Pets Celebrate New Years

Check out this link to People Pets for some cute pics of cats and dogs ringing in the new year!

-Alanna

A Change of Luck for a Down and Out Boy

This handsome little Himalayan cross has been hanging and sleeping under the deck at the home of a kind and generous PFA volunteer, Katherine, for several months. He didn't seem to want to use the shelter she made for him, so - concerned for his well-being in this extreme cold - she took action and brought him inside today.

Katherine also took him to the vet and had him treated for SIX severe abscess wounds, and also for worms and mites. Thankfully, this little guy also tested negative for FLV/FIV, despite his numerous scabs and scars.

He is a two year old male Himalayan cross. He is skinny, dirty and beat-up but his luck has changed for the better and he is on his way to the good life.

One he's had a chance to heal up, we will get him neutered and list him for adoption. In the meantime, we are so grateful to kind people like Katherine who look out for strays like this guy.

-Alanna

Young Kittens Beat the Odds

Normally, young kittens are few and far between at this time of year, but the extended fall weather led to a number of late season litters and thus kittens that are struggling to survive in the cold.

This is one lucky little litter of seven that were rescued and are being cared for by the family of a PFA volunteer.

These little tabby guys were born to an abandoned farm cat who made her home in a couple's garage. After phoning the farm that she came from and determining that farmers weren't giving her adequate food or shelter, they decided to feed her and give her a warm place to sleep in the garage. Soon afterward they noticed that the cat, Casey, was getting unusually fat, and she soon gave birth to seven kittens. All the kittens are healthy and active and will be ready for adoption in early January when they are 8 weeks of age. They are used to lots of handling as they've had supplemental bottle feedings - Casey is very tiny and can't handle feeding all seven kittens at once!

Casey will be spayed and placed up for adoption herself once the kittens are adopted.

If you are interested in adopting one of these little sweeties for your very own, contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

Merry Christmas to All - And Thank You!

It isn't easy to operate a busy animal rescue group that looks after over 200 street cats per year - sterilizing feral cats to reduce overpopulation, maintaining feeding stations, rescuing dozens and dozens of stray cats and kittens and finding them homes. Not to mention finding the money (and volunteers) to get it all done.

PFA is very fortunate to have many loyal and dedicated members, supporters and volunteers who help make it all possible. We have many people to thank:

• Our kind and caring foster homes who take in rescued animals and care for them until they find permanent homes;
• The dedicated feral team volunteers who make sure the cats at PFA colonies and feeding stations have food and water every day of the year, rain or shine (or blizzard!);
• Our hardworking bingo coordinator and the many dedicated bingo volunteers who work very hard - not to mention some crazy hours, at our most important fundraising mechanism;
• Numerous volunteers who help out at other fundraising events from hot dog sales to garage sales to steak nights and catalogue sales - anything that will generate a few bucks to help our cats;
• Partners such as our friends at Prairie Animal Assistance who care for special needs or very timid cats;
• The vet clinics (Victoria Veterinary Clinic, Animal Clinic, 24 hours clinic) who support our rescue work and give our cats the best vet care possible;
• The volunteers who maintain our website and Facebook page;
• The volunteers who make cat toys or make or donate other merchandise for sale at PFA fundraisers;
• The financial, food and litter donors;
• The PetSmart volunteers;
• The businesses who host our donation cans;
• Various groups and organizations who fundraise and collect donations for us; and,
• The adoptive families who give our rescued cats their furr-ever homes.

I hope I didn't miss anyone - but if I did, rest assured that PFA treasures everyone of our volunteers and supporters that make it possible to make a difference to so many cats.

Happy Holidays to all!

Delightful Donny

This gorgeous boy is Donny, a young male cat who has been hanging out at a PFA feeding station for months now. He is quite sweet and a bit shy, but tame. We suspect he was abandoned, like so many other cats we rescue.

We hope that we will be able to get Donny into foster care soon. For now, he has a warm shelter box to help him bear the cold and he can look forward to regular meals, thanks to the dedicated PFA feral team who are out feeding at our colonies 7 days per week, 365 days per year - even Christmas!

Cheers to the feral team for making sure that the outdoor cats are looked after every day of the year, no matter the occasion or the weather conditions.

