PLEASE DO NOT USE MY PHOTOS WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT PERMISSION. THANK YOU.

 

 

While my profession involves caring for humans, I have had a lifelong passion for critters, big and small. Growing up we had dogs, chameleons, skinks, hamsters, rabbits, fish, a boa, a tarantula, a guinea pig, a mouse. . . no cats. Mom had a severe allergy to cats.

 

My first cat was a Christmas gift from my husband: Ariel. My second and third cats were also gifts from my husband: Cumin for my birthday and Gumbo for our anniversary. He gave me "certificates" to redeem. The shelter caretaker chose Cumin for me because I requested a cat that could do pet therapy. I chose Gumbo because I fell in love with a large, lovable doofus with an enormous belly (he is much more slender now than when he came to live with us). My fourth cat chose me. Raven will always be special for that reason alone. Incidentally, I named her Raven from Edgar Allen Poe's poem. . . "Quoth the raven, 'nevermore.'" Ha!

 

Artemas [RIP 10/21/10], my adorable, ancient mouse, joined after Raven. His favorite food without a doubt is organic pine nuts. Yes, he is spoiled rotten in this house.

 

MoMo was a gift from the nurses that I gladly accepted when I moved to Minnesota. . . love that boy. Louie had been dumped at the vet and needed a forever home (alas, mine was not it).

 

Here in Minnesota I accompanied my husband when he went shopping for golf shoes. . . and met and fell in love with a three-legged catahoula leopard dog we came upon in a rescue adoption setting. Bogart's name came from Kevin's golf game (Bogey). Incidentally, Kevin didn't come home with any shoes that day. . .

 

Then I first caught a glimpse of Winston. Started feeding him on the back deck. Winston somehow broke his right back leg, and it hurt me to see it shift with every step. Time to catch him and fix him x2. The trouble? Winston was far too smart for traps. . .

 

Instead of Winston I caught a scared, precious pregnant kitty: Vidalia. She warmed up after 24 hours and has been a phenomenal addition to the family. What an incredibly even-tempered critter who dotes on everyone, the dog included. Her brood: Godiva, Zamboni, Guinness, Gizmo, Finch, and Kiwi.

 

Moonshine, the second pregnant stray, was caught shortly thereafter at 4am. Her fur glistened in the moonlight, and I felt as though I had contraband in the basement when I brought her inside our home. Hence the name. She found a forever home as did her four kittens (Otis, Frito, Basil, and Bijou).

 

FINALLY! I caught Winston. Sadly, months had passed and the leg healed in an incorrect way. At least it doesn't seem to be painful, but it hinders his jumping ability. Winston was a true feral. Little chance of truly adjusting to the indoor life. So once he recovered from having his manliness removed, he returned to the outside world to rule his domain (our yard). Food is readily available to outside felines both on our feral feeder and inside the garage (accessible by cat flap).

 

Now some may feel my hundreds of photos of kittens is excessive, but my initial intent was to compile a coffee table book to remember them long after they went to their forever homes. . .

 

Coffeetable book, coasters, and a posters behind me, I continue to take photographs of all the gorgeous critters that grace my life. Bit by bit I am learning and improving. It's been three years that I've been keeping myself entertained with photography, but it is amazing to see the improvements from my first kitten photographs to now. Hopefully I'll continue to enjoy and improve!

  

My current brood (a mix of resident and foster felines):

 

Ariel (15yo):

My original feline adopted by my now-husband from the local pound, maintained as Her Royal Highness, Queen of Her Domain.

 

Cumin (14yo):

My forever kitten came from a no-kill shelter as a Animal Therapy cat. She's long-since retired, but continues to bless our home.

 

Gumbo (~19yo):

My eyeless, toothless wonderboy. He's top cat in a gentle yet authoritative way. No one messes with Gumbo.

 

Miss Raven (18yo): Goodbye, precious Raven.

A dear, sweet little lady, adopted from the same shelter as Cumin and Gumbo. Died 10/31/13.

 

MoMo (~7yo SPECIAL NEEDS):

This dear boy prefers wee wee pads over litterboxes at times. He was rescued off the streets already front-declawed.

 

Bogart (~6yo):

Born with a deformed leg, Bogart has been three-legged as long as I have known him. He has a tumor in one of his remaining legs, but his love of life keeps him going long past his expected end.

 

Vidalia (~3-4yo rescue):

The first pregnant adolescent I trapped, forever dear to my heart.

 

Curiosity (~3-4yo SPECIAL NEEDS):

Outgoing and lovable, this precious boy requires twice daily steam baths and twice daily lysine to keep his sinuses under control.

 

Magnus (2yo rescue):

Magnus apparently lived his first three months of life in a box or kennel. He is socially inept and physically monstruous, keeping him in our home rather than finding a home of his own. Thankfully, hidden behind all that cluelessness is a kindhearted boy.

 

Mr. Grigsby (~3yo SPECIAL NEEDS):

A marvelous boy who chose us. Mr. Grigsby is allergic to cat food (and various human foods he sneaks off of dirty plates in the sink) so would require either someone who has access to swift medical care.

 

Zinnia (~1yo foster):

A beautiful, loving girl who still hasn't learned to take treats gently. No small children.

 

Pandora (~2-3yo foster): ADOPTED

Hopefully will be rehabilitated enough to go live at a nursing home with Sweetie.

 

Lulu (~11mo foster):

Trapped as a feral older kitten, we are finally making great strides at getting this young beauty socialized enough to find her own forever home.

 

Amadeus (~9mo):

Indoor Kitty TV. Adorable wee one. Doesn't like organic pine nuts, though.

 

Heidi (~3yo SPECIAL NEEDS):

May the Good Lord bless dear, sweet Heidi. Apparently Heidi attempted to warm herself in a car engine, unknown to everyone on the farm. Someone turned the car engine on, and Heidi suffered severe burns to her low back. Hopefully her wounds will heal completely by the end of February, but the scars will be permanent. 2/16/13: Heidi has healed, and her scars are amazingly minimal. What a blessed girl!

 

Bubba (1-2yo foster):

  

Featured Photos

I thought I would add one more thing to my profile. Often the photos I love are of my critters, but occasionally ones stand out that don't fit into the "brood" photos. As a result, I am adding a featured photo section.

 

  

  

  

 

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C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter

 

While I TNR, rehome strays, and even care for medically needy felines, I decided that my home was not set up to manage little Shea the Shadow, an FIV+/FeLV+ youngster we rescued in April 2013. Shea was accepted at C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter, a sanctuary for medically needy and otherwise less adoptable feines. Shea the Shadow will live out the rest of her days, however long or short, with other FeLV+ felines at the shelter. The following photos feature felines living out their lives at the sanctuary.