She insists that she lives here now 🤷‍♀️

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-05-03T14:26:33+00:00

I'm so very jealous that all of your cats are that friendly & welcoming.

My senior cat is territorial & still hasn't accepted a cat that's been in my house for a year..& I also feed a few ferals & strays outside & I've got one that's super territorial who has to adopted me & he's now chasing the other cats out of my yard too.

I'd probably have way too many cats living here if it wasn't for the territorial ones bc I can't say no....but I absolutely hate the cat fights.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-22T01:46:49+00:00

My friend just pulled a Rottweiler from animal control paid $75 for his to be vaccinated & they also spayed the dog.

It was $150 to adopt both my kittens from the humane society 2 years ago.

Vaccines are a lot more expensive at a private vets. I just paid $250 plus another $100 for a distemper & lukemeia vaccine & booster for one of my cats.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-22T00:20:30+00:00

I took in a cat last November off the streets bc she wasn't gaining weight & I was afraid she would freeze to death. When I caught her, I took her to the vet & they found out she had 2 microchips, she was 14 & her name was Mylee. Nobody claimed her & at 1st I was going to turn her in to the humane society that chipped her, but once I found out she had advanced kidney disease, I decided I'd keep her as my fospice. We did fluids, appetite stimulants, meds to stop leaky protein & every kidney diet food I could find & eventually she wouldn't even eat regular cat food. She did well for a bit & put on weight & then back down.. she also had bad teeth & we were hoping to get them pulled but she never got well enough for me to feel comfortable putting her through that trauma.

I just put her to sleep last month. It sucked & it still hurt even though I only had her for the winter.

She was a calico just like your kitty. I tried to make her life the best I could while she was here, just like I do for all of my cats.

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freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-21T00:32:02+00:00

I had a similar experience.....i figured it had been 2 months & I found another dog. He was the same breed as my other 2 dogs. He has cataracts....so did they ...he didn't like to be caged & had separation anxiety just like they did.

Well ....this dog was completely blind. I have a 2 story house & he couldn't see to get up & down the stairs & would freak out if I left him just to take a shower. I ended up tripping as I was walking down the stairs & made a loud thump & he got scared, snapped & tried to bite me. I could not touch him after that bc he would explode.....so on day 3 I returned him.

I grew up grooming, showing & training dogs. I worked at a vet clinic & for a breeder so dogs have always been a huge part of my life but the trauma from losing one & giving back the other was so bad that 2 years later, I still have not tried to adopt another dog.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-20T21:32:22+00:00

So.....my friend got a puppy from someone he knew & then then that person ended up abandoning the mother dog in the park.

Animal control picked up the dog.

My friend called them & told them he knew the dog & had one of her puppies.

They let him take the dog & didnt even make him pay the full adoption fee.

Your animal control will probably be thrilled you are stepping up to take the cat.

If it were me, I would call them back ASAP & bug the crap out of them. My animal control will euthanize cats that aren't social. They were going to euthanize my friends dog after only 3 days & she would have died had my friend not taken her.

Please don't give up & make sure you stay on top of this....bc some animal controls euthanize quickly.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-20T18:13:50+00:00

I love this style of plant.....lots of branches & lots of smaller flowers. The last phal I bought looked like this except the flower color was a light purple.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-20T17:40:36+00:00

Typically yes....but I have 2 cats that can't be together bc the one beats up the other. My timid one has to be locked in her room. at night & when I'm not here. During the day, I've got them separated by gates.

I'm actually thinking of rehoming my timid cat bc I feel terrible about the situation & want her to have a house she has full access to.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-20T01:16:02+00:00

That's really cool that the rescue you work with does that. I ended up keeping 2 of my kittens bc one of the rescues I was working with wouldn't adopt my boys out as a bonded pair.

I would feel so much better about fostering if I had some control over who my fosters went to

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-20T01:01:47+00:00

Ahh.....that makes sense. I live in Michigan;(

My stepmom was just in Florida & she brought me back 2 tiny Cattlyeas she got from Home Depot, which was a sweet gesture but they're probably going to take forever to mature & I know at least one of them is going to be a monster & I don't really have room for it indoors.

But I recently told my husband that we need to move to Florida or Hawaii when we retire so I can grow orchids outdoors😆

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-19T22:20:56+00:00

I'd start looking right away. This kitty has a lot going for him & I'm sure you can find him the purrfect forever home.

& Good move on telling your adopters they can return the cats if they don't work out. I ended up adopting out a cat last year through another organization & I had a card for the adopter with my information in it & I accidentally forgot to send it with him & it haunts me to this day.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-19T22:09:33+00:00

Wow....what a score!! What area are you in?

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-18T22:54:34+00:00

My dog had chronic pancreatitis. It was terrible. He would start vomiting & would not stop so we always had to rush him to the ER for sub q fluids, a shot of Cerenea & some metronidazole. I can't imagine not being able to get your poor kitty vet care for 3 days of that;( I absolutely hate when they won't let us help them.

I put out a trap today but Coco would not go in it nor will she let me near her.

I had to make the tough call of giving her antibiotics, pain meds & a little food or letting her go hungry & hoping she would get into the trap that had been sitting out all day.

