LostWoods Blog

I meant to do a post earlier today, but the network gods were conspiring against me. First I was unable to sign on from home and take care of a work problem due to an outage with Bresnan, so I ended up going into work at 6 a.m. this morning. Then we had network issues at work, too! Nothing like a wasted morning!

Not that I have much news… Pepino left on Thursday for his new home and should be happily settled in with Robina and Phil now. They did call to say he’d arrived safe and sound. Crenshaw is doing his very best to make friends with Linus (the cat) and all the dogs at Susanne’s house. Charlie, Galia, and Honeydew are still here — hanging out and being delightful little kittens — but I’ve had a few inquiries recently so they might not be here a lot longer.

Honeydew has a new name — Honey Bunny. And when I call her that she either comes running (if she’s not busy) or she waves her tail at me. It’s soooo cute! I say, “Honey Bunny!” and she waves just the tip of her tail back and forth.

Talia… well, what can I say? She’s just plain nuts, but the kittens love her for it. They are still nursing! Dawnflower is still nursing! Rand even tried to get in on the milk bar action the other day!

Speaking of Rand… he almost certainly has a polyp in his middle ear and needs surgery to have it removed. Some info about polyps:

http://www.petplace.com/cats/nasopharyngeal-polyps-in-cats/page1.aspx

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/ventral%20bulla.htm

It’s expensive, so I won’t be having it done next week or anything, but I will be taking him probably to Bozeman to the surgeon in the next few months for the surgery. Luckily at this stage it’s not life threatening, although it could eventually be. And the longer we put off the surgery, the more difficult and expensive it will be. Otherwise, Rand is doing great after his neuter surgery. Hasn’t slowed him down in the least.

And in other news – my unending quest to keep veterinarians busy — Xaria has a urinary tract infection. I’d noticed someone was urinating in the sinks and the bathtubs (YUCK!!!) and there was blood in the urine. However, I didn’t know who it was until I caught Xaria in the act. Off to the vet she went. After a urinalysis and a ultrasound of her bladder and kidneys, the diagnosis is a simple UTI — no crystals or kidney stones, thank goodness! — and she is on antibiotics for the next couple weeks. I’m happy to say that everyone else here at LostWoods is doing well, getting into lots of trouble, and keeping me on my toes.

We did get the door between the stud room and the garage installed today, just in time for winter. I’ve noticed it already is making a difference in keeping the stud room warmer. Finny — or maybe more appropriately, shorthaired Caboose and Donut (Tucker) — should be happy about that.

I finally started working on Brenda’s website and got the bare bones of the site up, awaiting her input on the content. The draft of her About Us page is up if you want to check out www.redcanyoncats.com. Also in the next week I will be getting a site up for a friend back east. I’ve created a sample page for her and she has sent me a ton of content, so once she has her domain name registered and a hosting account set up, I’ll get her site up and running in short order. I’ll tell you all about it — or at least give you the address — when it’s ready. This will make the eighth site I’ve build (including my own) for NFC breeders.

Just in case you all thought I’ve abandoned you in favor of posting on the NFCBC forum… here I am. I have been posting there, but I’ll still keep posting LostWoods stories and pictures here, too. The little tidbits about life at LostWoods will only be here…

So what do I have to share today? Well, Talia continues to let the remaining Melons and her great granddaughter Dawnflower nurse. And yes, she is producing milk. Maybe not much, but I checked and I can express milk from her nipples. Kali is no longer nursing, but she is still “killing” things and bringing them to the kittens. Her latest “prey” have been a measuring cup, my dental nightguard, Ken’s travel toothbrush, a big catnip toy, and one of the fishing feather toys. Of course, she still kills cat food cans and utensils of all types.  

Rand did fine with his surgery and biopsy. We should have the results back in a few days from the skull x-rays (sent to a radiologist for review) and the biopsy. You’d never know he’d had anything done as he is as full of mischief as ever.

Over the weekend we did a little work in the stud room to keep Fin from escaping and from being able to get into the other half of the stud area. We’d used bird netting above the chain link, but Fin had managed to climb up and chew through it, so we’ve replaced that with wire. For now, the gate is open between the two sections so he can go in either part, but this will be much more safe and secure for when McCoy comes to visit — probably in January — to court Basia and Kefira. We have someone coming this weekend to put a door between the shop and the garage. Last fall we sheet rocked the shop and insulated and that helped keep it warmer in there. The door should add to keeping it warm. We do use a couple of small electric heaters out there, but the door blocking heat loss into the garage should mean they don’t have to run quite so much. I had a thick comforter hung up in the doorway — better than nothing — but it didn’t exactly seal off the cold air from the garage. It will be good to have a real door.

I try to keep it between 55 and 60 out there. Now before you get to thinking that’s terribly cold, you should know that I keep the house about 65 is all — and Ken and my bedroom is more like 60. Poor Ken! We have a down comforter and a down blanket on the bed, as well as flannel sheets just for him. I usually kick off everything but the sheet ’cause I like it cold when I sleep. It’s a rare night when I shut my window, even in the winter.

