Friday, May 29, 2009

A Super Success Story











Regular readers will recall a special cat named Monty that we rescued earlier this spring, matted, missing fur and bearing the scars of life on the street. We were thrilled when Monty found a terrific new family within a day of being listed for adoption. His new family sent the following update:

Willis, formally known as Monty, has been such a success in so many ways. When we decided we wanted to adopt a cat we were looking for one that really needed a forever home. When we first heard Willis’ story we knew that he was the one. He has adapted very well to our home and our other cat Bear. He is very comfortable as an indoor cat and enjoys watching all the activity outside. I think that he is just so happy being warm and safe. His favorite place is in the front porch by the window where the sun shines through. He always greets us at the door when we come home and always has something to say. He is a very vocal guy and loves all the attention. Both cats are really getting their exercise playing and chasing eachother all around the house. Willis has always been such a playful cat and if he’s not playing with us or Bear, he’s playing with his favorite toy. Willis is a big boy with a big appetite and always enjoys feeding time. He loves the fish oils at meal time that help with his fur coat. He still looks like a little lion but it’s coming back very nicely. Willis is getting healthier and healthier everyday and we would like to thank Alanna and Sarah and everybody from People for Animals for all their help. Thank you again for rescuing Willis, he has become a large part of our lives.
Alanna

Goodnight Peanut

My Peanut lost his battle about 15 minutes ago in my arms. As I blogged about earlier, today when I came home from work I saw that what I had been worried about had happened - the three bigger kittens had pushed him aside in Chika's nest. He was cold and hadn't nursed in some time. I tried to warm him up with the heating pad, massaged him, and tried to get him to accept a bottle. He perked up a bit, but not much. So, I tried to put him back with Sammy, where there was less competition. She did take him and nurse him for a short while, but when I went back a bit later he was in distress and being squished by his brother. So, I took him back into my care, and went back to my previous efforts. I know he was comfortable, and he wasn't alone. I promised him that if he could fight through, I would keep him as my own. But his breathing kept on slowing, and finally, it stopped.I really thought he might make it. This is really hard.
-Sarah

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Roo exploring the world

Piglet and Roo have started exploring the world outside Chika's nest. Note Chika's watchful gaze in this video as Roo takes a look around the nursery.

-Sarah

Chika's growing family





Here are some new pics of Chika, mother cat of the year, and her kids. The white/flame point siamese cross male is Piglet (4 week old male), the orange tabby is Roo (4 week old male), and the raccoon faced black and white kitten in the background is Patches (6 weeks, gender as yet undetermined). Patches was rescued this weekend, all alone, and Chika accepted him into her brood. He is still timid, but coming along well, and thriving with his new family. As you can see, the other kids aren't timid at all! Roo has been on antibiotics for a puncture wound that he had when he was rescued (we think he was attacked by the same tomcats that killed Chika's two other kittens). However, he is healing very well.
-Sarah

Sammy and her kids





Sammy is the semi-feral momma cat that was trapped in my own feeding station a few weeks ago, and very quickly afterwards had a litter of kittens in my fostering room. She gave birth to five kittens, but one died at birth. Despite my efforts to support her, two more kittens died after that. Sammy's remaining kittens are now about 11 days old.
After the last two kittens died, I moved her kittens over to Chika, who was also being fostered in my nursery with her two kittens. She accepted Peanut (grey tabby) and Jellybean (orange tabby), and nursed them along for a few days. Yesterday I put Jellybean back with Sammy, as he is twice the size of his sibling, and she clearly missed her babies. She hasn't left him for a second since then, and he is doing great.
My greatest fear this week has been that Peanut would get pushed out of the way in the nest by Chika's rapidly growing kids, along with a new arrival that Chika also adopted. Tonight, I went down to check on them and it had happened. Peanut was on the edge of the nest, cold, and hungry. I took him/her out, and warmed them up on a heating pad and tried to feed a bottle of formula. Peanut took a little of it, and did liven up a bit. However, I still wasn't thrilled with the improvement. So, I took a gamble and put Peanut back with Sammy. And she started nursing him!!!
I'll be honest, I'm not still convinced that Peanut is going to make it. He/she is half the size of orange Jellybean, and he has a lame back leg. But I am going to fight my hardest to make it happen.
-Sarah

Mitzi, home at last








We wrote about a sad story of cat hoarding this winter on the blog.

