Opt to Adopt Frederick

Frederick

Cat Care Society, Lakewood, CO

Photo taken from Frederick's Adopt a Pet profile page.

Frederick is a handsome mediumhair mancat.  He is friendly, affectionate, and enjoys being pet.  Frederick is a really sweet boy, and I'm honestly surprised he hasn't found his forever home yet.  

Frederick would love to find a nice quiet home; he does not do well with a lot of chaos.  He also prefers a home without children or dogs.  

At 14 years old, Frederick is in good health.  Because he is a senior kitty, he is part of the Perpet-U-Care program, which will pay for a portion of his medical care for the rest of his life.  

Frederick is up-to-date on his vaccinations, neutered, and litterbox trained.  You can visit him in the Gold room at Cat Care Society, located at 5787 W. 6th Avenue in Lakewood, CO.  Frederick will make some lucky person a wonderful companion.  Maybe that person is you!

OPT TO ADOPT UPDATE

We are thrilled to let you all know that Macy has found her forever home!  Congratulations, Macy!!  We hope you are enjoying your new home. 

Writer's Process Tour

Hi everyone, Carmine here, and I'm going to help the Mom tell you about our writing process today.

A while back, we were invited to participate in the Writer's Process Tour by Robin, Cinco, and Manna at Playful Kitty.  Robin is one of the sweetest people we know and a wonderful friend to us.  We are not just saying that, either.  She has helped our mom very much, especially through the tough nights since Jewel went to the Rainbow Bridge.  If you don't know Robin, Cinco, and Manna, please visit their blog.  You will not be disappointed!

We are supposed to answer three questions about our writing process, so let's get right to it!

1. What are we working on?

Right now, we are working on some exciting things!  We have a couple of reviews lined up as well as a really cool giveaway.  We are also trying to incorporate at least one informational article into our blog each week because we really want to inform other cat owners and lovers on important kitty issues.

The Mom is working on getting to know the new kitties at Cat Care Society so she can continue to show you wonderful adoptable kitties here on the blog.  She is also working with Cat Care to become an "official" volunteer.  She wants to write press releases for the shelter.  She is very excited about this prospect.

2. Why do I write what I do?

The goal of Fur Everywhere is to entertain and inform cat owners and cat lovers.  We try to balance stories about us with informational posts.  We also want to help adoptable kitties find homes, so every Tuesday we participate in the Opt to Adopt blog hop.  We will be ecstatic if we can help find even one shelter kitty a loving forever home like ours.

3. How does my writing process work?

We will let the Mom answer this question.

I try to make an editorial calendar for my blog posts, but that doesn't always happen.  I take photos of the kitties for posts pretty regularly and an idea usually comes to me during the photo shoots or as I'm preparing the photos for the blog.  I figure out which reviews and/or giveaways I'll do during the week in advance.

I draw inspiration for informational posts from magazines, other websites, news stories and events, and things going on with my own kitties.

I'm always open to requests, so please let me know if there is anything you would like to see here on Fur Everywhere.

We are supposed to invite three other bloggers to participate in the tour, but I think nearly everyone I know has already done it.  If you haven't been invited, please let us know so we can invite you!  We love reading all the Writer's Process Tour posts.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii.  In most healthy people, infection with the parasite causes no symptoms, but for pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, toxoplasmosis can have serious consequences.

Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 60 million Americans have toxoplasmosis.  Most healthy people with toxoplasmosis remain asymptomatic and don't even know they have it.  That's because a healthy individual's immune system is typically able to keep the parasite from causing any symptoms.  Those most at risk for becoming ill with toxoplasmosis are people with weakened immune systems and women who are pregnant.

Symptoms of toxoplasmosis may include:

• Muscle aches and pains.
• Fatigue.
• Headaches.
• Fever.
• Swollen lymph nodes.

Pregnant women and those with a compromised immune system may experience severe symptoms of the condition, such as:

• Confusion.
• Headaches.
• Seizures.
• Lack of coordination.
• Lung problems.
• Ocular toxoplasmosis, which may present as eye pain, eye redness, blurred or reduced vision, and tearing. 