-Alanna

Christmas Tree Cat!

This cute little cat peeking out from the x-mas tree is a former PFA rescue, Rider, all set to enjoy a fun Christmas with her family.

What makes this remarkable is that Rider started out as a totally feral kitten, and it is only through much dedication and patience on behalf of her adoptive that she has become a happy and friendly family pet.

Rider was trapped in the fall of 2009. It took three months of handling (using gloves, towels and blankets for protection) before Rider could be touched with bare hands! Now, after a year, she is a very tame and affectionate little cat who clearly loves being part of a human family.

What a wonderful success story!

-Alanna

Upcoming Documentary - Cat Craze

Animal lovers may be interested in an upcoming documentary called CAT CRAZED, airing January 6th, 2011 on CBC's Doc Zone.

A brief synopsis from the filmaker is below:

CAT CRAZED (Bountiful Films): For Canada's animal shelters, this is definitely not the 'most wonderful time of the year'. They know Santa will stuff a cute andcuddly kitten into thousands of Christmas stockings. But by New Year'sDay, that little ball of fur might be dropped off at the shelter; or worse, dumped on the side of a rural road, left to fend for itself. Why are millions of cats living quite literally in the lap of luxury,while millions more are abandoned to lead short, miserable lives? And what is the impact of all these cats on the environment (especially birds)?

CAT CRAZED blends serious journalism and humour, along with animation by the man behind The Cat Came Back (Cordell Barker) to explore how our complicated relationship with felines is at the very root of thec at overpopulation crisis - and the raging cat-bird war that's being battled across North America.

The trailer will be up on the website at www.bountiful.ca

-Alanna

Warning re: Dogs and Stuffed Toys

PFA recently received information about an unfortunate incident in the U.S. which a dog died a horrible death after chewing on a child's teddy bear.

Apparently, the stuffing in some children's toys may contain ingredients for flame retardants and mite control that are highly toxic. This is what killed the dog.

To be on the safe side, if you give your dog stuffed toys to play with, please be sure that they are meant for dogs and safe for chewing!

-Alanna

T'was the night before Xmas

Here is a touching Christmas Poem about feral cats and the people who care for them.

T'was the night before Christmas and those in our care

Will all sleep so soundly, there's love in the air

For the ones who wait on our streets, dark and cold

In hopes of warm shelter and food for their fold;

We'll be there for sure, can't say on a sleigh

But your bellies will be full.... This Christmas Day

And here we say now, please spay or neuter your cat

If everyone does, it will make things right

Happy Holidays to all and all a good night.

-Michelle

*Found from the website of Little Cats Lost and

Safeteam Animal Rescue, Edmonton Alberta.

Trying to find a home..... again

This is Oreo (black and white female) and Ghost (grey male) who were both rescued as kittens from the streets and put into foster care. They were separately adopted into a good family last year but unfortunately the owner's young daughter developed asthma and allergies and had to return them back to PFA.

Oreo, 1yr 7 mos old, is a very friendly girl, adapting easily to a new environment with other cats, kids and a dog. She's funny and keeps her foster home laughing. She likes to play in the bath tub, rolling around and chasing her tail.

Ghost, 1 yr 5 mos old, lives up to his name and is a shy boy. He peeks at you from around corners but is also friendly. When picked up he's full of cuddles and purrs. A soft fur coat that entices you too keep petting him.

Since they lived together for just over a year, it would be nice to see them adopted again together. Both cats are sterilized, have their shots up to date and have the rabies vaccine. They are currently at Petsmart, showing off their good looks, hoping to find a new home. If interested in this pair, head down to Petsmart and meet them!! Adoption fee $80.00 for both.

-Michelle

Pets in Holiday Sweaters

Check out peoplepets.com to see cute photos of pets in holiday sweaters! The feature is entitled 12 Pets in Ugly Christmas Sweaters, but I think some of them are actually kind of cute.

-Alanna

Thanks to our Holiday Elves and Santas!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who generously donated their time to work at the PetSmart Holiday Photo Promotion, which had many proud pet owners bringing in their fur-babies pics for pics with Santa Claus! PFA received just over 50% of the proceeds for each photo and this was a great (and fun) fundraiser for us.

