Kitten foster home needed!

These three lovely ten week old kittens need a foster home! They have had their first shots, and have also been dewormed. We rescued this trio from one of our feeding stations and few weeks ago. Their temporary foster home has done a fantastic job taming them up, but now we need another spot for them. Can you help? Please let me know, at badbunnygirl@hotmail.com

-Sarah

The rescue of Lil' One

On Sunday, I went for brunch with a friend, and came home mid afternoon. As we drove up to my house, I glimpsed a small black kitten on the sidewalk trying to rub against the ankles of uncaring passerby. She was clearly too small to be out on her own. I walked over and picked her up. She was very thin, but very friendly, and began to purr right away. She had a terrible case of ear mites, and was limping on one of her back legs. Poor little girl. I took her into my house and settled her down with a soft bed and some food and water. After sleeping for about 12 hours straight, she has now taken over the whole house! Lil' one is a spitfire. She has made friends with the dogs, and climbs all over me and any furniture in her way. She sleeps with me, wedged between my shoulders and the pillow. I adore her, and I am so glad that I found her. Once her leg is fully healed, she'll be listed for adoption with PFA. As I type this, she is curled up on my lap.

-Sarah

Kiki and Boo!

Boo and Kiki were part of a large group of 7 cats that PFA rescued several weeks ago. A sweet but misguided elderly lady had been keeping many unsterilized cats in her home, all split up into small, unventilated rooms. Some of these cats hadn't been out of their rooms in years, and they had not seen anyone but this lady in just as long a time. On top of that, she was keeping some of them in cages. This elderly lady is now very ill, and unable to care for the cats in her home, as well as the ones that she feeds outside. Kiki was one of the inside cats, and Boo was outside. They had never met, but are both so sweet and laid back that they became fast friends when placed in a foster home together.

Other rescued cats from that home include Mocha, and Coco and Kiss Kiss.

-Sarah

Another happy ending - SPIKE

Spike was another one of our sweet refugees from the street, rescued from a feeding station hungry and homeless. And now look at him!

"Well it's been about 2.5 weeks since we adopted Spike from pfa....we just love him ..he made friends with my dog ..Milo first..he is now getting along with my other cat tuttie...they are just starting to chase each other about ...he is best friends though with my lil girl ...they follow each other all over the house ...where one is the other is...as you can see from the pics...Thx Anya..."

A Different Type of Animal Rescue Group

We love to hear about different approaches to animal rescue out there in the world - it's always nice to know that there are so many people stepping up to protect animals in need. This week one of our awesome foster moms, Paulette, sent this info on a biker gang from New York that does animal rescue.

I sure wouldn't want to be in the shoes of a neglectful animal owner with these guys around.

Cheers to Rescue Ink!

Alanna

Planning Ahead for your Pets

A few months ago, I got proactive and decided to resolve an issue that had been in the back of my mind for a while - formalizing a care plan for my pets in the event that they outlive me. I had specific clauses added to my will to outline who should look after them and I set aside resources to ensure that they will be properly cared for to the end of their days.

It's given me peace of mind to know that if the unexpected happens, my cats will not end up being surrendered to an animal shelter (or completely abandoned - as we see all too often in animal rescue). But, many dedicated pet lovers don't seem to take this step.

Some people don't like to think ahead to the future. Others are certain that friends or family will step up and assume care of their pets if the unexpected happens. I even know of a few people who were pooh-poohed by their lawyers when they requested to make provisions for their pets, and persuaded not to bother. I wonder why it is legally acceptable to designate where your sofa, television and other inanimate objects will end up, but not your pet - a living, breathing creature that requires much more than a roof, food and water to thrive. Your sofa does not love you back!

If you have pets, please give some thought to planning ahead. It may not be pleasant to think of, but life is unpredictable and it is a comfort to know that your pets will be cared for in the event that you can not do it. I am glad that I did.

-Alanna

Cheers - To Tiger, and PFA Foster Homes

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a very cute and charismatic tabby cat named Tiger, a sweet stray that I rescued myself from the street life in Cathedral Village. Tiger was taken to Vic Vet for neutering, and after briefly boarding there he was was off to stay with Dona, one of our awesome foster homes and a feral team member.

Tiger was very special to me because I had rescued him myself, and I was fortunate that Dona provided regular updates and visiting privileges. I was on hand last night when Tiger was adopted by a kind, cat-loving lady recommended by one of our board members. Of course we want kind, cat-loving homes for all of our rescued cats, but nevertheless it was extremely hard to say goodbye to Tiger.

