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Posted on June 1, 2011July 31, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

Happening upon kittens and a slug holiday

A lot has happened since I last posted. I missed wishing you all a happy Slugs Return from Capistrano day, on May 28th. I didn’t know this was a holiday I was asked to write an article about it.

It’s true…it’s an official holiday, recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events, the compendium of American holidays like Labor Day. I put a copy of my “Happy Slugs Return to Capistrano Day!” article on our Ruffing’s blog too.

I sent out the last one of my coral-peach Hug Me Slugs yesterday. I am now out of that color, but I do have a light peach that is similar. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I finally took the plunge and started the visible part of our Ruffing’s blog migration. I still have many pages to add, and many more links to redirect from the old pages and posts. I’m sure that will take months. Eloise, Max Bailey’s new, original, one-of-a-kind ginger tabby cat art doll is the first doll to grace the front page of our new blog.

We kept meaning to photograph Eloise last week, but real-life kittens kept happening into our lives! This is Miranda Panda, named after a panda art doll of ours. I had accompanied Marie on two TNR trips the weekend of May 21st, one to a lady’s home in the country, which you can see and read about in this album, and one to a fast food restaurant, which you can find more about in this album on Facebook. (I took lots of photos.)

I went back later, on May 23rd, to the lady’s house, to pick up some traps, and came back with Miranda Panda. Miranda had somehow gotten into a dog pen with a pit bull and was lucky to have been rescued on time. The woman had never seen Miranda before, but it is likely she is one of the kittens from one of the litters of kittens on her property.

I got Miranda to our house and Marie came right over. Miranda drank so much water. She was very dehydrated and very skinny. Marie got an appointment with the vet, and miraculously, Miranda was unscathed by the pit bull. She was very malnourished, but Dana and Brian took her into their care, where she is doing very well. Update: Miranda was adopted.

Then, on May 27th, I went back to check on the water at the fast food restaurant, and found another kitten, hanging out by the bowls! He seemed to want me to catch him, but kept running around and up and down the mulberry tree that was there. It was on a very steep hill, full of pricker bushes and garbage. I went back home, and asked Marie if she could take another kitten. She said she could take one more. I grabbed the Fancy Feast and a carrier and headed back to the fast food restaurant.

The kitten was still in the mulberry tree, on a branch overhanging the ledge. I lowered myself, holding onto another branch, and propped the open can of Fancy Feast on the mulberry branch, as close as I could to the kitten. He ate out of it, and I moved it closer to me, so I could let go of the branch I was hanging onto and grab him. Instead of grabbing the mulberry branch, the kitten grabbed the can of Fancy Feast, by the edge, in his mouth! He didn’t want to let it go. It was probably the most wonderful thing he’d ever eaten.

I dropped the can, trying to hold onto him and get back up the hill, but I had more Fancy Feast for him in the carrier.

I got him home, and flea combed him and fed him some more. He was loaded with fleas, but absolutely loved getting combed and cleaned up. He also had a cut that was healing over his eye, and a burn that had separated his lower front gums from his lower lip. He will get a stitch for that later, once it heals enough.

Tia wanted to name him something food related, and so I suggested Monterey Jack, since cheese is in abundance in his former location, and since he is a bit of a lumberjack, with great tree-scaling skills. He’s being called Jack, for short.

The next morning, May 28th, Jack was still very happy and bouncy and hungry, but it became apparent that he had a prolapsed rectum. Marie and I got him to the vet, who put him back in order, but then the day after that, Jack was having more problems. He needed to go to the emergency vet on the 29th. The stitch the first vet had taken was too tight. The emergency vet removed it and observed him to make sure he was okay. Then Marie took him home with her to take care of him and get him the medication he needed.

Mom and I went to visit Jack yesterday, and he is healing. He is just the happiest little guy, with such a positive personality. He has purred through everything with a great loud purr. You just have to admire him. Update: Jack has been adopted.

Posted on May 29, 2011June 10, 2011 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Eloise, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat Art Doll by Max Bailey

Be careful about what you ask Eloise. She has a reputation for always being honest. She never fails to tell you exactly what she thinks.

“Do you like my dress?” her friend asks. Eloise responds that she might like the dress, if it weren’t pink. That’s as diplomatic as she can be. She doesn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings.

“Don’t you think I’m the prettiest girl in the class?” another friend asks.

“No,” answers Eloise. “Suzie is the prettiest girl in the class, but you might be the next prettiest.”

“I wish my friends would stop asking me questions,” Eloise sighs. “They never like the answers.”

Eloise is wearing a pretty green gingham pinafore, with a wide ruffle around the bib. It looks very nice over her pale green blouse with the white collar and cuffs, and with her darker green tights. Golden brown high-button shoes cover her little kitty feet. Under her pinafore she wears white pantaloons, from which her orange striped tail emerges.

