Sushi settles in....

I wanted to share a few photos of Sushi settling into her wonderful, forever home! I LOVED seeing these...brought happy tears to my eyes.

Audrey Hepburn...a furry brunette beauty in need of a home!

Meet Audrey (as in Hepburn). She is a PRECIOUS girl who was living under some bushes in an empty Kroger parking lot. A friend of mine and I were feeding her and are still feeding several other sweet, stray cats there. We are DYING to get them all out of there and find homes for them!! Audrey finally hopped in my car last weekend and rode home on my lap making biscuits and purring the whole way. She is a purrfectly wonderful cat. She loves to sit right on your chest and sleep. PLEASE let me know if anyone can give her a good home!!!! I will drive many hours to get her to a truly loving place. She is approximately 5 years old and has already gotten basic vet care (physical exam, combo testing, deworming and flea treatment), and I will take care of her vaccinations and confirmation that she has been spayed soon. The doctor shaved her tummy and there appears to be a spay scar.

Audrey in her bed ON the bed in her own private suite :).


Here she is after exploring downstairs and meeting our other cats. She got in bed with my husband and crawled onto his chest to help him read research papers. What a loving AND intelligent girl!

Silver screen kittens....

I have been temporarily fostering 3 absolutely beautiful kittens. Their original foster mom rescued them out of her trailer park where they were in danger of being killed by neighborhood dogs. They came to me for temperament testing. I was supposed to test their feralness and give my assessment on their adoptability. She had them for a month and their brothers came around quickly, but the girls were more scared and shy. When they first arrived here, Ava Gardner and Jean Harlow, would not even stand up at first because they were so frightened. They had zero confidence and stayed curled up in tight balls. Grace Kelly, the boldest of the group, came around quickly. She was playing and purring and waving her tail around within minutes. And now, after 2 weeks, the other two have completely blossomed. Gracie went back to the original foster mom, and it really helped the other two feel more secure since she was pretty dominant. Last week, I noticed that little Ava appeared to have a limp and after a visit to the vet and an x-ray, I found out that she had broken her leg at some point weeks ago and it had healed so that the leg is slightly shorter than the other. Poor girl! No wonder she wasn't feeling comfortable in her original foster home with the other rowdy kittens jumping all over her. Ugh. Thank goodness she is ok now! Ava and Jean(ie) are going to yet another foster home today. They will be with an absolutely wonderful family who will work to them adopted at the Caring Hearts' Petsmart weekend adoptions. I am going to miss them terribly, but my job is done and the next step must be taken. Paws are crossed that they will be in a loving, forever home before long!!

Grace Kelly



Ava Gardner



Jean Harlow

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb....FUNDRAISER for CATS in NEED.
I am selling this piece in my Etsy shop at a very reduced price as a cat rescue fundraiser. 100% of the sale will be donated toward spay/neuter/vet care for cats and kittens this spring. This labor intensive piece (40+ hours, was $600) has a special place in my heart. I made it in a fantastic dollmaking class years ago...was my first attempt at sculpting human hands. I put it up for sale for awhile and then I decided to keep it for myself, but I am now ready to let it go to help the kitties :)! I am getting so many sad, desperate email pleas for cats and kittens in need right now (especially in GA). Every single dollar makes a huge difference in saving lives.
Purrs to all~~

Double good news for Choo!

I almost forgot to tell you that Jimmy Choo's Leukemia re-test came back negative (!!!) AND he went to his forever home last week!!! We were beyond thrilled and relieved about his test results. His adopter was very excited too. She and her family wanted him no matter what, but we all wanted to be assured that he would live a long, healthy life from here on out. So, he is now in St. Louis with his wonderful family and his new best buddy, Milo. Thankfully, Milo was ok to let go of his "only cat" status and welcome Choochoo into his life with open paws :). They eat together, sleep together and play all night together. Joy joy!

