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10/28/09
Pete and Caroline Hunt assumed that their 7-yar-old Bengal cat, Bilbo Baggins (pictured above), had been shot by a farmer. Bilbo went missing while the Hunts were attending an archery competition. They had taken their three cats with them in their motor home.
But when they arrived at their RV Park, there were some men shooting at a nearby farm.
Mr Hunt said: “There was a very loud bang from a shotgun very close to us.
“Bilbo isn’t used to noise like that and he ran off. As we had only just arrived at the site, Bilbo didn’t know his way around and must have got lost.
“I asked around all over the place to see if anyone had seen him. When I asked the farmer, he said, well, if he came in here I’d put him down.”
The Hunts were heartbroken to return home with an empty cat box.
Mrs Hunt said: “I thought we’d never see him again. Then someone from these vets in Taunton rang last Thursday and said did we have a Bengal cat.
“I said yes, but we lost him. She replied, we’ve got him here. I was so overjoyed I didn’t know what to say.”
Mrs Hunt had to drive to Taunton to pick up Bilbo. She said: “When I saw him he was very thin. Apparently, he had gone into this woman’s house through the window and she had fed him.
“She took him to her local vets and they read his microchip. Unfortunately, we hadn’t updated our address with the microchipping company but they managed to contact Estcourt House Vets in Devizes and they put them in touch with us.
“Bilbo walked straight up to me, put his little head on my sleeve and purred. I can’t tell you how delighted I was.”
Ed Davies at Estcourt House Vets said: “This shows how valuable it is to get your pet microchipped. But you must tell the microchipping company of any change of address. Fortunately, we had the Hunts’ contact details, which we were able to give the Taunton vets.”
This should serve as a reminder for you to check to see if your microchip contact info is up-to-date.
Microchipping is an essential part of any pet recovery plan, but that plan must also include putting a collar on your pet with ID tags (like TogetherTag) and a bell (to help you locate your cat early on, especially when it’s dark).
Read The Cat’s Meow Guide to Pet Recovery for everything you need to know about keeping your cat safe, and finding her when she’s missing.
[LINK: ThisisWiltshire.co.uk]
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10/27/09
A tiny tuxie kitten who was clinging by his claws to his 9th and final life was rescued from a frigid Long Island storm drain this week.
A passerby heard his faint mews and investigated, locating him beneath a drainage grate in a parking lot. She called the Humane Society, and was lucky enough to talk to a volunteer who happened to be the wife of Oceanside Fire Chief Tim Biscay. The Biscays raced to the scene as the chief called his ladder company for assistance.
“We have a lot of tools, and deep down, most of the guys here are real animal lovers,” said Biscay, who has performed several cat rescues.
The firefighters tried to coax the shivering tuxie from its perch inside a pipe but he was too frightened to move. Then they “spooked” it with a fire extinguisher and the kitten leaped into the arms of firefighter Matt Martin.
“The poor little thing was pale and shaking — he was probably hypothermic,” said Biscay.
The kitten was taken to the Hilton Animal Hospital. “He was definitely hypothermic,” said Dr. Jeffrey Strom. “But he’s eaten and is in a warming cage, and he seems to be brightening up.” The kitten, nicknamed “Storm” spent the night in the warming cage. The next morning he was admitted to the Long Beach Humane Society for adoption.
He didn’t have to wait long. Two hours later, he was adopted by the mother-in-law of the original good Samaritan who alerted authorities to his predicament. How’s that for a happy ending?
[LINK: New York Post]
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10/24/09
In a rural area outside of Council Bluffs, Iowa, this week, Oreo the Cat saved a five-year-old boy from a possible kidnapping:
It’s unimaginable. A mother finds a stranger, standing over her sleeping son. The boy’s mother tells Channel 6 News it happened to her Wednesday evening.
The family lives in rural Pottawattamie County, southeast of Council Bluffs. The 26 year-old mother, Becca, asked that her last name not be used, as the family is still concerned for its safety.
“Scared,” she said. “I don’t want to be home by myself.” She said the ordeal began shortly before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. She had settled her nearly five year-old son in a recliner to watch a movie. Then, she got in the tub with her three year-old.
