Author Archives: Camille Hulen

The Special Ones

posted November 15th, 2011 by

Overcoming Disabilities

By Camille Hulen

The first inspirat ion for this article came from ‘Lil Snout, whom I recently met. He was injured as a kitten and is both blind and brain damaged. This presents a special challenge for his owners, Jana and Steve, because Snout not only requires medicine twice a day, but he must be hand-fed and then facewashed twice daily as well. In spite of this, they have cherished the love of Snout for nine years when he purrs contentedly each time he is held. He climbs his way into bed with them, and even enjoys chasing his noisy ball down the hall.

Overcoming DisabilitiesThis article gives but a glimpse into the lives of Snout and other special needs kitties. However, I highly recommend a recent book, “Homer’s Odyssey,” which recounts in detail the life of Homer, another fearless blind kitty. Author Gwen Cooper not only tells Homer’s tale, but all of the lessons about love and life that she has learned from him.

Dale would agree. She has fostered numerous special needs cats with disabilities, ranging from diabetes to cardiomyopathy to kidney failure. With the prescribed medication and attention, she has been able to give these cats a good quality of life as they move into old age and beyond.

Although not professionally trained in medicine, she has learned much useful information through the Internet and diligent observation. However, Baby, a blind kitty, became her joy. Baby taught her to pick up after herself, to not leave anything in the middle of the room, to wear clunky shoes so he could hear to follow her, and to talk so that he knew where she was. Baby was even a winner in a recent pet photo contest! Wouldn’t you love to adopt the beautiful white kitten pictured here? But what if you learned that she was deaf, as many pure white cats are? Would you adopt her anyway? Tom and Brandy did not hesitate, and now Dafney has become an integral part of their family, along with several other pets.

The only problem with a deaf cat is that she won’t come when called. (Yes, contrary to popular belief, cats do come when called!) On a positive note, Dafney is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Of course, Brandy was protective when Dafney came to visit me, warning that she should not be left unattended with other cats. Guess what? The other cats scarcely noticed Dafney and did not harass her in any way. Through the years, I have observed that this is the case: animals are particularly understanding of those who are handicapped. When a somewhat feeble old cat strolls through the kennel, the younger ones respect his age; when a kitten gets overly rowdy, they all feel younger and join the game.Overcoming Disabilities

Now consider Oreo. Oreo’s rear leg had to be amputated after an injury sustained from climbing a fence. He required special care at first, but now he gets along just fine without it; Oreo just doesn’t climb fences anymore. Then, there is the tiny kitten who was hit by a car. The irresponsible owner seemed unconcerned about his fate, saying that she had several other kittens! However, the responsible driver, Bud, took him to his vet, where it was determined he had a broken pelvis. Over time, the injury healed, with careful attention to limiting the curious kitten’s activity. Now he lives happily with Bud and Marilyn’s other cats, and he truly earned his unique name: Pirelli, after the brand of tire that hit him! Another injured kitten was found in a pound, cowering at the back of her cage, because she was languishing in pain. Without hesitation over the expense, Gail took her to the vet, where x-rays revealed several leg and hip fractures. But this kitty had a will to live! As she recovered, the kitten found a strange bedfellow: a squirrel that Gail was also rehabilitating. As they overcame their handicaps, these animals from two different species became unlikely friends, running and playing together.

What about cats with chronic diseases? Consider Peaches, who was deemed unadoptable because she was diabetic. That did not matter to Samantha, who seized the opportunity to learn all that she could about diabetes, and has now been able to help many other cats with the disease. It takes dedication to assure that kitty gets her insulin on schedule twice daily, but most loving owners are willing to adjust their schedules to accommodate this. Although insulin injections are required for most diabetic cats, it has been found that many times feline diabetes can go into remission with the proper diet.

