Rabies in New Jersey

It all started about six months ago. A black creature was seen skittering across our backyard always lingering in the shadows at night. Slowly over time the black creature came closer and closer till finally it showed itself to us.

A very cute black kitten with fur that glistened in the moonlight. It had befriended our two other cats and would come to eat with them. After a month I decided it was time for the wild kitty to have a name. Tuxedo Cat it came to be, always dressed for the occasion with a bow tie and white shirt it would attend dinners and dine with it's feline friends. How I wanted to pet this kitty, it looked so soft, and fluffy... I would pine as I watched this very skittish kitty lick her friends, play in the moonlight, and dart the minute I stepped up to the plate. I would give that all back now just to see her play again.

The day finally came where I stood next to the table as my friendly kitty friends dined, and suddenly out of thin air there was Tuxedo two inches from my finger, I froze, lifted my finger and was able to touch her for a brief moment. Her eyes went wild, and she was gone.

Over the next few weeks of finger touches, she became less afraid of me, and came closer every day. Soon she was seen in the mornings, in the afternoon, and always at night, she came running to my song of "Tuxedo Cat, where are you? Come to me my little Tuxedo Cat" and out she would come from a bush or a tree to eat, but never to be touched. Watching her toss sticks into the air, and play with balls, and chase her tail was enough joy for me. I loved to watch this ball of life be a crazy little cat.

One day I thought I was seeing double. There on my outdoor patio table stood two Tuxedo Cats. Identical except for a tiny white patch difference around the mouth. Tuxedo had a twin sister. This must be who she hangs out with, and she has brought her to the party. I was thrilled to see the two of them bonding over a meal. The hubster on the other hand, sighed, and was like, "Oh great another cat to feed, when is this going to end?"

Winter came slowly, till it finally broke and the temperature went below zero. A storm hit and we were hit with a good amount of snow. I had all the cat houses outfitted, the horses blanketed, and heat lamps on, all my animals were bundled and protected from the storm. Two days went by, no Tuxedo cat… I started to worry. I called for her, went looking for her in her hiding spots, looked for paw prints. I couldn't find her.

It was around 8:30pm on a Saturday night when the hubster came in from outside yelling at me to come quick. I went outside and there was Tuxedo, yet she wasn't acting right. She was meowing non stop, loud meows… not her normal kitten mew. She also was around our feet, never leaving us alone. She would grab onto our legs, while yelling frantically at us. We didn't know what to do. "She's nuts! She's acting totally nuts!, what's wrong with her?" is all the hubster and I could muster to say. I finally just scooped her up, and held her in my lap. She quieted down, and would stay still while I stroked her silky fluffy fur. She started to purr. I was in heaven, finally I get to touch this cat, and she is enjoying my company. I finally had to put her down, I was freezing and she went walking away, meowing loudly, acting strange. I went to bed.

In the morning there she was… meowing… still. I got a call from the hubster saying that she had molested his legs as he went to work that morning. She tried to jump in the car with him, and then ran under the car and wouldn't come out… while meowing all the while. I watched her all day…

By Sunday night I was worried… Ron (our friendly cat/dog) was feeling under the weather, he had just had his tail bitten by an animal and had been in the house the past few days. I thought maybe she missed him. I took him outside to see her. He did something very strange.
He hissed
He growled
He swatted at her
His fur stood up on edge, and then he darted back into the house.

And then… she followed him into the house.
She was now in our kitchen. Yet… she stopped meowing, and desperately wanted to be with him.
We blocked him in the kitchen… both the hubster and I sat in the kitchen watching the two interact. Ron growled, and tried desperately to leave the kitchen. Tuxedo ran up to him with wide eyes pleading for his help. He hissed at her, and walked away… she turned her back to him… yet… she stopped meowing.
The hubster and I had a sit down with Ron… "What is wrong with you?" "Why don't you like her anymore?" "Was she the one that bit you?"

Ron looked at us… with pleading eyes… feeling ashamed, but staring at us intently.

