And the Cats Came Back

November 1, 2007

Frosty and Tigger are back. Their adopter could not keep them due to an illness in the family. I'm glad she honored the promise to give them back to me if she ever could not care for them. I gave them back the names they had first with me - Mia Meows for the gray torbie and Kira (I called her Ears when she was wild) for the longhaired brown tabby.

They settled in pretty well and although they did not really remember Meesha and Seiko, they integrated pretty quickly. All three of the ferally sisters were skittish, but Seiko has shown them that humans are OK and how to be a house cat. With her example, Meesha has turned into a love-bug and Kira should follow that lead quickly. Mia may take more time.

Seiko Express

September 7, 2007

The big day was finally here. I woke up counting the minutes until meeting Seiko & Tonya at the Richmond airport. It hadn't seemed real until then - probably a defense mechanism to protect my heart if something went wrong.

Tonya called once they cleared security at the airport. By then Seiko had a legion of admirers, charmed by her blue eyes and sweetness.

My car was loaded with a carrier, litter box, food, water, toys - anything a kitten might need after a long plane ride. And some special gifts for Tonya. I headed out for the hour drive to Richmond. I had never been to that airport before, though I have passed it many times on Meezer Express runs. The road to the terminal is confusing the signs are poor and the construction does not help. I made several wrong turns before finding the entrance to the parking garage. Once in the garage I there was no place to park except for the top level - somewhat scary because it is so high - but anything for a meezer princess.

I had some time to wait and by the time the plane arrived everyone in the waiting room had inquired about the empty carrier and knew Seiko's story.

And then they were there - finally. Tonya was everything I expected. - warm, kind, absolutely wonderful. And Seiko was everything and more than I expected. She was a good size too - I was expecting itsy-bitsy based on her trouble gaining weight. She was totally calm and composed even in the middle of an airport.

I think everyone falls in love with her instantly - her personality is so evident in her face. She knows no strangers and is afraid of nothing.

Several people wanted to know "how they could get an cat like that." Fortunately Tonya had some Siamese Rescue pamphlets to hand out.

It was obvious that Tonya and Seiko had really bonded in the time they were together. We exchanged paperwork and gifts and parted amid tears.

Spay Day

Checking my e-mail on August 26 brought welcome news...

Seiko was on the way to be spayed. Pets ALIVE Spay/Neuter Clinic had the services of a top notch surgeon, Dr. Jerry Edington, that day. Although Seiko weighed only 2.25 pounds, they had decided to move forward because of his skill and experience.

Of course I spent most of the day anxiously checking my e-mail for updates. Its hard to be a long distance meowmy.

Finally I got the good news, Seiko was back at Kat Kamp and recovering nicely.


The last major hurdle was cleared. Seiko would be ready to travel east on schedule.

Kat Kamp

Bloomington Animal Care and Control has a dedicated group of volunteers who, through the Foster Guardian Program, "provide temporary homes for companion animals who have special needs; need socialization; are youngsters under the age of 8 weeks; do not show well in a kennel situation, but are otherwise deemed adoptable; are purebreds awaiting placement in breed rescue; are in need of additional training to improve their chances of finding a life-long home."

Seiko was placed in one such foster home, under the care of a kind and witty woman named Martha, who refers to the foster home as Kat Kamp.

Under Martha's excellent care, Seiko began to blossom and gain weight.

Kittens Are Cuter When You Spay Or Neuter

ASPCA - Early Spay/Neuter


"For years it was believed that the best age at which to neuter animals was six months. In the late 1970s, however, as animal shelters began to seek new ways to combat pet overpopulation, this belief was challenged. Shelter professionals realized that conventional neutering contracts didn’t work, and one obvious remedy was to neuter all animals before they were adopted. The controversy arose because many of these animals were considered to be too young to undergo surgery.

No conclusive controlled studies have ever been done to determine the best age to neuter dogs and cats. On the other hand, current research does show that spaying before the first heat prevents the development of mammary gland tumors. Since females can go into heat as young as four months of age, they should be spayed before then to receive that protection. Early-age, or pediatric, neutering is currently performed on animals who are six to eight weeks of age and who weigh at least two pounds."

Currently many animal shelters and most rescue organizations require that pets be spayed or neutered before they go to their new home.

As of July 25, Seiko weighed just over one pound.

Enter Tonya

Seiko has a guardian angel. Her name is Tonya.

I had been able to find drivers for parts of the transport, but there were large gaps in the route - gaps hundreds of miles long. Plan "B" - using Pro Pet Transports, a professional ground transport company - also had some major flaws.

I had all but decided to give up when I received a private message on one of the cat forums I frequent. Tonya generously offered to pick up Seiko and board her until a satisfactory transport could be arranged.

Riding on the huge wave of hope, I re-faxed my application to the shelter. Just a few hours later the application was approved. Seiko could come to Virginia.

Waiting

Making the decision to adopt Seiko was the easy part.

The hard part was getting a shelter in Indiana to approve adopting her to a home in Virginia.

I faxed the paperwork and waited. The shelter adoption counselor, I was told, would call me for an interview.

Meanwhile, I was scrambling to arrange transport. Since Seiko was not eligible for the Siamese Rescue Program, we would not be able to use Meezer Express which is without doubt the most organized, reliable, and generous group of transport volunteers. My hat is off to the Meezer Express Transport Coordinators. It is not easy to arrange transports - especially from the middle of Indiana to the coast of Virginia. I put out a plea for help on several message forums and the Wayward Cats crossed their whiskers.

48 hours went by with no contact from the shelter. I was getting cold feet. Even if I were approved to adopt - how would I be able to get her home...

Then a miracle occurred.