Thursday Travels - Day 2

After our time at Dandora Dump, we went to Anga Afrika Tented Camp for the evening.  This was a wonderfully relaxing place and the perfect place to unwind and think about what we had just seen.

The tents are permanent structures.  The front part is tent material with lots of fresh air, but there is a concrete bathroom attached to the back, with a full shower, two sinks and a toilet.  My kind of camping! 

We had a beautiful porch to hang out on and read.

The food at the camp was amazing.  We were not hungry after dinner!

The next morning we headed off to Nairobi National Park.  It is the only national park inside a city.  Seeing the skyline was a unique view. 

Our team..

I didn't get many good photos of the animals on my phone, so I'll have to post about them later.  This is an ivory burning site.  Nairobi NP, and the Kenya Wildlife Service, is working hard to stop the illegal ivory trade and the poaching of elephants and rhinos. 

After seeing the beauty at the national park, we headed to Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya

We went to the Compassion Project.  These children and teens all have sponsors somewhere in the world.  This sponsorship is changing their life!  These kids are given extra help with their school work, food, basic healthcare and other assistance that may be needed.

We were then able to visit the home of one of the children.  This home was large by slum standards.  I am not zooming we are really that close to everyone.  There is a bed behind the family, and one beside the girl in the red sweater.  I am sitting on a bench.  This home is where nine people live.  I have seen it, and still can't imagine how it is going to work. 

My home was unique in that there were two parents.  The father is a trained mechanic and sometimes he can find work.  The mother is a homemaker.  They are both loving and kind people and are trying their best to make a good home for their children.

Leaving our home, we headed down many paths to get back to the main road. 

It is like a maze and I think I would get lost!

Back at the project, we met some older kids who shared with us all that Compassion has done for them.  We can see the dreams for a better life are real and attainable thanks to the support they have received.  One of the things Compassion stresses to these children is that there is life outside of Kibera.  Kibera does not define you or limit you as a person.  Most residents in Kibera never leave the slum, nor do they realize that there is potential and opportunity for a better life maybe a mile away.

We started our day with a feeling of hopelessness but through Compassion we can see potential and possibility.  

I challenge each of you to consider sponsoring a child through Compassion.  We can make a difference one child at a time.

Foster Friday

We are back at fostering.  We waited a couple of weeks after our trip to start up again, just so we could spend some extra time with the boys.

We ended up with a group of 4, 6 week olds, without a mom.  None of them are solid black...those two black ones have white feet at least!  Whew.  We have three girls and one boy. 

They are 6 weeks, but only weigh a pound, so they are rather thin.  We are working on fattening them up and giving them the nourishment and love they need to thrive.  Here's Eloise and Leon hanging out on the condo (laying on it's side for safety) 

Before our trip, we got a frantic call from a friend saying she had found a kitten in a parking lot.  She waited around for about an hour but never saw a mom. 

Lilly was soon at our house getting fed.  She could slurp up the canned food if you made a slurry out of it with extra water.  She also enjoyed a bottle a few times a day too.  Here's Oliver checking her out.  I think he remembered the bottle too!

Lilly was moved into another home the day we left so she would have other kittens to play with.  I have since received a new photo of her and she is growing and doing well!

We should have our current group a couple of more weeks at least.  They have to reach two pounds before they can return to the shelter for their surgery and find new homes.

Thursday Travels - Day One

Our trip to Kenya started out with a lot of travel.  First flight left at 6pm from Raleigh and went direct to London.  

We had about 4 hours of waiting once we arrived.  Plenty of time to walk around, shop, and get a good breakfast.  We finally boarded for Nairobi and of course the flight was delayed.  In addition to being delayed, it had to have been at least 90 degrees in the cabin!  We were all sweating and miserable.  Thank goodness we had packed cooling towels, so we survived.  I refilled my towel each time I went to the bathroom, so it stayed cool.

Because of our delay, we arrived in Nairobi at 11pm.  Thankfully, all of our personal luggage, plus most of the extra bags arrived. Two odd sized boxes decided not to join us, so time was spent filling out lost bag forms.  Here is the team waiting for the lost bag folks to finish so we could be on our way to the hotel and bed! 