A pregnant woman may pass toxoplasmosis to her baby.  Most infants who contract the infection from their mothers won't have any symptoms at birth, but they may experience symptoms later in life.  A small percentage of infected infants present with serious eye infections or brain damage at birth.

Toxoplasmosis symptoms generally arise within one to three weeks after exposure to the parasite and usually resolve within three to four weeks.  

Pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems experiencing symptoms as well as people who experience any of the severe symptoms of toxoplasmosis (i.e., confusion, seizures, vision changes, breathing difficulties, etc.) should see a doctor for testing and treatment.

Causes

You can become infected with toxoplasma gondii by:

• Eating undercooked contaminated meat, especially lamb, venison, or pork.
• Drinking contaminated water.  Contaminated water is rare in the United States.
• Cooking with contaminated utensils.  Any utencil that has come into contact with contaminated meat will retain the parasite until the utensil is washed thoroughly with hot soapy water.
• Accidentally ingesting the parasite through contact with contaminated cat feces.  This can happen when you are cleaning the litterbox or by touching or ingesting anything that has come into contact with contaminated cat feces.
• Eating unwashed fruits or vegetables.  The surface of fruits and vegetables may contain the parasite.  Thoroughly wash all of your produce before eating it.
• Though it is rare, you may also contract toxoplasmosis by receiving an infected organ when you have an organ transplant or infected blood if you have a blood transfusion.   

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you think you may have toxoplasmosis, talk to your doctor.  He or she can order a blood test that looks for antibodies to the parasite.  

If you test positive for toxoplasmosis, you can discuss whether or not treatment is warranted with your doctor.  In most cases, toxoplasmosis resolves on its own within a few weeks.  However, in certain cases, treatment may be needed.  Your doctor may prescribe medications like pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, clindamycin, and spiramycin in combination or separately to treat your condition. 

Opt to Adopt Savannah and An Update

Savannah

Cat Care Society, Lakewood, CO

Photo from Savannah's Adopt a Pet profile page. 

Savannah is an adorable brown tabby with short hair.  She is sweet, affectionate, and enjoys being pet.  She gets along with some dogs as well as other cats.  

Savannah came to the shelter when her human passed away.  She would really love to find a new human companion to love.  

Savannah will be 13 years old in a few months.  Because she is an awesome senior cat, she is in the Perpet-U-Care program, which will pay for a portion of her medical care for the rest of her life.

You can visit Savannah in the Gold room at Cat Care Society, located at 5787 W. 6th Avenue in Lakewood, CO.  She will be waiting for your visit!  

AN OPT TO ADOPT UPDATE

Do you remember this adorable pair?  They're Crash and Coltrane!  They're two very sweet, precious Siamese mancats and best friends.  After spending much time at the shelter, Crah and Coltrane got a forever home with a nice couple!  

I sure will miss you sweet boys, but I'm really happy you found your forever.  You two deserve the very best, and I'm sure you'll get plenty spoiled at your new home!

Mancat Monday

Hi everyone, Carmine here.

My old box bed fell apart (the box fell apart after a while) so the Mom made mes a new one!  As you can see, mes loves it!!

We made several changes to our blog's sidebars tonight.  Did you see them?  What do you think?  Do you like our new social media buttons?  Please be honest with your feedback.  We want to make this blog as great as it can be!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Robin Mudge of Playful Kitty for helping us with the social media buttons!  Robin is one of the sweetest people we know, and no, we are not just saying that.  She has been a fantastic friend to us, and we are very blessed to have her in our lives.  If you don't know Robin, please go visit her at Playful Kitty.  She has an excellent blog.

Easy Like Sunday with Mango

Our friend, Mango, was having a nice nap by the window when I visited Cat Care Society Friday afternoon.

Do you notice anything different about her?  She got a lion cut!  She is so soft and adorable with her new hair cut. :)

Mango is still patiently waiting for her forever family.  You can read more about her here.

Please join us for Opt to Adopt on Tuesday.  We have a wonderful update to share with you!

Haatchi & Little B: Review

I love reading and animal stories, so I was thrilled when I was asked to review Haatchi & Little B: The Inspiring True Story of One Boy and His Dog by Wendy Holden.

