We have a winner for the name of the Doll God doll! She is to be called MaryGold, named by the mysterious John Janssens. So apropos, considering she was cavorting with marigolds in the photo. Second place is Violet, suggested by the charming Seyi Sandra, who writes the lovely blog Seyi Sandra David: A Writer with a Difference. Third place The other second place is Flavia, a name Mareymercy mentioned. She was so surprised to see the name do so well. She takes some amazing photographs she shares on her blog.
Taking the advice of a blogger who wrote about Goodreads, I have set up a Book Giveaway which begins today and ends on Monday. Of course, as with any new (to me) site, I’m a little unclear as to exactly when today and exactly when Monday. To be on the safe side, I would recommend entering the contest by Sunday! Let me know if you enter and how the experience was for you. And good luck to you!
ENTER TO WIN A FREE BOOK
On another note (and hence the blog title), Monday afternoon hubby and I visited a local no kill animal shelter to deliver the diabetic food and insulin we didn’t use for our oldest cat Mac. With the help of our vet, we went a different path for Mac because of his many medical issues. We are treating him with a different diet instead of insulin. I found a shelter that has a cat named Randy who is diabetic and can use the hundreds of dollars of food and insulin I bought and didn’t use!
By bringing hubby I had a method to my madness. He’s in semi-retirement, which means he still works a lot at home, but doesn’t get out much. He’s also “down” about how business (something he loves and is very talented at) has changed for the worse in so many ways. But he loves cats. When we got inside the shelter, I said, “Do you have a social room for cats here?”
“Sure, it’s right this way. I’ll show you!” She was very eager. Of course, she was. But so was I.
Many of their cats were off at places like PetSmart, looking cute and hopeful, no doubt, from within their glass cubicles. But there were a few left behind. We were greeted at the door by the impressive and friendly tabby known as The Mayor–named for his way of greeting everyone! The room was decorated like a nursery school playroom with fun equipment and toys. A tiny orange kitten sat alone in a big cage, blinking at me and hoping I would take him home (sorry, I can’t add to my cats right now, little buddy). They had a few long shelves with clean towels and blankets and a black and white cat slept behind some of the blankets. We peeked in to see her. She stretched at us. Another cat slept on a cat tree, too exhausted to visit with people who only stopped in for a second.
As we walked to the door, I said, “Do you need volunteers to hang with the cats?”
Yes, they do need those humans. The cats need to be socialized–to hear human voices, smell human smells, and feel human touch. What better people to do that than us? I am dragging hubby (reluctant, but not opposed) to the volunteer orientation in February. Stay tuned.
This is the man who, when we found our first cat, said, “I don’t do cats. Just dogs.” Hahahahaha. Famous last words.
On a related note:
Have you heard about cat cafes? They might have started in Japan, where apartments for young singles typically do not allow pets. People can go to the cat cafe, have a beverage, and play with cats! There seem to be some in the U.S., too, and you can adopt a cat from there, after making sure the two of you are a good match.
Plenty of apartments in Phoenix allow cats, so I doubt one could make a business out of a cat cafe here. But one could certainly make a charity out of it, right? Of course, that sounds like a LOT of work, so I think volunteering at the shelter once or twice a week would be something we could handle right now.
Good luck with your book–and the cats. 🙂 Both of our cats are rescues from the local shelter that my younger daughter saw at Petsmart. She also volunteered there for a while. They called one of our cats “devil cat” because he growled at them all the time, but he is now so sweet. He just needed a home.
Oh, I’m so glad they are rescues! It’s so rewarding to be able to offer a home to cats in need! Your experience with a sweetheart rudely called devil cat mirrors some of our experiences, Merril. My sweet Pear is such a darling but she was horrible when we first had her. In fact, I’d found two cats and kept her because she was so ornery nobody else wanted her. But I’ve had her 14.5 years and she’s never put her teeth on a soul for any reason whatsoever. And she always lies next to whoever doesn’t feel well: human, cat, dog.
Wow, is that the social room?! I’d love to have a room like that in my house 🙂 We have 3 cats, all of which are strays. In fact, out of the ten cats we’ve cavorted with since moving to our house, only one came to us as a kitten. My husband has always preferred cats to dogs, but there was a time when he didn’t believe he’d ever share a bed with them. Now he sometimes “shares” with three 🙂 Anyway, congrats on finding a name for the doll and for being so ingenious in finding volunteer work for your hubby, and best of luck with the giveaway!
Marie, the photo is of a Japanese cat cafe. Yes, that would be a super nice cat room! The room at the shelter is not that large, but it’s a decent sized room with “playground equipment” all around. Hahaha, re your husband. That is so familiar! Thank you for all your good wishes. They are so much appreciated!
I love the name MaryGold. Maybe Aurora could be her middle name? xo
Rudri, I will consider that idea because MaryGold Violet sounds sort of redundant lOL. But then maybe I should do MaryGold Flavia. I’ll ask my daughter what she thinks. She really likes MaryGold.
I tried to volunteer at our local shelter and was turned down. The trips was so traumatic I adopted a one-eyed cat that I feared no one else would chose. Turns out she is as theatrical as I am. She can invoke sympathy one minute and turns the house upside down the next. Blog about the success with your alternative therapy for Mac. My Jake has been diabetic for 6 or 7 years now. We tried diet changes but need to use insulin or he gets neuropathy in his legs (can’t walk right). He doesn’t take much insulin but he still needs his shots. I’m not sure what you are trying but I am always all ears. You can never learn too much about cats!