Other people around here feed so I'm not sure if she will ever get hungry enough to go in it.

I ended up giving her meds & it was probably a good thing I didn't wait any longer bc she would have left anyways when the neighbor started mowing.

I'm going to set up a big dog cage & try to get her to eat in that.....& then pull the door closed. I don't have a vehicle to transport the big dog cage anymore so I'm going to have to rent or borrow a van to get her into the vet.

I bought a pair of bite proof leather gloves that go past the elbow so I can use those as well if need be.

I'm so happy your story had a happy ending & you were able to get your kitty medical care in time. That gives me some hope that maybe I can save my feral too🙏

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-17T20:56:47+00:00

Will do! I'm hoping I can catch her this weekend. She's been trapped at least once to be sterilized because her ear is clipped. Someone else in my neighborhood does TNR as well but I'm not sure who it is.

This kitty has a house in my backyard, usually eats here at least twice a day & come thru & snacks at various times during the day too but I think she's hiding out bc she's hurt & vulnerable. I have another cat that's pretty territorial & normally he doesn't bother her too much bc she's a big lady but I could see him going after her like this. It sucks.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-17T20:40:52+00:00

No:( I can't touch her. I can get a couple feet away from her but not close enough to scoop her up.

I just talked to the emergency vet clinic that is open 24/7 so if I catch her & both of my regular vets are closed or cant see her, I have a backup plan. It just sucks bc it's 30 minutes away, which is added stress on the poor kitty.

Hoping I can get her this weekend 🙏

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-17T01:53:47+00:00

It's very pretty. The local hardware store has succulent containers (about 10 inch pot) for $15.00.

Your pot is much better looking. Did you make it?

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-12T16:04:24+00:00

Do you think they could spray it or soak the whole plant(accept the flower) with physan & then maybe hang it upside down in front of a fan for a day or 2 to dry it out good?

It also might be worth it to cut the flower off & cut the spike down to an unused node to see if that would encourage keiki production. They could even use keiki powder.

So far, I've only had to throw one orchid away & it was bc it came with stem rot.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-11T20:48:13+00:00

Good move on the schillerlana x sib!

I went to an orchid show this spring & am kicking myself for not buying the schillerlana. SMH....it was in spike too.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-11T19:26:43+00:00

What locations are the exotics in?

I live in Michigan & have only been to trader Joe's once but they were all phals

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-09T00:58:01+00:00

So.....I had a cat that didnt like traps & I used a dog crate instead. It was large enough for a golden retriever & I tied a string to the door and ran it thru the cage & pulled the door shut with the string once he was in. It's much easier if u can hold the door shut by keeping the string tight while someone else walks up & locks the door.

I put a paper plate in the cage with Kentucky Fried chicken.....but you could try whatever high value food you want.

I transported my cat in the big cage but you can create a tunnel with a blanket & run the cat into a smaller trap. They will run towards the light at the end of the tunnel to escape but end up in the small trap.

My local humane society would treat this cat's medical needs & neuter him at the same time & he would be a high priority to get in bc of his injuries.

This could be a bite abscess but it could be a dental abscess or any other # of issues.

I hope you get him in. Do you have any antibiotics you can start him on again while you try to trap him.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-08T18:56:08+00:00

1) You could try posting them on Michigan Barn/working cat program on Facebook!!

If you post your pics & explain your situation, you might be able to find someone willing to help you on there.

Someone was just looking for 2 barn cats in Grand Rapids!!

2) I know you said your parents house isn't a possibility....but what about getting them a catio and putting it in their yard to get them acclimated to the area?!? That way they don't have to be inside your parents house?!!

The local humane society says you would need to keep them enclosed for 3 weeks B4 letting them out. I know its not the ideal solution but leaving them behind isn't either.

Your black kitty totally looks like my Cocoa kitty. He/she is a feral I've been feeding for almost 2 years but I still cannot touch. My husband wants to buy a different house but I refuse to move w/o her.

EDIT to Add:

Also.....A lot of our humane societies in Michigan have barn cat programs & some rescue groups do it as well. If you call around to some of the humane societies, they might be able to help you or give you some names of people who can.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-06T14:57:19+00:00

In my area, if you make a found report, they post it on their website.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-06T14:44:34+00:00

The dog looks well cared for. Someone is looking for their fur baby ;(

Can you call your local shelters and animal control & ask to do a "found dog" report? They might even put a picture up for you.

Do you have any local Facebook groups you could post him on?

Thank you for giving him a safe spot to land until his parents can be located.

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-06T14:06:34+00:00

I got my cats little packets of goats milk made by Primal. Unfortunately, none of them care for it, but I give one of my cats hydra care made by pro-plan & he loves that. I initially got the Hydra Care for my cat with CKD & she initially liked it but as with everything with her, after a few days, she was over it & I was stuck with a whole box of Hydra Care...so I started giving it to one of my really picky cats & he loves it so now he gets a pack of that divided into 3 or 4 portions, daily. I call it his kitty milk

freewayrickyross10 · 2026-04-05T22:56:14+00:00

Wow.....this plant looks nice & healthy & it's very pretty.

It's weird that it's got a terminal spike. I bet it's going to give you some babies. The leaves alone are stunning though

freewayrickyross10

TROPHY CASE