Sorry!

Wow, almost a whole week without posting! Don't worry, everything is fine here at C.R.O.W. Bubba is more affectionate than ever and back up for adoption, Lola is healing beautifully, and the handful of sick kittens are still slogging their way though this upper respiratory infection, but will be fine soon.

We got a call about a feral cat covered in porcupine quills and are working on trapping him and getting him to the vet, where we'll get the quills removed and get him neutered. Keep your fingers crossed that he's not already trap-savvy!



Hope everyone's holidays were lovely and we wish you all the best in the New Year.

Let's Roomba!

Got Some Healing Vibes?

We have a nasty respiratory bug going around right now and many of our critters are feeling a bit under the weather. Fingers crossed that the treatments kick in quick and everyone feels better soon.


photo credit: supercoolpets.com

Product Review: What Were They Thinking?

It's a pet carrier, boom box, and fashion accessory all in one. You know, for those people who.... well, we don't know which people will use this, but we send our sympathies to their pets. And passers-by.

The Lifepop's Stereo Pet Carrier is a large ventilated pet purse, with a built-in stereo and speaker system that hooks up to any iPod, MP3, DVD, CD, PSP player – even a laptop – so that one needn't bother with pesky headphones. Instead, the music is blasted both at the pet in the carrier and everyone walking by.

They are advertised as airplane carryons as well. No, really!




"Lifepop's goal is to bring portable audio devices alive: to make a statement, create an attitude and the freedom for personal expression–without the headphones (and with Fluffy too.)"
--Lifepop press release

Is anyone else tempted to get one just to freak out their neighbors?

Build a Cat Wheelchair

Tumbles

What a cute name for a CH kitty! Here is a darling video of Tumbles on YouTube, showing off his strong little body. His gait is very similar to Toby's.

Living With Disabled Cats

Messy Beast has a great article about living with disabled cats. Check it out!



Helen, a mostly blind cat living in C.R.O.W.'s hub home

Zangaro and Baz

Zangaro and Baz are not ours, but their video is a favorite of those who befriend cats with cerebellar hypoplasia, a brain condition that some equate with cerebral palsy in humans. CH causes poor motor skills in otherwise healthy and intelligent cats.

Our Rudy's mobility is very similar to Zangaro and Baz on good days, but he isn't as strong as them yet. Toby's CH is milder than both of these guys. Look forward to videos of Toby and Rudy in the future.

Remember Rudy?

Rudy traveled a hard 1500 miles from Tennessee to get to his forever home with us. In addition to his cerebellar hypoplasia challenges, he came down with severe pneumonia shortly after arriving in Colorado. He weighed only 4 pounds when he arrived, and experienced significant weight loss with his illness. He has no body fat and barely any muscle, all with low tone. This results in him having an abnormally low body temperature of about 95 F (instead of 101-102). He is incontinent at this point, but is becoming a bit more predictable, and shows promise of training in the future. Multiple vet visits, medications, energy healing sessions, relapses, and a month of force-feeding later, Rudy finally has an appetite and is making significant progress!

He loves to walk around, in spite of the falls; sometimes he can cross two rooms with no incident, and sometimes only a few steps. He loves climbing up and hanging on blankets, couches, legs, or whatever he can get his happy claws into, and a scratching post is his best friend. He is very attached to people and finds his way into the big human bed most nights, unless he's crashed out behind the heater. His favorite place in the world on the chest of his human mama, his purrs reach the farthest corners of the room, and he is clearly happy to be alive. He likes to bat around puffs of fleece, eat chicken baby food, snuggle with kittens, and listen to human singing. He is very, very loved.

Lucas, Take 35

The visuals are lacking, but the audio is worth it. Pump up the volume, folks.




And now an angle we haven't seen before.

Miss Maya

Maya loves to flaunt her beauty and prefers to be appreciated with eyes rather than hands. She likes other cats, ignores dogs, and tolerates humans. If we can catch her, she likes being held and petted, but remains skittish and is content to live side by side with humans, often resting on the couch just a couple feet from a person until they reach out their hand and end up petting air.

She'd make a great mouser and house cat for someone who isn't super touchy-feely with their cats, while also having the potential to become much more affectionate over time.

"Why does that giant keep following me around with the flashing box?"


"Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away."


Maya is vaccinated, uses the litter box faithfully, and gets along well with other cats.

A Twig Like No Other

How can anyone resist this face?




Miss Twiggy sends her love.

Poor Lola

Here she is about 2 months ago, in her sweet beauty.


And here she is now, still sweet and lovable, but also itchy and uncomfortable, and darn near raw between eyes and ears. She has a few other spots on her body, but her head has been hardest hit.


She seemed quite annoyed that I was capturing her current condition on film and has refused to look at me since then. Feel free to reassure her that she's still beautiful.



