If Kitties were in charge of government...

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

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

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

A new way to help PFA

PFA has signed up as a designated charity with http://www.shopandshare.ca/
This website is a Canadian fundraising portal that will connect you to your favorite companies, such as Amazon, Home Depot, Sears and Canadian Tire. If you are planning on doing any shopping online, please consider going through shop and share so that PFA can receive a contribution!
More info below:
______________________________

At Shop and Share.ca you can shop to your heart’s content...literally! You'll feel good about shopping here just knowing that each order you place assists the fundraising efforts of your favorite charity or non-profit group. Plus, you'll find 1000's of products you already know and love, and 1000's more you may not have had the chance to try before - all at the same prices you'd find anywhere else!
an average of 10% of each sale will be donated to the charity or non-profit group of your choice
Access to 1000’s of top-quality, brand-name items
Easy to use, easy to order, easy to give
Secure delivery right to your door
No traffic, no line-ups, no hassle
Shop from the comfort of your home or office
You can even purchase gift certificates and ship them right to your friends and family

Pregnancy and cats

Sammy, my semi-feral foster cat
Pasha and her son Oscar, who I adopted through PFA 3 years ago.

Fred, the original Pump House cat. Once upon a time it was just him and me :)

Costello enjoying the cat perch

My sweet, sweet Bugsy, rescued from a PFA feeding station

I am widely known as a crazy cat lady, so pretty much the next thing out of most people's mouths after they congratulate me about my pregnancy are warnings about the kitty litter and assumptions that I am going to "get rid" of some or all of my cats. (Baby is due April 1st 2010)

I am so grateful to have so many caring friends and family members, and even offers to come over and clean the cat litter for me. But really, there's no cause for alarm. I have spoken to my doctor, and done a lot of research, and baby and I are going to be just fine from the dangers of Toxoplasmosis, the virus that can be transmitted through cat litter, and that can harm pregnancies. First of all, I have had multiple cats for so many years that it is highly likely that I have already been exposed and become immune to the virus. Secondly, there are measures I can take to protect myself, as outlined in this great article. I am wearing disposable latex gloves with every litter change (my mum sent me two boxes of them from BC!), and wash my hands and arms thoroughly afterwards as well. Finally, if I have ANY signs of a fever, I will rush to the doc and they will treat me for toxoplasmosis right away.

And, as far as keeping my 6 cats, of course I am :) There is no reason to give up pets when a baby arrives, as long as you are willing to work things out. With my active fostering with People for Animals, I have often had up to 12 cats in the house at one time. So, to just have my 6 and the dogs will be absolutely easy street. Right now I still have three fosters, and as they get adopted I won't take more. We have 7 months to find them homes, and I am optimistic that by the time baby comes it'll just be me and mine. If you're interested, I have Kiki, Baby Girl (aka Gemma) and Sammy, who is not yet ready to be listed for adoption.

I am excited to see how my baby engages with the critters too. I am sure that he/she will love them as much as I do.

-Sarah

Cats and books go together like peanut butter and jam

This amazing site lists many of the library cats in residence around North America. As a library employee, and a cat lover, I think every library should have a cat!

Also, read about Dewey Readmore Books - a very famous library cat, HERE

A book has been written about him, to much acclaim.

-Sarah

An amazing journey to adopt a cat!

This couple flew from Britain to the US to adopt a rescued cat!

Regina Humane Society Dog Jog and Oberhund

Last weekend, I had a blast participating in the Annual Dog Jog in Wascana Park, a fundraiser for the Regina Humane Society. My little dog Atti loved meeting so many other dogs!

Jennifer Berg is a great friend to PFA, and she is the driving force between www.oberhund.ca, a resource organization for dog lovers. She has posted a great video of the walk HERE.

Jennifer also frequently mentions PFA and our work in her regular newsletter. This month, she actually featured me in one of her articles.
Thanks Jennifer!
-Sarah

Satchmo and a balloon

Click HERE to watch Satchmo, a spry 18 year old female cat, play with a balloon!
Satchmo is the much loved companion of Shayna, our volunteer webmaster.

Managing Cats and Allergies

Each year People for Animals rescues many stray, abandoned and neglected cats that truly need our help just to survive. So it is somewhat discouraging to see the number of tame cats being surrendered to overcrowded animal shelters and rescue groups because of manageable issues such as allergies.

Of course it is important not to compromise a person's health and well-being or put them at risk for more severe health problems. But, for people who love their cats and want to keep them, there are ways to manage allergies and still have pets.

Cats.About.com (Mercia Tapping) offers the following tips for reducing allergy symptoms: don't let cats to sleep with you (or keep them out of the bedroom altogether), washing bedding in hot water at least twice monthly, use of HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) air filters and frequent vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum cleaner including furniture, use of vapour steam cleaners on furniture and carpets (I personally use this method and a HEPA vacuum), wash your hands after petting your cat and avoid touching your eyes, and washing your cat. You don't necessarily need to give your cat a bath - veterinarians may offer topical liquids to apply to the cat's coat, or you can use pre-moistened kitty wipes or a damp cloth.

These methods can help manage symptoms even if they don't completely go away. Please visit http://cats.about.com/od/allergiesandcats/a/allergictocat.htm for more details on the tips above. If you or someone you know is struggling with cat allergies, please consider trying some of these methods before surrendering your pet to a shelter.

Alanna

Solutions for spraying cats

Are you having issues with a male cat urinating outside of the litter box?
This VIDEO might help.
-Sarah

Goodbye, Socks

Socks, the cat who once lived in the White House, died today.
To read more, click HERE

Enter a contest to help PFA!

Please click HERE to enter the Hotel for Dogs contest.
You can win a Dinner for you and 10 of your friends, and PFA can win $500.

Interesting reading

Click HERE to read about a successful volunteer run animal rescue operation in the US.

Lost cat found after THIRTEEN years!

Read about this happy reunion HERE