Mitzi was the first of the cats that PFA was able to rescue from that situation, and one of the most traumatized. She was fostered by Carol and Bob for almost a year, and finally found her forever home last month.
The photos above are of our beloved Mitzi in her new home, with her new best friend Buddy.
Her new family writes:
"Just a little update. Mitzi seems to realize that she's a big part of our family. She's playing with Buddy (they chase each other and play fight), she sleeps with him and us every night now. She was pretty skittish for a while, always running away when we came into the house or a room unexpectedly, but she is much better now. We can walk around her, even while she's eating, and she doesn't get scared. She has two favorite places to watch the world go by outside (on the back of the chair by the window in the livingroom and on the bookcase by the big window in the dining room), she has a couple of toys she likes and she knows ALL about treats! Mitzi loves falling asleep in our laps or snuggled up beside us. All in all, she's become one of us! And it all happened in her own time and on her own terms. We love this little girl to pieces and are so happy to have her with us. Buddy is in love with her, too. So you can be assured that she's happy and healthy and getting along fine now. Just thought you'd like to know how well everything has turned out. "
I also wanted to share a little bit of Mitzi's former foster home's response when they heard how well she was doing in her new home:
"We certainly know how psychologically damaged Mitzi was when she came here, and she is a testament to an animal's ability to heal. I won't go into how traumatized she was again, but from the cat she was when she first came here, one year ago this month, to the cat you describe, is absolute night and day. I've fostered lots of cats in my time, but I can tell you honestly no other cat, and no other cat's adoption has touched me like Mitzi, and you, and Buddy. "

Thanks so much to Carol, Bob and Zoe, Mitzi's loving foster family, and to her new family for loving her so much. Thanks also to our tireless pet rescue volunteers who helped save so many cats from that unsafe environment.

-Sarah

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A day in the life of fostering 12 cats!‏


Michelle B is one of our fearless and invaluable foster homes, as well as a Foster Home Liason Volunteer. We asked her to share a typical day with us:

600 Woken up by kittens chewing on my toes.

730 After hitting snooze button on alarm, get up to get daughter off to school and feed cats.
Soft food for mouse and 5 babies. 1 can. They are all in hiding. Mouse is still very timid but the kittens will peak out from their nest.
While downstairs I feed my dog Zoe and foster dog Sabre.

Upstairs to make daughter's lunch and feed everyone upstairs. This takes 1 large and 1 small can of soft food and 3 plates and one bowl (for my cat Princess as she won't eat with the others so she gets a bowl to herself on the counter)
I then head back downstairs to let dogs outside and peek in on Mouse's family. Yup all the food gone and still hiding!

Daughter's bus comes. As I am waving good bye 4 cats run outside so I chase after them.

830 clean up after everyone's breakfast then head outside to feed rabbits. They are named Cupcake and Gibby and they hop around their hutch excited for breakfast.

900 watch TLC " what not to wear" while folding laundry or some other chore.

1000ish Daughter Meadow gets up and we have breakfast and play with kittens and cats while watching cartoons. Besides Mouse's kittens downstairs we have Lucy and her remaining 3 kittens upstairs (who we received when the kittens were just a few days old and are now 8 weeks old and are being adopted out) and my newly adopted PFA kitten Angel.

Total cats free range in house: 12!
6 are my babies (ages ranging from 12 yrs to 2 mos )

1PM Go for walk with dogs while Meadow rides bike. Often go to park. Get home and check on kittens downstairs, play with them a bit and ensure everyone has fresh water and dry food available.

300 Meadow plays while I check emails and do PFA paperwork. I am a foster home coordinator and follow up on foster homes, arrange visits and do vaccinations etc. I often do 1 to 3 visits a week. While working I have to break up a few cat fights as they get into each other's space.

4PM Older daughter comes home. We may run a few errands (like buy pet food) etc before supper.

6ish Take girls to dance class on Mon Tue and Wed and eat early or usually eat at this time then outside for yard work, playing with dogs or visiting with neighbours.

8PM. Time for feeding again. Total of canned food 1 large and 2 small.
Feed cats upstairs
Feed cats in foster room and let dogs in to feed them. Often breaking up fights with those who don't like to share! Get children ready for bed.

