Heidi Chronicles: Where Are Those Silly Raccoons Anyhow?

I thought perhaps I should preface this with a little reassurance about the name change. I am the person who has been posting the Heidi threads all along. You will probably remember me by a different name and may be a bit confused by the new name. Please don't be. I am the same person just with a new username. I requested a name change for purely personal reasons and DG admin was kind enough to take care of that for me. So with the name issue resolved, on with our 'show'.

This is (normally) the ongoing story of Heidi and friends raccoons and other wildlife that visit my backyard wildlife buffet. It is the winter downtime right now. We've just been chatting and biding our time until Heidi and the others return in spring (ETA late Feb). Make no mistake that this thread will be about raccoons once more just as soon as they get back from their winter rest.

Prior thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1073171/
Original thread that started it all (for those who wish to start from the beginning, highly recommended):
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944/

Folks, I've just about run out of raccoon pics, even after recycling a few. Here's hoping the gang returns soon for another photo shoot to replenish my supply. In the mean time, given that I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, the pic below - no, that's not an albino raccoon - is of my Maltese dog Widget. Desperation, what can I tell you?

We got big Rubbermaid tubs to use as litter boxes instead of "official" litter boxes. The cats can jump in and out of them with no trouble, and they don't track nearly as much litter around. The Rubbermaid tubs are cheaper, too.

Widget is adorable. ^_^ ("albino raccoon".. ROFLOL)

Even more good news. Isn't this too much good news at once? Surely, we must be overdue for some bad news by now.

Tonight was the night for Kitty's one time worm treatment. Despite what I thought the lady said, it was a pill, and a fairly large on at that. It was a single pill and a syringe. So, I put the pill in her mouth and held it closed until the pill was gone. Not sure if she swallowed it or it dissolved, probably the latter. She didn't approve of this procedure. She squirmed and struggled. Twice she managed to spit the pill back out, but the 3rd time I held on long enough to get the medicine in her.

Even though she objected, she didn't bite me or scratch me. She struggled but with nails retracted. Seems like a very good sign. Afterward she was unhappy with me. She went over to her bed and sat down. I had to use that can of Evo 95% venison to coax her back. By the time she finished the can, she was purring again and all seemed back to normal. She really seemed to like the venison. I read the ingredients and it was: venison, venison broth, a list of vitamins and minerals, and sunflower oil. Seems like pretty good food for a cat. That particular type only comes in venison and duck right now.

Seems like she is overeating. Maybe that's ok. Maybe she is slightly under weight after being on the streets for so long. The venison was a large (for cat food) cat, the size of a tuna can. It said to give one per 7lbs per day. She is 8.5lbs, so she shouldn't need much beyond that can. In actuality, today she also ate a 3oz can of Fancy Feast plus about a cup of the Evo dried food. If she keeps eating like that, I'll have to buy her the weight management food soon.

While I was cleaning out the litter box, she was nosing around a lot. I wondered why she was so interested. Then as soon as I got most of the clumps out, and while I was still raking through it to check, she hopped in there and went to work. Certainly not shy.

Does anyone have a good system for dealing with the used litter clumps? I have so much to learn.

Hi Marylyn,

Widget says a big thank you!

That sounds like a very good idea. I forgot to take the little hand vac up there when I went. We're getting a healthy collection of litter on the floor already. I'll have to give that a try. I had to scratch my head when I started reading your post. You posted before I posted, yet you answered a litter related question. Not exactly the one I asked in my post but close enough to make me scratch my head for a few seconds trying to figure out how you knew the question before I posted. Well, it's late, what can I say?

Widget makes a nice albino raccoon, don't you think?

Just as I figured, when I took Widget out the kittens were waiting. I didn't see them, but when I put him back inside, I called them, and looked back to see the little tabby sitting on the walkway already. I was so touched by this, her coming out to sit on the walkway before I even got the food, I decided to give them a little can of wet food for a treat.

And then as soon as I got back inside good, Tom showed up to steal the good food from them. Argh! Now this problem. I wish animal control would hurry up and catch him. So I had to go out there, coax them to come eat near me, and keep watch to keep Tom at bay until they finished. He still got the Iams. I just wanted them to have the canned food.

There's no such thing as too much good news, Cheryl; it makes up for the regrettable times when the news is all bad...

Some pill popping suggestions that might help if the need arises again. Since you can successfully hold her mouth closed, there are two approaches to try while holding mouth closed. One, tap nose very gently and repeatedly; this makes them inhale when you're not covering their nose, and the pill usually goes down in the process. Two, gently stroke chin and upper throat in a downward motion; this too encourages swallowing.

