Serendipity at the animal shelter

Some of you know that I am a very spiritual creature by nature. I am also a therapist. Over the years I have gathered many tools of the trade. One of them is the use of vision boards. The idea is that you create a board that has images that remind you of what you want, and of course my image board has many images related to Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch. However I am going to write about this image that I did not initially relate to the project but rather to meeting like minded people.  Little did I realize just how this would manifest.

My most recent visit to the shelter was to finish my cat personality analysis training. I was to do a personality inventory on a shelter cat while under the watchful eye of a trainer. This way the shelter could allow me to then do cat  personality inventories on my own.

I went in an hour early to spend some time with a few kitties I have identified as frightened. One little new shy kitty caught my attention because she was missing about  a third of her fur. It appeared that she had been shaved in several locations on her body. Sometimes cats come in with mats or debris stuck to them and the kindest way to remove it is to shave them. This poor little kitty only had the name of "Six" indicating that she came in from a home or location where there were too many cats. She actually looked almost exactly like one of my tortoise calicoes, which is very interesting, given what happened next. If you have read my blog before you know that I have a Down's syndrome son who has a favorite kitty named Daisy. Daisy is the torti.

While I was setting on the floor in the cat suite, a Down's syndrome young man came in and sat on the bench very quietly. We said hello and he just smiled at me, not quite knowing what to say next. He was beaming with positive energy and it showed on his face. Before I know it Six was on his lap, closed her eyes and went to sleep purring. He quietly stroked the kitty, bald spots and all, with out ever commenting on the condition of her fur.

The door opened and the Young man's mother stepped in. I gave her a knowing smile and just went back to my work. After a while I shared with the mom that I also had a son with Down's. We talked about the many gifts that come with it and we both agreed that the extra chromosome that both our son's were born with should be called "the love Gene." We laughed in a way that only two mom's of Down's kids could do. As we talked we discovered that we had more and more in common. Both of us had recent terrifying experiences with illness, both are at a cross roads in our lives. I told her my plans for Downsy Dude Ranch and she nearly cried. She told me that she can not continue at her current job and has been praying for answers about what she was to do next. As I explained the concepts I was basing Downsy Dude Ranch on, you could just see the light bulb come on in her eyes. We agreed to stay in touch and exchange email information. She thanked me for the inspiration and then she told her son they had to go look at kitties in a few more locations before deciding on an adoption.

Her son spoke up and said "this one likes me, I want this one." I have to tell you it was very hard to not burst into tears at the sight of this young fella holding this ragged little cat with half her fur gone. He never noticed the fur. He only noticed that the cat instinctively knew she should belong to him. He knew, and the cat knew.

When I asked the universe to surround me with like minded people, I never dreamed I would be in the right place at the right time to see this very special, nonjudgmental young man demonstrate what I feel in my heart. I never dreamed I would meet his mother who needed the message I had for her. The experience has filled me with gratitude and affirmed my belief in the use of vision boards.

If you are interested in reading more about how I use my Vision board, and how to create one for yourself,  you can look here : Vision Boards

Shy Kitties at the shelter

As you know I love Wednesdays because that is the day that Lewis and I go to the pound to give TLC to the animals there who are waiting for their forever homes. Yesterday we spent time with 3 kitties. One who wants to hide behind a structure, one who is choosing to live inside a fabric igloo and one who just needed a warm lap and some kindness.

Dede is in Suite one. She is very stressed and wants to hide behind  a shelf structure. Last week I was able to coax her out with treats but this week she was not willing to come out. I moved the structure and got behind it with her . She enjoyed the company and allowed me to comfort her. Dede likes other kitties and often will have one or two others in her hidy place with her for snuggles.