The story begins with an engineer running over a young dog on the train tracks.  He calls his supervisors to alert them to the accident and to ask them to remove the dog as he thought it wouldn't have survived.  Fortunately the dog does survive and is rescued by the RSPCA.  The Andolian Shepherd loses one of his back legs, and as a result, faces some challenges in finding a forever home.  

Owen Howkins is the other main character in the book.  Owen was born with a rare and severe genetic condition known as Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome.  His parents, Kim and Will, met at and work for the RAF.  By 2008, taking care of Owen full-time takes its toll on the marriage, and Kim leaves.  Will diligently cares for his son Owen alone until he meets Colleen Drummond who loves animals.

She and Owen hit it off right away, and she nicknames him "Little Buddy," or "Little B," for short.  Colleen and Will notice how withdrawn Owen is and adopt a dog named Mr. Pixel to try to help him.  Owen doesn't connect with Mr. Pixel, though, so the couple ends up adopting another dog - the Andolian Shepherd rescued by the RSPCA.  They name him Haatchi.

Haatchi and Little B quickly become best friends and help each other through the challenges they each face in their lives.

I really loved this book.  It is amazing how one boy and one dog can impact not only each other's lives, but the lives of so many others as well.  I loved seeing how Owen comes out of his shell when his family adopts Haatchi.  As a disabled person myself, I really love seeing others with disabilities overcome their challenges.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves animals and inspirational stories.

FTC Disclosure: I received Haatchi & Little B: The Inspiring True Story of One Boy and His Dog free of charge to review.  This did not influence my opinions in any way.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own. 

Thankful Thursday: A Resting Place for Jewel

After my baby, Jewel, went to the Rainbow Bridge, I wanted to get her a memory box and frame.  We are so very thankful to Brian and his family from Brian's Home who helped us out tremendously with this!  We are so very blessed to be able to call them our friends. :)

This is the resting place I made for Jewel.  I found this owl fabric at Hobby Lobby.  It's fleece - a nice soft place for Jewel.  Owls remind us of her because she had those big eyes.  I will always love owls now!

Here's a close-up of Jewel's frame.  The silver plate on the bottom says, "In Loving Memory of Jewel, 1998-2014."

Here's a close-up of Jewel's memory box.  The metal plates are actually silver, not pink.  My pink shirt was being reflected in them when I took the photos.  The metal plate on the from says, "JEWEL, 1998-2014, Love Is Eternal."

This is what it looks like on the inside of the box.  There's room for Jewel's urn, paw prints, and collar.

Jewel's sweet little paw prints.

Jewel's urn rests in this sweet bag.  It says, "Until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge."

Jewel's collar.

Thank you again so very much to everyone at Brian's Home for making this possible!

Opt to Adopt: Ralphie

Ralphie

Cat Care Society, Lakewood, CO

Photo taken from Ralphie's Adopt a Pet profile page.

If Ralphie looks familiar, it's because I've featured him before with his friend Reuben.  At the time of the last post, unbeknownst to me, Reuben had cancer.  Sadly, he went Over the Rainbow Bridge recently.  Reuben was such a sweet and loving cat, and I'll cherish the memory I have of him sitting in my lap, purring all the while.  We will miss you, Reuben.

Our friend, Ralphie, is still seeking a home, though, so let's see if we can help him find one!

Ralphie is a handsome house panther.  He is really sweet and affectionate.  The last time I saw him, he wanted all of my attention. :)  He enjoys playing, high places, and boxes.  

He would make someone a really great companion.  Ralphie is approximately eight years old.  He's a special needs kitty, but I'm not sure why.

You can visit Ralphie in the Gold room at Cat Care Society, located at 5787 W. 6th Avenue in Lakewood, CO.  The great people at Cat Care will be happy to answer any and all questions you might have about him (or any other kitty).  

Easy Like Sunday with Milita

Milita: I like stealing the Mom's office chair.  What things do you like stealing from your human?

Blue Buffalo Tender Turkey Kitty Yums Review

We were thrilled to receive some Blue Buffalo Kitty Yums - Tender Turkey to review from Chewy.com. 

