Hagrid is in love with MiniBlinks. We didn't know that's what it is, but with more watching him, we think that is true.

It started last year. He would follow her around, stalking her and when he got close enough, he would pounce on her. Now, she's a big girl, but Hagrid... he's enormous. He's a huge black panther and he just *looks* scary too. So of course, when he would pounce on her, oftentimes without her seeing it was coming, she would flip over, scream, try to get away, and fight. Of course, he would fight back and she would end up getting hurt, usually with a bite to her rump or leg. Most times, those bites then get infected and cause abscesses, which cause a trip to the vet. She's gone to the vet for abscesses caused by Hagrid 6 times this past year!

So every time he starts stalking her, we tell him "No!" It was obvious to us that he just wanted to play. He wasn't stalking in an aggressive way, and when she would run, he would job along behind her, juuuuust fast enough for her to keep away. If he was truly being mean and aggressive, he would have tackled her right off, chased her down and really mauled her, but he doesn't. Hmmm..... We've been trying to get him to play with some of the other kids - Moonlight is big enough, and still a kitten. He'd LOVE to wrestle. Clawed is beefy and loves to wrestle... but no.... Hagrid wanted MiniBlinks.

Then last night I watched him..... Mini was laying down in her wicker basket, which is down by my knees when I'm sitting down watching tv. Hagrid was up on the top perch of a kitty tower. He was staring at her, and purring. Every few minutes, he would let out a little "Brrrrrrrff?" purring meow question. His ears were up, his arms outstretched and he was just staring at her with wide, calm eyes. Finally, he couldn't stand it and jumped down. She was snoozing. He went creeping up behind her. We were ready to yell at him if he did anything bad, but he just started sniffing her back. She turned and looked at him and out of the side of his mouth, he made little Om Nom Nom pretend nibbling on her rump. It was honestly one of the dearest things I've seen. He then looked up at me and saw I was watching him. I guess he figured he would be in trouble, so he wandered off, but it was really telling. We are now convinced that he has a serious crush on her and just doesn't know how to work with that. He's so big and scary that once another kitty starts running and fighting, he fights back, but we've noticed that he always looks confused and upset about it.

He came to us as a wild kitten, all by himself. We think he just doesn't know how to express himself. When we got Toothless, Toothless had a big crush on The Admiral, but Admiral would whap and bite him, so we started saying "Licking! Admiral! Licking!!" and Admiral would lick Toot's head instead. This worked well for him, so we're going to try teaching Hagrid this. He likes to clean Clawed, Toothless, Moonlight, and Watson, so we're going to teach him "Licking!!" when he cleans them and then when he goes towards Mini and we say "Licking!", perhaps he'll get the idea and they can be cleaning buddies. I think he would love that, and she would certainly love not being sick and going to the vet every few weeks!

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

We just added a new form of remembrance of your Friend with Fur to Crystal's Kitty Memorials.

They're called: FurEver FurBalls™ and they are really, really wonderful.

It's a gorgeous hollow crystal sphere memorial, created especially for you in the colors of your kitty. Inside is the fur of your lost pet peering through the clear sections saying: "Hello", so that even after they have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, a part of them that only they could create can stay with you, sleeping peacefully on your desk or table, being a comfort to hold.

This beautiful piece is approx. 3" wide, with a flat spot on the bottom. The colors of your kitty will be artistically matched and swirled, encapsulating a small amount of fur FurEver sealed within. It comes with a lighted base, imparting a soft glow in the evening hours.

I've saved tufts of fur from the large majority of my friends who have helped me through my later life. At various times of the year when these tufts are found on the floor or happen to be released as I brush them, I stash the tufts in a safe place; not knowing what I may do with them later.

Sometimes, I don't get the chance to obtain them in this way. During the process of laying them to rest, a sad time to be sure and not wanting to let go, I will gently snip off a bit of fur to keep. It is something that only they could make. It is precious to me beyond compare.

Now I know where they can be kept... FurEver.

There are ten who are under the apple tree back where I grew up near Rochester, New York. They were my friends when I was little. Their fur I can no longer obtain. They live in my memory, still, but having a physical representation made by someone I hold dear to my heart helps in so many ways that they cannot be described.

