Magic Stones

Arian's Robo Hamsters Come Out to Play

A short video of Arian's cute Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters during their play session

Baby Raccoons Come by for a Visit

This Mother Raccoon has been visiting us regularly for over 9 years. Yesterday she came by to show off her new babies.

Stray Cat finds help in the Nick of Time

Another desperate cat in need showed up on my doorstep.  This poor girl was very near death from starvation. She is just skin and bones. I have never seen a cat this thin before.  It's truly shocking. She has obviously lived with people before and is very friendly.  I had some serious doubts about whether she would survive or not, but her voracious appetite is a little ray of hope. 

I have spent most of my time since Friday afternoon trying to stabilize her condition.  I took her immediately to the vet. But she gave me quite a scare on the drive down because she passed out in the carrier.  Since I have other cats I was worried she might have something contagious so I am very grateful I was able to get her to a doctor so quickly and that I didn't have to lay out extra monies for an emergency visit.  She tested negative for the 3 ugly highly contagious feline diseases, no parasites found either.  The doctor was concerned because he said her kidneys felt small and that kidney failure may have been contributing to her serious weight loss. He called me yesterday with the rest of her blood test results and they were remarkably good given her physical state.  The tests indicate that she is not experiencing kidney failure which is very good news.  Her blood sugar level was extremely low which helps explain why she passed out and was having leg and head tremors.  So all the tests seem to indicate that her condition is caused by malnutrition due to starvation and not from parasites or disease.

She is improving slowly and would eat non stop if I let her, but I have to spread out her food in small meals every couple of hours so her system isn't overloaded by the sudden influx of high protein and nutrients.  I'm also giving her sub-Q fluids because she was severely dehydrated. I built her a temporary enclosure and am keeping her isolated from everyone else until she is rested and regains her strength.  She's more alert and has more energy today and was seeking out attention as much as food so that's another good sign.  She is also VERY vocal.

I'm trying to find her owners, but it appears she may have been lost for quite some time to be so horribly close to starvation.  She could have wandered a considerable distance from her home.  The vet scanned her for a microchip but didn't find one. There are no lost cat signs in the neighborhood or in our small town matching her description.  I'll be posting her in the lost animal boards online and also in the local papers.  I'll also be printing up some Found Cat posters as soon as I can get my *&*!$% printer working again.

I definitely didn't need another animal health crisis, we've had two major scares with one of our other cats in the past two months that drained our emergency vet fund.  So my wallet is several hundred dollars lighter since she showed up, but my heart is a little brighter. 

I'm feeling more hopeful that she will pull through.

All thoughts, prayers and healing energies for her complete recovery are appreciated.

Minuit the cat ~April 08

Minuit the cat ~April 08, originally uploaded by Cryztalvisions.

Minuit the cat ~April 08

Cats have always sought me out. Even as a very young girl strange cats would come up to me or follow me home. They seem to know that I can't turn away from any animal in need especially cats. I have several friends with very shy cats who normally disappear when strangers come to their house. Their people are amazed when they make themselves visible when I'm visiting and often end up curled up in my lap purring happily. Maybe I was a cat in a past life...

Minuit is one such cat that showed up on our property in great need of help. He arrived a couple of years ago starving and emaciated. He was young, probably around 5 or 6 months old. I suspect he was dumped or abandoned. Minuit was so hungry that he allowed me to sit about 5 feet away from him and continuously put additional helpings of canned food on the plate I set out for him. He ate almost 3 cans of food without stopping and he is not a large cat!

I was very concerned for his well-being and surmised that he probably wasn't a very good hunter as there are plenty of small birds, mice, rats, gophers, etc in this area. In an impulsive and less than intelligent moment I reached out and grabbed him. He was very scared and I did receive some scratches, but he didn't try to bite or fight too much and I sensed some relief as his body started to relax in my arms.

Minuit was taken to our vet the next day for a complete check-up, flea and tick treatment, vaccinations, etc. He tested negative for all the nasty contagious and fatal feline diseases. He had a bad case of ear mites and I had to treat his ears 2x/day. Not an easy thing to do with a semi-feral cat. Minuit has a rather submissive nature so we worked out a routine when it was time for his medicine. He would hide in the top of one of our cat towers and I would reach in and apply the medicine to his ears. He never hissed, growled or tried to scratch or bite.

We were just getting rid of the mites when he had a minor altercation with one of our indoor cats which resulted in a scratched ear that developed a large hematoma. on the inside of his left ear. So back to the vet we go with poor Minuit. The vet had to put a drain in the wound and we were given more medicines for Minuit. This is why he has a Cauliflower Ear. Interestingly the cat that inflicted the wound is now Minuit's closest companion. He won over the other cats one by one by curling up next to them on cold nights, grooming them, inviting them to play, etc. He is a very Zen cat. Peace through non-violence is his way of life.

Our Beloved Kahuna has Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

Our dear sweet boy Kahuna has left us.  We lost him in a tragic accident Saturday night.  We are grieving the loss of our dear boy.  We rescued him from a local shelter August 2006.  His previous owners had kept him in a cage that was much too small for him.  They fed him a poor diet and he was given little or no exercise which resulted in extreme obesity.  He had sores on the bottoms of his feet from being kept in a wire bottom cage, yet he was still willing to be sweet and gentle with everyone he met.

We already had two female chinchillas when we found out about Kahuna, so a pre-requisite for him coming to live with us was a trip to the vet to be neutered.  Not as commonly done in chinchillas as in dogs and cats, but luckily an area vet knowledgeable about chinchillas was able to neuter Kahuna and there were no complications.  After his recovery we began to slowly introduce him to the girls.  Killiki took to him right away, but Kiana our young cheeky violet girl did not want anything to do with him, she wanted Killiki all to herself.  It took almost two months, before Kiana finally accepted Kahuna as part of her family.  He was then able to move into the girls' large three level mansion.  He was so happy, he had friends, good food a large living area, daily exercise time in our long hallway, frequent dust baths.  He was one happy chin.  He became more and more active, and soon lost all his excess weight.  We expected him to have a long happy life here with us, but now he's gone.

We miss you Kahuna!  You were a dear sweet soul who graced us briefly with your presence and friendship.  Things just won't be the same without you.

7 Days with 7 Dogs

This will make your heart sing!  Follow these 7 special dogs on the trip of a lifetime.

New Bodhi Video

I just uploaded a new video of our new Eclectus Bodhi.  I love this little guy he's so sweet.

Announcing Bravo's new Brother Bodhi

Those of you who know me quite well, know that animals are a huge part of my life and have been for as long as I can remember.  Among other animal friends I live with a small flock of parrots in my home.  Bravo is my oldest parrot, he's been with me for over 13 years now, we've been through a lot together over the years, and I consider him to be one of my very best friends.

Bravo is a Solomon Island Eclectus parrot .  I've long dreamed of finding Bravo a little baby brother to look after.  Well that dream came true yesterday when we brought home our newest addition to the family, Bodhi!  Bodhi is also a Solomon Island Eclectus and comes to us from Eclectusville, run by Susie Christian, a wonderful breeder from Morro Bay, CA.

It's wonderful to have a young bird in the house again.  He has spent the day happily eating, napping, and exploring his new surroundings, with Bravo keeping a watchful eye on him.

Here is a picture of sweet little Bodhi.  You may notice the characteristic baby features of the dark eyes and the dark area on his upper beak.  His beak will eventually turn a bright candy corn color like Bravo has, his eye will develop a light orange ring as well.  We think he's one handsome little guy.  He has a very sweet and gentle disposition and we can't wait to see how he fits in with the rest of the gang around here.