Jake Learns the Ropes

Jake had his ups and downs as he was beginning his new job as Cat-in-Charge at the Fort Collins Cat Rescue. One morning when I arrived to do my shift for shelter cleaning he greeted me with a decided limp. Dr. Gloria, our Veterinarian, examined him and discovered he had some infection in his front paw. It looked like he could have caught it in something and tried to pull it out. It even seemed to be dislocated. Ouch!
He healed quickly with all the attention (and medical care) he got. The sore paw may have been partly responsible for his litter box difficulties but that is just my guess. It seems that it was happening mainly when he had been out on one of his many adoptions. According to Judy Miotke, FCCR Animal Care Technician, sometimes new cats that have trouble with litter boxes may need some time to get used to a new place. Also, if they start having trouble after they have been using a litter box successfully for a while it could be a sign of illness. It could be a kidney infection or some other new stress that has come into their lives. Cats are vulnerable to stress too. It is worth it to do a little checking with a vet.
Leslie Quitmeyer, Jakes handler in the FCCR’s “Purrfect Therapy” program and good friend has been working with Jake and LAPP, Larimer People Partnership. LAPP provides training and support to individuals and screening for their pets so that human-animal teams may share the benefits of human animal interactions. In mid-July I heard that Jake had passed his evaluation to do pet therapy with Leslie’s help, through LAPP. Here is what Jake had to say: (I think)
Jake:
"Well, I wowed the people at LAPP the other day. You should have seen what they did to test me. But it was a piece of cake ...or tuna maybe...First of all Leslie had to carry me a bunch but it was O,K. I was just getting my bearings. But then lots of people touched me all over, I had to walk through a crowd, someone dropped books behind me, (I had to turn around to get a look at what made that noise), and some people came up to me yelling. (I wondered what that was all about, some people do strange things.) I still have trouble sitting on laps sometimes but there is always something interesting to check out, don't ya know?? I had a great time! I really have something to brag about at the shelter now."

Jake jumped into his therapy job with enthusiasm. One time at the Columbine Rehabilitation Center he put his investigative skills to work the minute he was brought into the first room. He explored each corner and sniffed the hand of each new person who reached down to pet him. He was always calm. The first person who met him was Coleen. She was delighted. Her face lit up, even though Jake was a little more interested in exploring than sitting. She even gave him a new name. He is officially ‘Pretty Kitty” at the rehabilitation center and he did look very handsome decked out in his red harness The bright red against his rich silvery grey coat made him look even more lustrous. As usual, he knew he was a star. Waving his tail as he walked down the hall you could tell he already had it figured out, he ‘owned’ this place too.

The Cat Circus Comes to Town

Think for a minute about circuses. My first memory comes out of a blurry past. My family happened to live near a railroad track in our small-soon-to-be-large town in the Midwest. We actually watched the circus train unload and the parade of elephants pulling equipment to a nearby empty lot. That along with the actual performance amid sawdust with the clowns, high wire acts, wild animals and acrobats, cotton candy and popcorn keeping us enthralled.
Last week while seeking for things to do with my grandchildren I came across a listing in the newspaper for the AMAZING ACRO-CATS CAT CIRCUS and I was hooked right away. Not for my grandkids, but for me.
No train, no elephants, no wild animals but described as amazing and acrobatic and highly entertaining! It sounded like great fun. To think that cats could perform high wire, bowl, leap through circles (no fire though) and perform in a rock band just seemed like a rockin’ good time. To see the cats, a major love of my life, but to see if they could actually do these things was intriguing. I had to make a deal with my husband so he would go with me but I knew it would be worth it.
The venue was not an empty lot but a small charming funky theatre in old town Fort Collins called the None Such Theatre. When we arrived the lobby was full of cat lovers. The Fort Collins Cat Rescue was also present to hand out information next to two very acrobatic kittens in a cage that were available for adoption. Also the Cat Circus trained rescue cats for their stars so they always had one or two needing homes on site.
The theatre sat about 50, and there was a stage filled with things like climbing poles, wagons ,a set of drums, a guitar and piano (cat size of course) but arranged around the outside of the stage, and piled on the floor behind curtains were 15 or so cat carriers. Soft music blended with the voices of the patrons as they started to fill the seats. One by one the cats were brought in and put into their carriers.
Tuna, a large short haired white cat was the first to appear from his carrier. With a click on a clicker and a swing of her arm the handler directed the cat toward a small lamp sitting at the front of the stage. The house lights had dimmed and the crowd leaned forward and craned their necks to get a glimpse. Tuna took his time sauntering to the front of the stage. Even though interested in the people and faces and stuff crammed onto the small stage it was clear she knew what her task was. As her handler tapped and pointed she lifted her paw and turned on the light…so the show began.
Along with the multi-talented cats we were treated to a ground hog driving a car, a chicken doing a high wire act and 5 little mice with hats on scurrying across a high wire.
I was wondering, and I imagine you are too about what percent of the time they did their tricks. I would say 98% of the time. That is not to say on the first try! The cats had been clicker trained with treats (yummy chunks of chicken). They emerged from their carriers, ran to center stage, and on cue balanced, leapt, rolled, pushed toys, answered questions (by raising a paw) and generally looked as if they were having a great time. Only once did a cat run into the open lobby next door but she came back when she heard the click. None of them tried to run out the door.
To train one cat to do a trick is a challenge but to get four up in front along with the chicken was a true feat. But that was exactly what happened. White cat on guitar, long haired white cat on the drums, grey on the piano and then Tuna, the star of the show on the cow bell, along with the very attentive chicken playing a tambourine. Believe it or not they all played in unison. I got the biggest kick out of the drummer. She would lean forward reaching her paw out, signal for her treat and with a sign from her trainer sit back and hit the sticks for the drums 4 or 5 times then lean forward again. So with a few slight breaks for treats the Rock-Cats created a rock and roll song. I don’t think it had a name.
You probably need to like cats to have enjoyed the Cat Circus. But it was on hour of delightful antics by the cats as well as an energetic performance by the owner Samatha Martin and her assistant. We all left shaking our heads in amazement and with smiles on our faces.

