This is Magic. Another Ginger in the crew!

We think he's the brother of Stella, who John scooped up and brought inside the house earlier this year when it was so cold. She's adjusted well to being an indoor cat.

Whether or not Magic will decide he may have a better life inside is TBD.

This little black & white cat has been showing up recently, and regularly. And fairly hungry when he comes up get his meal!

If only these cats could tell us their stories! This one is not feral, so I'm wondering if someone abandoned the poor boo. Just never know. If he continues to be a regular, since he's pettable, he may get a trip to the vet to see if he has a chip. Maybe he's lost.

This black & white guy has been showing up ... feral or not? Hard to know!

Two of the four cats we moved to OKC when we relocated from L.A.

They are brother & sister.

Alfie still is loving his cat-sized sisal chair!

Three buddies dining.

It's International Cat Day.

Give to a cat organization. Volunteer at a shelter. Adopt a kitty!

This is Emma Girl, aka No. 1 Girl. She is our first cat. She appeared on the side of the building where we lived in Los Angeles, and we eventually wooed her in through the garage. We later found out, via her chip, that she was being fostered nearby before her escape that put her on the path to us -- apparently it was too crowded at her foster home. We learned too that she'd been a teen mom! We eventually officially adopted her, and she made the trip from L.A. to Oklahoma, after she'd been an "L.A. Woman" for some time.

For all the time she's been with us, she remains rather skittish and does not like to be picked up. She's also become very picky on her eating in more recent years, which may be a combination of age and having a thyroid condition. But, she's still No. 1 Girl!

I bought two cat-sized sisal chairs a few months back, and Alfie finally warmed up to one!

This is ! He showed up about six years ago, healed several times after street brawls and has remained an "outdoor cat" -- he maintains his distance from the humans.

In this photo, despite having dry food in front of him, he is waiting for his wet food, a can of Fancy Feast. He'd just been given fresh water. His chin is resting on the step.

Ms Z looking for some petting. She's an extremely affectionate outdoor girl!

Popsicle after watching the Presidential Debate last week.

Two of the outdoor kids, Ms. Z and , enjoying the day!

No matter what he tells you, don't let Popsicle out!

He just wants to hit the bars and cat houses and will be on a bender for a week, or more! And when he returns, he'll likely be in need of vet services!

Callie of Callie's Cathouse takes refuge under the new Boston fern.

Lucy in a cat carrier. She seems to WANT to go to a vet appointment!

Stella in the "shared space" this afternoon and sleeping comfortably. A good sign!

That said, she's having trouble adjusting to the boys! She's being very aggressive going after them for no reason!

We're definitely enamored with the new kitty. She's such a sweet girl.

Time to clean up the pots and plant!

On December 12, 2023, at approximately 9 pm, Count Catula (The Count) crossed over The Rainbow Bridge. As usual, he had one white sock up and another sock slightly down. Just as he was crossing the bridge, The Count let out one last meow as if to tell me, as I was rushing him to the emergency hospital, “See you on the other side!”

The Count’s last day started with him eating one of his favorite foods. Shortly afterwards, he threw up. All cats throw up occasionally, but that was unusual for The Count. He also had hiccups later, but he had those before. The day progressed pretty much uneventfully.

Around 2 pm, he came over wanting his daily brush and pet job which had become a routine over the last six months. I’m happy to say, The Count had an extended brushing and petting session that afternoon. During the session, Count moved close to my face, which was unusual, but we were bonding. Count got some belly scratching; he would dance away and then come back.

Count did his usual recent habit of rubbing his drool onto my shirt sleeve as he got brushed. After an extended petting session for over 30 minutes, I had to stop and take care of other matters. A while later, Count let out several mournful meows. Not speaking cat language, I did not think much of it, because Count would let out strange meows after waking up as if the transition of dreaming to waking startled him. In retrospect, I now think that some painful event leading to Count’s death started then. Maybe it was a heart attack or a brain aneurysm.

I had to run a few errands and when I returned home, Count was not at the door as usual. After some looking, I found Count behind a suitcase. He came out and went into the kitchen and rested on his side on the floor. I was concerned and checked Count’s breathing. It appeared to be regular. He was not panting and didn’t seem to be straining for air.

I headed out to meet Maria for dinner, and when I returned home, I was only greeted at the door by Popsicle, which is unusual. Popsicle seemed to be very irritated, almost as if saying, “Come quickly; something terrible has happened!”

After looking about and calling Count’s name, I could not find Count. Finally, calling Count’s name one more time I heard Count’s meow, as if he were saying, “I am back here!”