When he was carried off to his new home with his happy new owner, he definitely took a piece of my heart with him, and I realized how difficult it is to let a foster cat go off to a new home. Yet our foster homes do this regularly, often after caring for a cat for several months, not just a few weeks.

I have always been grateful for the role our foster homes play in enabling so many rescues and happy endings for our cats. I now have an even greater appreciation, as I now know first-hand what they go through when a foster cat is adopted. It takes very special people to foster cats, and I tip my hat to all of our wonderful foster care providers.

Alanna

PFA continues practicing Trap/Neuter/Release in the inner city of Regina

Paloma - tame (now adopted)
Myrtle - tame (now adopted)

Heinz - feral - released back to colony

Grimalkin - feral - released to colony


Another update from Dona, one of our fearless feeders and trappers!
"Just a few of the ferals we've trapped so far. Two were T/N/R (Heinz and Grimalkin), the other two were pregnant females who've been adopted."

When we trap these cats, they are all sterilized. The tame ones are placed in foster care and adopted out, the feral ones go back to their home territories where we support them with food, water, shelter, and medical care in their colonies. If a female is pregnant when we trap her, we abort the kittens - a hard thing to speak of, but necessary when dealing with the kind of cat overpopulation crisis that we are seeing in Regina.

To read more about feral cat colonies, please see our website.
-Sarah

One big happy family!

Denise is a wonderful and loving foster mom to three PFA rescues right now. Xena and Licorice are the two black kittens pictured, and Rusty is the adult tabby male pictured. They are hanging with Denise's own cat Raja.

Thanks for the wonderful photos, Denise! What a harmonious home.

-Sarah

Why adopt two kittens instead of one?

1. You're saving two lives instead of one.
2. One kitten can become lonely
3. One kitten can just drive an older cat nuts.
4. Two kittens will "self-train." and they can be happily kept in a small safe room ( bathroom) while learning good litter box skills and general keeping safe and out of stuff things.
5. They help each other burn off energy.
6. Fewer behavior problems with two kittens.
7. Curiosity overcomes "food finickyness."
8. They act as pillows for one another.
9. Having two kittens is insanely fun.
10. They will each have a friend for life.

PFA has countless wonderful kittens for adoption, all rescued from a sad ending on the street. Please consider adopting a pair!
-Sarah

PFA IS SEEKING UNUSED GIFT CARDS

PFA supporters are well aware by now that assisting with bingos is a major component of our fund-raising process, and we appreciate the opportunities we've been given by Fantasyland Bingo and SLGA to raise money for our rescue operations.

However, sometimes we need to give back, too! We have been asked to provide 2 $25 gift cards for Fantasyland Bingo's customer appreciation days on August 22 and 23, and we would love to have them donated rather than purchase them from our hard-earned funds.

If you have been sitting on a gift card for a store or restaurant that you never get to, or if you have one stuffed in a drawer and forgotten, please consider donating them to our cause.

Contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you have a gift card to donate.

Thanks!

PFA GRANTED CHARITABLE STATUS!

PFA is pleased to announce that we have been granted charitable status by the Canadian Revenue Agency! We have been waiting a long time to receive this news, and a lot of work went into the application process by some of our very dedicated volunteers.

It couldn't have come at a better time as we are busier than ever with nearly 100 cats and kittens in foster care, our Trap/Neuter/Release program in full-swing and many more cats out there in need of help.

If you'd like to help out, please visit our website at www.people4animals.ca to make a tax deductible donation. Thanks!!

-Alanna

Cats do control humans

According to this new study, Cats are the ones in charge at home! No surprise here....

Sweet boys who deserve a chance

Tonight, we rescued 7 more cats. Yesterday, we took in two litters of kittens, one 8 weeks old, one 2 weeks old, straight from the streets. These were all absolute emergency cases that we simply could not turned our backs on, despite the fact that we are now wayyyyy over our capacity. We are close to the 100 mark for cats in care now.

I have included photos of 4 of the lovely male cats that we have at Victoria Vet tonight. They are all being neutered tomorrow. Boo is a longhaired grey guy who is so matted that he will be partially shaved tomorrow. Niki is a sweet black and white guy with a huge head and beautiful eyes. KissKiss is an orange and white male tabby, also massive and very verbal. He is with his buddy, Coco, a longhaired black male (not pictured). Finally, there is Bobby, a grizzled old tabby tomcat who deserves every happiness.

We don't have any foster home space for these guys. They need safe spaces where they can learn to trust people again. Can you help?

Please consider adopting a cat from PFA. We have so many. Or can you foster? Finally, please spread the word about PFA to everyone you know, and encourage them to check out our website and blog.

