If Kitties were in charge of government...

Click HERE to read this very funny description of cats in congress.

The Evolution of Baby Girl

Baby Girl, the first time I saw her, and when we knew we had to rescue her and her kittens.

Oct. 2008

Baby Girl now, Sept. 2009
More Baby Girl now, Sept. 2009

Baby Girl (known as Gemma in her adoption ads) was rescued by PFA almost exactly a year ago. She had been confined in a small windowless bathroom for close to 4 months with her four kittens by a well meaning but misguided elderly lady. We rescued the entire little family, and I took them into my home as foster cats. Baby Girl was about 9 or 10 months old at the time. My guess is that she had gotten pregnant on her first heat, and was then rescued from the street by the old lady. Baby Girl was thin, slight, and exhausted from caring for her kittens. As you can see from the above photo, she was scared, poorly socialized, and depressed, and not sure what to think of humans.

We quickly found homes for two of her kittens (the orange ones, of course!) and over the course of this past year we also found a wonderful home for her two black female kittens once they were adults. However, Baby Girl needed more time. We rescued her last October, and I wasn't even able to touch her until about December. At first, she would simply race around the large room I had settled the family into, panicked at the thought of having any contact with me. After a few weeks, I gave the whole family the run of the house, and Baby Girl relished her freedom, but still ran any time I tried to engage with her.

Finally, last January, Baby Girl decided that I wasn't so bad. She began letting me touch her when she was eating, and even started asking for attention from time to time. And then, it was like the floodgates opened, and she became the most loving, affectionate cat! I earned her trust enough that I was able to get her into a carrier and take her to the vet for her spay (finally... after a noisy heat). And, even after that experience, she continued becoming more friendly and loving.

Today, Baby Girl is a happy and healthy, well adjusted tortoiseshell cat. She is large for a female, and has the most lovely, plush fur. She greets strangers at the door, and loves to snuggle with me in bed at night. She wrestles and races with my own cats all over the house.

A year is a long time for a PFA cat to stay in foster care. However, in this case, I think Baby Girl needed all of that time to truly recover from her rough start in life. This is one of those times that I am so glad that we are committed to giving cats every opportunity to have a happy ending, with no timelines. We never give up on a cat.

Baby Girl is ready for her forever home now, of that I am certain. I love her so much, and I truly wish that I wasn't already at my 6 cat limit so that I could keep her. But I simply cannot, especially since I am expecting my own baby in the New Year!

-Sarah

Homeless Once Again (it was almost a happy ending...)

PFA was quite dismayed this week to hear from former foster home and volunteer Shelly that her family, including 4 cats, along with her entire apartment complex, are being evicted on November 1 when a new owner takes over the building. This means that many families have to quickly find new rental housing in a city with a vacancy rate of less than 1%! Sadly, this means that many pets will no doubt have to be given away or surrendered to the Regina Humane Society.

Shelly and her family were able to find a new home, but not one that accepts pets. Luckily for Shelly's cats, PFA will once again take them into foster care and hopefully will find new homes again soon.

Take a look at this sweet bunch of kitties (descriptions below) and consider fostering or adopting one. They need new places to go by October 30th. It isn't their fault that our city is tough on renters and on pets! Regina definitely needs more pet-friendly rental housing. Far too many animals have to be surrendered and needlessly euthanized, and far too many families have to say good-bye to cherished pets due to lack of pet-friendly rental accommodation.

For more info on these cats, please contact alanna at abanana71@gmail.com.

Alanna

Misty - black 1 year old female, spayed and fully vaccinated. She is very loving and enjoys snuggling.

Garfield - orange male tabby, 18 months old, neutered and fully vaccinated. He's a real character that loves to lounge around, and gives headbutts when he wants attention. Garfield is talkative and meets you at the door as soon as you walk in!

Princess is a spayed and de-clawed female, grey and white, who has all her shots. She is a bit shy after being rescued as a stray a few weeks ago (her former owners would not take her back), but is starting to relax and seek attention. She would do best in a home with only one (or no) other cats.

Bad Luck Happens to Good Animal Rescue Groups!

PFA has celebrated a lot of great things this year, such as obtaining charitable status, new friends and supporters, finding many rescued cats great new homes, and a record number of sterilizations for the year (120 and counting)!

