Black is beautiful!

This article from the Vancouver Province gives an enlightening perspective on why dark colored felines have a tougher time being adopted.

They also include this great top ten list:

Top 10 reasons to adopt a black animal

1. Black animals are easier to find in the snow.
2. Black animals absorb heat and are therefore perfect for cuddling
with.
3. When next to you, black animals make you look thinner.
4. Black animals never look dirty.
5. Black goes with everything, so you will always match your pet.
6. Black animals always look presentable on formal occasions.
7. Black hair is invisible on your black wool coat.
8. Black animals look more distinguished as they age because their grey hair is more visible.
9. It's easier to see black fur in your food, so you'll never end up swallowing it.
10. Black is beautiful.

PFA has many rescued black cats who have been waiting for adoption for a very long time. Can you offer any of these deserving felines a loving home?

Nigella

Dexter and Rafters

Gemma and Emma

Rosie

Puff

Lucky

Jellybean is growing so fast!!!!

An update on sweet Molly and her kittens

Molly's foster home shares: "She is a lovely cat - tame but quite timid and very, very protective of her kittens. She still hisses and spits sometimes if you get between her and the kittens. She might make a good indoor cat if we can find the right placement for her.

Molly and kittens are doing fine over here. The kittens are growing like weeds and are getting very active and starting to eat soft food and Mammalac. We have 3 boys (Ziggy, Ming and Muggins) and 3 girls (Sylvestre, Tatem and Tweety). They are all cute as buttons and their various personalities are really starting to come out. For example, little Tweety (who is the spitting image of mom) goes around chirping constantly, just like a little bird."

This might have been the world's fastest adoption!

Little Charlie was found on Wednesday morning perched on the tire of a community member's car. She was no older than about 5 weeks. She was clearly hungry and scared, but was absolutely thrilled to be with company, and to be offered some food.

The woman who rescued her wasn't able to keep her, as she had to go to work. So, I suggested that she drop the kitten off at our favorite vet clinic, Victoria Vet, and that way the kitten could be assessed, and it would buy us some time to come up with a foster home. The vet said that Charlie was skinny, but otherwise healthy. Wonderful Denise said that she would foster Charlie, and we planned that she would pick her up at the vet after work that day.

Well, by the time Denise arrived at the vet that day, Charlie had won the heart of the entire vet clinic staff, most especially one of the vet techs. Denise never had a chance to foster sweet little Charlie for even one night. She went home with Chandra, the vet tech, and has already found her forever home, as soon as the legal waiting period passes for the previous owners to come forward. Sadly, this rarely happens for the many cats that we rescue, so we are very glad to know that no matter what, Miss Charlie is safe and loved!

-Sarah

A PFA Happy Ending for Lola!

Lola and her litter of kittens were rescued by PFA in April, based on suspicions that her former owners had been tossing young kittens in a dumpster in the area. Two of Lola’s kittens were rescued last fall from the dumpster and adopted into new homes, and we were worried that it could happen again, especially as spring is kitten season. Sure enough, upon investigation we discovered that Lola had a new litter of kittens and owners who had no interest it taking care of them.

Luckily, we were able to rescue the entire little cat family before they came to any harm and all of them, including Lola, found wonderful new homes. Here is an update from Lola’s adoptive parents. “Lola has adjusted very well and it is like we have had her forever. Her and our other cat, Disney, have a funny relationship. They pretend they don't like each other when we are around but, when they think no one is watching, I will often catch them lying together or working together to get into trouble. Lola loves to talk and to climb my leg for hugs and follows me everywhere. She knows she is now in her forever home and will be forever loved. My husband and I can't imagine being without her.”

We are so happy for Lola!

Alanna

A day in the life: Sarah P, PFA Volunteer Foster Home Manager

Cast of Characters:

Me - Sarah, PFA Volunteer Foster Home Manager and foster home
Fred - my long suffering laid back orange tabby male.
Oscar - my beige and white hyper male
Pasha - Oscar's mom, an opinionated calico female
Costello - my sweet RHS rescue, buff tabby male
Frankie - fluffy white troublemaking male and Atti's best friend
Bugsy - formerly feral flame point siamese male who won my heart
Baby Girl aka Gemma - Foster cat, tortie female
Emma - Foster cat, Baby Girl's daughter and best friend, black female
Blue - Foster cat, flame point siamese cross male
Atti - my amazing little Korean rescue dog
Chopper - my other amaziing chihuahua
Sammy - Foster cat, semi-feral, tabby female
Jellybean - Foster kitten, Sammy's son, 5 weeks old, buff tabby
Chika - Foster cat, semi-feral, tortie female
Piglet - Foster kitten. Chika's son, 9 weeks old, flame point siamese cross male
Roo - Foster kitten. Chika's son, 9 weeks old, orange tabby male
Patches - Foster kitten. Chika's adopted kitten- about 8 weeks old, black and white, taming up
Stripey - Foster kitten. Chika's adopted kitten - about 8 weeks old, tabby, taming up

6:30am
Alarm goes off. I look around and count how many critters are within eyesight. Pasha and Oscar are curled up together in the cat bed on the dresser, Fred on the window sill, Frankie on my chest, Emma standing beside my head, Baby Girl on the floor beside the bed, Atti between my knees, Chopper nestled into my armpit, Bugsy sitting expectantly in the hall, Blue standing on the floor beside my bed, reaching one paw up to pat my face, Costello curled up on the other pillow on the bed.

6:40am
I manage to disentangle myself from everyone and pull my robe on so that I can let the dogs out for their morning constitutional. While I am in the backyard with them, at least 4 of the cats go into the cat run - Frankie meows at me the entire time to make sure that I am aware that they have not yet had breakfast.

6:50am
Bring the dogs back in and put their breakfast together. Because Chopper is 15 and suffers from arthritis and cataracts, I feed them both high quality canned food with supplements and fish oil mixed in. Once their meals are ready I put them in the den to eat, so that they don't try to steal the cats food next.

6:52am
Chopper starts barking at the door, mad because he can't come out yet. He has separation anxiety, as his family abandoned him at the shelter about 2 months ago when they had a baby, which is how I found him.

6:53am
Count out 8 dishes and grab a can of cat food. I have to move fast, as Blue, Frankie and Emma always are standing right beside the can, gobbling right off the fork as I try to portion the food out. They usually end up getting double portions just so that the others can eat.

6:55am
Chopper still barking. Now he is also kicking the door.

6:56am
I head downstairs to the kitten room with another can of food and some water. Piglet and Roo greet me at the door. Sammy isn't too far behind, and now that Jellybean is more active, he is curious too. Chika peeks her head out from her hiding place and greets me with a soft hiss and growl. Stripey and Patches stick their heads out after a moment. When I leave the room, Piglet, Roo, Stripey and Sammy are all eating. The others wait until I leave.

7:00am
Chopper still barking. I open the door and he rushes out. Atti follows him to see if the cats left any food in their dishes.

7:01am to 7:19am
I get ready for work. Trip over cats 7 times, tell Atti she is a good girl twice (I would tell Chopper, but he is deaf!), fill up the cat crunchies, try to throw a lunch together, forget to take my vitamins, and fit showering and getting dressed in there somewhere.

7:20am
Go to the front door to put my shoes on and discover that someone has peed on them.

7:22am
Rush to the bus stop in another, not so cute, pair of shoes.

7:47am
Arrive at work and quickly log into my hotmail account before I start. Check 7 messages that came in through the night about foster cats and from foster homes. Call the vet clinic to authorize a visit for one of our current foster cats today.

9:43am
Coffee break: Reply to foster home that needs their charges moved. Email another foster home about taking them. Email a foster home asking if they can take some new pics of their foster cat. Update the vaccination spreadsheet for all of the foster cats to show vaccinations that have been done this week, and try to plan who needs to be done in the coming week.

11:30am
Lunch: Email a few foster homes just to check in. Reply to an email from some board members asking if we have room to help a newly discovered group of cats in North Central that are in distress. Update the PFA blog with some photos sent by the feral team.

2:45pm
Coffee Break: Call the vet clinic again to check on a cat that we have been boarding there due to lack of foster home space. Call them again three minutes later because I forgot to book a neuter. Thankfully, they like me! Update the foster home wait list to show that we have another cat that needs a spot.

5:01pm
Work is done for the day. On my way to the bus I check my voicemail messages, and I have 5 regarding PFA. I return one call while I catch my bus home. I have to rush because I told someone who wanted to drop donations off that I would be home by 6pm.

6:11pm
Donations dropped off, and I invited the donor into my home to meet some of the rescues. Sent them off with a PFA brochure.

