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.
FIV is not an immediate death sentence for cats. My mother-in-law’s FIV+ cat, Babe, has lived with FIV for more than ten years, and has had no more vet visits than the average cat. He’s a wonderful pet, and a great comfort to his mistress.
Today, meet O’Ryan, an FIV+ cat who was fortunate enough to have been rescued by Purrfect Pals, a sanctuary to nearly 300 cats who have nowhere else to go. These are cats who have tested positive for FIV or feline leukemia, cats with behavioral issues, feral cats, geriatric cats, and cats with diabetes or other long-term health issues. All live in colonies in a clean, comfortable, cat-oriented environment, receiving regular veterinary care.
Here’s O’Ryan’s story:
O’Ryan was found abandoned along a river bank, starving and ill. He probably wouldn’t have lived more than another day or two if a Purrfect Pals volunteer hadn’t rescued him. He was placed in a foster home and had dental surgery, abscess care, and extensive medication. His foster ‘Mom’ found him to be an extremely loving cat who wanted constant attention and loved to be petted while he lay next to her. He is very vocal and talks to you in his deep voice as long as you will listen.
After regaining his weight and his health, O’Ryan met a nice couple, Dianne and Donald, who fell in love with him and took him home to be a friend for their other FIV cat, Penny. Like all Purrfect Pals FIV positive cats, O’Ryan was ‘adopted’ as a permanent foster. FIV cats can live long and healthy lives, but they are also more susceptible to mouth and dental problems. As a permanent foster a FIV kitty can always have any medical problems related to FIV cared for at no charge at our Purrfect Pals clinic.
O’Ryan has become Penny’s best buddy. Even though Penny is a bit of a princess, she accepted O’Ryan immediately and they love to run, play and sleep together. When not playing with Penny, O’Ryan loves to sleep on the back of Donald’s chair or beside him begging for attention or to sit on Dianne’s craft table patting her hand to get her attention
O’Ryan is a very fortunate FIV+ cat. He has found a home where he is adored and well cared for. The Purrfect Pals Sanctuary has an FIV room currently occupied by many wonderful affectionate cats who are hoping that you might consider giving one of them a loving home as well. Donate now.
If you don’t currently have cats and are considering adoption, why not consider opening your home to a pair of FIV+ cats? You’ll certainly be saving a couple of lives, and are likely to be rewarded with an appreciative, devoted companion.
National Shelter Appreciation Week runs from November 1 – 7. Now, more than ever, shelters need our help to save adoptable pets.
Even if you aren’t in a position to adopt a pet, here are ten ways you can support your local shelter this week:
Sign up to be a foster parent. Help raise kittens or socialize cats so that they go from death row to adoptable.
Donate Food, Towels and Blankets.Redeem coupons for cat food flavors your finicky cats won’t eat, and donate to your local shelter. Clean out your linen closet and donate old towels and blankets.
Volunteer. If you’re one of the many people who is currently unemployed, this is an extremely productive use of your time. It will get you out of the house, give you a sense of purpose, and lift your spirits. If you have allergies and still want to help, consider offering administrative assistance.
Got Kids? Teach them respect for all life forms. Set a good example by getting your pets spayed/neutered.
Research local rescue groups. Most people are unaware of small, local rescue organizations that often relieve the burden of local SPCAs. Find our more about these groups in your locale, and volunteer to help them. Sometimes, just offering your services as a driver, transporting cats to potential owners can be a big help.
Tag and Microchip all of your pets. Shelters are swamped with lost pets that cannot be reunited with their families because they aren’t tagged and microchipped. If every pet owner would take this essential step, it would go a long way toward easing overcrowding in our shelters.
Start or get involved in a TNR program. Trap-Neuter-Release is a humane alternative to euthanasia for managing and reducing feral cat populations by relying on sterilization of the cats so that they don’t breed. Feral cats taken to shelters will never be re-homed, and keeping them a few days before euthanizing them consumes resources that could better be devoted to adoptable pets.
Support shelter-friendly legislation. With budgets being slashed, many shelters need to decrease their holding times for animals in their care. You can help by researching pet-related legislation in your state, and contacting the appropriate people to protest budget cuts and legislation that’s not pet-friendly.