Speaking of winter… we got our first real snow this past weekend. We probably had about 4-5 inches at the house on Sunday. Yesterday it warmed back up and a lot of it melted. Supposed to be in the 50s the next few days so winter is gone again and fall is back. My favorite time of the year!  

It was a very early morning for me and Crenshaw as we had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. Crenshaw was less than impressed with his carrier, despite Bug having slept in it all night and the other kittens all visiting it to make it smell like home for him. All he had to say was, “I do NOT belong in a cage!!! Get me out NOW!” He arrived safely in Richmond, VA late this afternoon where he was met by his excited Susanne-mom and Will-dad. Susanne said he was still talking about the indignities of being caged. I’m sure she’ll have more to say about him once they have a chance to get better acquainted, but her opening comment to me was that she had “the cutest kitten in the world!”

In other news, I’ve finally updated the Rockatts website with 14 and 17 week pictures of the F-Litter. Actually, to be accurate, I put 14 week pictures on there last night and then Sondra took 17 week pictures of the four remaining kittens (Faye, Fabia, Fletcher, and Fallon) and sent them to me this afternoon, so I updated the F-Litter page again this evening. I talked with Donna Armel this evening and she is supposed to send me some new pictures of the ForestKatz Hurricane babies, so as soon as I get them, I’ll update their site, too. Now that I’ve done most of the site work for the NFCBC forum, I’m back to taking care of all those things I let slip during that couple of weeks of learning and playing. I do have another couple websites to build for people — one for Brenda, of course. And the other is for another NFC breeder back east.

I’m not entirely sure how I got into doing sites for other people. It’s not like I really know what I’m doing! Back in 2002 when I registered my own domain name and started thinking about a website, I had planned for my daughter to do my site for me. She’s good at this stuff. I provided her with ideas, content, pictures… and she kept saying she would work on it for me tomorrow, the following weekend, soon… One day I decided — since I had FrontPage on my computer at work and I was really bored — that I’d try doing a home page. Just something simple — my cattery name, an “under construction” note. How hard could it be?

Well, it wasn’t hard and so the next day I wondered if I could put an email link on it so people could at least send me email. How hard could it be? Again, not hard at all. A day or so later (remember, I was really bored at work) I decided that I would try to build a few more pages and see if I couldn’t set up the navigation from page to page, etc. How hard could it be?

By the end of the day I had a working site — the “meat” of what LostWoods’ website is today. Oh sure, I’ve added kitten pages and Cat Tails and some other pages. But for the most part, what you see is what I did that day.

Then I did my friend Sondra’s site. And a site for a new NFC breeder who had a cat from me. Then a site for my friend Ann in Missouri. Each time I did a site, I got a little better at it. Then Tori went off to live in Texas and Jim and Donna asked me to do a site for them. So I did. Then Bozeman went to Arkansas and Deb asked for help setting up a site. And so it goes…

I love the fun of building a new site — finding the perfect look to fit the person or persons behind the site. I love it when people tell me they like my site, but I also love it when someone I’ve done a site for tells me that the site expresses their personality. So despite the time it takes to do a site, I’m looking forward to getting the next two up.

I’ve found the right new home for Pepino (or his new mom and dad found him!) so he’ll be leaving soon — probably early next week as I’ll need to get him in for a health certificate and make arrangements to send him to Michigan. Rand goes in to be neutered on Friday. While he’s under anesthetic, they will take some skull radiographs and biopsy a lesion he has in his ear in hopes of figuring out why we’ve been unable to completely rid him of the ear infection. I do have a home for him when everything is cleared up, but I’m not willing to let him out of my care until I know he’s not going to have ongoing problems. He’s such a handsome and sweet boy. He deserves to have a home where he can have all the loves to himself and not have to share with all these other cats.

Sob! Mr Crenshaw is leaving for Virginia in the morning. So before he leaves, I took pictures of the Melons, including some litter shots. They are on the website now. And before he leaves, Crenshaw found some time to write the Melon’s story.

http://www.lostwoodswegies.com/cat_tails56.htm

Answers to questions & comments…

Michelle, sad to say I didn’t take pictures of Natane with tomato sauce all over her. And now she is almost completely clean again.

Rangashrii, here’s the post that is also on the NFCBC forum (I Want to Be a Member board)

First, thanks so much for visiting the Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Club site! We’re glad you came by.
 
If you are interested in joining, here are some things you need to know:
 
Membership is open to anyone who is interested in the Norwegian Forest Cat. We welcome anyone who wants to know more about the breed, is looking for advice about caring for a NFC, wants to be a responsible breeder of NFCs, is willing to share their knowledge and experience, or wants a place to share pictures and stories about the NFC. In other words, if you enjoy our site, we welcome you as a member!
 
When you register as a member you will see a registration agreement that you should read before you agree to it and complete your registration. Besides some technical details about the site, it spells out the expected behavior of our members. It is our goal to maintain a friendly site for all to enjoy. We recognize that we won’t agree all the time or about everything, but we believe that we can disagree without being disagreeable. We reserve the right to remove from the site members who do not abide by the terms of the registration agreement.
 