I'd momentarily forgotten how you unwillingly feed the mosquitoes every night while feeding the raccoons; yes, heartworm preventative is a good idea year-round for Kitty in that climate, even if she becomes an indoor-only cat.

Can't help you with disposal of litter clumps because we don't use it. The very fine, sand-like texture of the clumping litter makes it prone to cling to the cat's feet and fur. I don't enjoy walking barefoot on sand unless I'm at the beach, for one thing. And there's some evidence to suggest that the clumping litter can cause serious digestive problems when the cat ingests it while grooming. This is not a fact, other researchers dispute it; but I see no reason to take the risk. We use old-fashioned clay litter, usually a brand like Fresh Step with good deodorizing properties. The litter scatter you're seeing could have several causes. She may just be rejoicing about having a litter box again, rejoicing enthusiastically. She may not be used to the clumping litter, which flies around rather more than the clay. Or she may just be one of those endearing cats who feels the need to dig to China every time. And there are a few even more endearing cats who just don't cover, though they dig; I've always thought of it as the feline "let George do it." If the scatter factor continues, the Rubbermaid tub is a great solution, and most cats take well to the idea.

As Kitty continues to feel better, there's no doubt she'll very much want to explore the rest of the house. Chasing her around to confine her again is not a promising idea; not likely to work, and definitely won't be appreciated. If you fed her exclusively in that upstairs bath, do you think she'd follow you back there for the canned food? I realize you can only guess, but you have great instincts and already seem to know what will work with Kitty for the most part. If you decide to try it, be sure to cat-proof any open rooms FIRST: valuable breakables on shelves, mantels, etc. stowed elsewhere until you see where she goes and how she acts, no food or fine china on kitchen counters, etc., etc. And I would keep a spray bottle of plain water at the front and back doors in case she tries to get out and visit the kittens before she's had adequate recovery time. Honestly I think it's unlikely she'll try to bolt out, since it sounds like she's highly relieved to be indoors; but if she sees or hears the kittens, maternal instinct may take over.

And speaking of the kittens, it's very impressive how well she trained them on when to approach your door. They probably think those are the only safe times, but I know many human moms who would dearly wish that their teaching was followed that faithfully, lol.

The amount Kitty is eating right now is okay for the very short term while she makes up for months of pregnancy, lactation, undernourishment, etc. But I'd start regulating her quantity in a week or two; if she eats that much long-term, you'll have a kitty blimp. Reduce quantity very gradually, of course; and if she tells you she's starving to death, you can always give her a piece or two of kibble.

Such a very handsome albino raccoon, and such unusual fur texture.....

LOL, Ruth,

While I was wrestling with Kitty trying to hold onto the 4 arms and legs and the squirming body while simultaneously holding her mouth shut, I actually exclaimed out loud that I needed no less than a 1/2 dozen more hands - and now you want me to tap her nose, too? I know I said I was limber and I used to practice yogo, but I don't think Hudini could do that. ;-)

Seriously though, I did know about rubbing the throat. Before I found the bribery solution with Widget, I always used that. And I did manage to use that with Kitty. Also, I didn't hold her mouth so as to constrict her breathing. I got her in my lap, something to which she objects outright, positioned her so that my arm clamped against my side would keep her from backing up. Then with the same arm running along her side and around her chest to [somewhat] constrain her, used the hand of that arm to hold her mouth shut by forming a circle with my thumb and forefinger around her face trying to keep as light a grip as possible while still keeping the mouth closed and trying to avoid putting pressure in the area above the nose. This methodology is what allowed her to spit the pill out 2x before I figured out the right placement and pressure to keep the mouth closed. I still had to use the other hand to help contain her squirming body and keep her from contorting her body to get free, but I was able to free it up long enough to rub her throat.

I didn't know about the nose tapping thing so will have to add that to my repetoire. Thanks.

The biggest problem with trying to do anything like this with Kitty is that she very much does not like to be held or restrained and will start trying to wiggle loose almost immediately. Even if I pick her up to, hold her against my chest and pet her or scratch behind her ears, she will purr and arch her neck for a few seconds - and then she wants down.

Unfortunately, the vet refused to prescribe the heartworm/flea/ear mite treatment w/o seeing the cat. Even though I had explained the whole ordeal of getting clawed while trying to force her into the crate (holding undersides of arms out to show supporting evidence) and how I finally had to trap her like a wild animal to get her to the SPCA Monday to be spayed, they actually followed the sentence refusing to prescribe without an exam this way: "If you could just bring her in for a few minutes, just so they can say they saw her." (as if the issue is one of time, like the cat will be more tractable for a brief visit vs a normal length one. sigh.)

You laugh, but I hear these long haired, albino raccoons are all the rage in Paris and London.