"It's not me" "It's her" He was saying to us.

When she was in the kitchen, I noticed she was walking funny. 

Perhaps she has broken something.

In the morning I decided to take her to the vet.
She was examined on Tuesday morning, and they found no broken bones or problems. Her back leg would buckle out, and she was walking like a duck. Her temperature was low and the vet advised me to bring her into the house and keep her warm. 

The vet casually mentioned that if she dies within the week, it could be Rabies… But he mentioned this very quickly and casually, seeing as it wasn't the top on his list for things wrong with her.

I brought her home and made her a warm nest in the corner of my kitchen.
For the next two days, she didn't eat, pee or poop. She barely moved unless to go and lay in her liter box. She preferred to sleep there. She quickly went paralyzed in her back legs. I was certain it was neurological, and as her symptoms started to come forth, I started to Google like mad.

All signs pointed to Rabies.
The hairs stood up on the back of my neck each time.
I now had a cat in my kitchen that had scratched and licked my hands… that may have Rabies.

I called Animal Control and told them to come pick up this cat that may have Rabies. They never answered the phone, or called me back.
I called the Police. They did nothing.
I called The animal Shelters. They were more worried about me being exposed and told me to call all the same people I already called.
Nobody could help me.

I was able to call each new symptom before it happened.
She went to the Vet on Tuesday walking like a duck.
By Wednesday she was paralyzed up to the arm pits.
By Thursday night at exactly 6:00 pm she started to have seizures, and tried to bite her own paw off. She would growl and howl, and became extremely violent, her tongue would hang from her mouth.  I decided it was time to end her suffering. I had spent the last four days holding this cat in my lap and bonding with her… she was now my friend. Yet, this creature… this monster, was no longer Tuxedo. It was a Zombie… I quickly ended the suffering, and then broke down….

My father was freaking out since Wednesday, calling me non stop to ask if Animal Control came yet.… he wanted this animal tested now. There was nothing I could do though… nobody would come get the cat.

My dad finally got ahold of Animal Control. He threatened to call the newspaper and tell them all about a cat with Rabies that they didn't come and get.

Tuxedo was picked up a week later, tested a day later, and then I knew for sure that this poor cat… did indeed have Rabies. Bad news… for me, and my animals.

The Health Department showed up with a letter explaining the situation. The letter went out to the school across the street, and to all the neighbors…. after all… according to this letter... Rabies is an epidemic in our area.

I promptly took every cat I could get my hands on to the vet to get their Rabies shots.

and then….

I had to go get my Rabies shots.
One Tetanus shot in my left arm
A preventative Rabies shot in my right arm, left hip and right hip.
The actual Rabies shot in my left arm.
And then 20 injections of preventative rabies shots around my wrist where I had been scratched and licked.

Not to mention that the only place to get these shots is the Emergency Room.
And…
I had to go back 3 days later, for another shot in my right arm
I then went back 4 days later for another shot in my right arm
and then on Sunday I go for my last shot, and I will be free of this.

In total this has cost a ton of money in medical care.
A ton of emotional stress.
and…
now I'm known as the "Girl getting her Rabies Shots" at the ER.

So please…
Get your pets vaccinated.
Wash your hands with soap and water after getting a scratch or bite from ANY animal.
I am thankful that I am a neurotic hand washer.

Tuxedo Cat and Ron in love. 

Tuxedo Cat Purring in her box a day before she died. Paralyzed in the back legs. 

Round Pen Adventure- SEIZE THE WEATHER!

I came up with this great idea to build a round pen in our back yard for our horses. All it took was for my husband to get a little bit excited about it, and soon enough we were cutting down logs and spray painting a 60' circle onto the grass. This is actually happening... as I look out my window the hubster is outside digging holes and placing logs into the ground. I am determined to do this all for free. Wood is expensive, and we have a lot of it sitting in the brush that needed to be cleared out. Why not use it? The hubster was not thrilled with the idea of splitting six foot logs, but sure enough he did it. Now I just need to figure out where to find 10 foot rails. So far I have a small collection of long pine branches... not enough. I need about 54 if them. I have about 17 so far. The scavenger hunt is on my friends... the hunt is on. Fingers crossed this doesn't turn into a diabolical mess of an eye sore. In which case you will never see the photos. Ok, I'm off to take photos of the process... will add to this later. Bye for now!

