Tracey Kitty Update

Well, it's been 2 days now with Tracey the pregnant kitty. So far she is doing really well in her new environment. Friday morning when I went in to check on her, she had managed to push the pet carrier from one side of the room to the other. Danielle and I decided she was nesting! LOL.

I had placed a litter box in the room filled with shredded paper (based on a recommendation as a safety precaution for the kittens), however, two mornings in a row she chose the towel (and a box with a towel) instead of the litter box. I was not suprised as she is an outside cat. I even tried putting some dirt and leaves in the litter box. I tried placing her in the litter box but she jumped out immediately, and she wanted nothing to do with.

I decided this morning that I would try actual litter. While it could present a safety hazard for the kittens (once they are born) I figured it would be better than nothing. So, I placed her in the litter box with the litter and she didn't jump right out like she did with the shredded paper. So off I went for the day (I had a bowling birthday party for my niece, Brooke). When I arrived back home this evening (about 4 hours later) I went in to check on Tracey and what did I find??? SHE USED THE LITTER BOX!!! It's a happy day for the Spezzano Foster Kitty Care! :)

As I stated in my previous post, Jim has requested to not be a part of this process, however, my sweet husband looked in on Tracey this morning while I was sleeping because she was crying so loud (he thought she had gone into labor) but instead she was crying for food and attention (which he gave her a little attention and lots of food). Now I have two bowls of food out for her, and two bowls of water... that way Jim won't have to bother with that either!

I do have some more photos, but I will post those later as I am too lazy to go get the camera usb cord right now! LOL :)

Kitty Cat Foster Care

Today was a big day at the Spezzano household! Jim and I (more "I" than "Jim") are fostering Tracey the pregnant stray kitty that adopted my sister and brother-in-law as a host family. Unfortunately, Matt and Kerry were not able to handle the responsibilty involved in caring for a pregnant cat. So rather than turning her over to the SPCA, I asked Jim very sweetly if I could please foster her until the kittens were born and weened. Jim reluctantly said yes, with the following conditions:

1). He will have no part what-so-ever

2). There will be no kitty left behind (meaning, I have to find homes for each and everyone of them) :)

3). There will be no contact allowed between our cats and Tracey

So, Wednesday night after church, I prepared the laundry room (by myself) for Tracey's arrival. We keep all of our pantry food items in the laundry room, so I had to move that out and put the blankets down etc.

Today, I went to Matt and Kerry's to pick up Tracey. Kerry had placed Tracey on the back lanai to keep her from running off (like she normally does during the day time)

I should add, Abbey and Brady are very fond of Tracey kitty, Brady was just fine with Aunt Kelly taking her, but Abbey was very sad. She wanted to keep Tracey. Being the good Aunt that I am, I called Abbey this evening to let her know that Tracey is doing really well, and that she can come visit her anytime her Mommy will let her!

Kerry and I persuaded Tracey into a cat carrier by placing a bowl of food inside and she reluctantly went in after a few bites. On the way home in the car, she cried and cried- she was not used to being trapped in a carrier... Once we got home (which was only a short distance) I immediately took her into the laundry room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (you know, so I wouldn't alert our cats that there was an intruder). She did so well! She adjusted immediately, purrrrrrred until her little heart was content. And made herself quite cozy on the bed of towels. If you can see her well enough, you will notice, that she is actually very young herself. Kerry thinks that she is only about 2 weeks away from giving birth. It's amazing that she can be so young and yet be a soon-to-be mamma kitty!

Here she is enjoyong her first meal

Here she is getting some good luvin from me! It's amazing that she is a "stray" cat. She loves attention, she loves to be petted, she doesn't mind being picked up.

It is now 10:50pm and she is acting a little antsy in her room. We have a towel tucked up under the door so that our cats can't stick their paws under (and vice versa). She is pawing at the towel and making a little noise. Shadow and Pouncer just don't know what to think. Here Shadow is being nosey:

I hope everything turns out well. I will keep you all posted on the upcoming events and impending birth of the kittens!

Debate Topic

A teacher of mine once said that a good debator can argue either side of a debate regardless of their true feelings about the subject. This teacher had us choose a topic that we either supported or opposed and once determined we had to choose the opposite side and write about it. Back then I chose the topic of "Why Ebonics should not be taught in schools" (but then I had to write a paper to support it- that was tough). I have always been fond of debating (mostly because I argued with my parents and siblings about EVERYTHING). Although I was never very good at public speaking, I enjoyed the thought of voicing my opinion. I thought it would be fun to get a friendly, (non-political, non-religious) debate started. I chose a topic that while it may seem childish, I know no one will go away mad!

As you all know, Danielle and I are big cat fans and Gary is not. So I propose a friendly debate on the following topic...

CATS OR DOGS, WHICH MAKE THE BETTER PET?

Remember, this is just for fun!!!- no name calling allowed (GARY) :P

I would like to start off the debate by pointing out that according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, approximately 90 million people own cats in the US compared to 74.8 million people that own dogs.


The numbers alone show that the cat is the more popular pet choice,
but is it the better pet choice? I would love to hear from all of you!

Sleeping on the Job

We recently hired a new researcher for our cabinet business. Would you believe, first day on the job, I caught him sleeping on the couch?

The real story is that our male cat, Pouncer, LOVES to sleep on the couch next to me, while Jim sits at the coffee table working. I happened to have a catelog that I was looking at and set it on his stomach just to see what he would do....he was so bothered by it... He didn't even move a muscle. I then began scrathing his belly, just the way he likes it and he just flopped his front paws up as if to say, "I surrender!" and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity!

Of course it only lasted for a few minutes, once he realized I had gotten up off the couch and was playing camera man... he had to move. And unfortunately, the images are not that good, as they were taken with our cellphone camera, but it was one of those sights that just had to be captured (and the camera was out in the truck-out of reach).

Jim and I are amazed at how laid back he is, and you could do just about anything to him and he doesn't squirm or anything...Even as I sit here typing, he is still laying underneath the catelog...Hope you enjoy the photos!


Have a BLESSED weekend!