Mannie Update

Relaxing in the tub

Mannie is getting braver everyday.

Her safe place is the basement. Her litter box, chair(that I got at a garage sale for $5), toys, scratching post, water and food dish are down there. The dogs know they aren't allowed in the basement. They'll stand at the top of the stairs and wait while Abi or I are doing laundry.
We leave the basement door open for her to come and go as she pleases.
I leave my bedroom door open a smidge for her, so if she wanted to, she could snuggle with me at night, she could. The first two months she wasn't doing it. I decided I had to physically bring her upstairs and place her on my bed. So I did. Now she comes up to cuddle.
She is getting more confident around the dogs because of it.
Her and Chaos can hang out in the same room. They'll even share my bed with me for my afternoon nap.
Don't get me wrong, she's still nervous, but getting less and less nervous all the time.
She hisses madly at the dogs if any of them get too close.

Some Humans Are Awesome

This is just to follow up on the Mannie situation.

I received a call on Thursday from Metro Pet Market, where I purchase my dog and cat food, I was told that a couple unanimously and very generously donated a pile of gift certificates for Mannie's food!
I was completely blown away. I cried.
What a beautiful gesture!
They did say that there are so many cats that are looking for good homes, and Mannie has one, I've just run into a stumbling block, so to speak.

I'm so happy and relieved to keep her.
You have no idea.
Or maybe you do, I just hope that you don't.

I am living at my parents house till I'm able to buy my own place (separation agreement is complete, and my name is off the mortgage). Thankfully, my parents are not charging me rent. Phew!
Lawyers are p.r.i.c.e.y.!
I am doing a lot of housework, including my laundry. ;) Vacuuming, dusting, garbage, dishes, poop scooping, various tasks of caring for my nonhuman friends.
My Mom is pretty allergic to cats. Thus my anxiousness to get my own place.

All that being said, I won't need to use the gift certificates right away, but it's so nice to know that they're there once I'm paying my own mortgage(and extremely broke).
#grateful       Oh, Twitter!

Mannie the cat needs a new home :(

I can't afford to care for Mannie. I've gone over my budget a number of times, and I'm very sad to say I can't afford a number of things.

• Cable-which is totally fine, I'd actually prefer to not have it.

• Security System-for when I'm able to buy a new home.

• Land Line-I'll just use my cell phone. I have reduced my bill & plan, as well.

• Car Payment-I don't plan on having one when I buy a car.
  
  Other than that stuff, I'm doing cheap vegan meals.
  
  I never thought I would be in this position. Of giving up my cat. It was the furthest thing from my mind when I first fostered her, then adopted her. But here I am.
  
  <sigh> I can't give her the life she deserves. She is seriously the sweetest cat on the face of the planet.
  When I'm hanging out with her, she reaches her paw out to touch my face. It's so freakin' sweet!!
  She hasn't been declawed(ahem=mutilated), but she always very careful to not have them out. She's never scratched me.
  She'll come with all of her gear. Her two litter boxes, four food bowls, pine litter, wet food, scratching posts, all of her numerous toys.
  
  Mannie Facts:
  short-haired blue merle
  not declawed
  about 5 years old
  spayed
  litter trained
  eats high quality wet food twice a day
  
  If you are interested, please contact me.
  TBIvegan@live.ca
  

Mannie aka Mannipuss

This is Mannie.
We also call her Mannipuss.

♫ Hip hop-a-Mannipuss! ♫           
(Flight of the Conchords)

We fostered Mannie for People For Animals, starting at the end of October 2009. I had somehow convinced Troy that we should foster a cat.
Never mind that our dogs want to eat them.
I am told that she's from La Ronge. As a kitten, she was bashed in the head with a hammer, as a solution to her being alive.
She didn't die, but was rescued.
Her new person ended up with terminal cancer, so had to find new homes for her cats.

Mannie was very nervous and scared for the first while.
Understandably.

I did my research and from what I read, to get a cat used to her new environment, start her in a little room, and gradually allow her access to more and more.
We did just that.

Sadly, as mentioned above, Chaos and Mayhem are not 'cat-friendly'. At this point the dogs and cat are still living separately. We keep Mannie in a bedroom, with her dishes, litter box, scratching post, beds, and some toys, while the dogs are out of their crates. When they are in their crates, Mannie has run of the house.

She is the sweetest cat.
She isn't declawed, thankfully, so she's very careful to keep them in when she bats at you.
Very kind of her.
She's pretty vocal, but not to the point of being annoying, just wants to let you know that she's around. Or hungry.
She even let me cut her nails.
Mannie always goes in her litter box and she doesn't destroy the furniture with her nails.
There was a short period when she would claw the coach, but we got her a scratching post and she stopped. Simple solution.

Mannie is the same colours as this female cat that was on my grandparents farm while I was growing up.
She always had kittens.
We called her Grandma-Cat. She was the friendliest cat on the farm. One winter, her tail got caught in a vehicle door, and it fell off.
Poor kitten.
She's a blue merle, I later found out.

We started fostering Mannie in late October 2009, and we got in our crash on December 5, 2009.
While I was busy being in a coma, Troy and our friends and family looked after our furry friends. It did take Mannie a little time to get used to me again. I think she was a bit mad that I abandoned her for that couple of weeks. She refuses to let me cut her nails anymore.

Mannie and I both suffered brain trauma! We're Same-ies!

Needless to say, we fell in love with Mannie. We adopted her.
Troy sometimes calls her The Curse Cat, because she was bashed in the head, then her adopter died of terminal cancer, then we got in a terrible car crash. I don't believe she's cursed. Just has had a really shitty life.

Troy and I want to get her and the dogs good together, it's going very slowly. Mostly because I don't want the dogs to have her strewn about the house, and then try to love them again after they murdered my sweet cat. Troy doesn't think that'll happen.
It's been decided that Troy will be introducing them, while I am out of the house.
I am so nervous! But I really think Mannie's life wouldn't be so lonely if she and the dogs could chill together.