At this point, Peaches is still enjoying life at age 19! But what about those dread diseases of FIV and feline leukemia? While most humane groups will put these cats down, some organizations such as Best Friends in Utah, and loving owners like the ones mentioned above, have proven that they are adoptable. Although the immune systems of these cats are compromised, the educated owner will see them lead happy normal lives.

The only concern: care must be taken in their contact with other cats, since these diseases can be spread through cat bites.
There are many more special kitties out there. In fact, as cats age, they all inevitably require special care. The original title of this article was going to be “Special Needs Kitties,” but, as I wrote, I realized that the kitties are not the only ones who are special.
So, too, are their human caregivers, who appreciate the fact that all life is precious. Hats off to them!

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Posted in All Past Articles, Cat Tales, General Interest, November 2011 | No Comments »

To all the black cats that I have loved before

posted September 15th, 2011 by

by Camille Hulen

As Halloween app roaches, it would seem appropriate to pay tribute to black cats and their various “purrsonalities.” Perhaps you, the reader, will recognize your cat here.

Shy
First there was Tarby, whom I adopted from a co-worker. I was 21 years old then, and no one had ever given me any reason to be superstitious of black cats. Tarby was a scared little kitten, and we had to retrieve her from under the bed to take her home.
Throughout her life, Tarby remained a “scaredy cat.” When friends came to visit, they didn’t even know I had a cat because she ran and hid the moment the doorbell rang. As she grew, Tarby proved to be very smart, even learning dog tricks like sitting to beg, lying down and rolling over upon command. Tarby lived to the ripe old age of 21.

Demanding
Then there was Darth, whom I saved from the darkness of night. A neighbor had moved away and abandoned mama cat and four kittens. I thought they were being cared for, but one night my husband spotted them darting in the street, raiding garbage cans. Although I had never done “rescue” before, this called for immediate action. So there I was, tempting them with food and carrier at 11 pm. Darth was the most difficult to capture as he darted behind every rock and bush. In fact, at the time, we were not sure if there was more than one black kitten because he was everywhere! As he grew, Darth became the loner cat, preferring to stay outside during the day, then demanding (very vociferously, I might add) one-on-one attention every evening. He feels it is his responsibility to help my husband on the computer, and then insistently tells him when it is time to go to bed.

Active
Kat Mandu was given to me by a neighbor who said he would
“dump” him if I didn’t take him. From day one, Mandu has been hyperactive. He just has to go outside and climb trees and dash and run. He can often be found on the roof, chasing squirrels.
If something crashes in the house, you can be sure Kat Mandu is involved. Kat Mandu took charge of training new puppies, daring them to come near, then swatting them so that they might learn proper respect for the superior feline species. On the other hand, there are times when he can be a real lap cat.

Sweet
Pooh Bear was one of my “bottle babies.” She came to me, abandoned as a kitten, with the most notable feature – hair that looked like Don King’s. She grew to be a beautiful chubby girl, and is by far our most social cat, extremely loving. She greets everyone who visits and can’t get enough petting from everyone. Whenever a new kitten shows up, she is the first to “mother” it.

Docile
Pantera is also calm and gentle. She came to me very pregnant after the Coffeyville floods a few years ago. She nursed four sweet babies who were adopted easily, but she is still waiting for her forever home – simple evidence that everyone wants a kitten, and no one wants a black cat! Why? Pantera is a peacemaker and currently offers solace and companionship to a young feral cat, also black and needing a home.

Outgoing
Sassy came to me after her human mom died. The son wanted to kill the cat and bury her with mom until a friend intervened.
Sassy was aptly named as she was extremely outgoing. She went to visit an adult daycare center and loved everybody.
The feeling was mutual, but the center directors were afraid of allergies, so she couldn’t stay. However, Sassy had already won the heart of the director, who took her home to her two young daughters where she blended into the family immediately.