Jimmy Choo update

A Jimmy Choo (aka Choochoo) update for all of his fans :)! This precious boy has been with us for almost 3 weeks now and he is doing so great....wounds are healed, eyes are clear, appetite is good AND he is sweeter and funnier than ever if that is possible! He is very chatty, very playful and very snuggly....purrfectly wonderful. BUT ...there is some potentially bad news...he tested "light positive" for Leukemia :(. I am refusing to be upset yet. We have our paws crossed that his system was able to fight it off and that he will test negative next week. And since he has 7 toes on each front paw, that HAS to bring him some good luck!! No matter what the outcome of his test, we will make sure he is loved and safe from here on out. We have a potential adopter already, so that is excellent news.

Back to Cat Chat! Chanel and Versace....

Last September, these two beauties were abandoned at the back of our neighborhood. They were living in the storm drains for weeks :(. A kind neighbor alerted me about them, so I asked her to start putting food out nightly for them by one of the drain openings so that they wouldn't starve but also to keep them coming back to one place. They were terrified and would only appear after dark. We were able to trap Chanel on our first try, but Versace wasn't ready to fall for our tricks. Fortunately, a week later, he couldn't resist the temptation of McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. THANK goodness! I was so happy to have them both safe and sound in our house.

I took them to our vet to be snipped, vaccinated and combo tested. They had already been spayed and neutered (at least their former owner had done that!!). Then I contacted Good Mews in Atlanta to see if they had room for them. They were willing to take them, but they had a rough fall with numerous door dumps and returns and slow adoptions, so we fostered Chanel and Versace until this week. Adoptions picked up at Good Mews so they were able to take them on Thursday. My husband had meetings in Atlanta so he was able to transport them. We were both SO sad about saying goodbye and we felt awful for them since we know they thought they were staying with us. It would be so much easier if we could explain things to them!

Well, this story already has a WONDERFUL ending! One of the volunteers who was there when my husband was checking Chanel and Versace in, fell in love with them and is adopting them both tomorrow!!!! I spoke with her on the phone last night and she is fantastic! They are going to be SO loved and well cared for. I can't believe how quickly this happened and how lucky they are! It makes all the tears and worry WELL worth it!

Meet Chanel and Versace!

As soon as I got Nadia on her way, I had to tackle trapping two new stray kitties in the back of our neighborhood. They showed up together at least a month ago and were living in the storm drains. Poor things were so scared that they would only appear at night when everything got quiet. I would see them on my evening runs but couldn't approach them without them darting into the drains or the tall weeds. A kind neighbor who lives closer to where they were hanging out than I do was willing to start feeding them. I wanted them to get used to eating in a certain spot so that I could trap them more easily. Last week, we got Chanel without much trouble, but her buddy, Versace, just wouldn't go in. But thankfully, a week later, he decided that our chicken nuggets were just too hard to resist! I was SO relived to get him inside and safe with Chanel.

I am convinced that they are brother and sister. They look alike except that Versace has longer hair. They both had already been spayed/neutered, so we just took care of their vaccinations and flea meds. They are incredibly loving and affectionate. My theory is that someone moved out of the apartments that back up to our neighborhood and abandoned them out in the greenspace near between the houses and the apartments. I cannot imagine how anyone could part with these gorgeous sweeties!

With fall and winter on the way, their lives would have been so miserable living in the drains and dealing with the harsh cold weather here. They are definitely happy to be inside and well fed! I am planning on taking them to Good Mews in a few weeks if I don't find them a good home around here.

Chanel and Versace reunited....purr, purr, purr....

Update on Punkamunk

Some of you will remember Punkamunk (aka Punks, the Munks, Punky Monkey). We trapped her in June after two years of trying. She is now safe and sound and very happy in my art room. Unfortunately, we recently got confirmation that her mammary tumors are cancerous. This makes me very sad, but I am trying to focus on the fact that she won't suffer alone outside and she won't be having any more litters of kittens to take care of. On top of the cancer, she also has an enlarged heart which is causing fluid on her lungs. I noticed that her breathing was heavy and took her back to the vet this week. An x-ray revealed her heart issues. So, she is now meds to get rid of the fluid. She is still in good spirits and continues to be incredibly loving and affectionate. I spend all day with her and enjoy every minute of her company. I can't imagine how anyone could have abandoned such a sweetheart, but it seems to happen all too often.