Bella is the igloo kitty who has claimed a fabric igloo as her safe place. I could not coax Bella out of her igloo so I picked the entire thing up and set it and her on my lap on the floor. I slowly peeled down the side to expose her and she allowed me to pet her for a few minutes but had the kind of nervous purr a cat gets when they are very stressed. She let me know when she had enough and I set her down. I stayed in the suite and in a few minutes she emerged from her igloo to get some additional love and a few treats I had in my pocket. Progress is such a heart warming thing to experience.

Millie is a sweet little fuzzball. Just look at the length of the fur on her cheeks! Millie had a rough start at the pound with another kitty attacking her when she came in. She is clearly traumatized from her  changes in her life and just needed a kind lap. She allowed me to groom her with a glove that has a rubber side. She enjoyed the petting, and buried her head in the crook of my elbow as if she just wanted to forget where she was, and if she didn't see it, maybe it was a bad dream. I think she would have stayed in my arms indefinitely if I had more time.

Lewis spent time playing with the kitties that  were more outgoing. He managed to give every cat in the 3 suites at least a few minutes. I also met another volunteer who is willing to coordinate efforts with me in regard to the shy kitties. I am so loving the experience of comforting these little underdogs (or undercats as the case may be). I am also enjoying making new friends who share my values regarding animals. I love that  I have the time to share myself with these shy shelter kitties

Cats will get equal time with trainers at Capital Area Humane Society

Like most shelters CAHS is over filled and understaffed. The staff and volunteers work very hard but at the end of the day there is just not enough time to work with each animal each day. That is where the volunteers become a key part of the shelter dynamic. Typically in shelters dogs get the majority of rehab because there is always the underlying fear of dog bites. Dogs at the shelter are involved in behavior training, and many volunteers come in each day to walk dog on the nice trail out behind the building. The goal is for each dog to get walked 3 times a day and there is a system to indicate when you have walked a dog that involves putting a card with a 1,2, or 3 on the cage door. It is an awesome program that gives the dogs at least some normalcy, and really helps dogs become more desirable as adopties. Many dogs move in and out of the shelter rather quickly in this system.

Cats mean while often linger for weeks on end, sometimes months. There is a definite over fill in the cattery, always. Often when people come in to look for a cat they are overwhelmed with how many there are and have such a difficult time figuring out which cat will be a good match for their house, that some times they leave with out anyone. CAHS recognised this as an area of concern and has taken a step to help cat adopters narrow down which kitties might be a good match for them.

Yesterday I was trained in a program that evaluates a cat's personality. Each kitty will now get a personality evaluation that will result in a color coded card being placed on the cage front or on their spec card in the cat suites. When potential cat adopters come in they will be given a survey to evaluate what type of kitty they are looking for. The survey will produce a color ticket for them to bring into the cattery. They can then look for the cards that match their color and thus narrow down Their  choices to say 10 kitties rather than trying to look at 50. This program has shown good results in other shelters and we have high hopes for it at CAHS. I will be one of the cat evaluators which I am very pleased about.

I am also helping to start an intervention program for the very shy kitties who hide, or are afraid. They have very little chance of being adopted if they are crouched in the corner while other kitties are interacting with visitors  trying to schmooze their way out of the shelter.

Here is one kitty that I have taken on as a project along with another volunteer. I will document progress and what we do as her program evolves. Like many shelter cats she is clearly terrified and has zero chance of being adopted at this point. She was looking like this just getting her picture snapped.

More dog training at the shelter-Comedy and insight

Yesterday I went for the next phase of clicker training at our local shelter. We started with a dog named Augustus who has had a few weeks of training. Augustus is a  large pitbull/terrier mix with some kind of brindle marble coat. Just a beautiful dog who loved the attention of the six ladies in the room. We took turns practicing the commands sit, lay down, and stay wait while opening a door. Next we moved on to crate training. The idea is to reward the dog for going into his crate so that he would view it as a positive friendly place to be. Well, as dogs often do, Augustus decide to clown around a bit. When the trainer moved toward the crate, Augustus decided he would take a leap and jumped up on top of the crate. We all howled with laughter and he beamed setting up there wagging his tail with the pride of a performer who just nailed a good punch line. Of coarse August immediatly picked up on the laughter and jumped down and back up 3 or 4 times before we could contain ourselves enough to redirect him.