Jake is a T.V. Star (On Animal Planet of course)

It’s funny how things happen…for Jake it has been a series of lucky breaks, certainly brought on by Jake himself. From stray cat picked up by the Larimer Humane Society, to failed adoptions that brought him to the folks at the Fort Collins Cat Rescue, to the decision for him to become a Shelter Cat, and finally to a new job as a therapy cat he has brought joy and comfort to folks who love him instantly and are delighted by his antics.
Korats are known for bringing good luck with them wherever they go. And so Jake has. He has lead a charmed life but it has not stopped there. Last week it resulted in STARDOM!
Believe it or not Jake is a TV star. I was absolutely floored when I discovered that one of my posts published in this blog “Writing Outside the Barn” caught the eye of Animal Planet. They run a terrific program called Cats 101(and Dogs 101) that highlight different breeds or activities of certain cats. (or dogs) It seems they were looking for stories about Korat cats and presto, due to our modern technology and Google they picked up the post, “Jake’s Story” published a few months ago and languishing in cyber-space, waiting to be noticed. In that story I surmised Jake was a Korat cat. Sarah, director of the Fort Collins Cat Rescue was contacted. Leslie (Jakes handler) and I had planned to take him to a rehab center that very day so I took some photos and Sarah e-mailed them to Animal Planet.
I have done a little searching myself and now am convinced he is a Korat cat because of his thick silvery coat and his heart shaped face with round green eyes and large ears set up high on his head. What really convinced me though were his small oval paws with blue to lavender colored pads.
So the next thing you know a crew from Animal Planet arrived to tape him for a program about Korat cats. Jake first visited the library where he was read to by children in the Readers to the Rescue program. His next stop was at the Fort Collins Cat Rescue where he got a breather for a while and was taped playing (bossing) around his companions, especially Princess Gray, one of HIS girls.
His last visit was a nursing home, where though he was tired and may have been a bit impatient with the cameras and sound crew hovering around and following his every move but he stuck to his job. He charmed the residents and at the same time continued to explore all the enticing sights, sounds and smells. At one point he was encouraged to spend some time in the yard but it was clear he liked being inside with his people. They were fascinated by him and all who wanted attention got some from him.
In all his visits, from the library to the nursing home, his quiet, dignified presence was calming while at the same time exemplified royalty and high position. In his native Thailand Korats are often given as good luck charms on royal occasions, especially weddings. Jake’s performance made us proud.
I wasn’t at the shelter when Jake returned but Leslie, his handler, told me he was ready for his home base, and had had a very big day. He needed one of those famous things cats are well known for, a nap! I will fill you in on more of the details of Animal Planet’s visit soon (there is lots more to tell) plus I will let you know when his episode airs (P.S. You can find the The original Jake’s Story at the March post. )

