Mr. Snippers Yet Again

Just a quick update on Mr. Snippers. He was checked out on Wednesday, December 21st, which was also my birthday. Kind of a great birthday present, being able to get him to the vet like that. Anyway, the vet said he appears to be completely blind. He MAY be able to see a bit of light/dark type thing, but if so, it's not much. They tested him for the usual diseases and he came out negative. YAY!!!

Thursday: Mr. Snippers was neutered and received all his shots. He came through the surgery with flying colors and it was remarked how kinda funny it was to watch a cat that was not only blind but also a bit drunk from the anesthesia. (We're not laughing at you, Mr. Snippers. With you, I promise.) I stopped by to check on him and he loved on me like crazy, seemed none the worse for wear. Everyone talked about how sweet he is.

Friday: Picked Mr. Snippers up around noon as the vet's office was closing at 1pm. Took him to stay (in a large dog crate) with Mr. Christoper at Salon Zen. Someone had been talking about adopting him, but we hadn't heard from her, so Mr. Christopher was planning on taking him home to stay with him for the weekend. Mr. Snippers raised a bit of a bru-ha-ha stuck in the crate, and after some thought, it was decided he should come home with me for the weekend instead. Mr. Christopher has two dogs and we had no idea how they'd react if confronted with a yowling kitty all night, and I've had to set up my bathroom for sick kitties for a week at a time before, so I have a bit of experience. Just before I was getting ready to bring him home, the prospective adopter called, and we decided to meet up today (Saturday - Christmas Eve).

Mr. Snippers was great all night. I sat with him a couple times and he would just lay in my arms and go to sleep, purring so loudly. A part of me was thinking about just saying forget it, he's mine. But, I had decided to see how he'd react with other cats as I also had a woman in Raleigh who was interested in him if the local adopter did not work out, and she has 4 cats of her own plus 7 fosters. When I brought in Google, there was a lot of sniffing, then Mr. Sniffers slunk away hissing. Not too good of a start. made me wonder how he's react with the dogs.

Saturday: The big day. I held Mr. Snippers this morning and explained to him that everything we'd done was for his own good, and maybe he could be on his best behavior when we visited the lady who wanted to adopt him. I told him this could be his new mommylady, and as her dad lives there too, he'd even have a grandpa to spoil him. We just needed to get past the doggie test. He curled up in my arms and went to sleep. Maybe that was a good sign, or maybe I was just boring him.   :-)

D (not gonna use her name since I didn't ask if I could and don't know if she'd want me to) is an artist and has a small studio space next to her house. She thought it would be best to take Mr. Snippers in there first, and bring the dogs in one at a time to see how it goes. First good sign, that she would think about that. Made me feel good. We let him walk around first, get the lay of the land, then she brought in the first dog. (The first two are small poodle mixes, the third is a poodle...not too much bigger than the others.)

All I can say is WOW. Snippers (my husband calls him that saying that he can no longer be called Mister, LOL) walked right up to the dog. They sniffed each other, sniffed each other's butts of course, and kinda walked around in a circle. Then Mr. Snippers (yes, I will continue to call him that Dear) actually loved on the dog, rubbing his head up against him. He even rolled over on his back like he wanted to play. The next two dogs, same thing; although he did end up laying down under a table to get away from the third for a bit as he was VERY energetic.

When we took Mr. Snippers into the house, he walked around, kind of feeling out the area. It was neat watching him walk the perimeter basically, like he was measuring out exactly where the walls were and such. All three dogs....well...dogged him basically, but he never seemed the least bit scared or nervous. At one point, they were surrounding him, with the especially rambunctious one barking like crazy. Mr. Snippers just scooted his way out of the fray and found himself a hiding spot; all calm, just getting away. Not once did he seem upset or scared or nervous.