Update:
We found an ad on Craigslist selling the end pieces of long logs... the hubs I guess they are called. They were perfect. All you could take for $60. The hubster went and got as many as he could fit int he truck and used them for the rails.
It turned out pretty good.
He cheated and used 2x4s to make the gate. All in all though we built a round pen for under $100. The horses like it. They gallop around in it, and eat the wood.
Since we built the round pen it has snowed... and then melted... so the ground is either too icy, or too muddy.
I can't wait for spring.
Pictures coming soon. I promise.

My horses are dumb.

I get asked this question a lot. Are horses smart?
Today, I came up with my answer.

Yes, some horses are very smart. I have witnessed a few horses using their lips to open their stall doors. I have even seen a horse drinking out of a water bottle using their lips to hold it in the air. My favorite kind of smart horse is one that poo's in a corner of their stall, makes for easy clean up; and they don't have to stand in filth.  When it comes to riding... I have seen many a horse dump a bad rider because they were just very annoying. I mean if a horse is so smart, why would it let a predator on it's back? A smart horse really wouldn't let you near it, but they are trusting, and so I will let that one go.

My friend Charlene giving a horse a drink of water. This one was a smarty pants. 

Yet, are my horses smart? No.

My two girls are not gifted. I have witnessed them standing in freezing rain instead of standing in their shelter. Today, I went to feed them, which I do twice a day. Each of them have their own designated buckets, which they eat out of... yet... today, Ellie decided that she forgot where her feed bucket was, and decided to eat out of Raven's... and Raven didn't quite know what to do so she walked out of the pen and stood on the other side of the gate waiting for me to give her orders.

On top of this they have fresh water (hand walked, thank you frozen hose) to them every morning which goes in a different bucket. I might as well have brought them a bucket full of poo. They still stand at their frozen solid water troughs waiting for water to miraculously appear. I just don't get it. I mean I even pour the fresh clean water into a fresh clean bucket right in front of their faces so they can hear, smell, and see that I am in fact giving them their water.

I like to go with the old saying. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force them to drink"

I confess that I do own two idiot horses. But they sure do make for some pretty lawn ornaments.

The Job Hunt in Today's Society.

I have recently been actively looking for a creative job. The stay at home mom role is challenging and may be one the most demanding of all jobs I have ever had, yet I feel that in today's society it is frowned upon to be a woman living off the man. Women are more independent now, and as much as I love my kids and feel that the best care giver for them is me... it wouldn't hurt for me to be a care giver, AND work. I certainly am capable and strong enough to handle both.

I have always loved to work, and when I do work I put my heart and soul into it. When I was in design school studying Interior Architecture it came the time to find an internship. I sat in a class of 40 girls all going after the same dream, and when it came time to get an internship we all fell to our knees looking for a job. It was the recession. Jobs were hard to come by, and paid internships were at an all time low. Interior Design Firms were closing their doors, and I was thrown into this heap of people wandering around throwing resumes and cover letters to the Internet and postal service without ever hearing any word back.

I was fresh, young, and full of the most up to date of information, the world was at my finger tips, and my confidence was at an all time high. My teachers and fellow students loved me, and I was in a giant bubble of success. Yet... to get the outside world to see this was impossible. I had trouble standing out, and my first impression was a boring letter telling a stranger why they should pick me.

I never got that perfect for me internship that swooshed me into the job of my dreams. The longer the time went by the more my confidence started to dwindle, and self doubt came roaring into my ears. I ended up working in the retail field, which allowed me to learn many tasks. Importing, Exporting, Visual Merchandising, Web Page development, the list goes on. It was a great experience that I finally had to let go of due to having children.