I keep a stash of plastic grocery bags next to the litter boxes, so when I scoop, the dirty stuff goes right into the bags and I take them to the trash can. We use the clumping stuff now, but we are transitioning to pine pellets. There's a thread in the pet section in which some people said they use them, and they are flushable (no clay), and don't kick up any dust. And cheap! You can get a 40 pound bag of horse bedding for $6. We just started mixing it in the litter, so I don't know how well the cats will take to it yet. I also don't know exactly how to scoop it... the pellets won't go through the holes in my scoop. We'll see how this goes. :-)

We adopted our 2 kitties from a shelter when they were just over a year old. They had been in a foster home since they were left at the shelter, so they were housebroken and socialized, but neither of them like being picked up or restrained. They'll sit next to me and purr, or sometimes they'll climb on my lap, but it has to be their idea, not mine. When I take them to the vet, I leave the cat crate out where they can see it for several days, so they get used to it being around. That seems to help the transition. (Having said that, we haven't been to the vet recently, so it might be harder now that they are bigger. I probably need a bigger crate, too.)

Hi Marylyn,

You mean, there's a pet forum for discussing these issues? ;-)

All great info. Thanks much.

I'm working on a plan for Kitty's issues. Time alone will tell how successful it is. For the crate problem, as suggested by several others, I'm going to put some nice soft bedding in the crate and maybe put her food in their, too, in one corner or hanging from the side. Then I'll leave the crate in her area in hopes that she will learn to go in there to eat and sleep and will learn to think of it as a safe place.

For her issues with restraint and with being held, I've already started on this. I pick her up a few times during each of our sessions. I hold her gently for a minute or so while scratching her head and behind her ears or petting her. Then I put her down. The idea is to, hopefully, get her to think of being held as a positive experience and to put her down quickly while things are still going well in hopes that she will get over the association she currently has between being held and restraint. I'm hoping she will learn to think, "when they pick me up it isn't so bad. It's kind of pleasant, and it doesn't mean I have to be held and restrained for a long time. I can get right back down in a minute." Well, that's the idea anyhow. We'll see how it actually works.

here's the thread... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1060859/
Keeper of Litterboxes....

it's interesting...

then there is less to scoop... but i think that is more on Food than Litter.

Terese,

Thanks. I'll check that out.

Although...Whew! That upstairs bathroom...almost knocked me down when I opened the door up there. Whew! Strong aroma that I don't believe i want permeating the rest of the house. Kitty is still not covering her handy work, and I think that is allowing more of the stinky smell into the room.

I'm going to try a few things, more/deeper litter, different litter, etc. If this doesn't improve, I don't know. She might have to go back outside, and maybe just come in occasionally. I might move her to the garage for a while - if I can figure out how to do that - just to give her a change of scenery while I decide about these things.

I've been cleaning the litter box before work, after work, and before bed, and, I think largely because she leaves everything open to the air, it still smelled rank up there when I opened the door. Definitely need another solution. Thanks for the link.

Kitty is not in quite as good a mood tonight.

On the plus side, I did get her to purr, play a bit, and even let me lay her over sideways and turn her on her back so I could check her sutures for signs of problems. No problems seen, BTW. I need to get her some other toys. Based on her playing style, I don't think that one is optimum for her.

She gets very intense and focused when I drag the toy up onto and along the vanity, back down the wall, and around the spot where I'm sitting. When it is about to disappear from site going around me, she will break into a run to catch it and will follow it around me once before loosing interest. I have one (or more) of those laser pointers around here somewhere. Thing that might work for her. She will also bat the toy around for a while if I jiggle it in the air in front of her, but after a few minutes she appears to get annoyed with it, spins around, and leaves the area completely for a minute or so as if to signify playtime is over.

On the negative side, I took the hand vac up there this time. From that I learned that she still has serious trust issues and will likely have difficulty with the various noisy things in the human environment. That's not to say she won't get over them in time. She went in the other room while I was using the hand vac. I talked to her, and she sat some distance away watching me.

That she left the area when I was using the noisy hand vac didn't concern me so much. That seemed pretty normal. I was even encouraged when she sat down about 4 or 5 feet away and watched me. The problem showed up after I turned the vac off. She was leary of coming to me at 1st. When she did, she didn't want to go around me (like she normally does) to the other side, the side where the scary thing was sitting.

I had to put the vac on the vanity to get her to come to me. She kept an eye on the vac and continued to be cautious about it and me. She did finally go around me again while playing, but she was never her normal self the whole time I was up there. She remained dubious about the scary thing, its purpose, and what I might plan to do with it. I couldn't get her to come to it when I put it down (off, of course) in the other room while she was over there. I left it in the middle of the room, on the floor, when I left. I'm hoping while I'm gone she will make peace with it.