Patronize online shelter stores. Some shelters and sanctuaries — like Best Friends and Siamese Rescue — have online stores from which you can purchase pet products, the proceeds from which help support those organizations. (Siamese Rescue has the most potent catnip cigars and hearts in existence!)
Join Romeo the Cat’s FURRPOWER brigade. Romeo the Cat leverages FURPOWER to raise money for shelter and rescue organizations through micro-donations. He picks a different organization each month. Readers can donate very small amounts (give up your latte one morning, and give what you save to Romeo), all of which add up to a few thousand dollars each month for a pre-selected shelter or rescue organization. Romeo has been featured in the New York Times and collects through firstgiving.com.
Today’s National Cat Day, and it’s a good opportunity to reflect upon how valued a member of your household your cat is. Especially now, with everyone’s world turned upside down with economic worries, cats are purrfect sources of solace, and can brighten the dreariest of your days.
So here are ten random acts of kindness you can do for your cat(s) today:
1) Heavy Petting
Who doesn’t love a little heavy petting? Most cats love the attention, and it might help decrease your blood pressure if done regularly.
2) Spa Session Grooming: Groom your cat to remove loose hair. This helps reduce hairballs, and makes your cat feel better. Older cats have extra grooming needs because they can’t groom themselves as thoroughly as youngsters. It also gives you the opportunity to feel for lumps, hot spots, ticks, and tender spots.
Pawdicure: Give your cat a nail trim. Not trimming your cat’s nails can result in damage to you and your cat. If the nails rival Howard Hughes’ in length, they can get stuck in carpeting or other material, and your cat could pull out the nail to extricate herself. If left long for too long, you can run the risk of the nail curling around and growing into the paw pad.
3) Tell Her You Love Her
Cats have a limited ability to understand language, and I have no doubt that they have emotions as well. When my Siamese, Mao, is cuddled next to me and I say, “I love you, Mao”, he begins purring. If I say it again, he’ll rev up the purrer even more. He does not react to random phrases like “broccoli books and funny hats”
But that’s just my unscientific observation. What if, twenty years from now, it is proved that cats understand every single word we say? Wouldn’t you then like to go back and say “I love you” to every cat you ever had? You can start today.
4) Buy a Pet First Aid Book and Kit
You can buy a pre-made kit, or put together your own.
PetFinder recommends that a basic Pet First Aid Kit contain the following:
Sterile gauze pads (3″ x 3″ and 2″ X 2″) and gauze bandage rolls (1″ and 2″)
First-aid adhesive tape, 1″ roll
Cotton swabs (Q-tips®)
Tweezers
Scissors
Plastic freezer/sandwich bags
Small bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
Styptic pencil or cornstarch (stems blood flow from minor cuts)
Antibacterial ointment
Antiseptic cleansing wipes
Kaopectate® or Pepto-Bismol®
A current pet first-aid book
Eyewash
Eyedropper
Mineral oil (a lubricant and laxative when given by mouth)
Digital or rectal thermometer in a plastic case
Leather work gloves (to protect you from being bitten)
Latex gloves
Leash
Thin rope
Splint materials (tongue depressor, 12-inch wooden ruler or thick magazine)
5) Tag and Microchip Your Cat
If she’s already microchipped, take a few minutes to ensure that your contact info is accurate.
When buying tags, we recommend a pet recovery service like Together Tag which allows the finder of your pet to go online and find out who your pet’s vet is, any meds your pet takes, and out-of-area contacts (good in the case of emergencies like wildfires, earthquakes and flooding.)
Both tag and microchip work together to ensure that your cat can be returned to you. For more information, check out The Cat’s Meow’s Guide to Pet Recovery.
6) Play with your Cat
Cats rarely get enough playtime, especially if they’re under five years old. Spend some quality time with your cat and play her favorite game. Then resolve to spend 15 minutes (or more) each day in playtime.
7) Volunteer at an Animals-as-Therapy Group
If your cat has a mellow disposition and is a good traveler, consider volunteering for a therapy animal program. It will give you a chance to spend quality time with your cat, and help out your community.