Now, I'm trying to get back in the world. Having to teach myself all the software I left behind at school. The updated versions, have become more user friendly, and all those quirks from the past are gone. A monkey could learn this stuff, and I am that monkey. Self motivation is one of my weaknesses. I never enjoyed being my own boss. To force myself to do things without being told or how, to have a strict assignment that pays no money only experience. Sometimes, I think. "Why bother?"

I have to bother because now people are hiring again. I don't want to slip through and be forgotten. I want something in life. Independence, Pride, and Self Worth. It's not just a job to me. It's who I am. I am a worker, not a slacker, or a sitter, or a couch potato. I have talent, I have a mind, and I think the world needs someone like me out there.

Since sending out paper to strangers has not been working, I will have to start making real life connections. I will have to get my face out there, meet people, and show them in life how full of life I am. My next step to all of this will be my unveiling. I am going to rework myself into a creative machine, and start shining. I will not let people just pass me by like a tiger in a cage. Instead, I must roar, and bring them to attention. I think this is what it takes to get people to notice a person now a days. I will not be another resume in a pile. I will be the person standing in front of you, shaking your hand with a smile, and my resume will speak for itself.

Raven is lame and I'm up the creak with no paddle.

The hits keep coming. I seem to have very bad luck when it comes to my animals. All of my chickens are now gone either due to sickness or predators and now my little pony has turned up lame.

About three weeks ago I went out to feed Raven and Ellie, and noticed that Raven was limping as she cantered towards me. She slowed down to trot and her head was bobbing and she was clearly in pain. I checked out her legs as she ate her food. No swelling, no heat, no cuts, no hoof marks from kicks... nothing. I picked out her feet hoping it might be a rock that she stepped on... her feet were fine.

I waited a week or so, and could not wait any longer, I had to call the vet out.

The horses got their shots, and Raven was looked at. The vet suggested she get a nerve block done on her back right hind leg which was showing the lameness. I had to think about it, since Raven doesn't belong to me. I contacted her owner, and was slapped in the face with a "I want this amount of money for the pony by the end of the month or I will take her tomorrow"

I'm faced with hard decisions. Do I go ahead and pay for more expensive vet fees to find out whats wrong with Raven and then pay the fee asked? and... do I look like I am made of money? I got the owner to take about 75% off the originally asking price. The price being asked is still a lot for a lame green pony that can't be ridden. I could pay this price for a horse that has been around the A circuit and is fully trained and sound.

I had the vet over again today. Raven is now getting worse. She showed up lame on her front left leg and her hind back right leg. The vet asked me to tell her my situation with the owner and as I told my story her mouth dropped open and immediately said "Get rid of this horse"

She took one look at my face, and saw that this was the last option. She decided against doing the nerve block, seeing as it now was in two legs, not just one. It would be too difficult to find the problem in just one leg... but now two?..... For a horse that does not belong to me, and could take a few more thousand dollars of vet work to find out whats wrong... with a grim diagnoses. The vet was pretty sure that this horse would have to go through a lot of therapy to ever be ridden again. I looked at the vet and was begging for other solutions.

I mentioned "Lyme disease" after all, why would this horse be getting worse? She looks arthritic. Is very sore, lethargic, and without being ridden or working... is getting much worse as the days wear on. The vet thought this was a great place to start. She drew blood, and I will know in a few days whether this is the culprit.

If it's not  Lyme's disease I am going to have to give Raven back to the owner. I can't afford to keep doing tests on her.... This could be one of the worst Thanksgivings of my life so far. I'm faced with horrible choices, and feel as though Raven and I are stuck in a corner together with nothing but bad news.

I'm praying that this is the cause, it would explain a lot. If it is Lyme's disease she will get some antibiotic, and I will hopefully have my pony back and I will gladly shell out the money for a healthy pony that is like family to me. If its not, I will end up contacting the owner, and hope to god she will be like, "Just keep her, I can't sell her lame like that, it's a total write off" Yet, I know in my heart she will be here within 24 hours of that phone call and will take the pony and do whatever with her... those thoughts haunt me.

