So to start, I am now the owner of a slew of animals. I won't let it get to hoarder status, but when I see an animal that needs my care, I can't help it! Nubi was trapped in a cage when he was a baby. He had a crazy fever and bad upper respiratory infection. He required a lot of care.. So we housed him for a bit, included him in our homes, and did our best to "tame" that feral cat. He did pretty well for a while, but after some time we noticed he was hiding a lot, and hissing a lot if we tried to snuggle him or interact with him. Every time the door would open he would rush outside. We couldn't get him back inside, so we began feeding him outside. He sticks around often and plays with the pups. I don't like to have an outside cat at all... but with his vaccines up to date, and him being neutered I feel a bit better about it. I still have yet to figure out if he plans on moving with us.. but for now we leave food outside. By leaving food outside a lot of other cats and kittens come around. We've become a soup kitchen for the outside cats. We have diligent downstairs neighbors who are also looking out for the neighborhood cats. Our downstairs neighbors took one cat in to get his shots and are trying to take care of him, get him neutered and keep him safe as well. Spaying and neutering helps save lives as the cat doesn't feel the urge to travel long distances, putting themselves in dangerous situations to mate. But, we can't keep the population controlled completely. There are a few little kittens running around the neighborhood. This is where little Merlin comes in. Usually when I open my front door random cats scatter, and disappear in the shadows, but little Merlin is the sweetest thing ever.
He too had an upper respiratory infection, though no where near as bad as Nubi's. Nubi had to be dunked in ice water to bring his fever down! Merlin just needed some medicine. We brought him in to give him the medicine and set up a little cat hospital room in my home. Unsure of how a "wild" kitten would do with our pups.. Meko and Wicket don't like anyone else but them. Whatever part chihuahua that's in them keeps them from liking anyone that isn't part chihuahua. So I figured we can at least get him well and see if he needs to be put back..
The dogs were curious to see the atrocity we brought in the house, so I let them come take a look. Merlin was actually happy to see them and wanted to play, while Wicket refused to look at him, and Meko showed his scary teeth and snapped if the kitten moved. I didn't think there was much hope in keeping him indoors at all!
That's when I was surprised. The very next day Wicket started nosing Merlin, watching him, and kind of grunting at him. Merlin head butted him and Wicket accepted him.. followed him around and even laid down by him.
Then Meko surprised me! When Meko saw that Wicket liked Merlin, Meko felt he could too.
The three have been friends since! I am now confident in leaving Merlin to walk around the house as he pleases with the dogs playing with him.
So that was the start of my weekend. Other than vet bills, anxiety about if my pups would kill a sick baby kitten, it was really awesome to see the kitten fit in! He loves to play, and snuggle. I've never met such a social cat!
Anyways, this post wasn't supposed to be just about Merlin, this post is meant to be about the crazy roller coaster of a weekend!
All last week I had been in a fog. Feeling heavy, drained, depressed, uninspired... I think several people were feeling it, but I'm feeling a lot better today.
Last night I thought I finally felt better. I thought I had worked through the blockage, and I started to get some art work done. That's when Sterling went into the kitchen and said, "What is this red stuff dripping from the freezer?"
I ran in to see all of the contents of my freezer melting! I opened the fridge to see everything in there was getting warm! We had to think fast. I looked up how to fix it on the internet and shouted instructions to Sterling who was sitting on the floor poking around the back of the fridge. I called our after hours maintenance, they couldn't fix it until later the next day, or possibly later in the week! So, we had to throw out tons of food. We went out an bought the cheapest mini fridge we could find on such short notice. We had Merlin's medicine to keep cold as well as some food I had just cooked up. We fit all we could into the little fridge, and sadly had to throw the rest of the food away.
I've spent all morning on the phone with our new management company, informing them of the hell I've been through when it comes to landlords, and property management companies. I didn't even mention the gas bill issues yet! In fact, the house has changed hands so many times it hasn't been paid for in months! I don't have access to the account anymore, so I'm hoping I will still have hot water this next month!
The list of things wrong with this house is pretty big. I emailed it to the maintenance department and my new property managers. I explained our story, the condition of the house when I moved in, and the things I was willing to fix when I moved.
I'm excited to move out next month. Though with all the random emergency expenses I'm not sure if I will be able to afford a deposit or first month's rent!! It feels like as soon as I have a deposit saved up an emergency happens that causes me to dip into my savings.
Yesterday Merlin broke a mirror.. I'm hoping that means he will have the bad luck, and no me... but 3 hours after he broke the mirror the fridge went out.
I could really use some good luck these next few months! I've got to save for a deposit, pet fees, application fees, and rent in the new place... all while trying to find the new place, then pack up all my stuff and move in.. meaning I may have to rent a truck, and even sell some furniture as it will be way too heavy for me to lift. It's all totally overwhelming.
Expect some sales in the art shop, and possibly some complaints. But I'll do my best to stay optimistic.
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