9PM Yay girls are in bed. I head downstairs to do laundry, feed our fish and scoop out 7 litter boxes. I always end up in foster room and hang out with the occupant. Today that is Mouse and her babies. I talk to and pet Mouse (who is still hiding and growls at me at first but relaxes and enjoys the petting) and laugh at the babies wrestling and chasing each other around.

10 PM tidy up house and again play with kittens or any adult cat who likes to snuggle and watch tv.

11ish Off to bed which is already occupied by 3 cats and another 1 or 2 join me once I'm settled.

Total cats 18
Total dogs 2
Total bunnies 2
Total children 2
Total cans of soft cat food 6 and 1 large bag of dry food every 3 weeks
Total of 2 cans wet dog food for picky foster dog Sabre
2 boxes of litter a week
Amount of love in the house priceless!

PS this would be a typical day off for me. I also work full time shift work as a nurse.

Mackie is now Stanley!

Pat and Bob recently rescued a small grey kitten from a 7-11 at 3am. We all joked that he was there for a slurpee. Mackie was a holy terror from the very beginning - adorable, but a total FIREBALL!!!! The older cats at his foster home had no idea what to do with this little fluffball who kept on hopping sideways at them and jumping on their backs.
Mackie was just adopted by Michelle and her family, and he has fit right in, as Stanley. Michelle has even blogged about him. She says: "He is really such a fun little ruffian and he has charmed/chased/chewed his way into everybody's hearts around here. Very soon, I expect him to be riding on Emmett's back and curling up for naps with Molly (our two dogs). "
Another happy ending. We love those.
-Sarah

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Update on the adopted babies

I feel good enough about how Sammy's two rejected kittens are doing with their adopted momma Chika that I have finally named them. The little tabby, who is still significantly smaller than its sibling, is Peanut. The stocky orange one with a huge head is Jellybean. Many thanks to Zoe, my 10 year old friend, who helps me to come up with names :) After doing pet rescue for a while, your creative well can run dry in the naming department.

Chika is a very protective momma to the two youngest. She does a low growl when I reach into the nest to check on how they are doing, so I try to look them over without taking them from her. They are over a week old now. However, she is fine with me handling the two older kittens, Piglet and Roo, which is good because I have to give Roo antibiotics twice a day for the puncture wound on his back from the attack from tomcats that killed two of Chika's original babies. His wound is healing well though. I can't believe that they are almost 4 weeks old! We do know that both Piglet and Roo are boys now. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to report on Peanut and Jellybean's gender.

Sammy is still in the same room as her babies and their adopted family, however, she has shown zero interest in them. She is looking better, and is moving around the room again. I am hopeful for her chances of taming up, as she lets me get very close to her, and seems to like engaging with me when I am there. Once I am confident that her milk has dried up I will schedule her spay.

Thanks so much for all of the well wishes. I am finally able to relax, knowing that Chika has everything under control.
-Sarah

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Photos of Sammy, Chika, and the babies




PFA Foster home situation - URGENT

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, WE ARE FREEZING INTAKE OF RESCUED CATS INTO THE FOSTERING PROGRAM.
We are completely over capacity. We have 74 cats and kittens in care.

We have two barometers of how overcapacity we are, and both are ringing alarm bells. The first is my house, where I currently have 7 adult foster cats and five kittens (in addition to my own 6 cats and 2 dogs). The second are the boarding facilities we use in emergencies, where we currently have 5 more cats. So, even when we have openings, we will be playing catch up as we try to move the cats out of these temporary situations.

Cat adoptions are at a virtual standstill. The only adoptions that are happening right now are kittens. We are doing our best, but it is kitten season.

Do you want to help us try to move back into normal operations?
*If you are thinking of adopting a cat, please let us know. Now is the time.
*If you know anyone who could adopt a cat, please encourage them to contact us.
*Can you foster for us to help us get through this time?
*Do you know anyone who can foster? Please have them contact me at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com

When we are able to resume normal operations, we will notify you. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it is a symptom of our growth. We WILL catch up. We just need some time to do that. Please contact me with any questions, and thanks so much for your support on behalf of the animals.
-Sarah

Sick kitten update

Well, after a sleepless night for me, the two kittens that Sammy rejected seem to be doing very well with Chika. That sweet momma cat deserves some caviar and tuna! Chika has taken to them as her own, and has washed them both from head to toe, and they are warm and nursing well. I have no doubt that without her help we would have lost them both too. It's hilarious watching her nurse her two 3 week old guys, alongside the week old kittens. The older ones look HUGE!
More to come, and hopefully some pics too.
-Sarah

Angel is home!