Devoted
April was also orphaned when her human mom died. She has an attitude that only a “mother” could love. April demands to be petted but will then turn and bite you if you do not do it to her liking. Apparently, I have learned the acceptable method because she sits in my desk chair as I write this, purring constantly.
There are others: Sami, so relaxed; Myrtle, so loving; Monte, very flexible; Modelo and Johnny, who softened a man’s heart;
and Charlie, the beautiful baby who sucks his “thumb.” The list goes on… However, superstition still exists. Black cats are associated with bad luck, and there are still some evil people who will torture them at Halloween. For this reason, most shelters will not adopt out black cats at that time. During the rest of the year however, if you are looking for a pet, I would encourage you to consider a black cat, so often overlooked. One will most certainly have a “purrsonality” to fit you.

By Camille Hulen
Camille Hulen is the owner of Camille’s Cathouse, a bed & breakfast exclusively for cats.

Posted in General Interest, September 2011 | No Comments »

An Unfinished Story

posted May 15th, 2011 by

By Camille Hulen

Doc asked his upstairs apartment neighbor, John, if he’d seen the little orange kitten around lately. “Yeah, Doc, I’ve been feeding him, but I can’t get close to him. He’s really wild,” John said. Then, as they stood talking, the kitten appeared at the top of the steps. He slowly inched his way down, tumbling half of the way because he was so tiny. As they silently watched, the kitten approached Doc’s legs, climbing straight up and eventually perching on his shoulder. The kitten had found his human!

“Well, Doc, it looks like you’ve got yourself a cat!,” John said.
But Doc didn’t want a cat. He had never had one, and had never sought one. And, although he did not know it then, at this low point in his life, he needed this kitten.

A disabled Vietnam veteran, he had served 23 years in the Army, but recently the federal government had somehow declared him “dead” and removed his military pension. While he fought through the legalities, he was subsisting on his greatly reduced income, and didn’t have much to live for. That was four years ago. Doc took the kitten into his apartment and into his life. They became inseparable, and the cat was appropriately named “Buddy”. Buddy’s veterinarian said he was mostly a Ragdoll breed, as obvious from his laid-back demeanor.

Buddy was the perfect house-cat. After finding his home, he never attempted to go outside. He and Doc established a routine, just as one would in the Army. Every morning, Buddy got his daily brushing in strict military fashion: First, the back, then roll over for the tummy, then the arms, finally the tail. And Buddy grew into a handsome 25-pound-plus Ragdoll, gentle as the name.

Recently, however, new management came to the apartment complex and pets were outlawed. Apparently, the former managers had been more understanding. So this is how I met Buddy. Doc called, seeking temporary housing for his buddy. He would move to a new home as soon as his financial situation improved, but Buddy had to be out of there “now,” he said. We have all seen the ads: “moving, cannot take my cat” or “new roommate, need to re-home my cat,” and a myriad of others. It would have been easiest for this man to give up his cat. Instead, he tried to provide, so Buddy is staying at Camille’s Cathouse for awhile.

When Buddy first arrived, he was depressed and wouldn’t eat.
It wasn’t until Doc came to visit and reassured him that he had not been abandoned, that Buddy became comfortable. When Doc visits, he has words of comfort, and Buddy enjoys a thorough brushing. It is therapeutic for both.

Since gas prices have increased, Doc cannot visit as often as he would like, but Buddy waits. As I write this, Buddy sits in the office beside my computer. He prefers human companionship to socializing with the other cats. Buddy knows that his special human buddy will return soon. And that will bring the happily ever-after ending to this unfinished story.

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Posted in General Interest, May 2011 | No Comments »

Little Black Bundle Mends Hearts

posted March 15th, 2011 by

By. Camille Hulen

Background:

Paul is a WWII veteran and holds the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. His wife Gurney is a cancer survivor. They have endured the death of their only son, followed by the death of one of their daughters.

Living alone, their dog Fritzy was a special comfort to them. During Fritzy’s golden years, he received special care, eventually dying in his sleep. That left only a pet turtle which the couple nurtured for 27 years.

Paul and Gurney had some good friends who visited regularly. Marcia and Philip entertained with stories of the stray cats and kittens who visited their yard.

