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zorathenneYou know. I think it's about time I finally get this particular 'chapter' out of my head.
It still really.. really.. hurts to think about it at times. But then I realize that the memories I was blessed with really should be shared and treasured rather than kept locked inside.
So I am going to share with you all the memories I was given by Garcia.
Saturday, August 20th..
By this time I'd had Ivy for a week or 2, and I was still on my little hunt for the white male to 'balance' my black female. But I was of course, open to whatever Serendipity decided to place in my path.
And I'm sure we all know how She can be.
To put this in... perspective of a sort.. I had gotten Ivy from the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. Looking back, a small part of me wishes I had gone back there to pick my next kitten.. The facility was very clean, they separated the cats and dogs in such a way that neither species breathed in the same 'space'.. All animals were tested, given whatever shots/vaccinations/medications were needed during their stay there (they have a vet or two who work there), and upon adoption, said pet was fixed and ready to go home with their new family in most cases the next day. On top of that, they worked with various vets who offered a free first checkup within the first week of adoption.
But Cherokee County was at least a good.. hour away.
So,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vernard and I decided to get my next kitten from a closer shelter. And the Gwinnett County Shelter seemed to be a close enough bet.
I was expecting a shelter somewhat along the lines of Cherokee..
*sigh* I know, not all shelters are the same, for various reasons.. Funding being one of them. Population another.. the list goes on.
But.. when Vernard and I walked in.. well.. they weren't a nasty facility, or anything like that. But it was quite different from Cherokee. For one, the cats and dogs were in the same area, though separated in a way by a wall that didn't exactly reach all the way to the ceiling, so they could smell and hear each other. And there were quite the smells and noises in abundance..
No shots, tests, vaccinations, etc. were given. Now, this really wasn't a problem.. but.. well.. you'll see why I'm not too eager to adopt from them again in the future.
Anyway, I wanted to take a look around, though a part of me was waving a big red flag and saying, "Um.. sweetness.. You might wanna walk your caramel butt right on out there and just make the drive back to Cherokee... Trust me on this.".
So, Vernard and I go past the dogs and into the little kitty room.. and oh.. my heart melted a million times over.. There was a little darling of a tabby girl no more than 2 months old who just made it clear she wanted out and now! Cause she had lots and lots of playing to do, thank you very much.. and that little kennel she was in was just seriously cramping her style, meowmeow! There was a cage with an orangecreamsicletabby cutie who wasn't as vocal, but was just as indignant *grin*. Oh there were so many furry little angels there.. and Vernard, drat him, has turned me into such a cat person, but I'd wanted a doggy too, but he wouldn't let me have one *pout*and I was just going gaa~gaa over them all.
Anyway, there were 2 kittens that caught my eye.. both were male, but they weren't full white.. but then.. like I said.. we all know about Serendipity..
The first kitten was actually too young, and I'd decided on getting a kitten about the same age as Ivy. But I was given the chance to take him into this little wooden room with chickenwire windows to play with him for a bit and love on him some *purr* before giving him back. But during some discussion with Vernard before leaving the cat room, my eye caught another set of kittens, and a certain male was among them, playing with his siblings..
They handed him to me to take him into the little room to get acquainted, and I fell flat on my face in love all over again. He was calm, quiet, and just all out chillin' and investigatin' me and the room, whereas Ivy was all OH!!LookitTHAT*runrunrunrunrunPOUNCE* WhatsTHIS?CanIeatit?!*scamperscamperclimbpounceJUMPflip* OoooOOoOoOohWHatsTHAT?!MustgoinvestigateNOW!! *scampertumblerunpounceGoTcHa*playPlayPlAyPLAYPLAY!!! OkietimetosnuggleforNAPS*sleepsleeppurr purrsleepsleep* okiewakeupPLAYMORERAWR!!!!! err.. well.. you get my drift..
Just like with Ivy, he was a bit on the skinny side, but we all knew I was gonna have him all fattened up and healthy within a matter of days.. He wasn't completely white.. But he was just so endearing.. And when I'd picked him back up from his inspection of the room, he looked up at me and did that snuggle up under my chin headbutt (it became his 'signature' later on)..