That’s when something strange happened. Her cat, Oreo, wandered in to the bathroom. “I’m like why is the outside cat in the house?” The cat, she said, was acting strangely.
“I hurried up, got dressed and I came out in the kitchen. And a guy was standing over my five year-old son, just staring at him.”
Her son was sleeping in the chair. “And I yelled at him,” Becca said. “And I told him that if he didn’t get out of the house, I was going to call 911. He came running towards me and hit me in the head.”
She said she grabbed the closest possible weapon off the kitchen floor, her son’s plastic baseball bat. “I hit him in the head with the bat. And he took off, out the door. I don’t know where he went.” She never saw a car.
“If he was after me, he would have come in the bathroom. So, I’m wondering if he’s a child molester or something.”
Sheriff Jeff Danker said the motives are unclear. “It seemed like he was focused on the child, so it is a real concern.”
He calls the case “unusual,” especially in that part of the county where there’s no easy access to homes by sidewalks. “The investigators are going to be canvassing the area and doing what they can to follow up on this.”
Becca used to feel comfortable leaving the door unlocked, but not anymore. “Just because it’s country, you feel like you’re safe. And it’s not safe anywhere.”
She called her cat her “hero.” Ironically, she rescued him more than eight years ago. Now, it seems, Oreo has returned the favor by saving her son.
“I was just scared to death, because if the cat hadn’t come in, he could have taken off with him or hurt him, or do something.” The boy slept through the whole thing, and his little brother didn’t see anything.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s department is looking for a man around 40 years-old. He’s described as having dark hair, hazel eyes and a tattoo on the back of his neck. He’s about 6’1” and weighs around 200 pounds.
Becca said he was wearing blue jeans, a purple shirt and tennis shoes when she saw him. Anyone with information should call (712) 890-2200.
[LINK: wowt.com]
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10/20/09
 This week, a stowaway kitten was discovered perched precariously beneath the driver’s door of a Chiltern Railways train in the UK. Despite flying across the countryside at speeds in excess of 100 mph, the kitten was able to cling to the underside of the train over the course of his 900-mile journey until discovered and rescued at a station stop.
When drivers heard what sounded like soft mews coming from the underside of the driver’s cab door, they investigated, finding the black cat perched in a gear box area near the train’s wheels. He was lured out with a slice of salami, and taken to a vet where he was given a clean bill of health.
Chiltern Railways spokeswoman Emma Gascoigne said they believe the kitten leaped on to the train at Banbury train station in Oxforshire
She said, “The night before a driver at Banbury spotted the kitten run towards the train and then disappear. He couldn’t find it so he just carried on as normal.
“It wasn’t until the next night and 900 miles later than he realized that it must have been the same cat.
“This has never happened before. It managed to stay there for 900 miles and not fall off – it is absolutely amazing.”
Jodi Fox, a fleet resources assistant said, “It’s remarkable how he survived a 900-mile journey travelling at over 100mph – I was really shocked when I heard what had happened.
“He would have been able to see the tracks where he was and he must have been petrified.”
Jodi ended up adopting the kitten and naming him “Diesel.”
“When I got to work in the morning, I was asked whether I wanted a cat. I thought it was a joke but then I looked inside the box and I fell in love with him straight away – he just looked so cute.”
[LINK: DailyMail.co.uk]
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10/19/09
Max the lucky black cat, is heading home to be reunited with his family in Germany, thanks to the kindness of a pair of animal lovers and a microchip.
The 9-year-old cat went missing in Boulder, Colorado in mid-June, when he snuck out of the Boulder Outlook Hotel. His family, the Deraneys of Niedernhausen, Germany, spent the summer at the hotel, and were visiting a family member when he disappeared. Despite an intense search, Max had not been located before the family had to return to Germany.
Max was found October 5th less than a mile from the hotel when a cat-loving couple who saw him roaming the streets brought him to the Humane Society, hoping to adopt him if he didn’t have an owner. A microchip scan showed that Max did have a home … 5,000 miles away.
Max’s survival for four months could “quite possibly be due to the kindness of people in the community,” said Kim Terlau, animal services supervisor at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.
“He is an active cat and does show interest in prey behavior, but to be honest, I’m not sure how skilled of a hunter he is,” she said. When he was first brought to the shelter, he was famished, scarfing down his food as soon as it was set in front of him.
