Adopt-A-Cat Month Cats

As another nod to Adopt-A-Cat Month I’m going to feature some of the cats that are now waiting at the Story County Animal Shelter in Nevada, Iowa to find their forever homes and families.

Smooshie

The first of these cats is “Smooshie,” a light red mackerel tabby who is quite the lover. He is neutered and front declawed and is at least 5 years old. While I tried to take pictures of him to share he insisted on rubbing on me, my camera, the cage and even the string on my camera. He is so sweet. He’d fit in most any home as an affectionate member of the family. Won’t you come to the shelter next week to see him and probably fall in love at first sight?

The shelter is located at:         975 W Lincoln Highway
Nevada, IA 50201
Ph: (515) 382-3338

Their hours are:                       M-F 11 am to 4 pm

                                                Closed on holidays and weekends

You can see more of the pets awaiting adoption at the shelter website  and updates at their Facebook page.

Next time I’ll have another cat you’ll just have to come see.

Twygal - Oct 1, 1994 to April 27, 2012

Fred (Toe) - Fall 1995 to Oct 2011

Rainbow - April 7, 1994 to April 15, 2012

Twygal tonight

Twygal, last fall

While I'm still trying write my next kitten entry (it's hard to write about losing them) I thought I'd share a new gimmick Twygal is developing. Watching her bounce around like she is helps me handle Rainbow's illness a little better.

She's been feeling so good lately that she's running around getting into all kinds of trouble, like a kitten would. The last couple of nights she has been going after my "pariah" cat, Meadow, but not with a lot of conviction. Tonight, however, as Meadow tried to melt into a pile of Beanies, Twygal kept jumping at her from below. She'd slap and Meadow would slap then Twygal would get down. Then they'd repeat the whole thing. Twygal really seems to be getting a kick out of this new game.

As long as no one is getting hurt, Twygal is declawed and Meadow is not, I'll let Twygal keep up the act. It's so heartening to see her enjoying life again.

Twygal recovering

While I continue to worry about Rainbow and her battle with kidney disease, I am happy to report that Twygal is doing much better. She battled IBD for a long time while we tried to figure out what was causing her terrible diarrhea but this week she seems to be telling me that she feels wonderful.

She was born in '94, just 6 months after Rainbow so she is my next most senior girl. She is one crazy tortie too. She can be sweet and loving one minute and down-right vicious the next but she's almost never threatened me. I say almost because one time she did bite me but that was because she'd seen a very large Siberian Husky for the first time while she was outside in a strange place. Her first instinct was "flight" but since I held her tightly she had to bite me to get away. Of course, that meant a regimen of antibiotics for me but it didn't ruin our relationship.

Twygal's most frequent affectation is redirected aggression. I was a real meany at times early on because it was so funny to see her reaction. I would pet her roughly at the base of her tail and point her in the direction of one of the other cats. When she'd had enough she would explode AT the other cat like a missile chasing him or her far away. Yes, she's also one of those who can't be petted for long without reacting.

These last couple of years, however, she has been rather solemn, not playing or even wanting attention. She sometimes slept in my bed with me but mostly just slept all day and night only getting up to eat and perform other "essential" duties. These last couple of weeks have been completely different.

Twygal is now so much like her younger self it is almost scary. She has been coming to me for attention, wanting to be petted and hugged. She talks to me, like a Siamese would, just like she did in earlier times. And she plays! She just seems so happy - and so am I. Now if we could just get Rainbow back to her former self.

Rainbow over the Cyclones

Rainbow in 2009

I'm having conflicting emotions tonight. On the one hand, my Iowa State Cyclones took down the #5 rated Kansas J-Hawks! Yay! Go 'Clones!

On the other hand, Rainbow isn't doing so well. She's withdrawn and a little wobbly, drinking constantly and not eating very well. She's avoiding me whenever she's downstairs, probably because that's where she gets stuck with that darn needle for her fluids, but at least she still cuddles with me in bed. I just get the feeling that maybe the toxins are building up in her body causing her to be a little spacey and shaky.

I'm going to call her vet tomorrow to make sure I'm doing all I can but in the meantime please send her your prayers.