Once Augustus had trained us on the basics, we brought in a dog who had not received any training. Duke is a mastif chow mix large enough to drag me across the floor with my feet skidding, and he did. LOL. Much to my amazement within only a few minutes this smart boy was getting the basic commands about 90% of the time. Remember this was his first training session. As I worked with Duke I was taken by the ease of trainning and what a shame it is that the owners who surrendered him did not take advantage of the free training that would have enabled them to keep this dog who came in looking buck A wild. I have no doubt that both of these dogs will make fabulous companions for the right owner who is willing to spend the training time, which from what I have seen so far, can actually be very minimal.

I have to add the joy and gratification I feel after being privileged to behavior train these pooches keeps a smile on my face for hours after I leave the shelter. I think I am benefiting as much as the dogs.

Happy news

Here is some good news. The two kitties that Lewis and I worked with last week have both been adopted.
The next three days we will be in training. Two more involving dogs and then Saturday we begin training on how to evaluate a cat. I can't wait.

The other big news is that we may have found a property for the Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch. Miss Ashley will be seeing in on Monday. I will post it if it looks like we found the right spot. Wish us luck!

Cats know what time it is

People who know me know that I am a morning person. I love to get up while it is still dark, check out the moon and watch the sun rise. Generally, I am up by 5am. Heaven for bid I sleep longer than that! At least according to my cats. Every morning I wake up to 2 of them setting on my bed waiting for any indication that I may be waking. For example, one of them can detect a blink. And the moment it happens she literally leaps for joy, usually from some where by my feet to the top of the bed where my head is. This is the signal for her sister to start parading like a tight rope walker on the wooden headboard next to my pillow. This of coarse causes just enough worry, about an accidental slip onto my head with toe nails as a catching  tool, to rouse me. By now they have me aroused enough to speak, trying to break the circus clown of her act.  I might say something like "stop that!," which brings a third kitty zooming into the room with the zeal of a lotto winner. What's the prize? Breakfast.

The next event in the house is a procession to  the kitchen with all motors buzzing and plenty of drive by lovings on my ankles while trying to navigate sleepily in the dark. My only hope of declinging them is to bust out a can of cat food and divvy it up. Only then do I get to have my coffee in peace. Oh yes, cats can tell time!

Lewis-finding more of his Down's syndrome gifts in volunteer work at the animal shelter

I love Wednesdays. Wednesdays have always been the day that Lewis and I tweaked out of my busy schedule to make a committed effort to spend good quality time together. I learned raising two kids that time goes by in a flash and we must cherish the time we have. Often we would struggle with what to do on our Wednesday outings. We generally looked for free or low cost stuff to do, just because budget required it.  Now we are spending time volunteering at the animal shelter every Wednesday.

It is so wonderful to see the spark light up in Lew's eyes when Wednesdays come. He emerges from his room proudly sporting his T-shirt that says Volunteer on it. The anticipation that is apparent in his demeanor is so beautiful. He can't wait to get  to the shelter to give of himself to cast away animals.

Down's people often do not have the part of our personalities that cast judgement. He is the most accepting and forgiving person I have ever met. He can work with animals that others may avoid because of the way they look. Often shelter cats, for example, come in with issues that have made them loose patches of hair or even have wounds. Many would avoid the animals with the worst issues, but not Lewis. He goes in every week and seeks out who seems to be in the worst shape. He spends time with those animals before he goes on to play with the cute kitties etc...  If a kitty growls at him or another animal, he simply states, "this one is a little grumpy" and carries on. He knows the growl does not belong to him. Brilliant compared to the rest of us LOL. Just another example of how a Down's syndrome guy can teach the rest of us. So often I aspire to be more like him.