Our first night was spent in luxury at the Fairview Inn.  It was a beautiful property with wonderful food and people. 

A water tank...these are seen pretty much everywhere in Kenya. 

We met up with the Kenyan pastors, Street Hope leaders, and the founder of the Ark Children's Home for breakfast.  It was so nice to see friends and catch up!  Here are Pastors Joshua, Gloria and Peter. 

These ladies are Carol, who runs the Ark, and Susan, Peter's wife. 

After breakfast, our time of luxury ended and we were thrust right into intense poverty at the Dandora Dump.  From my reading on Wikipedia, the dump is 31 acres and has been considered "full" since 2001.  Over 2000 tons of garbage is still dumped there daily though from all over the city and airport. 

There were many people picking through the garbage and large Marabou Storks scavenging as well.  The dump is a dangerous place because people are desperate for food and the recyclables they collect to sell.  We were escorted by armed men at all times.   We spoke with one of the pickers and she said that a bag of plastic bottles would bring about fifty cents, and it may take 3 hours to fill the bag.  Just imagine.

Here is a better shot of the storks...they stand about 5 feet tall!!

Rita and her siblings walked with us through the dump.  They live in Dandora and the trash helps to provide for their family.  I also read that many of the kids in the area have respiratory problems because the dump is always burning.  They also have high levels of lead in their bodies.  The very thing that is helping them survive even a meager existence is the very thing that is slowly killing them all.

This river separates the housing in Dandora from the dumpsite.  

There has been discussion about closing the dump, however it is a tough subject because so many individuals rely on it for life.

The words for today were Overwhelmed and Helpless.

Let's Catch Up!

So a lot has happened since I last posted in early June!  This will be a start at getting you all caught up...

The Mancats are all doing well!  

Tanner had fun in a new box! 

Tanner has gotten one of the PetPatch Loops to try and help with his stiff hips.  At his annual visit his back right hip was extremely stiff and painful.  We agreed the loop couldn't hurt! 

Oliver is as goofy as ever...he loves to talk up a storm 

Flynn is tolerant enough to wear costumes...here he is on the 4th of July. 

Harrison can't get enough bird watching time.  He loves to chatter at them.  He is a big talker too and goes around the house just squeaking away! 

Tanner has had plenty of playtime with his girl! 

Flynn ended up at the vet because he seemed to be in pain.  The vet couldn't isolate the pain, but felt he had probably strained/sprained his back.  He was given pain meds and seemed to improve.  This was in mid June.  In mid July, he went to the vet for his annual visit and caused quite a scene when his stomach was being palpated.  The vet still thought it was a pain response and decided to x-ray him just to make sure nothing structural was going on.  Everything came back normal, so again it is thought that he has sprained something and that it will take time to heal.  He is acting fine at home, but we are doing dasiquin every day for 6 weeks to see if that helps the inflammation/soreness. 

We got a new foster girl, four days before we left for Kenya!  It was a mad scramble to find her another place to go...she was still taking a bottle some, but could eat on her own.  Harrison loved to sit on her heating pad! 

Auntie and I left for Kenya June 21st..here is all the food the boys were going to need while we were gone!  It's 12 cans a day plus dry food.  They were well taken care of, but happy to see us return.  I will start a Thursday Travels series for anyone interested in what we did and saw this time.

Well that's about it.  We now have a new group of fosters that will be posted on Friday.

Foster Friday

Pleased to report that all four of the foster kittens have now been adopted!  Bella is still waiting for her forever family to show up, but fingers crossed it will be soon!

Amos

Stella

Sophia

Solomon

They each went to their own home.  I do not know if there are already other cats or animals in the home or not.  I believe they will all be just fine.  Here's to happy and healthy lives little grey babies!

We should get another set of fosters in July.

Wordy Wednesday

 Tanner went back this morning for a recheck.  His abdomen did not appear to be painful this time.  This is good news.  He is eating well and not vomiting.  So we think the pancreatitis is on its way out the door!

The eye still looks swollen and is quite red.  He is now on a second eye drop to try and help it heal.