We also want to thank all the pet parents who brought in their pets for photos. PFA appreciates the support.

Happy holidays to all!

-Alanna

HITCH!

Lovely, calm Hitch is a 2-3 year old black male cat who had been living under someone's deck since last spring. We are so pleased that he is now safe in temporary foster care, free from worries about the cold. Hitch was neutered yesterday, and all of the staff at the vet clinic thought he was wonderful! While he is still a little rattled by all of the changes that have happened in his life in the last couple of days, Hitch loves to be petted, stretching out his entire loooong body, starting up his motor, and rubbing his massive tomcat head against your hand. Hitch bears many scrapes and scars from his rough life on the street, and the relief of being warm and well fed is positively emanating from him.

Hitch is currently in a comfortable spare room in the home of a volunteer who is going out of town for the holidays. We have recently found some cats frozen to death on the streets, and we didn't want to see that happen to him, so we brought him in, even without an ideal foster home situation waiting. He will only see a friendly face once a day when someone stops by to check on him, and give him food and water. This loving, gentle guy deserves to be in a foster home who will shower him with all of the attention he has been missing, and help him build trust in people again. Can you help Hitch? Please email saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you can.

-Sarah

In from the cold...

This handsome boy is Bob. He is a stray, and has been living in my neighbourhood since spring. Due to lack of foster home spaces, funds and other more urgent cases needing to be delt with, he has had to continue to live on the streets, but be supported with the basics for survival with food and shelter. He has been eating from a feeding station in my yard and sleeping in an insulated shelter as well. Recently, I've noticed paw prints in the snow, him looking into my windows. The other night he came up to me crying and cold. Since he rarely came up to me I took this as a sign he was ready to come inside!

He is now awaiting a neuter and vaccinations then will be looking for a foster home. Now inside, he climbs into your lap and purrs. He bares scars from being a street cat, is on the thin side but ready to enjoy a life indoors.

Bob is a unique looking boy, with a lion type mane of fur and a fluffy tail. Let's show him some Christmas spirit and give him a new, safer life.

-Michelle

A short update on Coda

We received a note from Laurisa, Coda's foster mom, tonight:

"Coda is improving daily-- still very, very thin and a bit flopsy (for lack of a better word) and uncoordinated, but he tries to play with toys and eats well now."

Still a long way to go, but we are so encouraged to hear this and wanted to share.

-Sarah

Good Night, Sweet Mr. Moustache and Sweet Rupert

Last week was a tough one for PFA volunteers as we said good-bye to two very sweet young male cats who were euthanized due to the effects of Feline Leukemia.

One was our sweet tuxedo boy, Mr. Moustache (above), who had been rescued and taken in to foster care after living as a stray and was finally getting a shot a real home.

The other was a friendly, chatty young guy named Rupert who has been living at a feeding station for months. He was on the wait list for a foster home, but unfortunately was not rescued before the horrible disease claimed him. He wasn't any more than two years old.

It's a rough life on the street for stray cats. They face starvation, cold, traffic, human cruelty and disease. It's a shame that these two loving young cats are gone before their time. But, they were loved and will be missed.

-Alanna

A visit to PAA

Today I visited our friends at Prairie Animal Assistance, who have been helping us to tame and socialize formerly semi-feral street kittens. Many of their PFA charges are now perfectly tame adult cats, and ready for amazing adoptive homes. Laurisa has trained the cats with treats and clicker training, and this photo captures some of her charges as they "sit" to get a treat. It is rare to see cats so obedient!

If you could imagine yourself with a clicker trained cat, please do check out the adoption ads for Slick and Jade, or Silver and Slinky.

-Sarah

Sick kitten on the mend

Meet sweet little Coda. A 3-4 month old kitten rescued from the street last week, we didn't think he was going to make it. Coda was trapped along with two siblings, but for some reason they had been managing ok on the street with support from our feral team, and Coda did not. Our vet, volunteers, and Coda's dedicated foster mom Laurisa had never seen a kitten so emaciated. He needed to be hand fed every hour for the first few days, and Laurisa carried him around in her shirt. And she has a new human baby too! Finally, Coda has begun to show some signs that he is rallying. He is taking more of an interest in his surroundings, and he is even trying to play a little. However, he is still such a little skeleton that he isn't able to walk and keep his balance very well, so he still has a long road back to health. When I met him today his skin is still hanging on his frame, and you can feel his bones in his arms and legs. Heartbreaking.
Thank goodness for our feral team, rescuing vulnerable creatures in all kinds of weather. And thank goodness for Laurisa, from Prairie Animal Assistance, who gets full credit for saving this sweet little kitten.

