CATS ON A PLANE! New video + Update on Tess and the Kittens

Hey everyone, I'm really excited to make this post so let's get right into it.

I've uploaded the first video to the series I have on my Youtube channel about our upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic. I first mentioned this trip in my last post so please refer to it for more details. I've gotten almost everything in the mail already (the second carrier got here today, yay!) and the date is getting close so I decided it was high time to upload the first video. This video isn't very exciting, probably the least exciting of them all to be honest but I promise the rest will be a lot better! 

(BTW, I'm also getting back into Flickr so check that out too!)

The first video in the series I named "Cats On A Plane: Planning the Trip" is about the giant canopy-tent thing we will be taking with us to the Caribbean in order to have Tess accompany us when we're outdoors. It's 10ft x 10ft and super tall! I absolutely love it because it will allow my cat to be with us no matter where we go. The video isn't very exciting because it's really just me setting it up for the first time in my backyard while the kittens play in the background. I wanted to show it though because it was my first time setting something like this up and I figured it could double as a how-to or visual review of the canopy. In case you're wondering, it's a Coleman Canopy and it brings a sunwall (or what I call: a shade wall). Sadly it doesn't bring the other three walls but I will be buying that separately because in order for it to fulfill its purpose it needs to have three mesh walls. If all else fails and I can't get the mesh walls I'll just keep Tess' harness and leash on while we're out. I would greatly prefer her to have the ability to be completely free inside the canopy where she can play, lounge, and watch us in the shade (and be safe from mosquitoes because of the mesh). Throughout the video you do see the kittens, Tess sneaking out to peak, (and a random butterfly) playing though and at the end I have a little vlog-esque part where I explain the purpose of the video and my thoughts after going through the whole setup.

The next topic I wanted to talk about is the kittens, Mamei and Valient. Today we decided it's best if we put both of them up for adoption instead of just one because we don't want either of them to be without us for a whole month, especially since I currently only have my ferret's babysitter booked. So, in light of the decision, I went on a calling spree to all the shelters I could possibly find on Long Island. Unfortunately, my preferred no-kill shelters were booked beyond their capacity due to kitten season having long started. I knew this would most likely be the outcome, but one can hope right?*Sigh*

So after a whole afternoon of making calls, I finally got a call back from one of my message leaving moments and a possible answer to my predicament. I had left a message to Last Hope which is one of my top picks of shelters due to their great reputation and immense efforts to help our growing cat communities here on the island. The woman was very nice but very firm and I respect that. She said right now they're full but that she will do her best to get me in and to call her back in about 2 weeks. The catch is this though: we not only don't know whether there will be a spot for my kittens before I have to leave, but they will only accept them if I can catch the mamacat Samantha and get her to them in order for her to be spayed. They will not accept the kittens without the mamacat (if the person with the kittens knows the mamacat) in order to prevent the same cat filling their shelter with each litter of kittens. Trust me, they have very good reason for this. It's not like they wont accept the kittens if you don't know who the mamacat is, they just want to prevent endless repeats. 

If we can't capture Samantha (though I doubt that will happen because she is very familiar with us and we are very determined) or if there is no opening within the time we're still in New York, we will go to the Town Of Hempstead Shelter where we will 'surrender' the kittens. Sadly, that shelter is very large and is a kill-shelter but thankfully these two are at the prime adoption time (everyone is dying to adopt babies this age) and they are more than fully socialized so they should be adopted quickly. I still prefer Last Hope though because not only do I have the reassurance that my babies will be there until the right person comes no matter how long it takes, but I know they are in more than capable and loving hands that will treat them well. Not that the TOH shelter wont do that but... They're very busy and the place is packed with tons of animals that either animal control brought in or people surrendered. I've been there, it wasn't the warmest place to give your pet to. I'm also terrified of going through the same grief I did went I had to surrender my last cat to them. It felt so awful leaving him there, seeing how cold and lonely it seemed and knowing he was going to be in a 10 day quarantine in a metal cage. I probably spent more time sobbing than not that time, and it took months to get that feeling of "I abandoned my baby, he must feel so betrayed" to leave for more than an hour. I don't want that to happen this time. I can't stand the thought of breaking my heart and possibly my kittens' hearts by giving them to TOH.. 

So, in conclusion (I'm sorry it took a sad tone back there), we're going forward with a hopeful outlook for the kittens and a happy outlook for our trip. Thanks for taking the time to read my babbling and an extra big thank you if you checked out my video. I even made a cute little poster thing about the trip and it's featuring my two little ones!

~Goodnight~

Super Update! Graduation, Blue Hair, Travel, Warped Tour, & Cats!!

Hey everyone, so sorry for the ridiculously long absence. 

