Spoke too soon. He actually broke out of the cage

then peed all over the place.

I think I’ve hit frustration level.

I spoke to Andy’s previous owner this morning, and while he seems like a nice guy, he was a little fast and loose with the people at Town Lake Animal Center when he surrendered Andy. It seems that his mother had become unable to care for Andy due to some health reasons of her own, but also because Andy was unable to use the potty appropriately. Basically, his hind legs and age make it difficult for him to posture correctly when he makes, so he will often just do the best he can wherever he can. Obviously, this means I can’t let him have unfettered access to the house, especially if I’m going to sell it this summer. But I also can’t have him living in my bathroom forever.

At the advice of my vet, I decided to set up a hospice-like situation for Andy.

After work, I went to PetCo and got Andy a kennel. It seemed the best thing to do for him. I gussied it up and made it into (I hope) a serviceable and comfortable place to live. The idea is that when I’m not around, he’ll live there, but when I am, I’ll let him out to hang with the other cats. This way he’ll have the ability to socialize, accidents will be contained, and clean-ups should be easier.

I’ll also get my bathroom back.

Here’s how the first evening is going:

This is a pretty good example of how he’s doing. A few minutes before I filmed this, he got right out of the kennel without a problem.

Today, a friends of mine who works with animal rescue sent me a Craigslist link about a cat named Andy at Town Lake Animal Center. Her email read simply “ADOPT HIM”. When I clicked on the link, the ad read as follows:

This loving orange tabby boy is dependent on humans to help him, but is still responsible for himself. He gets where he wants to go, uses his back legs when he can, and most of all, he wants to connect with people. He gives headbutts, purrs continuously, and is clearly missing his safe home and owner. Even in the scary shelter he shows a lot of independence and the ability to move out of harm’s way.

Andy is a 9-year old orange tabby and white lovecat. Severely injured during a dog attack 8 years ago, he has limited use of his rear legs. His owner left him at TLAC Monday because she hurt her back and can’t keep him.

If you meet Andy, your heart will strengthen, not break. He is loving, trusting, and the shelter staff gave him the highest friendliness ratings. He is easy to pick up and carry around.

Can you save Andy’s life? He was put on the euthanasia list and now has one day to find a home or rescue placement.

And don’t ask me what it was about the words or the picture; I don’t know. But he’s mine. I pick him up tomorrow at 3. He’s adorable, isn’t he?

I’m fostering two dogs for Lucky Mutts (my neighbor lady works for them and she caught me early one morning with a request to help out while my brain was still asleep) and I have to say they’re adorable. I’ve named them Mitzi and Felicia. They are Shepherd/Blue Heeler mutts (and I say that with love).

Mitzi is the blonde. She is definitely the big sister in the relationship. Everything she does, Felicia follows along. Mitzi and Hogan get along like gangbusters. They roughhouse for a while, then they den under the coffee table for a cuddle until one of them wants to play again. Mitzi is a headstrong little girl, but comes running when you call her name.





Felicia LOVES to cuddle! She’s not a wild spirit like her sister, and even though she’ll play with the other dogs for a while, she always ends sitting in my lap or trying to become part of the couch. Felicia knows how to fetch and shake. Well, she’s getting a hang of them, in any case. Both ladies are being crate trained and have it down (more or less; someone had a small accident tonight).

Tonight I let myself sit down to watch some TV (the last two nights I’ve been too nervous and vigilant to relax much) and captured an overload of cuteness. If you watch closely, you can see Hogan ignoring me (he’s a bit jealous of the newcomers).

My friend Michelle and I hosted our second annual Christmahannakwanzaastice Charity Party for Animal Trustees of Austin this past Saturday. Our theme was “wine and cheese”. Over 30 people showed up with donations of food and litter (and a carrier!!) for ATA and the animals they care for (we provided the drinks and snackie-poos; gotta get ‘em in the door somehow!). All my cats (Zaph and M and Rose) were neutered at ATA and my dog (Hogan, seen in the picture above) had his heartworm treatment there. And Michelle’s six dogs and one cat… don’t get me started. Fun was had by all and four lucky people won door prizes – a gingerbread man kit, an ATA calendar, a bottle of wine with wine spouts, and a bottle of champagne. By the end of the night we were exhausted and way toasty, but for what a reason! Next year we’re doing “beer and shots”.