Category Archives: Pets

my current and past family pets

My Thursday Night

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Because last week was horrendously busy, here’s a post from January, 2021. No doubt you don’t remember it so it’ll seem brand new to you and to me as well since I have the short-term memory of a hamster (2-3 seconds long). So here we go…

So Thursday night at about 8:30 I’m relaxing in my favorite chair, feet propped up on the ottoman, when I decided to check on one of my foster cats. A couple minutes later I return to find my dog Taffy munching something orange. I thought, what is that? That’s when I saw what was left of a pack of gum.

Scene of the crime

I’m a gum chewer from way back, which is why a friend gave me a pack of Trident Orange Swirl with my Christmas gift. It sat on the table next to my chair, which apparently was a big mistake. Sugar free Trident has xylitol in it and is extremely toxic to dogs. So I quickly called Pet Emergency because Taffy didn’t have the courtesy to poison herself during regular business hours.

Pre-Taffy

Pet Emergency had me call the ASPCA Poison Hotline to give them info so they’d know how to treat Taffy. Turns out xylitol causes hypoglycemia, seizures, liver failure and sometimes death. It’s even more toxic to dogs than chocolate.

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Sometimes People Suck

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I’m getting closer to figuring out why I can’t seem to post an original blog at this time but I’m working on it. In the meantime, here’s one from October, 2020 that I hope you enjoy…

Now don’t get me wrong; I believe most people are good. Really I do. But occasionally it’s hard to remember that fact when experiencing evil. Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in. Patience dear friends…

As you know, a good portion of my time is spent helping feral cats. We have colonies of sterilized ferals living on public land where our dedicated volunteers feed them. On occasion we leave a motion sensor camera to alert us when newbies show up, as ferals can be elusive.

And that’s how we discovered a black and white cat engulfing the food at one of our locations. Our volunteer, Shirin, along with other volunteers, alerted us to this new cat at our feeding station.

Shirin
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Last But Not Least

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Last but not least in the lineup of my furry family is Mango, an orange and white tabby female. You’re probably relieved to hear this is the last chronicle since it’s taken a couple months to introduce you to each animal. Let me tell ya, coming up with new blog posts 52 times a year isn’t easy (and why I sheepishly reprint some from years ago). I’m counting on you not remembering them because sometimes even I don’t.

Mango’s first photo

Anyway, when Mango was a feral kitten, a friend’s neighbor fostered her. He’s a cat guy (yes, they actually exist). But when he couldn’t keep her any longer, I decided to foster her and get my orange cat fix since I have a thing for them.

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Meet Piper, Failed Foster #8

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So let’s tackle Piper this week, shall we? She’s my latest cat rescue. When I fostered her and her sister, they were on the border of being beyond socializing at 4-months-old. Fortunately, her sister blossomed and was adopted. Piper, on the other hand, remained a scaredy cat — too young to relocate but too feral to be adopted. I thought, UH OH, here we go again. Meet my failed foster # 8.

Piper (left) with her sister

Skye, My Slightly Cross Eyed Feral Cat

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Number seven in the lineup of my furry family members is Skye, a Lynx Point. Where do I start with her? Skye is a complicated one, the most feral of my cats, followed by Mango, another of my skitty kitties. Both are afraid of their own shadow, which is one reason I had to keep them. Let’s take Skye today.

I actually didn’t remember where I trapped Skye because I’ve trapped hundreds of cats so I had to look her up. I’m not like my co-worker, Leanne, who has a memory like an elephant whereas mine is in the hamster realm, purported to be three seconds long. As it turns out, Skye and her siblings were trapped as kittens in the Mt. Shasta area and brought to Marin Humane where I fostered her.

Leanne
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