Calvin has been adopted!

This is the shortest time I've ever had a foster!

A fellow volunteer called to ask if she could bring a friend by to meet Calvin. When I put him in her arms, he was Mr. Personality--curious, purring, and calm. He looked around at everything, including gazing up at her face. How could she resist? She decided right then and there to adopt him, so she and volunteer friend took him and his papers to the adoption center to get an application filled out and pay the fee (the adoption clinic runs from 6-8 tonight, which gave them time to do that, and it's less than 10 minutes from here).

I am really proud of how quickly he adjusted to human contact, going from feral to cuddler in very little time. He wasn't pissy like Owl was; once Calvin adjusted, he didn't growl or hiss at all, while Owl would growl and hiss every time we approached, then purr once we picked him up or touched him.

So, congratulations to Calvin on his new home, and I wish him a long, happy life! Hooray!

Friday

It's Friday, so instead of writing something, I'm just going to post some pictures I've taken recently.

My festivum cichlid:


Aakhu, my ebony ticked silver ocicat:


Gumballs!


Ptera (white) and Anya (ginger), my kittens:


Steel-cut oats:


Brian cuddling with foster kitten Owl:


Awesome tofu stir fry I made the other day:


Ptera and Anya's paws--Ptera has extra toes!

Tippi Hedren is not just for the birds

She's for the big cats!

Tippi Hedren is famous for her acting, but did you know that she started an sanctuary to help out exotic animals? The Shambala Preserve is eighty acres of refuge near the Mojave Desert, where orphaned and cast off big cats get a second chance at happy lives.

Some of these animals came from circuses or the movie industry, while others were owned by private citizens who subjected the cats to neglect and/or abuse. For example, Kara the black leopard was found in an unheated garage in Wyoming in the dead of winter, with no food or water. Her ears, paws, and tail were frostbitten.

Wild cat species are not suitable pets. Once that cute cub grows up and becomes a potentially lethal problem, many exotic cat owners dump them or neglect them. I wish sanctuaries like Shambala weren't necessary, but I am really glad that they and other big cat sanctuaries are available to respond to the need.

TGIF! Friday Fun!

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

Writer Ernestine Ulmer's famous quote is the only notable thing I can find about her. I'd love for someone to find out more about her, and the context of the dessert quote.

I don't disagree with this quote, in the larger view of enjoying the good stuff while you can. The idea of dessert being a "reward" for eating the "less pleasant" portions of a meal, however, really confuses me. If your main meal is really so bad that you need to give people a prize for eating it, then maybe you need to work on your culinary skills :)

You can start at my cooking blog:
The Lady Of Shallots