Fostering 101

 What if I told you that? 

You can apply to foster a furry child by simply filling out an application at straycatalliance.org.There are sooooo many to choose from different litters of kittens,grown adult cats, chubby cats, cats with special needs, bonded cats & senior cats.

 And we would help you with any of the expenses that is medication, vet visits, & we’ll even provide the wet food, kibble , litter, & litter box. Would you be interested? 

Well then head on over …BUT before there are a couple of things that you SHOULD know about fostering before even considering it. I’m going based on what I’ve seen at the rescue. Soooo taking in a cat comes with big responsibilities. Just as cats come in all sizes & different colored coats, some fluffier than others. They also come with different personalities, behavior issues, & health problems.Some aren’t as social, & some take longer to warm up to a human. Think of it as ? Starting a new job, or moving to a whole different state. Frightening right? It can be a little scary at first. And say you haven’t had the best experience at other jobs, so it’s difficult for you to come around, or feel comfortable and confident. That’s how a cat feels, completely scared, might not eat the first couple of days, might even stay in the same spot for a week, might be scoping the place out but still not sure if he or she can let their guard down. I’ve seen soooo many people foster for a week, a damn week ! And then return the poor cat, because of a minor inconvenience such as oh the cats not eating , he’s not getting along with my other cat, he tried to attack me.  I can’t help but roll my eyes, at these silly ridiculous excuses. People… 

Do some research before signing up, most importantly of all be patient ! There is an orange tabby at the rescue who’s name is Charlie & I can’t even begin to tell you how many times that baby has been returned …it blows my mind. Patience !!! It’s not that hard, once you see the cat coming around and begin to warm up to you & the meowing becomes more constant & one day they crawl up on your lap it’s the most rewarding feeling.You have to just let the cat be, some of them have never been in a home they come from the streets. And some of them have spent more than half of their lives at a place where they thought was home. But now they’re being abandoned because their owner is moving to a new building and can’t bring him along, or their new partner is allergic or isn’t getting along with him or her. The list of excuses is endless, imagine having a child for ten years and being all like ok I don’t want you anymore sorry off you go. Don’t give me that bull**** of “ohhh you can’t compare a child to a cat” Yes I totally can, the only difference is one shits in a box, and I know a handful of ppl that treat their animals like children because they are. 

If you decide to foster a cat that has special needs or is on meds. One of the vets will be more than happy to do a demo on how to administer medication to a cat. Also if you’re fostering a sick cat, you might have to bring him in often for his visits and checks ups, keep that in mind if you don’t have any free time then perhaps getting a healthy adult cat might be for you. Kittens require to be fed every two hours, so if you work from home or are just taking time off fostering kittens might be right for you. 

If you’re patient, & are willing to work with the cat, & help him come around then sure go ahead and fostering might be right for you, keep in mind that fostering means you are lending your time, energy & place while the rescue finds the cat a permanent home. In some cases fosters get so attached they end up adopting the cat and it’s a happy ending for everyone. Specially when the kitty is already use to their human. 

These are just a couple of things I wanted to cover, if you have any questions, concerns or are just curious about what is needed to properly care for a cat, I encourage you don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I can try to help in anyway I can. Cats are super independent, & sometimes will only want love and pets on their terms sooo ? Not as needy, hyper or clingy as a doggo. But they will love you unconditionally nonetheless. 

Patience, understanding & love is all they ask for. 

Till next time ! 

~ Chibi 

Dirty laundry.

 My tiny speaker is blasting “Winona Forever” by Creeper. Ohhh shit she’s listening to CREEPER …you know if you know then you know …haaaa. 

Iced coffee in a killer klowns from outer space cup, Mcmittens is spread on my leopard rug (fighting the urge to poke him on his belly) 

I’m sick but on the last stage of it …I hope …. I friggin hope. 

I have a vanilla cupcake candle on, & my room smells like a birthday cake….& it’s making me wish I had a slice of cake from Whole Foods. 