8] Buy your cat a water fountain. One of the best pet inventions ever. Provides your cat with pure filtered running water 24 hours a day. Most cats LOVE them. Drinkwell has an extensive line, with a model to suit every need.
9) Channel Mr Clean
Wash your cat’s bedding (use fragrance-free laundry soap) and empty and scour her litter box. Both off these tasks should be done weekly, but time often slips away from us and before you know it, neither bedding nor litter box has been cleaned for a month. Do both today, and set a weekly reminder.
10) Adopt a Cat
If you have the time and resources to do so (and not many cats to begin with), adopt one of the 4 million cats in local shelters and save her life. Is there anything better you could do for a cat than that?
About National Cat Day
National Cat Day was founded by Pet Lifestyle Expert & Animal Behaviorist, Colleen Paige to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and also to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their life for the unconditional love and companionship they bestow upon us.
Estimates reveal that there are approximately 4 million cats entering shelters every year with 1-2 million being euthanized. Often cats are overlooked and under-appreciated because they don’t usually have jobs like dogs. But cats still lower blood pressure, offer unconditional love and companionship and alert their owner of danger.
Cats have so many puuuurrrrsonalities and there is so much to love about them! Even if you can’t adopt a cat, offer to volunteer to clean a cage or sit and play with a cat for a while. Who knows? You may just fall in love!
This week, I interviewed Hilary Swank, the ambassador for the Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption program. The program has placed more than 3 million animals in homes since 1999, and in 2008, the adoption drive found homes for 1,202,718 pets. The 2009 campaign launched on October 1st, and with 3,500 animal organizations, their goal is to help 1.5 million pets find homes this holiday season.
Hilary is an outspoken animal lover who is no stranger to rescuing animals in need. She has adopted many pets throughout her life, including her two dogs Karoo and Rumi. Five years ago, while filming Red Dust in the South African countryside of Karoo, Hilary befriended a starving, tick-infested stray dog she found on the side of a road and adopted him. She adopted Rumi last fall from a participating IH4TH shelter in Los Angeles. I had a few minutes to talk to Hilary about her work with Iams’ Home for the Holidays Program.
Karen: For someone as busy as you, in the midst of promoting a new movie that premieres this week, it seems it would have been easier to write a check than to become the ambassador for the Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign. What inspired you to get so deeply involved with this program?
Hilary: Well, I’ve always loved animals and I want to do as much as I can to help them. Over 8 million pets are currently homeless in the United States; it’s just terrible. My own animals are a great source of friendship, inspiration and comfort to me, and I know others would feel the same if they had pets.
Because the holiday season is the most popular time of the year for people to buy pets as gifts, it makes sense to try to save the lives of shelter pets by encouraging people to adopt a shelter pet rather than buy from a puppy mill or backyard breeder. Many people are unaware that there are a lot of purebreds available at shelters; for example, as many as 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds. Purebred or not, shelter pets that are placed in loving homes get a second chance at life, and I want to help make that happen.
Karen: Last year, Iams Home 4 the Holidays placed 1 million pets in homes, and this year’s goal is to find homes for 1.5 million pets. Given the current economic climate, that’s a huge increase. Do you think you have a shot at reaching that goal?
Hilary: Absolutely. Pets provide a lot of comfort and solace during tough times, and I think now, more than ever, people should have pets in their lives. Everyone is under a lot of stress for a lot of different reasons, and nothing’s better than a purring kitten or faithful dog to give you comfort and solace when times are tough. Having someone welcome you home with unconditional love after a stressful day — there’s nothing better than that. They love you no matter what.”
Adoption Fast Facts
As many as 8 million animals are homeless in the U.S.
Nearly 4 million orphaned dogs and cats will be euthanized this year due to shelter over-crowding and lack of awareness about the importance of pet adoption.
More than 25 percent of all dogs in shelters are purebreds.
IH4TH helped 1,202,751 pets find homes last year alone.
Over the past decade more than 3 million pets –1,638,515 dogs, 1,505,690 cats and 134,062 “other” animals – have been adopted through IH4TH.
How You Can Help
To learn more about how to make a difference in the life of an orphaned pet, including finding participating shelters, volunteering and making a donation to support animal organizations and pets awaiting new homes, visit iamshome4theholidays.com.
About Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH)
As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, IH4TH partners thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, IH4TH began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 11 years ago, IH4TH – along with nearly 3,500 pet adoption centers – has helped more than 3,278,143 families experience the joy of pet adoption, including 1.2 million pet adoptions this past year alone. For more information, please visit www.iamshome4theholidays.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/IH4TH.
We wrote about Rescue Ink earlier this year, and since then they’ve scored not only a book deal, but a National Geographic series as well.
National Geographic just premiered their TV show, Rescue Ink Unleashed, on Friday, Think Animal Cops with a twist: it’s a group of bikers with more than 1700 pounds of muscle, over 80 tattoos, and one unlikely mission: to rescue helpless, abandoned and abused animals. These tough guys are not afraid to go anywhere or confront anyone to save animals in danger.
Each one-hour episode of Rescue Ink Unleashed takes viewers on “ride-alongs” as members follow up on leads in the New York metro area.Taking an average of 100 calls a week at their headquarters on Long Island, they jump into their cars — or on their “hogs” — and confront alleged animal abusers, investigate stolen animals and firmly encourage owners to give up their pets if it’s in the best interest of the animals.
Our favorite is “Des,” known as “The Cat Man.” Des is a friend to all felines. Although he grew up in the tough neighborhoods of Jamaica, Queens, where survival included hanging with a gang, Des’ cat friends have given him a new purpose in life. Des gets called in anytime there’s a cat-astrophe.
The series is on the National Geographic channel on Fridays at 10pm.
Our friends at moderncat are raising money for Tabby’s Place Cat Sanctuary, and by making a donation — no matter how small — you’ll be entered to win one of three great prizes pictured above.
Here are the details:
Moderncat is teaming up with pet product designer Ree-Yong and Give Forward to help raise donations for Tabby’s Place Cat Sanctuary. By making a contribution of any size you can enter to win one of three designer cat items while helping to support this wonderful organization that works to improve the lives of cats.
I first wrote about Tabby’s Place last month when I learned of the work they do to help save cats that are slated for euthanasia, including lots of special needs cats. This beautiful facility in New Jersey provides adoptions, medical care, and hospice to cats who need a second chance.
Now you can pitch in to help support Tabby’s Place by making a donation through our fundraiser at Give Forward. Make a contribution in any amount (every bit helps!) and you will be entered to win one of these designer cat products from Ree-Yong’s Copenhagen Collection:
First Prize – Copenhagen Cat Condo ($200 US retail value)
Second Prize – Copenhagen Cat Dinnerware Set ($65 US retail value)
Third Prize – Copenhagen Cat Scratcher Manicure Set ($39 US retail value)
The fundraiser will close on September 30 and three winners will be chosen in a random drawing. This giveaway is open to readers everywhere. All donations are tax deductible. You will receive a receipt upon completing your donation. We’re hoping to raise at least $2500 for Tabby’s Place by September 30. Can we get 100 people to donate $25? How about 250 people to donate $10? Let’s see what the Moderncat readers can do!
Tabby’s Place is a cage-free sanctuary that provides refuge to cats in hopeless situations. Its residents come primarily from public shelters where they had once been scheduled for euthanasia.
This one-of-a-kind facility serves as:
An Adoption Center, finding loving homes for cats;
A Hospital, providing medical and surgical treatment for sick or injured residents;
A Hospice, providing palliative care and a warm, loving environment for chronically or terminally ill cats to live out their lives in comfort.
Cats with Special Needs
Tabby’s Place does not turn cats away due to age, medical need, or “lack of adoptability.” It is, therefore, a safe haven for several older, chronically ill, or handicapped cats. These cats have special needs such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or blindness. At Tabby’s Place, these cats are able to live full and happy lives with the medical care, love, and affection they deserve.
There’s a little slice of kitten heaven in Tammy Cross’ 450-sq-ft Beaux-Arts apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Tammy is the force behind Kitten Little Rescue, an organization that rescues sick, abused or abandoned kittens and showcases them on summer weekends at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, in the hope of finding adoptive or foster families for the wee ones.