But, we also have our challenges. Right now we are in a particularly tight spot and urgently need new foster homes for rescued cats. This month alone we have 3 cats returning to our care due to failed adoptions (through no fault of the cats - severe allergies and re-locations are to blame). We've also lost a number of long term and reliable foster homes due to out-of-province moves, work travel demands, and lack of family support. This is making it very difficult to deal with the rescued cats that we already have in our care, let alone planning any new rescues, with winter on the horizon. We also have several special needs cats, such as Malcolm, featured above, a sweet, plush grey guy who needs to be in a single-cat home as fending for himself on the streets of north central has left him hostile toward other cats. He loves people though, and is very affectionate!

Fostering even on a temporary or transitional basis would make an incredible difference in helping us through this rough patch. Fostering is a great way to enjoy an animal companion without having to make a long term commitment. It's a good opportunity for someone who hasn't owned a pet before but would like to try it, someone who would like a pet but isn't in a position to commit to caring for one long-term, or for anyone who has compassion for animals in need. PFA can provide supplies such as litter pan, dishes and limited food supplies . Tax receipts are also available for out-of-pocket expenses.

Please give some thought to fostering a rescued cat this fall, or encourage your friends and family to do so! It is an incredibly rewarding experience and it makes a tremendous difference to animals in peril on the street. Please e-mail alanna at abanana71@gmail.com if you or someone you know is interested in fostering for us.

Thanks!

Polydactyl kittens!

Our beloved Studley in foster care prior to his adoption. You can see his thumbs!
An example of a polydactyl kitten

Another example of the back feet of a polydactyl cat

Polydactyl felines are cats with extra toes. They are sometimes known as Hemingway cats, since many of the cats who lived with the writer Ernest Hemingway were polydactyls. They are very special cats who often appear to have "thumbs". Many polydactyls learn special skills with their big mitts, such as opening doors or catching items.

PFA often rescues Polydactyl cats, such as Polly and Studley.

In this article, a litter of kittens has recently made the news when it was discovered that the babies have 6 and even 7 toes on their little paws! Make sure to check out the video too :)

-Sarah

Help Needed at Feral Feeding Station

Back in July People for Animals added yet another feeding location in an effort to help stabilize the feral cat population in the city.

We took over a spot on Toronto St. from an elderly lady who was feeding neighbourhood stray and feral cats, but who had become to ill with cancer to continue. These cats have been added to our list for sterilization and removal to a farm home before it gets too cold.

We were already swamped, but we pulled together a small team of volunteers to cover the feeding site until we can move the cats out. We are still in need of several volunteers to feed at this station on a number of week days. The location is very close to downtown for anyone who works in the downtown and surrounding area.

If you are interested in helping out at this location, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Donate Refundables to Help PFA

Our dedicated supporter and volunteer Bonita is once again preparing to return refundables and donate the funds to PFA. As always, we can certainly use the money!

If you are interested in donating your refundable cans and bottles to help animals in need, or if you have a pile collecting that you just haven't found the time to take to Sarcan, please contact Bonita at 569-9732 to make arrangements. Her next run to Sarcan will be in about 2 weeks.

Thanks!

Cat Hoarding

A&E has a new show called "Hoarders". The episode that was on last night featured an elderly couple who were hoarders of both material items and cats. Eventually, Animal Protective Services comes in and removes 76 cats from their home, only 41 of them alive.

This couple is well intentioned, but has very little in the way of resources, and no understanding of the damage they are doing to these stray and feral cats that they are trying to help. When asked how many cats they have they think maybe 20 or so, when the truth is far higher than that.

Watching this footage is helpful for anyone trying to understand the concept of animal hoarding.

This segment shows as the house is searched for cats, dead or alive, by animal protective services. (The segment is in two parts, as it also features another hoarding case. The cat case comes at about the two minute mark.)

This segment shows the aftermath, as the couple tries to clean their house so that they can keep their three remaining cats.

People for Animals deals with hoarding situations more often than anyone would expect, even in a smaller city such as Regina. While we haven't come up against anyone with quite as many cats as this couple had, we often do deal with people who honestly believe that they are giving their cats the best life possible, when in all honesty they are forcing them to live in unhealthy and unsanitary situations.
-Sarah

It Takes A Village To Save an Animal In Need!

One of our dedicated foster care providers sent in this harrowing story about the rescue of a neglected puppy and his owners.

On Saturday evening, Denise arrived home to a commotion in the alley behind her home. Her new neighbour was putting his 1 year old male pit bull in his yard. The man was distraught as the dog had jumped out of his car window (while the car was moving) and attacked another neighbour’s cat. The owners of the poor cat victim, Shadow, were nearly hysterical . Denise raced them all off to the vet, with the pit bull owner offering to pay the bill. Shadow and her family are ok, but traumatized.

