Update on Charley's kittens

In early December we blogged about a momma cat in a blog called And yet more kittens... - Charley and her 4 kittens were found sheltering under a deck. The kittens were very timid because of little to no human contact and the little family went off to our friends at Prairie Animal Assistance for boarding and socializing. A week ago the cat family came to our house to be fostered.

As you can see, fostering and socializing kittens is a job for the whole family! Timid kittens need lots of love and attention to help them learn to play and become loving family pets. They need to feel secure - as why they are currently in a large dog kennel. Momma cat Charley (advertised for adoption as Charlotte) is already well socialized and already has joined the general population of our household.

Hopefully within a few weeks these adorable kittens will be ready for adoption too!

-Michelle

New Year's Resolutions for Your Pets!

New Year's resolutions don't just apply to people - pets can benefit from our vows of self-discipline as well! Check out the ASPCA's list of popular new year's resolutions for pets!

-Alanna

Animal Rescue Tales from Afar

Check out this link to a story about a cat with no hind legs looking for a home in the Boston area. This is interesting as we have come across several 3 legged-cats in our rescue work, but so far no 2-legged ones like this guy!

We wish this little guy all the best in finding a suitable home. In most places, cats like this are probably almost automatically euthanized, so cheers to the MSPCA-Boston team for finding an adoptive family for this one.

-Alanna

The Greatest Gift

Our favourite holiday gifts are homes for our wonderful rescued cats, so PFA volunteers were very excited when our sweet Ian found a fantastic new home just before Christmas.

Ian went to join another former PFA rescue cat, Shawn, in an awesome pet loving home, where they enjoy hanging out and relaxing now that the stress of street life is behind them.

Shawn is the fluffy tabby (check out those big paws!) and Ian is the cute orange guy sleeping in the box. We are very happy for them.

A huge thank-you goes to our friends at Victoria Vet Clinic for facilitiating both of these adoptions.

- Alanna

Everyday Heroes

It seems like not a day goes by without a new request for help with stray cats suffering out in the cold. We do our best to help as many as we can, but we are currently very overloaded with rescued cats.

So, it was refreshing to hear from a resourceful PFA member from Balgonie, who, along with her partner, trapped and rescued a mama cat and 2 kittens that were sheltering under an abandoned building. They had been feeding these cats for some time, but after finding one of the kittens frozen to death last week as temperatures plummeted, they took fast action to get the remaining cats out of the cold that same day. The cats are now safe and cozy in a heated garage, and they have found a home for one of the kittens already!

This is in addition to rescuing a cold, scared and hungry tame cat (the fluffy grey cat) off the street, who has now taken refuge in their laundry room while we wait for foster space to become available.

They did all this with just a bit of advice and encouragement from PFA volunteers.

Every day we have to face the fact that we can not help every stray cat out there, as much as we want to do so. It is comforting to know that there are kind people out there who will take the initiative to become cat rescuers themselves.

Kudos to Janet and Pat for saving these cats from the cold and giving them a chance to be loved in an adoptive home!

-Alanna

Cute Holiday Pet Photos

Pets are so much fun! Check out this link to some really great holiday pet photos from www.care2.com:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/pets-on-parade-the-grand-finale.html

-Alanna

Refugee from the Cold

This adorable little tortie kitten is Stephanie, a 6-month old female picked up by a feral team volunteer the week for Christmas. Stephanie was found crying in a snowbank, all alone in the cold.

This cute spunky kitten was scooped up, spayed, and placed into foster care where she has settled in nicely. Doesn't she have pretty eyes? She will be listed for adoption very soon.

We are thankful that there is one less little frozen cat out on the streets!

-Alanna