Begging For Petting

Rusty is a great “touchy-feely” guy.  He lets me know when he’s ready for petting.  This happens quite a lot.

Is he cute, or what?

 

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Sunbathing Is A Normal Pastime

Somehow, cats know the “just right” place to get their UV rays.

Sorry I disturbed you, Rusty.  You can lie down again now.

Enough Is Enough

We all know that cats sunbathe.  They love to feel the warmth surround and hug them.

There comes a time when even a good thing has to come to an end; when “enough is enough.”

I’ve had enough sun.

Rusty Has A New Toy (video)

Rusty belongs to the “Exotic Shorthair” breed – “Exotic,” for short.  In “layman’s” terms, he’s also called a “short haired Persian”; however, the two breeds are recognized separately by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA).

The breed is very laid-back; in other words, they are not usually active in general.  When thinking of the breed standard behavior, one could imagine a cat that just lays around, catching “40 winks” most of the day (and perhaps also night), and is very content.  The occasional petting session is a bonus.

Rusty, I believe, is an exception. He runs around a lot, and is always coming over to me wherever I am in the house, and asks for my attention.  I follow him and he usually takes me to where I can understand what he wants, looking back and talking to me, making sure I’m still following.  What a guy!

Toys are a mystery – to me – because it is difficult to find a toy that will create an interest so that he will actually attack and play with it.  I found a new one just recently that got him excited.  See video below:

Hello Everyone! I’ve Missed You All – Part 3

It took almost 2 hours to process a new adoption.  The rescue group was short-handed (they always need volunteers).

I was getting very impatient.  I wanted to get home.

We found Rusty’s carrier, and the toys I gave the adopter.  Missing were the scratching posts and cat tree I gave her; however, the special food for Rusty was there.

As I held Rusty in my arms before I put him into his carrier, I gazed at Romeo, petted him, and said, “I’m sorry, Romeo.”  I know he will miss his buddy.  I can’t help it.  I have to let him go.

To be continued…

 

 

Hello Everyone! I’ve Missed You All – Part 2

 

I contacted RU4ME organization here in Palm Beach County FL.  They are a wonderful rescue organization, and they find homes for mainly cats who need to be adopted.  Sometimes dogs too, I believe.  They accepted Rusty and Romeo.

Those two were adopted immediately.  Together.  That was the stipulation I put on them.

I texted the adopter, and she assured me, as did RU4ME, that she was a good placement for Rusty and Romeo.

For the last 3 months, I have missed them terribly, and of course, I had Patches with me, but there was an emptiness going on here.

Two weeks ago, I got a text from the adopter, telling me that she couldn’t keep them any longer, and even though she has tried to get someone to take Rusty and Romeo, she was getting panicky.  (She wasn’t the only one.)  Could I take them?  I said I couldn’t, but she should contact the rescue organization.  She tried, she said, but couldn’t reach anyone (?).

I contacted them and relayed the problem.  Of course they should have been contacted immediately.  It was in the contract she had signed.

The adopter informed me and the rescue group that she had her hand and arm in a brace; needed to have surgery on her arm; needed to go north for the surgery; will be staying up there with family for recovery; and then was going to be out of country for a month.  In other words, something had better be done quickly because “they were good cats” in her words.

My mind was working and I realized that she probably was not able to properly care for Rusty and Romeo very well, and how were they faring in her care all this time?  These were troubling thoughts.

Everything was arranged for Sat., April 23rd.  She would bring them to Petsmart, where the adoptions took place.  Fine.

Friday evening, I got a call from the activist (Mrs. W.) at the rescue organization.  She was panicky.  The adopter informed her that she will be bringing Rusty and Romeo to Petsmart on Saturday, but she would be leaving them there, and would not return to pick them up if they weren’t adopted on Saturday!

They were not, but a foster home was found for them.

Yesterday, Sunday, April 24th, I showed up at Petsmart before the cages were set up for the “showing.”  After a long while, I found out Rusty and Romeo would not be “showed.”  They were put back in the glass-enclosed area that is set up for “long term” cats.  The rescue group let me in there, and I found Rusty and Romeo in the cage.  I said, “Where is Rusty?”  I couldn’t see him in there.

He was hiding under a small mat.  Romeo was in a box-like raised area.  I picked up Rusty and realized he was in poor condition.  I was told that his fur was very matted, and they tried to clean up some of the tangles.  His ears were very dirty, and he an unkempt look.  Romeo had a frightened look on his face.  There was no blue in his eyes.

To be continued…

 

Hello Everyone! I’ve Missed You All

I don’t have my camera handy, but I have company again here in my office.  My absence has been long, I know.  I will try to make my post as concise as I can (I’m not known for being concise).  Here’s the story:

Way back around Thanksgiving, I started to have an attack – back and sciatica pain.  It just got worse, and if it weren’t for my sister’s and her husband’s help, I would not have been able to get through my days.  Pain was so bad, that I made visits to the ER twice.

As it got closer to Christmas time, the situation was quite dire, and I said to myself, “What if this attack will not end?  How can I keep on depending upon others to get  me through the days and more importantly, is it wise and fair to have others take care of not only me, but also my cats?”

Blogging was impossible.  Couldn’t sit for long.

In the middle of all this, it was found that Rusty had struvite crystals in his urine, and had to be rushed to the vet.  New special food needed to be introduced into his diet to diminish the formation of these crystals.  Evidently, he has a sensitive stomach, and he was vomiting just about every day.  I was changing the food very slowly – for almost a month – and still, when I went over half new food and half old, he couldn’t tolerate it.  This stress on all of us was extreme.  I thought I had it down to a science – half new and half old, and that seemed to be OK.

Was I being selfish to my family to continue to have them care for Rusty, Romeo and Patches?  After all, they (sister and husband) had never taken care of cats before, and even though they insisted they “didn’t mind at all,” I found it so difficult to be the one receiving the help.  I’m a very independent woman.  Also, in the back of my mind was the question, “What will happen to my cats if I suddenly die tomorrow?”  I had not made any plans for that eventuality.  Next month, I will reach my 78th!  It sounds like a big number.  It is.

So, I made the decision:  they needed to be re-homed!

To be continued tomorrow…

 

The Great Divide

At opposite ends.  Romeo and Patches seem to have reached an agreement on the couch.

Desk Buddies

Many times during the day, I leave my desk to perform chores of one kind or another, and today, when I came back into my office, guess who I found lying very comfortably on my desk?  None other than my two sweet Exotics.

Every so often, they decide to be buddies (for a short time), especially when it’s on Mom’s desk so she can’t get back to work!

Flat Face Rusty

Rusty belongs to the breed known as “Exotic Shorthair.”  It’s an official CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) name for this breed of cats that originated from the Persians by way of a genetic mutation many, many years ago.

One of the distinguishing features of these cats is their broad, flat face and small ears.  This is the first time I was able to capture Rusty’s phenomenal facial side view.