Here’s why even the most stalwart shopper should be lured away from coupon-clipping this November 26th. For anybody who has ever looked longingly at the adoptable cats on the Best Friends website, but couldn’t figure out how to bring them home, your chance has come at last.

Pet Airways is going to make a special stop in Kanab to pick up all the animals chosen for adoption, and then will drop them off across the country — free of charge — to their new homes! This all happens during two days: Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Doesn’t that beat waiting in line at 3:00 a.m. for crappy made-in-China stocking stuffers that will end up in landfill?

Here’s the goal: Best Friends hopes to have “26 home by the 26th,” or rather, at least 26 cats home by November 26th — Thanksgiving weekend. The drop-off points for the trip are as follows: On Thanksgiving Day, Pet Airways will be stopping at Denver, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and Chicago, Illinois. At that point, they’ll stay the night in Chicago. On Friday, they will stop in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area and finally, in New York City (Long Island).

Click here for details.

Here are just a few of the adoptables looking for furever homes:

Raed

Scarlett

George

Little Sheba

Kendra

Click here for details.

In a reader? Click here.

Find out more about adopting this holiday season through Iams Home 4 the Holidays Adoption Drive.

If you live in the greater Phoenix area, there’s a cat-themed art show this weekend that you won’t want to miss. Profits go to help 4 Paws Rescue. Here’s the scoop:

Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue will have its seventh annual Feline Divine Cat Art Show in Peoria AZ from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15.

The art of more than 50 Valley artists working in a variety of mediums will be featured. All works of art are for sale, with the profits going to help the animals at 4 Paws Rescue. 4 Paws provides a shelter for more than 250 cats.

The event takes place at the 4 Paws Shelter where the cats live and play in large, open rooms in a cage-free environment. The show includes oil paintings, watercolor, photography, rock-paintings, pottery, needlework and jewelry. There is something for every budget and taste. There will also be a raffle for deluxe cat gift baskets, and refreshments will be served.

4 Paws Shelter is at 10807 N. 96th Ave., two blocks west of Loop 101, and two blocks north of Peoria Avenue.

For information, call Pat Sherman, 623-386-3031 or 623-340-6477; or Debbie Fletcher, 623-561-6278.

Celebrity Movie Reviewer Jan Wahl with Guido

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ll have the rare opportunity on Saturday, Nov 14th, to meet TV and Internet celebrity and Catster member, Guido the Italian Kitty at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco as he helps raise money for Pets Unlimited through Brushes with Greatness. Brushes with Greatness is a fun, glamour-filled day featuring stunning makeovers, expert tips and more from the world’s most illustrious beauty artists. Festivities start at 10am, with Guido making his appearance around noon.

Pets Unlimited will receive a percentage of the day’s purchases to help continue to provide services, adoption and rescue to animals in need. Saks Fifth Avenue is a proud sponsor of the critical needs Shelter and Adoption Center at Pets Unlimited.

Spend $100 or greater in Cosmetics and receive an exclusive Stefanie Johnson gift bag with an assortment of luxury samples or simply stop in to visit some of the pets up for adoption.

Guido the Italian Kitty was the center of attention at this event last year, where he hobnobbed with local celebrity and animal lover Jan Wahl, and world renowned jewelry designer Coreen Cordova.

Guido and Jewelry Designer Coreen Cordova

Pets Unlimited’s Purpose

Pets Unlimited raises money for cats and dogs in need by running a state-of-the-art veterinary center and through donations from people who care about helping animals.

We believe that every cat and dog deserves a chance to live a healthy and happy life in a loving home.

Click here for event details.

PetSmart Charities®, PetSmart®, Purina® Pro Plan® and Tidy Cat® are presenting the Holiday National Adoption Weekend. The three-day sponsored adoption event takes place Friday-Sunday, November 13 – 15, 2009, in all PetSmart stores. The goal is to find homes for more than 15,000 pets in need.

Contact the store in your area for participation times of local animal welfare agencies.

To assist New Pet Parents on caring for their new family member every Cat and Dog adopter will receive:

• A FREE bag of Purina Pro Plan-brand pet food (maximum value $13.99) for your new dog or cat and more than $200 in coupons for products and services at PetSmart.
  
• Plus, when you adopt a cat, you’ll also get a FREE 20 lb. jug of Tidy Cat Scoop litter ($8.99 value).

Click here for details.

A few weeks ago, Catster mom Jeanette and I were talking about wanting to adopt a special needs cat the next time we bring a new cat into the family. These are cats that have a hard time being placed in furever homes, and sometimes you’re saving them from certain euthanasia by giving them a chance.

Here’s a recent “special needs” success story from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary:

Change of plans

Story by David Dickson
Photo by Sarah Ause

When Roger Maas and his partner Rich were looking for a new cat at Best Friends, they thought they knew what they wanted: an older cat. You see, their 20-year-old Siamese had just passed on. They certainly knew the ins and outs of older cats. Little did they know who would end up stealing their hearts instead — a couple of fluffy kittens less than 6 months old!