Tammy often fields calls from the Center for Animal Care and Control, the city’s shelter, seeking to place strays that might otherwise face certain death. In her tiny apartment, 6 to 18 baby kittens — and once as many as 22 — are bottle fed and nursed back to health. An army of volunteers, along with contributions from the public, help sustain her rescue work.
Tammy has been living a life defined by cats ever since she came to New York about 30 years ago. Her cheery apartment hardly looks like a crazy cat lady’s habitat, but cats are indeed in residence. There’s a pile of cat toys beneath the sofas, whose white slipcovers are washable in case of accidents. Grey industrial carpet wraps a door frame, providing an ideal scratching post without sacrificing floor space. The bathroom functions as a nursery for kittens who are ill or very young or cannot eat on their own. Tammy pads around her apartment barefoot to avoid injuring the kittens who are constantly scampering everywhere.
Tammy has been rescuing, bottle feeding and tending to sick and injured kittens for over 18 years. A recognized expert in this field, she has taught classes on critical kitten care and bottle feeding at the ASPCA. In 2005, she received the Companion Animal Guardian Award and was recognized for her humanitarian help to animals by the animal welfare group ‘In Defense of Animals’. She has rescued and adopted out over 2000 kittens and cats.
There’s a family on Catster I’ve known several years who runs an informal rescue operation in Tennessee. The Mom (appropriately named “Cat”) is amazing. She takes in rejects and nurses them back to health, gets them spayed and neutered, then tries to adopt them out. A few years ago, she was registered as a rescue org, but when they moved to their current location, she didn’t re-submit the paperwork. This is NOT a hoarding situation. They have sufficient acreage so all the cats are comfortable and happy and have the best possible care, and she adopts out as many of her charges as she can. In this economic climate, though, the number of cats getting dumped on her doorstep far exceeds the number she can place in furrever homes.
A few months ago, a perfect storm of circumstances made it impossible for Cat to continue: there is a serious health problem, their income has taken a nosedive due to a major loss in retirement investments, and a job she had counted on getting vaporized with a hiring freeze. Cat adoptions are at a standstill.
Catster friends of this Catster family have rallied to help. A Catster group was formed to promote adoptions and organize a Catster railroad if needed.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Buy cat products from Cat on Etsy. She sells kitty tents, greeting cards, boogie mats and related items to raise money for the cats.
Volunteer to drive a leg of the Catster railroad to transport adopted cats to their new homes. Even a 100-mile segment anywhere in the U.S. will help.
Join the group on Catster to keep up on latest developments in this story and ways to help Cat’s crew.
Broadcast this post on your own blogs and networking sites. See the icons directly below this post that say “Share and Enjoy”? Click ‘em and you can add to your Facebook Profile, Digg, del.icio.us, and others.
Adopt one of the cats listed below. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE (as long as it’s in the U.S.). Through the power of the Catster Railroad, we can arrange transport to your home–all you need to do is say YES!
All of these cats are healthy, happy, have all their shots, and are spayed and neutered. Click the cat’s name or photo for more information, including whether they’re good with kids/dogs/other cats.
I love all my brothers and sisters inside and outside. I’m very perky and love it when we have visitors. I like to offer my butt to all my human friends, just don’t mess with my stub tail!
One day I just showed up! I was just sitting by the little fish pond watching the fishies play when Meowmy decided to to pick up Mickey then she realized it was me! Meowmy thinks I was somebody’s baby then I grew up and they didn’t want me anymore. I LOVE to snuggle. Meowmy thinks I was put in a box or something to be dumped out because I won’t go inside anything, not a bed, box anything. And I’m very nervous of noises that pop (like a BB gun). I’m meowmy’s boy, follow her around like a puppy…ugh did I just say that?? MOL I love to kiss, snuggle and play!
One day when I was a tiny kitty, I was walking along looking at the beautiful butterflies. Well I wandered too far and there I was in the middle of the road and there were cars coming from both directions! Yikes!! All of a sudden a people came running from no where and scooped me up in her arms and took me out of the road! I was tiny and had no place to go, so I went home with her.