I really had a good feeling when I was there. D and her dad seem like really great people, and I kinda have the feeling that Mr. Snippers will be hanging out with her dad a lot. He'll want to get away from the dogs some, and he is turning into a bit of a lap cat, which pleases me to no end. He let me hold him so much the past couple days, and it melted my heart. (Oh, I forgot; D is on the board of our local animal rescue. Another good sign?)

Snippers has been given the very best Christmas gift he could ask for. As for me, is was a gift for me as well. One that I really needed. Hopefully, he will settle in quickly and live a very long and happy life with his new family. They know where I am if they ever need me, and D promised to keep in touch and let me know how he's doing. (She's going to email me tomorrow to let me know how he did on his first night even.) She even said I could visit any time I wanted to. She may have just been trying to be polite, but I may have to take her up on that.    :-)

Merry Christmas Everybody!!!

Winter Funnies

So far, Walken in a Winter Wonderland from yesterday is my favorite. But, here are a couple more winter funnies.

(For my literary pun-loving friends.)

(For the pun-loving wrestling fans out there, if you guys remember the first Steve Austin anyway.)  

:-)

Facebook Funnies

And now for some funny stuff that has been shared by my various Facebook friends. Enjoy.

Mr. Snippers Part 2

The appointment has been made. Mr. Snippers will be snipped on Thursday. I am taking him in tomorrow morning so Dr. Stewart can go ahead and do the exam stuff, see how blind he is, make sure he's healthy otherwise. He will stay the night, get "fixed" Thursday, then stay that night as well. I really wish it would be possible to have an inside home ready and waiting for him when I pick him up on Friday, but I guess that's a bit much to ask right now. But, I have the blind rescue organization in St. Pauls on stand-by to post him on their Facebook page, and hopefully we can at least get him into a foster home for the new year.

Thanks to all who donated. I will continue to post updates and more pictures when I get a chance.

YAY Mr. Snippers!!!

Online Scavenger Hunt

(First off, and FYI: With the money I've collected on the Chip-In for Mr. Snippers added to the money that has been given to me personally, we are up to $205. Only $95 more to go and he will be on his way to the vet and hopefully a new forever home. How very cool. If you have no idea what I'm talking about and would like to learn more, check out my last blog entry: http://susanswritinglife.blogspot.com/2011/12/mr-snippers.html.)


On to new business: I have set up an online scavenger hunt for WNC Woman magazine. It's on their Facebook page (facebook.com/wncwoman) and we will be giving away two one-year subscriptions. If you already get your copy in the mail or from a local business, you can send the prize to someone who lives out of the area and can't easily get it. What a great Christmas gift.

The page for the hunt is here: http://www.facebook.com/notes/wnc-woman/wnc-woman-online-scavenger-hunt/286643444707304, but just in case you're not a Facebook person, and don't really want to be one, I am posting the instructions and questions here. Take a gander and try your luck. It's fun....trust me.   :-)

Welcome to the first ever WNC Woman Magazine Online Scavenger Hunt. First, directions and the rules…

All answers can be found through our website: www.wncwoman.com. Some are actually on the site itself, others can be found by searching online, using links or listings on the site. All 10 questions must be answered correctly for your name to be put into the drawing for a free one-year subscription to WNC Woman. In the event that no one is able to provide all 10 correct answers, we will go to those who answer 9 correctly, etc. (But come on, we know all of you will ace this with no problem.)

When you think you have the answers, send them in an email to wnc.woman@yahoo.com with the word “hunt” in the subject line. You don’t have to send the questions, just number the answers and send them along. Also, send them in the body of the email. Do NOT send an attachment. Attachments will not be opened. (We have to be careful with things like that.) This hunt is open to anyone 18 or older who is not employed by WNC Woman magazine. Entries are accepted from anyone, anywhere, but subscriptions can only be sent to US addresses at this time.

All entries must be received by 11:59pm on December 16th. Correct entries will be numbered based on the order they are received. The numbers will then be fed into an online random number generator on December 17th and two winners will be chosen to receive the subscription. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond with their snail mail address (or the address of the person they wish to gift the subscription to). If they do not reply within the 48 hours, another winner will be chosen using the same method. If you wish to gift the subscription, a postcard will be sent announcing your gift to the recipient. Subscriptions will start with the January 2012 issue.