That night and all throughout the next day, Denise and her neighbours heard howling and whining and bodies hitting walls in the house where the pit bulls reside, and realized that no-one was home. The owners had taken off with the offending dog.

There were 2 other pit bull puppies in the family and she realized that they were left alone in the house in extreme heat with no air conditioning. At 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon Denise called Animal Protection to report that the puppies had been alone since 6 p.m. Saturday. Normally the minimum is 24 hours without care, but with some persuasion, along with several other calls from neighbours, Denise convinced the Animal Protection officer that the puppies were in distress and creating a disturbance in the neighbourhood.

It turned out that the tenants were in jail, and the offending pit bull and another puppy were already at the RHS, leaving 1 puppy alone in the house. Animal Protection arrived and assessed the situation, observing from a window that the puppy was locked in the kitchen and had diarrhea. The temperature was 32 degrees and the house was not air conditioned. The Animal Protection officer assessed the situation but was unsure how to proceed as the situation was a bit unusual. After some consultations, the Regina Police Service was contacted. The Animal Protection Officer went to great lengths to get info on the tenants to no avail, trying to determine where the puppy owners were being held, and how the home could be accessed.

Several hours later, 2 police officers arrived and access the home quickly. They released the puppy to the Animal Protection. At this point the puppy had been locked in the house 27 hours. The rescue was a success, with a very dehydrated puppy who was rescued from a very hot house. All he could do was kiss everyone in gratitude. What a forgiving little soul!

Despite some communication challenges, some uncooperative people at times, and a very busy police service due to the Labour day Rider game, all these people collaborated and an animal life was saved.

The good news is that Shadow the cat is recuperating and has ventured out again on her leash . She was rescued herself by Denise 3 years ago off the street, and is a fighter, not to mention a very lucky black cat to survive a pit bull attack.

The tenants showed up at the house to get the puppy and were surprised to find it gone. They were perplexed when Denise advised them that the puppy would not have survived another day in the house and that Animal Protection had taken him. Perhaps 2 days in a hot house with no food, water or bathroom facilities would have helped them to understand the dire situation they had left the puppy in!

This story turned out well, but Animal Protection and the Humane Society are limited in what they can do when faced with these types of situations. There is not enough funding (or other resources) to help all the animals in need in our city. Please support your local animal rescue groups and shelters, and consider letting your city councilor know that animal welfare is an important issue to you. In the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has!"

Thanks to Denise for sharing this story. We are glad that Shadow the cat is ok, and that the puppies are now receiving care at the Humane Society.

Alanna

Nine Lives, and Then Some...

This handsome fellow is our resilient Rusty, a 6 year old male we wrote about in the spring after he was was found near death in a ditch outside the city.

He was rushed to the vet, where he was found to be extremely emaciated and dehydrated, then off to one of our most dedicated foster moms, Denise. He was so thin that even gentle petting caused him pain, but with proper care and lots of TLC he recovered nicely and began to put on weight. We were certain that he'd turned the corner when we provided this update a few weeks later.

A few weeks ago, Rusty suddenly took a turn for the worse and was once again near death. It turns out that he is diabetic, despite the fact that he is severely underweight and has been for some time. Things were looking grim, but Rusty once again pulled through, and is back on the road to recovery. He lost all the weight he'd gained and is pretty much starting all over again, but he continues to be a gentle, loving cat who enjoys other cats and people.

Denise sent these pics of Rusty enjoying the outdoors safely in her backyard. Although he is fragile, he still has spunk and spirit and he doesn't like to be left out out of the fun! Rusty has shown an amazing will to live and he gives tremendous gratitude and love to the people who care for him. He is a great inspiration and a great cat!

Alanna

Young Cat Defies Odds!

Check out this handsome young fellow, Berkeley. Berkeley is a short hair tabby male with gorgeous big eyes, a loud voice, white chest and paws.He was rescued by our dedicated volunteer, Brittany, from the rough streets of North Central when he attached his little bitty self to her and meowed desperately for help!

Even though we are completely full with rescued cats, Brittany could not bear the thought of this little guy being left behind. She could see his every bone was protruding through his skin so she picked him up for placement into foster care, hoping for the best.