Not just any kittens, either. These two kittens are FIV positive and came to Best Friends on trade from a rescue in Texas. Rich and Roger admit they didn’t know much about FIV cats before considering the adoption. They’d heard about FIV, of course, but didn’t know enough to make an informed decision.

It all started when they noticed Pixie Dust the kitten on the Best Friends website before making the trip up from Mesa, Arizona. That adorable little face was all it took to start swaying their focus away from the older cats. But first, the homework!

After speaking with their vet and reading up on the subject, they came to realize something. They realized FIV isn’t as big a deal as they had feared. FIV cats, they learned, can still live long and healthy lives. Anybody who doubts that point can swing by Best Friends and meet plenty of healthy, happy senior FIV cats who could probably still give you a run for your money! One other detail also helped sway their decision. They knew that FIV cats have a hard time finding homes. Here was a chance to help.

So they swung up to Best Friends and spent a little time with Pixie Dust and her brother Half Pint. That’s all it took to seal the deal. They wanted to adopt.

Back home, the two kittens (the only cats in the house) have been settling in perfectly. They’re still a teeny bit skittish taking in the new terrain — ceiling fans in particular make them scurry by in a hurry — but they are affectionate as can be. If Roger or Rich lie down on the floor, Pixie Dust and Half Pint hurry over and start rubbing up against their whole bodies, head to feet. Can’t beat a full body massage!

Goes to show that sometimes what you find isn’t always what you started out looking for, but no matter how you view things, this was a happy ending meant to be. Congrats!

———

Avoid the misconceptions and learn more about FIV. Then check out some of the other adoptable cats with FIV living at the sanctuary.

Whether you adopt a senior cat, a blind cat, an FIV cat, or a cat with other special needs, you’re giving that cat a second chance at a happy life.

[LINK: BestFriends.org]

Ginger and Mocha are a plus-sized pair of cats who were surrendered to the Marin Humane Society (north of San Francisco) when their guardian could no longer care for them.

Tipping the scales at over 23 lbs. each, these two plus-size pussycats have hearts to match, and have spent the majority of their time snuggling together since they were surrendered to the MHS.

Ginger and Mocha require an extra special adopter who will keep them on a restricted diet, and monitor Mocha who is in the early stages of kidney disease.

“Ginger and Mocha are big cats with big hearts to match,” says Carrie Harrington, Communications Manager. “Adopting a senior pair with health issues takes a very special and committed person. We’re confident that Ginger and Mocha will find the loving home that they deserve.”

The Marin Humane Society (171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato CA) will begin accepting applications for Ginger and Mocha on Tuesday morning (11/10/09). Shelter hours are 10 am to 5 pm. The adoption fee for Ginger and Mocha is $130 ($65 each as members of the MHS Senior Partners Program). For more information please call Adoptions at (415) 506-6225 or visit their website.

About Ginger

Handsome Ginger can work off calories by chasing toys and dining on a lo-cal diet. He will also benefit from regular grooming to keep his fur free of mats.

We think this friendly gentleman will happily bond with a new family who can give him the things he needs most in life: a sunny window with a cat perch (he’ll need a lift up initially!), some toys for entertainment and exercise, and plenty of grooming and petting sessions from you.

About Mocha

A perfect day for Mocha would include lazing in the sun, but she could certainly benefit from some active play time to help her with her figure.

Mocha enjoys playing with feathery wand toys, a great way to get her moving about.

Mocha is in the early stages of Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), a progressive, incurable disease that affects the kidney’s ability to function. CRF cats can live for many months and sometimes even years without having major problems. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict how long it will be before Mocha begins to show clinical signs of CRF, like increased water drinking and increased urination. A low protein diet and subcutaneous fluids can keep cats in more advanced CRF reasonably comfortable for a period of time.

About CRF (Chronic Renal Failure)

CRF is a progressive, incurable disease that affects the kidney’s ability to function. CRF cats can live for many months and sometimes even years without having major problems. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict how long it will be before cats begin to show clinical signs of CRF, like increased water drinking and increased urination. A low protein diet and subcutaneous fluids can keep cats in more advanced CRF reasonably comfortable for a period of time.

For more information please call Adoptions at (415) 506-6225 or visit their website.

A lot of killing goes on in shelters. It’s a necessary evil, especially now that many shelters are overcrowded. We like to use words like “euthanasia” so that the act sounds less horrific, but killing is killing no matter how you sugar coat it, no matter how nice the shelter and its staff are.

Progress is being made in New York to ensure that unadopted shelter animals receive humane treatment at the end of their lives. A law was recently passed in New York state, prohibiting the gassing of shelter and stray pets, and requires that they be euthanized via injection. There’s much still that needs to be done, but it’s a small step forward toward an eventual goal of 0% euthanasia in this country. Here are the details from the ASPCA:

Victory! NY Bans the Gassing of Stray Pets

An especially challenging political climate in the New York State Legislature has slowed the progress of a variety of pro-animal welfare bills this year. However, hard work by legislators, committee staff, the ASPCA and New York’s animal advocates brought the humane euthanasia bill (NY A. 999B) over the finish line!
Introduced in January, the bill sat dormant until the ASPCA, working closely with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and staff, helped revive it and secure passage in the Legislature in the fall. On October 9, it was signed into law by Governor Paterson.
The new law, which goes into effect in one year, will:

• Prohibit carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning (gassing) of stray and shelter animals (effective in 90 days).
• Require that the euthanasia of stray and shelter animals be performed by injection.
• Require that such euthanasia be performed by a certified euthanasia technician, licensed veterinarian, or licensed veterinary technician.
• Prohibit intracardiac euthanasia—a painful injection right into the heart—on unsedated shelter animals.
• Require that veterinarians who perform intracardiac euthanasia on unsedated animals not under the care of a shelter do so only if it is the most humane option and that they document the event and rationale.

