Hi Stacy and Steve, Well, I got home last night at about 8:30. I quickly found your blog entry about Ballou. That was almost as sweet as his "Welcome Home, Ballou" sign! I slept amazingly and am about to go into the shelter for the last day before I fly again. I will be printing out your update and sharing it with everyone. So far, every time Ballou has thought something bad was about to happen, it did. It might just take a while for him to realize that pattern has been broken. What he has going for him is that he is naturally gentle and flirty, so hopefully when bad things keep not happening, he'll follow his natural urges and open up all the way. Oh yeah, when his food starts to get mushed flat, it's not ruined. If he's still working on it, you can just pile it back up with a spoon. I feel like Heloise for Ballou. If I think of any other Ballouisms, I'll pass them on right away. ;-) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'll be in touch when I get back from flying. Beth

I just wanted to let you know that Ballou is doing pretty well. It was still cool outside when we got back from the airport this morning, so I went ahead and introduced him to Scooter's group. I think Phoenix (the white hairless girl) is in love!! She's always hanging out near wherever he is. Scooter's intimidated (another boy) and everyone else welcomed him with no problem.Ballou's a little nervous about it but getting better. I fed him tonight in a carrier which went well & I was able to clean him when he was done with no trouble. He was purring until he saw the other kitties watching! In spite of the warm weather, he spent quite a bit of time outside, under the bench, taking everything in. He doesn't seem too panicked about the dogs.Anyway, I just wanted you to know that he's getting along okay! It was great meeting you too! (pictures soon!) Take care, Stacy

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Ballou is doing great! He's worked in with the kitties that live in the house pretty well. I do think Phoenix has a serious crush on him. While you & I thought that feeding him in a carrier would work well for him, he had other ideas. Once he discovered the joys of being out in the enclosure, a carrier simply would not suffice for a meal. He would sit in the carrier and cry and cry (I tried waiting him out, but...) for up to 45 minutes at one meal. The solution became simple ~ he wants to eat outside too! So we close the kitty door, he eats outside, the others eat inside. He gets cleaned up, then I open the kitty door. He eats better this way, and doesn't even mind the dogs watching him. He also now spends the day sleeping on the bench or on the carriers outside too; he's quit hiding when he hears the goats holler or a car drives in. Pictures on the way hopefully this weekend if the power doesn't go out again! Take care, Stacy

Stacy, You're the best! I was going to write to you today, but when I turned my computer on...there was your letter. Poor Ballou! He probably thought you had him in the carrier to ship him back to Florida! The solution he figured out for himself sounds much better! It is such a relief to know that he's relaxing and getting into a routine. I'm going to be writing all of this down soon and posting it up on our site sort of like I did for Rain-Beau. I will be vague about exactly which amazing sanctuary in the San Diego area took him in if you would like. I want to be sure that we are not the cause of you receiving hundreds of requests to take in more animals. You really do deserve a lot of credit though, so let me know if you'd like to remain unnamed or named.

Today temps hit 112 degrees, & we're all melting, except the office cats, who, Ballou included, are peacefully napping with the fan blowing on them. Ballou has opted for the fish tank bed, which I made by turning the stand around so the cats could crawl in it for privacy. Thank you for sharing Ballou's story. By all means, you can mention us by name. Have a super weekend! Stacy