*Yawn* Morning. Hey, It's still Here: Plus Our Cat Rundown

I was wondering if I'd dreamed that I found this blog. I dreamed about it, I was so ecstatic. Now to get down to business. First I'd like to pay tribute to all the kitties that have come and gone within the last four years. There was Rianne, who was old, but not too old, who got some kind of kidney failure. The vet that we brought her to insisted that we couldn't help her, and after $150 in tests (which I had to pay for to bring her home) lasted 24 hours in some distress. We were broke. I was devastated. I slept with her, monitored her drip, kept her warm, and fed her by hand. What a shame...she was an excellent kitty who gave us lots of lovin'. She was found one winter by the side of a Holiday Inn, frozen and suffering from road burn. Someone must have thrown her out of a car. After I cleaned her wound and examined her very strange inner-ears, we brought her to the vet for a checkup. Excellent Vet Jacqueline at Lighthouse Animal Hospital of Bayshore (now retired) diagnosed her ears as "Cauliflower Ear", not cancer. It's a strange affliction that has no bearing on the cat's heath. Her road burn was healing nicely, so we just took her home and that was that. Read past blogs to see what her personality was like: ever affectionate and always waiting for her next meal. Tweedle was an ancient fixed male Brown Tiger that started to come around when we got the cottage in Mastic Beach. He suffered from military dermatitis, so we got him some Revolution, and he cleared up immensely. After that he became quite a fixture in the house, moving with us to the apartment upstairs that I called "The Treehouse". He made it to my sister-in-law's place, but fell ill (the dermatitis came back) and then his system began to shut down. I brought him to the Mastic Beach Animal Hospital, but it was too late. He had an advanced case of FIV. It was soon after that I had him put to sleep. Tweedle used to hang out with Hubby while I went to work, and Hubby is very sad without him. He was a good kitty, and his snaggletoothed appearance could put a smile on anyone's face. Mia was our replacement for Rianne, for she looked just like her. She appeared one day in front of the cottage, hanging out with Tweedle. she seemed young, but had the physique of a middle-to-late aged cat. She'd been fixed, and looked so much like Rianne that we dubbed her a blessing from Heaven to help with our grief. She lasted only a little longer than Tweedle, and then succumbed to FIV. We brought her to a new vet, Center Moriches Animal Hospital, who diagnosed her and tried their best to help her. Once again, I actually had to have her put to sleep due to the suffering that she might go through. Thankfully, I took her outside two days before she collapsed, and took a few pictures with her. because she hung around with Hubby while I worked, Hubby is still very upset at her loss. FIV is a horrible thing. It can grab a hold of a cat who would normally bounce back from a simple scratch or cold, and take them forever. I hate it. Cookie was a cow-colored black and white kittie that had a black mask and black saddle, who came to us during one winter at The Treehouse. She was a kitten from a recent litter two houses away from us. Shamefully, the owners who let the cats live outside their house never bothered to take care of the kittens. Cookie was barely 6 months old when we got her. She did pretty well for a couple of years, but when we moved into Sis's house she went into heat, and viola, she was preggers, She had 4 kittens, one grey, the others tiger and spotted, due to their father, Tom Tom, who is a Bengal. The grey one (Gray Gray)developed a septic joint, and was put in the care of Shirley Animal Hospital. After a $4000 vet bill, the vet refused to release her. I assured them that I'd pay for the treatment, gave them $350 upfront, got several grants for $100 each, and promised I'd keep to a payment schedule, but they refused. They said they wanted half of the fees before they'd give her back. To my knowledge, she's still there, and they have no intent to ever give her back without being paid what they demand. I gave up on trying to get her back. They cannot put her down, and cannot give her away, so now she's the vet's pet. I'm sure she'll get lots of attention and love from the vet who took care of her, a lovely woman who took her home to treat her. The other kittens, Simba, Kimba, and Bog were all doing famously, when Kimba died suddenly. It could be that he got sick, or had a malformity from birth, but we'll never know. Simba and Bog grew up to be two very loving but somewhat neurotic gals, when Cookie got pregnant again. The second litter were one grey, three tigers/spotted, with two looking just like Simba and Kimba and Bog, but one of the tigers is a full Bengal. Their names respectively are: Grey 2, SimbaKimbaClone, BogMogClone, and Thud. Why Thud? Because he was always throwing himself off furniture, doing the "Indiana Jones" (running and leaping on me while I prepared dinner) and riding on my shoulder. He's still extremely fearless, and is the most gregarious of all the litters. He's my chosen one, for he reminds me of Max. He loves to sleep with us, kisses lots and lots, and talks constantly. The other kittens seem much like their predecessors, and show very little interest except in snuggling to our female cats (Princess and Elvira). BogMogClone got a little sick as a kitten, and I brought him in for testing. Seems that he's FIV positive, but that could be from the mother's blood, which was still strong in his system. In a few months I'll have him tested again. Hopefully it's not a positive, because I love these little buggers and want them to live to a ripe old age. Cookie passed away after she gave birth to a third litter (yes, she got pregnant three heats in a row.) We had planned to get her fixed and the kittens aborted, but we had so little money and so little time to decide, that she gave birth before we could do anything. He litter was premature, she was sick from FIV, and none of her kittens survived. I'm floored and upset. Cookie