I went into a back room and found Count in a closet. He was acting very strangely, and I wondered if something neurological had happened to him. I lifted Count out of the closet and put him on the ground. He proceeded to go to my office, but was not walking well and laid down on his side under a coffee table.

By then, I knew there must be something terribly wrong with the boy. I prepared Count’s cat crate, picked him up and put him into it with one quick petting. He was very lethargic.

I quickly loaded him into the back of the Tahoe and started a mad dash to the veterinarian emergency hospital, talking to Count all the way. When I heard Count’s last meow, I knew he had crossed the bridge, but continued to the emergency hospital.

Once there, the veterinarian told me that Count had been dead for a few minutes and that there was nothing that could be done. I returned home with Count’s body.

Things which made The Count special:

The Count hummed. Despite much research, we have found no mention of cats humming, so this appears to be unique to Count. He would walk around with a mild regular hum, but when he found something in which he was interested, the humming would pick up in volume and intensity. This was especially true when he found food or water he was looking for. The house seems quiet without The Count’s humming.

During the last six months or so, Count would lay or sit at my feet much of the day. I was the only human who Count would allow to get near him or touch him. When I would ask him if he were hungry, he would look at me, open his mouth and make a silent meow, as if to say, “Oh that would be so wonderful!”

In the last few months of his life, The Count found out what brushing and petting was all about, and he wanted to be brushed and petted once or twice a day, or more. Many times, as I petted him, he would stand up on his back legs and bump the top of his head against my raised hand.

Count was smarter than the average cat. Tiring of being outside in the Oklahoma cold after two winters, one day in November, Count, who had never been inside before, ran into the house and proceeded to make a home underneath a chair. He made his residence there much of the next three winter months, except when he was eating or sleeping. Then he would move underneath a coffee table. He rarely went out over the next four years. If he did go out, he wanted back in after an hour or so.

Most cats when eating from a paper plate will push the plate across the floor, but not Count. He figured out how to stop that sliding early on and would step on the plate to keep it from moving.

The Count was battling illness most of his life. With some cats, that would make them mean, But Count just wanted to belong with his brothers. When I opened the front door, he would usually be right there with Popsicle and Alfie. Many nights he would sleep on the end of the bed with his brothers or in the doorway to the bedroom. He just wanted to belong.

His brother and womb mate, Popsicle, seems unusually subdued since The Count departed. Unlike previously, Alfie and the Count rarely quarrel.

The Count was cremated, and his ashes are in a box next to his father’s box of ashes. It was a sad and quiet Christmas without The Count!

We will miss you buddy! See you on the other side of The Rainbow Bridge.

 – John

Stella was up & at 'em the day after her spaying (last Satuday). Full of energy. Per vet direction, she is separated from the other cats and in a small space (she has her own bedroom). But, she wasn't happy about being separated, so she's had some supervised time with the boys every day.

She's scheduled to have her stitches out Saturday. Here's a partial view of her "bikini cut" and with one of the boys, Popsicle.

Stella has a vet appointment Friday to be spayed!

She's an extremely sweet kitten!

Stella is a new ginger arrival!

She and another kitten (neither a baby cat nor fully grown) have shown up a few times over recent weeks. The other kitten is also a ginger, with magical symbols in its fur. A few nights ago, I came home and heard an urgent meowing. It was only about 10 degrees outside, and any animal should be hunkered down in shelter with such weather!

I started looking for where the meowing was coming from and found her. I assumed “she” was a “he,” because 90 percent of ginger cats are male – more on this later. The neighborhood has a lot of gingers. I saw another long-haired ginger a couple of weeks ago. Unusual for a feral feline, she allowed me to pick her up, and I dropped her into the warmth of the house.

Of course, the boys, Popsicle and Alfie, were in a little shock that a new kitten had just been dropped in with them, and there was much sniffing to figure out exactly what this new creature was. Stella did not like being sniffed, and there was hissing. Things finally settled down around midnight, with Stella isolated in her own room, with a cat box, food and water. Popsicle and Alfie continue to be interested, and Popsicle has two scratches on his nose now, the price of his high level of interest. Alfie seems just curious and is content to sit back and watch.

Stella has remained isolated. This is to give her time to become familiar and comfortable with her new surroundings and also to ensure she does not have any disease which can be transferred to the two boys. The day after she was brought into the house, with some checking, it was determined that the new kitten was female, and she was named Stella.

She is quite the hungry girl and has gobbled down three cans of cat food a day these first few days. She also has been eating dry food and treats. She makes funny gobbling noises when she eats.