I must stop typing now. I can no longer clearly see the screen.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Our home is in danger. Mom and Dad have been doing all they can to save our home and their business, but we're scared. They have put together an IndieGoGo Campaign to raise necessary funds to help us get a new home and them a new studio to continue making beauty and saving lives, as they are meant to do. They have helped us so much and we want to help them now, in any way we can.

They say that there is strength in numbers and lots of small contributions can add up to make a big difference. We're small, we add up and do make a big difference, so I guess they are right.

Please visit the link above and see the Wonderful Rewards they are offering. Use the Share links on their Campaign page, so that your friends can get to it easily.

Comment here and on their Campaign page. Your support will mean so much to my brothers and sisters, and to those I have yet to meet and play with.

Thank You,
Watson

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Bengals are very racy, to put it mildly, so having a way to let them run without leaving the compound and be exposed to predators would be a good thing. We had long considered getting a cat exercise wheel, but they were on the expensive side.

One day, Joy happened upon a Kickstarter that had a new design not requiring a strong framework to hold the center live bearing upon which the wheel rotates. It's called One Fast Cat and is constructed from injection molded plastic segments that assemble into a narrow open ended cylinder which sits on four soft wheels located at the outer corners of the base.

The big cylinder is shipped in 54 pieces! It is made up of two rings, 18 interlocking curved segments each, that are on either side of the 18 curved tread panels. Once the rings are assembled, the tread segments snap into them and the cylinder becomes fairly rigid. The final touch is the soft pad applied to the treads to provide some grip and cushion.

Takes a bit of finesse to assemble it. (Hint, a hefty rubber mallet, clamshells and your favorite beverage helps.) Constructing the rings isn't so much of a problem but getting the treads to snap into the rings posed something of a conundrum. For a while, it looked like we couldn't get there from here. Once the trick was learned to get them started, it went fairly easily; albeit with a lot of banging that freaked everyone out. The periodic cussing didn't help, I'm sure.

The ends of the ring segments have a bit of a sharp burr left by the mold and we recognized that this would cause significant amounts of clatter and noise as the bumps hit and bounced over the wheels. So, out came a rasp and I filed all of the joints until they were smooth to the touch. The wheels had a mold parting line mark around the center, so they were filed down as well. There is now only a soft, low rumbling as someone runs on it. Sounds like distant thunder. It would be nice to get it smoother, as there are undulations in the molded parts, but it's a pretty good compromise right now.

Even with the refinement, we were initially concerned that the noise would keep us awake, which would be the primary reason to have the center bearing design, but the kids are pretty much sacked when we are. If it did turn out to be a problem, we'd place some hand clamps on either side of one of the wheels to keep it from rotating. To our delight, when someone does get on it, it wakes us up, yes, but we smile and fall back to sleep knowing that someone is enjoying themselves.

We've been adding some enhancements to the design. (Big Surprise...) Willow has a very fluffy tail and her feathers got caught between the cylinder and one of the wheels when she sat down with her tail draped over the edge of the pendulum-swinging cylinder. She and her brother Watson and sister Arya are Somali mixes, so have extra-fluffy tails. Gotta do something to protect them. 4.5" disks attached to the wheel bearing bolts solves the problem nicely.

The unit sits on carpet, not on a hardwood floor as the product video shows, so oscillates laterally a bit. We're adding point-tipped leveling jack screws to the foot on each corner that go through the carpet and pad to the sub-floor to stabilize the frame. This may add to the resonance, but there's no free lunch.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Just when the fun was really getting good....

Dad's in the kitchen!

I got up to stretch my legs for a bit, went out to check on how everyone was doing in the KittEnclosure and found Watson balancing on the Corral rail; engrossed in the sprinkler head that had just turned on. He loves drinking from The Faucet of Life in the bathroom, so his taking to water isn't a surprise. I ran back into the studio and grabbed my phone; hoping that he wouldn't lose interest in the interim. I wasn't disappointed.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

It's shot in 1280x720, so the sharpest view is to go Full Screen then click the View Actual Size button. Full Screen gives a better sense of being here, but it's slightly softer if you have a 1920x1080 monitor.

