An update on Piglet, now Zeus.

This spring, we rescued a feral momma cat, Chika, with two of her babies. Piglet was the cream colored flame point siamese cross male, and he was a beauty! I felt so lucky to be fostering this little family.

Today, we received some pics of Piglet, and he is thriving with his adopter. Many thanks to Jacyntha for passing these along!

-Sarah

A new way to help PFA

PFA has signed up as a designated charity with http://www.shopandshare.ca/
This website is a Canadian fundraising portal that will connect you to your favorite companies, such as Amazon, Home Depot, Sears and Canadian Tire. If you are planning on doing any shopping online, please consider going through shop and share so that PFA can receive a contribution!
More info below:
______________________________

At Shop and Share.ca you can shop to your heart’s content...literally! You'll feel good about shopping here just knowing that each order you place assists the fundraising efforts of your favorite charity or non-profit group. Plus, you'll find 1000's of products you already know and love, and 1000's more you may not have had the chance to try before - all at the same prices you'd find anywhere else!
an average of 10% of each sale will be donated to the charity or non-profit group of your choice
Access to 1000’s of top-quality, brand-name items
Easy to use, easy to order, easy to give
Secure delivery right to your door
No traffic, no line-ups, no hassle
Shop from the comfort of your home or office
You can even purchase gift certificates and ship them right to your friends and family

Happy Ending for Lonely Stray

This beautiful boy is Brinkley (now Phantom), a young male rescued on a cold rainy morning in early spring. It's hard to believe that someone didn't want this lovely cat, but we were happy to take him in and give him a second chance.

We had him neutered and vaccinated and placed him in foster care with high hopes he would win over an adopter quickly. Sure enough, he was adopted within a few weeks by Lindsey and her family where he has settled in nicely and is clearly a happy cat!

Alanna

Sammy is coming along

Sammy was a small kitten when she moved into my backyard in North Central Regina last fall. Despite my best efforts to coax her into my arms, and later tries at trapping her, she evaded all of it. I am quite certain that she had started out life as a tame kitten, but her time on the street left her wary and timid. She was very smart though, and figured out how to eat the food as bait in the cat trap without setting it off! Sammy would often sit on top of my outdoor cat run in the middle of the night and look in my bedroom window, teasing my dog Atti. She would also play through the mesh of the cat run with the kittens I was fostering at the time who were the same age as her.

As winter came, my concern for Sammy instigated my efforts to customize my backyard shed as a feral cat shelter. I set up four insulated shelter boxes, got a heated water bowl, and even ordered an outdoor heating pad for cats to place in one of the shelters. I checked the shelter regularly to top up the food and water, and make sure that all was well. My hope was that once winter was over and it was safe to try and trap again, I could finally nab Sammy.

Sammy wintered beautifully in the shed. Her fur was in great shape, and she had no signs of frostbite (damaged ears or paw pads) that outdoor cats in Regina often show. As soon as spring arrived, I resumed my trapping efforts, and finally one evening I succeeded in getting her. I released her into my basement fostering room. And then I realized that she was heavily pregnant. I was broken hearted, and felt so responsible for it, since if I had only managed to trap her in the fall this would have never happened. Now, there was no way I could get her back into a trap or a carrier to get to the vet for an abortion and a spay. She was terrified, and I couldn't even touch her. I decided that I would just let her mellow out, and shortly afterwards, she had her kittens. Sadly, as is common with many first litters, all but one of her kittens died shortly after birth. However, Jellybean thrived under Sammy's care, and he has now gone on to a wonderful adoptive home.

Flash forward a few months, and Sammy now has the run of the house with all of the other critters. I took this video this morning of Sammy eating breakfast along with some of the other cats. She is still a very timid girl, and disappears if anyone other than me is in the house. However, she plays with everyone, and will now sit within about a foot of me, and sniff my fingers. Sammy is a long term taming project, and normally PFA doesn't have the fostering resources for this kind of lengthy process. But I feel a special responsibility for my Sammy, and will work with her as long as it takes.