Marisa Deraney arrived in Boulder after Max completed his international health certificate verifying he was healthy enough to fly. With pet pawsport in hand, Max flew back to Germany with Deraney today.
[LINK: Denver Post]
Max might have been reunited with his family sooner if he’d been wearing ID tags. For more information, read The Cat’s Meow’s Guide to Pet Recovery.
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10/10/09
Cody the Cat is safe at home after a cross-country adventure that started in a Dallas UPS truck and ended in Chicago.
The adventuresome blue-eyed tuxie was accidentally packed and sealed in a packing box by his owner, Marie Webster, who runs a company which supplies materials to chiropractic offices. She was taping up a large box when Cody, sensing the opportunity for an excellent adventure, snuck inside.
“We arranged the foam and then we walked off [to] find a label … so I’m thinking he must have gotten in there then,” said Webster. “I’m sure he was completely panicked.”
She and her daughter searched frantically for Cody for the next few days.
On Wednesday, Brett St. Aubin, the director of a chiropractic clinic outside of Chicago, received the package of home traction units.
“We opened it up and we found cat hair on the merchandise,” the chiropractor said. “And [then] I saw the cat. I quickly closed the box back up.”
Cody’s collar had come off during the trip, so it took a few minutes to sort everything out. They pulled him from the box and initiated petting therapy.
“He was in shock, but well-behaved,” St. Aubin said.
Upon emptying the box they found his collar, and they immediately called Webster.
“He said ‘Are you the owner of Cody the cat?’ I said, ‘Yes I am,’” Webster said. “I started screaming. He said, ‘We’re in Illinois.’ I’m like, ‘What?’”
Plans were made to transport Cody back to Texas. St. Aubin took Cody to an animal hospital to get him checked out.
“He was just a little bit in shock,” said Brenda Brown, certified veterinary technician at the hospital. “We actually kept him here overnight, and he was eating and drinking normally. He definitely appeared to be in good spirits.”
Cody received the distinguished honor of “Patient of the Month” from St. Aubin before a courier whisked him to the airport.
“Everybody was just outstanding in helping me get this cat back,” Webster said.
[LINK: nwherald.com]
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10/06/09
Cash the Cat may have set a new world record for cats awaiting adoption; he’s been waiting for 19 years (longer, even than Minxy did!). This heartwarming story describes how Lee Van Camp — a woman with a very big heart — was willing to give Cash a chance at a happy home in his sunset years.
The following success story is from Best Friends Animal Society:
Story by David Dickson
Photos by Molly Wald
Chasing dreams is not always for the faint of heart. Some dreams come easy, others take much longer. Some take so long, in fact, that they seem to fade into the distance and all but disappear. For Cash the cat, it would be easy to understand if he ever became discouraged about the dream of finding a home. After all, he’d been waiting over 19 years.
Cash was found as a stray 4-week-old kitten with FIV. He came to Best Friends at the time and has been here ever since. Heck, he’s been at the sanctuary longer than a lot of the buildings.
When Lee Van Camp of Fountain Hills, Arizona, began thinking about adopting a cat from Best Friends, she knew just what to do. A previous Best Friends adopter twice over, Lee wrote to Best Friends adoption manager Kristi Litrell and told her what she was looking for — an older, special needs cat.
Her previous two adoptions at Best Friends were senior dogs. P.J. and Brandon were each 13-years-old when Lee adopted them. “They deserve to have a good home,” Lee says, about older pets. “Even though they may not be with you for ten years or more, you can still give them the same love.”
So when it came time to adopt a cat, Lee knew from the outset she wasn’t going to be picking a kitten. Kristi wrote back with a suggestion that sounded promising. Cash was an FIV cat who had been at Best Friends waiting for a home for 19 years. He didn’t have any teeth (which incidentally means he can’t infect another animal with FIV), but was otherwise in good health. Would she like to meet him?
Lee drove up to Best Friends and spent an entire week with Cash. Her first impression upon meeting him was that he didn’t look like an almost-20-year-old cat. She thought he seemed a lot younger. She also came to recognize very quickly at least some of the reasons why he might have been overlooked for so long.