Angel was from Lola's litter, fostered by Denise, and was adopted by Michelle, one of our awesome foster moms and a foster home coordinator.
Michelle says: "She's super loveable and often sleeps wrapped up around my neck. She purrs loudly when picked up and petted. She loves to play with foster cat Junior and now enjoys the orange kittens, they spend lots of time chasing each other around the house.Sending a picture of my oldest cat Sydney 12yrs and the newest Angel 3mos and Meadow took one of me napping with a few cats."
-Sarah


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Alanna's babies

Ella and Malley live with Alanna, one of our hard working board members. Ella was a humane society rescue cat, and then Alanna adopted Malley, a PFA cat. Ella is the spunky tabby, and Malley the sensitive deaf white cat. It's been a bit of a challenge for Alanna integrating the two of them, but as the above photo can attest to, they are finally firm friends.
-Sarah

Sad kitten stories

It's been a couple of rough days for my fostering. I have two nursing momma cats in my fostering room. Chika has two 3 week old kittens that are thriving. She was rescued after two of her original four kittens were killed by tomcats in her area at a North Central feeding station. Sammy is a young semi-feral tabby cat who had kittens shortly after she was trapped at my own feeding station in my backyard. The kittens are about 6 days old now. She had 5 kittens, but one white one was dead after birth. I think she might have lain on it. Sammy has really struggled in caring for her kittens, so I had to start trying to intervene two days ago. I had been trying to be hands off because I was worried that with her being semi-feral it might make her neglect the kittens, but she is a first time mom, and things were going downhill. She still had them in the corner where she had birthed them, with a bare concrete floor, and doesn't seem to be nursing well. This despite the fact that I have five other nests set up around the room for her - she just wouldn't move them. Yesterday she rejected the other white one, and I found it lying alone on the floor. I worked late into the night with a hot water bottle and a bottle of formula, but it died in my lap. I even let my dog Atti, who loves kittens, lick the kitten all over in an effort to stimulate it to nurse from the bottle. When I got home this afternoon the black one was dead on the floor. I think she might have lain on it too. So that just leaves the tabby and the orange, and the tabby isn't looking good. I moved them into a proper nest with a heating pad, and left them there for about half an hour, hoping that their cries would prompt Sammy to move in with them. It didn't. So, as a last ditch effort, I moved them into Chika's nest. Thank goodness for her. She rolled over and started nursing them, and was washing them too. Her two kittens don't seem to mind at all. I stayed for about an hour, monitoring them, and will go back and check on them again in a bit. Don't think I'll sleep much tonight.
-Sarah

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

An update on two of Molly's babies, Jasper and Willow






Jasper and Willow's new mom Cerys writes: "Well finally some pictures of Jasper and Willow! Let me tell you those two hardly stop long enough for me to get a picture of them. They seem quite happy at our place and there is always someone for them to snuggle up to when they want. They just love chasing each other and lots of play fighting. Though I could live without them feeling they need to share their fun with Steve and me at 5 am. They are very social little fellows and love when people come over for them to meet. Willow made fast friends with my Mother by sitting in her lap and purring. They are also very good with the girls who love to drag them all over the place, especially the 5 and 8 year old. "
Thanks so much for the update, Cerys! We are so grateful to have such a loving forever home for these kittens.
-Sarah

RUSTY!!!!







Friday is improving



Friday is our little rescued cat with the broken pelvis. She is coming along well, and was very very tired of being kept confined in a kennel, so the vet agreed that her foster mom Leah could let her out, as long as we tried to keep her from jumping.
This is what Leah says about her:
"Friday is recovering nicely. She is a very sweet little one and is very shy. She is still getting used to strange noises that she never heard in the country. She gets along very well with others, even big dogs."
Friday is our miracle cat, as we weren't sure she could ever recover from such a horrible injury!
-Sarah

Molly has landed well



Molly was rescued almost two months ago now from the side of the highway in Sedley where we believe that she was dumped. Shortly after her rescue she gave birth to five perfect kittens. Molly was an amazing mother to them, and now she has been spayed. On Friday she was adopted and we have already received the above photos from her new mom, Eva. Eva also said: "Molly is adjusting to her new home very well.
She truly is a sweet, calm and trusting girl.
I am so lucky to have her."
Molly is lucky too!
-Sarah

Dorian loves his wool ball!!!

