It's Not All About Cats, All The Time!

Today was a special day for us as PFA held a baby shower for our dear friend, dedicated PFA volunteer and foster mom - and of course mom-to-be, Sarah.

Everyone enjoyed visiting with Sarah, talking babies and cooing over adorable booties and outfits (although we were all in agreement that we are probably the only group in the world that talked about cats as much as babies at at baby shower).

All in all, it was a great time. Even my cat, Ella, got to partake in some of the fun - in this pic she is busy trying to figure out a way to attack a leftover balloon from the shower!

Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make this such a great day!

-Alanna

A Creative Cat Cafe!

Imagine a cozy little cafe created specifically to allow people the opportunity to relax, enjoy a cup of tea and play with cats!

Click here to read about just such a place - the Cat Cafe Calico in Tokyo. What a fantastic idea and terrific way to save the lives of many unwanted animals.

Maybe the idea will catch on here someday!

-Alanna

Mother and Son, so happy together

Pasha (calico female) and Oscar (buff and white male) were rescued almost 4 years ago by a PFA board member when they were abandoned by their drug dealing former owner. Pasha was a scrawny adolescent mother, and Oscar was her tiny only kitten. I adopted them together, and it was through that connection that I became a PFA volunteer.

The photo above was snapped today, as my beloved felines napped. I love seeing that they still have a special connection, even though they now live with four other rescued cats. I am so glad that I adopted them as a set, and didn't split them up. PFA often has pairs of cats that have been rescued together, that we would love to adopt out as a team. Right now, we have Sampson and Bandit, Lunette and Kashay, and Pumpkin and Socks. Truly, two is no more work than one, especially since they entertain each other!

-Sarah

Sweet Shadow Lands a Spot at Last

PFA has been caring for a sweet diabetic cat named Shadow (black cat) since last summer. As with most special needs cats, it's been a challenge for us to provide the necessary vet care to get him stabilized and to find either a foster or adoptive home with someone willing to provide the necessary care and treatment in the long term.

Luckily for us - and Shadow- this loving and playful boy won the hearts of his new foster home and he is now residing permanently with Paula and her family, where he is clearly thriving and happy.

We are so pleased that Shadow finally found a loving home, and also grateful that there are kind and caring people out there who are happy to care for special needs pets!

Also pictured is Bob, a beautiful tabby boy who was also fostered briefly with Paula and her family. Bob was adopted to a wonderful permanent home 2 weeks ago!

-Alanna

The Perilous Adventure of Heidi!

This adorable young kitten is little Heidi, a sweet 4-month old girl who is lucky to be alive. PFA has experienced some pretty harrowing rescue situations, but poor Heidi was truly in peril and barely survived her ordeal.

A young kitten who likely wandered away from a nearby farm home, Heidi was rescued in Indian Head just before Christmas by a kind lady who found the tiny kitten burrowing into a snowbank, trying to escape a dog that had her cornered. Heidi was scared, frozen and hungry and suffered some frostbite, losing the tip of her tail.

Fortunately, she has received lots of TLC from her rescuer and is now fully recovered and ready to be listed for adoption. This precious little survivor has definitely earned her shot at a loving forever home! For more information on Heidi, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

The Healing Power of Pets

There has been lots of information recently about how pets are good for you health and can reduce stress and raise spirits. Here is another great story about a program that matches up homeless pets with US military veterans that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other ailments.

The animals in need get a new home and the people get much needed support and comfort in the form of unconditional love from a pet. What a great idea.

-Alanna

In It For The Long Haul

This handsome fellow is the Wizard, who was rescued along with several other cats from an unsafe and unsanitary hoarding situation in December 2008.

Like many cats that come from hoarders, Wizard was traumatized and very timid, as his experiences with people were not very positive. However, we placed him in dedicated foster home where he stayed for over a year while the family worked with him to reduce his shyness and fear.

Just a few weeks ago, Wizard - now Raymond- was adopted into a kind home with a cat-loving couple who understood and accepted his timidity and were prepared to give him the time and patience he needed to settle in and become a true pet. As these pictures attest, he is making rapid progress in his new home and we are thrilled to see this lovely boy safe, relaxed and content in loving environment after such a rough start in life.

This demonstrates that even very timid cats can overcome their fear with enough time and patience. Sadly, not every timid cat is given the chance to come around the way Wizard did. We are very glad we were able to give him this opportunity.

-Alanna

A Happy Camper Kitty!