Thinking of all of the other scary things in the house that might make her distrustful of my motives, gives me pause: upright vac, blender, food processor, TV, washer, dryer, dish washer, host of other kitchen appliances to name a few. I had even wondered if some of the new motorized gizmos might help with the litter/odor problem but now realize she might be distrustful of that, too.

Oh, my aching knees! It has been a while since i ran up and downt he stairs this much.

ping pong balls. they are great to bat around... and i dont think Widget will steal them like Buddy does.
rubber bands are good too. silly things you'd never think of as a cat toy. Milk caps too.
But i'd bet she'd love one of those fake mice.

Sorry to hear of the issue of 'not burying' ... Charlie is a digger. kicks litter all over, but he's good at covering it up too. So we've never had a "stink" issue.

To deal with the potential chubby problem, I decided to limit the super yummy can foods to one per day while allowing full access to the dry stuff. She seems more likely to overeat when offered all the can food she wants - and even that may be due to her time outside with little to eat and may subside with time. Today I didn't offer any can food for breakfast - despite her attempts to convey that idea to me. She only appeared to eat a small amount of dry food all day. Tonight I gave her the one 3oz can of the Medley which she ate completely before stopping to interact with me. That seems to be working.

Both kittens are still outside. I notice that they are reacting positively to my voice - even when I'm inside talking through the door. This is huge. I've noticed both with raccoons and now with skittish cats that they start out being frightened, terrified even, by the sound of a human voice no matter how soft and cajoling it may be. They don't begin to derive comfort from the voice until they have begun to trust the person somewhat.

This, that they are initially terrified by our sweetest, most cajoling voice, isn't what I expected, nor, I figure, what most people expect, but I've seen it time and again with wild animals. I liken this phenomenon to a snake trying to hiss at us in a friendly way to let us know he wants to be friends. If we suspend reality for a moment and assume that snakes have a friendly hiss for use with their friends and family, imagine the comfort - NOT! - you would derive from hearing that friendly hiss beside you in the garden. Most of us would jump, scream, and run away hearts pounding out of our chests, and that's what cats, kittens, and raccoons do when I say, "it's ok, sweetie" (until they learn to trust me at which point they begin to find the words/voice comforting).

Anyhow, for a few days now, I've noticed that the kittens are comforted by my voice - for a change. If they start to run away and I speak to them, they will come back to the food. Tonight, when I turned the outside light on to check on them, they scurried from the food. When I spoke calmly to them through the door, they returned to the food to continue eating.

It used to be just the opposite. If they were eating and I spoke to them, they would run away and hide.

Thanks, Terese,

Good toy suggestions. It's been so long I'm having trouble thinking 'cat'. I have some of those little toy balls for cats around here. Will have to get some ping pong balls. I think I can probably scare up a ball of yarn, too. I'd forgotten about that old favorite. Widget might still have one of those elex mice. I'll check. I figure she needs something to play with up there.

Interesting you mentioned the milk cap. Recently, while they were all still outside, I bought some kind of cat toys, some kind of catnip scented little rubber or plastic things that are supposed to jump around when batted to drive the cat crazy. I never gave them to the cats because every time I look at those silly things I think, "they won't be interested in that. they won't even know what that is." Perhaps I'm wrong. I'll have to get those things out.

I bought a small, refillable, catnip filled plush toy for the kittens. It's outside now and wet, but it does move around still. I might go out tomorrow & get that toy I got for the raccoons, the one with the ball you chase inside of it. I figure I could soak it a little while in the sink with a little bleach in the water to kill any germs and then put it up there to see if she will play with it.

I don't want to discourage you, but I have at least three of my kitties that have never covered their pooh. Sorry to tell you. LOL

Missy Mau paws at the edge of the box a few times and says, OK, that's good! My Muffin who is gone now, would paw at everything but the mess. The edge of the box, the wall, the air, the side of the end table anything but the area of the litter. It was quite comical. I have never understood it. Her brother Indy who is also gone, covered it so completely, you didn't even see where he had gone.

the Bitter, covers good too, Mercky so so, Furrbee covers good when he actually hits the box. He is inclined to go just outside of it. ewwww

If it is knocking me over, I cover it myself. I scoop every night and I use Nature's Miracle Litter treatment which is wonderful. It really eliminates the odors IF IT IS COVERED, lol, you might try getting some of that. It is a powder that you sprinkle on top of the litter and then mix it in with the scoop. You don't have to change the complete litter box as often when you use that either. Just add fresh litter and the treatment on top and you are good to go.