Thanks so much,

Sarah

Pets can travel in style now!

The tide is turning for pets travelling on airlines. Now there is one that is dedicated only to them!

Happy cats at Pat's

Pat is our dedicated and energetic President, and, like any self-respecting PFA'er, she has a houseful of kitties. Her three boys are amazing success stories. Sammy, the large grey guy, was a stray who was sheltering in Pat's backyard last year. He was semi-feral - she couldn't get close to him, although he was a faithful visitor to her back deck for meals. Finally, she was able to trap him, and have him neutered. Pat then took Sammy in to foster, and with much time and patience, she has succeeded in taming him. He is now a very loving and happy housecat.

Pat's other two boys are Ricky and Oliver, the black and white stunners pictured above.

Ricky and Oliver came from a colony at an abandoned house at Lady Lake, near Preeceville; there were approx 40 cats and kittens there. Joanne Craig, PFA founder, rescued as many as she could get, and the vet out there was kind enough to give us some real breaks in getting them all looked after. Pat fostered and tamed these two, and she couldn't part with them.

-Sarah

More feral cats sterilized by PFA

From Dona on the Feral Cat Team:

"After sitting in a damp car for 3 days straight, waiting for a cat to appear (they have more sense to stay out of the rain), I finally trapped two females (one pregnant) yesterday - all within about 15 minutes. They come from Garnet St. They were spayed yesterday and I will pick them up and release them later today. Their names are Jennie and Jemima. Attached are photos. (Jennie is the pregnant one)"

Thanks so much to our hardworking trappers who are working to stabilize the population numbers at our feeding stations!

-Sarah

Donate Recyclables to Help PFA

PFA is fortunate to enjoy the support of many dedicated volunteers who help with our various fund-raising and other activities, and we are always pleasantly surprised by the efforts people undertake to help us out.

This week, we had a fantastic offer from Bonita, a regular bingo volunteer, contributor and occasional cat rescuer. She is willing to collect refundable bottles and cans, take them to Sarcan to collect the refunds and then donate the proceeds to PFA! These items can add up fast, especially if you don't have a lot of spare room in your home, and can bring in much needed funds for our rescue efforts.

To make arrangements to drop off your refundable items, please phone 569-9732.

A sad kitten story with a surprisingly positive ending

Astro Girl
Xander

Rocky, now deceased.

Another photo of Rocky.

Recently, we wrote about a young female cat that we had rescued from under a deck with NINE kittens. As a feral cat, Mary was sterilized and sent to an approved farm home, and we placed her nine kittens in foster care. Because there were so many kittens, and they were older and wild (needing lots of hands on work to tame up), we decided to separate them into smaller groups for fostering. Two went to Jennifer (Rocky and friend), one went to Sabrina (Howie), two went to Roxanne (Astro Girl and Xander), two to Rayelle (Charles and Freda), and two to Laura (Batman and Robin).

After several days, I received a couple of reports that some of the kittens had diarrhea. I didn't find this terribly out of the ordinary, as they had been quite stressed, and hadn't been dewormed yet. However, a few days after that I received a phone call first thing in the morning from Jennifer. When she had risen that morning she discovered Rocky, the sweet male tabby who had tamed up the fastest and been incredibly active and playful, lying unresponsive and sick in his room. We rushed Rocky to the vet, but sadly, it was too late to save him. Rocky passed away that morning.

Based on Rocky's symptoms, and the quick progression of his illness, our vet felt that this was a case of distemper, and my heart sank. In our past experiences with kittens with distemper, it has always been incredibly virulent and generally fatal. We quickly contacted all of the other foster homes with the kittens, and sent everyone in to be examined and treated by the vet clinic. Most of the kittens had one or two signs of illness, like vomiting or loose poops or dehydration. But none were as sick as Rocky had been. And the two kittens at Laura's proved to be the exception, staying completely healthy the entire time.

I authorized antibiotics, deworming and sub-q fluids for the 6 kittens at the vet, all the while feeling like this could be an exercise in futility. I couldn't imagine any kitten surviving exposure to distemper. But, Dr Soucy felt that we could try to support them as their little bodies battled the illness. The foster parents all took their charges back home, and began dosing them with the medications.

That was 13 days ago today. And I am AMAZED to report that all 8 remaining kittens are alive and doing very well. We did have one scare with little Freda last week that required an overnight hospitalization, but with some more veterinary attention, she has continued to improve. While she was at the vet, we decided to do more testing, and the blood tests did conclusively prove that it was distemper.

Tomorrow, the kittens will be done their course of antibiotics, and we will be able to say that they survived distemper! Sadly, we had to lose Rocky to discern what we were dealing with. But we are grateful to have saved these remaining 8 kittens.