-Sarah

Pregnancy and cats

Sammy, my semi-feral foster cat
Pasha and her son Oscar, who I adopted through PFA 3 years ago.

Fred, the original Pump House cat. Once upon a time it was just him and me :)

Costello enjoying the cat perch

My sweet, sweet Bugsy, rescued from a PFA feeding station

I am widely known as a crazy cat lady, so pretty much the next thing out of most people's mouths after they congratulate me about my pregnancy are warnings about the kitty litter and assumptions that I am going to "get rid" of some or all of my cats. (Baby is due April 1st 2010)

I am so grateful to have so many caring friends and family members, and even offers to come over and clean the cat litter for me. But really, there's no cause for alarm. I have spoken to my doctor, and done a lot of research, and baby and I are going to be just fine from the dangers of Toxoplasmosis, the virus that can be transmitted through cat litter, and that can harm pregnancies. First of all, I have had multiple cats for so many years that it is highly likely that I have already been exposed and become immune to the virus. Secondly, there are measures I can take to protect myself, as outlined in this great article. I am wearing disposable latex gloves with every litter change (my mum sent me two boxes of them from BC!), and wash my hands and arms thoroughly afterwards as well. Finally, if I have ANY signs of a fever, I will rush to the doc and they will treat me for toxoplasmosis right away.

And, as far as keeping my 6 cats, of course I am :) There is no reason to give up pets when a baby arrives, as long as you are willing to work things out. With my active fostering with People for Animals, I have often had up to 12 cats in the house at one time. So, to just have my 6 and the dogs will be absolutely easy street. Right now I still have three fosters, and as they get adopted I won't take more. We have 7 months to find them homes, and I am optimistic that by the time baby comes it'll just be me and mine. If you're interested, I have Kiki, Baby Girl (aka Gemma) and Sammy, who is not yet ready to be listed for adoption.

I am excited to see how my baby engages with the critters too. I am sure that he/she will love them as much as I do.

-Sarah

2 Very Special Foster Homes Needed!

PFA is an animal rescue group that helps stray, abandoned and neglected animals in distress. We don't turn our back on special needs cats with health or behavioural issues who, through no fault of their own, have issues that make adoption difficult.

This does present us with some challenges. Please meet 2 very special foster cats who are the current victims of a change in circumstances that makes it necessary to relocate them.

The handsome, playful black fellow is Shadow, a lovely 6-7 year old male who is friendly, cuddly and a lovely companion. Sadly, he is diabetic and requires special care - insulin and glucose testing. His current foster home loves him, but can not keep up with his care requirements due to a demanding job that requires lots of travel.

The snuggly, big grey and white boy is Buddy, so named because he is your instant best friend! He is very loving, cuddly and chatty - he just loves to tell you about his day. Buddy is a perfectly wonderful cat, but unfortunately he is not good with other cats. It isn't his fault, though! This poor guy is the victim of a strange cat hoarder who kept him caged up for almost 4 years in a house full of cats. He did get plenty of love and attention from the hoarder, which is why he is great with people. But, he was never socialized with other cats and has bullied the small female cat in his current foster home to the extent that we now seek a single-cat placement for him.

These 2 guys are sweet and affectionate cats who need special foster (or adoptive) homes! They can't help their circumstances, but they will definitely reward anyone who cares for them with plenty of love and affection. People for Animals is currently handling the cost of medical care for Shadow.

If you, or anyone you know, is willing to show a little love to a special needs cat, please e-mail alanna at abanana71@gmail.com.

Thank you!

There is More Than One Way to Love a Cat!

As dedicated cat lovers, PFA volunteers all have their own warm fuzzy little pet cats to love and cherish. We wish for responsible and loving homes for every cat out there that needs one. But we know the reality is that there is a serious cat overpopulation in Regina, and many, many cats live and fend for themselves on the streets.