The Enclosure

The first night I closed the door on them it was very cold. It was as cold as it usually gets here in northern Colorado in the springtime. Even the barn stays cold. It was a good thing I had placed an upside down dog crate inside the enclosure. It took up about half of the floor space but had plenty of room inside for two young cats. The other half of the floor space was occupied by a cat tower with three levels the top one of which placed them above the wall of the stall just where the wire began. That way they could see over the edge to see what was going on in the barn and who was coming in. It was about 8 feet tall,6 feet wide and 4 feet deep. I had set the enclosure up in a vacant stall where we kept grain, oats, beet pulp and wood shavings in large bundles for the four horses we were caring for. But it was cold that night. I was glad my daughter and I had put the enclosure together a day or two earlier when it looked like spring was really on its way.

I had gathered up an old tarp and several thick horse blankets and tucked them around the crate and underneath it. According to Ally Cat Allies straw was the best insulator in the winter because it stayed dry. Blankets and such often got damp and then did not offer the best insulation. But I had no straw available at the moment. I also read that I could place a layer of empty egg cartons around the structure and that would help. But I wasn't convinced. I needed something more. I found a heating pad made for animals that had a thick wrapped cord that needed to be placed inside a cover. I was able to string it from a plug that also included the cord that heated the water so it wouldn't freeze.

So the two remaining cats I had agreed to keep in my barn were set for this night. This night. Why was I anxious? Why would I give their comfort a second thought? You may wonder if I was going overboard. I couldn't help but think about something I heard in seminary. When you want to be helpful in crisis or dangerous situations or just to help in a conversation with a person who was grieving the words were "Do no harm"

So if these cats were feral shouldn't they get used to cold weather as if they were in the wild? If they were feral weren't they wild? I don't think so, not anymore. I'm in the company of people like Cleveland Amory and others. As humans have evolved we have changed many of the creatures who did live on their own in the wild years ago. But as soon as they were tamed or domesticated, the ones who were able to fit in and provide something for the humans, weather it was food, transportation, safety or companionship they changed from being the self sufficient animals they were in the beginning to something that retains their original integrity but is different from it. So I think we have a responsibility to help them survive, even the feral cats. I think mine were strays or abandoned because after some time they became socialized, at least to me.

But the nagging question is how much do you help them before they are no longer who they are or who they were meant to be. I don't know yet. But what I do know is that in my barn, I will do my best to see they have a chance. I will attempt to do no harm.

Calla and Lily

A few years ago when I lived in Thornton, I surprised myself and my family by bringing home twin kittens.They were barncats but I didn't rescue them from the barn. I found them under a bush.
I saw them first when I went out to groom my horse and saw them burrowed into the spaces between bales of hay in the barn. I boarded my horse 'Teddy Bear' there for a while so I saw them daily. One day I didn't see them anywhere.I looked for them for several days.There were lots of hiding places. Eventually I found them under a bush in front of the house, quite a ways from the barn. It was a pretty nice fall season till it wasn't. In Colorado things change fast.One day it is a warm beautiful golden day the next day snow comes in sideways.I worried about them.
We have always been a home with animals, our own variety, plus those belonging to our kids when they had to find places for their animals from time to time.
Once we captured a neighbor's cat that had been left behind to fend for itself when they moved to Florida. It had disappeared as they were ready to pull out of their driveway in their U-Haul. They were devastated. When we found her we packed her up, took her to the airport and shipped her to them. I do things like that.
As time went by and the cold fall began to turn quickly into a colder winter I thought more and more about those kittens under the bush.
The day I thought about which ones I would take home if I could, I did. I chose two black and white mirror image twins. Lily had white on the right side of her nose, Calla had white on the left side of her nose. They were inseperable. Twins were a big thing in my family since I was a twin and my husband was also. I named them after my mom's favorite flowers.
I remember I had to stick my hand under that bush several times before I was able to grab and hold on to one of them. I carried one struggling black and white form after the other to the cat carrier in the car. I felt bad, they had no idea what was happening. Whatever grabbed them was not their mom. Being carried into Pet Smart while I bought up their furnishings wasn't that much fun for them either. Even the admiring smiles of other pet lovers didn't faze them.
Calla and Lily were characters. When Lily groomed her sister she would actually chew her whiskers off. I had to watch her all the time! When they both fit on my lap they sat and watched the words move across the screen on the computer in tandem. They were pretty good editors! I let them come up on my bed, come under the covers and snuggle. They slept there, one in front and the other behind my knees for a week (or so). No wonder I woke up stiff.
That was ten years ago and we live in Fort Collins now. And I only have Lily with me. She is still a character. It has been two years since Calla got out one day and never came back. The other day Lily caught sight of one of our barn cats through the window. Moonbeam looks a lot like Calla. In the past whenever Lily saw a strange cat outside she made a huge racket hissing and growling. But when she saw the other black and white kitty she sat transfixed, not a sound. Then when the cat moved out of sight she ran from window to window looking for her... meowing.