Unfortunately, Marcia and Philip also had some sad stories to tell of their neighbor who did not look so kindly upon the strays. This neighbor routinely trapped cats who invaded his yard and took them to the pound to face certain death.

To him, kittens were nothing more than “rabies infested vermin to do away with!” When Gurney learned of the trapping, she wanted to save at least one of them. Although she knew that the kitten would be wild, she was confident she could tame it.

Our Story Begins:

One day the neighbor trapped a little black kitten. Although Marcia told him that she had a home for it, he loaded the terrified kitten into his truck and took it to the city shelter. Marcia sprang into action and went to the shelter to retrieve the kitten.

Although there were several black kittens there, she was confident that she could identify the right one, because it had a short tail. After paying the fees and waiting the required time, she brought it home to begin the domestication.

Marcia had done this before, so she knew that it would take time to gain the trust of this little creature. She covered his carrier with a “security blanket” and took it from room to room with her so that he would become familiar with her voice.

Finally, he became more curious than sad, and began to trill like a small bird and even purred slightly. Although it would mean another change for him, he was ready to go to his permanent home.

And Paul and Gurney were more than ready for him! Nothing was too good for this baby. They set up a large cage in the room where they spent most of their time, and from Marcia’s description, it was like a luxury motel complete with padded bed. Instead of mints on his pillow, this kitty received a new toy every day. They named the kitten Precious Angel.

Precious Angel responded quickly to their love and within a week he was ready to be picked up and held. Perhaps it was the songs that Paul sang to him. Although Paul admits that he cannot carry a tune and sometimes forgets the words, he likes to sing hymns to Precious Angel. Precious Angel sleeps in his arms as he sings, and routinely put his paws on Paul’s hands as he says his prayers.

About a year later, Marcia’s neighbor trapped another kitten. This time he called Marcia, because he had seen a picture of Precious Angel sleeping in Paul’s lap, and began to realize that stray cats are not so evil after all. (And, of course, you know where this kitten would go.)

Precious Angel got a sister to play with. Paul and Gurney took this baby and set up Fritz’s old cage for her right next to Precious Angel’s. She adapted quickly, and now the kitties run and wrestle, providing constant entertainment as only young ones can do, instilling new vitality to this senior household.

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Posted in All Past Articles, Cat Tales, March 2011 | No Comments »

Colony Cats Take Up Life on the Farm

posted January 15th, 2011 by

By CAMILLE HULEN

Recently, I have been involved in the rescue of a colony of 40-50 feral cats from a site adjacent to a motel and restaurant. The property owners wanted the cats removed, viewing them as a band of thieves, nuisances roaming the premises raiding garbage cans and annoying customers. They considered the cats mean and wild, diseased, and wanted them removed.

So what is a feral cat? The term feral can apply to any domesticated animal without human contact. A feral cat colony is a cat population (or “clowder”) living together in a specific location and using a common food source. A colony can range from 3-5 cats to about 100. Feral cats are generally unapproachable at first. This is understandable since they are usually threatened and shooed away. Hissing and growling are self-defense behaviors, which, over time, may change as the cat (whether “feral” or “stray”) begins to trust humans providing food, water and care.

When I first visited the site and watched cat after cat come from the shadows, I was reminded of the song “Memory,” sung by an old rough and ragged female cat, standing alone, in the theater production of “Cats.”

“I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again.” Most feral cats were once someone’s pet. They were dumped, somehow managed to survive, and began reproducing. Due to their dependence on humans, domestic cats and dogs cannot properly fend for themselves for very long. A feral cat’s average lifespan is about two years when living independently and five years in a colony.

A cat that lives indoors with human care can live 15-22 years.
Almost all cats that are left to survive outdoors will succumb to starvation, thirst, parasites, predators, hypothermia, or disease. Feral cats that are born outdoors, living without human contact or care, have been shown to be adoptable and can be tamed by humans.
Throughout Tulsa, compassionate people care for several feral colonies.
They trap the ferals, spay or neuter them, and release them back to the original site, visit daily and provide food.