There is a lot of misperception about feral cats - that they are wild, nuisances, diseased - not to mention many people don't even believe they exist in our city. We know otherwise.

Our dedicated feral team members are out on the streets and in back alleys every day of the year, rain or shine, maintaining our feral colonies, feeding the cats, building shelters, and performing Trap/Neuter/Release activities that lead to significant reductions in the number of cats on the street.

The feral team knows these cats well, and they respect and care for each one as an individual being. When one passes away, they mourn the loss as much as if it were there own pet .

Please take a moment to read about some of our long-term feral colony members who recently succumbed to the hardships of life on the street. You will see that they are marvelous creatures in their own right. They have unique personalities and traits and they form relationships with other cats and the people who care for them. Remember these cats the next time you hear someone suggest that all feral cats should be euthanized. There are better solutions!

http://www.people4animals.ca/index.php?docID=233 - Sylvestre, PFA mascot and much loved feral cat
http://www.people4animals.ca/index.php?docID=232 - Tidbit, a beautiful girl known for her feisty personality and her possessiveness of her boyfriend, Tripod

The Ones Left Behind

PFA is proud of our record of rescuing many street cats over the years and finding them good homes, as well as contributing to the reduction of the feral cat population in Regina by sterilizing feral cats through our Trap/Neuter/Release program.

We thank our members and supporters for their generous contribution that make this possible.

However, the sad fact remains that for every cat we rescue off the street, there are many more left behind. There are far more cats out there than there are resources to help, whether through us, the Humane Society or other rescue groups.

Poor Colby, pictured above, is an example. Our feral team has been monitoring him for several months now due to his numerous injuries. Sadly, there was never any place for him in foster care because we've been maxed out since May. So, we decided to go ahead and at least fix him and then release him, but he was never around to be trapped when we had the funds. Lately, he is around all the time (sitting on his dumpster), but we have no money to get him neutured at this time.

And, he is one of many stray cats on one block near the Pasqua Hospital alone. This is what we face daily in our attempts to make a difference for street cats in Regina. We cheer for the lucky cats that move on to loving adoptive homes. And we pray for the ones left behind.

-Alanna

More Ninja and Jellybean!

Jellybean and Ninja!

AJ and her family adopted two kittens from us this summer... Jellybean (orange male) was the sole survivor of Sammy's litter, and Ninja (grey male) was one of three kittens rescued from a life on the street. It took a week or so for them to make friends, but once they did, they became inseparable. Ninja is a little older and bigger than Jellybean, and he loves to groom his buddy, as in this video here.

Happy Trails for Billy the Cat!

Today I received the happy news that Billy, a sweet tabby boy rescued in the early spring, is being adopted by his foster parents.

Billy was in rough shape when he was rescued. He was hungry, frozen, and scruffy with a bad limp due to a leg injury. But, as the above picture demonstrates, he is now a shiny, healthy beautiful boy thanks to the TLC provided by his foster mom, Mona, and her husband. Foster homes for cats are a wonderful thing.

We couldn't have asked for a better ending for this sweet boy!

-Alanna

Beautiful Boy Needs Foster Care

Check out this absolutely gorgeous Siamese cat, Remy. He has beautiful blue eyes and a soft creamy coat. It's hard to believe this sweet, tame guy is a homeless street cat, but it's true.

PFA has taken Remy in to be neutered on August 18th, but with our foster-home system full and our cash flow depleted after a busy spring and summer of sterilizing street cats, we have no choice but to release Remy back to the outdoors after his neuter. Even boarding him isn't an option due to the cost.

We do have someone to feed him and keep an eye out for him, so we are hoping for the best. But a foster spot, even a temporary one, would be a wonderful thing for Remy.

If you or someone you know might be interested in taking this guy in, even for a short while, please contact abanana71@gmail.com. Thanks!