Dorian was rescued a few weeks ago by one of our volunteers when they saw him eating out of a bird feeder in the northeast part of Regina.

We have had him neutered now, and this sweet and playful guy is ready for a second chance with a new family!

Jennifer from Oberhund makes these amazing felted wool balls as cat and dog toys, and as you can see, they are a hit with Dorian and his foster sister Kia.

-Sarah

Tootsie and the babies

Thanks so much to all of you who asked - Michelle has kindly taken Tootsie and her kittens to foster, so my bathroom is my own again!
-Sarah

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Rusty is playing now!

Update on Rusty from Denise, his foster mom:
"Well, the moment I have been waiting for came tonight. Rusty was playing. He loves to hide under the sheets so I had him chasing my fingers through the sheets. He now sleeps with me in the mornings - of course - after first breakfast. He sleeps in my arms or under the covers around 3 a.m. He has a bit of diarrhea again so I have him on the pumpkin food once again to sort it out. Other than that I think he is coming along nicely."

Hard to believe that this is the cat who was so emaciated and sick when he was found that it hurt him to be petted!
Countless thank yous to Denise, who is nursing Rusty back to health with so much love and care.
-Sarah

Tootsie and her babies


Some of our long time readers will recall Baby Girl and her family, who were rescued by PFA in Oct 2008. We found homes for three of the kittens, and I am still fostering Baby Girl and Emma, who are doing wonderfully.
Today, I got a phone call from Elizabeth, the woman who had rescued BG and her kittens. As sick as she continues to be with her cancer, Elizabeth is still rescuing cats in her area. She weighs only 88 pounds now, and there isn't a lot that the doctors can do for her, but this spirited lady still fiercely defends and shelters all of the strays that come to her yard.
Elizabeth was hoping that PFA could help with a momma cat, Tootsie, and her five 4 week old kittens. This family had been living in her yard, but she knew that they needed more: the safety of a foster home, good homes for the kittens, and sterilization for Tootsie.
I know that when Elizabeth calls me, it means that she really needs help. So Alanna and I headed over this afternoon, and with Elizabeth's help we rounded up the whole family.
As usual, we are short of foster home spots. So, for now, Tootsie and her babies are in my bathroom. She is alarmed by this sudden change of circumstances, so she's got all of her kids in my bathroom cabinet. I am hopeful that she'll relax in the next day or so and realize that they are safe.
I already have such a full house: right now I am also fostering Baby Girl and Emma, Honey, Blue, Pacer, Chika and her two babies, and now I have this little family too.
Can you help? The kittens will be ready to be adopted in three or four weeks, and at that point we will be able to have Tootsie spayed and list her for adoption as well.
If you could offer a foster home for them, please email me at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com
-Sarah

Pacer didn't deserve to be abandoned


This sweet boy was abandoned at a local auto junkyard by his family over a year ago. The owner of the yard actually caught them dumping poor Pacer and watched them speed away. Since then, Pacer had lived at the junkyard, being fed and sheltered by the people there. One of our pet rescue volunteers, Brittany, was out at the yard last week, and she discovered Pacer, and learned about his situation. This poor cat was absolutely desperate for some love and attention!!!
This weekend, Brittany went back and the yard owner was thrilled to hand Pacer over to PFA, knowing that he would find a loving home through us. She took him to be vet checked, and we were told that he was already neutered and about 5 years old. He is a calm, loving cat.
For now, Pacer is here at my house, as we have no available foster home spots, but we couldn't bear to leave him out there for any longer.
He is adorable - I am guessing part Maine Coon and part flame point siamese. Pacer has amazing light blue eyes and is one of the biggest, shaggiest cats I have ever seen. We are going to be advertising him for adoption soon, and whoever adopts him will be extremely fortunate.
-Sarah

An amazing journey to adopt a cat!

