And hi to all the others that have welcomed me since earlier today. It's amazing how scattered we are all over the place!
For those of you in Illinois, I was actually born and raised in Chicago and left at 18 after high school. This was MANY years ago and have not been back since I was about 20. I was raised in the Rogers Park neighborhood (the last stop on the "el") and could actually walk to Evanston via the beaches or Howard St. If that makes sense to any Chicagoans out there! But now I enjoy the South, the warmth and such. I've lived in South Louisiana about 25 years now (y'all do the math and someone will guess my age!).

I'll start to tell about my animals but may not get to finish today. Most have come from the Denham Springs Animal Shelter (also an Animal Control facility) which is not like any other animal control facility in our local area. It used to be a high kill shelter with a low adoption rate, but with the help of a new more cooperative city govt and many wonderful volunteers it no longer is. Every cat and dog there is special.

Let me get started:
Adrian, the newest, a male tabby with the herpes virus with permanent corneal damage because the virus festered too long in his eyes untreated. He sees pretty darn well but I guess some might say he looks spooky. He is a huge love that loves to be cuddled cradled like a baby. He's about 8 months old. From AC and was a foster we couldn't give up. For any of you with herpes cats l-lysine is a great supplement that helps to reduce flare ups.

Chester, an orange tabby on white is about 10 months old. He was a young kitten at AC that had a severely broken pelvis. I brought him home for the cage rest that the vet recommended but he never healed properly. One leg is cockeyed and he walks weird. He cannot jump higher than the sofa or bed (which can have its upside- he doesn't get on counters unless things are placed strategically enough for him to climb). He has gotten too rambunctious (sp?) and wound up back on cage rest because he overuses the good side of his body to compensate for the bad and wound up not being able to walk for awhile. The vet said that as he gets older and less kitten-crazy he will do less harm to himself. He is also doing a good job of not dragging his bad leg so amputation is not a worry. He's very spunky and independent and loves to chew on noses and chins!

Felicia, a black and white tuxedo cat is my smallest size wise. She's almost 2 years old now and another from AC.
Someone drove up with her in the back of their SUV. Had found her in the street. She also had a broken pelvis. Fortunately she healed better than Chester and only because I know her well I can see that she walks uneven. She will limp occasionally if she gets a little too physical. She's a sweetheart with me and my husband Paul but hates all of the other cats. I have a cat door and mine go in and out as I'm surrounded by trees, woods, a creek and a pond. Felicia spends about all day outdoors but at night she has a bed in the kitchen cabinet that's hidden and small and she loves to tuck herself in there.

Oliver, a gray tabby is difficult to describe. He's at least 4 years old. He was an adult when he was brought to AC. We all first noticed his strange walk. He throws one front leg up with each step he takes. His back legs are very stiff but not atrophied. He cannot walk backwards and cannot jump higher than the sofa or bed. At the time he was brought in I was working at AC part time and it was not the same as it is now so I "snuck" him out and was going to get him adopted on my own. That's when we noticed that he has many "twitches" on one side of his face in particular. He is an unusual eater and kind of bobs his head into his food. This creates a mess sometimes. Oliver appears brain-damaged. Whether this was a birth defect, such as cerebellar hypoplasia or from an injury of some sort I don't know. He also has feline epilepsy. He has seizures about once a month so at this point he is not on phenobarbitol. When seizures occur more than once a month or last longer than 5 minutes then medication is required to stop the pattern. Getting the dosages right can be tough but can be done and kitties with epilepsy can live long happy lives. Oliver has probably the most endearing personality of all my kitties and never meets a stranger. He wears a harness with a leash when we visit the vet as cat carriers make him lose it. Of course I never could give him up and he's been mine since the day I brought him home.

Diana is a gray calico and my oldest at 17 1/2. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure 13 months ago. She is doing well altho she only eats soft catfood and only small amounts at a time. She gets a Depo Medrol injection about once a month which keeps her appetite up. She has a good quality of life and I am grateful for every day I have with her. CRF is a reality for many elderly cats and everyone should learn about it so that the early signs will be recognized and treatment begun early so that these kitties can be comfortable and happy for as long as possible. Diana used to not put up with all these other "brats" but she's become much more tolerant and I've even witnessed her letting Adrian and Chester sleep in the same chair with her. Then other days she just cusses them out!

Roscoe is a huge black & white tuxedo cat that was trapped as a feral and brought to AC. I was volunteering at the time and he was in the kitty condo out at the dog kennels I guess waiting for the vet to put him to sleep. The vet did not come everyday, just when they called him.
I talked to him and the other ferals in the condo. He hissed and spit at me. A few days later when I went back, all the ferals were still there and I talked to him some more and got the same response. This actually went on for a couple of weeks. It is still a mystery to me why those ferals were there as long as they were which was uncommon at the time. Then on one of my visits as I was talking to him he rolled on his side and didn't hiss or spit. I got brave, put my hand in the cage and he let me scratch him and that was it. I went running inside the office to tell the workers. I visited him a long time that day. The next time I went he was inside in a regular cage with all the adoptable cats! Oh my gosh, I actually got to pet him and then picked him up and he just burrowed into me. Well, he had to be mine so I adopted him. He is now an 18 pounder. We try very hard to watch our weight but it's hard because he loves to eat and esp get into Diana's soft food. He is the biggest lug and gets along with every other cat in the household. I have no idea of his age.

Max is another black and white and the first I ever brought home from AC. He was about 5 years old. He was the first one at AC that got "under my skin" as he was always standing at the cage sticking his paws out. It was the end of kitten season and his cage mate got adopted and he was all alone. I guess I couldn't stand for him to be alone. Max is a healthy young man that only likes my husband and I people-wise. He is the sort of cat that comes barging into the house and slams into you with affection.
He gets along with some of the other cats but can be a bully at times.

Samantha is a brown tabby that was born on my sister-in-laws roof. Sam's mom abandoned the litter and my sister-in-law bottlefed the 3 kittens. Sam is 10 years old and I've had her since she was 6 wks old. She is kind of shy but can be a bully with some of the other cats. She also drools when she gets really affectionate. And I mean slobbery drooly yucky.

Griffin is a brown tabby on white. My husband brought him home after he wandered into his building at work and rode the elevator with one of the secretaries. Griffin was about 4 months old at the time. The secrerary called Paul and asked what to do so Paul called me and asked if we wanted another cat. And so Griffin came home with him that evening. He is 6 years old and would have been a semi-feral without intervention. He cannot stand to be petted much and barely tolerates me. I am the "food lady" to him. He'll sleep in bed with us but only if he's not touching us. I can pick him up and carry him around but he'll get angry pretty quick so I never force more attention on him than he can stand. He likes my husband better. He plays like he loves us when he wants a treat but it's all just a game and we all know it. But he's a happy guy and I just let Griffin be Griffin.

And that's my cats. I have 2 fosters at my house with problems but I will update y'all on that soon and I'll even tell you about my dogs. But I've written way more than anyone wants to read I'm sure but I have bragging rights and I took advantage of that this evening! Besides, y'all asked for it!

It's great meeting everyone and I'm glad I found you (with Laura's help of course!).

Val