Anyone going to see Jurassic Park tmrw? I’ve read a few reviews already & it sounds fun…but then again name a bad Jurassic park movie ? Exactly.

There has been a whole lotta growing,learning,& changing that has taken place the last 6 months….

I’ve submerged myself completely into my work, trained my eyes to see things I never thought I would,I now know a ton about cats more than ever. Have made some wonderful friendships in the work place. Found out that the storage room is the best place to cry….& it’s okay to do it every day if need to. I broke a whole new record on how many times I’ve made myself bleed with a syringe needle or a microchip needle ..I’m trying to collect em all ..collecting cat scratches like how some y’all collect those damn funko pops.

I digress. 

I continue to be able to afford my Rad coffee addiction, started reading again, going out dancing is back on my schedule. 

I got to see my favorite band back to back, the ultimate therapy session, they stitched me back up & I was good to go. 

Earlier today My best friend said I have become the Taylor Swift of blogging …& with that note I begin ….take a seat. 

The unthinkable happened & I fell for someone….I know…I know. What ? How did it happen?! & when exactly ? It’s a different kind of love, I didn’t expect to be so drawn to this person, 

I let myself be transparent & vulnerable something that I thought was impossible for me to do ever again… wasn’t on my to do list nor was I searching for it but it happened. And I got hurt. I am 

consistently being led down by a false believe that I make up in my head. I have this idea that just because I care, I expect the same type of care in return. You can let your wall down, you can express yourself repeatedly over and over, show them how you feel, you might as well walk around with a sign above your head that reads I have feelings & it will still somehow blow up in your face. I was made to feel easily disposable, & that a feeling so apparent should be dismissed. 

Your insecurities start to become visible, one by one & before you know it you’re being triggered by past experiences.

What is real? What is honesty? This isn’t mutual.

Why would someone even like me? 

Why am I having flashbacks of someone yelling “it’s so hard to be with you” ? 

And then you lay there at night, drenched in this anxiety looking up at the moon through your window uncontrollably sobbing to AFI’s “caught” & that becomes your bed time routine for a month. Till you come to understand that it isn’t your fault. It’s out of your control, & all you can continue to do is heal & hope that the next person can reciprocate those feelings, that the next one will treat you with compassion, kindness, honesty and be gentle. Even if that person is simply meant to be YOU. 

We’re so eager to find someone that can fill this void, we’re so desperate to show the world that we’re happy & in a good place. We’re in a rush, to fall in love, & settle even when the red flags can be seen  from miles away. People always show us what their intentions are in the very beginning. We’re so enthralled we failed to see them. We’re so lost in this idea that if we have someone there,we automatically forget how messed up we are, that having someone there means you get to sweep your baggage under the rug. 

Till you end up hurting another person again, & the cycle repeats. It all starts with you. 

I had to walk away , & pretend like this situation never happened. I still struggle, but a lesson is always learned. A chapter ends and on to the next ! 

I live for the story friends….

It’s okay to cry it out, cry every day but don’t stay down for too long. Don’t ride the gloom wave for too long, or you’ll stay stuck & could potentially miss out on meeting someone worthy,

To anyone that’s going through a transformation, a break up, loosing a loved one, struggling with their mental health, or financially. 

I hope that it gets better for you & I am sending a really really tight hug your way. 

You’re in my thoughts tonight. 

I haven’t written a blog in 6 months and I come back running with bruised knees, cat scratches on my arms , & tired eyes. 

I am living & putting myself out there… till next time. 

Make sure you hug your cats …& if you’re allergic …pues Te chingastes. 

~ Chibi 

I can tell you now ..now that I have been caught. 

20-twenty mew

 Happy new year ! 

Life update ~ 

Wow first post of 2022… I hope everyone had a wonderful time welcoming the new year & leaving things that no longer serve them in 2021 feels great right ? A total new beginning….. or perhaps it’s just another regular day for you. I spent the new year with the Captain Kirk,  her Mr.Captain & plenty of felines.A playlist that consisted of Joy Division & The Cure. Wine & no being s*** face drunk. I’m ALMOST straight edge again….like ALMOST. I’ve been hitting the bottle a lot less.My body is thanking me (specially my liver) I can feel it you guise ! I want to look less bloated again. 