I have checked various lost and found sites, and she is not listed. I am not surprised by that since she has been running around for a couple of weeks, as well as being out on such a bitterly cold night. Surprisingly though, she is very domesticated and seems to really enjoy being petted. One thing I have learned is that feral cats cover a range of wildness when they are young, and some are domesticated when born. Stella has shown no interest in wanting to go back outside. In fact, Stella is already more domesticated than Ms. Z, who has been here since she was a few weeks old and is now six years old. But Z girl prefers to remain outside.

Alfie is a smart boy and has his way of opening doors. Once or twice a day, he will get the door open to Stella’s room and go in and check out the new creature.

The plan is to get Stella into the vet soon, have her scanned for a chip, chip her if she isn’t chipped and have the vet do a health check which will include blood work for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Once this is complete, she’ll return to the vet at a later date to be spayed (hopefully she is not already pregnant!).

In other news, all the outdoor cats appear to have weathered the bitter cold we’ve experienced this week in Oklahoma City. There are several double-insulated homes lined with straw, including three homes in the garage, to stay warm. There is another cat house with an electric heating pad. The winter weather induces a lot of concern and fretting over the outdoor animals!

– John

The photo is the tail and back-end of outdoor cat, Noir, half-way in & half-way out of the garage.

He thinks he's hiding! 

Noir is a new and old member of the outdoor cat clan. About 18 months ago, he showed up across the street, watching the house. I would leave food out for him and see him around the house at times. Then about seven months ago, he disappeared. Then shortly before Christmas, he was back!

You might wonder how I can tell one black cat from another. Well, both the "first" Noir and the "reappeared" Noir have a small white chest spot. And both have a particular run, as something is wrong with one of Noir's back legs. Don’t worry though. When Noir runs, he is PDQ! So, the old Noir and the new Noir are one and the same!

– John 

This guy showed up on our front porch November 2021 and stayed for a solid six weeks, but was reluctant to come inside. I started calling him Lyon II, as he looked like our DeLyon. Then I started calling him Saddlebags, as he looked like he had saddlebags swinging on his sides as he walked down the sidewalk.

It was particularly cold and windy that year, and we got him a double-insulated cat condo (https://bit.ly/3TIv0Hd), which he used. I think he must have been someone's cat and was looking for a new home ... if only these cats could share their stories! Did his owner die? Did his owner abandon him? What happened?!!!

I listed Saddlebags on several animal websites to see if an owner would come forward (no) and got him to the vet to see if he were chipped (no). The vet checked him out, and Fritzy got his shots and a chip. He also had some hacking/coughing issues, which were revealed when he finally came inside and hang out a bit. He got a shot from the vet, which seemed to help some.

Unfortunately, our cats never seemed to warm up to him, and I think he felt unwelcome. But, happily, he gravitated to a neighbor's home a few doors away, and she adopted him. She moved to a house this past summer, and Fritzy has his own room, a catio, the company of two dogs and a yard to hang out in. He's living the Life of Riley!

Quite the happy ending for Fritzy the Cat!

Cat lovers, friends, colleagues and family:

Great news for Callie’s Cathouse came on #GivingTuesday when #GiveSendGo contributed $1,000 to the fundraiser. So grateful!

It would be great to match their contribution by the New Year!

Can you help?

200 people making a $5 contribution will make the match!. Or, 100 people each contributing $10. Of course, any larger amount is most welcome too!

THANK YOU!

Two of the ferals enjoying a meal al fresco.

Here's a picture of one of the outdoor cats, Ms. Z, or Z Girl. She got a new collar today. We'll see how long she manages to keep it on!

Here's a pic of The Count, who had most of his teeth removed this summer. He continues to have drooling problems. :(

John picked up a transdermal prednisone today for him. Hopefully that helps.

Otherwise, he's a good eater, is more engaged and now looks forward to daily pettting and brushing sessions.

His front paws are so cute. Looks like he has one white sock pulled up and one that's not!

One of the winter condos is out with fresh straw for the outdoor cats.

John is "building" a double-insulated winter condo for one of the outdoor cats. The straw-lined condo is going to be located in the garage. Here's a picture of one of the indoor cats, Popsicle, checking out the new accommodations.

Happy Halloween from pumpkin-loving cats!

One of the outdoor feral cats. He'd run if you even looked at him. But he's warmed up a bit. He won't run away now if I look at him, and he seems to be "surveying the situation" to understand the "lay of the land." He looks super healthy, so I suspect this is not the only restaurant at which he dines!

The Count continues to have "issues" ... lots of breathing sounds indicating something isn't right -- consistent snorting/snoring and some drooling. Count also started having bad breath.