-Sarah

Another girlfriend for Bugsy

My beloved rehabilitated tomcat, Bugsy, is a rather famous character in PFA circles. He lived at a feeding station for a long time, and we think he had been on the streets for even longer. When we finally succeeded in trapping him his injuries were so severe that he eventually needed 3 surgeries. Very timid to begin with, Mr Bugs is now Mr Purrsonality, the welcome ambassador to my home. Bugsy loves hanging out with young females (like many older males do!). He always takes my female foster kittens under his proverbial wing, and sweet Belle has proven to be no exception. In the photo above they are enjoying a comfy snooze on a cold winter day.

-Sarah

From trauma to total contentment

Volunteering with PFA can be incredibly gratifying, as we work to ensure happy endings for our feline charges. However, it can also be devastating when we are faced with heartbreaking animal suffering, and the truth about how cruel some people can be.

Angel, the little black kitten, was one of those cases that made many hardened rescuers cry. She was found partially frozen to a driveway in the midst of winter, hungry and terrified. Once she was safe in a foster home, we discovered that Angel (whose name was changed to Angel from Sheeba when we realized what a little miracle she was) was horrifically injured. Her tail was badly broken, and the skin on her lower jaw was torn away from her face. She had ulcers on her feet that were likely caused by some kind of chemical burn. Our vet was certain that these wounds were inflicted on purpose.

Angel's foster mom, Cherilyn, carefully and lovingly nursed her back to health, and when she was well enough, she had surgery for her injuries. Most of her tail was amputated, but she healed from the surgery remarkably quickly. Through all of these experiences, we were all inspired and amazed at how resilient and loving this sweet little kitten was.

The photo above was sent to us by Angel's adoptive home. As you can see, she is a happy and healthy full grown cat now, with great feline companions (including another PFA rescue, the grey tabby pictured with her) and an incredibly loving human family. These are the endings that help us to keep going in the face of more sad stories on the streets of Regina.

-Sarah

Poor Ben Was Cruelly Abandoned

Check out this adorable little guy, Ben. He was rescued just this week after having been abandoned when the people caring for him moved away and left him locked inside the house. Luckily, some kind neighbours notified the Humane Society and he was rescued.

It turns out that Ben is a tame cat that PFA neutered last year but had to release outside due to lack of foster space. Someone must have taken him in, but didn't think anything of leaving him behind when they moved on.

We are so sad that Ben ended up in a bad situation once due to lack of foster space. He is currently at a vet clinic while we try to line up a foster home for him, but his time there is limited as the boarding facilities are booked solid over the holiday season and we need a spot for him very soon.

Ben is neutered, has had his first shot, and is sweet and friendly in addition to be extremely cute. He loves to give head butts.

Please let us know if you can help us give Ben his chance at a forever home. If you are interested in fostering or adopting him, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

PFA Fundraising Holiday Potluck this weekend!

When: Dec 11, 2010
Where: Regina Senior Citizen's Centre (Elphinstone Street)

Please join us for our annual holiday vegetarian potluck on Saturday, December 11th from 6pm to 8pm at the Regina Senior Citizen's Centre, adjacent to Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre:
2404 Elphinstone Street (Parking access off 15th Avenue and McTavish Street)

Admission is $10 and a dish for the potluck.
Cat food donations are also needed and welcomed!