Hey, you finally hit an area I know something about. Kitty pooh!!! ROFLOL

=^..^=

An automatic litter box may be what you need for her. Here is what google has: http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1TSHBCENUS345&q=automatic+litter+box&btnG=Google+Search&aq=1p&oq=da&aqi=g-p3g7

Marylyn, they make litter scoops designed for the pine pellets and crystal litters: slats rather than small holes. They work pretty well for our one cat who uses crystal litter (she arrived as a declaw, and the crystals seem easier on the pads than the clay).

Cheryl, I sympathize with the odor problem: the kitty mentioned above, Miss Mallow, refuses to cover. We gave her a covered litter pan with charcoal filter in the hood; this helps a lot, and I'll admit I cover for her if I'm in the room (my computer room) when she makes a deposit. I definitely don't recommend the motorized box since Kitty is afraid of mechanical sounds; could be really self-defeating. If you gradually shift her over to a premium diet, the stool odor will also decrease, as will the quantity. As with dog foods, the brands you find at the grocery leave much to be desired in the way of quality ingredients and usable nutrition. And my experience with clumping litter is that deodorizing is not its strong suit.

I think that link to heartworm products (the one in Australia) did not require a prescription. Or you could call the SPCA and ask if their vet, who did see Kitty, would provide a prescription. Once they got over the shock of someone wanting to buy it for a "feral" (lol), they might well help since heartworm testing is not usually required before starting a cat on preventive. I really wouldn't try a vet trip just for a prescription; too much stress for both of you. The hearworm meds can wait, if necessary; what matters most right now is keeping her feeling safe and secure, and getting her accustomed to home life again.

Another toy suggestion: Da Bird. http://www.amazon.com/Value-Original-Single-Replacement-Feathers/dp/B000FWAP8A/ref=sr_1_2/188-8388475-4600923?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265446801&sr=8-2 This thing is a huge hit with our guys, especially Mister Impossible, who was a stray kitten prior to adoption. It really does fly like a bird, and he will play till he's panting/out of breath. The feathers don't have a long lifespan, since they're typically kicked and chewed when he kills the bird, so I'm glad they're replaceable.

Kitty will no doubt get used to the mechanical sounds around the house as time passes and her confidence level increases. Having more space will help with that also; it's probably scarier when you're confined with a scary noise, in a house you can hide until the noise goes away. Many cats always hate the vacuum, but kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, dishwasher, etc. are typically sounds they learn to ignore. Heck, one of our dogs is frightened of the vacuum; but since his prior home was with a bachelor, I guess he didn't grow up around one, lol.

The kittens are making great progress with you, and it's really not surprising. With mom gone, you're the only being they can sort of trust since mom told them you were okay.

Hi Susan (9kittymom),

Yep, now we are in your territory.

I had to chuckle at the vast variety in your litter users, your excellent knowledge of each, and, of course, the humor of the one that paws randomly at all manner of things including the air.

I think I got my answer to this mystery the other day when Kitty hopped in while I was sifting through the litter to be sure I'd gotten everything. There was no incorrect or poorly coordinated pawing involved. Nope. She just hopped in, squatted, did the work, and hopped out again with no concern at all for protocol. I'm wondering if this may be the result of so much time spent outside. I mean, if you were to take in a person who had spent years on the streets, they just might have forgotten about the niceties of putting the seat down or even up, for that matter. Outside around here, unless you are lucky enough to find an open flowerbed, there really isn't anywhere to dig and nothing with which to cover things up. The earth around here is all covered with mostly immovable stuff like concrete, asphalt, trees, grass, etc. There is no freshly plowed earth, no sand, nothing paws driven by a 10lb motor could hope to move.

I got litter on the floor the 1st day, and not much since then. I'm wondering if that might have been a 1st day attempt at digging and covering, something which did go well and now appears abandoned.

Hi Ruth,

This is all very good info. Thanks.

I'll be back later when I'm awake but just had to comment now that I'm pretty sure Kitty is now largely on a premium diet. She has been on EVO (Ancestral Diet) dried food for a few days now plus EVO and other premium canned foods. Except for the Medleys I gave her tonight, it's been pretty much premium stuff the past few days.

Maybe she needs to be on it longer, but given that carnivores have a shorter digestive system, it seems like after 2 days the system would have purged the old stuff, or am I wrong? I did give her the parasite medicine yesterday, so that could be a factor. Still, I was under the impression that cats had evolved to cover their handy work in the 1st place in large part due to its extremely malodorous nature.

Anyhow, she's eating an almost pure meat diet now with no grains.

Widget is just adorable. Arn't white dogs a pain to get nice photos of? Mine almost aways has a dirty looking face and since he had gotten old and lost a lot of teeth his tongue is always hanging out. Afraid I don't take a lot of photos of him.