“He’s not the cat who will come marching over to say hello,” Lee explains. He was the wallflower — the one in the background who avoided the spotlight every chance he could.
Cashing in
Even though Cash tried to pull the shy routine with Lee, she was determined to win him over with kindness. Armed with persistence and a pocketful of treats, Lee spent day after day bonding with Cash. It didn’t take long before Cash recognized something special in her.
 Before the week was over, Cash would even crawl up on her lap for pets and goodies. By the time she had to leave the sanctuary, Lee knew she could give him a good home — the home he’s always deserved. “His forever home,” as she likes to emphasize. Make no mistake, now at Lee’s residence, this cat is not going anywhere.
Lee knows a thing or two about caring for older animals. Her dog P.J., the one she adopted from Best Friends last year, is on a whole assortment of various medications and treatments. Undaunted, Lee takes in stride all the special needs that can come with age for P.J. and her other pets. To her way of thinking, though, Cash is a walk in the park. No real special needs, other than the fact he’s not a spry young kitten any more.
If there’s one thing Lee likes to pass along to others, it’s encouraging them to consider adopting an older pet. “There’s nothing like it,” she explains. “They are so appreciative to finally get a forever home.” That certainly includes Cash.
For the entire car ride home, Cash never made one sound. Every time she’d lean back and look at him, Cash would just glance back quietly. You have to wonder if he kept waiting for someone to pinch him and wake him up.
In his new home, Cash is finally getting to experience all those things he’s heard so much about over the years. Things like closets and beds. But even the everyday stuff takes some getting used to. If Lee is on the bed, for example, Cash will join her. If she’s gone, however, no dice. Remember, human furniture might as well be a UFO floating around the living room for all he’s seen of the inside of a house!
Lee knows Cash might take a little while getting used to a home setting. So far, however, he seems content with this newfangled approach to living. It will only get better from here. And no matter what else, as Lee says, “He’s going to get lots of love.”
Congratulations, the both of you. Thanks for the reminder that dreams do indeed come true.
Cash may have been one of the sanctuary’s longest-term residents, however, there are still plenty of other mature felines who are available for adoption.
You, too, can make a senior cat’s life happy in her last few years, or save a special-needs cat from certain euthanization. Check with your local shelter or Best Friends to find out how to adopt.
Cash is living proof that FIV positive cats can live long, healthy lives. My mother-in-law has a senior formerly-feral FIV+ cat who is over 15 years old. Aside from a thyroid problem and occasional dental extractions, he’s been in great health, and is one of the sweetest, most loving cats I’ve even known.
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09/30/09
The cat who was mummified with duct tape has found a new home. Here’s the story from Philly.com:
By Peter Mucha
Inquirer Staff Writer
‘Sticky’ has found a family.
The cat that became a media sensation after being found body-wrapped in duct tape joined its new adoptive family yesterday, according to the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A handful of people called to claim ownership, but no one followed through, according to spokeswoman Liz Williamson.
“They were given the opportunity to come in and meet with our officers and prove ownership,” she said. “Only one person even set up an appointment and that person did not keep the appointment.”
More than 100 adoption requests came in, and they were considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
This family’s request came soon after the news broke Sept. 22 about a cat found bound from neck to toes in a North Philadelphia yard, Williamson said.
The female cat was nicknamed “Sticky” by workers at the PSPCA, where she was sedated so the tape could be removed with scissors. The cat was doing well after her ordeal.
The family wishes to remain anonymous, and Williamson didn’t know where they live or whether they have children or other pets.
She was also waiting word on whether the name “Sticky” would stick.
The case captured public attention, generating all sorts of news reports that led to increases in adoptions, donations and phone calls for the society’s headquarters in North Philadelphia.
Last year, from Sept. 23 to 29, 15 cats were adopted at the headquarters at 350 E. Erie Ave. This year, during the same period, 58 cats found new homes, an increase Williamson called “awesome.”
Donors who mentioned Sticky gave $2,075, she said.
Callers clogged phone lines with leads for investigators, who were offering a $2,000 reward.
On Saturday evening, acting on a tip, Pennsylvania SPCA law enforcement officers arrested James Davis, 19, of the 2100 block of 22d Street in North Philadelphia.