was a good girl, and no cat should have to suffer death because of pregnancy. The Vet explained that I was right, she should have had an uneventful birth just like the last two litters, and there was no way for me to know that she wouldn't do well this time around. She died of FIV and heart failure at Center Moriches Animal Hospital, who worked on her tirelessly but couldn't save her in the end. Oden was a fixed monster of a male tuxedo, about 7 years old when he was hit by a car, possibly one of our neighbors, who was a vet tech. He died in her arms, and she threw him out with the garbage without asking anyone if he belonged to them. He was Kai's friend (found in Patchogue) , a fantastic lap cat, a loving kisser, and I wish I had left him in the care of my other sister-in-law, who fell in love with him and wanted to keep him. We are extremely angry about the cause of his death and the fact that we couldn't say goodbye to him. The only reason why we know what happened was because I interviewed all the neighbors. It's possible that one of them carried him around the block, where he wasn't used to being, and just dropped him in unfamiliar territory. He didn't deserve to die, and my neighbors will not take responsibility for his death. Hubby and I are angry at all of them for it. All the cats that we got here in Mastic seem to have FIV. It's a sad fact, but this community refuses to take care of their cats, letting them run free and make kittens continuously. Cookie became pregnant due to TomTom, an unfixed male that patrols my neighborhood. I wonder if he's FIV positive, too. Cookie never showed signs of being in heat, and managed to sneak out of the house for a day each time she got pregnant. Yes, she was quite the slut. At any rate, I plan to get TomTom fixed, along with my females. One-a-week multiple fixings, that'll take care of it. I don't plan to lose any other kitties due to Mastic's rampant FIV cat community. My backyard is a cemetery, and the memory of trying to save newborn kittens as well as month-old kittens will haunt me forever. And now for the rundown of all the kitties I'm taking care of: Zap: Grey Shorthair who looks like a Chartreux. He's got green eyes, which disqualifies him for shows. it's too bad, because in his prime, he was so big and beautiful that he would have won lots of awards. Found in Patchogue. 12 year old fixed male. Kai: The Forever Kitten. Chocolate Black with a tiny white spot near his nether region. Loving, cuddly kitten that now likes to sleep outside. He's gone au-natural, and refuses to use the cat box. As a result her spend most of his time outside. I can't have him ruining the house, which he will do if left unwatched. Found at Patchogue Railway station. 11 year old fixed male. Tribble: Bengal-like Tabbie, has chronic rhinitis. Loving but still ferile, he's a pussycat to me and the kittens, but a fierce fighter when pushed or mishandled in any way. Loved to eat and snuggle. Outdoor cat, because that's the way he was found, although he can make the transition for a day at a time when needed. 6 year old fixed male. Princess: Mottled Light Mixed Tabbie Female. Found at the cottage. Captured by Hubby. Hates me. Was shy in the beginning, is still quite ferile, only associates with the other cats, and occasionally with Hubby. Slim, petite, and sweet. As of today: Unfixed and possibly FIV positive female. Indoors only. Elvira: Black Shorthair With a White Spot on Her Neck. Found at The Treehouse. Has to be wormed constantly. Think she eats too many bugs. Bleck! Rotund, and has a fascination with our kittens. Allows them to suckle, no matter what age. her nickname is "Suckie-Suckie"! Very loving, (at least to me) and a real snuggler. Unfixed Female, Indoor Only, Probably not FIV. Bush: Longhair Light Brown/Red Domestic with a Bushy Tail. Found by The Cottage. Loving, sweet cat who allowed the first batch of kittens to nurse on her, wants constant attention, kisses sloppily, loves to make milk-paws on me. Voracious eater. Unfixed Female, Indoor Only, Possibly FIV. Pumpkin: Giant Calico, Orange, Black and White. Rotund. Showed up in mid-winter at The Treehouse. Hates all the other cats. Spends most of her time sleeping and eating. Loving, but not a true lap-cat. Fixed, indoor cat, probably not FIV. Simba and Bog: Female Half-Tiger and Half-White Shorthair. Softest fur, very sweet, though neurotic. Spend their time playing with each other, suckling on Elvira (even though they are each 6 months old!) Ravenous eaters, too crazy to sleep with most of the time. Simba has taken to sleeping with Thud, who she seems to think is her kitten. Bog is more gregarious, but only warms up half the time. Unfixed possibly FIV females. Indoor only. Gray 2, BogMogClone, SimbaKimbaClone, and Thud: Grey Lightly Striped Shorthair, Mixed Half-Tigers/Bengals, and One Full Bengal. These are the kittens, barely 3 months old. All males, spend much of their time suckling on Elvira even though they were weaned long ago. Mostly very well adjusted, but Thud leads the pack for friendliness and smarts. Unfixed Males, all Indoor. Possibly FIV. Sparkle: Mixed Tabbie and White Shorthair. Huge male who we found at The Cottage. An incredibly good-looking cat who makes his territory anywhere that someone will feed him, and everyone does. Has at least four households taking care of him in turns. Eats at all the houses, and is one of the biggest cats i've ever seen (but he's all muscle!) Sweet, smart, and a capable hunter. Fixed Male, Outdoor only. Unknown FIV Status. So now you can see what I put up with on a daily basis. I feed all of them, have multiple cat boxes, and am constantly cleaning up after them. My kitchen looks like a cat cafeteria when they all come in to eat. Role-call at night is essential. So there you have it, my cats in all their glory. I'll give news anytime we find a good program or a good Vet. For now, Center Moriches Animal Hospital seems to be doing right by us, and takes payment plans. We'll be going there from now on. If you live in the Shirley, Mastic, or Moriches area, do check them out. Everyone loves them, and they love your pets.