In many communities, “trap-neuter-release” (TNR) has proven to be the most successful method of stabilizing and maintaining healthy cat colonies with the least cost to local governments and residents, while providing the best life for the animals themselves.

Spaying/neutering homeless cats:
• Stabilizes the population at manageable levels.
• Eliminates annoying behaviors associated with mating.
• Is humane to the animals and fosters compassion in the neighborhoods.

Tulsa has no city-sponsored program for feral cat colonies.
StreetCats, a rescue and adoption organization, loans traps and offers a limited number of vouchers for low-cost sterilization. Spay Oklahoma, a nonprofit organization, offers low cost spay and neuter.
Beyond these services, individuals must take the initiative. The Oklahoma Alliance for Animals assisted with funding the rescue, veterinary evaluation, disease testing, spay/neuter, and placement of the cats in the colony described here. Donations to the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals earmarked for “Sonic Cats” are still welcome (www.animalallianceok.org.) and barn homes for the ferals are much in need.

Because the property owners insisted that the cats be removed, homes in barns were found and residents agreed to feed them. The cats were first evaluated and tested for F IV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and feline leukemia by area veterinarians. If negative, they were spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies. A few of the lucky ones are now living as pets. Life is better for all of them, with the comfort and warmth of a barn and regular meals!

More from “Cats” “Memory”:

“Touch me It’s so easy to leave me All alone with the memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You’ll understand what happiness is.
Look A new day has begun.”

Camille Hulen is the owner of Camille’s Cathouse, a bed & breakfast exclusively for cats.

Posted in General Interest, January 2011 | No Comments »

Scamp

posted November 15th, 2010 by

STORY BY CAMILLE HULEN

SCAMP AND HIS TWO fellow housemates had visited me many times while their human mom Betty Anne traveled far and wide. Their last visit was at Thanksgiving, while Betty Anne visited relatives back east. This trip was not a happy one, for her cancer had returned. Then, in December, she was hospitalized. When I visited her on December 17, she wrote me a note with a shaky hand saying, “As I go into hospice, I’d like for my cats to be with you. I have funds to provide for them.” Less than a week later, just before Christmas, Betty Anne died.

Scamp is a cat who lives up to his name. In past visits, he was a challenge. He was a very independent and dominant cat, confronting everyone he met, feline or human. He ruled the kennel just as he ruled his home. However, when he arrived after Betty Anne’s death, he was different. He still wanted to be the boss, but he became very loving toward me. He would rub against me and follow me about, as if he knew that he was now dependent on me.

When visitors came, he was especially beguiling, as if auditioning for a home. He would roll onto his back, lure them into petting him, but, if they didn’t do it just right, he would bite them. Several people looked to adopt him because he was a beautiful Maine Coon, but no one wanted a cat that would bite!

Months passed, winter became spring, spring became summer, summer turned to fall. At last, a lady saw his picture posted on an adoption board and came to visit. As soon as she saw him, tears welled in her eyes. “He looks just like Harley!” Charlene exclaimed. She petted him and talked to him and he responded appropriately. A little nip did not dissuade her. “Harley used to do that,” she said. “Well, he is very dominant,” I cautioned. Charlene then turned to the friend who was with her and asked, “What is on Harley’s box of ashes?” “The Boss,” her friend replied. I knew instantly that Scamp had found his new home. He even went into the cat carrier that she had brought for his ride home without persuasion.

Now, as Christmas approaches, Scamp has settled into his new home with two dogs, another cat, and even a new kitten. He is playfully jumping into every box and pouncing on every loose ribbon. He doesn’t need any presents, for he has found the greatest gift of all: someone to love him. This year will be a very Merry Christmas!

Posted in All Past Articles, Cat Tales, General Interest, Holiday 2010 | No Comments »

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