This couple flew from Britain to the US to adopt a rescued cat!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Jade is back in her home territory

Jade is a female feral cat that we trapped from one of our trapping stations almost two months ago. She has been in foster care with her five kittens since then. However, the kittens are old enough to do well on their own now, and it has become very clear that Jade would be much happier being released to her home territory where we would support her with shelter, food, water, and medical care if needed. Yes, a life on the street can be rough, but for truly feral cats, they much prefer it over being forced to live with people in a house.
Jade has now been spayed, and she will never again have unwanted kittens, or suffer from endless heat cycles.
To see photos of her babies and read more about her family, please click HERE.
And here is an excerpt from the email that Dona, a member of the feral team, sent along with this photo of Jade right before her release:
"The release went very well. Pat & I got there first and filled a bowl with tuna, raw duck and another smelly tin of something; also set out some fresh water. We moved the feeding dishes onto a pallet and put a small board partially over the hole - the wind was whistling in and Jade will be fragile for a while. We didn't want her to get a kitty cold or a chill. She still has room to get in and out because we released her in the garage and she bolted through the little hole. Attached are photos of the lovely girl just before her release. Whatta beauty."
-Sarah

Beatrix has come so far!

This is a video that one of our foster homes took of Beatrix, and I love it, so I thought I would share. She is being fostered by Jenn and Darcy and they have done an amazing job.
She was rescued from Paintball Paradise with her two siblings last fall, and was the most timid and sick of them all. She is the last one waiting for a home – and I am amazed at how far she has come! When she arrived at my house for intake she was skin and bones, and scared of people. Now look at her!
Video of Beatrix

To see Beatrix's adoption ad, click HERE.
-Sarah

Foster homes rock

Another update from Denise about Rusty. This made my day!
"Well, one week ago I brought Rusty home, starving, barely able to be touched, biting if one got too close to a painful area which was almost everywhere. This morning Rusty jumped onto my bed, laid down beside me and started head butting me for some petting. As I was petting him he leaned over and started kissing my nose. All I could think of was it doesn't get any better than this."
-Sarah

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Another momma

Introducing Chika, Piglet and Roo!
Chika is the tortie momma cat, Piglet is the white kitten, and Roo is the orange kitten.
Chika had been living outside the home of one of our friends and volunteers for the last year or two, sheltering nearby and surviving on the food and water that Pam provided. Pam had never been able to touch her. Last night, Pam was finally able to trap Chika and her two babies (about 2-3 weeks old) and bring them over to my place. Sadly, we do believe that Chika actually had four babies to begin with, but that two of them were killed by the tomcats in the area. Thankfully, this will be her last litter, and her babies will not be condemned to a life on the street. Tomcats were already trying to mate again with Chika before Pam was able to grab her, so we know that if we hadn't intervened, she would have had at least one more litter this season.
Now, she will stay at my place in safety and warmth until her babies are weaned, at which point we will have Chika spayed. If she has shown any indication of taming up by then we will continue working with her, but if she is still feral we will release her back to her home territory. So far she is remarkably calm, and the babies are nursing well. They are so chubby!
-Sarah

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Never enough about Rusty!

Denise's morning update made me smile:
"Well, our guy spent the night outside his room. He has a special spot in the living room and that is where he slept. He was also able to clean himself today which to me was a big deal as it shows his flexibility is coming back and he is not as stiff and sore (and I didn`t have to do it).

It is a good thing I am an early riser as he likes his first breakfast at 4:00 a.m. He was sitting at the door to my bedroom this morning calling me. Once I feed him I can go back to bed until I actually have to wake up. Then it is second breakfast - sounds like a Lord of the Rings episode. Rusty will have another tough day sprawled in his special spot sleeping and waiting for his next meal which should be any moment now."

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Suki the poopy North Central kitten




This morning, I received an email from Pam G, a friend of PFA and a passionate cat rescuer in North Central Regina. Some children had found a small kitten on the street and had brought it to her. She was very concerned because the kitten was filthy with feces, and was continuing to have a bad case of diarrhea. Pam took the kitten to our vet to be examined and hopefully stabilized.
Dr S called me that afternoon with good news. Suki was treated with some medication and quickly responded. They were able to clean her up, and felt that she could be sent home by the end of the day. Suki was determined to be a sweet 6 week old female kitten. As simple as her ailment was, she would have likely become dehydrated and died alone on the street without intervention.
We have a foster home placement for Suki with Ivy starting on Thurs, so until then she is hanging in my fostering room with another older cat who is welcoming the company. I have set up a heating pad in Suki's favorite basket bed, and she is loving it. She has eaten lots, and drank some fresh water as well.
Isn't she sweet? She'll be available for adoption soon, once we are certain that she is fully recovered.
-Sarah

Rusty continues to improve!

