Emma and Annie have arrived!

[Freedom]

Well done, everyone!

You likely know this, but don't feed them 'just' dry kibble - I did that for about 14 years as that was what the vet told me. I have since learned cats need soft / moist food as they don't usually drink much water. By nature, they get all the fluid they need from their 'prey,' so they aren't drinkers like dogs are. The lack of fluid helps to develop thryoid and kidney issues. I learned this the hard way, 4 of my cats have gone that route.

Ginger girls are rare and hence special!

[snakemama]

I did leave some Fancy Feast out for them too - I don't go in until this evening and I have asked my employees to leave them be completely for the first day so that only one stranger is putting hands in their condo until they've had a little time to rest and recuperate and get used to me. Hopefully the Fancy Feast will be gone, and maybe a bite or two of kibble too.

[Randi]

Oh, it's wonderful to hear Annie and Emma have arrived safely. They do look like they need some peace and quiet to wind down. So many new things happening in their lives and they sure miss Gini... like we all do, but I'm sure Gini is dancing a happy dance up there. Thank you so much to all of you who have helped.

I'll send you a PM about a contribution.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

I am so happy they are safe and resting up now. Myself, I'd much rather see a fat cat than one that was skin and bones. Hopefully, when they get settled and have lots of room to play and the correct food, they will slim down. I'm sure our Gini is smiling down on all who helped them!!!

[Litterati]

Wonderful news!!! Terrific to see how obstacles can be overcome when caring and concerned people are willing to make a turnaround happen. Kudos to all who helped make this miracle happen for these kitties and in honour of Gini, whom I did not know but was clearly a lovely lady with equally lovely friends.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that they arrived safely. I hope that their vet exams and tests go well and they calm down quickly. I've learned that if you have an overweight cat that you should feed it less dry and more canned food because canned food has much less carbs in it than canned. You don't want them to lose weight too quickly though or they can get fatty liver disease. When my Ziggy was getting overweight my vet told me to feed her only 1/4 of a cup of dry food a day and feed her a lot of canned. This really worked for her. I now feed mine Merricks Healthy Weight dry food which is grain free to everyone except Alani who is on a special urinary diet. Good luck.

[NoahsMommy]

Cathy and I have been texting so I can get updates on how A and E are settling in. Cathy is brushing Annie and rubbing her ears - which Annie is enjoying greatly. Gini's brothers told me they could tell Annie especially missed her daily 'cuddles and love sessions' when Gini got sicker and passed away. So I know Annie is in heaven with Cathy's attention. (((Cathy))) Thank you so much for doing all this.

[snakemama]

I had a looooooong chat with the vet today and we opted to bump our appointment up to tomorrow, most likely so that she can tell me I'm overreacting and that I need to calm down too!

I *think* someone was picking at the canned food today, and all of the Temptations treats I put out early in the evening vanished, so I put some more out before I went home for the evening.

I also got a real purr out of Annie. My employees moved them to the break room this afternoon because it was busier than usual in the store. Once we closed, I opened one of the condo doors and sat down and chatted/sang to them and spent some time petting each of them. Emma doesn't care much for petting, so I mostly talked/sang to her. Annie really enjoyed her ear rubs though! She purred contentedly for quite awhile, until my behind got cold and i had to get up! They spent the afternoon in the bed together, but when I went to take pictures Annie had decided to curl up in the litterbox for awhile. (?? at least it was clean!)


Emma in the bed. She's pretty interested in watching what's going on, even if she's not ready for petting yet.


Annie in the litterbox, right after our petting session.

I'm hoping they are able to relax soon and can come back up front, I think they'll get a kick out of being able to watch the budgies in their cage!

I wrestled with myself about the carriers today, and finally decided to spring for two big, sturdy carriers that open from the top so it'll be easier to get them in and out to the vet/etc. The carriers came to $93.94, so subtracting that, and adding the second check that's on the way from Mike, we're up to $1383.72. What an astonishing group of people we have here.

I feel the weight of responsibility for these two much more than with any other fosters I've ever had. Knowing how many people are rooting for these two and relying on me to do what's best for them is both very comforting and a little scary.