3 legged dog becomes therapy dog

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/46070947#46070947


Here is a very sweet clip I found on MSN- I love a happy ending! I will warn you the first clip is a bit sad, but look what happened with a little TLC.

Animal behavior training success

Those of you who have been following  this blog know that we have been involved in clicker training at our local shelter. We have had very little training but are already making progress in upgrading the adaptability of cast away animals. Lewis and I have taught a very scraggly cat to give high fives with very little effort. I have asked that  this talent be added to the card that is posted on the cat's cage so that those looking for a new kitty will at least pause long enough to give this kitty a chance at stealing someones heart. This particular kitty came from a home that had several animals removed for sevier neglect. She is still under wiegth and is just now growing back the fur she lost due to malnutrition.

Now, there are others who are more advanced in their training. We saw  a demonstration of just how effective this training can be when were asked to step in and observe a pit bull who has been in clicker training. This pit bull was surrendered to the pound for being unmanageable. What I observed brought tears of joy to my eyes.

This pit bull named Diesel (for a reason LOL) was strutting proudly around the room doing tricks that he had learned through clicker training. He first went to just about everyone in the room and sat quietly at their feet gazing into their eyes. One thing we teach dogs is to keep all four feet on the ground and to look at the trainer. This dog was so smart he figured out that he could get a treat from doing it for every person available LOL. When he was done with the people, he moved on and self initiated going into a crate for a treat, then coming back out and shutting the door with his nose for another treat. He proudly looked around the room and I am sure he felt the joy that was on all our faces. He beamed with pride and confidence. Next he went to a desk in the room and was nosing the drawer. The trainer opened the drawer and he promptly closed it with his nose, sat back and gazed eagerly at his trainer waiting for his treat reward with his tail wagging really fast. Just adorable!

This dog has gone from being a cast away due to poor behavior habits to being able to figure out how to self initiate positive feedback. I am sure that he will be adopted and make  wonderful pet for some lucky person. This is a perfect example of positive animal behavior training success.

Cat love-a Purrrrrfect day at the shelter with the Downsy dude

Today we spent another afternoon at the shelter. Lewis  decided we would focus on the cats for now so we started in the kitten nursery. Our job was to coax the kittens to the front of the cage. We had toys and canned food on a tongue depressor as tools. Kittens who hide are rarely adopted so it is important to create a desire for human interaction. Today there were six cages of kittens with the youngest being 12 weeks. These are pretty big kittens and the bigger they get the less apt to become adopted they are. We had so much fun with the kittens (and them with us) that all the kittens were at the front of the cages by the time we were done. One smart kitten even learned how to give a high five in less than ten minutes.

As we were leaving that area a young couple came it and spotted two of the kittens still frolicking full of energy from our play session. Guess who went to their forever homes today.

Next we moved into the grown cat area. There are suites there were several cats are allowed to play in larger areas. Lewis loves the '"cat rooms" and spent a good deal of time in there just playing with the cats. I was summons to a cage by a small gray howler. She was clearly distressed. I opened the cage and she quickly climbed into my arms. For a few minutes she tried to climb all over me, even on my head. When she would calm down and just let me hold her I would slip her a cat treat. She very quickly adjusted her behavior to maximize her treat experience. She was so happy and grateful to be held that she started giving me hugs- literally put her paws around my neck and planted her cheek on mine. She settled into my arms and fell asleep purring like a maniac.

 Time and attention is such a simple gift to give to a needy animal. In return I had a per-fect afternoon and came home with cat love all over me.

Next post: Wait till you hear what I saw a pit bull do today, it will warm your heart

Animal behavior training with the Downsy dude

Yesterday Lewis and I went to our first animal behavior training at our local animal shelter. The goal of the program is to train volunteers to help train animals waiting for their forever homes. Experience has shown that well trained animals are more apt to be adopted and stay in there new adopted homes.

One example  of what we will be doing is taking  tongue depressor and placing cat food on the end of it to entice cats and kittens to get in the habit of coming to the front of their cages when they see people.

