Monday, November 29, 2010

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

Sunday, November 28, 2010

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

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

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

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

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

They know how lucky they are!



Pictured above are two of my own five cats, Costello and Fred. In this nasty cold, they don't want to venture out to my enclosed cat run for even a minute! Both of them far prefer the comfort of my baby change table :) Thankfully my son doesn't mind sharing.
-Sarah

Monday, November 22, 2010

Elmo and Oscar - Rescued Just in Time





These beautiful young male cats are Oscar and Elmo, 8-10 month months old teenagers who have been sheltering under a deck for the last few months since the weather started to turn cold.

They were born in the early spring to a feral mama and were cared for by a kind lady who fed them, provided shelter and spend several hours a day with them ensuring they were comfortable physically - and with people.

With frigid cold and winter storms looming, PFA was contacted for help in getting these cats to a safe indoor location. These sweet boys are now safe and sound in a caring PFA foster home and looking for permanent homes of their own!

For more info on Oscar and Elmo, contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cute Callie-Marie, Rescued from the Cold



The last week brought a snowstorm and severe cold to Regina, and we received a number of calls about scared, frozen and hungry cats trying to survive the elements.

One of those cats is this little sweetheart is Callie-Marie Moo Moo, a young female found crying outside a daycare in the west end. She was there first thing in the morning, trying to get inside, when our foster mom Jackie dropped off her girls, and was still there, very cold and hungry, at the end of the day.

So, she went home with Jackie and was very grateful to be safe, warm and to have a full food dish. Numerous avenues were used to search for an owner - we can't imagine anyone deliberately abandoning this sweet girl to the harsh winter elements, but to no avail.

Callie is now officially in PFA foster care and she will be listed for adoption shortly. We are grateful to kind animal lovers like Jackie who are willing to offer frozen strays shelter.

-Alanna

Volunteers Needed for PFA Booth at Craft Sale

Miller High School is hosting a Craft Sale and Trade Show in support of the Cuernavaca Project. PFA will have a table there to promote our cause and sell cat toys and PFA merchandise.

The sale is being held on Saturday, December 4th at Miller High School, from 9-5. Ideally, we would like to have at least 4 volunteers, 2 to work form 9-1 and 2 to work from 1-5.

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

Thanks!

-Alanna

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Jesse From Dodge City




Meet little Jesse, our newest rescued kitten from the infamous Dodge City feeding station, so named because the only shelters there for cats were rusted out old vehicles (PFA has since added some better shelters).

Jesse was picked up by a feeder tonight who found him shivering with cold and very hungry, and she didn't have the heart to leave him there with the temperature dropping to -15 tonight.

So, this lucky little guy is safe and warm in a temporary foster home - notice his proximity to the heat register! He will be ready for adoption soon.

-Alanna

Monday, November 15, 2010

Two Little Mamas Out in the Cold




Check out these sweet, adorable little mama cats, both rescued pregnant and scared from the snow and cold on Remembrance Day.

One of them, Cobie (tabby), was lucky enough to sneak into the garage of a PFA foster home! She was very calm and content to be safe and warm inside.
The other, little Poppy(black and white), who is only 8 months old herself ,was picked up by PFA volunteer Barb and myself as we were on our way to get Cobie! Poppy was sitting in the middle of an icy road, desperately crying for help to passersby. We stopped and gave her some food, and talked to some residents and learned that she had been stray for some time.

So, off we went with Poppy safely tucked into a carrier. We named her in honour of the day, and we are very grateful that we found her before she gave birth to kittens outdoors.

Both girls are now spayed and safe in foster care, and will be listed for adoption shortly.

-Alanna

Monday, November 8, 2010

PetSmart Adoption Days


PetSmart is having another adoption days promotion this week-end - November 12, 13 and 14th! PFA will be showing off several of our wonderful adoptable kittens and cats, so if you are looking to add a feline friend to your home, please visit us there.

We still need volunteers to work the PFA table at this promotion, and foster homes to show of cats and kittens.

Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested.

Thanks!

-Alanna

Forlorn Rescues Become Fast Friends





These adorable critters are Louie, a rescued Jack Russell terrier mix, and Scamp, a 3 month old kitten rescued just days before the winter storm hit in late October.

Louie was rescued by a dedicated PFA foster mom who has a huge heart for dogs and cats in need. He was malnourished and stressed, suffering from skin condition and missing patches of fur all over his body. Thanks to a high quality diet and lots of TLC, Louie is thriving.

Scamp is a beautiful and loving young kitten. He was one of a litter born to a feral mama cat near a PFA feeding station, but he warmed up immediately in his foster home, quickly making friends with his foster mom and brother - and Louie!

Scamp and Louie love to play and cuddle together, and would make a great duo for someone looking to add both a cat and a canine companion to their family. They are also available for adoption separately.

For more info on Scamp and Louie, contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

New Fundraiser with Regal Gifts

People for Animals has launched a new fundraiser with Regal Gifts. Just visit our on-line store and if you make a purchase by December 3rd, PFA will receive a portion of the proceeds.

http://peopleforanimalssask.shopregal.ca/MySite/Story.aspx

It's a fun and easy way to help out rescued animals!

-Alanna

Friday, November 5, 2010

Thank You!

Special thanks go out to all of you who helped make our first ever Business Night a success! We thank:
  • all the wonderful and generous vendors who rented booths
  • the hardworking volunteers who helped make it all work
  • the friends, supporters and shoppers who came out and shopped for the cause
We also thank the United Way of Regina for offering office space to a fledgling non profit org.

-Alanna

November is Adopt A Senior Cat Month!

Did you know that November is Adopt a Senior Cat Month?

Many people want kittens and our younger cats get scooped up fast. Meanwhile, our wonderful older cats wait in the wing to get noticed. There are so many good reasons to choose an older cat!

Please visit the following link to view PFA gorgeous 6+ girls, Velvet and Patchy. They have both been waiting for forever homes for a very long time.

Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com for more info on sweet senior cats.

-Alanna

Our Beautiful Byron




This lovely fellow is Byron, a sweet grey polydactyl fellow who was rescued by a kind lady during the big snowstorm the week of October 25th. She had been feeding him for a while, and couldn't turn her back when Byron landed on her deck, terrified, as the snow swirled around him.

This lady loved him so much that she sponsored his vet care and neuter, and just wants to see him get a good home.

Byron is a wonderful cat who is calm, gentle and loving. So far he is great with the dogs, cats and young child in his foster home.

He is available for adoption! Please contact us for more info at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

Oliver Twist, Home at Last



Here is our sweet and snuggly little scraggly stray, Oliver Twist. After over 6 months in foster care and one failed adoption due to no fault of his own, our Ollie landed in a great forever home where he enjoys the company of his feline pals Sol and Alex.

He also has a wonderful new mama who adores him, and who is a generous PFA supporter. We are so happy for our little Oliver Twist!

-Alanna