My phase of mopey poetry is over, it’s not interesting for me to focus my energy on something that just doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. The entire situation went from extremely painful to boring real quick just like the people involved.

Let me update you on something that means the world to me. For those that don’t know ? Which I doubt, because my media has now become an entire archive of  curious faces with cute round eyes. Felines have been a great part of my life ever since I was a baby. They bring so much joy, peace & comfort without expecting anything in return …besides extra dinners and treats….& like 85% of your bed. 

How can I give back to them ? I want to do more for them, for the ones that are less fortunate & aren’t brought into this world with the best care or under the best circumstances.For the one’s that are given up because they’re “too big & are scratching up my furniture” or for the ones that are adopted as kittens because pets are seen as an accessory & when the accessory is no longer cute off to the shelter they go. 

I was granted with the opportunity to join a team of incredible people who are on a whole other level & their mission is to save cats that are in need. Stray cat alliance is a no kill shelter & clinic. When shelters are on the verge of euthanizing the cat because they don’t have room, are having trouble getting adopted or they just don’t know what else to do …we step in. I’m so proud to belong here & each day I wake up thinking ? Holy s*** I get to go help cats that are sick for a living, I get to feed them, bathe them, administer medication, spend time with them, build friendships and trust. It’s rewarding, in a way that I cannot describe to you. I’ve learned how to administer medications with needles, give vaccines, oral meds, how to properly scruff them, approach them , how to perform physical therapy on the ones that need it, all in a matter of less than a month. And it never stops, there is something to learn every single day. I’m stimulated 24/7. Sometimes being away from home 10-12 hours and my day begins at 5:30 am gross. But I’ve not complained not once.I love every part of it, & I hope that this opens doors, & If you have questions about your cat/cats I can be the person that you come to for help or advice. If you’re thinking of fostering or adopting we’ve got plenty of kitties available. From the ones that are a bit anti-social, the older, or with disabilities, & of course the kittens. Feel free to contact me I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. We also accept donations, food, toys, beds, blankets. And if you wanna give back in a different way we also have a thrift store located on Pico blvd. Look up stray cat alliance thrift.

 

This is Lucifer, originally named Keswick (but the way he looks at me reminds me of Lucifer from Cinderella it’s a compliment sooo shhhhh) …I’m not sure exactly what happened to him but, he was either attacked by a dog or another cat. He came in missing an eye, chunks of his body missing.Like he literally looks like he was buried in a Pet Sematary & clawed his way out. He’s so cute & at the moment not approachable. Every day I open up his shoreline & try to talk to him. He hisses at me and he looks like he’ll probably pounce on my face. But I try every day I talk to him and reassure him that we just want to help him, & I tell him he’s beautiful because he really is. I hope that we can get him into better shape and find him a forever loving home. I’ll keep you guise updated on his story/progress. 

What else is happening? 

Umh …lots of hibernating, rewatching Star Trek from the very beginning.Daydreaming about rad coffee,AFI shows next month, eating more vegan. I haven’t really had time to write which kinda sucks but I just gotta find time …ohhh the time. There is time for everything or so I’m told …

I’m excited. For no reason. 

I picked up my first book of the year, the women of weird tales. It’s basically 13 tales that were written between 1925 & 1949. These are stories that didn’t make it onto the pulp magazine Weird Tales…because they were written by women.Let me list some of the authors,Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Everil Worell, Greye La Spina & Eli Colter. It’s got everything Vampires, ghosts, the dead and curses. So far I’m digging it I just finished the third story. I don’t want to reveal too much …I recommend checking it out. 

Anyways on that note I come to an end.

Till next time ~ 

Go hug a cat for me & if you’re allergic …..welp?! Shucks to be ya! 

- Chibi