We will also be learning how to clicker train dogs. Clickers are used to reinforce desirable behaviors such as following a command or keeping all four paws on the ground. The clicker creates a universal sign for the dog that can be easily transferred to the new owner. Often the differences in voice pitches between trainer and new owner can confuse a dog and make it less likely to obey a command. The clicker eliminates that confusion.

Lewis preferred to work with cats yesterday so we spent most of our day teaching grown cats how to give a high five in exchange for a cat treat. Lewis seems to be a natural at this and has taught all four cats at home this trick. He has also taught one of our cats to fetch a ball. Yesterday he had pretty good luck with two cats learning this trick after just a few tries.

We ended our day with a visit to the kitten nursery where we were able to take two very frightened
 6-8 week old kittens and play with them in a visitation room. The goal was to get the kittens to associate humans with fun cuddles and play, rather than hunkering down and hiding in the back of their cages. So far we love the animal behavior training.

Animal behavior training

Lewis and I start our animal behavior training today. I am very excited as this marks an important cross road leading to our dream future. I will post later what we learn today

Dogs that bite

On another forum I frequent we had a discussion about dogs that bite. Should they be put down? Anyone with a pet knows that this is always a last resort. A few alternative suggestions would be to mildly sedated or use a muzzle if needed. Usually animals who bite do so out of fear, but sometimes it is a form of possession guarding. It can be a favorite toy, food or property.

If you have taken in a stray often there is no way to know the back ground  of the animal and there may have been a reason that the animal learned to bite. This is common in severely abused dogs as they have had to defend themselves from beatings and such. It may be a form of hording if your dog has gone hungry some time in its life.

Many of the large shelters have behavior specialist and often offer this service free of charge as an attempt to keep dogs in their homes and keep numbers down at the shelter. Before deciding to put your dog down if it bites consider at least one consult with a professional.

Volunteer training at the animal shelter

Yesterday Lewis and I went to the volunteer training at one of our local animal shelters. We will be providing enrichment activities to the animals waiting for their forever homes. We will also be involved with an animal behavior specialist who will teach us how to teach the animals things that will make them more desirable for adoption.

Lewis did really well with the exception of a bit of a sensory issue when several dogs would bark at once. He is very enthusiastic about spending every Wednesday afternoon with the animals. Wish us luck, this is the beginning of our new adventure and I am very excited about it!

Is your pet theraputic? Call for stories

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for supporting the blog and coming here everyday. Those of you who know me know that I am an animal lover and advocate. I would love to hear about you and your pet. I bet the other readers would too. If you would like to share a story please send it  to merdodson@yahoo.com
Also please feel free to write a comment on any stories you see here.

How has your pet been theraputic?

Sample consult involving a Down's syndrome teen and a new puppy

First let me say that I am a trained observer. When I am asked to consult, the first thing I do is look for natural strengths. Everyone has them, even the most severely impaired individuals. Once strengths are identified, goals are set that build on and use those strengths.

I was recently asked advise about how to integrate a new puppy into the lives of a very special family. There is a teen boy in the family who has Down's syndrome, ADHD, OCD, sensory issues and tourette's. His mother was looking for ideas of to involve him in the care of the new little fluffer. Mom was concerned that her son would not like the puppy.

After some conversation, I learned that the son, who I will call S, loves  to read. Aha! Books are a great tool when planning any type of intervention. Again, we look at natural tendencies and strengths. I recommended that mom make a trip to the library for books about the type of dog that would be joining the family. Next I asked her to make a simple  book about the new dog and S. I suggested that the teacher at school be asked to support S in bringing the book to school for show and tell. I also suggested that the teacher give daily positive feedback to S about the new dog and let natural conversation happen with S and his peers for a few minutes each day at school.