OK, I think that’s all the rule and legal type mumbo jumbo. Now, on to the questions:

1) Artist Susan McBride has done several business logos. In which local business ad is a very large tomato prominently featured?

2) This book is described as “..a heartwarming story about three generations of women who find their way past old hurts and losses to understanding, forgiveness and love.” Name the author and the book. 

3)  What Brevard eatery has a Blueberry Stuffed French Toast offered on their breakfast menu? 

4) Fill in the blanks: “Starting with _________ __________, let’s explore how to uncover it, to acknowledge it, and to use it for the highest good.” **hint; can be found in a VERY early issue of WNC Woman. **  

5) What WNC Woman advertiser has the tag line “Helping Professional Women Break Out of Old Mindsets?” 

6) These two WNC women are working on a play together called “Between the Tackles.” Name them. 

7) On average, women make what percentage of purchasing decisions?

8) This shop in downtown Spruce Pine holds an annual fundraiser on the first Saturday in June to benefit the local animal rescue.

9) This Asheville eatery offers half-price wine every Tuesday as well as a “fabulous Bloody Mary menu.”

10) Fill in the blanks: WNC Woman prints between _________ and _______ copies every month.

Don’t forget; email your answers to wnc.woman@yahoo.com with the word “hunt” in the subject line. And good luck everybody.

Mr. Snippers

 This is Mr. Snippers. He is a little fella who has taken up residence at a local beauty salon run by my friend Christopher (Mr. Christopher's Zen Salon). He was very skinny and dirty when he showed up, but is looking much better now. Problem is, he is at least partially blind; not that he lets that slow him down.

 Mr. Snippers loves to lay around in the warm sun, but then what cat doesn't. He is super friendly and just loves to be cuddled and loved.

The shop is right on the road, and we do worry about Mr. Snippers, especially with his sight being what it is.  Christopher can't take him home since he has a small place and already has two dogs. Someone has offered to take him home and let him live in their barn if we get him neutered, but with his eyesight, our goal is to hopefully find him an inside home. There is an organization in St. Pauls, NC (Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary), but they are full (84 cats right now) and can't take him. But, they are going to help me find a home through their contacts and Facebook page. They have been very successful in this type of thing, and I'm so glad they have agreed to help out.

Problem is, we need to get him neutered and checked out first. We need to get his shots done, find out just how blind he is and make sure he is negative for all the bad diseases and stuff. I got an estimate from my vet's office (Stewart's Mountain View Animal Hospital) of close to $300 for everything. So, I have set up a fund raising Chip-In.


I don't normally ask for money for anything on this blog, but this is a special case for me. This little guy has totally melted my heart. He has such a great personality and I would so love to get him a good home for Christmas...or at least the new year. (I'd take him myself, but I have 8 cats already....and I'd kinda like to keep my husband.  LOL) So, if you can help in any little way, I would so appreciate it. And if you need to call my vet's office and make sure this is legitimate, they already know to expect the call - (828) 765-7059.

If someone would rather, they can make out a check to Stewart's Mountain View Animal Hospital (SMVAH will work) and send that to me at PO Box 3, Spruce Pine, NC, 28777. I know some people don't like to do things like this over the internet.


Those of you who know me, know it's been a tough couple years for my hubs and me, with him being sick and all. And I'm not going to hide the fact that the past couple of Christmases have been extra tough. We don't really "do" Christmas any more, but then the holiday is not about the presents and such. It would make this Christmas so special if I can actually help this little guy. Maybe that's why I've been brought into this whole situation. Maybe this is just the Christmas "gift" I need.

Anyway, if you can't help money-wise, maybe you can at least pass this info along to friends and family. I would so appreciate it, and I know Mr. Snippers would too.

Thanks so much.