesse, into the laundry room the night before. It was bone-chilling cold, and Yum Yum can be a bit of a heat hog. Perched on the side of the chair, Jesse had looked miserable. With a bed, litter box and food and water, in my laundry room he settled in quite happily. Perhaps with Jesse gone, Momcat felt comfortapurr enough to bring the kittens on to the porch for the night.

As I stepped out, the cold hit me. It was 70 just a day ago, now it was sleeting. Of course the kittens scattered when they saw me, but Momcat came over to say hello. I put down the food, and the smell lured the kittens over. It also lured YumYum, but I had food for her and so everyone ate happily, and I went back to bed, after snapping a few photos.

4:15 am - kitten breakfast

When I awoke at 6, I checked to see if they were still there. Yep. Except now there were four kittens! Two black and two tabbies. Two tabbies? Oh no!

Tiger baby, looks male

All of the food was gone, so I made a huge batch and took it out to them. Momcat came over, kittens zoomed like crazed rockets around us. Then I noticed another black female...Momcat's sister. And man, doesn't she look like she could be... oh no!

I kept Jesse in the laundry room all day. He's fit to be tied, absolutely bored out of his mind despite the catnip, treats and toys I gave him. I know if I let him out, not only would he be miserable in the cold, but Momcat would take her babies away for safety. Jesse isn't aggressive, but I don't want to take the chance when its so mean and cold outside.

Kittens! I don't have room in my budget for kittens. I don't have room in my house for kittens. I do not want kittens. And yet... how can I say No?

Little panfur baby soaks under heat lamp

Toys for future hunters

Momcat is tame and sweet

Momcat and 3 kittens enjoy toys

Herman checks out the action

Junior practices for future hunting expedition

YumYum perches on chair while Momcat enjoys house.

I know God doesn't give me more than I can handle, but...  Seriously, Lord? Enough is enough!

Arriving in Heaven in Time for Christmas

1986

On December 21, 2012 my father-in-law, Leonard Kozlowski, left this earth to be with Jesus in time for His birthday.

While passing at Christmas puts a sad spin on what is supposed to be a joyous holiday, it actually worked out well because the Kozlowski's were already traveling home from the Memphis, Houston and San Francisco areas for the pending holiday.

 Dad had just celebrated his 88th birthday a month prior when he slipped into a coma. He waited for his youngest son, my husband Ray, to arrive at his bedside at 2:00 a.m. before quietly passing at 2:54. Ray had been holding his hand, whispering his good-byes, thanking him for his influence as a father, and assuring him that Mom would be taken care of. With a squeeze of Ray's hand, clearly telling him he understood, Dad passed...joining his daughter, Marlene, who had passed previously in 2004.

I loved my father-in-law. However, back when I first started dating Ray, I wouldn’t have thought I’d ever say that. He scared the dickens out of me. Like a Michigan summer, he could start out bright and sunny, but then explode into a stormy rage. Sharp-tongued. Loud. A man who gave you his opinion whether you wanted it or not -- Leonard Kozlowski made a huge, lasting impression on everyone he met.