I also felt, tonight...like someone was watching us and sending warm, happy vibes while I was petting Annie. I don't know for sure, but maybe Gini sent me a smile.

[mrspunkysmom]

Wonderful news for Annie and Emma! You are doing a great job!

Pardon me for having to ask, but what type of store do you own?

[moosmom]

THANK YOU Snakemama! Those girls are in wonderful hands!

[snakemama]

Wonderful news for Annie and Emma! You are doing a great job!

Pardon me for having to ask, but what type of store do you own?

I'll write up a more detailed reply in half an hour or so, but I had a moment so I thought I'd pop in and say I manage a pet feed store. We don't carry any animals, but we have two budgies who live in the store, and Annie likes to listen to their chirpy noises.

It's a REALLY quiet store for the most part, and both myself and my employees have been diligent about wheeling the kitty condo into the back any time there are noisy crowds....which generally is just for 90 minutes once a week when we have a low cost vaccine clinic come through, but occasionally a big family comes in and I don't think A&E would appreciate noisy kiddos.

[AdoreMyDogs]

I have not been on PT lately, but I've been praying up a storm for those two girls to get a second chance at life. I'm so, so happy! Thank you for the amazing news, thank you for all you did for them Even though I don't come to PT much these days, I still feel like part of the "family". I'm proud of everyone involved that helped these precious kitties. How horrible it would have been to not only lose Gini, but also her furbabies. I will go to sleep easier tonight knowing they will be safe, loved, and will have a happy life

[snakemama]

Thank you again to everyone for your continued support and kind words! They mean a lot to me.

The vet visit went REALLY WELL! I've been searching for a new vet(The vet I had been using hired a new doctor...who had been fired from her last clinic for verbally abusing my sister in law....small world huh?), and one hospital kept popping up in my searches as being great with cats. Then, completely unrelated, my aunt mentioned the same hospital and how much she LOVED them. Well, I can see why! If anyone is curious their website is http://pinnaclevets.com/

Dr. St. Germaine was amazing, and SHE GOT BOTH GIRLS TO EAT! It was just a few cookies, but it was more than I've gotten them to eat! She set them up on the table on a towel and just chatted to them and stroked their ears, and they both ate half a dozen or so greenies. She suggested some changes to the condo to make the girls feel safer, and then got me a bottle of Feliway, which I am to use generously until they're feeling better. Tomorrow I'll be returning the bag of kibble, adding more types of wet food, and heating it a teeny bit to make it more appetizing. If they aren't into the wet food tomorrow afternoon, they get a can of tuna! I also added a cardboard box for hiding (Going to look for a bigger one tomorrow, recycle-bin diving in the dark is not something I'm very good at...) which Emma likes.

I'm going to have to set up a playpen or fence off part of the store for Annie tomorrow too, because she is BORED! She wants to explore, and she did get an hour or so to wander around tonight, but she was disgruntled that I kept nudging her away from spots where a kitty would be hard to get to. Hehehe. When I finally decided to put her back in the condo and head home, her tail was giving irritated twitches and she kept trying to walk back out as I was closing the door! I'm hoping the fact that she's so animated now means she'll be hungry soon.

Both girls look to be in pretty good health for their size, aside from some yucky teeth (another reason to ditch the kibbles!). I should hear back about the bloodwork tomorrow.


Here is Emma looking relaxed before her exam. As long as Annie is in her line of sight, she's pretty content.


I think they both liked their carriers....here is Annie asking for tummy rubs in the exam room!


Keeping an eye on each other!

I didn't know, but apparently this vet hospital does a free first exam on new rescues, so all I paid for was the bloodwork and the feliway. It was $326.50, so they still have $1057.22. (I'm using this thread to keep track largely for myself, because I lose pieces of paper!)

[cassiesmom]

They're beautiful! Dear beautiful Emma and Annie, I am so glad you each munched on a few greenies! Annie, I am glad you got tummy rubs and Emma, you look pretty good to me in the picture where you have Annie in your view. Please try to eat your wet food, please pretty please. I am sending more positive (paw-sitive!) thoughts and good wishes for you two!

[mbsmum]

Emma und Annie look great. I did not Gini, she must have been a great person. Thank you.