6:14pm
Feed dogs, but don't have to shut them away this time, since the cats only get soft food in the morning.

7:02pm
Foster home liason volunteer drops by to pick up some deworming pills.

7:55pm
I return two more PFA phone calls. I should return all of them, but I am pooped.

8:32pm
Clean all 9 litter boxes. Sweep up the kitten room, as they really like to kick their litter out. Sit in the room for a while, and play with the kittens.

10:03pm
Finally sit down to watch the Simpsons and do more PFA email with my laptop.

11:30pm
Head to bed. As I walk to the bedroom, I have a trail of cats and dogs following me. It makes me laugh, and I am happy.

Tuffy has landed well!

Tuffy was the last of Molly's kittens to be adopted, but he has found a wonderful forever family!

Thanks so much to foster mom Sandy for sharing.

-Sarah

Cat in a box!

Mona, one of our awesome foster parents, writes:

" I read your article on the PFA blog about cats are cheap dates. So I threw a box on the floor and low and behold….a cat in a box!"

Billy is one of our early spring rescues, and he is thriving with Mona.

-Sarah

Babies & Pets do Mix!

On a recent visit to a local pet store for supplies, I stopped by the cat adoption room to play with the cats up for adoption through the Regina Humane Society. I was so sad to see a gorgeous, sweet tabby who had been surrendered when her former family had a baby. She was so sweet, and her eyes were so scared and confused. I'm sure she has no idea how she went from being a member of a family in a home to living life in a cage.

So, I was thrilled to receive these pictures today from a friend and PFA supporter who is both an animal lover and a new mom! Her baby and her pets are getting along famously. Of course, you need to be careful and ensure close supervision, and that the baby isn't allergic to the animals - but these photos are proof that cats (and dogs) and babies do mix!

Alanna

Mary the incredible momma

PFA has been blessed to encounter some amazing momma cats this season. And Mary, the lovely young black female, is another example. She not only successully raised her own 6 kittens outdoors under a deck in Glencairn until we trapped all of them, but she had adopted 3 orphaned 8 week old kittens and was nursing them too. What an incredible cat.

Mary and her NINE kittens were taken to a foster home for assessment, where it quickly became clear that while the kittens were very healthy and tameable, Mary was totally feral. Since the kittens were no longer nursing, we took Mary to be spayed today and she is on her way to an approved farm home to be reunited with some of the other adult cats from her colony.

-Sarah

Another Molly and her warehouse kittens

PFA's intrepid feral cat team recently discovered a cat colony in a warehouse close to downtown Regina. This group of cats was being fed by some of the people in the area, but many of the cats were ill or injured, and they were all reproducing. We have begun a trapping project in this warehouse to sterilize and return all of the wild adults, and rescue and foster the mommas and their kittens. This one momma cat is named Molly, and she has 6 babies who are about 6 weeks old. The whole little family is now in foster care. Molly was suffering from a nasty bite on her side that she has received veterinary care for, and the babies are being treated for eye infections. Molly is showing signs of taming up, which is a treat for her foster care provider! She is already letting us handle her babies. More to come on Molly and her kittens...

-Sarah

Poor Missy

Missy is a sweet and gentle 2 year old female cat. And she needs a new foster home by Friday. Can anyone help? We have put a temporary hold on taking in all but the most urgent cases, and even so we are completely full. Any available foster home space has been going to the sick and needy kittens that are so prevalent at this time of year. But Missy needs a spot too.

If you have room in your home and your heart for a sweet adult foster cat, please contact Sarah at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com

Cats are Cheap Dates!

I confess to being a most indulgent cat owner. I'm always buying my cats new toys and thinking up new ways to keep them entertained and active. A good friend of mine once told me that this indulgence is more about making me happy than my cats - and the truth is that he is right.

I've come to learn that cats can make their own fun out of almost anything - especially simple things like paper bags, boxes and aluminum foil. So, if you think that your cat is missing out because he or she doesn't have the latest new toy from your local pet boutique, never fear. Petplace.com has compiled a list of great toys that your cat will love, all readily available without having to set foot outside your home. Click here to check out the list of classic cat faves. I know one of my cats never gets tired of paper bags and shoe boxes. I don't get it - but what do I know - lucky for her I have a shoe thing...

p.s. please supervise your cat with any of these options, especially plastic milk-top rings or twist ties - I don't think I would ever give my cats those 2 things. Everything else I have successfully tried.

