Politics in the Zeros

Bandit, like many cats, has certain protocols which must be followed before she, for example, will sit on Sue’s stomach when Sue in lying down in bed. We have a certain small blanket, called the Bandit Blankie, which must be on Sue’s stomach first before Bandit will get on. If Sue forgets to put the blankie on first, Bandit will get agitated and pace back and forth until it is put in its proper place.

Further, if I pick up Bandit and put her on Sue’s stomach, she will get off, walk around a bit, then get back on. The decision needs to be hers.

Our mom and daughter foster cats, Hippity and Monkey, just got adopted out as a pair to a great home. Live well and prosper, little buddies. We fostered them for six months.  It’s always a little sad to see them go. However they are now in their forever homes. No more cages, no more shuttling around from place to place. We fostered them for Cat Connection in LA and placed them via Maine Coon Adoptions in Oakland.

Hippity, you will notice, has a clipped ear. She was found pregnant in a feral colony but wasn’t feral at all. She’d probably been a house cat and was dumped when she got pregnant. The woman who was trapping the ferals said Hippity ran up to her squeaking, as if to say, get me out of here. Feral cats are routinely trapped, neutered, then released back in the wild with one ear clipped to signify they don’t need to be trapped again. She accidentally had her ear clipped with the rest of them.

The photo shows Monkey with a bedraggled birdie on a stick. Chasing it is her favorite pass time. She picks it up in her mouth and brings it to you.

Our cat Bandit had surgery and thus needs to wear the cone of shame. We took it off her briefly. Another cat, Harry, began sniffing and exploring it then suddenly started running around the room in panic. He stuck his head into it and couldn’t get it off. I was laughing so hard it took me a few seconds to get it off him

Sue and I do cat foster and rescue. These four cats, a mom and three kittens, are ready to be adopted! They have been fixed, have chips and all shots.

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Hippity

“I was a teenage pregnant mom abandoned by the side of the road”. No, not the best start in life for sweet Hippity, who is sweet and affectionate.

Don’t let the ear tip mistake fool you … This little lady is perfectly domesticated and is just looking for her forever home. She gets on fine with other cats.

Hippity is about 1 to 1-1/2 years old. She likes to play with other cats, and gets along very well with people.

She is possibly short haired oriental mix, says the vet.

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Monkey

What a character! Monkey lives up to her name. Playful, curious, and high energy. Got game? Then Monkey is first pick for your team. A 5 month old spayed female, she would be happy with other cats or all by herself. She has long proportions … The vet said she might be a short haired oriental mix. She plays mousie-toy soccer with her sister and brother for hours. Spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and ready for her forever home.

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Shadow

Shadow is a 5 month old neutered male. He is very playful and energetic, and gets along well with people and other cats. He’ll follow you around and is a good buddy. He’s still small and has long proportions … The vet said he might be a short haired oriental mix. He has a gentle voice and a gentle personality. He loves his sisters but gets along well with adult cats. He travels well and is sweet with the vet. He plays mousie-toy soccer with his sister for hours, and likes lounge in a box top and watch the world go by. Neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and ready for his forever home.

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Lily

Lily is a 5 month old spayed female. She is playful but gentle, and would be happy with other cats or all by herself. She is very serene and loves to be wherever her humans are. If you are looking for a best friend and sweet companion then Lily is for you. She’s still small and has long proportions … The vet said she might be a short haired oriental mix. She plays mousie-toy soccer with her sister and brother for hours and is lots of fun. Spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and ready for her forever home.

Out latest foster cats. The kittens are Monkey, Lilly, and Shadow. They are about 5 months old and are snipped, chipped, and ready to go to their forever homes.

Hippity, the mom, is about a year or so. She has a clipped ear, which signifies a feral cat that has been trapped and neutered. Their ears are clipped to show they don’t need to be trapped again. However, she is not feral at all, is quite friendly and affectionate, and like the kittens, gets on fine with people and other cats.. She probably lived in a house until she got pregnant then was dumped outside to fend for herself.

They are healthy and have had all shots. SF Bay Area.

Hippity, the mom

Kittens Shadow and Lilly (male and female)

Kitten Monkey (female)

We do cat rescue and transported cats from LA to SF today. We took a mom cat and three kittens from Cat Connection in LA to foster ourselves and also transported two adorable kittens and Floyd, pictured here, to Maine Coon Adoptions in Oakland.

