KITTY UPDATE

Guess I've been a little late in getting an update on the kittens posted. What can I say, it's been a bit busy around here.

Here are their pictures taken about June 2, 2011. They were a little more active, but still on mediation.

Mikey

Fuzzy

This second set of pictures was taken June 11 and the change is remarkable! They finished their medications and were eating like little monsters! They have been playing and love the balls with bells in them. And, of course, the cardboard scratcher is the first place they go when they get out for play time.

Mikey

Fuzzy

They do need to go back to the vet for their first kitty shots and a recheck. I weighed them the other day and they are both up to at least 24 oz and probably more by now. I can't believe the recovery they made. Now I will be looking for a home for them and, yes, I would like them to go together. They will still need spay/neuter surgery, but they aren't near big enough for that yet.

If y'all know anyone in the Houston area who would like to give a home to these two miracle kittens, please let me know. They are adorable and playful and love people. They seem to be afraid of nothing!

NEW PATIENTS IN THE HOUSE

Well, we have two new "patients" in the house. A few weeks ago a stray, mostly feral, momma cat brought her three kittens to the yard. They were on the small side for the apparant age, but seemed to be healthy. A couple of weeks ago I started to notice that two of the kittens were having symptoms of upper respiratory infection. That's not too uncommon among feral kittens from my experience. When they started waking up with their eyes stuck together, I tried to clean them so they could see but it happened all over again. Then one disappeared for a day and I was really worried. So, a week ago Sunday, when the missing kitten reappeared seeming even sicker than before, I grabbed both of them and brought them in the house. I installed them in one of the cages I used when fostering and put it in the hall bath so they would be apart from the rest of the household. They weren't in good condition with diarrhea and all snotty and stuffy.

Since Monday was a holiday I didn't get them to the vet til Tuesday. My diagnosis was confirmed and they were put on three different medications - a general antibiotic, antibiotic ointment for the eyes and some meds for the "runs". I've named them Mikey and Fuzzy - brother and sister. They have been very good at taking their meds. They have been eating Fancy Feast and some Eukanuba kitten food. I also got them some milk replacement for added nutrition.

Here's a picture of them taken after they went to the vet. They are about 6 weeks old in that picture and they were on a hot water bottle as Fuzzy's body temp was low and the vet said to keep her warm.

In fact, her diarrhea had been so bad and irritated her little bottom so much it was hard to tell at the time if she was a boy or a girl. That's Fuzzy on the left and Mikey on the right.

The vet bill was not cheap so I'm putting together a couple of kitty themed rag quilts to put on ebay for auction to see if I can raise some money to defray the costs.

They are doing better and I will be posting more pics and keeping y'all updated on their progress. They are very sweet little kittes and will be looking for a home when they are all better and a bit older. I would like to keep them together since they have been thru this together. If anyone knows anyone in the greater Houston area that might be interested in giving these amazing and lucky kitties a home, please let me know.

I'll definitely let you know when the quilts are listed. One is a lap size with more than 25 different cat prints. The other will be a bit bigger with more than 12 different prints.

ANOTHER MAX UPDATE

For those of you who might be interested, I thought I'd give a quick update on Max. On Monday Max went in for a check-up and it went soooo well. He's up to 14 lbs - double his weight when he went in the hospital 6 months ago! His vet is sooo thrilled with his progress. His blood glucose levels aren't as low as I would like, but they are "acceptable". His heart murmur hasn't worsened either. I've even seen a slight improvement in his neuropathy. So he doesn't have to go back to the vet for 3 MONTHS!!!! Yaaaayyyyy!! I'm so happy and I know Max is, too.

BE KIND TO ANIMALS WEEK MAY 1 - 7

I just found out that this is "Be Kind to Animals" Week and it's been celebrated since 1915. Did you know that? I think it's lovely to have a week to emphasize kindness to animals, but it's something that should be practiced each and every day. And to ALL animals, tame and wild, pet or food provider. (Ok, here's where I get on my soapbox.)

I love animals, all animals, in their proper environment. After all, they are our brothers and sisters. I must point out that I am a carnivore and Ido believe that some animals are here to provide for our sustanence. Having said that, I believe that we can treat these animals with kindness and give them a good death. They don't have to be treated cruelly just because they are food animals. If you don't believe that this can be done, you should watch the movie "Temple Grandin". It's about a woman who is autistic, but manages to make a place for herself in the world of the rest of us. Her "specialty" is creating humane slaughterhouses for cattle. I know that sounds oximoronic, but it involves creating a space where the animals don't feel panic, where they are calm. Just watch it to see what I mean. There are other ways to provide a better life for food animals like chickens and pigs and the like. We need to treat them like the living, breathing, feeling creatures that they are. Treating animals badly scars our own souls, too.

Ok, the soapbox is closed. Sort of. I will spend today with my indoor kitties and the outdoor kitties and thinking about what I can do to help them all have as good a life as I can provide for them. What will you do to promote kindness to animals this week?

THE FINAL ROUND ROBIN QUILT

This is Christina's Round Robin Quilt. She's my quilting buddy from Long Island, NY. Her quilt is as vibrant and beautiful as she is. I love the pinks and blues with that great gold, don't you? I think my favorite part is the flowers in the corner blocks. It makes the quilt really sing.


Since most of these quilts were going to go on a bed, we decided that the last addition would only be to the top and bottom to make them a tad more rectangular. For this quilt I tried to use all of the main colors and added squares in pink, gold and blue. I made the middle squares on each end a four-patch block.

I also included a picture of the back of the quilt as it was the prettiest of the bunch. I think this quilt could truly be called reversable as the back is just as interesting as the front.

This whole round robin project was a lot of work to be honest. But it was worth all the stress and frustration. The project challenged us to use our skills and our imagination to join together and make a true heirloom for each person. And I think it brought us a tad closer together. We may be separated by miles and miles, but we had a common goal and a love of quilting that brought these "quilting sisters" together. Maybe we should do this again? But not for a while.

ROUND ROBIN VI

Though picking a favorite quilt from our round robin project is almost impossible, this one would be near the top of the list. I love homespuns in quilts and this one has a huge variety of colors and styles. This super quilt belongs to Jen and I know she is so happy with it. When I got this one in the mail and saw the homespun, the first thought I had was denim. I love denim with homespun. So I dug out three partial bolts of homespun I was lucky enough to find when one of our local Walmarts closed out their fabric department. They were in shades of red, green and blue. Then I went to my precious stash of recycled denim and cut corner blocks for my addition. Of course I used my usual squares, alternating the different homespun fabrics. I don't have a picture of the quilt completed, but there was only one more person for it to go to after me so this is pretty close. It has such a homey feel to it, I know it will be treasured for years to come.

ROUND ROBIN V

The next round robin in line is from another of my Texas buddies - Lee. Lee loves purple! But, then, who doesn't? Here's her quilt as I received it. There's a beautiful star block in the middle with lots of lovely purple fabric all around. Of course I tore thru my stash looking for purple fabric to add my part. Not being an experienced quilter, I again chose squares for my addition. I added two rows of assorted purple fabrics from light to dark. This was a really fun addition, trying to get the sizes and proportions right. Good workout for the brain, I guess.

Here's the finished product. I love the addition of greens to the mix - a good color with purple. And the cream bits just add to the punch. I know that Lee will treasure this quilt for a long, long time, just like I do mine.