Oh.. He was mine. *melt*
I still had some misgivings, for instance.. I know it was all for good intentions on the part of the staff, but it was as though they were.. nicely and politely 'guilting' you into adopting.. they were running out of room.. they really really needed to find homes.. I was such a wonderful person for coming all this way to get a new family member (and I hadn't even chosen him at that time yet). And when I did eventually choose a few kept making comments to the extent of I should really adopt more than one kitten, so he could have a playmate, or even adopt his siblings.. they were a bit pushy.. But they were so nice and polite about it. *grumble*
But.. but.. I still wanted this little darling I was cradling in my arms.
During the adoption, we learned about their not testing/vaccination/shots/fixing pets ~ it did mean a lower adoption fee (and the extra tons of paperwork), but also meant there were no guarantees the pet was completely.. healthy ~ the red flag in my head was waving a tad more wildly, but they also informed us about the various PetCo's that were doing shots and vaccinations on Saturdays for a modest fee. And since we were there on that Saturday.. and were adopting this little darling.. It would only make sense to take advantage of the situation.. right..?
So we hop in Vernard's car, and just like when we brought home Ivy, I sat in the backseat with this adorable little boy, letting him out of his box to explore and climb all over me (which he did, meowing softly the whole time hehe). He hadn't yet told us his name, and we had to leave his name blank on the form we had to fill out for his shots and stuff for the moment, but that was alright.. he was going to tell us soon enough *grin*. We head over to the PetCo, and learn we're pretty much just in time, as they started doing the shots and the like 30 minutes before we got there. We get in line, and by this time, the little darling had quieted down in his cardboard carrier and was jus' chillin'.. (yeah yeah.. so I was the one who was doing all of the fretting and continuous checking on him.. what of it? *grin*) While peeking in on him for the 100th time *grin*, Vernard made a comment about how kewl he was being and mellow, and suggested naming him 'Garcia', for Jerry Garcia. Oh, it fit him so well.. But at the time, I just thought of it as a nickname. I should have known better hehe... During the wait, I decide to go see about getting him groomed up a bit, so I wandered over to the store's grooming salon and brought back a young woman who was to trim his claws while I wandered around the store a bit more. Coming back to Vernard in line with a few goodies for the kitty ~ and Ivy too! ~ (and a few grinning people who saw what happened), he related how the kitten reacted to the woman trimming his claws.. He was soo relaxed and chillin' and purring while she was doing his front paws, and then she turned him onto his back and cradled him so she could get to his rear paws. For a moment he'd seemed a bit put out and had started to struggle until she gave him some tummy scritches, and he stopped struggling and just stuck one rear paw out. Almost as though he was saying, "Oh.. why didn't you just tell me you just wanted to trim my rear claws! Yeah.. Tummy scritches.. *purr~rr~r* That'll do it.."
Garcia stuck *grin*.
I hastliy scribbled his name on the form, and soon enough he was getting his shots and deworming. One of the assistants let us know Garcia might run a bit of a fever overnight from the vaccinations and stuff, but it would be alright, unless it ran for more than 24 hours. She explained I could give him children's Tylenol or Benadryl (tiny doses) to help with any fever, and that if it kept up, to take him to a vet. We brought him to my place, and.. well.. Ivy.. *grin* Ivy wasn't sure what to make of him in the beginning. So for a little moment she just watched Garcia as he took his time exploring his surroundings. He learned where the litterbox was (first thing!), and where the grub was *grin*. Eventually Ivy would run up and hiss at Garcia, and Garcia would hiss right back (Off me, bitch!), then keep right on walking and exploring, as though Ivy weren't there rofl. Then Garcia discovered Ivy's spot on the windowsill pallet, and as you all saw by the pics I took that day, he plain took it over, curled up, and slept. Poor Ivy *giggle*. He didn't move from that spot, and I gathered that he was only going to sleep off the slight fever from the vaccinations. Well.. later on that night he was still curled up on the windowsill, so I went to love on him and lightly brush his fur. Upon inspection, I noticed he seemed covered in debris that I'd thought was just dirt and stuff from the shelter, and him being a medium~long haired cat, I wasn't too concerned, until I noticed something wriggling around in his fur.
