Pretty Little Patchy

This lovely little tortoiseshell cat is Patchy. Patchy was a long-time stray in a north central neighbourhood near one of our awesome foster homes, Scott and Jenn. They watch our for their local strays and were quick to act when Patchy fell off a garage roof this past winter and tore ligaments in her leg.

Patchy received veterinary care and lots of TLC from Scott and Jenn and has nicely recovered, although she has a limp. She is a lovely cat who quickly adapted to the easy life of a house cat, and she loves to be petted and loved! Due to her age (approximately 8 years) and her injury, Patchy is tormented by the younger and more active cats in the home, and is often isolated to keep her safe.

We are looking for a foster or adoptive home for Patchy where she will be an only cat, or where she will join older, laid-back cats who aren't so quick to jump a poor girl with a bad leg.

Patchy will be listed for adoption shortly. If you are interested in this sweet girl, contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com

-Alanna

We're Back at It

Hard on the heels of our fun and successful fundraising BBQ at Brewsters, PFA volunteers are back at work to raise more much-needed funds to continue our rescue operations and Trap-Neuter-Release projects.

Please join us at the following events:
1. PFA in the Park - PFA will have an information table in Victoria Park on Wednesday, August 11th. Please drop by to meet some of our hardworking volunteers and visit with some of our adorable and adoptable cats and kittens.

2. Fundraising BBQ - Golden Mile Mall/Extra foods - we are pleased to have the opportunity to do another fundraising BBQ on Saturday, August 28th at the Golden Mile Mall. All proceeds go to veterinary care for rescued animals. NOTE: volunteers are need for 3 hour shifts for this event. Please email us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com if you would like to help out. Shifts are 9:30-12, 12-3, 3-5:30. This BBQ coincides with the mall's annual end of summer sidewalk sale, so you can scope out bargains and grab a bit while helping our rescued strays.

-Alanna

Sweet Shayla and Family

This pretty and unique female cat is Shayla, another mama with babies who was taken in by a kind family after finding herself pregnant and abandoned out in the country.

Shayla is an easy-going and friendly cat who loves her treats and the sound of dripping water. She is a very attentive mama and never strays far from her babies, who are about 4 weeks old now and will be listed for adoption soon.

Check out the picture of the kittens feeding from Shayla – they look like a teeny-tiny herd of dairy cows with their little black spots.

Shayla’s kittens will soon be weaned and shortly after that she will be spayed. At that point, she will be ready for adoption and we would like to move her to another foster home so she can recover from her spay without kittens licking at her incision.

If you are interesting in fostering of adopting this gorgeous girl in approximately 4 weeks time, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

-Alanna

Another Case of Kitten Dumping!

It’s becoming a much too common occurrence for PFA to receive calls from nearby rural residents needing help with tame cats and kittens found heartlessly abandoned on country roads, in ditches, or left on farm properties.

It’s appalling – and also mind-boggling - that anyone could dump a nursing mama and kittens that depend on her for survival in a country ditch with absolutely nothing for food, water or shelter.

But, that is exactly what happened to this cute little cat family, a mama cat and 3 kittens that were placed in a cardboard box and left in a ditch near McLean. These are beautiful, friendly and healthy cats that must have been cared for by someone, but they somehow ended up being dumped by a person who didn’t have the decency to take them to an animal shelter, choosing the potentially fatal option of abandonment instead.

Fortunately for the mama and her kittens, a kind family living nearby found them when one of the kittens managed to get out of the box and headed for the road. They took them in and are looking after them while they are wait-listed for a PFA foster home.

In the meantime, the family has already decided to keep one of the kittens! The remaining three silver tabby females, including mama,will be placed up for adoption. They didn't have names yet, so I’ve named them after the Greek goddesses Thea, Phoebe and Maia in honour of beautiful and strong female survivors everywhere.

Special thanks to Sherry and family for caring for the little cat family. It isn’t the first time that they have rescued an abandoned cat – last year they brought us a frozen and starving young cat named Chuck. Chuck got a happy ending, and we will make sure that these sweet girls do as well.