Alanna

Why It Is Not Necessary To Declaw

I can't even count the number of friends, colleagues and acquaintances who have expressed surprise and dismay upon learning that my cats are NOT declawed. Apparently, many people think it is a necessary part of cat ownership (and many vets make it easy by packaging it with the sterilization surgery).

My instinctive (unspoken) response is that I don't believe in mutilating helpless creatures on the off-chance that they might damage some inanimate object in my house. However, my more polite response is that my cats are perfectly happy with their scratch posts (a bit of catnip helps).

The fact is that de-clawing is cruel. Cats need their claws for a number of innate activities like scratching, climbing, balancing, playing, kneading, and defending themselves.

De-clawing removes all ten front claws AND part of the paw itself. Cats need their whole paw - it isn't a superfluous extremity that can just be cut off.

At the very least, please give your cat a chance to show you that he/he can use a scratch post before taking the drastic measure of de-clawing. Click here to learn more about why de-clawing is not normally necessary to enjoy your cat.

Alanna

Foster Cat Making the Rounds

This little cutie-pie is my foster cat, Beckham. I named him Beckham because he is very handsome and athletic with a nice lean build and plenty of charm.

He really didn't need another name. This is his 4th name - and 4th location - since being picked up as a stray on July 3rd. He went straight to the vet for boarding (and neutering), then to a foster home, then to an adoptive home, all within about 3 weeks. Now, he is in a different foster home after his adoption fell through.

That's a lot of bouncing around, even for a good-natured, happy-go-lucky guy like Beckham whose only mistake was having the bad luck to get an infection after his adoptive owner had him de-clawed. Once he got sick the lady did not want to deal with the effort and expense to get him well and gave him back to us after having him for only 12 days. It left me wondering if we had really done him any favours by rescuing him.

Thankfully, his little paws have healed quickly and he has recovered nicely. However, it will take much longer for him to get over his wariness of strangers. He heads straight under the bed or couch the minute anyone new comes over to visit. I can't say I blame him!

Ultimately, he is a sweet and loving boy who adores tuna and snuggles, and he will become a happy house cat, so I know we did the right thing in rescuing him. I just wish his road to a forever home was a little less bumpy.

Alanna

Fuzzy Freda's Forever Home!

This adorably fuzzy little kitten is Freda, one of nine kittens rescued from under a deck in the spring, along with their momma, Mary.

Soon after the kittens were placed in foster care, one suddenly became sick and died, and we realized that the kittens had been exposed to feline distemper. Thanks to proactive veterinary care and lots of TLC from loving foster homes, all 8 of the remaining kittens survived the incubation period and are thriving in foster care as they wait for their forever homes.

Freda is the first of these kittens to be adopted, and she went to join a wonderful family in Swift Current where she enjoys hanging out with her buddy, Zoey.

We are so pleased that this sweet kitten got a happy ending.

Alanna

Xander being cute!!!

Xander is in foster care with Roxanne, and his sister Astro Girl. Here he is with his fave blanket!

Bottle fed babies thriving

These five lovable kittens are being capably fostered by Darlene. They were rescued from the street by our feral cat team about two weeks ago now. Their feral momma was trapped and spayed, and returned to her home territory where she will be supported as part of the colonies that we maintain in North Central. However, these kittens will have a much different life!

All five are happy and healthy, and will be very trusting, loving cats as they have been hand raised by humans. They will all be available for adoption at the end of this month.

-Sarah

PS. The larger siamese kitten in one of the photos is another kitten that Darlene fostered and saved, and ended up keeping :)

Milo's happily ever after

Milo is a sweet young male tabby who took refuge in Sandra's backyard early this spring. Sandra took an interest in this charismatic homeless kitty, and asked around the area to find out if he had a home. No one came forward, so she asked me if PFA could help. We arranged for Milo to be neutered, and Sandra offered to foster him. In a surprise twist, Milo escaped from Sandra's yard almost as soon as he got home from the vet and disappeared. Sandra eventually located him at the Regina Humane Society. Apparently someone had trapped him and taken him in.