-Sarah

Cat Enclosures can even be attractive!

One of our awesome foster homes and PFA supporters sent me this photo today of their new cat enclosure. They built it themselves, with a little help from their cat loving friends, and I think it looks fantastic. This way, their beloved cats can enjoy the outdoors and still be safe and sound. If you are interested in some creative contemporary designs for cat enclosures, check out Catio Showcase!

-Sarah

The Downside of "Free to a Good Home"

Take a quick peek at the local classified ads and you are bound to see a number of people offering to give away a pet "free to a good home". Many people think that offering an animal for free will increase the chances of finding it a home.

Responsible pet owners know that there is no such thing as a "free" pet and that offering animals for free simply serves to de-value them and increases the risk that the animal will be dumped again when the costs associated with having a pet start to add up.

Please click here to read an article about why you should never give away a pet "free to a good home".

Alanna

Tiger the Terrific Tabby

One of the hardest parts of my volunteer work for PFA is receiving the many e-mails asking for help with either re-homing cats or rescuing strays. It seems there are always many more cats than there are homes where they are wanted. With our foster homes completely maxed out, we are having to turn away a lot of people seeking help, with the knowledge that the Humane Society is also overloaded and many cats are being euthanized.

Luckily, Tiger is one cat that we are able to help. He is a sweet male tabby who was being fed by a kind lady and her young son who noticed him hanging around their yard and took pity on him. But, they had to vacate their rental property and leave poor Tiger behind. I stopped by the property a few times with food and water, hoping Tiger would show up and sure enough, he was there waiting for someone to come along and care for him. He was very hungry, but also very sweet and friendly.

Tiger is now at our favourite vet clinic, Victoria Vet, awaiting his neuter and his new forever home. He will be boarding there for a while as we still do not have any openings in foster care, and he will be very lonely and confused in such a strange environment. But, I am happy he is off the street and won't go hungry anymore.

We still have an urgent need for foster homes and adoptions. If you would like to help homeless cats by fostering, or if you are looking for a pet of your own, please contact saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com or visit www.people4animals.ca

Alanna

4 little kittens

These four adorable kittens were rescued from the warehouse just east of downtown where our feral cat team has been working to stabilize a colony that we recently discovered. Their feral momma cat was trapped, spayed, and returned to the colony, and these kittens were taken into foster care. When we rescued them, they needed to be taught how to eat and drink, as they had never done anything but nurse.

Their transitional foster mom, Carol, provided this report:

"They're doing very, very well - eating and drinking very well, pooping and peeing equally well, and developing hourly it seems! In the little over 24 hours I've had them, they have already grown leaps and bounds in their confidence and play.
Here are some photos, which I hope you understand are rather hard to get!
Oreo is the most timid, by far. The rest are fine, calm, and becoming more friendly and more affectionate all the time. Of course one, Leopard, stands out as the boldest.
They're very healthy, and I think were likely taken at just the right time - big enough that being separated from mom has not affected their growth negatively at all, but small enough that their temperaments are entirely mouldable. "

Many thanks to Carol, who worked hard to ensure that these kittens were healthy and eating on their own before they went to their longer term foster home with Amanda.

-Sarah

Friday and her boyfriend Stroller

Friday is our sweet little grey girl who was rescued two months ago on the side of the highway with a badly broken pelvis. She is still convalescing at her foster home, but doing very well. Friday has developed an incredibly close relationship with Stroller, the handsome grey and white neutered male tabby pictured with her above. Stroller came to her foster home as a foster cat, but has now been adopted by the family, who couldn't bear to part with him. He and Friday are inseparable, and we are sure that his love and companionship is helping Friday as she heals from her terrible injuries.

-Sarah

Urgent plea for adoptions and foster homes!

Our network is currently maxed. We have 87 cats and kittens under our care (a PFA record)!
In addition, we have 16 cats on our "waiting list" but no space in our foster home network or in our emergency boarding facilities.
Adoptions have slowed dramatically since the middle of June.

Could you help us?
If you are thinking of adopting a cat, please check our Cat-A-Logue. Now is the time.
If you know anyone who could adopt a cat, please encourage them to visit our website or to contact us.
Can you foster a cat or some kittens for us to help us get through this time?
Do you know anyone who can foster cats or kittens?
Please contact us.

Spencer loves to play!

Spencer was rescued from the streets of North Central recently, and is loving being in foster care. This little guy never stops playing!!! Spencer is currently available for adoption, so if you are looking for some entertainment at home, he's your guy :)

-Sarah