John thought the drooling might be coming from inflammation in the back of his throat, with the drool providing a place for bacteria to grow.

John took the Count back to our Midwest City vet today, not the Tulsa vet who did Count's teeth removal. John has been reluctant to get Count in for a dental exam, because that requires anesthesia. With the breathing issues, there's concern of the risk of "putting him under."

While Count was hissing at the vet's office, it provided somewhat of a view into his mouth. So, the vet did get a bit of a look-see and said Count's mouth looked pretty good, but he could see blood in his mouth. John said it was a  fight between the vet and the Count, and the office Cat Whisperer had to hold Count for the vet to give him his shots. The vet was in agreement re: anesthesia concerns, so Count received an antibiotic and prednisone injection. We'll see how Count does with those -- hopefully improvement, and we'll go from there!

Introducing You to Callie of Callie’s Cathouse & Our Other Cats

Our cats (our pets), now refugees from Los Angeles – we call them the California refugees – are:

Emma, No. 1 girl. She is a black & white tuxedo. After caring for a feral momma cat who dropped two litters before Maria could get her trapped and spayed and kittens adopted, Emma arrived a few years later. Thus, she is No. 1 girl. We thought she was one of the kittens from feral momma returned all grown up. But, once we got her to the vet who checked her chip, we learned that she was a cat being fostered nearby (she’d escaped!). We officially adopted her, and she was our only cat for a few years.

A senior girl now, Emma has a thyroid condition, and it’s a daily challenge getting her pills in her! Another challenge is food. While she wants food, it takes four or five different kinds to figure out what she will actually eat at any given meal. And what she’ll eat is ever-changing!

Callie Kitten. Maria was headed to the laundry room about 10:30pm at the back of the nine-unit complex where we lived in L.A. when she thought she heard meowing. But no cat was to be seen. Since it was Halloween, Maria thought maybe it was a sound machine someone had out for spooky sounds of the season. But, being uncertain, she kept looking and realized the meowing was coming from under the hood of the next-door neighbor’s car.

After asking the neighbor to come out and open the hood of his car, the kitten was found, but getting her out was no easy task! Once we got her out, the poor thing was filthy! Maria found out later that earlier in the day the kitten had been in the grocery store parking lot next door in a similar predicament, involving a fire department failed rescue. If she fled from the parking lot directly to the engine of our neighbor’s car, who knows? And what happened to her Momma? How did they get separated? If only the cats could tell us their backstories!

Callie – the obvious name for a calico cat – got cleaned up and checked out at the vet the next day, and the rest is history! In her younger years, she liked to cuddle with Emma, who tolerated the cuddling for short periods. Nowadays, she likes to crawl under the bed covers and settle in an arm cradle. She’s our sweet Callieco! And she’s the eponymous Callie of Callie’s Cathouse, of course!

Lucy & DeLyon (sister & brother). Mary Catalano, the cat lady, who would hold adoptions on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif., was looking for foster parents, and we fostered Lucy & DeLyon. Maria worked not to get attached, but John got attached, keeping Lucy close after she’d been spayed and was having a difficult night. Maria dutifully took the kittens to “show” on Montana on Sundays, and then they were adopted by a former Olympian. When John heard this, he told Maria, “Go get those cats.” Mary, not too happily, did retrieve the kids from the Olympian, and we adopted the gingers – Lucy is short haired, and Lyon is a long hair. Sometimes we joke that the Olympian wouldn’t have put up with Lucy, because she got heavy!

Photo is of Callie & Delyon, March 14, 2014. Since the post section only allows one photo per post, I'll share pictures of Emma and Lucy on the companion Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CalliesCathouse

Feline stomatitis causes chronic inflammation which affects the soft tissue of the mouth.

Here are pictures of The Count's severely inflamed mouth before having most of his teeth removed as a solution to the disease. Seriously inflamed!!! Poor boy.

We'll see what the next vet visit shows! Just hesitant to put Count Catula under anesthesia again.

It's been a few weeks since The Count traveled to Tulsa for his visit with the dental vet where he had all of his teeth removed, except for in the front of his mouth. He's on the mend! Still eating very well. But still some snorting noises, maybe indicating he's still having drainage. Hoping that clears up. Here's a picture of the boy deep in a snooze earlier today.

Great news! The wayward cat Popsicle reappeared early Sunday morning!

Here's a pic of him from this evening.

Thanks for your supportive & encouraging words!