Another note from Denise:
"Well Rusty is detoxing PHEW!!! Stinky. His eyes look much better today. Nicole and I were a bit concerned as he looked so pathetic. I let him stay out in the living room last evening with the other cats and they were fine. They stay in their own little areas. Kiji hisses at him. Raja wants to be friends and Rusty is tentative about that but then hisses and growls a bit. No aggression from any of them, just caution. Rusty and Kiji were sitting within 3 feet of each this morning in my room and were ok. I left Rusty on my bed sleeping in the sun again. He seems to be relaxing more and more. He wants to socialize so bad but I think is still in pain. He gets a bit upset if one goes near his hips so I take it they are painful. Otherwise we can scratch and kiss his head all we want. His voiding has been good. A bit of loose stool again but not as bad as before.

I think I will tackle his mats on the weekend. I didn't want to torture him too much too soon. He isn't too bad but there are a couple that have to be cut out. He loves his wipe downs. I use the kitty bath cloths and he gets right into it until I get near his back end then he sits down or meows at me to stop. He hasn't tried to bite me either in the past couple of days. "

Korean Dogs rock

Pictured above is Abe, who came to Canada last year, thanks to the efforts of Korean Animal Rescue Regina. He's the little one :)
Abe loves his buddy Grace. And he loves his people, Catherine and Jeff, lots and lots!
When Abe arrived in Canada, he was timid and unsure. Now, he knows that he is loved and safe. And, he looks really good with his new hair cut!
-Sarah

Stevie with his forever family








Stevie (the lovely grey and white guy in the photos above) was found living under someone's deck this spring, hungry and lonely. The homeowners contacted us, and contributed to the cost of Stevie's neuter. We placed Stevie in foster care, and Catherine, one of our foster home liasons, went over to Kelly's to vaccinate Stevie, and get some photos so that we could list him online for adoption. However, those photos were never used, as Catherine fell madly in love with little Stevie. He quickly joined her own family, already consisting of Alice the orange cat, Abe the Korean Doggie, and Grace the big boss of the house. Oh, and Jeff!
Stevie has settled in beautifully. He play fights with Alice (as in the above photo) and he and Alice try to steal the dogs food at meal times (also pictured above).
-Sarah




Monday, May 11, 2009

Rusty update

Another update from Denise:
"Well, our little boy was curled up in the sun on my bed 'sleeping' when I left. This is really the first time I have seen him truly relaxed. He was always on the move before so now that his tummy is full I hope he sleeps a bit to help heal his body. He is starting to fill out as his head doesn't look so big or maybe I am just used to it. The backend is still emaciated looking but that will come."

More Than Enough Cruelty to Go Around

People for Animals is always more than busy rescuing stray, abandoned, neglected and mistreated cats and occasionally dogs as well. Sadly, cats and dogs aren't the only creatures vulnerable to human cruelty.

We were recently alerted to an incredibly cruel and heartless act of animal abuse involving the destruction of several geese's nests, including smashing and stomping the gosling eggs in the nest.

This kind of animal abuse is not only cruel, it is illegal and should not be tolerated in our community. Charges can be laid if there are witnesses or other evidence to support the case. If you witness animal abuse of any kind, please report it! If you see someone mistreating cats and dogs, call Animal Protection 777-7700. If you see anyone abusing birds or other wildlife in our parks, call the Wascana Centre Authority at 533-3661, or the Sask Environment TIPS line at 1-800-667-7561 .