Here are some good photos on pill popping a cat. http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientEd/cat_meds.aspx
That is the method I use, only I start by lying a big bath towel on my lap while i'm sitting down and then pick the cat up and lay her down on her back on the towel and mummy her by wrapping the towel tightly around her so only her head is showing. Then you have both hands free to work with. I worked as newborn nursery nurse for many years, so this technique of mumming comes natural. Not sure it would be as easy on her cat that isn't used to being handled. Here are some photos of how to mummy a cat. Not exactly the way I do it, but the results are the same and even though it may look mean, it is calming to the cat and you only have them wrapped a few seconds. http://www.co.camden.ga.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=358

I use the Rubbermaid boxes for litter too and have found some extra jumbo cat litter liners that just fit them. I use Fresh Step non-clumping too and scoop daily, then just pick up the plastic liner and change everything about once a week. I fill them with about 4" to start with and use one of the large bags of Fresh Step each week to fill the 2 containers. My 3 cats share 2 of the big boxes. I also have a covered one that came with my last cat, but she seems to prefer using the larger uncovered ones too. I'm guessing that once your cat gets used to the change in her diet, you will have less odor.

This message was edited Feb 6, 2010 9:54 AM

Hi Susan,

Widget is nearly impossible to photograph (if you want a decent picture), but most of the reasons aren't so much about his color - with the notable exception of the tear stains. I can get rid of the tear stains, but it takes work, and lately I've been SO busy, I just haven't had time to deal with his eyes.

He tangles his hair up, shreds it, teases it, etc. Maltese have this amazingly soft hair that is unlike the hair of any other dog. It's amazing to touch but it tangles and mats so easily. Even the groomer mentioned that the other day, not that Widget's hair was badly tangled but that Maltese hair mats if you look at it wrong, and I swear, it does. Unless you've actually seen Maltese hair, it's likely hard to imagine, but seriously their hair isn't like the hair of other dogs. It's soft like rabbit hair, but 10-12in long. Anyhow, on any given day you can't expect to photograph him unless you feel like brushing him, and fixing his ponytail.

That's just the start because his hair grown with blinding speed. A week or two after grooming the hair on his face, around his eyes, nose, and mouth will have grown enough to need a trim and will look shaggy in a photo. Hair on other parts of him will also be ready for a trim. His coat will be dragging the ground - and getting dirty and tangled as well as bringing stuff in from outside. Maltese are one of only a few breeds with hair growning out of their ears and between their toes. Although this won't generally show up in photos, in a few weeks, you won't be able to find the pads of his feet because they will be covered by all of the hair growing out from between them (no kidding), and he will have 'a full hedgerow' growing out of his ears. Maltese are not for the feint of heart. I swear this is my last one.

By far the worst part of all is that Widget just will not be still for a second. Add to that the fact that he hates the flash and turns his head as soon as he realizes it is going off, and you have a photographers nightmare. I must have taken about 40 pics to get a half dozen of his face, the rest of the back of his head. To get him to keep looking at the camera long enough to get a pic, I held a treat in front of his face. Of course, that caused its own set of problems, like him coming forward to try to get the treat. Then after I took the pic and gave him the treat...that's how I got the pic of him with his tongue out licking his face after eating the treat. Argh!

As for his color, being an inside dog the worst he gets is dingy (in terms of color and dirt) which is a small problem when compared with the problems of matted hair, loose pony tail, untrimmed hair on face, an the inability to keep him still long enough for the shutter to close.

Thanks for the info on mummying and giving pills to cats. I will definitely read this and keep it in mind. Luckily, I don't have to give her any more pills for now. At this time, I can't put her on her back in my lap. She will barely let me pick her up for a minute or two. She gets upset when I try to restrain her at all and will start to fight. She doesn't like to be placed in my lap even in an upright position. I did it the way that I did the other day because I was trying to avoid doing things that i know upset her. I left her on the floor with my arms around her because I know that she is less likely to panic about being restrained in that position. I was trying not to make a big production out of the pill thing, trying to make it seem like a normal part of our visit, so I just poked it in her mouth while she was still on the floor (where she prefers to be) and then held her mouth closed gently w/o cutting off her breathing.

I have a lot of work to do with her to get her accustomed to being handled. Hopefully, I will be able to do this before she needs medical care again. I would like for her to get comfortable in my lap. Right now when I pick her up she wants to get right back down in a minute or less. I pet her a little bit and let her go hoping she will learn that being picked up and held isn't so bad.

If I can get her to be more comfortable being handled, I may be able to try your suggestion. Right now she is very quick to become defensive if I try to restrain her, hold her in my lap, turn her over, etc. It's good to have this info if I really, really need it though. For instance, if all else fails that mummying thing might be the answer to moving her from one area of the house to another if she resists being held that long - IF I alone can hold onto her long enough to get her mummied. It's hard to explain. She's very sweet and 'docile' until you start to do something that sets off her alarm bells, and then...oh, boy, can she ever fight.

