December 2009 NEWSLETTER….

To you from me…..

I don’t know about you, but 2009 slid right by me.  It seems like I just started this year and WHAM it’s time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We sort of survived a recession….the jury is still out on that one.  As usual the back gate from Cedarhill to the Rainbow Bridge, opened way too often…fortunately the front gate was open to give others a home for life.  The only goal I didn’t accomplish this year was to build the $80,000 feline care center.  I just hope and pray every day that old building doesn’t fall in or burn down before we raise the money to replace it. This building is the original carriage house that was built in the late 1880’s.

Feline updates….

KiKi, from New Orleans was featured in my October Newsletter.  Since then, KiKi started slowing down…and became less interested in his food. We took him to the vet and had blood work done and it became apparent that his liver was failing.  In late October, KiKi went on over the Rainbow Bridge….I know John was waiting for him

Arthur has a girlfriend….

I felt that I must give you a report on Arthur…you know he has never really admitted that he was a pig, even though he has gradually gotten more “pig like”.  It seems that Arthur has become quite enamored with Kirby, our white pot-bellied pig.  I’m not so sure that it’s a mutual agreement….after Kirby goes to sleep in the hay in the pig barn, Arthur goes in and snuggles up to her.  Honestly, I don’t think Kirby is aware of this sleeping arrangement.  I guess Arthur has been admiring her from a far and has decided to make his move. 

George the Bengal, who was almost killed for taxidermy…

This has got to be one of the most bizarre rescues I’ve ever been involved with.  Through my sanctuary network, I was asked to take another Bengal.  I believe I’ve told you before that the Bengal cat was the result of breeding domestic cats with Asian Leopards.  Now, that’s enough right there to make one leery.  They can be very stubborn and many times refuse to use the litter box.  At any rate, a woman in New Mexico bought George out of a car in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  She was evidently afraid of the cat, therefore,
she kept him in a carrier in the bathroom.  George managed to escape and the woman panicked and called the sheriff, the police and animal control to come out and shoot him.
When the authorities arrived, they found over 60 species of animals taxidermied all over her house.  I believe that she intended for this to be George’s fate.  George will arrive at Cedarhill on November 18 to be added to our growing feline family of Bengals.

Eliza, from Michigan….

I received an email from Alexandra in Michigan.  Her sister had found a cat crawling down the sidewalk, she thought its legs were broken but a trip to the vet showed that its kneecaps are not properly placed so she walks oddly.  Her legs are permanently bent and when she crawls, her back knees come up to the front shoulders.  Two different vets say that Eliza has adapted and surgery would not help her.  Alexandra could not find anyone who would give Eliza a home and she herself was already over the limit for the number of cats allowed in her apartment.  Soooo, Alexandra is going to drive Eliza to Cedarhill on December 5th.  She will be a great addition to our senior/disabled house.

There was a fungus among us….

I think one of the things I dread and worry about most infecting our 200 domestic cats would be ringworm.  In 1992, I had 42 cats and they all got it.  I borrowed 42 primate cages from MSU and set them up in the barn aisle.  Morning, noon and night, I would disinfect each cat, each cage, each water bowl and each litter box.  I would then take a bath, change clothes and then it was time to go out and start over again.  I did this for six weeks…..I never want that misery again.  One cat in the senior house and one kitten came down with ringworm on their paws.  Michelle and her crew went into action.  We isolated the infected cats.  For one week, they washed every piece of bedding.  I bought a Woods Lamp, which detects ringworm spore, and they scanned every cat.  Each cat was washed down with Cholorhexiderm, the yards were treated and so far, knock on wood, we have held back an epidemic.

Sid, our latest little Felv boy…..

Lisa, one of our donors from New Jersey seems to always be rescuing cats.  She found this little guy Sid, and he tested positive for felv.  Cedarhill agreed to give Sid a home so; Lisa and her friend Caitlin drove all the way from New Jersey to bring Sid to his new home.  Sid is our youngest felv, but we have a 6-month-old Siamese coming from Jackson, MS who is also felv positive. We hope that they will be great playmates. 

Barbara, Citgo and Jasper…

We have our domestic cat food delivered by 18-wheelers.  Our neighbors across the road won’t let us unload in front of the sanctuary, so we go about ? mile down the road in front of an old abandoned Citgo station and load Barbara’s pickup and carry it back to the sanctuary.  Late one Friday afternoon, Barbara was called to pick up the rest of a partial load.  We were about to get the downpour of the century, so Barbara was hurrying to get back before the rain.  She heard a kitten screaming at the top of its lungs, she discovered a 4-week old abandoned kitten whose eyes had been matted shut and of course, he was scared to death.  Barbara took him to the vet where he stayed for the weekend and when Citgo came home on Monday, he went to live with Barbara and Jasper.

Oscar gets a new ball…..

Thanks to one of our very generous donors, Marcia, we were able to get Oscar a new ball to play in his pool with. Oscar is young and very hard on his toys; this is a very heavy-duty ball and we thought it would keep his mind off of his plumbing escapades….wrong.  The night Oscar got the ball, he again figured out how to clamp the water valve and turn it at the same time….14,000 gallons of clean water was sent down the creek.  I think it was more fun to play in the pool without the water.  It has been over a year since Oscar’s last plumbing escapade and I really thought he had forgotten how to plumb…wrong again.

Shera, our lioness grows a mane…transgender????

Shera is 17 years old and has lived at Cedarhill since she was six months old.  Out of nowhere, she has started growing a mane.  Today, her mane is about 8”-10” long and still growing.  Why on earth a female lion would grow a mane is beyond me.  I hope to have some answers on this by the next newsletter.

Gold and silver can feed the animals.…

I know you’ve probably seen all of the ads about selling your gold and I never thought much about it until now.  I am working with a group in Alabama that buys: gold and platinum, broken and damaged jewelry, sterling silver items, old watches, diamonds and old paper money.  Here’s how it works.  You check on the insert that you have items to donate for sale.  You will be sent a box to ship it in and pre-paid FED-EX shipping form.  The box will be sent to Cedarhill. You can insure it and ship it yourself to save more money for the animals.  I will keep track of what is sent to the buyer and when Cedarhill receives the money for the item, I will send you an IRS donation receipt.  I hope there are those of you who can help the animals by donating from your jewelry box.

Until next time…

December and January are the most difficult financial months for the sanctuary.  I hope you can see it in your heart not to forget the animals during this time.  If you did not donate to the sanctuary during 2009, I will have to drop your name from the mailing list due to costs.  It only costs $7.50 per year to receive the newsletters, and I can no longer carry that cost.  Please remember the animals.  Without you – we cease to exist.

For the love of the animals,

Kay

Executive Director