Eloise is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, created from my own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric which has been sewn , stuffed, and completely hand painted with acrylic paints. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Eloise’s paws are needle-sculpted, and her arms are button-jointed so that she can pose. Her face was sculpted from paperclay smoothed into her fabric head.

Eloise has a curled tail which enables her to sit by herself on a shelf or a table, or in a cabinet. She can also sit on a chair or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand not included.)

Eloise is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She is 8 and 1/2 inches tall.

Update: Eloise has been adopted. Thank you!

Eloise’s friends are Lillie the white cat, Edith the tabby-and-white cat (coming soon), and Cleo the Siamese cat.

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Happy Slugs Return to Capistrano Day!

According to legend, on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19th of every year, large flocks of cliff swallows, gathered together on the last leg of their long annual migratory flight from Argentina, would arrive at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California, nesting in the crossbeams, under the eaves, in the corners, everywhere they could attach their gourd shaped nests, all around the old mission that was founded back in 1776.

Visitors from all parts of the world would visit to witness the return of swallows.

What no one knew, until more recently, when Thomas and Ruth Roy submitted their official holiday entry form to Chase’s Calendar of Events, was that, when the swallows return to Capistrano, all the slugs leave. It can only be imagined that the slugs fear for their lives, given the huge increase in the bird population.

This day, observed on May 28th, is known as “Slugs Return from Capistrano Day”.

The famous swallows’ yearly farewell to Capistrano is celebrated on October 23rd, when they are said to circle the mission before heading back to Argentina. This day must be celebrated by the slugs as well, as they can then safely go back to vacationing in Capistrano, which is understood to be lovely.

They get to stay there all winter, swallow free.

Over the past 15 years, or so, Tom and Ruth Roy have added other humorous holidays to our calendar, including “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night”, celebrated August 8th, “Stay Home Because You’re Well Day”, celebrated on November 30th, which happens to be Tom Roy’s birthday, and “International Moment of Frustration Scream Day”, celebrated on October 12th. Chase’s has made them all official, and has placed them in their book, along with Labor Day, and other more serious occasions.

An editor at Chase’s once said that the Roys are probably America’s biggest holiday makers, after the president and Congress.

So, since their return is officially recognized, be sure to wish the slugs a fond welcome back to your gardens and patios on May 28th. And Happy Slugs Return from Capistrano Day to you!

Posted on May 19, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Tens or twenties

I kept forgetting what day it was, and getting lost in the all things I have to do, and want to do. So, I decided I needed to break my toy making down into manageable chunks. I’m not very good with making schedules, because I can’t really tell how long it will take me to make a toy or a doll. They take as long as they take. Rushing only causes me to make mistakes. Instead of trying to make a time schedule, I thought it would be better to give myself sets of toys to work on, in numbers I can hold easily in my mind. Missing a self-imposed deadline only makes me feel bad, but striving to complete ten or twenty toys is an attainable goal that makes me feel more in control. Above is part of my first group, fleece Alley Cat Angel sock kitten on the way. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

These are the first two art toys, in my first set of ten. I haven’t made any cotton print Hug Me Slugs for a long time. I had started these before, and left them unfinished. The appliquéd cotton toys tend to be challenging, especially in regard to stuffing them. Whenever I make any, I vow to never make any more. My first Hug Me Slugs were all of this variety, and I made quite a few of them. I’m not sure where I found the patience. I have other dolls of this type, still waiting to be finished, like my Lucy Dolls. Eventually, I will get myself to finish them. I was proud of myself when I finished these today, a green Hug Me Slug and a pink polka dot Hug Me Slug.

Feeling encouraged, after completing these cotton Hug Me Slugs, I picked up a few batik fabrics this afternoon. I’m going to hand sew fleece features onto them. I really like batiks, and have others in my stash I’d like to try too. I’ll see how my first experiments look.

I uploaded my TNR photos from Mother’s Day to the Alley Cats and Angels Facebook page. You can view the Spring Hope album here. My Mother’s Day photos start a few photos into the album. I added play-by-play captions too, like the last time. The fast food cat-trapping photos are in this album. The photo above is what my mom calls Marie’s jungle combat photo. There is a tabby cat on the roof, taunting Marie with her indifference.

The tabby eventually came down, and she was spayed and vaccinated the next day.

The kittens all saw the vet, got medications to take, and are doing well. The little hissing one stopped hissing too.

Our own Josephine, who also came from a hoarding-type situation, seems to have left her past behind completely. She is getting spoiled, and enjoying it very much. Tia suggested she needs someone to fan her with palm fronds now. I’m sure if Josephine ever learns of this, she will demand someone perform this task immediately.