The first month of membership is free — a trial period for you to see the boards and articles that are for members only. Once you register, you will have access to all the boards and articles, and be able to post questions and comments on the boards if you wish. By the end of the month, if you like what you see, we ask that you pay a small fee for membership. We are currently offering a 6 month intro fee of $5, or a full year membership for $15. The 6 month intro offer is only good once per member. The additional $10 is due by the end of the 6 month trial and then the full fee is due annually by the end of May if you wish to continue your membership. The fee can be paid either by check or money order or by PayPal. Send an email to: treasurer@norwegianforestcatbreedclub.org for more details on remitting your payment.
 
Once you join, some places you might want to visit to help you with site usage are the Welcome Board and the Forum Hints & Helps Articles. The Welcome board is a good place to post your questions about the NFCBC and about using the forum. We also like it when you take the time to introduce yourself on the Getting To Know You Board.
 
If you have any questions about membership, feel free to send an email to: info@norwegianforestcatbreedclub.org. Again, we’re glad you’re here!

We are getting a Paypal account set up so we can take dues through it. In the meantime, we’ll put up an announcement when we have the account set up and remind you all to pay your dues.

We came home from work and school yesterday evening and Jeremy went upstairs to his room to get something. I’d gone in the kitchen to get supper started. I hollered up to Jeremy, “how many hamburgers do you want?”

His reply, “One. But you might want to come up here. There’s something more important than supper.”

Normally Jeremy keeps the door to his room shut and the cats aren’t allowed in there. From time to time someone gets shut in his room for the day and invariably there is a mess of some sort I have to clean up. So I figured that was the case — although why it was more important than starting supper, I didn’t know. Not like the mess was going to go away if I didn’t clean it up immediately. (I wish it worked like that!) So I headed up the stairs.

Jeremy met me at the door to his room with Natane. Natane, with her head stuck in an empty can of Chef Boyardee Ravioli. Jeremy had been hungry (he’s 17, need I say more?) and had taken the ravioli upstairs, ate it, and tossed the empty can in his trash. He’d neglected to close his door securely when he left for school in the morning and Natane had gone in and found the empty can. I hope she didn’t find it early in the day and spend the entire day stuck, but I really don’t know.

Jeremy held her while I gently worked the can loose from her head. After several minutes she was finally free. Poor cat looked pathetic — face and ruff covered in tomato sauce. The color didn’t go well at all with her silver and white fur. But she was grateful to be free and none the worse for the wear — except her new paint job. She promptly ran downstairs to get a drink of water and start washing herself off. This evening she is still a bit red and if it’s not completely gone tomorrow evening then I will give her a bath. I just couldn’t bring myself to upset her even more by bathing her when she’d spent who know how long with her head stuck in the can.

And so ends another exciting day at LostWoods.

I will lend to you for awhile a kitten, God said.
For you to love while he lives, and mourn him when he’s dead.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years, or maybe two or three.
But will you, ’till I call him back, take care of him for me? 

He’ll bring his charms to gladden you and, should his stay be brief
You’ll always have his memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return.
But there are lessons taught below I want this kitten to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over in search of teachers true.
And from the folk that crowds life’s land I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love, nor think the labour vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take my kitten home again?

I fancied that I heard them say ‘Dear Lord Thy Will Be Done’
For all the joys this kitten brings the risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shelter him with tenderness, we’ll love him while we may.
And for the happiness we’ve known, forever grateful stay.

But should you call him back much sooner than we planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand.
If, by our love we’ve managed your wishes to achieve,
Then in memory of him whom we loved, please help us while we grieve.
When our cherished kitten departs this world of strife,
Please send yet another needing soul for us to love all his life.

{Author unknown}

In case you couldn’t guess by the above poem — one I first saw several years ago and am reminded of more often that I’d like — there was a loss in the wegie world yesterday. One of Keegan’s babies, the one known as Big Spot, crossed the Rainbow Bridge last night. He started losing weight Monday evening and went downhill fast. Unfortunately, when a tiny kitten gets sick, he fails so quickly that even when you do every single thing you can for him, it’s tough to save him.

I’ve talked about this before, I know, but it’s not easy being a breeder. No matter how many kittens you’ve seen born,  no matter how many of them grow up to be beautiful cats, you always worry as mama’s due date approaches. You watch every kitten that’s born with a close eye to be sure he or she is developing as expected. And when you lose one, a piece of your heart goes with him, whether he lives for a moment, a day, or years.

I don’t know if it’s easier to be fortunate like me and not lose a kitten until many litters down the road (my 44th kitten was the first kitten loss at my home) or to deal with it early on like some of my friends. Certainly, no matter when it happens, it’s an unforgettable lesson in the hard side of breeding — one a starry-eyed new breeder doesn’t like to think about. People see our kittens and think we’re so lucky to get to play with them and watch them grow. And we are! No doubt about it! But along with the fun comes a lot of work, expense, and the most difficult thing — the sorrow of kitten deaths. It can make you question why you are doing this and if your heart can take another chance. But at the end of the day, most of us know that the joy outweighs the sorrow and our love doesn’t die with the loss of the kitten. He or she will always be a part of us. Deb said she thinks of holding him Monday night and while feeding him, he started to purr. Even in her sadness, that special moment will live on as a precious memory.