Pet Momma

I have a hard time saying No. It’s a fact. I really like to help out, and I definitely over commit myself at times.

Most recently I’ve been helping out a local shelter with a bunch of parrots that are on a safe hold. The parrots were just cleared to go to foster, so of course I had to volunteer. There were a couple of the birds that I had really enjoyed spending time with when I was volunteering, but of course those were everyone’s favorites and they went to foster while I was away on vacation.

I went to the shelter yesterday to see what they still needed. I kinda wanted to foster a macaw because it seems like a limited opportunity. I’d never go out and get a bird like that myself, but to have one as a foster was very tempting. As soon as I walked into the room with the macaws yesterday, I knew that was a bad idea! They are so loud!

This guy was one I hadn’t spent a ton of time with at the shelter, but I knew him, and I spent some time with him yesterday. He’s a bit shy, but very sweet. He takes treats from my hand and already lets me scratch his head. This morning, I picked him up and brought him home!

So far he is settling in really well. He did almost chew through his carrier on the way home, but we made it without him escaping in the car. I can’t imagine trying to explain to my husband that the parrot ate his car seat or dashboard!

Once we made it home, I put him in the shower for safety while I got his cage set up. I’ve got him near Hector, but not quite close enough to touch. They would have to work really hard to get to each other’s cages. Hector was very curious, but quickly went back to destroying a new cardboard box in her cage. K seems to have little or no interest in Hector. 

As soon as he got in his new cage, the very first thing he did was empty both of his food bowls! He yells “Hey” in a cute little voice whenever I leave the room for a minute, but so far there hasn’t been any screaming. He showed me that he can fly and followed me into another room, but thankfully he stepped right up on my hand and let me bring him back to his cage.

Just a couple of hours after being here, he seems very comfortable in and out of his cage. He’s eating, grooming, and even playing with some toys. I hope he continues to settle in easily! My plan is to give him a couple of days to settle and then start working on him with a consistent step up. Stayed tuned for more foster parrot updates soon!

Things are pretty quiet around here. I’m still expecting to see Logan when I walk in to certain rooms. I got a lovely card from my vet yesterday with the wood token in the above picture. So sweet. Today I’ll be heading to the vet to pick up Logan’s remains. Never a fun trip, but closure.

My son was home last weekend with his cat, Martin, so we got the three crazy boy cats running around and getting into things all weekend, fun!

I’m not fostering right now. I’ve got a trip coming up, and with Cali still recovering, it didn’t feel like the right time. I have been volunteering at a local animal shelter and taking care of a bunch of parrots. It has been so fun! I’ve realized that as beautiful as macaws are, they are huge birds, and I much rather play with cockatoos and of course my own African Grey. There is something really scary about the beak of a macaw!

I’m getting a chance to spend a lot of quality time with some cockatoos, and I just love them! One tiny little Goffin’s Cockatoo is a real clown. He escapes from his cage, loves to get down on the floor and run, and also does these funny swings from the top of his cage down the side and back up, like little birds circles. Another doesn’t want to be picked up, but loves head scratches. If I turn away from him to visit another bird he says “Scratches” in this sweet little baby voice until I come over and rub his head.

I’ll be taking care of my Dad’s dogs this weekend. Two Portuguese Water Dogs, one is still a puppy. Should be fun! Looking forward to getting in some weekend puppy time! I hope we have nice weather so we can get outdoors.

Heading out of town next week, so there may be a break before my next update. I’m thankful that I have an amazing friend that will take care of Cali while we travel. She’s going to be a little extra work with her leg injury.

Anyone else vacationing soon? What do you do with your pets when you travel? Leave a message and let me know!

Just when things seemed to be calming down for Logan, Cali starts limping. I put her out yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure what happened, but when I called her to come in, she was just sitting in the driveway. When she tried to come to me, I noticed she wasn’t putting any weight on her back right leg. I didn’t think too much about it. I assumed it was cold or she got some snow in it. I scooped her up and brought her in the house and washed all her paws with nice warm water.

It didn’t help. She was still limping and not putting much weight on it at all. I gave her some CBD, wrapped her in a blanket and let her sleep. I was hoping she would be better this morning, but she wasn’t.

I cancelled all my plans for the day and was able to get her in to the vet this morning. Unfortunately, it’s not good news. They are pretty sure she tore a ligament, similar to a human tearing their ACL, it’s basically what poor Cali did.

Unfortunately, they don’t want to do surgery. She has a heart murmur and kidney issues, and they feel that operating may cause worse problems than the knee. The vet says to keep her quiet and see how she does as she heals. She’s on pain meds and a joint supplement. Poor baby.

Poor pup, she is so miserable, but the pain meds do seem to be bringing her some relief. I guess we’ll see how she does over the next couple of weeks.

The good news from the vet visit is that she hasn’t lost any weight. I’ve been worried because she really doesn’t seem to like any of the Kidney diet foods I’ve tried with her. I’ve been mixing some regular dog food in with the prescription food which isn’t the best for her kidneys, but She’s too little to lose much weight. I guess she is eating enough to maintain herself at least, so that’s something.

Any one else have a dog with a torn ligament? Did you opt for surgery? Share your experiences in the comments, I’d love to learn more.

The lovely family I really liked at Sunday’s adoption event wants Skye! Fingers crossed all the paperwork goes through and she gets adopted this week!

Logan went in for more blood work on Monday. This cat is a fighter! The ups and downs are killing me, but I’m happy she seems to be doing well again. She’s back to eating, and the bloodwork shows that the medication is working! Her ketones and blood sugar are down, and her liver and kidney values are back in a normal range! We will continue with the Bexacat and retest in two weeks. If things look good in two weeks, we won’t have to keep testing as often, YAY!