Nov 31-27

A wild week! Two 8 week old kittens appear in the middle of the night and 'move in' ... the Damcat is NOT pleased ... Snoopy to rehab, Corey to groomers, several van rides and trips to gardens and Pet Smart ...


Monday November 21: Skit and Skat appear in the night

In the middle of the night last night ... husband went out to the building he's working on to make some measurements ... and came back followed by 2 little kittens ... ack. Friendly little critters, gray tabby (my favorite) one short hair, one long hair, both females, my guess 8 weeks ... feed them and put them on porch for the night, the Damcat is puffed up 2x his size, hissing and making that dreadful moaning noise unhappy cats make .... frantic emails to 'cat people', googling, etc ... Dr Dodds vaccine protocol for kittens is FVRCP at 8-9 wks and 12-13 wks. No mention of FeLeuk testing or FIV. So when do I do these? Do I do test first or ??  Morning comes, they're still here ... sitting at the door, hungry. Feed them, latch porch, put litter box in with them, go get food for dogs, do morning run-walk ... here come the roofers in the middle of all this ... feed and kennel. Go to hearing in Columbia, return home at nightfall, kittens still on porch, husband has fed them during the day ... fix dog food, evening run, in the almost dark, then feed and kennel ... interestingly, dogs go right by porch, dont even seem to notice kittens (who are sitting in window ...) Let kittens out at night, they roam a bit but come right up the second you open door they're trying to get in and boy are they fast! Cant let them in til have had tested for FELV...

Tuesday November 22: Skit & Skat go to vet

Kittens now have names, Skit and Skat ... clean their litter box (poop looks fine), feed, latch porch, then get dog food, do morning run-walk, roofers are back, plus husbands workers ... feed and kennel. Call around, will have to get kittens to vet today if want them vetted before holidays ... husband them informs me the flashing he got yesterday is wrong and I have to go by Lowes and get some NOW ... do so. Arrive back at property, drop off flashing, pick up kittens and take to vet (not my regular vet, the one in Edgefield) and drop them off as I have a meeting in Aiken in .. yikes a half hour ... go to meeting, vet calls and gives me good news, Skit and Skat are FELV/FIV negative ... proceed with shots. Finish seeing clients, them return home via vet, pick up kitties (everyone amazed at how tame and friendly they are) ... return home, put them on porch, latch, get dog food, release dogs (who have been kenneled most of the day), the roofers and crew are still here ... getting dark, evening run ... Corey and Banshee very excited to see me, DB mainly interested in ratting over by the woodpile ... feed and kennel. Workers still here into the dark, but finish shingles before the rain hits ... Storms in night

Photos of Skit & Skat
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.307477089277237.79041.100000448447582&type=3&saved

Wednesday November 23: SPCA volunteer lunch

Off work today! Cool and breezy, clearing... let Skit & Skat out briefly, feed them, latch them in porch again. Get dog food, unkennel dogs, morning run-walk ... one set of roffers shows up to finish job. Corey is all excited, chasing trucks, barking at geese ... feed and kennel, comb sandspurs out of Corey's head. Clean Skit & Skats litter box, let them out, take a few pictures then go to food banks, then stop by friend dDborah's to pick up 'cat stuff' (this is the cat lady who rescued Sally last summer and then rescued some kittens, she found homes for the kittens and had leftover items)... then to Aiken for SPCA 'volunteer lunch' with friend Erika (who I hope will be able to volunteer from home) ... onwards to do errands for husband, pick up kitten food, stop by office (even though we're closed) and finish up the work I left undone yesterday (because of having to take kittens to vet and pick up stuff for roofers) ... then home. Greeted at gate by DB, Banshee is in her crate, Corey and Snoopy in pens, husband had been trying to put them up when I arrived. Fix food, let Corey out, Banshee wont come out ... evening run. Getting dark. Husband reports DB and Banshee have figured out Skit & Skat are on the porch and are, unfortunately, very interested. Corey is totally oblivious. Feed and kennel dogs. Let Skit & Skat out to play, gosh they are so full of energy, and so agile, been a long time since I've had kittens ... feed them, latch them in for night.

Video of Skit & Skat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQQLjObqVJ4

Thursday November 24: Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Cold last night, crisp and chilly morning, let kitties out, clean litter, feed, latch back in, take dogs for  morning run-walk, Banshee and DB head straight for porch and sniff around everywhere Skit & Skat have been outside ... then shrug and proceed down the hill ... Corey in fine fettle this AM, a flock of geese honks by and he follows them to fence line, barking back exuberantly ... feed and kennel, go back imside, then let Skit & Skat out again ... watch them play ... and they  climb a tree (well, a small tree) .. not to mention swinging like monkeys on the porch railing ... put them back up. The Damcat has caught a BIG mouse by the washer, and unusually, killed it and sits there with it between his paws, looking at me as much to say 'see, we dont need any MORE cats, I'm on the job' .... Let dogs out, husband walks Snoopy all the way down the hill and back up ... this is pretty far, but she's not hopping ... actually unless she turns sharply she doesnt hop, as long as she proceeds straight ahead she's fine, slow but fine ... put dogs in grooming shed, groom, then leave crated while husband and I let kittens out and clean some of junk off enclosed porch where they now reside (so I wont trip over things in the night when I go in there) ... getting dark, one of husbands workers and wife bring by some Thanksgiving goodies and play with kittens ... they leave, fix dog food, let out of crates, take for evening run-walk, feed and kennel