Garcia was infested with fleas.. The 'dirt' was coming from Garcia and the fleas.
It was about 11pm, but after a slightly frantic call to Vernard, I went on the hunt for something to get rid of the fleas. I ended up having to go to Wal~Mart, and getting some Hartz flea shampoo (it was pretty much all they had as an option; I couldn't get the collars as they all listed being for older cats) and some liquid children's tylenol (just in case). I ended up having to wash him twice (half in tears the whole time because poor Garcia was just protesting and shivering like crazy) and I tried to keep the water as comfortably warm for himas I could and wrapped him up immediately after rinsing him off to dry him. After washing and drying him (my nerves stayed frayed until he'd finally stopped shivering), I made a bit of a solution with the shampoo and warm water, dipped a flea comb in it, and slowly went through Garcia's fur. I promised him that the next morning, before work, I was gonna head to PetCo and grab some Frontline for him and Ivy.
In all it took about 3 days to get all those fleas. I also found out that a certain dish soap was also good for killing fleas.
Oh, I was livid. Livid at that shelter for not at least checking for fleas. And especially with all those little kids that were in there the day I was getting Garcia.. I knew I was never going back there to adopt again. Now, I know I may have 'overreacted', but there was no way I was going to welcome fleas into my house. My cats were to be indoor cats. No fleas.. No ticks.. None of that. Hell no. You damn right I was one overreacting woman.
That night before I went to sleep, Garcia left his windowsill post (where he'd retreated to after his flea bath), and curled up on my chest (Ivy settled for curling up snuggled into my side). Fleas or no fleas, Garcia slept with his mommy that night.. and every night after that *grin*.
Oh good lord.. I didn't even realize what time it was. I know I have tomorrow.. err.. well today off ~ well.. have stuff to do with Mom.. but I need to get some sleep..
I'll share more later.. (If you all want *grin*)
It still really.. really.. hurts to think about it at times. But then I realize that the memories I was blessed with really should be shared and treasured rather than kept locked inside.
So I am going to share with you all the memories I was given by Garcia.
Saturday, August 20th..
By this time I'd had Ivy for a week or 2, and I was still on my little hunt for the white male to 'balance' my black female. But I was of course, open to whatever Serendipity decided to place in my path.
And I'm sure we all know how She can be.
To put this in... perspective of a sort.. I had gotten Ivy from the Cherokee County Animal Shelter. Looking back, a small part of me wishes I had gone back there to pick my next kitten.. The facility was very clean, they separated the cats and dogs in such a way that neither species breathed in the same 'space'.. All animals were tested, given whatever shots/vaccinations/medications were needed during their stay there (they have a vet or two who work there), and upon adoption, said pet was fixed and ready to go home with their new family in most cases the next day. On top of that, they worked with various vets who offered a free first checkup within the first week of adoption.
But Cherokee County was at least a good.. hour away.
So,
vernard and I decided to get my next kitten from a closer shelter. And the Gwinnett County Shelter seemed to be a close enough bet.I was expecting a shelter somewhat along the lines of Cherokee..
*sigh* I know, not all shelters are the same, for various reasons.. Funding being one of them. Population another.. the list goes on.
But.. when Vernard and I walked in.. well.. they weren't a nasty facility, or anything like that. But it was quite different from Cherokee. For one, the cats and dogs were in the same area, though separated in a way by a wall that didn't exactly reach all the way to the ceiling, so they could smell and hear each other. And there were quite the smells and noises in abundance..
No shots, tests, vaccinations, etc. were given. Now, this really wasn't a problem.. but.. well.. you'll see why I'm not too eager to adopt from them again in the future.