I'm using the Fresh Step right now, but not the clay type, the clumping type. The one I started with up there was the Lavendar scented clumping Fresh Step with charcoal. I just went out and got a bunch more litter, all different types just to see what we like and don't like. I got more Fresh Step, this time clumping with crystals. I also got crystals, pearls, pine pellets, you name it. I figure I'd like to try them all. I didn't get the big container yet, but I will.

Today when I went up there it didn't smell so bad. I found that she had used it several times but HAD COVERED EVERYTHING. While I was removing clumps and adding more litter, she hopped in, urinated, and hopped out again w/out bothering to even try to cover it. This is becoming a habit. When i try to clean the box, she hops in to use it, like, "oh, here, as long as you are cleaning the box, here's some more stuff for you."

Thanks very much for the info! I will definitely check it out and use it.

We have a bunch of toys up there now including the elex mouse, another vibrating mouse, and several things that hang in the air. She seems to like the hanging things most so far. Her fav so far is a fish on a stretchy line. She will play with that as long as I hold it dangling in the air and will even try to get it to 'play' when I put it down. The stretchy line causes the fish to jump away from her and appear to move on its own. That seems a big plus.

I'm still going to check out the toys you mentioned. I will look for them at the online stores. These are either things I had around the house or which I picked up at the grocery store where options are limited.

>>When i try to clean the box, she hops in to use it, like, "oh, here, as long as you are cleaning the box, here's some more stuff for you."


LOL... that's funny. Charlie -- sometimes after i clean out the box... he will just go in and dig, not always do his business, but just dig.

Boy, I like the sound of that new name when I thought it up, but to be honest, the name is getting sappy now that I have to see it so often. Ick. It's like syrup. I feel like I'm going to get diabetes if I see it many more times. That's one of those 'be careful what you wish for' items, the kind that sound much better in your head.

Gladys cornered me at the mailbox today and asked if I had seen Stripes (her name for Kitty) and the kittens anywhere. She hasn't been able to find them. More on this at "11"...

Terese,

Makes you wonder what they are thinking. Is it like, "Hey, wait, that's my box of 'sand'! Leave it alone, please." or maybe they just can't wait to try it out, Kitty to pee in it and Buddy to dig in it, after we've cleaned it and/or added new litter. Maybe they want to show their appreciation for our work by using it, you know, like when you open a present in front of the giver." It's just funny, how Kitty will jump in there while I am still sifting around with my shovel looking for anything I might have missed. She'll jump right over my hands, squat, pee, and hop out again as if to say, "Yep, it's good in there. You do good work. Thanks."

>>Boy, I like the sound of that new name when I thought it up,

your new Dreamingofspring?? Tired of it already?

Have you thought of a name for Ms Kitty? or will she stay Ms Kitty?

>>She hasn't been able to find them.

Oh... what a shame....

>>"Yep, it's good in there. You do good work. Thanks."

LOL -- Charlie just sits back and watches until i'm out of his way....

Uggg. gotta run, appointment in 20.

Hi Terese,

Yes, I was referring to my new name. No, still no name for Kitty. Yes, I do plan to find her one as I am also getting tired of that semi-name. I need to get on that right away.

I found a small ball of yard for her to play with. Cats usually LOVE those things. I just have about 3 balls of yard, the others huge, left over from a few decades ago when I fell in love with the yummy colors and textures of the yarn and was sure I wanted to either crochet or knit something. I didn't know what. I just wanted to play with the yard, I think. I quickly learned that I lack the patience at this hurried point in my life to sit and K1, P2 for any length of time. The yarn balls have been sitting in a plastic container with the various needles and instruction sheets ever since - just waiting for Kitty to come along.

Found a tiny ball, too. Will take both up there on my next trip. The upstairs bath is quickly becoming a space dedicated to pooping, playing, and eating (for cats, that is). Between food dishes, litter boxes, bedding, and toys, we are quickly using up the space. I still need to take that cage out, fold it and put it away.

Terese,

Gladys was just "worried" about the cats - because she cares so much about their welfare. She says she still can't understand, if Kitty isn't feral, why Kitty would never come to her and why Kitty always spit and hissed at her so menacingly.

She said she hasn't seen the kittens or Kitty all week - so the kittens aren't going over there. That's good. She brought me her bag of Alley Cat since I feed them.

ewww, yucky Alley Cat. LOL No wonder they don't like her.