It turned out that Berkeley was a very sick young boy. What we thought was a 4-month old kitten turned out to be a one-year old adult in very rough shape from life on the streets. He became increasingly ill and was taken to the vet, where it was determined that he had a blood parasite in his system. It was rough, and at one point we feared the worst, but he persevered and held on. After several days at the vet, he was released and went home with Brittany and her family, where he will get lots of TLC while he finishes his medication and recovers.

Despite his illness and harrowing experience, this is a very loving little cat. Even at his sickest, he was purring and talking to the vet clinic staff, though he was so weak he couldn't even lift his head. He is extremely affectionate and he will be as good as new within 2 weeks when his medication is finished. He will be ready and raring to go to his new forever home!

If you are interested in adopting Berkeley, please contact me at abanana71@gmail.com. Thanks!

Alanna

Bugsy is learning how to play!

I have written about Bugsy often on this blog. He is no longer a PFA foster cat, as I adopted him last year after fostering him, and realizing that I simply couldn't part with this amazing boy. Bugs is a true survivor of the streets. When he was finally trapped and taken to the vet, we weren't sure if he would ever tame up completely. We also didn't know if he would ever be able to use his damaged eye properly. Now, he has had three surgeries on his face and his eye. He has battled horrible ear infections, a by-product of the long term damage done by chronic ear mites while he was on the street. Because of this, Bugsy also has some hearing loss. However, he is now finally a healthy cat, and his eye and ears are fine.

For the first year or so at my home, Bugsy mostly slept and ate. We are used to tomcats who have been rescued virtually hibernating as they recover from their experiences, and that is exactly what Bugs did. Slowly, he would let me touch him, and he began to truly enjoy the attention. Bugsy has also made fast friends with the other critters in the house, especially my female cats, who are kind of like his harem.

Now, Bugsy has really come full circle. He is vocal and loving. He cuddles with me on the sofa in the evening, and chases the other cats around in play. And, much to my surprise, he has begun playing with cat toys! These photos are of Bugsy discovering the kitty tunnel in the living room. He loves it, and lurks in there till another cat walks by, at which point he leaps out and scares the poop out of them.

-Sarah

Super Hero Kittens

These two sleek black kittens are Batman and Robin. Both came into foster care with their mom Mary and 9 other kittens. They are now about 5 months old.

Due to being born to a feral mom and living on the streets until their rescue they are both timid. When I first took them into foster care, they just hid under the bed. Now within a few weeks little Batman (solid black) will come when called and crawls into my lap with a loud purr and enjoys being petted. Robin (white patch on chest) however is still a unsure of people but can approached and will sniff your hand and even eat treats out of your hand! I'm confident that he too will come around like his brother.

Being in a foster home with many cats they have been well socialized with other cats and both enjoy playing with the Warehouse kittens.

Look for them in our adoption pages as they will be listed soon!

Michelle

Mouse

This is Mouse. She was rescued this spring when someone in the community alerted us to a momma cat and her 5 kittens sheltering in an old dog house trying to protect her babies from the neighborhood tomcats. She was taken into foster care when the kittens were about 5 weeks old.

All kittens have been adopted except for one, little MJ (Mouse Junior), now known as Frankie.

When PFA tried to get Mouse spayed she almost died on the table but with the quick thinking and action at Victoria Vet Clinic they were able to reverse the anasthetic and bring Mouse back around. They determined she had a reaction to the anasthetic and found lots of mucous in her lungs. Mouse returned to her foster home with a shaved belly, a tattoo and medication for Upper Respiratory Infection. After 2 rounds of antibiotics she has now been on Prednisone for 3 weeks with 1 more week to go and then needs a check up to see if PFA can proceed with her sterilization then adoption.

Mouse is such a good momma cat, and is still a bit timid due to her experience living on the streets and now all her medical issues. However she still greets you with a meow and loves to have a good head scratch. She has a beautiful long coat and is super soft.

Michelle

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Check out this adorable little cat family! It's a mama cat with her two kittens hanging out and looking cute. Don't they look like they would make sweet little pets?

Surprisingly, these are feral cats. A concerned citizen contacted us earlier in the summer about a feral cat that gave birth to kittens in her neighbours garage. The neighbour does not want these cats around and has threatened to harm them, so we are assisting with a trapping initiative and will attempt to find a good farm home for these cats once the kittens are old enough to sterilize.

Sadly, we were not able to get these kittens before they were too old to be able to tame. But, we will do our best to get a good outcome for them nevertheless.

-Alanna