I also have a new foster kitty named Nadia. I will share her "tail" in a few days...another upsetting story but her luck is turning around.

Punky helping me reorganize my shipping materials. She made it much more fun :)!



In one of her favorite spots....


Enjoying chin scracthes....

Punka Munk

Punka Munk is one amazing old girl. I have been staring at her through our glass door for almost 2 years so it is surreal to have her inside and be petting
her. I was FINALLY able to trap her Friday night after countless tries
since we moved here. I literally fell into a pile of tears when I saw her in the trap. She has been pregnant over and over and would have her kittens somewhere far off in the woods. I have no idea what happened to all of those litters but not a one ever appeared. So sad and frustrating to watch and wonder about. Well, Punka Munk is now spayed, vaccinated and safe inside!!! What a relief. She is almost completely toothless...don't know how she was eating the dry cat food I put out. She is eating 3 large cans of wet food a day now :). She is also deaf...can't hear a thing. Yet another reason to be amazed at her survival with all of the cars, trucks and wildlife looming around. I was never sure if she was feral or just a longtime stray who was scared and cautious. Well, there is no doubt that she once belonged to
someone. She is super sweet and loves attention and affection....purrs and stands on her tippy toes for a back scratch. How could someone have let her go and put her through this?

During her spay surgery at the TNR clinic, they found a tumor in one
of her mammary glands so my regular vet will be removing that in a few
weeks. I read some scary stats on the internet about mammary tumors,
but we will just have to stay hopeful and be grateful that she won't
suffer outside no matter what.

I just moved her from our foster bathroom into my art room, so she
will be my art assistant. I am soooo looking forward to spending
all day with her and showering her with love. She is already sitting on the sofa in here taking a bath. Brian isn't thrilled at the prospect of another cat being here, but he totally understands her situation. I hope he will be ok if she
has to stay as a "permanent foster", but i promised I'd try to find
her a suitable home. We'll see.... I am already totally in love with
her and cry when I am with her...for so many reasons.

Purrs to all,
Carrie

Mr. Boyd (formerly Garfield) update

We had a wonderful weekend with a bittersweet ending! My parents drove to Lexington from Raleigh, NC for a visit. We had a GREAT time! We enjoyed meals at our standard favorites...Ramsey's and El Mariachi and tried some new places....Flag Fork Herb Farm Cafe and Claudia Sanders restaurant (started by Colonel Sanders' wife). Mom and I explored the used bookstore and several flea markets and antique shops on Saturday. We can ALWAYS find some quirky and whimsical treasures. We also had a delightful afternoon at the Talon Winery. It was the perfect way to spend a rainy day...sipping good wine and laughing with the other wine tasters!

As for the bittersweet part.... Mr. Boyd (changed his name from Garfield), the FIV+ kitty that I told you about, headed back to Raleigh yesterday with my parents. He is going to the wonderful no-kill cat shelter where my mom volunteers. I am SO unbelievably grateful for that. I know he will get excellent care and hopefully, the purrfect person will come along quickly and give him a loving home. I am just heartbroken because I loved him with all my heart. In 3 short weeks, he crept so far into my heart. His mannerisms and personality and those precious chipmunk cheeks....too much! I cried and cried yesterday as I loaded him into the car and watched them drive away. Fortunately, I talked to mom and dad twice while they were on the road and they said that Mr. Boyd sat on my mom's lap the whole way except for when he got down to use the litter box :). What a good boy!! They said that he watched the windshield wipers with great fascination and slept quietly the rest of the time.

Thank you to everyone who was concerned about Mr. Boyd! I have thoroughly appreciated the support.



Mr. Boyd's face looks so much better now, but I think he will always have a few battle scars on his sweet nose. He is full of character!


