It's Official, We are Incoporated!!

I got the articles of incorporation for our nonprofit back from the Secretary of State! I used Attorneys Corporation Service to file. It cost me more, but their turn around time was only a few days, compared to two to four weeks or longer if I'd mailed it in myself. I used their FaxIt Corporation Filing Service. It's not that expensive and it's quick and easy.

And now, what you've all been waiting for...drum roll, please...the name of our nonprofit corporation is....Not Without My Pet.

We have a registered domain name, nwomp.org, but no actual website just yet. I do have a new e-mail address, though, for e-mail relating to Not Without My Pet - ngilbert@nwomp.org.

We Have a Winner!!

After consulting little kitty, together we have chosen a name for her from all the wonderful suggestions that were submitted.
Chris at IdeaSign was the first to submit "Poppy" and that is the winning name!!

So many wonderful names were suggested that I'd like to thank each and every person who participated! It was great fun.

I've decided to post a list of runner-up names and the Etsians who suggested them.

First runner-up was the name "Wednesday" after Wednesday Addams, submitted by Greenfingers

Other honorable mentions include, in no particular order:
lostinfaerieland - Jezebel
thelittlereddoor - Hepzibah
CoraMarieBoutique – Eclipse
DanishMade - Sarafina or Tilda
GirlyGirlBags - Matisse
JazziesJunque - Etsy (Jazzie was the first to suggest it, followed by designsbyvanessa)
KarmaRox - Karma
ArgentTadpole - Luz or Luzia which means light; or Aurelia.
artbarkers - Acacia
ravenwolfgallery – Pauper
daisytoad says: daughter says soot

Sugarberry suggested some cute names, too, but I love the name of her shop itself as a kitty name! So, Poppy did come close to being named Sugarberry!

I would encourage everyone to check out the shops of these wonderfully creative Etsians!

Thanks again to all who contributed to the Name the Kitty contest!

Name the Kitty to Win!!

I have this kitty I rescued and I'm having some trouble naming her, so I'm having a contest!

Whoever submits the name I choose, wins his/her choice of this lovely hand crafted copper, Swarovski crystal, aventurine, malachite and class necklace

OR

This wonderful healing magnet


You can see more pictures of the prizes in my shop, Luminosities

Here are some pictures of the little kitty. She's about a year old and still quite playful.







You can see more pictures of her here and here

Go HERE to submit names and may the best name win!!

Exciting nonprofit news!

Yesterday, I sent our articles of incorporation off to be filed with the Secretary of State! Again, I used Attorneys Corporation Service to file. It costs a little more, but their turn around time is way, way shorter than what you'd have if you sent it directly to the Secretary of State yourself.

That means, in just a few short days, I'll be announcing the official name of the brand new organization!!

I'm working on the bylaws now. That's pretty complicated, but I'll get it done. Off the top of my head, I think I have to send those with my tax exempt application to the IRS. I've also registered a domain name for a future website and created e-mail addresses for all my board members.

Stay tuned!

Little Kitty News

I've had that little kitty locked in my bathroom for two weeks. She's been sneezing and had a runny nose the whole time. She's been to the vet twice. They gave me antibiotics so it doesn't get worse and those little kitty nose drops.

Here's the thing...
No symptoms when I first grabbed her or for several hours afterwards.
No fever.
No loss of appetite.
The other cats didn't catch it (which the vet said they would have, despite the extraordinary measures I've been taking, and I do mean extraordinary)
It's hung on for two weeks and will not go away.

So we decided she was allergic to something in my bathroom and had never actually been sick at all. Linda, at the pet supply store, said it was probably the silica in the clumping cat litter I'm using, combined with kitty being shut up in such a small space. I google'd silica and kitty respiratory problems.

Turns out, the silica in clumping cat litter may have deleterious effects on both cats and people. It's a bit controversial. You can read about it here:
The Cat Site
Pet Care Tips

I don't know if that's what's causing the problem or not, but now I'm using a different kind of litter, Feline Pine. It's all natural, biodegradable, organic and chemical free. There's no odor, no tracking, no mess, no silica dust and you just scoop and flush solids. When it's time to change the box out completely, you can use what's left as mulch or compost. How cool is that? So far, I'm really liking it.

Since the kitty is allergic to something in the bathroom, it's clearly time to get her out of there. Cats aren't pack animals like dogs and they're territorial, so introducing a new kitty needs to happen gradually. She's been in there for two weeks, so both Ophelia and Grainne are aware of her, and she of them.