Mr. Moustache is in need of a loving foster home for his last days

Mr Moustache is a PFA rescue cat, a handsome tame guy who was rescued after depending on one of our feeding stations in North Central for his food and shelter all summer. He spent some time in my basement room being assessed between his neuter at the vet and going to his foster home. He is AWESOME. He was likely on the street for some time, and he relishes being warm, snuggling on laps, and eating as much as he wants. Now, we have discovered that he has Feline Leukemia. While he is currently comfortable and content, the reality is that our sweet Mr M likely only has 5 to 6 months left, at the most. We would love to see him enjoy this time and pass on his own terms, rather than be euthanized now. But he needs a loving foster home with no other cats so that can happen. Can you, or anyone you know, help? Please email saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you can help us give Mr M a loving safe space for his final days.

-Sarah

More volunteers needed!

It feels like the time of year when we are always looking for volunteers to help us, and today is no different ;)
People for Animals is volunteering at the Pet Photos with Santa event at Petsmart. We make $5 for every photo taken. which would help make a considerable dent in our vet bills. We had our first day yesterday, and we were run ragged because we didn't have enough volunteers. And, we had to give today to another charity due to a lack of volunteers. Can you help?
The dates are Sat and Sun Dec 11, 12, 18, 19 from 11am to 4pm. We need to have at least 3 people each day to be able to make this fundraising effort work.
Please email saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you can give of your time.

Thanks so much,

Sarah

A Happy Boy in a Happy Home!

This gorgeous guy is Dexter all decked out in his holiday finest to bring greetings to PFA. Dexter was rescued in the fall of 2009 as a young kitten along with his siblings Maggie and Butterscotch. They were among the last litters we rescued off the street before winter hit, and were fostered by our intrepid President Pat.

Dexter's new family sent us a heartwarming update, letting us know how much they are enjoying him and how well he fits into their family.

We are so happy to see that our former little rescued kitten is now a happy, spoiled and much loved cat in a forever home.

Thanks so much to his purrson Mallory for sharing the update and pics!

-Alanna

Volunteers needed!

Do you want to help homeless animals right here in Regina? Through no fault of their own, many abandoned and stray cats and kittens suffer daily. They need your help to survive. We are a non-profit, charitable, volunteer run pet rescue organization that has rescued hundreds of homeless street cats and kittens from bad situations. We provide food, veterinary care and shelter. All cats are sterilized in an effort to lower the number of street cats, now at crisis proportions.
We are looking for cat loving people who can commit to volunteering one to two hours once a week to help feed the outside feral (wild) cats residing in our established colonies.

Can you help us? Our existing volunteer team members are being run ragged, trying to ensure that none of our wild feline charges suffer because we are low on help.

Volunteers need to have their own transportation, be able to supply cat food, and be willing to go out to feed even in inclement weather. Some of our volunteers do this valuable work with a friend to share the load, and really enjoy this weekly time together!

Please email saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you might be interested.

Thanks so much.
-Sarah

Petey Indoors

This summer, long time PFA volunteer and foster home Sandy began feeding a sad looking shaggy grey stray who was spending a lot of time in her yard in the south end of Regina. Petey was hungry, homeless, and seemed to be injured. Sandy was able to trap him and take him to the vet for neutering and medical care. The vet theorized that Petey had been struck by a car and dragged, and he needed to be treated for some pretty heart rending injuries. Once he was in better shape, still wildish Petey was released back to Sandy's backyard and she resolved to continue to care for him and win his trust. Since then, Petey has been living in Sandy's garage, and she had gotten to the point where he would actually sit on her lap for petting.

Last week, when the weather became so terribly cold, Sandy began trying to entice Petey to come into her warm home. After a few attempts, he walked in her door of his own accord. He was quickly accepted by Sandy's feline clan, and has already picked out his favorite sleeping and hanging out spots. Petey is still a timid guy, and he will need a great deal of time to be rehabilitated, healed, and socialized. However, now he is warm, well fed, neutered, vaccinated, dewormed and adored. We are so grateful for wonderful people like Sandy who are willing to put all of the time needed into helping Petey recover from his trauma and time on his own outdoors.

-Sarah

Still More Kittens

The warm fall weather seems to have provided an extended kitten season, as kittens are popping up everywhere needing help now that it's cold.

These little 9-week old cutie-pies were rescued out at the Evraz steel plan on Rembrance Day, and have been enjoying life in their foster home ever since. They are friendly and love to play together. They will be listed for adoption shortly.