Afternoon at the winery...

SnipPet Fundraiser in honor of Be Kind to Animals Week!

In case you didn't know, Be Kind to Animals Week started today! Hooray!!!! I wanted to do something special to celebrate, so I have created a section in my Etsy shop dedicated to fundraising for three amazing rescue groups: Good Mews Animal Foundation (no kill cat shelter in Atlanta GA), Caring Hearts Feline Rescue (cat and kitten rescue in Versailles KY) and the Home At Last Feral Cat Program (spay/neuter clinic in Lexington KY). I have volunteered for all of them and can attest to the fantastic work they all do. They are all local groups that rely solely on donations, so they need our support.

100% of the sales in my fundraising section will go directly toward the group of your choice and it will be given in your name. Also, I am going to specify that the money be used to help fund their spay/neuter programs. So, it's basically shopping for snipping!! Lastly, as a little further incentive, I have reduced the prices of all the items that were put into this section to make them very affordable.

Click here to start shopping.

Gisele says, "Kindness to animals is what it's all about!!" (our former foster kitty... taken off the street and in a loving home now.)

Garfield...a sweet ol' lug needing a home!

A dear friend of mine takes care of a large colony at a Wendy's in Lexington. There are about 20 cats there and she has worked tirelessly to get them all spayed and neutered. The Wendy's is near a large, low income apartment complex so there is a constant trickle of new abandoned cats coming into the colony. Garfield is one of those...totally tame and sweet...just down on his luck. He has been living in the colony for awhile, and she was finally able to get him into a carrier last night. She brought him to my house to spend the night, and I was heartbroken after I spent a little time with him. He has cuts and abscesses and old wounds all over his face. His ears are full of mites and his eyes are swollen. He just meowed sadly and wanted to be rubbed and loved. He is not aggressive toward other cats, but was picked on and beat up constantly by the territorial cats. My friend came to get him this morning and took him to our wonderful vet to be neutered and cared for. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FIV. Cats can live long, healthy lives with FIV as long as they are kept inside and properly cared for. So, we are now trying to figure out what to do and hope that we can find him the purrfect person to give him a special, forever home. My amazing friend is willing to sponsor him for the rest of his life by paying for any vet care he needs in the future...what an awesome gift!!!

Garfield is the poster child for what happens to unneutered cats when they are left outside to fend for themselves. It is so sad, unnecessary and just not right! They all deserve so much better. Let's hope that at least this guy gets a happy beginning!

Noodle and Meatball...a purrfect pair!

I am headed to Atlanta tomorrow to take 2 precious kittens to Good Mews. I can't believe I am going again...seems like I just went! But I had to help my friend, Jane, when she called me in tears. She had been feeding a lone kitten who was living at a Shell Station in Lexington. The workers there had also been kind enough to feed him and give him a little TLC now and then. Jane took the kitten to the monthly spay/neuter clinic to be snipped and vaccinated and when she went to return him, the manager flipped out and said that he HAD to be removed or ELSE! Well, Jane is at maximum cat capacity at her house and the adoption prospects are pretty slim around here right now, so I emailed my wonderful contact at Good Mews and THANK GOODNESS, they offered to take him!! So, this round little black kitten came to my house last Tuesday. He is adorable and amazingly tame to have been born outside. He does a lot of lounging around proudly showing his tummy. I chose the name Meatball...silly but it fits.

One of the vet techs at my vet's office always has lots of rescued kittens on her hands, so I asked her if she had one that she needed help with. She had a silvery striped tabby girl, so I picked up little Noodle from her last Friday. She is the opposite of Meatball...long, lean and svelte...a supermodel kitten! She is very chatty and purrs constantly and always wants to buzz around the room. Noodle was not excited about Meatball and is still getting used to her burly boyfriend. I think she is just playing hard to get.