What?! Why were you turned down? That’s awful. I know a lot of charities make you jump through hoops to volunteer for. But this one seems very loose about that. Just the orientation. Your theatrical cat sounds absolutely adorable. I understand about choosing the one you think no one else will choose. That’s what I did with my Pear. All of my cats have been strays, so I didn’t have a lot of choice, but that time I did as there were two in my yard, and I could find a home for the other but she was so snarly at the time . . . . Yes, I understand about your Jake. I might blog about it, but then Mac’s health issues are a specific constellation of problems and the info might not be that useful to you. The only thing I know for certain is that by only allowing the cat to eat foods which are very high in protein and very very low in carbs you can drastically lower blood sugar. There are 2 things to watch out for: a cat that is on insulin could have a very very serious consequence to do this diet without the guidance of a vet (because the blood sugar comes down so much) and by going so high on protein it can be dangerous for kidneys if there are kidney problems!
We tried a high protein, low carb diet and it didn’t work for him. We had a hard first year when he was first diagnosed because he didn’t respond to cat insulins. We ended up with Lantus (a people insulin). I use a glucometer on him once a week and his blood sugar has been steady ever since. The only time it fluctuates is when he gets sick, has an infection or is on meds. Steroids make his blood sugar soar. Fortunately he isn’t on anything routinely. Thanks for the info and good luck.
Good luck with Jake, too. It’s so difficult..
That’s a good name. Bright and cheerful…but mysterious. I can’t have indoor cats d/t allergies. My outdoor cat, Boozer, came with the house 🙂
Yes, it’s obviously a popular name, too!!! Aw, that’s such a bummer not to be able to have cats! Does Boozer (I hope that name isn’t for an actual reason) have an outdoor shelter of some kind?
Boozer was named by the previous home owner…and my husband is a recovering alcoholic. HA! Boozer has a warm kitty house, yes 🙂
Ah, so glad about the warm kitty house! Yikes re the name, but it’s kind of cute.
It’s never really cold enough to worry about pets here. 😉
MaryGold…I love it, Luanne! I can’t wait to hear more about the new volunteering adventure. I think it will be great for your husband and you too.
We will see what happens! Orientation is a few weeks off, but I am looking forward to it!
I love the name MaryGold…and I Love that you and hubby are going to volunteer with the cats!! Splendid…glorious..for all concerned!! Leave it to you, Luanne, to do the “write” thing…heh, heh…
Haha, I love that “write thing” bit. I can’t wait to see The Mayor again ;)! Thanks for your support, Sheila!
I am so glad MaryGold won, it is a nice name and she does have golden hair. I also was happy to read about your adventures at the animal shelter. The Mayor cat sounds like a very social one, too bad he cannot find a home to keep him in so he can feel like a “King.” I feel for the pitiful orange kitty, hope it will be loved until it finds a home. It must be lonely for his Mommy and siblings… I used to take my youngest daughter to the humane society to volunteer to walk the dogs and pet the animals. She felt very useful and satisfied being without any pets except gerbils and guinea pigs. Of course, one day in the winter of 1999, she convinced her stepdad and me to rescue a Labrador retriever/German shepherd mix. Toby was almost 14 years old when he died, a companion for my ex-husband. I am so glad you are volunteering and taking your hubby, too! smiles!
People seem to love that name, so I am glad she has a name that suits her. I can’t wait to see the Mayor again, and I hope little kitty will have a home by then. Aw, Toby is a great name–that was the name of my first kitty when I was a kid! Thanks, Robin, for your wonderful comments.
Ahh…I see I am too late to vote as per my message on FB and laptop issues, darn 🙁 But a worthy winner with MaryGold, what a beautiful name! And that sounds like a great idea for hubby 🙂 My daughter told me about cat cafes in Japan a while ago and they have a few here now too, mostly in the London area. Your story reminds me of the time when I took my daughter to the kitten room of a cat shelter when we lived in CA. I really didn’t want to get another kitten at that time, we had a cat and dogs and other things besides. But she always loves to remind me: “Oh Mom, remember when you were going on and on about not getting another cat and how you didn’t think you could cope with one and then as soon as you walked in you said, “oh how cute!”. Yes, I’m a sucker but then I had been promising her her very own kitten since she was 4 so it was time don’t you think? xoxo
Sherri, laughing at this story. Of COURSE, you said, “oh how cute!” Hahaha. That is the problem with volunteering at a shelter! The only reason I can steel my heart against taking another right now is that all 4 of my cats are elderly/seniors, and my oldest Mac is really declining. He has so many health problems, and I am taking care of him as if he is an invalid. He’s not ready to say goodbye, but he is definitely getting closer. I can’t handle a new cat or kitty and give him the attention he deserves. Thanks for your lovely story, Sherri. xo
Ahh…well, I’m glad you enjoyed that little story Luanne, I knew you would 🙂 Yes, you have your hands more than full with your kitties, no way could you cope with another one right now. I was freaking out at the thought when we got Maisy and we only had one other cat at the time, pudgy old Willow, now gone sadly. Ahh…I was wondering how your darling Mac is doing. So sorry to hear this…but what a wonderful Mummy you are to him and I’m so glad you have this time with him. Sending you loads of hugs… xoxo
Good for you Luanne with the volunteering and those cat cafes are an interesting idea, just shows how we need that contact with animals even if we can’t live with one for whatever reason. Good luck with the book giveaway too 🙂
I find interacting with my cats to be the single biggest stress reliever ever. They really are so wonderful, that I think they should be allowed in nursing homes and hospitals, whenever possible! Thanks so much, Andrea!