I will have to find a new companion animal to keep Ellie company. Ellie is going to freak out if they take Raven... just today while the vet was here I had to tie Ellie to the fence just to trot Raven up and back, and she started to scream and pull at the rope as I walked Raven away from her. They are a pair, and it will do mental damage to Ellie if I let this pony go to another home.

WHY ME? Why am I always in these bad situations. First lesson learned. Always have a written agreement if you take on someone else's pet. In most cases this would be the owners responsibility to get the vet out and pay for the costs of it's health care. There is a binding agreement that would have protected us both. If anything happens to the horse while on my property I am not responsible. Yet, here I am... both the owner and I are in a bad situation. The owner now has a horse that was worth money, and is now worth nothing so she has lost that sale, and I am stuck with a sick horse that belongs to someone else.

Oh little life of mine, why must I learn everything the hard way?
Fingers crossed its Lyme's Disease.
Never thought I would ever be wishing for one of my animals to have a disease.

Etsy and Finger Print Trees.

I need to start bringing in a little money of my own to pay for my horses. I have decided to open an Etsy account and start selling my talent on canvas. I started with a finger print tree that I did for my friend Kari's Wedding. She loved it so much that she urged me to start selling these on Etsy. It was easy enough. She showed me a tree that she liked the look of, asked me to carve her and her husbands initials in the trunk and add a swing. I finished it in two hours, and had fun doing it. I went to art school, I might as well put my talents to good use. Fingers crossed that I get some business, or it's back to the drawing board. You can see my little store here at the link below. I of course named it The Lizards Den. I will eventually start adding other things like paintings, cartoons, custom art, and maybe some framed Italian Landscape Scenes. The sky is the limit, let's hope this takes me to a new level of starving artistry. Enjoy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/168367892/wedding-fingerprint-tree?

Offended?

I was just reading an article about a girl that dressed up as a Boston Marathon Runner covered in blood.  Not only did she get fired from her job but she has also been harassed with death threats. The more social media I read the more I see similar outbursts from people.

People/Readers are easily offended, and have no problems tooting their horn all over the Internet. Yet, I'm sure if face to face these same people wouldn't say a word to show their irritation.

One face book user was very offended by a plastic Halloween skeleton hanging from the neck in a neighbors yard. She was horrified and extremely angry over "lynching" and how this made her think of slavery.  Really? It's a toy decoration hanging in a tree... I mean people have been lynched for thousands of years... not just African Americans. But that is besides the point. People just want to get angry over something. They want to point a finger...

I feel for this girl that just lost her job. Halloween is supposed to be about scary costumes, things that make you scream in the night. The day of the dead. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.^[7] 

So, according to the definition, wouldn't this girl have had an appropriate costume? She was remembering the dead... perhaps it was her sexy happy pose that caused more of a threat?

I'm more offended by young women that use this holiday to dress up in provocative dresses, showing lots of cleavage and upper thigh. It's not cute, it's not scary, it just says one thing... You finish that sentence, I'm not going to. Yet, I'm not offended at all. Again, it's all for fun. Dress how you want. Just cover your bits and pieces!


For me, this Halloween was scary. The people year after year become more opinionated and sensitive. I slowly start to find myself getting pushed further from the circle of normal. Normal is social media, iPhone crazed, young people and old people alike living their lives through the Internet. It makes it easy for them to go on blast and blow their hateful comments every which way. It's cowardly.
People are judgemental and angry and get a kick out of destroying and tormenting young girls that dress up in dumb Halloween costumes.

I feel sorry for the girl. I hope someone will give her a second change and people will eventually leave her alone. Don't people realize they have ruined this young persons life? It's a Halloween costume.... not a mockery of terrorism or people that were hurt or killed at the marathon.