Alanna

Chika's two adopted kids, Stripey and Patches

Stripey and Patches were two orphaned kittens that PFA rescued last week. Hungry and scared, they were brought to me, and I introduced them to Chika, hoping this sweet momma would adopt another pair. And she did! They are about the same age as Piglet and Roo, and all 4 play together. Chika mothers them all equally, and Patches is especially attached to her. Chika has even begun coming out of her nest when I am in the room, as evidenced by the photo above.

-Sarah

Sammy and Jellybean

Sammy was living in my backyard shelter all winter, and is now in my fostering room with her baby Jellybean. Sammy is coming along beautifully - I wasn't sure she would tame up, but she is getting friendlier by the day. Sammy lets me handle Jellybean, and every time I come into the room she comes out from her nest in the corner and stands at my feet, meowing for more canned food. I can briefly touch her while she eats now. Sammy lets Piglet and Room eat from the same plate as her, and while I can tell she is eager to get out of the fostering room, she is a good momma to Jellybean and stays with him almost all of the time.

-Sarah

Piglet and Roo

Good Things Come...

Nothing makes us happier than placing deserving rescued cats into loving homes, and we are proud of our record of success.

However, we are particularly thrilled with the story of Angel and her new little sibling Tiger. Angel was rescued nearly frozen to death with multiple injuries back in March. Our hearts were absolutely broken when we learned that her numerous horrific injuries had been deliberately inflicted.

Angel was rescued and rehabilitated with the help of PFA, including 2 surgeries to correct injury problems, such as amputating her broken tail. We placed her in a loving foster home with Cherilyn, and this sweet, spunky cat did the rest. She made an amazing recovery and turned into a very sweet, loving cat who adores her people, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her.

We are thrilled to report that our special Angel was adopted into a loving home where she is thriving. To ensure she has love and company all the day long, her family added Tiger (formerly Dusty), one of Jade's kittens, to their home. Both kitties are healthy, content, and loved, and we are very grateful for their happy endings.

Cats and books go together like peanut butter and jam

This amazing site lists many of the library cats in residence around North America. As a library employee, and a cat lover, I think every library should have a cat!

Also, read about Dewey Readmore Books - a very famous library cat, HERE

A book has been written about him, to much acclaim.

-Sarah

Belly Dancers Love Cats Too!

PFA is fortunate to enjoy a tremendous local support - there are so many wonderful individuals and groups who help us out in a number of different ways.

The latest group to come forward to offer support is the Earth Moves Belly dance instruction studio and Regina Association of Middle Eastern Dancers. The have are hosting their 3rd Annual Theatrical Belly Dance Performance and Summer Solstice Celebration June 19th and 20th, and will be having a 50/50 ticket draw with proceeds going to PFA. Click here to visit their website for more details about the event, ticket information and to view a video of belly dance performers.

This will be a fantastically fun outdoor event with performances, workshops, musicians and many other attractions such as henna tattoos and food vendors featuring middle-eastern and lebanese food.

All that and you could help support PFA animal rescue efforts, too!

Alanna

Bugsy almost a year later

Bugsy is one of PFA's shining success stories. In fact, his whole family are a great example of a happy ending.

After being trapped at a feeding station last summer by our feral team, Bugsy was neutered and treated for a horrible looking eye infection. Bugsy had never given any indication of tameness, but he was so calm that we brought him to my house for a few days for assessment. While he was still very timid, Bugsy quickly allowed me to handle him, and I fell in love. Flash forward a year, and Bugsy is a very contented housecat, adopted by me and my brood. He has had two eye surgeries, with the costs assisted by many PFA friends. Bugsy has gone from hanging in the basement and only allowing me to touch him, to being the king of the entire house and greeting all visitors with his distinctive siamese meow and rubbing his considerable backside against their legs. He loves to be cuddled and brushed, and he has even made peace with my hyper Korean chihuahua.

I took this video with my blackberry last night while watching TV, Bugsy on my lap, Blue (PFA foster cat) at my elbow, Atti (my rescued Korean dog) on the couch opposite, and Chopper (my rescued 15 year old chihuahua) beside us. Domestic Bliss!

-Sarah

Another special Sammy

Meet Sammy. He was found last week sheltering in the backyard of one of our regular volunteers in the heart of North Central Regina. Sammy was so sick and malnourished that he could no longer walk. He was just skin and bones, and was only using three of his legs. We rushed him to the vet clinic, where they quickly stabilized him. Sammy is now recovering from a wound on his leg, and from a bad case of upper respiratory infection, common in rescued cats. He is still too weak to be neutered, but once he is well enough, we will take that step.