Friday November 25: Mattie comes to visit

Cool crisp clear and sunny, perfect weather ... let Skit & Skat out, feed, watch them play, clean litter box, latch them in again, get dog food, morning run-walk, Banshee and DB frantically interested in tracking the kitties on the porch,  ... Snoopy limping a bit ... feed and kennel. Workers arrive. Let Skit & Skat out again, this time Skit gets on the porch roof ... ack. Put them back up. Let dogs out, come inside, then load into van and go for van ride and by bank. Return, let dogs in, fix lunch, nrief computer time and do wash, then take dogs out to grooming shed and groom, leave in crates, return and let kitties out for afternoon romp. Latch them in again, get Xmas decorations for gates, let dogs back out, put Snoopy inside, little Mattie shows up to help decorate gates , lawnmower out of gas so no evening run, get food, feed and kennel. Little Mattie still hangs around, cant let kitties out. Sit on porch with Mattie for a bit, go inside

Saturday November 26: Snoopy goes to rehab

Warmer this morning. Running late. Give kittens AM food  then husband lets out dogs, walks Snoopy. Feed and kennel, then let kittens out and clean litter box, put them back in, let dogs out for very brief run then load in van to go to town for Snoopy's rehab, whoops, flat tire ... get it pumped back up, depart. Snoopy does well today, meets another 'patient' ... leave rehab and go to Hopeland Gardens to walk Corey, DB and Banshee, all on excellent behavior, Corey getting in and out of van with no problems. Go by PetSmart, almost disaster, take Corey in he is doing quite well, greeting all his fans, make a grooming appointment, then as we're returning to van a couple is walking across lot wit a great pyr and ... a husky ... Corey is going into greeting mode to the great pyr when he spots the husky and goes absolutely nuts, barking ... no, screaming, ... flailing at end of leash, shrieking, thank God for front hook harnesses or I'd be on the ground. My other dogs hear him and also start barking ... I plant myself and walk backwards (at least this time I'm not stuck between cars ... and finally get his attention, go to back of van, he is quivering and shuddering ... finally calms down enough to get in crate in van. Snoopy is particularly overwrought, she wants OUT (presumably to attack whoever was threatening her Corey) Spray DAP in van, sit for a few minutes... the only thing I can think of is the 2 huskies who attacked us last spring (in the same place) have left an indelible impression on Corey, or perhaps he had trouble with huskies in his past, this is the only type dog he reacts to with anything except cheerful friendliness... or it could be the combination of the area and the breed? I dont know, but it is really scary   Decide to NOT take DB and Banshee in to PetSmart. Leave and go by Jay's for energy work on Snoopy's leg, have to let Corey out for a drink of water and a bit of a walk, he is still shook up ... put him back in van, take Snoopy on back to see Jay ...she does OK finally lets him touch her and give energy ... leave and go by store and am heading home when husband calls, I have to go back cross town to pick up something from Lowes ... do this and finally get home, pretty late. Let dogs out, then put in crates-kennels, unload van, then let kitties out briefly, fix dogs food, then evening run-walk, feed and kennel

Sunday November 27: Corey goes to groomer

Warm and cloudy ... husband in to old property early to pick up ladder ... feed Skit & Skat and clean box, workers start arriving. Then Skit and Skat get inside and go for the Damcat's food (he is sitting peacefully at his food bowl, the kittens dive bomb him, he backs up in horror,) I grab them and put the out, latch porch ... Fix dog food, Morning run, one of workers helps walk Snoopy, feed and kennel, husband returns ... go to church, return, let Skit & Skat out for a bit, ack, they get inside again, this time the Damcat drives them back out ... feed, then latch them in, get dogs, run DB,Banshee and Corey then load all into van and go into town, drop Corey off at groomers, take others to Hopeland Gardens, Odell Weeks and do a bit of shopping for essentials, then pick Corey up ... poor guy, he comes out of groomers shrieking 'I need to pee, I need to pee' and theres a line at the cash register plus people all trying to pet him and ooh and ahh (well, he DOES look gorgeous) ... finally get outside ... ahhhh ... the relief. Load him back up, them check transmission fluid (van has been slipping gears) it looks OK, return home, almost dark. Unload dogs take all inside, fix food, then feed and kennel, husband and workers still working ... feed Skit & Skat, let them out, watch them chase leaves, then latch them in for the night.