Sandra took this well travelled feline home, and he has made friends with her formerly anti-social older female cat, LB. Sandra has formally adopted him, and he is doing extremely well!

Sandra is a great example of a community member who is willing to work alongside PFA to ensure a happy ending for a stray cat.

-Sarah

PFA and a new partnership

Now that People for Animals has charitable status with Revenue Canada, we are able to maximize many of our community efforts. One of these opportunities is to place some adoptable cats in the Adoption Center of the PetSmart store in the east end of Regina. I was in the store last night and got a detailed tour of the facilities, along with the chance to discuss the process at length with the management. I am truly excited about this partnership as PetSmart shares much of the same ideology as PFA when it comes to the importance of sterilization, and pet rescue.

We hope to complete the application process in the next few weeks, and to begin placing cats in the adoption center by Sept. PetSmart has a great track record of adoptions, and I think it will really help find homes for more cats.

Part of this arrangement is that we will provide volunteers to work in the adoption center. The duties will be to clean the cages, clean litter boxes, socialize the cats, and deal with the public if they want to visit with any of the cats. Shifts will be two hours long. I will be setting up a set schedule of shifts that need to be filled - we will be working around the already established shifts that the Humane Society is already filling.

I am posting this note to gather names of people who might be interested in working in the adoption center occasionally. Also, we will be looking for a volunteer adoption center coordinator to take things over from me once things are up and running (to recruit volunteers to fill shifts, liason with PetSmart, and work with me to place cats in spaces there). I know that many of you already do lots for PFA - please don't feel pressured to participate. I just wanted to make sure that I reached anyone who might be interested.

Please drop me a line if this might interest you.

Thanks so much,

Sarah

badbunnygirl@hotmail.com

A Special Rescue - Bud Firemoon

This handsome boy is Bud Firemoon. He was recently rescued off the streets of North Central by Dona, a dedicated PFA foster home and feral team volunteer with a soft spot for special needs cats.

Poor Bud was fending for himself on the streets for quite a while, even though he had a collar and tattoo. When rescued he weighed only 5 1/2 pounds. He is approximately 10 years old and has a thyroid condition, so he would not have been able to last out on the street if he hadn't been rescued.

Now he is safe and getting the food, medication and love that he needs. According to his foster mom, he is a little love sponge who rewards her efforts with much affection!

We are so glad for volunteers like Dona who care for special cats like this.

Alanna

An update on Sammy-girl

Sammy has been in my care since May, when I was able to trap her in my backyard shed. Shortly after being rescued, Sammy gave birth to kittens.

Sadly, only one of her kittens survived past the first week. However, Sammy took excellent care of Jellybean, and he has now been adopted into a loving family.

Sammy has shown great progress in her time at my house.

She actually began living in my backyard almost a year ago when she was still just a kitten herself. She showed a great deal of curiousity about me and my critters, often perching on the top of the cat run to look in my bedroom window. She would also play with my cats through the mesh of the cat run. Sammy wintered in my outdoor cat shelter, and I was so glad to finally trap her in the spring, although sadly it wasn't soon enough to prevent a pregnancy.

I am seeing Sammy as a long term fostering project. She trusts me now, and allowed me to touch her babies when she had them. Sammy will come up to me and smell my fingers, although I still can't touch her. In the evenings, she comes up upstairs and explores the house, and she loves going out into the cat run. I am confident that she will eventually become a loving housecat, but that she will need at least 6 more months.

Sammy is the kind of cat that we normally don't have the fostering resources available to spend the time taming. Instead, a semi-feral cat like her would go to a farm or a colony where we would support them. However, I feel very proprietary about her since she has lived in my yard for so long, and so I am content to have her here as long as it takes...

-Sarah