A lot has happened and I am very excited to announce that I Have been productive since then (not like the last times I've flopped). 

So, without further ado, here's the update.

We've been taking care of a litter of two kittens for a while now, and they're absolutely stunning. You can find videos and pictures of them on my Instagram but I'll post some here too. They were living outside with their mamacat Samantha for a while but now they live with us as we've adopted them. We might not keep both, I have a potential home for one of them but we're definitely keeping one. They're both beautiful and so so sweet. First we have the lovely Valient who has a very unique coloring. He is much smaller than his brother, when I took him to the vet for the first time they said he was about 7-8 weeks old but in reality he was that age when I found him and his brother a month earlier. They had been living in my backyard with Samantha for a while, but now they're integrated into out family and enjoying the good life. Valient lives up to his name with his sweet but daring personality. Despite his tiny size he's always the first one to explore and jump into things. He's mostly white, with grey ears, little grey striped on his front legs, and a striped tail (like a raccoon!). He also has the most beautiful blue eyes, I thought it was just because he was still so young when I found him that they were so blue but it seems they're staying!

My first time getting close enough for a photo!

This is Valient's first time going to the vet! He had an upper respiratory infection and a fever but we got him all recuperated with antibiotics and lots of rest. 

Now, the handsome Mamei. Mamei also has a unique coloring, having a mix of orange tabby stripes and jigsaw puzzle looking spots. He is much bigger in size than Valient, staying true to his actual age but is much more shy-go figure! He has a very unique voice, almost gravelly and kind of like the sound the ghosts in the Grudge make. He is very loving though, nothing like what you find in horror movies. His eyes are what captured me the most though, I fell in love with them immediately. He has a mixture of blue and grey with flecks of green but what is really peculiar is how crystalline they look. They don't blend, they look like the colors are shards of actual crystal just sitting next to each other. Truly gorgeous.

These are the first ever pictures I took of Mamei

On the next topic, I graduated! Finally, it's been such a long ride getting here but I made and I made it well. Here are some photos from graduation (June 24th, 2016)

I graduated from a private school so I wasn't allowed to dye my hair any color other than my own natural color so as you may have already guessed the day after graduation I got my hair dyed finally for the first time in years.

Next topic: Warped Tour!

It was my first time not only at the famous Warped Tour but also to a concert at all!

It was pretty amazing for the most part; I got see my favorite bands, spend time with friends, and have the unique experience that is Warped. I had a little bump though, the crowdsurfers and their feet gave me a slight concussion and I ended up fainting but the security guys were super sweet and helped me out a ton, so a shoutout to them! Thankfully I'm okay, just a little scraped from the fall and a little pained from the kicks but all in all it wasn't that bad. I have the video(s) from Warped Tour here and here.

Now, the last topic is very important and will keep coming up:

I'm taking my cat Tess on a plane! 

We're going to the Dominican Republic for vacation in a few weeks and we're taking my beautiful Tess. The kittens are staying here with my brother and Alice (my ferret) because I can't take them all and the kittens are still indoor/outdoor. The process to bring your cat not only on a plane but on an international flight is pretty daunting. There's so much that goes into it from the vet checkups, the booking, the carrier(s), the food, and a whole bunch of other supplies you never would have thought would be necessary.

So far we've got almost everything done in the preparations. I bought two carriers: one for the plane because the airline required dimensions are so small that I couldn't stand the thought of having my Tess only have that one carrier during the whole trip, and one for non air travel which is bigger and more comfortable. 

Next, I bought two fans: one solar powered and one rechargeable and a mini rechargeable AC. The Dominican Republic has summer climate all year long, and especially in the actual summertime it can get drastically hot. Another thing about the DR is that it has regular electric energy cuts throughout the day and though all of our houses we have over there have solar generators, it's always good to have backups and ways to save that energy. 

I also bought a new harness and leash because the harness I have for her here covers too much and I want to make sure she isn't covered more than she has to be in the heat. The harness and leash I bought are also of higher grade and safer. 

Another electronic I bought for the trip is a solar powered and rechargeable portable charger. This is not only super useful for our phones but also the cool air blower and the non solar powered fan.

The next thing we're bringing but that isn't a new purchase (though it is our first time using it) is a huge canopy. It is a 10ft by 10ft canopy with a sunwall that we will be having Tess occupy when we travel to the beach or the countryside for an extended period of time. The whole reason I'm bringing Tess is so she isn't alone or separated from me, so it'd make no sense to always leave her at the house in DR while I got spend the whole day out.

I'm making a video series on my Youtube showing you how we go through with the trip from the preparation to the homecoming so remember to check that out!

Wow, that was a lot in one post.

~Thank for reading~