“The ASPCA recognizes the necessity of humane euthanasia as a last-step option to spare animals further suffering,” says Debora Bresch, Esq., ASPCA Legislative Liaison to New York State. “We thank the bill’s sponsors, Assemblywoman Paulin and Senator Oppenheimer, for their tireless efforts to assure that animals receive humane treatment at the end of their lives, and look forward to the day when euthanasia of unwanted animals is an infrequent occurrence.”

*Never miss an advocacy alert again—sign up for the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to receive free legislative emails.

[LINK: ASPCA.org]

In a reader? Click here for video.

53 days after escaping at a Cheyenne, WY truck stop, Millie the Cat has been reunited with her family, thanks to her ID tags.

In September, the Schnieber family lost Millie at the Flying J truck stop when she leaped from the back window. After an extensive search, the family returned to their home in New Mexico.

The Schneibers had given up hope, but two months later, they got the phone call. Millie had been found, buried in the snowbank on the side of a highway. Her rescuer, Scott Alexander, saw her back paw move slightly. He and his family dug her out.

“At that time, we saw just her back paw move just a little bit, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s alive,’” Alexander said. “Her body felt like an ice cube. Nothing worked … I didn’t think she would make it.”

Alexander adds that when she woke up, Millie was blind and would run into things. “She was very uncoordinated. But as you can see, she’s back!”

[LINK: FoxDC.com]

We’ll conclude National Shelter Appreciation Week with a mythbusting post, covering common misconceptions about animal shelters:

Myth: Shelters can raise the money they need to humanely care for homeless pets through the fees they charge for adoption.

Fact: On average, it costs more to provide shelter, food, and necessary medical care for an animal than a shelter can recover through adoption fees. If adoption prices are too high, fewer pets will get adopted, so shelters usually cannot raise adoption prices to cover their overall cost. Shelters depend on donations and fundraising to make up the difference.

Myth: Only “No Kill” shelters deserve support.

Fact: According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are up to 8 million dogs and cats entering shelters in the U.S. every year, but only about 4 million are adopted. Many of the others will ultimately be euthanized as animal shelters do not have the capacity or means to humanely care for them.

A shelter basically has two options in dealing with this reality. The first option is the approach of many “no kill” shelters. Many of these shelters take in only the number of animals that they can care for–limiting the ones they accept to those they believe are most readily adoptable, leaving the others to be cared for by other organizations. Other shelters accept all animals, no matter how many animals they already have or whether or not the animal seems likely to be adopted.

Shelters often work together to transfer animals between shelters to make sure all available space across shelters is used. The unfortunate reality is that euthanasia will not be eliminated until there are enough homes to take in the number of homeless animals entering shelters each year.

Myth: Euthanasia is the animal sheltering community’s responsibility to eliminate.

Fact: Euthanasia is not a problem that the animal sheltering community can solve on its own. Euthanasia will be a heartbreaking reality as long as there are more homeless pets than there are adopters or capacity in animal shelters to humanely care for them.

As a current or prospective pet owner, you can help eliminate euthanasia a few ways: be responsible– spay or neuter your pets so they do not contribute to pet overpopulation. Microchip and ID tag your pets so they will not use valuable space in a shelter if they get lost. The next time you are looking for a new pet, adopt one from your local shelter.

Myth: If my pet gets lost and ends up in an animal shelter, it could be euthanized immediately.

Fact: For any shelter that takes in stray animals (animals brought in by someone other than their owner, including by members of the public or animal control) there is an established “hold time” before the animal may be adopted by a new owner or euthanized. The period, which is set by local law, allows the animal’s owner a chance to find him.

In some communities, strays with a microchip have longer required hold times.

(NOTE: With widespread budget cuts, holding times are being cut in many locales. The best way to prevent your pets from being euthanized when brought to a shelter is to tag and microchip them. Find out more in The Cat’s Meow’s Guide to Pet Recovery.)

Myth: Most of the animals in shelters are “undesirables” with behavioral or medical issues. Buying a puppy and starting “fresh” is the safest route to go when choosing a new pet.

Fact: It is not in the shelter’s best interest to adopt out pets that will be returned to them. Most shelters incorporate behavioral testing / assessments in determining which pets are adoptable, and to what type of family. Medical attention is also given, and any known conditions are disclosed to prospective adopters.

If you haven’t already done so, check out 10 Ways You Can Support National Shelter Appreciation Week.

[LINK: BringPetsHome.org]