Sammy was clearly on his own for some time, judging by how frozen his ears were. He has lost a lot of his ears from frostbite. Our vet says that his teeth suggest he is about a year old, but his physical condition was so poor that he seemed much older. We are hopeful that we can rehabilitate Sammy so that he can once again enjoy being a healthy, young cat.

Even with his poor physical condition, Sammy has been a very loving and sweet boy. We love him!!!

Thanks to one of PFA's wonderful friends, Sandy, we have a foster home for Polly, who I wrote about below. However, we still need one for Sammy. Can you help? This amazing survivor needs someone to give him some serious TLC.

If you can, please email me at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com

-Sarah

Busting Common Cat Myths

PFA works hard to educate people about the value of animals, proper pet care and responsible pet ownership, and we like to share useful info about pet care that we come across in our efforts.

This article at www.oprah.com addresses several common myths about cats, including misconceptions such as cats are low maintenance and can look after themselves, or that pregnant women need to avoid their cats (it's riskier to handle uncooked meat!). Click here for more myth-busting cat tips.

Alanna

Polly needs a foster home, not a cracker

Polly is one of the amazingly resilient cats that we rescued from a hoarding situation last winter.
She has been in a foster home ever since. However, her foster home is unable to keep her past this friday night, and I am at a loss. We simply have nowhere to put this sweet girl.
Can you help? Polly is sweet and loving. She is a bit timid with new people, but once she gets to know you she is amazing. Polly is a grey and white polydactyl cat, meaning she has extra toes. I love her. She is about 5 years old, and is used to other cats. She has had all of her shots too.
If you can offer a fostering spot for Polly, or know of someone who can, please email me as soon as possible at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com
-Sarah

Trapping Blitz Update

The PFA feral team recently undertook a spring trapping blitz to try and prevent the births of unwanted kittens on the streets of Regina, especially surrounding our feeding stations in North Central and the Warehouse District.

The blitz began on March 20th. So far, we have rescued 48 cats.

TOTAL CATS RESCUED AND STERILIZED ON FERAL ROUTES: 45 (17 females, 28 males).

3 SINCE DECEASED: Hoss (taken to RHS by private citizen, probably a car hit), Simon the kitten (euthanized due to multiple disabilities and health problems), Clement (Warehouse cat severely injured, thus, humanely euthanized).

TOTAL FERAL CATS TNR'D (trap/neuter/release): 32 - 12 females (would have had litters on the street), 20 males.

TOTAL TAME CATS RESCUED: 6 (4 females who would have had litters on the street), 2 males. Plus Jade's 5 babies, now socialized = 11.

TOTAL TAME CATS IN FOSTER CARE OR BOARDING: 4. Honey, Stroller, Jana, and 1 of Jade's babies left (Dusty).

TOTAL TAME CATS ALREADY ADOPTED: 6: Buffy, 3 of Jade's kittens, Peaches and Shawn.

We also worked with a private citizen to trap, neuter and release three feral cats in the Glencairn area. All 3 have now been relocated to a screened and approved farm. 2 males, 1 female.

Total rescues = 48.

Thanks so much to all of the volunteers who have worked so hard to make this happen, and to all of our wonderful supporters and donors who understood the importance of this blitz. We have prevented the births of literally hundreds of cats this spring!
-Sarah

Rusty the wonder cat

Denise, Rusty's foster mom, has been amazing about sending great updates about him. Here is another one:
"He is getting more secure everyday. He looks fantastic, still a bit thin but his coat is soft and shiny. He is more of a cuddly laid back guy, doesn't play too much yet but will in time. He hasn't gone outside and until this weekend didn't show much interest in it. He sits in the window sill - him and Kiji fight over the same one of course, but when I opened the back door he would run upstairs. I have now been able to pick him up - he used to meow when I did before so I think it hurt him a bit. His tummy is very ticklish. When he is being petted he likes to touch you with his paws on your face or hair. He had some scabs on him from various things and those have healed. I am still working on one matt in his fur that he doesn't like touched quite yet. He goes all over the house upstairs and down so I am moving his litter box downstairs in the next day or so."
Thanks so much, Denise!
-Sarah