You Don't Have to Tell Us - Health Benefits of Pets

Dedicated pet owners know this, but research is bearing it out all the time - having pets is good for your health!

Loving animal companions provide unconditional love and stress relief, and that makes everyone feel good.

Here is a list of 6 ways that pets can benefit your health from Care 2. This list includes allergy and asthma reduction (contrary to popular belief) and also lower blood pressure, just from the simple act of petting your cat!

Want to reap those benefits? Consider adopting a rescued animal today!

-Alanna

Pretty Little Kitty Family is Homeless

Sometimes it seems like there are more homeless cats needing care than there are people in this city, particularly in the summertime when mama cats are giving birth to kittens under decks, porches, in garages and sheds, etc. all summer long! We can't help but wonder where they all come from, and why anyone abandons or fails to claim such sweet little critters.

PFA currently has close to 120 cats and kittens in care, and we are very, very full considering that adoptions are traditionally slow in the summer and we lose foster home capacity due to vacations, moves and plain old just needing a break as well.

However, when we heard about about this very cute and tame little cat family, we decided we had to at least try to find a spot for them.

The cute and clever mama has been hiding her kittens ( approximately 8 weeks old) under the deck of a homeowner in South Regina. She is very tame, and her kittens are quite brave and approachable, but they need to be scooped up soon if they are to be adoptable. If we leave them too long, they will be too wild.

For now, we are maxed so we are hoping someone with a bit of extra space in their home and room in their heart will take them in. The mama and kittens can go separately at this point.

Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested in helping this little cat family get a happy ending.

Young Stray Kitten Needs Foster Home

This cute little guy was hanging out on a busy street near the Dieppe area and had the good sense to follow a kind lady home. He's only 3-4 months old, too little to be out on his own on a busy street to begin with.

Once the lady realized that he was staying in her yard, she brought him inside so that he wouldn't risk getting hit by a car. He is adorable, friendly and affectionate. However, he needs a foster spot by Saturday, as they are leaving town, or he will have to go to the shelter.

Our current foster homes are full, many with multiple kittens or cats and we don't have anyone available. We are hoping a kind kitten lover out there will take pity and offer to foster this little fellow for a while! We (and he) would be most grateful!

If you can help, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

Sweet Smudge at Home

Here is an update on our sweet and very energetic little guy, Smudge, who was adopted into a great home where he has several dog and cat playmates (including another PFA rescue) to help keep him busy.

His new family says that he is settling in well and enjoying playtime with his buddies. They also say that they decided to keep his name, because he is so busy running, all they can see is a black Smudge!

We are so happy this sweet and spunky little guy landed in such a great home.

-Alanna

15 Reasons to Keep Your Cat Indoors

Summertime brings many outdoor temptations for cats, and it can be hard to convince your feline friend that staying inside is in his or her best interest.

It is much safer for them though. Indoor cats live much longer - an average age of 16 years, than outdoor cats, who have an average age of only 4 years. If you have one of those cats that cries at the door and are considering giving in, consider this list of reasons to keep your cat inside, provided by the Lenawee Humane Society in Michigan:

1. Cats are less likely to be hit by a car when crossing the living room then when crossing the street.


2. You are less likely to bite your cat than free-roaming animals.


3. Your cat is less likely to get rabies from you than from free-roaming animals.


4. You are not as likely to have fleas, fungus or worms as are free-roaming animals.


5. You won't transmit fatal, contagious diseases like Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.


6. There is little chance of your cat's leg getting caught in a steel-jaw trap in your living room.


7. When it is 10:00 at night, you will know where your cat is.


8. Birds will like your cat better.


9. Crotchety neighbours will like your cat better.


10. Cats sleep most of the time anyway.


11. Your cat will never come home looking like something the cat dragged in.


12. It will be more difficult for people to steal your cat.


13. Your cat will disappear less often.


14. You will never have to bail your cat out of the local shelter.


15. Cats live longer, happier lives.

-Alanna

PFA is Having a Garage Sale!

The PFA feral cat team is hosting a garage sale to raise funds to help them support the 30+ feral cat colonies they maintain in the city.