Searching for Shadow

This is not one of those regular run of the mill lost and found animal stories. It is about people, about us, all of us who have decided that taking care of pets is a calling. And at the same time accepting the reality that we are not in control of their lives. They are animals that have their own way of being. Their own ways of living lives that are happy and sad, tragic and fulfilling. My sister said to me one day, "we do not own them, they are on loan to us." And as long as I can keep that in my mind I can be reconciled.

This is actually about Cookie. Cookie is her pet name, a name given to her when she was a kitten by my grandchildren. But as I have watched her grow up I have named her Shadow. She sometimes moves like a squirrel, low and low to the ground, her wild tortoise-shell coat with black front feet, half her face and long silky tail with brown blended stripes make her very difficult to see, especially at night. And this is good because of the three 'house cats' I have now, she is the one who takes her time coming home for dinner. Once in a while she stays out all night, or till she can sneak into the house through the back door I have left cracked a bit. Then when I find her in the morning I heave a sigh of relief.

She is the one who becomes a door dasher when there is too much kid commotion from grandchildren or dogs that are often sharing space in the house. If that happens she usually shows up after I walk around the fields with a flashlight. That is thankfully what happened recently after she had been missing 3 or 4 days while I was out of town.

But the most memorable time so far was once when the minute I walked out of the house to look for her I heard a strong "whooo whooo" 'goes there' question filling the night air. This was only the second time in two years I had heard the fabled owl that lived close by. I had not seen it before and I was disturbed as well as excited. I was looking for Shadow, my hunter, to get her back into the house.I had a new high-powered flashlight with me that had such a strong beam I could see all the way to my daughter's house that was situated on the other side of the barn and riding arena.

It was one of the coldest nights of an already cold winter and just the end of November. It was forcast to be below freezing that week. A true arctic front had powered its way into northern Colorado and our front range community. I walked my regular pattern, front trees by the road, back around the barn and toward the new house, in snow deep enough to leave tracks.

But tonight I also followed the voice of the owl. It seemed to get louder as I walked north. Then I saw it in the beam of my flashlight...the pale grey and white form sitting on the highest point of the roof of my daughter's two-story house. His head turned toward me not at all distressed by the spotlight thrown on him.

After my startled moment I found my own voice and informed him there were lots of rabbits and mice around, he didn't need a skinny 7 lb. cat for his dinner. He then lifted his huge wings and flew north, away from the farm toward a line of trees in the distance. I was awed.

Swinging the flashlight quicker now I trudged through the snow toward my house calling 'Shadow...dinner...Shadow...dinner'. I made one more circle of the barn and arena, and all of a sudden there she was, rubbing my legs and purring.

And I had that same old conversation with myself..wondering again how I could keep the delicate balance of allowing her to be a cat, a hunter and still protect her from being the hunted.

Our Dog Mollie

Our Dog Mollie
Edited from the memory page for Home to Heaven.net (Kathleen Cooney D.V.M. and Associates)

Mollie was the ultimate Bassett hound from nose to tail. In her lifetime of 14 years her vigorous tail pounding (or wagging), nose-glued-to-the-ground sniffing, rock-n-roll back scratching, melodic 'opera' howling, house shaking snoring, 'friendly' cat stalking (Oh, just to get a sniff..)and first rate trash-can-dumping, she disarmed (and charmed) everyone with her big brown eyes and sincere expressions of apology for any clean up that had to be undertaken.

She spent her doggie life not with just one family but as a loyal companion for two families. She joined our son's family when he was first married and Mollie came along as an attachment. Her sweet comforting presence during several moves and the addition of three more companions, now 6 yr. old Kyran and 4 yr.old twins Chase and Avery was patient and always entertaining.

Mollie lived with me and John off and on during this time and then for good about 5 years ago. She was one of several pets we inherited from our kids temporarily for one good reason or another. It always seemed that one of our pack of family animals needed a place to bunk for a while. Mollie always fit in, entertained us and sometimes drove us crazy with her tendencies to find the open gate, garage door or distracted person so she could get out. She always seemed to figure out how to find her way into the neighborhood to visit friends and to follow any and all the tantalizing scents that were abundant.