Anyway, I wanted to take a look around, though a part of me was waving a big red flag and saying, "Um.. sweetness.. You might wanna walk your caramel butt right on out there and just make the drive back to Cherokee... Trust me on this.".
So, Vernard and I go past the dogs and into the little kitty room.. and oh.. my heart melted a million times over.. There was a little darling of a tabby girl no more than 2 months old who just made it clear she wanted out and now! Cause she had lots and lots of playing to do, thank you very much.. and that little kennel she was in was just seriously cramping her style, meowmeow! There was a cage with an orange
Anyway, there were 2 kittens that caught my eye.. both were male, but they weren't full white.. but then.. like I said.. we all know about Serendipity..
The first kitten was actually too young, and I'd decided on getting a kitten about the same age as Ivy. But I was given the chance to take him into this little wooden room with chickenwire windows to play with him for a bit and love on him some *purr* before giving him back. But during some discussion with Vernard before leaving the cat room, my eye caught another set of kittens, and a certain male was among them, playing with his siblings..
They handed him to me to take him into the little room to get acquainted, and I fell flat on my face in love all over again. He was calm, quiet, and just all out chillin' and investigatin' me and the room, whereas Ivy was all OH!!LookitTHAT*runrunrunrunrunPOUNCE* WhatsTHIS?CanIeatit?!*scamperscamperclimbpounceJUMPflip* OoooOOoOoOohWHatsTHAT?!MustgoinvestigateNOW!! *scampertumblerunpounceGoTcHa*playPlayPlAyPLAYPLAY!!! OkietimetosnuggleforNAPS*sleepsleeppurr purrsleepsleep* okiewakeupPLAYMORERAWR!!!!! err.. well.. you get my drift..
Just like with Ivy, he was a bit on the skinny side, but we all knew I was gonna have him all fattened up and healthy within a matter of days.. He wasn't completely white.. But he was just so endearing.. And when I'd picked him back up from his inspection of the room, he looked up at me and did that snuggle up under my chin headbutt (it became his 'signature' later on)..
Oh.. He was mine. *melt*
I still had some misgivings, for instance.. I know it was all for good intentions on the part of the staff, but it was as though they were.. nicely and politely 'guilting' you into adopting.. they were running out of room.. they really really needed to find homes.. I was such a wonderful person for coming all this way to get a new family member (and I hadn't even chosen him at that time yet). And when I did eventually choose a few kept making comments to the extent of I should really adopt more than one kitten, so he could have a playmate, or even adopt his siblings.. they were a bit pushy.. But they were so nice and polite about it. *grumble*
But.. but.. I still wanted this little darling I was cradling in my arms.
During the adoption, we learned about their not testing/vaccination/shots/fixing pets ~ it did mean a lower adoption fee (and the extra tons of paperwork), but also meant there were no guarantees the pet was completely.. healthy ~ the red flag in my head was waving a tad more wildly, but they also informed us about the various PetCo's that were doing shots and vaccinations on Saturdays for a modest fee. And since we were there on that Saturday.. and were adopting this little darling.. It would only make sense to take advantage of the situation.. right..?
So we hop in Vernard's car, and just like when we brought home Ivy, I sat in the backseat with this adorable little boy, letting him out of his box to explore and climb all over me (which he did, meowing softly the whole time hehe). He hadn't yet told us his name, and we had to leave his name blank on the form we had to fill out for his shots and stuff for the moment, but that was alright.. he was going to tell us soon enough *grin*. We head over to the PetCo, and learn we're pretty much just in time, as they started doing the shots and the like 30 minutes before we got there. We get in line, and by this time, the little darling had quieted down in his cardboard carrier and was jus' chillin'.. (yeah yeah.. so I was the one who was doing all of the fretting and continuous checking on him.. what of it? *grin*) While peeking in on him for the 100th time *grin*, Vernard made a comment about how kewl he was being and mellow, and suggested naming him 'Garcia', for Jerry Garcia. Oh, it fit him so well.. But at the time, I just thought of it as a nickname. I should have known better hehe... During the wait, I decide to go see about getting him groomed up a bit, so I wandered over to the store's grooming salon and brought back a young woman who was to trim his claws while I wandered around the store a bit more. Coming back to Vernard in line with a few goodies for the kitty ~ and Ivy too! ~ (and a few grinning people who saw what happened), he related how the kitten reacted to the woman trimming his claws.. He was soo relaxed and chillin' and purring while she was doing his front paws, and then she turned him onto his back and cradled him so she could get to his rear paws. For a moment he'd seemed a bit put out and had started to struggle until she gave him some tummy scritches, and he stopped struggling and just stuck one rear paw out. Almost as though he was saying, "Oh.. why didn't you just tell me you just wanted to trim my rear claws! Yeah.. Tummy scritches.. *purr~rr~r* That'll do it.."
