Paul's Infrequently Updated Blog

Today after school, we went on our visit to see Cinders at the Humane Society. We have been doing this at least twice a week since March when the Humane Society called and asked if we would like to adopt her.

While we were there, the staff at the Humane Society told us she was not healing and that they thought it was because of her situation at the Humane Society. Cinders pretty much gets to sit in cage all day with not much stimulation. They told us it might be better if we took her home where she would be in a better environment and where they think she will have a better chance to heal her sores. So, we have brought Cinders home. So far, she has spent a lot of time hiding under the bed upstairs but that is to be expected. She is, after all, in a new environment with two other cats that she does not know.

So far, Puck and Harvey have not taken well to Cinders. I am hoping that, with time, this will change, but our main concern right now is getting Cinders all healed. I have made an appointment with the vet and hopefully we can get Cinders settled into her new home and healed.

Today was Senior Service Day at the high school. I always like this day. While the sophomores spend most of their day testing and juniors both test and have to sit through a presentation, the seniors get to go out around the Gering/Scottsbluff area to do some community service for various organizations around town.

This year was actually my first year with the seniors. The last two years I had to spend at the Freshmen Academy with the 9th graders who have to take their Terra Nova tests on Senior Service Day. This year, I was picked to supervise a group of seniors as they spent part of their day helping out at the Panhandle Humane Society.  In total I had about a dozen seniors who were divided up into groups once the got to the Humane Society. Each group spent a little time doing different tasks, such as working with the cats, cleaning parts of the building, and working and playing with the dogs.

Although we were only there a few hours, it provided some insight into what the Humane Society does and just how much work is involved running a community organization. For me, the big plus was that, while I was there, I got to see Cinders. She is doing pretty good, but the healing is very slow. I think it may be after the end of the school year before we are allowed to take her home. I think she appreciated the fact that she got a lot of attention today.

After senior service was completed, the seniors returned to the high school for their senior picnic and then there were games where the students won prizes. It was organized so that everyone won at least one prize and some of the prizes were pretty good, such as flat screen televisions, ipods, and even a microwave oven.

At least for the seniors, it was a day away from the academic grind and for them a chance to hang out with people who they might not see again after they graduate next month. Unfortunately, there is some talk of not having senior service in the future, which would be sad as I think the students actually get something worthwhile out of this day.

Yesterday, while I was recuperating from my accident at home, I got a phone call from the Panhandle Humane Society. The lady said they had a cat that they thought would be great for us and asked if we would be interested in adopting her. I told her that we now had two cats and that having a third would be a little too much for us.

After the conversation ended, I started think about this kitty at the Humane Society. During the phone call, I was told that she was a Blue Point Siamese between 2 and 5 years old. This cat has no hind paws and when she came to the Humane Society she had burns and sores on her backside. After thinking about it, I felt pretty bad for the kitty so, when Irene came home from the junior high, I told her about the kitty and we drove over to the Humane Society to see the cat.

She is a very friendly cat considering that she has been through a lot and we have decided that, when she has healed up a little, we will take her home. She has been named Cinders by the Humane Society although we may change her name when we take her home.

Until we can take her home, we plan on visiting her a few times every week to spend time with her and see how she is doing. Judging by her injuries, it may be awhile before we can take her home. I do find it shocking that anyone could treat an animal they way Cinders has been treated. At least she is now on the road to recover and we can giver her a good home.

We have had the new cats for almost two weeks (Puck) and a week (Harvey) and things appear to be getting better. Puck is the most well adjusted and I think that is because he has been here longer. Things are a little more difficult for Harvey, but he seems to be adjusting to his new home.

At the weekend, we could not get Harvey out of the upstairs bathroom and he was sleeping on the kitty litter. When he did come out of the bathroom, he peed on the bedroom carpet, but I think that was just nerves. He is now using the litter box. He is also now coming downstairs and has finally started eating and drinking. We were really worried because, for the first two days, he would not eat or drink. Finally, on Sunday, he drank some water and, later in the day, he had some food.

Harvey seems like a very friendly cat and he is very affectionate. From what I have found out, he came from a farm out by Mitchell, Nebraska and was part of a litter of four kittens. He is about eight months old so he is still a kitten and not fully grown just yet. Both Puck and Harvey seem to be getting along better. There is less hissing and they seem to at least tolerate each other. Hopefully, their relationship will continue to improve.

Today during my 3-Blue class at school, three of my students came to me with a big box saying that the box was for me. I peered into the box and, at firs,t could not see anything. When I opened it some more, I saw two little yellow-green eyes looking back at me. The eyes belong to a little black cat that my students decided to give to me because they were sorry I lost D’Argo.

I had to spend the rest of the afternoon with the cat sitting in his box with a blanket the students bought for him. He could not get out of the box. He is very timid and shy. This second cat has been named Harvey after John Crichton’s neural clone out of the science fiction television show Farscape. Since we brought him home, Harvey refuses to leave the upstairs bathroom or indeed leave the litter box we have set up for him there. I am hopeful that he will settle down and adjust in a few days.

Meanwhile, Puck is doing much better. He is running around the house and does very well considering he has just three legs. He is not too fond of Harvey and keeps hissing at him. From what I have been reading, this should subside as the two cats get used to each other. It will just take a little time.