A warning for the technically challenged

As a techie-geek, I spend a decent amount of free time helping others with their computer woes. In fact, I am the first person my supervisor calls (not the corporate IT guys) when something goes wrong with a computer on the floor. I am also the IT guy for several of my friends' computers, handling software and hardware upgrades and general computing advice.

I feel it is my moral obligation to post this story for everyone out there to read. Please, if you are not overly knowledgable about computers, do NOT waste your money going to these guys. Ask your local geek at work, or drop me a line here at whotendsthefires AT gmail DOT com, and I'll try to help. Don't let you get screwed like this poor computer user was.

Thanks to Blues News for the original link.

The Post I Don't Want to Make: Update 1

Here are pictures of two of the cats. Jadis has decided to find some inaccessible place to take her afternoon nap.

From Cat Pictures

Underfoot, in all of her mellow glory.

From Cat Pictures

Elric, being his normal self (just imagine Kronk as a cat...)

Jadis looks a lot like her brother Elric. She is larger (food dish hog), has yellow eyes and has more of a medium length to her coat. I'll take pictures of her as soon as she decides to grace us with her presence.

For those of you who have been asking in the comments, Denita's currently on a regimen of Asmanex, Singulair and Albuterol. This combination seems to be doing wonders for her, but she is unable to pet the cats or have them in her lap (Elric is a demanding lap kitty) without setting off breathing difficulties.

Thanks to everyone for the great response so far, and more updates to follow.

UPDATE: Pictures have been fixed, and the Queen of the Cats made her appearance.

 

From Cat Pictures

Jadis is NOT a fan of the camera's flash.

Better pics to follow soon...

The Post I Don't Want to Make

I know I'm off on my New Year's Resolution of at least one post a week, but I haven't had to heart to make this post, but I have to.

Just before February, Denita had a VERY severe asthma attack. Her rescue inhaler type (over the counter) had been pulled (either for re-formulation or for retirement.. reports are conflicting at this point) and we did not find out about this until she had ran out. When I called her from work to see how she was holding up, she gasped out that the EMTs had just pulled up to the house.

Thankfully, the quick response time from the local Emergency Response Team kept Denita from getting a deeper shade of blue than she was when they arrived. After two mega-doses of albuterol from the EMTs and another mega-dose at the hospital, her breathing was returned to normal. She has since gotten to a doctor and is taking a MUCH better combination of medicines to help her control, not just react to her asthma.

Here comes the hard part for us.

While the cats are not a true "trigger" for her asthma, for her health we need to find new homes for the furry ones. There are three of them all together.

Underfoot: a 2 1/2 year old spayed female tan and grayish colored shorthair. She is one of the most gentle cats you will ever run across. She gets along decently with other cats, once she adjusts to them.

Jadis: a 1 year old spayed female white colored medium-hair. She is the prima donna of the group and will dominate and set off fights with other cats (she really needs to go to a single cat home). She is also partially deaf. She is also a bit of a pig at the cat bowl. Once she warms up to someone, she is a rather affectionate cat.

Elric: a 1 year old neutered male white colored shorthair (Jadis' brother). Galoot is the best description of his personality. He is one of the most affectionate cats I have ever met, but not the brightest cat out there (but certainly not stupid). Also, like his sister Jadis, he is partially deaf.

All of them have been inside cats since we rescued them, and I don't think they would transition to being outdoor cats well (especially with Jadis and Elric being partially deaf).

I'm able to drive 100-150 mi from the Austin area to help with their relocation on my days off (with some advanced planning) if needed.

Right now I do not have any current pictures of them to post here, but I will fix that in the next day or two.

Those who are interested in adopting any of these guys, please drop an e-mail to us: whotendsthefires AT gmail DOT com

If we are not able to find new homes for them very soon, we will have no choice but to take Underfoot, Jadis and Elric to a shelter (a NO-Kill Shelter will be the only choice). We would much prefer that they went to a home of someone we know. Please help if you can.