just an update on the ameri-cats

several of them are showing signs of relapsing URI and i am pretty sure both sanjaya and sunrise have relapsing sore mouths. i started them all on group antivirals and immune boosters today. these cats had alot of health issues when first rescued (starvation, open wounds, viral and bacterial infections, sore mouths, parasites, ringworm and of course their FeLV.) and most of them will probably be on-going with some of their issues, certainly the stress of the flight and trip to saints is enough to toss them upside down.

their personalities are starting to emerge so i will give a quick note on each...

sanjaya is distrustful and expects to be hurt but he finally let me stroke his head tonight. you could tell that he liked the softness of my touch because he closed his eyes and relaxed for a minute. he has the oddest corkscrew tail that i have ever seen. the notes on sanjaya say he likes hard flat beds...well here he seems to like soft little red fluffy couches too. i like this cat alot, he draws me in to him somehow.

sunrise is still keeping his distance but at least he is out from under the chair. he now is on the highest shelf in the room (thank goodness i put a very soft bed up there too) tonight i was singing that song with his name (sunrise, sunset...from fiddler on the roof) and he peered down on me and i think he liked the song that had his name. he is beautiful.

red is funny..he pretends to be all stressy and please don't touch me right now. but if you listen to him and just stay and talk, he likes it and starts to roll around. he is a cat who pretends to be someone that he really is not. i know he is a major suck just waiting to break free.

merlin is a very big baby and he is a lazy sot. i thought maybe he was feeling sick and not well and that was why he slept so much. but he likes the soft beds next to the fire and he likes his food brought in close. and tonight he was wandering around and whining and complaining about pretty much nothing at all except i made him get up and move so i could see if he really could. which he can just fine. once he was up he cried for some rubs and when he got enough he went back to bed.

charlie is a goof ball and the official cat greeter who plays constantly and he eats more than any one except for tiki. everything in that room is there for his fun, including any people who happen to stop by. i looked at his picture when he was bone rail thin and i thought for this cat being so sick must have really hurt him alot.

tiki likes his fire and he likes alot of food and he likes to be petted and kissed on his head. and then he likes to do his rounds and check out all the food bowls again. he is quite predictable in how he spends his time and he is determined to try to get fat!

aladin is regal and dignified and a quite serious minded cat. but he is friendly and good natured and he likes petting too and he really likes the red chair. the other cats are respectful and i have never seen him get the least bit upset with any of them, but it is obvious that to them, he is the king.

ronnie is a doll and a little bit shy so he takes his cues from the other cats. if they are all climbing and purring and rubbing against me then he wants to come and do that too. he is like a little boy who is trying really hard to be good and do it right and he watches the other cats to see if it is ok first.

albus is just a great, over all, nice cat. he likes laps and cuddles. and every once in a while he stretches too far and then he falls off your lap. AND he digs in his claws to slow down his slide, i told him ouch but i let him abuse my leg anyway.

misfit is hilarious. she is the one who got both sanjaya and sunrise out from under the chair. she has discovered it makes a great bouncing spring board and they probably got bonked a few too many times on the head. she is a princess and she knows she is the only female and she knows she is better than everyone else in that room.

tonight mosley came to me when i was laying down on the floor. he rubbed all around and let me kiss his face and neck and i told him he still needed to work a bit harder on cleaning his tail. he just ignored me and kept brushing it all over my face!

and my best friend of all in there is... the rock. that cat just screams...i have had a really shitty time...but somewhere along in his very long lifetime he learned that humans could be really good friends and he has decided that he and i will have a friendship, and i feel very honored and blessed.

so this is what i have learned from the ameri-cats.... life can be crappy and hard, hell can easily overtake you one day and lucky are you to survive. and maybe by keeping faith and having an open heart, possibly it might get better and happiness will find you again someday.

i love these cats, they have survived.

i asked the cats tonight...what path in life led them each to that place? i wish they could answer but i am glad they can't because i think it would just break my heart.