-Alanna

Edsel the Abandoned Senior, One Year Later

This sweet senior cat is Edsel, a 19 year old female rescued by PFA last year after having been heartlessly abandoned by her owners at a boarding facility at the age of 18!

Poor Edsel was scared and depressed and stopped eating after several weeks in a kennel. When it became clear the owners would not reclaim her, PFA was contacted in hopes of giving her a chance at a happy retirement.

We didn't know what the chances were for an 18 year old cat, but we were not surprised when a kind cat-lover and PFA supporter came through for us and took Edsel into her home.

Edsel proved to be remarkably adaptable and resilient for an 18 year old cat, and one year later she is still going strong and very happy and healthy in her loving home.

We are very grateful to Katherine and her family for taking in this sweet girl to live out her twilight years in comfort and happiness.

-Alanna

Belle looking for a second chance at life

Yesterday, a young man whose girlfriend had adopted a cat from us found a scrawny, dehydrated older female calico kitten out in a storage facility in Belle Plaine. He thinks she got in through a drain pipe and was likely dumped out there as she is very tame and friendly, and there are no farms nearby. Belle is now comfortably ensconced in my bathroom, where many of our rescues start out their time with PFA! I am able to assess them for tameness, age, and overall health, and give them their first shots and deworming. From there, we generally move a new arrival within a few days to their foster home. I love having the role of welcoming cats in distress into the security of the PFA family, and offering them food, shelter, medical care and love.

Sweet Belle is happily dozing on a soft blanket now. She will be available for adoption soon.

-Sarah

Tiny Kitten Rescued from Engine Block

Every winter, animals shelters across Canada warn that stray cats and kittens seek heat where they can find it, including under the hoods of vehicles, where they attempt to warm themselves with heat from the engines. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, after all!

Many cats are severely injured this way every winter. However, lucky for this adorable little calico kitten, she was rescued before any damage was done. The other day, she hopped out of the engine compartment of a vehicle awaiting repair at the local garage in Balgonie, surprising the heck out of the staff !

She was thin and hungry, but otherwise sound and is now in foster care and will be listed for adoption.

Try to remember to give the hood of your car a tap if it's been parked for a while - you never know if there will be a little cat in there trying to warm up!

-Alanna

The ultimate feline makeover!

Lewis in his sweater after his neuter and shave
Lewis in his new home.
Lewis now, a year and a half later!

Many of our regular readers will recall the story of Archie. He was a true survivor of the streets, rescued by a PFA volunteer, fostered and rehabilitated, and adopted by an amazing cat loving family. Well, I had the great joy of visiting with Archie, now called Lewis, and he is transformed. Amazing what good food, shelter, lots of love, a thorough shave and medical care can do for a cat. Lewis is gorgeous, and the only sign of his past ordeal are his ears, with the top parts frozen off.
Many thanks to Barb and Lindy for being such amazing cat parents!
-Sarah

Babies and pets do mix!!

Logan napping with his best pal, Bugsy.
Iggy the foster kitten and Fred. Iggy loved sleeping in the baby chair till she got adopted!

Logan napping with Atti the dog, Bugsy and Costello.

My son Logan (PFA's littlest volunteer) is almost 8 months old now. Before he was born I dealt with a number of people assuming that I would give away some or all of my pets (5 cats and 1 small dog) because of the baby. However, I didn't see this as a necessary step, and Logan's arrival has not changed my perspective. The one thing I have done is curtailed my fostering to the occasional kitten now, but my animal family remains just that: family.

PFA often receives requests from people with a new baby for help rehoming their cats. While we do not do rehoming, we do offer advice about making it work with a baby and your cat (s), and if needed, how to find a new home. Sadly, a lot of people aren't interested in doing the minimal work required to help everyone adapt to the new baby in the house. It really isn't hard! My pets have all done very well. I think that while they get less attention from me now, I am home all of the time for the first year on maternity leave, so at least I am around more than normal. And already they are getting a lot of attention from Logan. He loves them and they love him right back. My dog "guards" him while he sleeps, and the cats think he is a great heat source. I have NEVER had an issue with one of my cats trying to lie on top of Logan, or "steal his breath" - whatever that means! At the most, they like to lie right up against him to snuggle and be warm.

-Sarah