I thought I had a furrever home. For a year and a half I had a purrfect life, and I did everything with my Meowmy. Then my dad said my Meowmy could either have me or a baby. So that Meowmy got ridded of me. It was a very sad time for me and I was very depressed, lost most of my hair and didn’t want anybody to touch me. The vet said I was physically fine, it was my nerves and stress of losing my home. It’s been a couple of years now, I’m all better, but I still am sad. Please don’t take a kitty home and love it if you can’t keep it forever…trust me it hurts VERY bad.
I was in a ditch crying my heart out. I was a baby, only 6 weeks old. I was scared and all alone! My daddy came along, picked me up and took me took me to mommy. Oh she gave me the bestest food!!!! I got fat and sassy really quick!
I was in a sawbriar patch and couldn’t get out! A mean person dumped me and I didn’t know any better than to run into the briar patch. The man that owned the car lot close to where I was called mommy and daddy. They brought food, really good smelly food and put it in a trap. I went right in! I was so hungry I didn’t even notice I was trapped. I have a good home now! My eyes were very scratched from the briars, I still have scars… I’m a big stout boy now though!
Hi, I was a rescue…and you know I’m so cute a lot of people came to adopt me. BUT I didn’t want to go, I decided to stay with meowmy and dadddy. I like to stand at the door and scream, weeeyou, weeeeeeeyoooouuuu! I want in, I want out, I want in, I want out!!! TOO FUN!!
I was wandering around trying to find somebody to love me…every house I stopped at ran me off. I got to where I was afraid of people because they were so mean to me. Well there I was one day wandering around and I went through a fence because I smelled food, and LOTS of other cats. They didn’t take too kindly to me at first but slowly I worked my way into their house and into their food bowls. But oops here came a person! I ran and hid in the barn, but guess what this person put food out for me! Hmmm slowly I let this person get closer and closer. She seemed Ok, all the other cats loved her. I finally gave in after about a month and let her touch me. WOW was that nice!! I crawled into her arms and she petted me, and brushed me. She even took me into the house! Now you couldn’t run me off! I’m home!!!
One day my brother and me found ourselves dumped out in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly. We were running and running, cars were everywhere! We saw people and tried to get out of the way but we are so little that we just got tired, sat down and started panting. It was soooo hot! We were so scared. Then we saw a lady walking our way, she kept saying kitty, kitty, kitty. We stopped for a minute and she grabbed us up and put us in her car. She took us home and gave us a room all our own, with lots of food and she petted us too. We got to meet some other cats a few days later and they are cool! Especially Robert Tail! The other cats told us that the lady that found us is now our mom, we like that she’s nice! Now we have a home!
My brother and sisters were born in a garage in a subdivision in Marietta Georgia. We had fun but there were lots of cars around. My mom was like me she has 6 toes on each foot too! I’ve had trouble with mine some the claws turn under and grow into my paw, then the vet has to cut them out. It hurts when they start to grow in, but the vet took out the bad nails now and they haven’t given me trouble in over a year! My other sisters and brother got other forever homes but I got to stay with my mom C.C. My brother Tigger and I were VERY close. He got a new furever home, and I’ve been sort of depressed since he left. My meowmy is sad that she let him go to another home now, she didn’t realize how attached to each other we were.
Me and my brother lost our mommy before our eyes were opened. We were under a house starving…luckily a nice couple found us and took us the my new mommy. My new mommy bottle fed me and my brother with another litter that lost their mommy. I love my new mommy!!! I LOVED my bottle!! My brother Crackers got a new forever home, but I stayed with mommy and daddy. I’m just a little love, I walk up and fall over, FLOP in your lap! Just like a noodle! And I run like the wind!!!
Me and my brother Pixel came from the same place that Teal’c and Bratak came from, the goat farm. The lady brought us to meowmy when we were about 5 months old. My brother depended on me for everything, so I never left his side. Mommy would only let us get adopted together and we did get adopted. BUT about a year and a half later our new daddy decided to get married and move to a new house. His lady friend wanted nothing to do with us…our daddy chose her over us… He brought us to a whole new place in Tennessee, our first meowy had moved but took us back and gave us this forever home
My sister and brother and me all were born away from people, we were VERY afraid of people at first. A lady coaxed us to her with good smelling food. My brother had a bob tail and my sister had a long tail and they both had long beautiful black hair…well I have short hair with beautiful silver stripes and a half tail with a crick in the end! I’M SPECIAL! My brother and sister went to their forever homes, and I did too. But my new mommy had an awful car crash and got hurt really bad. I was a tiny girl and very hyper, when my mommy started walking on her walker I almost tripped her up several times so I had to go back to my first mommy. My new mommy said she would want me back when she was able to walk again…that was a long time ago…I never heard from her again…
Imagine enjoying a beautiful bike ride in glorious Spring weather and coming across a foreclosed home in which you learn that nearly 60 cats were abandoned without food or water?