He is also sneezing quite a bit now and seems congested.  He was given an antibiotic to start that healing process.  While we know that colds shouldn't respond to antibiotics, they seem to be the only thing that helps Tanner overcome it.  You may recall in September we tried numerous things to combat the cold and finally, six weeks of antibiotics did the trick!

In other news, this bed of babies and their mother have been returned to the shelter to find forever homes.  It was hard dropping them off because I know they were nervous at being some place new, and they had to be separated from mom.  I hope they do well and find homes quickly.

Mom Bella was dropped off as well.  She is in heat and hopefully her surgery will be uncomplicated.  She is a sweet girl that needs a quiet home.  She isn't bothered by other cats, but sudden movements can startle her.

Harrison walked around the house last night chirping for his kittens.  He loved to play with them and enjoyed watching them be crazy.  It is an adjustment for everyone.

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner has been feeling puny again.  I came home on Thursday and his eye was so swollen.  The third eyelid was about half way over his eye, and lots of greenish discharge.  He also vomited a few times that evening.  I knew he would be going in the next morning.

He didn't come and help us eat dinner on Thursday night, and didn't even want any popcorn, so something was up!  

Friday I took him over to the vet as a walk-in.  He had eaten a small amount of breakfast, used the litter box, and put himself back to bed.  It was determined that he had pancreatitis and conjunctivitis.  We agreed to do supportive care at home over the weekend.

At the vet, he received fluids, a pepcid injection and a cerenia injection.  He was sent home with cerenia pills, eye drops, and a special gastrointestinal food.  (I have pepcid injections and sub q fluids at home already)

Happy to report that he is feeling better.  Eating more like his old self again and asking to play!  His eye looks better, but not completely healed yet.  I imagine we will be doing drops for another week or so.  Now, he also has a snuffy nose and sounds rather congested.

He goes tomorrow for a recheck, so we will see what the vet thinks.

Fostering Friday

The kittens are growing and gaining weight.  They will probably go back to the shelter next weekend.

Here they are having some playtime downstairs.  Look at that tiny black kitten in the carrier!  Harrison and Flynn LOVE to sit in a carrier.

The igloo is great fun.  Amos loves to jump around inside, which makes it move all around the room... 

Oliver is keeping a close eye on Solomon...

Stella and Amos playing in the igloo...

Sweet Sophia is getting braver...She is more of a loner.  She loves to play, but won't seek out a human.  She still freaks out a bit when she is held.

Solomon is our chunkster...he hit two pounds this past Sunday.  

One strange thing about these kittens is they don't purr.  Sometimes you can catch them purring if they are nursing on mom, which they still do some.  

Mom, Bella, purrs when she is petted.  She will swat at you though if she gets startled.  I wonder what her story is.  The kittens have picked up on this some and will also smack at your hands.  I don't know if they think they are playing, if they are just mimicking mom, or if they are trying to attack.

I can tell we are out of practice with socializing and working with kittens!  Does anyone have any great tips for making snuggly babies?

Wordless Wednesday

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner is doing very well.  He loves when the babies have time to come down at night to play.

Amos playing with Tanner and his string toy.  Tanner is so patient with his babies.

Health wise, Tanner is doing well and remains stable.  We don't have any appointments scheduled until July when he needs his routine check-up.  Who would have thought in 2014 when he was diagnosed with Lymphoma that he would be thriving still in 2017?  I am so thankful for my time with him!!

Mancat Monday

So we brought the kittens downstairs for a while on Sunday.  They need to be exposed to different sounds and movement, so they will be confident in their new homes.

Tanner was in heaven!  He loved having this size baby around again.  He washed everyone and played with them gently. 

The Panthers all did well too with the kittens.  Flynn and Harrison were very curious about them.  Oliver played for a bit and then started growling at them some. 

Cousin Georgie wasn't happy at all and had to be put upstairs in another room.  He doesn't like change! 

The kittens did very well.  They explored and played and discovered the catnip banana!  They had had a big day because a friend had been over with her three children.  The kittens were handled a lot during their visit! 

After a while, everyone was wiped out.  Solomon fell asleep hugging his new toy!

Here's a video of Tanner playing with Solomon.  

Here it is on YouTube.