This lovely girl is Missy, a beautiful dilute tortie who was rescued, hungry and pregnant, by our feral team volunteers last spring. Our volunteers knew this sweet girl didn't belong on the street, serving as "entertainment" for the local tomcats, so they scooped her up so we could get her spayed, and find her a loving forever home.

It took a while, but Missy was finally adopted into a wonderful home where she is cherished by her new mom and has made fast friends with her cat buddy, Cassie.

What a great ending for this sweet, loving cat!

-Alanna

Reduce, Reuse, help shelter animals?

This humane society in the US has found an ingenious way to reuse materials that would have otherwise gone into the trash collection at their local hospital!

Who would you prefer to celebrate Valentine's Day with?

In this article, a survey shows that 1 in 5 of the people surveyed would prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their pet rather than their spouse!

Spaying and neutering can save human lives too

Recently, a child was killed by a pack of dogs roaming a reserve in Northern Saskatchewan. Sadly, attacks are not that uncommon in these situations. The dog population balloons because these dogs are not cared for or sterilized, and they are left to fend for themselves.

Today, the CBC website featured an article about a local Regina veterinarian who is working to reduce the numbers of northern dogs by spaying and neutering. Dr Lesley Sheppard runs the Remote Area Veterinary Services project. It's so encouraging to see people thinking outside of the box, and willing to do positive measures to improve a grave problem.

-Sarah

Saffron (now Zaphod) is home!

Many of our readers may remember two of our winter kitten rescues, Saffron and Apricat. These two lovely orange guys were rescued from the streets by our feral team in December, and fostered by Denise, one of our gifted foster moms. They quickly learned that life could be good as a housecat! Apricat was adopted by Denise's daughter Nicole, and now Saffron has gone to his own amazing forever home. The photos above were just taken by his new family. Saffron has made fast friends with Tequila, the other rescued cat in his new home. He is still a little wary of Q, the dog, but Q is desperate to make friends, and we are sure it will happen soon! Saffron's new mom calls him a "love bug", and we agree :)

-Sarah

Fuzzy-Wuzzy Needs a Home!

This cute little fellow is Fuzzy, one of our most recent rescues.

Fuzzy is a sweet, friendly boy who is a bit scared right now, but still very happy to have some kindness and affection directed his way.

We have had him neutered and vaccinated; now all he needs is a kind and loving home where he can be appreciated and loved as a cherished pet.

Fuzzy is currently boarding at Victoria Vet Clinic until a foster spot opens up for him. He is doing very well there and the staff adore him. He's just a bit lonely and could use some extra TLC.

If you have room in your heart or home for this little guy - either to foster or adopt, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

Abandoned in the Cold

Imagine what it would be like to all of a sudden find yourself homeless in the middle of winter, with no access to shelter, food, affection or any of the other necessities to which you are accustomed. To make matters worse, you've been abandoned miles from anywhere familiar without even the comfort of a winter coat and you have no idea how to get home.

Imagine how terrified you would be, facing certain frostbite, starvation, loneliness and possible death.

That is the story of Super-Kitty (black) and Simon (tabby) two cute, sweet and very loving tame cats who were suddenly dumped out on a farm in the middle of winter to fend for themselves in the cold.

Thankfully, their plight was brought to our attention by a feral team volunteer and they are now in PFA care, boarding at Vic Vet until a foster spot becomes available.

These two boys are incredibly sweet, playful and loving cats who still enjoy attention from people, despite their terrible ordeal. Simon is a friendly boy who enjoys being petted. Super-Kitty lives up to his name - he leaps tall counters and bounds over obstacles effortlessly. He loves to play and run around and doesn't like to sit still for photos!

After all they've been through together, we don't have the heart to split them up and are seeking a foster or adoptive home that will take them together. You couldn't ask for two nicer little cat companions. If you are interested in fostering or adopting Simon and Super-Kitty, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

A ridealong with the PFA feral feeding team

Last night, I had the pleasure of accompanying two of our intrepid feeders on their friday night route. Pat and Dona feed on route number 2, with ten stops, every friday night. They go out regardless of the weather, the police scene tape surrounding some of the areas where they need to feed, or the heartache that they sometimes go home with. All but one of their stops are in the roughest parts of North Central Regina, in back alleys, housed in broken down garages and sheds. Over the years, our feeders have been chased and threatened, and our shelters have been vandalized. Nevertheless, our loyal volunteers continue to go out for the sake of the cats that they care for.

Dona currently has one foot in a cast, and so she is unable to clamber around the shelters the way she would like to. So, she drove, and I came along to assist Pat at the feeding stations.