I know Noodle and Meatball are the goofiest names, but Brian and I have been waiting to use those names because my nickname is the Noodle and he is the Meatball. Brian is built like a quarterback and I am scrawny and lanky. Too bad we aren't as cute as these two :)!

Spring Cat Chat

Our spay/neuter efforts and kitten fostering have officially begun again! It was nice to have a little break during January and February, but a cat lady's work is never done. First, some very good news....our 3 orange foster kittens (Archie, Barley and Chili) have already been adopted at Good Mews!!! I knew they'd go fast...it doesn't get much cuter and sweeter than they were.

The monthly low cost spay/neuter clinic was last weekend, so we headed out to a house in Georgetown on Friday morning to help a lady, Naomi, with her cat colony. Naomi is a wonderful caretaker. She basically takes care of all the neighborhood stragglers....all those that have carelessly been abandoned. She gives them breakfast and dinner and provides bedding and shelter both in her garage and on her back patio. There were 5 cats that we needed to trap. 2 of them are so tame that we got them into carriers, and then we were able trap a 3rd cat. Unfortunately, the other 2 were extremely suspicious and knew we were up to something. I delivered the 3to the clinic on Saturday morning and much to my amazement, one of the clinic volunteers called me to let me know that all 3 had already been spayed/neutered!! That has never happened to us before. But at least they got their vaccinations and flea treatment and were eartipped so it will be clear that they are snipped! I took some photos of one of the kitties. He stayed up in my foster bathroom, and I couldn't believe how amazingly sweet he was. I just can't imagine how anyone could give him up...crazy! He had perfect manners too...slept in his bed and used his litter box. All he wanted was lots of affection.





We have had some newcomers outside our house. Rudy Dude is a black tuxedo boy who showed up around Thanksgiving. We trapped him and had him neutered and vaccinated in early December. He was very scared of me until February and then suddenly decided that he trusted me. Now, he is a total love bug and sleeps on our front porch and loves to rub my legs and receive lots of chin scratches and body rubs :). Well, then 3 weeks ago, an adorable, old, chubby, orange tabby boy appeared out of nowhere. He is now known as Mr. Tubbs. What is particularly odd is that he is neutered AND eartipped! This is wonderful, but I am totally perplexed as to how he got here. Mr. Tubbs will come close and meows but won't let me pet him yet. He has changed the dynamic on the porch immensely. He loves other cats and has become buddies with Rudy. In addition, one of the other feral kitties, Natasha (who we trapped and spayed a year and a half ago), who used to ONLY come for dinner and disappear into the night is now arriving early and staying all night with Mr. Tubbs and Rudy. I put soft bedding out on our doormat and the 3 of them curl up together around 9:00 and stay all night. It melts my heart to see them bonding like that. Amazing. I just stare out the door at them and wish that I could scoop them up and bring them in. Our 3 back patio feral kitties stay back there and don't bother the threesome on the front porch, so their is peace and balance, thankfully.

Here is Rudy (look how nicely he matches our porch decor...ha!) sunbathing...



...and the Three Amigos sleeping soundly (so hard to get a good photo through the glass but you get the idea!)



We have a new rescued foster kitten with us right now, and I am picking up another one tomorrow! So, I am hoping to get some good photos this weekend. I will write and update on them soon.

Jack Sprat...another heartwarming update!

I am such a sap! Every time i get updates from people who have adopted my rescue cats and kittens, I end up in tears! I just can't help it. I can't explain how happy it makes me to see them safe and sound and well cared for. It makes the pain of letting go and the anguish i feel when i find them on the street all worth it. I NEED these positive updates in order to keep going and renew my faith in humans.

Here is Jack Sprat in his new tie! What a handsome boy!! He is getting along beautifully with his kitty roomie, Nelly, and they may have a small furry friend joining them soon. Love you, Jack :)!!