In addition, I suggested that mom look at the Nurtured Heart approach, which focuses on positive behaviors and fills the child's self esteem, as they are observed doing good things. An example of how this might look would be, when S shows kind behavior towards the puppy mom could say something like "wow S, you really are good at being a kind friend " then she would describe exactly what he did that was kind. "You remembered to use a gentle hand when petting. Thank you for being a gentle friend, it makes me feel very proud of you." The key to this approach is strong and frequent  attention focused  on positive moments.

This is a case study at the beginnings of the working stage for us to follow and I will post again, as things evolve. My plan over time will be to transfer the skills S learns befriending the new puppy to human friendship skills. This is an area that mom has shared as a challenge for S. I want to thank S's mom for allowing me to post about the family's adventure with a new puppy and a very special Down's syndrome young man. This is a great example of how pets can be used as an intervention for special needs kids.

Thanks for reading today. Here is a link to information about the Nurtured Heart approach:

http://difficultchild.com/

Walking Scotties

Recently my son and I were invited by my best friend, Teresa, to go for a walk with her and her 3 dogs. She has a pair of twin Scotties and a black spaniel. One Scottie is black and one is blond. The black one is know to be the easiest to manage on a leash so she was given to my Down's son for the walk. The spaniel is the most insecure of the group and also the most demanding. She can be very difficult to walk. About half way through our walk, my son volunteered to give a try to the spaniel as she was pulling and giving my friend a very hard time. Interesting, as soon as my son was handed the leash, the spaniel was a perfect angel.

My friend had become annoyed with her, and I am sure that she was picking up and reacting to that energy. My son, being the calmest most loving person I know, seemed to calm the little spaniel right down. It has been a few days now since the walk and my son is still talking about how much he loves that spaniel. They seemed to connect.

Starting in a few weeks my son and I will be volunteering at one of the local animal shelters. One of the things that will be an option for us is walking dogs on a trail they have out in back of the facility.
What a difference this will make in the lives of the dogs who are confined. Just another example of how Downsy dude is making this world a better one.

Thank you Teresa for the practice walk, it was lovely and affirming.

A special baby kitty for a special young man-right on time

When our rescue kitty, Bella, surprised us with kittens there were five total. The first three came quickly, and the last two many hours later. Number four was still born and had a deformed face. Number five was tiny but seemed ok. She was clearly the runt, and had some trouble finding mama's nipple.  Before her eyes were open I would find her lost and away from the others at  times. She was also the first kitten to be rejected by Bella when It came time to ween her kittens.

 We found adoptive homes for number one and two, but I knew I was in trouble when we named the remaining two kitties. One was my favorite, a cute little  calico girl who I named Patchouli. The other, much smaller kitten was named Daisy by my Down's syndrome son Lewis. Daisy is a tortoise shell calico and she loves to be held. If fact, it seemed like she would prefer to be held by Lewis over being with her mother. There was an almost instant bond between  Lewis and little Daisy.  She seemed a bit slow compared to Patchouli but she was my son's favorite. There was no way we could give up daisy or Patchouli.


Over the next two years, I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, and then a third occurrence. My son watched his mother, the only parent he has, wither  and weaken. He watched me loose my hair, and be as sick as a person can be. He wanted to help and would often make my bed and tenderly place books on it  for me to find. He also started taking responsibility for caring for the kitties. I was proud of him for stepping up, and was very grateful to have him there the help.

Many nights I would hear Lewis talking to Daisy in his room. He would talk about his worries, and tell her how much he loved her. He would  hold  her like she was a baby. She, all the while, purring and blinking sleepily. I often wondered how Lewis would have coped with my  illness if he did not have Daisy to love, hold and talk to. Not to mention the hours of laughter both the kittens have given us with their crazy cat antics.  Looking back, I realize that Bella brought in a very special gift by coming in pregnant. My good deed of taking her in was repaid by the gift of a cuddle friend for my son at a time when he needed it.