The most significant thing I was impressed with was how much work has been accomplished over the last year, since we started the second route. Each stop had multiple insulated shelters, paths shoveled around the areas, and insulated or heated water bowls. Almost every feeding station/shelter location has been established in the back yard of a kind member of the community who have been befriended by the feral team. Our team members have built these relationships to such a degree that people are not only willing to have these shelters and cats present on their property, but they allow us to plug heated water bowls in, they keep track of the cats for us, and often they supplement the cat food that we leave with their own contributions.

The other heartwarming observation was the cats. At many of the stops they would be assembled, waiting for us to arrive. They were all in excellent shape, resembling happy house cats with their thick fur, well fed bellies, and clear eyes. Most of the cats are indeed feral, but a few are tame, and in the spring when we start our trapping up again, we will hopefully be able to catch the tame ones and find them loving adoptive homes. The feral ones will be trapped, sterilized and treated for any medical conditions, and released back to the colonies that we are maintaining. Of course, many of the cats that we fed last night have already been sterilized under the PFA feral cat colony program.

None of this important work would be possible without the support that we receive from the public. The shelters are lined with fleece and pillows that have been donated. The heated water bowls are also donated. The cat food that we use is donated. Many of the dog houses used as shelters are donated. The huge insulated coolers adapted into other shelters are also donated. The shelter space, and power for the water bowls, is donated. The money for sterilizations and medical treatment is donated. Thank you to our supporters. You are caring for cats that would otherwise be suffering terribly through Regina's very cruel winters.

This work could obviously also not happen without our feral team. They put their safety on the line, use their own vehicles, invest countless hours, face untold heartbreak, and pay out of their own pockets for cat food when our donations are not sufficient. It was an honour to spend one evening with them.

-Sarah

Volunteers Needed - Petsmart Adoption Days

PFA had a record-breaking number of adoptions in January (27!), and many of those adoptions resulted from our partnership with the PetSmart Satellite Adoption program.

As always, we are getting new rescued cats in just as fast as the others are adopted out, so we want to keep up the momentum. We will be participating in the PetSmart Adoption Days on Friday, February 12th and Sunday February 14th. We need 2 volunteers to work the Friday form 2-4 and 3 volunteers for Sunday shifts between 11 and 4.

Volunteers will hand out literature, answer questions and promote PFA as well as showing off the lovely adoptable cats we have at PetSmart, such as little Patches (above).

If you are interested, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

A Bizarre Animal Abuse Tale

It's bad enough that acts of animal cruelty are committed by cruel people for the sake of being cruel, but check out the story of the Gothic Kittens - young kittens who were actually pierced (in the back of the neck) by a breeder and marketed for sale on-line as "Gothic"!

This may not have been intentional cruelty, but it was no doubt painful and traumatizing for the kittens, to say nothing of the sheer inappropriateness of treating an innocent animal like a barbie doll to be dressed up and accessorized for the entertainment of humans!

This takes animal abuse to a whole different, and scary level.

-Alanna

Hospice Cat Brings Comfort in Final Moments

If you have a cat, you have no doubt noticed that they have an amazing ability to sense when you are not well, or when you are feeling down and need that little bit of extra love, which they happily provide.

Click here to read an amazing story about a hospice cat who accurately predicts the deaths of elderly patients by snuggling with them in their final hours. The doctors are amazed by his accuracy, and family members are comforted with the knowledge that their loved ones were not alone when they passed.

Cats - they are truly amazing little creatures.

-Alanna

Dog Seeking Home

Our good friend Jennifer of Oberhund and Spay it Forward, a fantastic program that provides funding to spay / neuter the dogs of low-income families, recently sent us this description of Jill, a sweet border collie who doesn't like to herd and is thus having trouble finding a home.

None of the herding groups will take Jill, and she has been passed around a lot and now needs a quiet permanent home where she will be appreciated for the sweet loving, if not overly effective, collie that she is!

Jill, the one year old Border Collie that doesn't like to herd:
Jill is very timid, and I've been told that she's not overly high energy, is quiet in her kennel, walks nicely on a leash, loves food, but has no idea what toys are for. She is quite submissive and will need someone who can work with her to build her confidence; she tenses and does the submissive crouch when she's touched, as if she doesn't know what to expect. Excited people with excited voices make her want to escape to her crate. It sounds like she needs a calm, predictable home environment with someone who will take the time to work with her using positive reinforcement.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting a shy dog with lots of potential to be a wonderful pet, or would like more info about Jill, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna