May 23, 2006 These sisters/friends are fond of each other and would like to be adopted together if possible.  Their owner recently died and they are finding it hard to deal with the loss of all that was familiar to them, including their flame point sister who had the good fortune of being adopted a few days ago.  Thus they cling endearingly to each other and hide their faces in each other's flanks when life becomes too overwhelming.  They are in good shape, if a trifle chubby, and I know they are just waiting to get to know us before opening their shy little hearts to us.  Venetia is the bolder one and has already begun to purr, so Vanilla is bound to follow suit very soon.  Unlike many Siamese I have known in their situation, these girls do not have an aggressive bone in their bodies and will turn into true poppets in the fullness of time.

Description coming soon

Description coming soon

When he first came to me on October 28th 2004, Chivas was not being at all regal. His Abyssinian beauty was undeniable, but his temperament was quite daunting and we faced the prospect of many weeks of fearsome screaming and lunging and swatting before he learned to trust us. According to his previous owners, Chivas was very loving with them but had changed his behaviour with other humans as a result of two traumatic experiences, one of which involved his previous veterinarian. Chivas has asthma and was being treated with cortisone injections and it appears that, on one occasion, the vet inadvertently hurt him. Ever since, he has loathed all trips to the vet’s and all contact with anyone remotely connected with that profession. Once he was in a cage at my own vet’s, he came to the logical conclusion that he was in the belly of the beast and acted accordingly. However, after a mere five days of ear splitting shrieks, he fell under the spell of one of the receptionists (who is also, by the way, the designer of this web site) and is now putty in her hands. In fact, he appears to have had a change of heart about all of us and has become a sweet boy. Born in 2001, Chivas is castrated and has all his claws; he is trained to sharpen his claws on a large scratching post that will go with him when he is adopted. As to his asthma, he has been showing signs of it at the clinic (despite having had a cortisone shot just before arriving), perhaps owing to his initial stress and to the presence of some dust from current renovation work; he is now being treated by means of an inhaler, which was what we were hoping to switch him to in any case, as it is less stressful and has fewer side effects than the injections. I feel sure that Chivas will make a wonderful companion for the right person or family, but I would not like him to go to a home with young children, and I don’t yet know how he will deal with other animals.

May 20, 2005: Their owner’s terminal illness has rendered these very shy boys homeless. I was told that they were both Russian Blues, but I choose to disbelieve this in Wasabi’s case, as he has blue eyes and points, so I am classifying him as a Siamese blue point. It’s true that his points are hard to make out on the picture of the boys together (he is on the right), and his eyes are so dilated that the blue irises barely show, so you will have to take my word for it. Wasabi was born on January 9, 2003 and Katchaturian timidly entered this world on July 11, 2002. They appear to be attached to each other, so once again I would like to try and place them together but will consider separating them if a good home comes along for just one of them (as I did with Mustard and Custard). For the time being their most noticeable feature is their timidity, which occasionally borders on terror. I am told that I sometimes put the fear of God into people, but I am not used to having this effect on animals, and it was sad for me to feel Wasabi trembling like an aspen leaf as I was trying to cuddle him in my lap. I have not had much time to visit these two cats since their arrival, so I don’t know what progress they may have made toward socialization, but they are sharing a room with a couple of boys who could write a book on the subject (Charlie and Theo), so let’s hope some of their confidence rubs off on the two newcomers. Both cats are castrated and have all their claws.

April 9, 2005: It’s raining long hairs! Sesame is the latest in a line of flat faced darlings to come into my care over the last few weeks, hard on the heels of Mustard, Custard, Gavroche, Oliver and Perle. Dark, pretty and dainty, Sesame is not actually aqua coloured as this picture might suggest (her cage is green and my flash did something weird). Her crotchety glare is due to a slight eye infection that should clear up soon. Although I was told she was only eighteen months old, the war zone inside her mouth indicates that she is closer to eight years old. Once Sesame has settled in, my vet will be going into that poor mouth to tackle inflamed gums and several broken and missing teeth (in the latter case, she will check for possible diseased roots). Being a Himalayan, Sesame has reacted to her recent abandonment by getting anxious and going off her food, behaviour I have come to expect from these emotionally fragile purebreds. This being said, she does seem quite keen on humans and was purring happily during our photo shoot. Once she is feeling herself again, and after her dental procedure has been completed, Sesame will move to the sunny little room which now houses most of the long hairs, in the hopes that she will make friends. Sesame is spayed and fully declawed, and I am guesstimating her year of birth at 1997.

I was quite smitten when I met this plump female with her huge trusting eyes and her enormous purr. She is a not-quite-pure Persian, and a pure darling in every way that matters. As soon as she arrived, my vet saw that she had some bad problems in her mouth, but any attempt to examine her caused her to panic, as it appeared that handling her by the neck or scruff (to immobilize her head while he looked into her mouth) cut off her airway, causing distress in her and, I assure you, in me as well. She also had to undergo the indignity of a bum shave, as her vulva was very inflamed (she couldn’t clean herself properly because of her dental problems); now that the area has been cleaned, ointment is taking care of the inflammation. Two days after arriving, Ambrosia had major dental work under anesthesia. Five teeth were extracted, as well as numerous roots embedded in the gums after the teeth had broken off. Her airway obstruction was explained by the significant swelling in her mouth, particularly under the tongue, associated with her oral cavity having turned into a war zone over the past few years of benign neglect. She is such a doll that I felt guilty for subjecting her to so much fresh pain, but it had to be done and she is now happily eating canned food, so I am hoping the worst is over. Born around 1999, Ambrosia is spayed and has all her claws, and is well socialized to life in a large group of cats (although her dream is probably to have a human all to herself for a change).

UPDATE October 6, 2005: This fine big (very big) fellow is now in my care and is coping well with his new circumstances (having to share a room with ten other rescued cats). He enjoys vigorous stroking and is playful, within the limits permitted by his bulk. I am harping somewhat on his size, but I want to emphasize that he is beautiful, with his huge eyes and black smoke coat, and will make a fine pet for someone who wants a supersized teddy bear.

"Winnie is a gorgeous long haired male, born in September 1998; he is castrated and has all his claws. He is very affectionate and likes to be petted and cuddled, but does have his "grumpy" moments, and therefore would not be good in a home with young children. He is in good health apart from his asthma. Roughly every six weeks he will get an asthma attack and will begin to cough and wheeze. I schedule a vet appointment for that day or the next and he then gets an injection of depo-medrol, which stops the attack. The cost of the injection is around $25 plus tax, and since he has an existing condition of which the vet is aware, they do not charge me any other consultation fee. The most adorable thing about Winnie is his incredibly soft fur, which at first glance looks to be black, but is actually whitish with black tips."

October 26th 2005: Here we have an example of the "let’s dump her in a wealthy neighbourhood" strategy, as this young female was left in Westmount Park with a plastic laundry hamper and a dish of food. She sensibly left the hamper and sat on the grass until she was found and brought to me (where were all those wealthy Westmounters who could have opened their doors, or at least their wallets, to her??). She was first thought to be a male (that is what the finders had told me) and this may account for her initially very snippy attitude towards those of us who wished to help her. Flattening her ears, bulging her eyes and growling unpleasantly, she gave us fair warning that she would rearrange our faces if we attempted to examine her. After a few days of good food, peace and quiet, she unbent sufficiently to allow us to examine her, at which point she lost the name Marco Polo and became Amity. As I write this (October 26th), she has been in our care for two weeks and is much improved, having learned (or relearned) the art of purring. Born around February 2004, she is about to be spayed and has all her claws