These treats contain real turkey as their first ingredient.  They also contain oatmeal, brown rice, and fish oil.  There is no chicken or poultry by-product meal, corn, wheat, or soy in Blue Buffalo Kitty Yums.

Quarter is for size reference.

The treats are bite-sized and only contain two calories per bit.  If turkey isn't your cat's favorite meat, you can also get Kitty Yums in Savory Salmon, Tasty Beef, Seafood Sensation, Tasty Chicken, and Tempting Tuna. 

So, what did Carmine and Milita think?

Carmine gobbled up his first treat!  He played with his second treat in the box for a few minutes before actually eating it.  After that, he enthusiastically ate a few more.  I think it's safe to say that Carmine really enjoyed the turkey Kitty Yums.

Milita took one sniff of her treat and walked away.  I'm not at all surprised, though.  Milita is incredibly picky about what treats she'll eat. 

Carmine gives the treats 4 paws up while Milita gives 0 paws up.  

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to review these treats, Chewy!

FTC Disclosure: We received a bag of Blue Buffalo Kitty Yums - Tender Turkey in exchange for our honest review.  This did not change our opinions in any way.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% our own. 

Opt to Adopt: Momo and Tewfluff

Momo and Tewfluff

Cat Care Society, Lakewood, CO

Does this cat look like anyone you all know? ;)

Momo is a one-year-old lynx-point Siamese mix.  She is an active and outgoing kitty.  She enjoys playing and is good at hiding and chasing games.  

Momo came to the shelter with her brother, Tewfluff.  They are very attached to each other and want to be adopted together.  You can learn more about Momo on her Adopt a Pet profile page. 

Photo from Tewfluff's Adopt a Pet profile page.

Tewfluff is a one-year-old medium hair brown and white tabby.  He is also outgoing and loves to play.  He is also talkative and affectionate.  Tewfluff and his sister enjoy cuddling, and sometimes they look like one big ball of fur.  

Momo is spayed, and Tewfluff is neutered.  They are both up-to-date on their vaccinations and litter box trained.  

You can find this great pair of companions in the upstairs hallway at Cat Care Society, located at 5787 W. 6th Avenue in Lakewood, CO.  

Mancat Monday: Carmine Update

Carmine went to the vet last Wednesday.  He was due for his B12 injection, and we were concerned about how he might react to Jewel going OTRB.

Remember Carmine's last update where we were concerned Carmine might be beginning another weight loss tend?  Thankfully, he isn't.  He weighed in at 10 pounds even - his ideal weight.  Yay!!  We were all VERY happy about that, especially considering Jewel has just gone OTRB.  He continues to eat pretty well.  We've only had to give him one dose of appetite pill since Jewel left for the Bridge.

Since he maintained his weight for another month, the vet said we could lower Carmine's prednisone dose to 1/2 tab once a day! :)  If he continues to do well, we will lower it again.

I am so pleased that Carmine is doing so well.  He still spends a fair amount of time in the pink cube where Jewel spent a lot of time, but he has been more social the past few days, which I'm thankful for.  I'm sure he enjoys being in there so he can smell her.

I hope to get to visiting some blogs later.  My heart just hasn't been into blogging since Jewel left us.  But please know that we love and miss you all a lot.

Orange Cat Fetches Video

I thought this video was appropriate for today because Jewel used to play fetch with me when she was a little younger (13 or 14 years old).  She liked to fetch milk rings for me.

Mancat Monday

Thank you to everyone who has left us purrs, prayers, hugs, love, and kind words.  We have not gotten to hardly anyone to thank them individually, but know that if we haven't gotten to you yet, we will.

It's hard to believe that it's been three days since we los our sweet Jewel.  I miss her more than I can ever express.

Carmine seems a little sad about it, but I don't think the reality of what's happened has quite hit him yet.  He was checking all the cubes for Jewel for about a day or so.  Now he's gone to spending a lot of time in the pink cube Jewel loved to spend time in.  Poor baby.

Our dear friend Robin from Playful Kitty made us this graphic.  Isn't it beautiful?  Thank you, Robin.  We love you!