A special needs kitty, good karma, and an unexpected gift

Bella first appeared on the property in the summer of 2009 as a half grown kitten. She was Deaf, and her right eye turned in towards her nose. She was so skinny you could see her spine and she was very apprehensive of my presence. I nick named her Booger due to a black mark on her nose that went from one nostrils to her upper lip.

I would see her in the gardens but often she would not see me. Several times I startled her as she could not hear my approaching feet. I would put food out for her and then set several feet away to try and get a good look at her while she nervously gobbled down food. She had worms on her backside, so I decided to lace her meal with meds. She ate the plate of food as usual but after that day she disappeared. I was mortified and wondered if I had over medicated her or if she had experienced a bad reaction to the medicine.Over the next several months I spent a great deal of time wondering if she was OK and having dreadful thoughts about what might have become of her.
I could not forget Booger and her pathetic state.

Apparently she did not forget me either. Several months later near Christmas time, she appeared once again at my back slider door. The wind was howling and it was very cold outside. When she saw me looking at her she bolted away in fright. A few days later she returned again and looked in the window. I decided to go to the shed and get an old trash barrel, turn it on its side, and leave out for her for shelter. I put food and water out. The next morning the scrawny little beaten down kitty was contently sleeping in the barrel on a soft warm blanket. I put food and water out but each time I opened the slider she would run away in fright.

She seemed content to have a decent place to sleep she could call her own. I worried about her being out in the cold, but she would not come in, even when with coaxed with treats. January rolled around and Booger seemed to have made herself at home in the old barrel. Eventually she stopped bolting away every time I opened the door, I knew she had begun to trust me.

One very cold January morning I was on my way to work and heard something on the radio that made me turn back to the house. It was a pet advisory stating that it was 7 below zero and to be sure your dogs feet did not get frost bit while out side. I was mortified at the thought of Booger having been out side all night in that kind of cold. As I drove home I prayed that I would not find her frozen to death in the barrel.

When I arrived home and went to the back slider Booger was laying in the barrel motionless. Her food I had put out the night before had not been touched and her water was frozen solid. I picked up the half asleep little kitty and she did not resist. It was the first time she had let me touch her, and somehow she knew I was there to help. I carried her to the basement and made a makeshift bed for her, gave her a little snuggle and left for work. I had concerns about my young chemo Kitty Shaman being in the house with her. I was not sure how he would be with her and I was also concerned that she may have brought in disease. I shut the basement door and went to work.

I called the vet and she met me at the house that afternoon. She looked over the frightened little kitty and found her to be malnourished but in remarkably good health all things considered. With one exception. She had the worse case of ear mites I have ever seen. We removed swab after swab of black goo from her bright red infected ears. Once again she did not resist and seemed to know we were there to help. Over the next few weeks Booger lived in the basement grooming herself almost on stop. Soon I noticed that Booger would be waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs when I arrived home. She was hearing my feet on the floor above! She was not deaf after all, just had ears full of mite and a terrible infection that cleared up with treatment.

Once I knew booger was healthy, I started leaving the basement door open and she would sneak up to have a look around when things were very quiet. Any movement or sound would send her scurrying back to the basement. One day while tip toeing stealthily through the house, she decided to come and lay at my feet. What happened next was a surprise I was not prepared for.

As I looked at her I realized that she had become very pretty and was filling out nicely. I decided she needed a name that was more fitting to who she had become from being in a loving home. "Bella,
I will call you Bella, because you are so pretty" I said to her. I admired her pretty little face and fur, I noticed her belly seemed to be rolling. I ask myself, did her belly just move? I put my hand on her thinking perhaps she was having tummy trouble. Under my hand I felt the unmistakable movement of kittens. She gave birth 3 days later.

Please return to -the read about what happened next and the positive impact one special kitten has had on my son Lewis. A slow kitten for a Down Syndrome guy to love.

Endagered cheetah cubs

Here is a cute fix to start the year. Happy Day!

 http://www.happynews.com/news/1062011/eight-cheetah-cubs-conservation-success.htm