If convicted of the animal cruelty, Davis faces up to two years in prison and a fine of at least $1,000, the PSPCA said.
“He did not have any previous convictions or complaints related to animal cruelty,” Williamson said.
“We’re very pleased that Sticky’s story is one of our success stories,” she said. “We’re very, very pleased with the outpouring of love and support that not only Sticky received, but also our law-enforcement officers and staff during the past week.”
Many other cats and kittens are available for adoption, she pointed out.
“We encourage everyone who was interested in adopting Sticky to visit our headquarters at 350 E. Erie Ave. or the Animal Care and Control Team at 111 West Hunting Park Ave.,” Williamson said.
Adoption hours at Erie Avenue are 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They’re more limited at West Hunting Park Avenue: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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09/26/09
Linda Jansen of Penicuik, Midlothian in Scotland had long given up hope of ever again seeing her cat Sampson (pictured above) who went missing a year and a half ago. Which is why Jansen was stunned to get a call that Sampson had been turned in to a veterinarian in Devon, 500 miles away (see map below). His microchip led the vet to Jansen.
Jansen said, “The funny thing is he is a really bad traveller.  He always gets sick whenever he’s in a car. So forget The Proclaimers – my cat really did walk 500 miles. She added, “I have no idea where he’s been for 18 months but I can’t wait to see him.”
According to the vet, Sampson was well-fed, but appeared to have been living rough.
In the interim, convinced they’d never see Sampson again, Jansen and her daughter adopted Angus, a tabby kitten (right). Sampson will soon have a baby brother to train.
The Edinburgh firm Eagle Couriers has offered to return Sampson to his home in Scotland for free. Director Fiona Deas said: “It’s one of the most amazing pet stories I’ve heard. We’ll make his journey home as comfy as possible.”
Three cheers for Eagle Couriers, who is willing to transport a carsick cat 500 miles!
[LINK: thesun.co.uk]
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09/21/09
Not so long ago, a tortie Mom Cat and her teeny kittens were found beneath a porch near Bent School, a grade school in Bloomington, IL. Some of the students became enamored of the kitty family, visited them several times daily, and eagerly watched them grow.
But one day, the kittens were gone. The kids were frantic. Mom Cat was still there, pacing, glassy-eyed, searching for her kits.
The kids assumed the litter had died, and were worried that Mom Cat might be hit by a car while searching for her brood. They convinced a neighbor woman who happens to rescue cats to foster Mom Cat and find her a good home.
Meanwhile, it was also a sad day for some of the neighborhood adults. You see, they, too, had found the litter of four kittens and fallen in love with them, just as the schoolchildren had.
But they encountered a different problem. They noticed that Mom Cat was no longer around, and the kittens were getting very hungry. They feared the worst — that Mom Cat had perished — so Sharon Burris pulled the kits from beneath the porch, put them in a blanket, purchased bottles and formula, and took them to Paradise Pet and Day Spa in Bloomington, where owner Kathy Sieraski, agreed to feed them and keep them alive, even returning at 2 a.m. to make sure they were OK.
So, all were safe. It was happy ending. Sorta-kinda.
But, wait. There’s more…
Connie Burchette, a crossing guard at Bent School, knows everything about everything, since she chats up the parents and students as they wait to cross the street.
As it happens, she heard some adults discussing the rescue of some orphaned kittens. And, she heard some students bemoaning the fact that a mother cat had lost her babies.
Connie pieced the puzzle together, realizing that both groups had rescued Mom Cat and kits from harm without the others’ knowledge.
The Mom Cat’s foster mother was contacted. She still had Mom Cat. Sharon jumped to action and picked up Mom Cat, then sped across town to reunite her with her kittens.
According to Sharon, the moment that Mom Cat spotted her kittens, “it was amazing. She ran to them and began licking them and kneading them.” And the kittens ran to her, “cuddled next” to her and went to work suckling for their dinner.
Sharon and Kathy were transfixed, Sharon said, tears welling in their eyes.
As the word spread the next day at school, the concerned schoolkids had the same reaction. Tears of joy.
Watch the video here.
Want to give a kitty a home?
Call Paradise at (309) 662-0880. It has five especially cherished, especially well-traveled ones, to offer.
[LINK: pantagraph.com]
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