The sale will be on on Friday, July 29^th and Saturday, July 30^th at 3946 Robinson Street (inside). Hours are 10:00 to 5:00 both days.

Please check out the sale - you may find a new treasure, and you will be contributing to a great cause.

If you have items to donate, or if you are interested in volunteering to help staff the sale, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

Two Surgeries Needed for Foster Cats

PFA has two terrific, loving foster cats that are in the position of needing dental surgery in order to improve their quality of life - and their overall health.

Susie and Sydney are two of the cats rescued from the town of Lipton in the spring, and both have had difficult lives. Being forced to transition abruptly from the only home they've know was hard, but they are resilient and are thriving in foster care.

However, both have serious dental issues that include cracked teeth, bleeding gums and significant infection that not only causes pain, but is a significant deterrent to finding them permanent homes.

Susie is a lovely calico who is about 5 years old. She is missing her ear tips and is a bit shy, but very loving and will give her foster mom "high-fives" when they play.

Sydney is a senior cat (about 12-14 years of age) but he is otherwise healthy and he still has lots of love to give in coming years. A vet has determined that he could benefit from this surgery and is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia.

We would love to have these surgeries done to improve the quality of life for both these cats dramatically. We are currently accepting donations toward dental surgeries for both. Please consider making a donation, and helping us help these kitties!

You can make a secure on-line donation through Paypal on our website at http://www.people4animals.ca/ - please designate your donation in the notes section - or by mailing a donation to our PO Box : PO Box 33066, Regina, SK, S4T 7X2 and note that you are contributing to one of these surgeries (you can specify the cat).

Thanks so much!

-Alanna

Charm at Home

This is Charm, one of our most charming foster kittens ever. Charm found her forever home this spring with a very loving family who think the world of her!

This is what her foster family has to say about Charm:

We decided to adopt Charm because of her great personality, and we are so happy she is living with us.

She enjoys lying in the basin in our bathroom, and she practically only drinks water coming from the faucet. She is not afraid of water at all and when you bath she wants to sit at the edge of the bath to see what you are doing. She is very intelligent and curious and she loves playing fetch like a dog. I will throw her toy and she will bring it back so that I can throw it again. She likes talking back and when you talk to her she answers back with a purr-purr. She has lots of toys and play mice but her favorite toy is her feather duster toy.

She is a wonderful black Cat with a great character. We are very happy that we adopted her.

Hooray for Charm!

-Alanna

Signs of Pain in Cats

Cats are notorious for hiding pain well - it's a survival instinct, meant to keep predators from sensing weakness.

However, it also means that even diligent pet owners can miss the signs that something is amiss. Metacam* offers the above information regarding pain levels in cats to help us monitor our feline friends and detect signs of discomfort or pain.

*From Metacam "Faces of Acute Pain, copyright Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 2010.

-Alanna

Metro Pet Market Adoption Drive

Our fabulous friends at Metro Pet Market helped us out once again by hosting a fun adoption event at their store, and providing gift cards and food samples to lucky adopters.

We are thrilled that two precious kittens got homes today, and we also recruited a new kitten foster home.

In addition, we are certain that our beautiful little Sandy (orange tabby) will find a family quickly! He was the star of the show and was held by numerous people, including a very young little girl and one of our awesome volunteers, and he was most agreeable to it all. The girl's mother agreed to let me take a pic for the blog to demonstrate how wonderful this little guy is with young children. Sandy was very patient, tolerant and loving.

Here are some pics of a few of today's celeb cats: Bing, Finn, Pepe Le Mew, Hero, Munchkin, Tuff-tuff, Smokey and Sandy!

-Alanna

Adoption Drive - Metro Pet Market

Join us Saturday, July 16th from 12-4 for our 2nd adoption drive at Metro Pet Market, where we will be featuring some of our very sweetest kittens and cats who are looking for homes!

We will be selling our famous catnip toys, emergency stickers and our raffle tickets as well - first prize is a 42 inch plasma, 3D ready TV!

Featured kittens include Inka, Onyx, Gilbert, Emilio, Pepe Le Mew, Tuff-Tuff, Munchkin, Smokey and Sandy! Other cats slated to make an appearance include Rudy and Angel.

Hope to see you there!