If you’re Gail Silver with Silver Bells Rescue in Ohio, you mobilize immediately and do what needs to be done to keep those cats from being picked up by animal control and immediately euthanized. That included getting other rescue groups involved.
Lynne Heldman with Save Our Strays (SOS) immediately assisted by placing the easiest cats to catch, as well as trapping the cats that had the most urgent medical issues. Janet Corbett with Wildwood Pet Network interviewed potential fosters and adopters. Anita Barron with Pet Alliance worked to find fosters, resources and funding for this very large and expensive initiative.
In cooperation with the Cincinnati SPCA, several veterinary hospitals offered discounted services; Fannie Mae, the lender that owned the house also assisted; neighbors who live on the block where the cats were found came to their aid; fosters and other volunteers who heard the story showed up to help, nearly 60 cats were rescued or accounted for, including six cats and kittens who did not survive. Many of the rescued cats required extensive veterinary services to bring them back to health. Click here to read more about the rescue.
A group of artists from around the country created original art from images of the foreclosure cats and donated their work to raise money to fund the rescue efforts through the Foreclosure Cats Art Project. The work is dazzling, and although the originals have been successfully auctioned, you can purchase a calendar and other products with the images through the Foreclosure Cats Online Store.
The Foreclosure Cats Art Project was so successful that it spawned another rescue effort of a feral colony in an abandoned factory. The Factory Cats Project is raising money for TNR efforts at the abandoned factory, which also includes fostering, socializing and adopting out adoptable cats within that colony.
If you live in Ohio and can provide a home to one of the five remaining foreclosure cats or one of the factory cats, click one of the links below. Don’t live in Ohio? You can help by making a donation on the site or buying from their online store.
1) Heavy Petting
3) Tell Her You Love Her
4) Buy a Pet First Aid Book and Kit
5) Tag and Microchip Your Cat
One of the best pet inventions ever. Provides your cat with pure filtered running water 24 hours a day. Most cats LOVE them. Drinkwell has an extensive line, with a model to suit every need.
This week, I interviewed Hilary Swank, the ambassador for the Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption program. The program has placed more than 3 million animals in homes since 1999, and in 2008, the adoption drive found homes for 1,202,718 pets. The 2009 campaign launched on October 1st, and with 3,500 animal organizations, their goal is to help 1.5 million pets find homes this holiday season.
Hilary is an outspoken animal lover who is no stranger to rescuing animals in need. She has adopted many pets throughout her life, including her two dogs Karoo and Rumi. Five years ago, while filming Red Dust in the South African countryside of Karoo, Hilary befriended a starving, tick-infested stray dog she found on the side of a road and adopted him. She adopted Rumi last fall from a participating IH4TH shelter in Los Angeles. I had a few minutes to talk to Hilary about her work with Iams’ Home for the Holidays Program.
Hilary: Well, I’ve always loved animals and I want to do as much as I can to help them. Over 8 million pets are currently homeless in the United States; it’s just terrible. My own animals are a great source of friendship, inspiration and comfort to me, and I know others would feel the same if they had pets. 
There’s a family on Catster I’ve known several years who runs an informal rescue operation in Tennessee. The Mom (appropriately named “Cat”) is amazing. She takes in rejects and nurses them back to health, gets them spayed and neutered, then tries to adopt them out. A few years ago, she was registered as a rescue org, but when they moved to their current location, she didn’t re-submit the paperwork. This is NOT a hoarding situation. They have sufficient acreage so all the cats are comfortable and happy and have the best possible care, and she adopts out as many of her charges as she can. In this economic climate, though, the number of cats getting dumped on her doorstep far exceeds the number she can place in furrever homes.
