Week 3

This week was a good one! I got to do lots of stuff I don't usually do. Here's the highlights/interesting things from this week:

There was a really scary German Shepherd that tried to bite three people (including me). I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of large dogs. I just don't trust that they won't crush my hand or try take my face off. Little dogs bite more often, but they definitely scare me less.

I ran a table advertising Puget Sound WildCare at the town's summer festival. The wildlife rehabilitation center opened this March after being closed for three years. Most people had no idea we had reopened, and they were really happy to have a rehab center nearby. Lots of people were interested in volunteering to socialize and care for our kittens, which is much needed. We have around 35 kittens right now that will all need homes. If by chance anyone who lives in the Seattle area reads this, please come meet the kittens!

I spent one whole day doing health checks and vaccinating kittens. Two kittens came in that morning that were dumped on someone's property. I got to name one of them, so I named her Matilda! I spent the afternoon getting pictures of the cats and putting them on Petfinder. Who knew it was so hard to get a picture of a kitten that is cute and not blurry? I also spent some time socializing our littlest kittens, some of which are only 3 weeks old.

The coolest thing to happen all week was that I learned how to put an IV catheter in a cat! There are a lot of steps to getting a catheter to work, and I'll admit that I was unsuccessful on my first attempt. However on my second try I was successful! A catheter allows IV fluids to be administered during surgery, which helps recovery and helps replenish blood lost during surgery. The cat I placed a catheter in was a mother of some of the kittens. Her name is Cookie, and she was getting spayed so she can be adopted. Cookie is a very sweet cat, but she wasn't too happy with us when she woke up after being spayed.

Some non-work things I did this week include:

- Went to the farmer's market

- Went hiking at Franklin Ghost Town, which was actually pretty spooky. The old coal mineshaft is still there, but it is covered by concrete and a grate. The mineshaft goes 1,300 feet down, making it kinda scary to stare down.

- Went hiking in Federation Forest State Park, where I enjoyed seeing the White River, as well as lots of old growth forest. I also got lost and had to bushwhack and walk back on the road, which I enjoyed less. That trail should have been marked as closed if it was going to end in the middle of nowhere!

Matilda (front) and her sister Tina

Emma's first catheter!