Ophelia:



Grainne:



Yesterday, I put Ophelia (aka "Fuzz Butt") and Grainne, (aka Binky) in the bedroom and closed the door. I let little kitty out to explore the rest of the place. She was out for several hours, long enough to investigate every nook and cranny and get comfortable enough to take a nap on the couch.

Then I put her back in the bathroom and let the other two out to sniff her scent all over the apartment. That went on for a couple of hours and once they settled down, I let little kitty out. Well, I opened the bathroom door, anyway.

There was a little hissing and growling, but no actual fighting. Little kitty decided she was safer in the bathroom, so she stayed in there, curled up on her towel. Not exactly what I had in mind.

I closed her up in there again last night when I went to bed. I didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night to a cat fight on my head!

This morning, I've opened the door again. There was some eyeballing and sniffing from a distance, but no growling or hissing. She won't come out, though. She's still in there, curled up on the counter. Every time I walk by the bathroom, she meows at me, but she won't come out. Grainne and Ophelia will go up to the door, but they won't go in.

When she was out yesterday for several hours, she stopped sneezing and her nose dried up, so I think we're on the right track with the allergy thing. Now if I can just get her to come out of there for good!

Stay tuned!

Updates

It's been over a week since I posted anything new. That's because I've been really sick. I had a fever of 103, which shocked me! I'm still sick, but not nearly as sick as I was.

The little kitty I found is still sick, too. We went back to the vet and now I have nose drops to give her. Little kitty nose drops. Who knew?

As might be imagined, I haven't made much progress on the non-profit thing. I did receive confirmation from the Secretary of State that the name has been reserved. It will be held for sixty days. I have until then to submit my Articles of Incorporation and whatever else is required.

I did manage to get a few more pictures of the little kitty, though! Here she is:

Look What I Found!

Yesterday I was at work and went outside to smoke. I heard a kitty crying and crying, then I spotted her sitting under a bush. I called her, but she wouldn't come to me. She just kept crying and crying. So I used a little trick I'd learned reading The Man Who Listens to Horses by horse whisperer Monty Roberts. I went closer, then sat down with my back to her. Sure enough, within seconds, she was right behind me.

I scooped her up and went off to find my friend Debra to get some help. Little kitty was skin and bones. Her black fur is bleached out from being in the sun and she had stickers and burrs in her hair. She didn't struggle while I was carrying her, but lawdy, did she make a fuss with her caterwauling.

Debra was on her way out and I'd just missed her, so I went running around the third floor of her building yelling for her, accompanied by kitty distress signals. She heard us and came back. I was like, "Help me." We took little kitty into the bathroom so we could set her down and get a better look at her. I didn't want to abscond with someone's pet, so I wanted to be fairly certain she was really a stray. We decided she was.

On a Friday night, it can take me up to an hour to get home and I had nothing to put the kitty in for the drive. Debra kindly offered to let me borrow her carrier, so we left for her house. I put little kitty in the back seat of my car, where she stayed for the ride. Seriously, she didn't move a centimeter! She was clinging to the back seat for dear life.

On the way home, I called my vet's office to make an appointment to get her seen a.s.a.p. After I'd dropped little kitty off at my house, quarantined in the bathroom, it was off to the pet supply store. I have two cats of my own already, but I needed a litter pan, etc., for the newbie. I got her settled in for the night to await her vet appointment this morning.

I took her in this morning to see Dr. Edgar Church at All Cats Clinic. Dr. Church gave her a thorough exam. The very first thing he did was scan her for a microchip. We needed to be certain someone wasn't missing their beloved pet. There was no microchip. She has fleas, no surprise there, so we treated her for that. She also has a respiratory infection, so I have medicine to treat that. She tested negative for both Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Yay! We're waiting for test results to see if she has parasites. Her respiratory infection is contagious so I'm glad I was able to get her seen right away. I'm being very careful to keep her quarantined and wash my hands and even, on the recommendation of Dr. Church, change my clothes after I've handled her.

The good news is, she's already been spayed! I would have had that done, too, if she wasn't, but I'm glad I've been spared that additional expense. Poor little kitty just needs some TLC. She's really sweet and cuddly, purring away when I pet her. She gets in my lap and she lets me pick her up and cuddle and pet her.

Since I have two cats of my own already and I'm a renter in a one bedroom apartment, I'm hoping to find a forever home for her. She's not going anywhere until she's healthy, though. With treatment for her infection and a good diet, I figure she'll be good to go in a week or two.

Stay tuned!