Wild Goose Chase

Oh me, Sunday night's cat trapping adventures was nothing short of a wild goose chase. Thank goodness i have a patient husband who was willing to sit out there for 3 hours and help me!! As you know, we were trying to trap 3 females....2 at the stockyards and 1 down the road from there at a warehouse. We did manage to trap Murphy, the mother of my current foster kittens. Poor thing was dumped into the feral colony with those kittens about 2 weeks ago. I was SO relieved to get her out of there. Unfortunately, the other female, Smokey, was being impossible!! We tried our regular traps and the drop trap but she was not falling for it...not even close. She normally comes out with the other 5 cats (all of whom we have snipped), but she wouldn't budge from the stall. I honestly don't know how we are going to get her. Sigh. We finally gave up and headed to the other location which was even more frustrating!! We put 2 traps out along with the drop trap and it was one debacle after another. The target kitty, Maddie, would sit beside them, then run off, then come back, then get spooked again. Next, a mother raccoon and her 4 babies came out and proceeded to get in the traps several times. I just kept having to let them out and re-bait. They would saunter off looking sheepish....cracked me up....and then come right back for more. This went on and on and then FINALLY, we reconfigured our drop trap strategy and Maddie went in. Well, total drama ensued. Brian was holding the drop trap down while she jumped around, and i had to get the regular trap butted up against it. You have to work super fast and do your best not to get your hand in the wrong place if you know I mean. I was being so careful and then somehow, she escaped. I can't begin to tell you how upset and disappointed i was!! I just wanted to kick myself in the head!! And then all we could do was laugh because the night was so full of crazy antics....it just wasn't meant to be. So, we'll keep on trying!!
For now, i am just concentrating on Murphy. She came through her spay surgery and vaccinations ok, but I am going to take her to my regular vet this afternoon for a full evaluation. I put her in our upstairs bathroom last night and realized how terribly emaciated she is. She is losing her hair, has scrapes and scabs and a runny eye. I just cried when i realized how pitiful she is. On top of that, she is THE sweetest cat i think i have ever seen. She just wanted to curl up and make biscuits and purr. I know I am a broken record, but i simply cannot fathom abandoning a cat like that and expecting him/her to survive. It kills me. I pray that she will be ok and that a lot of TLC will bring her back to health.

Many THANKS to all of you who have written and given me words of encouragement!! I truly appreciate it.

Here are a few photos of the kittens and Murphy...sorry for the terrible quality...she kept moving and i couldn't get a clear shot.

I really need your advice...and my Finny boy!

Happy weekend, bloggy friends! I hope you all have some fun plans in the works :).

I am writing this little post because i truly need your advice. I submitted my artwork to Art Doll Quarterly magazine back in March and this week they wrote to say that they are going to publish my dolls! Woohoo! I am very excited indeed! However, i am TOTALLY waffling about which 3 or 4 dolls to send them. My husband said, well, why don't you poll your blog friends?? Great idea....alrighty then! So, if you have a few minutes and are willing, i would be so grateful if you would head over to my etsy shop and then lend me your thoughts.
Thanks bunches!!

My new mini photo studio arrived yesterday morning! Such fast shipping and it was free....gotta love that. I haven't used it yet, so i don't have any photos to share, but stay tuned.

I think I have written about all of my personal cats except one, so I thought I'd share Finnegan's story today. Our sweet Finny was abandoned in the same warehouse as Rooney (previously posted about him). Animal control trapped him and deemed that he was too feral for adoption, so they were going to euthanize him. My employer (a fellow rescuer) and I decided to adopt him, and he has now been with us for almost 3 years. He is a TOTAL scaredy cat and truly never would have been adopted. I think he was terribly traumatized from his past, but he has a very loving side. He lays low during the day and then every night when i got to bed and turn off the lights, he jumps up and spoons with me. I can't describe how excited he gets. I rub his tummy and he licks my face and snuggles as close as he can get. Sometimes he wraps himself around my head or drapes himself across my chest. I rarely get a full night of sleep, but it is worth it to give him those hours of bliss :).

The first photo is Finnegan shortly after we rescued him with some foster kittens from the same animal control. The second photo is recent....he is much plumper now...LOVES his canned food treats.