Garcia stuck *grin*.
I hastliy scribbled his name on the form, and soon enough he was getting his shots and deworming. One of the assistants let us know Garcia might run a bit of a fever overnight from the vaccinations and stuff, but it would be alright, unless it ran for more than 24 hours. She explained I could give him children's Tylenol or Benadryl (tiny doses) to help with any fever, and that if it kept up, to take him to a vet. We brought him to my place, and.. well.. Ivy.. *grin* Ivy wasn't sure what to make of him in the beginning. So for a little moment she just watched Garcia as he took his time exploring his surroundings. He learned where the litterbox was (first thing!), and where the grub was *grin*. Eventually Ivy would run up and hiss at Garcia, and Garcia would hiss right back (Off me, bitch!), then keep right on walking and exploring, as though Ivy weren't there rofl. Then Garcia discovered Ivy's spot on the windowsill pallet, and as you all saw by the pics I took that day, he plain took it over, curled up, and slept. Poor Ivy *giggle*. He didn't move from that spot, and I gathered that he was only going to sleep off the slight fever from the vaccinations. Well.. later on that night he was still curled up on the windowsill, so I went to love on him and lightly brush his fur. Upon inspection, I noticed he seemed covered in debris that I'd thought was just dirt and stuff from the shelter, and him being a medium~long haired cat, I wasn't too concerned, until I noticed something wriggling around in his fur.
Garcia was infested with fleas.. The 'dirt' was coming from Garcia and the fleas.
It was about 11pm, but after a slightly frantic call to Vernard, I went on the hunt for something to get rid of the fleas. I ended up having to go to Wal~Mart, and getting some Hartz flea shampoo (it was pretty much all they had as an option; I couldn't get the collars as they all listed being for older cats) and some liquid children's tylenol (just in case). I ended up having to wash him twice (half in tears the whole time because poor Garcia was just protesting and shivering like crazy) and I tried to keep the water as comfortably warm for himas I could and wrapped him up immediately after rinsing him off to dry him. After washing and drying him (my nerves stayed frayed until he'd finally stopped shivering), I made a bit of a solution with the shampoo and warm water, dipped a flea comb in it, and slowly went through Garcia's fur. I promised him that the next morning, before work, I was gonna head to PetCo and grab some Frontline for him and Ivy.
In all it took about 3 days to get all those fleas. I also found out that a certain dish soap was also good for killing fleas.
Oh, I was livid. Livid at that shelter for not at least checking for fleas. And especially with all those little kids that were in there the day I was getting Garcia.. I knew I was never going back there to adopt again. Now, I know I may have 'overreacted', but there was no way I was going to welcome fleas into my house. My cats were to be indoor cats. No fleas.. No ticks.. None of that. Hell no. You damn right I was one overreacting woman.
That night before I went to sleep, Garcia left his windowsill post (where he'd retreated to after his flea bath), and curled up on my chest (Ivy settled for curling up snuggled into my side). Fleas or no fleas, Garcia slept with his mommy that night.. and every night after that *grin*.
Oh good lord.. I didn't even realize what time it was. I know I have tomorrow.. err.. well today off ~ well.. have stuff to do with Mom.. but I need to get some sleep..
I'll share more later.. (If you all want *grin*)