Here's John's recap of what happened early Sunday a.m.:

Woke up hearing some caterwauling about 4:00 a.m. Whitey, a semi-feral cat who spends a large amount of his time protecting the front porch, many times has caterwauled if a cat who is not part of the usual suspects comes up to the house.

I do not want Whitey to get into a fight, because I just got him healed from a bad neck bite so I got up. I was also hoping it might be Popsicle.

Opened the door and it was Whitey wailing, with Popsicle on a front porch chair laying there like "What is your problem?" I opened the door and said, "Get in here."

Popsicle hopped off of the chair and strutted in. Ate two cans of food and then some dry food. Headed off to his sleeping fort in a spare bedroom and has been sleeping there since.

Let's hope for no new crises this week!

As one crisis subsides, another seems to always arise!

Popsicle got out 13 days ago and has not been seen by us since. This is the second longest time period that he's been gone; the longest was three weeks.

We're still hoping for the best. We expect to see him come trotting down the street, meowing all the way, with a tremendous appetite. He'll eat and then promptly plop down to sleep.

We've posted signs and shared information with various "lost pets" sites, as well as checked to see if he were in "jail" -- with animal control. He is microchipped.

This cat needs a prayer. We're not sure how many of his Nine Lives he's used! Thank you!

Great news on Count Catula a/k/a The Count!

Quiet all the way, Count made the trip to Tulsa, Okla., to see the veterinary dentist. The Count’s mouth was a real mess with, in some cases, only the roots remaining of reabsorbed teeth, and in other cases he had holes straight through his teeth where the teeth were in the initial stages of being reabsorbed. The vet recommended removal of most of his teeth (20 out of 30 total teeth), but Count was able to keep his front teeth since there was no inflammation in the front of his mouth. Yeah!

All went well with the surgery. And since, he’s been a new cat! The Count really has been enjoying eating – a lot! He’s a big fan of rotisserie chicken. It’s like he’s a newborn – wants feeding every few hours including in the middle of the night. But we expect that to slow down. And he’s out of his routine of taking cover in his two preferred locations – under a chair and a coffee table. Count is now exploring all sorts of places he’s never hung out before since he is no longer in constant pain!

Count, unfortunately, still is experiencing what presumably is drool in the back of his mouth which drains into his throat since the back of his mouth was where the worst inflammation was. He continues to make wheezing sounds from the drool. Hopefully as time goes by the inflammation will totally disappear and along with it the drool and snorting.

But overall, great news on The Count! Based on the first days post-surgery, it seems like he will have a faster road to recovery than Alfie did when he had all of his teeth removed. Alfie required approximately nine months of extended medical management until his stomatits disappeared and he was able to eat without pain. Fingers crossed!

Dental cost totaled $2,600.

Special people may enter our lives for just a brief time and impact us for a lifetime. I met V.C. Bestor on a trip to Oregon, and we talked about our shared interest in protecting wildlife – I was working on a commentary about mountain lions while I was there. Veronica was keen on supporting women working to protect wildlife through her own work (Fanged Wilds and Women) and through groups such as The Black Mambas. We had a great time talking and visiting the Oregon coast with mutual friends, and I had my first acupuncture treatment, courtesy of Veronica. On my last day in Corvallis, she was very sweet to bike into town to say goodbye.

We continued talking, albeit remotely, and I continued to learn what a remarkable and interesting life she had lived. In addition to her work to support women & wildlife and her work in acupuncture, she was an engaging thinker & writer, author of the book, “Pax of Wildly Women,” and a world traveler, with a number of magical and mystical experiences. More recently, she was reading voraciously and fighting the good fight against the insanity that’s descended upon the land, as she also battled for her health. Veronica came to Christianity in recent years, which I think provided comfort in the fight for her life. She made a trip to Florida, seeking restorative benefits, and we talked of being able to meet in South Dakota at some point in the future – prairie dogs and open space to see! That trip will now have to be in the next life.

Last year, upon returning from Kansas City where I’d been helping my sister who also was battling for her health, I had a surprise letter and check from Veronica – a vote of confidence in me to continue writing about wildlife and women's work on their behalf. Veronica’s kindness, sweetness and generosity are a reminder of why we’re here: to help each other and take care of all living things.

Thank you, Veronica. RIP. May your memory be eternal.

+++++

Thank you to Joe Guzzardi for putting forth the idea of doing a fundraiser for the cats. Who knows? This may grow into a full-fledged cat sanctuary in time, thanks to your idea! Fingers crossed this goes well!

+++++

Special thanks to my friend and colleague, who prefers to remain anonymous, for her support and encouragement of Callie’s Cathouse, wildlife projects “in process” and dealing with the challenges of life.

Maria