We've had her checked at the vet and she isn't playing host to parasites or contagious in the least; rather, it's a type of allergic reaction. Food is the most likely culprit, so we have her on an elimination diet with special food, and it's a challenge to keep the food separate for all the kitties in her foster home. If anyone is willing to foster her, she is in good health otherwise, spayed, vaccinated, very friendly. She's on antibiotics (oral liquid once a day) and had a steroid shot that should last a couple months. We'd provide food, meds (and training), and check-ups if you can give her a safe and loving home where she can enjoy her fancy food in peace.

Twiggy and Lucas

Twiggy is darling as always and you can see who she is even from the other side of your screen, while Lucas is still larger than life and thwarts the camera's attempt to capture his essence. You'll just have to meet him for yourself.

Can you see Twiggy's tongue sticking out?



If you had trouble finding Twiggy's tongue in the last picture, maybe you'll have better luck with this one:




Twiggy and Lucas are the best of friends and are easy to find. This cat bed sitting on a heating pad is their favorite place in the world.

Mog & Mutter

Mog and Mutter of the Sunday Cats have come a long way from the feral kittens who landed on our doorstep one Sunday. They've discovered the joys of the couch, and the trials of being carried around by a five-year-old kitten enthusiast. They romp with the other kittens and enjoy life.

Here's Mutter, in a very rare photo experience, showing what he thinks of being woken from his nap. Don't worry, he had no trouble returning to dreamland.





Mog, however, was spared a similar interruption and slept through the whole photo shoot.










Both are beautiful young orange "tuxedo" cats (with white chests) and are eager to find a home soon.

The Ultimate Recession-Proof Cat Toy

Hours of fun and entertainment for both the cats and everyone in the room with them. If interest ever wains, you can just pull out a cardboard box, a square of bubble wrap, a few twist ties, and your finest silk shirt.

Anyone can afford to keep their cats entertained with these economical and earth-friendly cat toys. Don't believe it? Then you likely don't have any cats. We can remedy that for you, by the way.

Catumentary

Cooper the cat is documenting his life with a lightweight camera that hangs from his collar and snaps a picture every two minutes. His cats-eye view is on display at Flickr (check it out--there are some gorgeous shots!) and will soon be featured on Animal Planet's new show, Cats 101.

What a cool idea! Stay safe, little fur-man!

Photo Credit: Cross Films.

Comprehensive C.R.O.W.

All right, it's hard to keep up with the daily posting when the C.R.O.W. blogger is on the road. A blizzard has sidetracked the intent to return to routine, but hopefully we haven't lost you all for good.

The C.R.O.W. Rescue kitties are doing pretty well. Lucas is desperately missing his foster family (he didn't get to join TLC-needin'Rudy on the road trip), but is getting good care from the cat-sitter, and Twiggy, Mog, Mutter, Maya, Alice, and Jacob are following his lead. It's always fun when the smallest becomes the leader. Mama Mia is gorgeous and lovable and ready for any home we could throw at her, as are all the aforementioned kittens. Lola and Bubba have had some setbacks and are no longer available for adoption at this point, but they are safe and loved and will be back up for adoption soon.

C.R.O.W. Outreach programs are growing slowly, but are moving in the right direction. We need some volunteers to help us transport and insulate some old doghouses to provide shelter for some of our feral colonies this winter, and we're talking with Alpha Humane League about working together to do educational animal welfare presentations in the schools. We've had several informational articles published in the newspaper, and got lots of phone calls in reply, and are looking into offering some workshops over the winter. In addition, we are working on strengthening our connections with other animal welfare organizations in the area and with the community at large. And Whitney, C.R.O.W. founder and president, attempts to blog regularly.

C.R.O.W. Welfare is what we're all about. In addition to all of the above, we have contacts for TNR efforts and hope to have some good momentum going in that department by spring. We've stocked up on vaccinations for all the cats, and routinely refer people to spay/neuter programs sponsored by other organizations in the valley. We're always brainstorming new ways to reach out and help and welcome your input. Also, thanks to those who have donated food, money, doghouses, and time to C.R.O.W. We couldn't do it without you.

Our board has been meeting monthly, and VP Christie and Secretary Shay (Whitney's best friends and fellow board members) deserve a shout-out for their brainstorming and behind-the-scenes work at C.R.O.W. Thanks, guys! We have our business bank account (and are working through a Paypal snafu), have started on the non-profit application paperwork, and are working on our non-blog website.

Can you believe we're only 2 months old?

You've Got to Love the Talkers

Growing Catnip

Out of town on an impromptu road trip and am lucky to be posting each day. Sorry for the brevity; I'll add more pictures and stories when I get back home. In the meantime, make yourself useful to your cat. ;)

Gifts for Cat People

Cat toys and knick-knacks are fine and good and prolific, but if you want to give the cat-lovers in your life an original gift, check out C.R.O.W.'s picks for the best gifts for cat lovers, all in one easy link.



Don't forget to check back for updates, too.

If you have a cat-lover gift idea, leave a link in the comments. If we love it, too, we'll write up a post, or maybe even ask you if you'd be a guest blogger.

Cat Agility Training?

So your cat can walk rooflines, jump vertically seven times its height, do flips in the air chasing toys, and blur around corners when chasing house dragons. So a dog agility course will be a breeze, right?