These are archived on our Vimeo Channel: Vimeo.com/BengalMania.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Joy has been working for the past few months creating an outdoor compound in which our kids can play. They used to run free but there have been injuries and some have gone missing. Zot came home with a rattlesnake bite on her hand, Luna came home with a sizable bite out of her tummy, Roadside, Blinky and Luna eventually never came home. It's too much. We don't like keeping them cooped up, it's not their nature—especially the Bengals, but the alternative in these wild surroundings is just too serious.

We have Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Foxes, Raccoons and Great Horned Owls living on our mountain. I wrote a series of posts on my blog a few years ago when a Mountain Lion and her cubs were feeding on a deer that she had chased onto our property. Cool, not so much for the deer, but pretty scary for us who happened to see eyes glowing in the flashlight beam one night; large eyes, far apart. Nature is close. We need to keep our kids closer.

The KittEnclosure has been growing and expanding, all the while being perfected as far as escape prevention is concerned. Zot has shown herself to be quite the artist in this regard. Figure you've got everything secure and, poof, she's gone again; only to arrive on the fence outside the studio where she sits to get our attention when she wants to come in. Clever girl.

Her partner, Moe, is as single-minded and driven as they come in pushing the envelope. When she gets out, she comes home at dusk, like she always has, but she goes so far away and across the road, that it's a worry. Sometimes, she comes home without her collar and we have to go find it; usually in someone else's yard caught on a fence or a bramble bush. Thought we had the exit avenues all plugged, as there haven't been any escapes for a while, but she got out yesterday. Fixed another hole, this one on the tree trunk up above the Branch Bridge. The cameras, seen below, are how we learned of her exit strategy.

Joy wanted to connect the original enclosure with the corral that sits between it and the house. A couple of ladders and ramps were tried but weren't successful. No one would get on them. Then I got an idea about a tower that they could climb to reach a large branch that extends over the corral from an oak that stands in the enclosure. This branch has been the primary escape route for a few of the kids and we decided that, rather than try to prevent them from getting to it, which was never very successful, it would just be best to make it a path to a destination. Heck, everybody knows where it is and that it goes somewhere fun.

I modeled up the tower, so Joy could see what I was thinking about and she built it. It's platforms are fastened to a 2x6 standing on stilts and is attached at the top to the branch with a swivel bracket to allow movement when the wind blows.

With this in place, the only thing missing was a way to get the kids in and out on their own, instead of us carrying them every day, a few times a day. We figured out a drawbridge that crosses the walkway that can be lifted up if we need to move some big and/or heavy stuff from the garage. It connects to a covered bench that leads from the cat door in the coldworking studio window. It has a gate that closes off the pathway to the KittEnclosure if we want to limit them to only the bench as the Sun begins to set.

Now the house, the corral and the KittEnclosure are all connected and the kids go in and out and over the bridge all on their own; some many times a day. Toothless hasn't quite figured out the Tower/Bridge thing yet. If he is placed in the KittEnclosure, that's where he stays. He likes that area best. If he goes out the door, he spends the day pacing: through the corral, pining through the fence at the KittEnclosure, back inside, through the house, back out to the corral, pine at the fence, back into the house.... Seems to be looking for a way to his favorite spot. He's watched Carbon go up the Tower but just doesn't connect the dots. He's a special needs boy.

We began mounting a set of IP cameras in order to monitor how they are doing out there and enjoy the fun while working. People began hearing about the project and it seemed that streaming video of the kids out there would be a good idea. The KittEnclosure is extensive and is filled with plants and trees. It's pretty difficult to make out what is where in the videos when you aren't familiar with the layout. I was going to make a map, and probably still will, but I thought that a walkthrough might be a good start. The actors cooperated and made it pretty entertaining; though they don't take direction well. We hope you enjoy it.

It's shot in 1280x720, so the sharpest view is to go Full Screen then click the View Actual Size button. Full Screen gives a better sense of being here, but it's slightly softer if you have a 1920x1080 monitor.

There'll be periodic streaming of live feeds from the three cameras on Livestream.com/BengalMania. Follow us and you'll be notified when one will be starting. After each feed is completed, they will be archived there for viewing any time.