The last few years she had lots of help in that we were blessed not only with our son's three but three more,6 grandchildren within 5 years. Our daughter added another set of twins, Cory and Tyler plus the youngest, Amber, who arrived 2 years ago. Mollie was always the best ‘baby sitter’ around, letting babies and toddlers sit on her and crawl over her. Since she was a very large dog with very short legs they couldn’t push her around very easily. She always knew her own mind.

The most consistent way of getting her to come home after she slipped out any available door was to yell treat! And she would come running, her short legs propelling her forward and her ears flapping in the breeze, a big grin on her face. She had lots of dog and cat friends including her buddy, Corondo (Siamese cat) that she knew the longest and dog ‘cousins’ Magic, Bailey and Annie as well as a cadre of cats including Dante, Romeo, Calla and Lily, and most recently Taffy and Cookie.

She had an unpretentious personality and made herself at home anywhere she was. But she had her moments. One time when she went on a trip with her my son's family she was caught standing on the dining table gobbling up the salad, a tossed salad!! We heard her howl every day before dinner. She seldom barked but when she did it sounded like it originated out of a cave. It was deep and resonant, enough to discourage any intruder.

In those years we had our black lab/cocker spaniel, Magic. So when Mollie and our daughter’s Vizsla Bailey visited we joked that we were having another ‘3-Dog Night’. Soon Annie, another Vizsla, was added to our daughter’s family. No more ‘3-Dog Nights’.

After my husband, John and I retired we moved to a horse property. Mollie loved it. When she slipped out the gate that anyone could have left slightly unlatched she got to stop traffic on the road in front of the house during rush hour. She needed to check out the road kill and often visited her boyfriend Buddy, a boy Basset who lived across the road. Buddy’s family finally just put Mollie inside the fence with him until we came and got her.

Mollie’s health was pretty stable through most of the time we had her. She did suffer from arthritis and pretty early she developed fluid filled sists that occasionally needed to be checked out and drained or removed. About a year ago one of them became abscessed. We put her on antibiotics and she got better. We learned that she also had developed a heart murmur.

Then she had another episode and we thought we might lose her. We tried another round of antibiotics and put her on pain pills. She bounced back for a while. During this time I tried to clean and doctor the abscess as gently as I could. But it would not heal. I even put a large ‘bandage’ on it (on her rump)pretty much every day. But soon when I got the bandages out she would see me coming and she would tremble and crawl under the nearest table. She also started to hide in a walk in closet or in a bathroom.

She still howled for her food even though she began to leave most of it in her dish. As most of you dog lovers know the time to let a beloved animal go is very hard. But for a while when I was caring for her it seemed she was still happy being a dog. I realize now that her most recent escape into the neighborhood included a visit to Buddy across the road and may well have been a good-bye visit.

My goal for her was that she would just have a good time. Other family members had said their good byes. But I held on, I just wanted her to know we loved her and we wanted her with us for as long as she could manage it.

At this point I called in well known veterinarian Kathleen Cooney who came out to evaluate her. She agreed to do in home euthanasia if and when we wanted her to. I was so grateful for Kathleen’s help during this time. Soon Mollie did let me know that she was ready. Kathleen's compassionate help meant everything to us. Mollie went peacefully while lying in front of our fireplace. I read a good bye note that her first ‘mom’ had written and John and I cried as we listened to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Her first family had made the decision to donate her to C.S.U. They felt it was a fitting way for Mollie to give so that other dogs could live healthier lives.

When our young grand kids have asked, “Where’s Mollie,” we have told them that she had been very sick and had died but that she was in heaven, a place that we couldn’t see but a place where she could run like she used to, where she could play with her cat and dog friends and where she would wait for her humans, a place filled with love. And that was enough.

But she had wiggled her way deeply into my heart as I accompanied her on her way to the Rainbow Bridge.

Thank you, Kathleen, for giving me the chance to share just a little about this very ordinary but very special and beloved member of our families.

October 13, 2009 Pam (Grammie Pammie), Anjie and Jamie, Kyran, Chase and Avery Wolf; Jennifer and Miles, Cory, Tyler and Amber Thorland; Pam and John Wolf; Buddy, Bailey, Annie, Denali, Lily, Cookie and Taffy
P.S. After she died John left the gate to our back yard open in her honor.