August 6

FINN'S BIG ADVENTURE!!!

Getting started

Checking out the grass

Resting on my foot

Because Finn's world is so limited by his poor mobility, we have decided to try to expand his world a little each day.  We have been taking him out into the yard in the mornings.  Of course, we are always with him and he has been treated with a topical flea/tick preventative.  Our other cats are able to spend time on our screened, lattice-covered porch.  This is not an option for Finn as there are steep stairs.  It is exciting to see Finn show interest in the yard.  He sniffs enthusiastically and explores just a little.  After eating a little grass and exploring a small area, he is exhausted and settles down to rest.  It is a challenge for him to walk on the uneven ground, but if he topples over he is able to get up and try again.  Thought you might enjoy these photos of his big adventure!

August 4

Finn is settling in and getting more comfortable every day.  My daughter stopped by to spend some time with Finn on Saturday while I was at the Adoption Center.  Finn was enjoying being cuddled on the couch.  When she put him on the floor and started to leave. he actually tried to follow her out of the room.  This is the first time he has made an effort to leave his room.  We are waiting until we move in a few weeks to let him have more space to roam.  I don't think he will do much exploring, but we want him to understand that he can check out his surroundings.

Buddy peaking out of the condo.

On another note, we do have another blind cat in the shelter.  Buddy is about 6 years old and 100% blind.  He is a curious fellow and spends much of the day exploring the perimeter of the shelter. Buddy loves to eat and his previous owner indulged him, so Buddy needs to lose a few pounds. He is now eating a healthy diet and is constantly checking out the other cats as he wanders through the room.  In just a little while, Buddy will be available for adoption.  We love him at the shelter and know that he will soon find his new home.  His elderly owner passed away and her husband was not physically able to continue to care for Buddy.  Here is a picture of our handsome guy. He squeezed himself into the condo and was laying on his side posing for the camera.

August 1

Welcome Home Kiss!

Finn loves to be petted.

Finn is settling in nicely.  Yesterday my granddaughters came over and gave him lots of welcome home hugs and kisses.  As you can see, they were very excited to have him home again.  There were tears when he left and tears of joy when he returned.  They are especially excited since we will all be living together very soon!  

Our Finn looks great!

July 29

Home Again!

Finn arrived back in CT yesterday afternoon.  There were many tears as his foster mom brought him to the shelter.  Finn looks wonderful and has received lots of love and special care.  My foster kittens have moved on to another foster home so Finn can have his room again.  He is settling in tonight.  Last night he was a little nervous and tentative, but this morning he was ready to be snuggled.  My husband has been spending time with him and they are now watching the baseball game.  At least my husband is watching - Finn is too busy purring to listen to the game.
Since we are in the process of moving, we are trying to not let the turmoil of packing affect Finn. Our other kitties are sitting on boxes and bins as they are packed.  Guess they want to be sure that they don't get left behind!
I will post some pictures of Finn tomorrow so you can see how great he looks.  We are thrilled to have him back with us and look forward to letting him get to know the other kitties in our family.

July 18, 2014

I know it has been a long time since my last post.  Finn has been enjoying time in MA and his foster mom has fallen in love with his sweet disposition.  After much discussion and many tears, Finn's foster mom has decided for a variety of reasons that he belongs back here with me.  Finn will be staying with her for another week or so while my foster kittens recover from their spay/neuter surgery (had surgery today) and are available for adoption.  I want Finn's room to be ready for him before he comes home.
This has been a difficult decision for all of us.  I have missed Finn terribly since he left, but I know he has been loved and cared for.  His mobility issues in addition to his blindness can seem overwhelming to us, but he remains sweet and affectionate.  My husband and I had decided that if Finn needed to return to POA for any reason, we would keep him with us.
We are in the process of selling our homes and combining households with our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters.  Finn knows and loves them already and the girls are thrilled to have Finn coming back.  We have bought a large home together with plenty of room for our animals.  The combined household will consist of one Great Dane/Mastiff mix, four rescued cats, one African Grey Parrot, one Senegal Parrot, and one rabbit.  Fortunately, we will have a large bedroom with plenty of space for Finn so he can meet his new siblings at his own pace. He already has met our Fred, Ginger, and Meko.
I will keep you all updated and will be sure to post pictures when Finn comes back home.  I am so thankful for those of you who have followed Finn's Chronicles and to his foster mom who has taken such loving care of him while I was on vacation and caring for these precious kittens rescued from a feral colony.

May 21, 2014

Home at last!  I am pleased to report that Finn met his new mom yesterday.  She and a friend drove down to the shelter from Massachusetts.  Finn was all packed and ready to go.  He had his bed, his favorite catnip mice, his low condo, his special litter box, and his favorite CD.

There was an instant connection between Finn and Mary.  He explored the shelter while his new mom filled out paperwork.  She has had three blind cats and is very experienced with helping blind cats to become familiar with their surroundings.  Currently Finn will be the only cat in the home, but she is thinking of adding a blind kitten in the future so Finn can have a companion.
Mary texted me last night when she and Finn were settled in.  He was a good boy on the ride home.  She had set up his living space and he was eating and checking out his new home.  A little later she sent me a picture of Finn on his low condo - he had climbed up himself.  He had never climbed up before without our help.  She did send a picture of him happily curled up on his condo.
I will post pictures of Finn's adoption soon and any pictures sent to me by his new mom.
Life without Finn is very different - we do miss him, but know that he is in the right forever home.
Thank you all for caring about Finn and for your patience with me as we prepared Finn to move on to his forever home.  I will endeavor to keep you all informed of his progress.  I know that he has a great future with Mary.  Now I must go and take care of the 2 litters of kittens (7 total) that we found last week while trapping in a feral colony. Since our foster homes are all full - it is kitten season - I have them here at my house.  Life is never boring.

April 25, 2014

I apologize for the lack of posts.  This is an extremely busy time of the year because we are offering a TNR program for feral cat colonies in our area.  We have been very busy trapping and bringing the cats to the vet for spay/neuter, shots, and other necessary treatment.  After they have recovered for a few days in our barn, they are returned to their colony.
Finn has also been a busy boy!  Last week on April 16, Finn saw the eye doctor in Massachusetts. She examined his eyes and determined that his blindness is complete and irreversible.  While it is impossible to know the exact cause, she agrees that it is most likely a result of a vitamin deficiency and malnutrition.  Finn is not fond of riding in a car and the trip was over an hour each way.  I tried a soft carrier this time and he was much happier.  Last Friday Finn went to the vet who treated him and had his neuter surgery.  He is recovered now and doing fine. All the vets feel that he is ready to go to a quiet stable home with no dogs.
Today I decided to let Finn meet Fred, our buff colored guy.  Finn had already met Fred's sister, Ginger.  Fred entered the room with a great deal of interest.  He settled down about 3 feet from Finn.  Although Finn could not see him, he knew Fred was there.  Finn stared in the direction of Fred and did a few "slow blinks".  Fred then started to explore the area around Finn.  He sniffed at Finn's bed and condo, used Finn's litter box, ate a little of Finn's food and finally sniffed at Finn. Finn was fine with all of this - just sat quietly.  When my husband took Fred out, our other cat, Meko, was right outside the door.  She did not enter the room, but Finn sat right up and hissed at her.  For some reason, he is fine with Fred and Ginger, but really becomes defensive around Meko.

Check out Fred and Finn's first meeting today on the video!

Thank you for all your interest and support - I will keep you all updated on Finn's journey to his new home.