Now it's also for sure...our animal control is, well, for lack of a nicer word, stupid. From my conversation with Gladys I learned:

Animal Control left a trap in Gladys yard. They baited it with, are you ready, 9 Lives dry cat food. Are you kidding? To reliably overcome the fear of the trap, you need to up the ante considerably. They told her to put "anything" in the trap, so she's been using Alley Cat. Well this, in part, explains why all of the strays are still running free.

The Tom cat got caught in the trap. He's the one we are trying not to feed, so that makes sense. Overnight he turned the trap OVER and got free. Huh? Gladys brought the trap from animal control over here. It's a joke. It's small, not as small as my squirrel/rat cage trap, but considerably smaller than the raccoon trap (which also shows a cat on the box as one of the animals for which the trap is suitable). It's narrow and very light weight, so one can see how a big Tom cat could turn it over. Worse, the mechanism that opens the door to free the animal is different from that on the Hav-a-hart traps. On the HAH traps the door is held in place by pressure from a spring mechanism that is released by a latch on top of the trap, a mechanism which cannot be reached from inside the trap due to a metal plate in the way. On their trap, the door is 'locked' (loosely) by large rings which are attached to the side of the cage and which fall down over the bars on the sides of the door when the trap is sprung. These rings are large and loose and are even easily accessible from inside the trap (i.e., a raccoon would be out in no time, as it would quickly figure out how to push those rings up and open the door). We tested it, and once the trap is on its side, just working the door back and forth is all it takes to move the rings and open the door. I really expected better from 'professionals'.

So NOW Gladys has given me the defective trap so I can trap the Tom. I'm not sure what good it will do since he already knows how to open that stupid thing. I guess I need to call animal control next week to see if I catch Tom in my trap, if they (1) will take him for the TRN program and (2) have a way to xfer him from my trap to their whatever. I don't trust them to take my $50 trap and bring it back. I trusted the SPCA with my trap and go it back, but those animal control people do not impress me much. They can't even promise to return the right cats.

Susan (9kittymom),

Isn't that the truth. The raccoons don't even like that stuff. If you want to see Heidi throw a demi-fit - and this never fails to make me laugh out loud even when I'm trying to be quiet - just fill her dish with that stuff.

I'm not quite sure what to do with the stuff. I took it not wanting to be mean. I guess I'll put it out back. The opossums or something out there might want it. Anything I put out there gets eaten eventually, usually over the 1st night.

Kitty never hissed and spit at me not even before she learned what kind of food I might have. I think she senses something about Gladys that she doesn't like or trust. I can't say I blame Kitty. Although I don't dislike Gladys, I don't trust her either, and I usually try to keep my distance, too.

Maybe next time she (Gladys) corners me I'll try hissing and spitting to see if that works for me. Or will that just get me rabies shots?

If it doesn't get eaten, at least it will be compost. LOL

After reading the endless conversations over in the DG forum regarding the change of ownership, I decided to google my name(s) to see what might show up. I was bummed to find another DreamOfSpring on another site. I had sought a name I hopefully woundn't see coming and going.

This other DreamOfSpring had lots of stuff I liked, not writing like here, links and info. I mean, we had so much in common. Virtually, everything she had was stuff I liked. I was marking stuff and marking stuff. I didn't have forever to mark all of her stuff, but on every page there was just so much stuff I liked. It was uncanny.

Then I got to a page that defined her as a 42yr old woman from Charleston, SC. Wow. Now this was just too coincidental (although I'm not 42 but close enough). What were the chances we would both be from SC much less Charleston? And I would love her taste in stuff?

ROTF, as you may have realized by now, it was an old account I had made years ago and forgotten all about. Even when I realized I had an account on that site, I didn't think I was using that name that long ago. LOL, now I can stop copying her stuff (links and so forth) since it's all MINE anyhow. Guess this explains why I love all of the stuff she has collected. : D

Marylyn,

LOL, that was actually my 1st idea as to what to do with it. I was thinking of putting it on the compost pile. I might do that anyhow since it's an open pile and the critters get in there at night and eat anything they want leaving the rest to compost. When I clean out the fridge, I put veggies in there. Sometimes they want things I hadn't realized they would. That way, by putting those things on top of the pile, anything they don't want is already in the right place.

June,

Thanks for the link. I may invest in one of those despite Kitty's issues with noise. I figure I'll keep the existing litter box in place so that she can always use it. Hopefully, that will eliminate the possibility that fear of the new one will keep her from using the litter and result in her acquiring bad potty habits. That way maybe over time she will get the confidence to try the new one, esp on a day when the other one is full and she needs to go again before I get home from work to clean it.

Thanks.

faeden,

Thank you SO much for the info. I may well end up ordering from your link, and I really appreciate all of the information. I hope you are still with us. I apologize that I somehow forgot to respond to your posts earlier. There was just so much going on last week and somehow it slipped my mind.

Thanks again.