The SF Bay Area is doing better economically than other areas, including LA. so there’s a steady stream of adoptable pets that get shuttled by volunteers to the Bay Area from elsewhere to be adopted.

The kittens are totally adorable and will get adopted quickly. Floyd travels the best of any cat I’ve seen. He was happily looking out the window during the drive while most cats are scared. He was trapped and neutered from a feral colony but then it became obvious he wasn’t feral at all. He probably left an abusive home, or was dumped, or got lost. He’s super friendly and hence very adoptable.

The kittens were pulled from a kill shelter by Cat Connection to save them from being killed. The public shelters in LA  have very high kill rates, sometimes approaching 90%. That’s why cat rescue is so important (dog rescue too!)

Save a life and do pet adoption and rescue.

Our rescue cats Fluffy and Squeaker are now in their new forever home. Friends found them dumped by the side of a road in Utah when they were about six weeks old. They were scared, hungry, and may well have seen their mother and siblings get killed by predators. We had them eighteen months, moved back to California, and Maine Coon Adoptions in Oakland found a fine home for them.

Shelters are filled with cats and dogs now. Too many shelters, especially public ones, still kill animals. You can save a critter from a death sentence and get a buddy for life at your local pound.

Interestingly, all of the public shelters in southern Utah are now no-kill shelters while most public shelters in Southern California still put down thousands of animals a year. It’s kitten season now and those shelters are euthanizing many litters of kittens every day. Rescue organizations save litters from death. If you aren’t sure about pet adoption, you can always foster through an organization instead.

Fluffy and Squeaker had a rough start in life and will always be a little tweaked because of it. They can also be quite affectionate and are bonded for life. It’s not often two cats can be placed at once but Maine Coon Adoptions did it and we thank them for it.

We have cats of our own and more foster kittens coming.

The vacuum cleaner was whirring madly. I discovered all these cat hair balls were clogged up in the flexible hose.

My wife Sue has been fostering them and wrote these wonderful descriptions for 13 St Cats in San Jose, a rescue group. All are in the San Jose area and can be transported within the Bay area. Contact me for more info. bob at polizeros dot com.

Sadie

Sadie is a black and white tuxedo kitty. She is happy lounging around the house with you or playing with her toys. She is gregarious and gets along well with people and other cats and dogs. Her former owner cried buckets when she surrendered her to Cat Connection — the owner’s home had been foreclosed and she went to live in a no-pets apartment. We are doing all we can to find Sweet Sadie a new loving home. Sadie is about 7 years old. She is spayed, current on her vaccinations, FLV/FIV negative, recently vetted, and healthy.

Thalia

Named for a muse of the theater, Miss Thalia will be the star of your home. She will welcome you and your guests at the door. She is very elegant and unique in appearance. She is approximately 7 years old and a Burmese mix – a long-lived breed with few health problems. Her coat is long but does not tend to mat or shed much. She is spayed, current on her vaccinations, FLV/FIV negative, and had a recent dental cleaning and vetting. (The vet said she is “as sweet as apple pie.”)

Gila

Meet Gila. She is a silky soft traditional Balinese. She has the beautiful long proportions of the Siamese without the yowling. Instead, she sweetly mews. She is about 1 year old. She is spayed, current on her vaccinations, FLV/FIV negative, recently vetted, and healthy. She is a bit shy, but quickly warms up to you and will be your close companion once she gets to know you. She would probably be best as an only cat, but seems to be accepting of smaller dogs (her foster mom has a doxie mix and there are no problems with them sharing a room).

For those of us owned by our cats, James Huggins has some useful guidelines to help us understand them. Here’s a few excerpts.

As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills.

Harry, are you listening. When I wake up in the morning and stumble towards the coffee maker when it’s still dark, running between my legs is just not a good idea – for either one of us.

This game must be played with at least one other cat. The more, the merrier! One or both of the sleeping humans is Hill 303 which must be defended at all costs from the other cat(s). Anything goes. This game allows for the development of unusual tactics as one must take the unstable playing theater into account.

Joey on top of me, guarding the top of the bed

However, in our house the top of the bed at night is Property of Joey. He sleeps on top of me and will attack any feline interlopers who dare get on the bed.

Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. It is important to maintain one’s Dignity when around humans so that they will not forget who is the master of the house. Humans need to know basic rules. They can be taught if you start early and are consistent.