Alanna

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Rusty




On Thursday, I received an email from Patty, one of the members of our feral cat team.
"Hi Sarah, Sorry to bother you with this, however, I need some help. Last night I got a call around 7:00 about a cat out in a ditch by some garbage bags on Pinkie Road. This was quite far out of town. I was able to track this cat down as he was curled up in the ditch by the garbage bags. I was able to pick him up and get him into the car. I have never seen anything like it. He is skin and bones , literally. He has no muscle left and I don't think he could have run from me if he wanted to. He is a tame male - fixed and tattoed. He would be a good sized cat, however right now he might be 4 or 5 pounds! I checked at the shelter and of course no one is looking for him. I am desperately in need of a place to foster him. Someone who would be able to nurse him back to health. He is a nice boy and is purring like crazy and head butting. Thanks for your help, Sarah.
Patty"
We quickly got Rusty, as Patty dubbed him, to the Victoria Vet Clinic. They assessed him overnight, and concluded that while he was in bad shape, with some TLC, good food and water, he would make a full recovery. They estimated that Rusty was 4-6 years old. As Patty said, no one was looking for him. However, we have posted him on www.petlynx.net as we do with all of our tame rescued cats.
I emailed Denise, one of our fantastic foster homes, and asked if she might be willing to take Rusty on. She jumped in with both feet, and has already brought him so far in such a short time! I am excerpting some of her emails below so that you can see Rusty's progress:
Thurs May 8th
Hi, I picked Rusty up and he is doing fine. Checking out his surroundings. He is so thin and dirty. I will wait until tomorrow to give him a bath though he might appreciate being clean again. His head looks so big because of his thinness. I got him kitten food which they recommended. They noticed some blood in his stool today so I will watch for that as it could be several things. They thought he might need to be dewormed as well which we can do later on once he is kind of settled in. He was already talking to me and head butting. He is obviously missing some loving. Nicole is coming tomorrow to take a 'before' picture. It is interesting he isn't eating as ravenously as Lola and the kittens but he is very hungry. Probably his tummy has shrunk so much he can only tolerate a little at a time.
Thurs May 8th - Part two
Well, he is already trying to escape his room. He has been wiped down and brushed so he smells better. I will give him a better bath in the next couple of days. The smell of the other cats seems to stress him out as he has bitten me twice and growls at the smells in the room. It was funny he was eating and growling at the same time. He keeps chuffing at the smell too - very cute. He will be ok once he gets used to them. He likes to be fed by hand - probably shouldn't get him to used to that!!! I scoop the food on my finger and he goes to town. I feed him a little bit every hour and he is eating it all up.
Fri May 9th
Rusty had a good night. He seems more livelier this morning. He was able to balance on his wobbly back legs and scratch a box. He loves to chat and tell you all about everything. I almost had him where I could rub his tummy but not quite. Might be a few aches and pains there - poor thing. His poo is still very loose - vet identified that - again could be food, worms - haven't seen any yet though. I am going to go get the pumpkin food again at Metro today. The cats have been checking each other under the door, so far no growling or hissing there.
Sat May 10th
Well, it is a busy weekend so far thats for sure. Rusty had a real bowel movement last evening - no diarrhea, hopefully that continues. He actually jumped into a laundry basket today and onto my bed. He isn't to sure about the other cats yet. I took him out for a few minutes yesterday and first he walked by them like they weren't there but once he realized they were there he started growling and hissing. Probably because he is in no condition to protect himself. Today I have given him the run of the house while my other cats are outside in their run and he follows me around the house. He so wants to be cuddled and petted but I think it causes him pain. He tries to lie on his side but can only do it for a few seconds. Yesterday I tried petting him while he was curled up against me on his side and he really attacked my hand. I have been giving him the anxiety drops. It doesn't take away pain but it relaxes everything. You know I haven't seen him sleep yet which is kind of weird. Oh, and he nipped my shin last evening trying to get attention. So he certainly knows all the feline tricks for attention. He is big into head butting. He loves to be kissed on top of his head, he reaches up to receive it. He is lying by my feet right now as I am on the computer. Once he heals he will be such a cuddle bug. I think the biting will stop - he is just in pain right now. Nicole is coming here later to take pictures. I bought medi cal kitten food at the vet's. When Rusty eats he closes his eyes and goes at it. He has the saber tooth fangs like Raja and squishes his food so I have to keep stirring it up or feeding him from the spoon. His coordination is getting better every day though. He isn't nearly as messy in the litter box as day 1 - couldn't balance well. He still isn't able to get at his back end, that will be for another day. He also does not like the carrier. He was looking into it and growling and chuffing. I think his name should be something related to survivor he is such a trooper.
We are so grateful for Patty's eagerness to help a cat in distress, and for Denise's willingness to nurse this sweet cat back to health. I must confess that I suspect that Rusty was yet another "dumped" cat from the outskirts of town. We have rescued so many cats like this: Caramel, Junior, Molly, and now Rusty.
More to come on Rusty's progress.
-Sarah
PS Sorry for all of the talk about poop, but in cat rescue, we pay a lot of attention to it as an indicator of health!