-Alanna

Quiet Foster Home Needed for 2 De-clawed Cats

PFA is looking for a quiet foster home for two fixed and de-clawed male cats who are part of the same cat family that our sweet foster cats Mookie and Sylvie came from.

Their elderly owner died several months ago, leaving 8 cats and 2 dogs without an owner. While there was someone going every day to feed them, they weren't getting the regular human attention they were used to, and have become quite timid.

The dogs and other cats have already been rescued and it's just these two left but we currently have nowhere for them to go. We are hoping to find a spot for them in a quiet home with few, or no, other animals, where they can be re-socialized and learn to trust people again.

One is a ginger tabby, the other a brown tabby.

If you are interested in fostering one or both of these cats, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

Update - Rosie, Johnny and June (and Hank)

Here are our 4 little bottle-fed babies, another week older and all doing great. The three siblings Rosie (grey), Johnny (orange) and June (grey/white) welcomed little Hank (tabby) into their midst a week ago and it's like he has always been with them. They all play together and snuggle up together when sleeping.

These little kittens are used to lots of handling so will be ideal family pets. They will be listed for adoption soon, so please let us know if you are interested in one of these special little critters at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

The Best Laid Plans...

Nothing excites PFA volunteers more than a successful adoption. That's what we are about - getting great cats great homes.

This also means that it really hurts when a cat comes back due to a failed adoption. Sometimes, though, it can't be helped.

Jasmine is one of our infamous Sedley mamas, a young female who gave birth to her litter in a seed mill just outside Regina last year, and who was delivered into PFA foster care to ensure the safety of her and her babies.

Jasmine is an exceptionally sweet and beautiful cat, and she managed a rare feat by being adopted into a permanent home before the majority of her kittens had homes. She is great with young children and also very gentle and good with elderly people. How many cats can you dress in clothing? After a tense start, she bonded nicely with her fellow PFA rescue, Rocky.

Unfortunately, one of the children in the home has developed asthma and despite trying numerous allergy control methods, nothing seems to be working. They found a home with a relative for Rocky, but not for Jasmine. They are heartbroken to return her, but with a young child's health at stake, they feel they have no choice.

We have no foster spots available, so we are hoping to find sweet Jasmine a new permanent home asap! Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested in an awesome family cat or can take on a foster cat on a temporary basis.

-Alanna

Update on our Bottle Fed Babies!

Here are some new pics of our precious little orphans June (tabby with big eyes), Johnny (orange) and Rosie (grey). They are thriving and moving on to solid food, both wet and dry, and are litter box trained.

They will be available for adoption soon. Little Rosie was born with no back paws, just stubbs, and will need to be adopted with one of her siblings, who are very protective of her.

In the meantime, they have been joined by another little guy, Hank (dark tabby), approximately 3 weeks old, who was found near a feeding station all on his own, with no mama or siblings in sight. Kittens that young need regular feedings from their mama, so we had no time to waste in getting him to a competent foster home that can bottle feed.

We are very grateful to have dedicated volunteers to bottle feed kitten, since they need to be fed every 2 hours! Definitely not an easy task, but it saves the lives of orphaned kittens.

-Alanna

From Outside Cat to Cherished Indoor Pet

Meet OC, a charismatic and affectionate cat who was rescued in the early spring by a PFA adoptive family kind enough to look our for neighbourhood strays.

OC (Oscar) is the epitome of a PFA stray rescue. When we were first contacted by OC's rescuers, they believed him to be a possibly pregnant tortoiseshell female. It was only after he earned their trust and started hanging out at their garage based feeding station daily that we discovered he was actually a very tame tabby male! The grime and mats of outdoor life over the winter obscured his natural handsomeness and tabby markings.

OC was thin and full of scabs and scars from the street life when rescued. It seems like his whole torso was one big scab! Thankfully, he is FLV and FIV negative and has been neutered and vaccinated, and is ready for a loving forever home. He is getting along famously with the cats in his foster home, Hawk and Crush, both former PFA rescues, and will make someone a terrific pet.

Contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com for more info on our sweet (former) outside kitty, OC.

Occupational Hazard!