We're also posting higher resolution versions to our Vimeo Collections: Vimeo.com/BengalMania.
These usually cover longer time periods and are edited to take out stretches of inactivity when the kids are taking a siesta.
The first of these can be enjoyed on its own page.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

We've been a bit spun-out over the past number of days. We have lost one of our family. We're both really torn up. We've not been getting any signal from Blinky's tracking radio since she didn't come home and we've taken to widening the search area every day by truck, using the Radio Direction Finder to see if she is just out of range. Nothing. No idea what happened to her. She just vanished. Canvassing vets and shelters, sending emailed missing posters to the other properties up here and down in the valley has taken a lot out of Joy. We're even contacting ham radio guys to see if, with their more capable and sensitive apparatus, that they might be able to pick up her transmitter.

A few days ago, Joy got a weak ghost signal from Blnky's transmitter; just at dusk while taking her daily evening drive with the RDF to further widen the search radius. Came home honking the horn, all excited and out of breath. Could barely talk. We went out and tracked it by going through a neighbor's property and through their fence into the uncut brush in order to triangulate in the opposite direction from where Joy got the ghost. I got a weak signal and climbed about half way down into the steep canyon before running out of light; forcing us to give up. Did begin to get a more directional signal down there but it was bouncing in the deep canyon. I'd get a vector west into a big Manzanita, go south a bit to triangulate again and the signal would be coming from southwest. Perhaps she's moving. That's a good sign. She never comes when it starts to get dark. Always is good about holing up to be safe at night. Stubborn about it, in fact. Her Mom taught her well. Went back up to the big bush and it was back to coming from it, so reflections are the issue until I could get closer. Maybe she's not moving.

We went out the next morning before the sun got too high and started where we left off. Signal was still there, coming from the same location. Not good news. If she isn't in it, all we'll retrieve is the collar. If she is, after five days, chances aren't good. Took about an hour to get from where I quit the evening before farther down into the canyon. 250 feet vertical drop. 45 degree and greater slope, heavy overgrowth up to 8 feet high, very dense at times. Finally got down to a rock wash that is only about 3 feet wide and boulder filled. Signal was bouncing all over, so the vector kept changing. Had to climb out a couple of times to check and then descend again and move up the wash. Finally was able to set the distance sensitivity on medium to get a better bead on the location.

The collar was laying in the wash next to a large rock. Braided nylon webbing separated but the breakaway was still clasped. The separation is essentially straight across, with little shredding. No blood was immediately evident but there are dark stains on the collar that are suspicious, no fur around. Were some bones from other small animals embedded in the dirt wall of the wash. Long nose like a possum or fox. A leg bone and a vertebra were up the hill a bit. All bleached, so not her. Went farther up the wash, looking as far up the sides as I could to see if I could find her but, nothing. Finally got to within ten yards of a large boulder wall and stopped. The brush was extremely dense, as you would imagine if there is a small waterfall there in winter, so didn't try to get through it. Poison oak was scattered throughout it, so wouldn't be a comfortable time later. Although, when craning up to see if I could spot her, I determined that if I did see her, I would indeed go through it to retrieve her. Nothing.

I recorded my path with a GPS tracker, chronicling this ordeal. We'll update with whatever the outcome may be. We're still holding hope that she broke free and escaped when whatever chomped through her collar. She went on a walkabout some time ago and was gone for four days. Admiral Akbar went on a walkabout for ten days and returned, so having hope is better than not. We learned later on that he actually survived somehow in this area for a year before we finally captured him (It's a trap!), which is remarkable, seeing as how he's cow-spotted black and white. Usually, white cats don't last long out here.

When you perform rescue missions as we do, the lives you save become all the more precious. Bringing them back from the brink, whether through medical attention or providing shelter from predators or saving them from abandonment, forges a far stronger bond than going to a pet shop. You have a vested interest in their welfare. They become your family, as if they were your own offspring. When you lose one, it hurts all the more because you cared all the more.

Joy, and I are holding onto hope as much as we can, but it's looking more and more like Blinky was attacked. The straight across cut of the webbed collar strap and dark stains on it really point to that which may have been a horrible death. Tears still suddenly overwhelm (just like now) when the rational and scientific side of the brain takes stock on the odds. At least we have a few strands of her fur that are around the tiny bolt that holds the transmitter to the collar and a lot of photographs and, of course, fond memories. She was the most beautiful of the Marbled Bengals; a real sweetheart, and we were possibly going to breed her. If only she had come in when Joy called. If only we hadn't let her out that one last time. If only... What if...

We still call to her every night in case she might be nearby. We leave the porch lights on dimly to guide her home. It gives us hope.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Progress with the new kitty! No longer is he growling when I come in and dish out some canned food. There are still a few daggers, and no contact, but I was pretty close to him and he didn't growl! He doesn't understand windows or mirrors, but he's been using the kitty box, so I'm not really sure what kind of life he had before he came here. I'm assuming he came up after being abandoned from the neighbors down the hill when they moved away. They left a couple of their dogs there at the house as well. He has injuries on him, from the dogs, wildlife or the awful people there. I'm just not sure he was ever kept inside, or he would know that windows are not the way to get out. He has crashed into them so many times, there are bloody marks on all of the windows and mirrors. He certainly seems untrusting and mostly feral, but then he immediately used the kitty box.

Thinking of renaming him from Black Bart. Every time I go in there, he has a new hiding place and I have to call around hunting for him. BJ says we should name him "Bueller". He was in a cave for most of today. When I went in each time today, surely enough I was saying: "Bueller? Bueller?" It made me giggle.

I think I'm making progress with him. Instead of trying to get away in a crazed panic, he now backs into one of his safe spots and growls at me while I put down his stinky food. And he is definitely a Bart and not a Betty. Yeowza! And I can get closer too. When I put down his latest serving of stinky food, my hand was only about a foot away from him. He doesn't seem to like hands at all, so that was a real improvement. If what I suspect is true, hands were the delivery system of abuse at his former home. I keep explaining to him that not all people are like those. I've been letting him see other kitties from a distance with me too, hoping that will show him how they're treated. I just want to take all those abusive people and throw them in a hole together and let the gods sort them out.

Black Bart. Out of hiding and has been loving his stinky food. Still no contact, but there are fewer daggers being sent my way.

COMING SOON - The Dagger Eyes are Gone! Thanks for following! Peace, Joy

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog

Cold, wet, rainy day. New Kitty was warm, well fed, safe and dry all night. Hopefully we'll make a little progress today. I put in a box for him, but this morning found him at the back of the litter box cave. That's fine too. I didn't disturb him. Poor little boy. He is so afraid. I think he is actually a boy. He's small, but his face looks stocky. I believe I saw some "boy signs" as he was flying around the room, so I think for now I'll call him Black Bart until I can get a better look.

A couple of hours pass...

Oy. Taming the Tasmanian kitty just got about 14 magnitudes harder. Went in to deliver a little bowl of milk and found the door to the walk-in, very crowded costume closet fully open, and Black Bart is nowhere to be seen. He could hole up in there for days..... sigh...... There's food, water and a litter box, but it's now just going to take a huge amount more time to get him accustomed to me without being able to see each other and interact. But I want to hold him and snuggle him and love him NOWWWWWWWW

A couple more hours pass...

When I just checked on him, he was out of the closet and had eaten his stinky food. He was ensconced up on the counter again, so I shut the closet and tied it shut so hopefully he won't be able to push the door open again. Gave him more stinky food. He didn't get to the milk so I took it out. I'm just working with the stinky food, plus he has regular food and water too. Not going to shower or use the potty in there. I think running the water would be a sure way to make him do a Tasmanian spin again, and I want to avoid that as much as possible -- it's awful!!

Have I seen My Cat from Hell? Yes, I've seen that show, but was disturbed by the treatment the owners were showing—slapping the cats and such... It's no wonder the cats don't like them if they smack them like that. Perhaps it was only on the one show I watched, but it was enough for me to not want to try it again. The cat would hiss or swat and the owner would smack back at it.

Even more hours later...

Taking in some raw hamburger to Tasmanian Black Bart kitty. That should curry me some favor.... on second thought, I'll leave off the curry... I said goodnight. He growled. Sigh.

Copyright © B.E.Johnson & Joy Alyssa Day - All Rights Reserved.
For more, visit: The Bengal & Maine Coon Mania Rescue Blog