It goes with the territory when you volunteer for an animal rescue group - everyone has a friend, or "friend of a friend" who is feeding a stray or needs help with an unwanted animal. Sometimes, it even results in cats being dropped on your doorstep!

This literally happened to one of our feral feeders this week, who suddenly found herself with a squawky 3 month old kitten on her hands. The little guy, dubbed Pita, is cute and affectionate but not necessarily easy to absorb into a multi-pet household that includes an elderly cat with cancerous tumours.

We have done our best to accommodate Pita, but we are very full and have to manage our intake carefully. Dumping animals on someone's doorstep and hoping for the best is not really a good solution, especially for the cat as there are no guarantees it will be looked after.

PFA is a volunteer driven and donation based non-profit rescue group that is struggling to care for over 100(and counting) stray and abandoned cats during the height of kitten season. We don't get any grant or government funding, so each animal we take on means our volunteers are working harder to raise more funds, procure food/litter donations, and find responsible homes.

There are other options besides abandoning a pet. If you need to find a home for a pet that you can no longer care for, please visit our website at www.people4animals.ca for tips on re-homing a pet.

In the meantime, we are seeking a loving furr-ever family for Pita soon. He is a playful and and affectionate little guy who deserves a good home. Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested in our mighty cute little man, Pita.

-Alanna

Update - Serena and the Sausage Kittens

Last week I did a post about a lovely mama cat named Serena, and her two adorable kittens who were just starting to find their way out of the nest.

Kittens grow and change very quickly, and just over a week later they are exploring and playing, and of course, getting cuter by the day. You can tell by the pics that Serena is a very attentive mama cat, and her babies look just like her! They are now 4 1/2 weeks old, and will be listed for adoption soon.

We would love to have loving permanent homes lined up for these little ones once they are ready to go (in about a month). If you are interested, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

Tiny Orphan Survivors

These teeny kittens are 5 weeks old and were rescued at 4 weeks of age when their mama suddenly disappeared, the suspected victim of a dog mauling. Luckily, a kind woman heard the babies crying and was able to find them and rescue them. They were hidden in a box in garage, and there was damage that suggested the dogs tried to get at them, too!

The kittens are currently being bottle-fed in a PFA foster home and are doing very well. They are litter box trained and will slowly be introduced to kitten food.

June is the little tabby with white, Johnny is the little orange guy and Rosie is the tiny grey girl who appears to have been born missing two feet! It doesn't slow Rosie down, though - she runs and plays with her siblings just fine.

These little babies will be ready for a new home soon - could one of them be the pet for you? Please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested.

-Alanna

Ditched! In this Case Literally...

Most of us know the rotten feeling of being ditched by someone we care about, and who we believed cared about us! This little girl calico girl found this out the hard way as she was found emaciated and full of mites in a ditch in a rural area.

Luckily, her rescuer is a kind animal lover with lots of experience with rescues, and he is fostering this sweet kitty, named Sadie, until we can get her a home. She is about 6 months old.

Poor Sadie looks a bit bedraggled, but that is because she had just received an ear mite treatment. She has actually put on weight and is doing better every day. She is good with dogs but a bit nervous around the other cats in her foster home, although she is getting more comfortable.

Sadie is very affectionate and she would love to find a forever home soon! Contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you are interested in meeting Sadie.

-Alanna

This beautiful little girl, who for the time being goes by the handle "Princess Blinky," comes from the Pet Depot in the north end of town. Because she was kicked in the eye by an unknowing brother or sister, PB has lost the vision in her right eye. Though she is still a wonderful, binky and fun-loving girl, because of her partial blindness and milky eye, she has been deemed "unsellable."

At the PFA, we know that "unsellable" never means unloveable! After less than a week in foster care her eye is looking better, and the vet thinks that she'll not only be able to keep the eye, but may have partial vision at the end of her course of treatment!

PB is roughly between 8-12 weeks old, and looks like she's a dwarf hotot breed. I can't stress how sweet and trusting she is. To keep her that way, we're looking for a bun-friendly home with a family that already has bunny experience, or even a bunny friend that they'd like to take the time to bond with our little lady pirate bunny. Contact us if you or someone you know is interested in giving this beautiful baby a forever home!