-Alanna

Duchess and Kittens, Week 3

There is never a dull moment when fostering a little cat family! Here is another update from Jackie.

My Fascination with Kittens
I arrived home from work to join the world of cats for a short while. I like this time when nobody else is around and I can be with Duchess and the kittens all by myself. With Duchess no longer caged up in the kennel she is free to roam the room and she is very protective of her doorway. When you enter the Domain of Duchess you need to be fast. I have now had the experience twice of Duchess catching the scent of the other cats outside her bedroom door. The first time Oliver was cornered on the couch and the most recent time it was our kitty Princess that was the target. Momma cats are very protective of their litter because in the wild unattended babies would surely mean death for them. Princess tucked tail and ran as fast as she could. It was minutes later we located her on the dining room table. A quick pet on the head and she was fine.

With the kittens growing and starting to use their wobbly legs it won’t be long before they are chasing the tail of one of the cats or dog in the house. The decision to keep them located in a bedroom seems a safe bet for everyone involved. We also have had to make a new nest for the wee little kitties as they were getting cramped in their laundry basket. I told my husband we would never have a use for the rolling cupboard shelving and now it is a nest for Duchess and her babies. The box we converted is roughly 24x39x10" tall and has ample room for the kittens to try out there new legs.

At 3 weeks old they are moving quickly through the milestones I have read online about. An interesting cat fact I found was that they are born unable to retract their claws. I noticed right away the little balls of fluff razor sharp claws. At about 27 days old kittens can retract their claws at will. Kittens will learn most of the things they need to know from interactions with their mother and their siblings. Something as simple as raking litter will be learned by watching Duchess in the litter box.

At 6 to 8 weeks the kittens will start to wean from Duchess and at that time she will go to the vet to get spayed. The kittens will start to eat solid food as their tiny teeth start to come in. These first teeth will be only temporary and are replaced with permanent teeth.

Young kittens grow quickly. By the age of 6 months they have reached puberty and can reproduce litters of their own if pet owners do not take precautions to prevent them. If you chose to adopt one of Duchess’ kittens you will sign a contract with P.F.A. agreeing to have them spayed or neutered at the appropriate age. Usually 6 months is the age recommended by vets.


Jackie

Foster Mom

P.S. After I wrote the blog I sat to watch our little family nurse. It is a mosh pit of kittens fighting for their favourite nipple. They will paw at their siblings and dive head first to get what nipple they have. The tiniest of the litter is our Mittens and I find myself helping her to find a spot to eat at night. After the feeding frenzy is over the kittens’ one by one break latch, lick their lips and curl up on the back of whoever is the closest. It is at this time that Duchess is the most content and purring. I wonder how I am going to be able to let them go, they are all so cute!

A Little Ray of Sunshine!

Meet our little Sunshine boy, a tiny 8 week old kitten rescued two weeks ago, starving and all alone in a North Central neighbourhood. He was thin and bedraggled, with his little hipbones protruding but his sunny personality still shone through.

Despite his tiny size, Sunshine is one huge, wonderful personality. He is super playful, super loving, and super energetic - the older kittens in his foster home can't keep up to him, nor can they keep him from stealing the toys! They just look on mournfully while this little baby steals the show with his goofy antics.

Sunshine loves to sleep with his foster mom at night and enjoys being held and cuddled. He has a loud purr that makes you wonder how such a tiny creature can produce all that noise, and he runs to greet people at the door so that he can share his love right away.

This is one sweet and special little guy, and we'll be seeking a special home for him.

-Alanna

Jasmine at Home

The only thing better than finding a wonderful PFA rescue cat a wonderful forever home is finding two rescue cats for the same home!

Last year, our sweet boy Rocky was fortunate to be adopted by a loving family after he was rescued by PFA out on his own in the brutal winter cold.

This summer, when his family decided Rocky needed a playmate, they returned to PFA and adopted the beautiful Jasmine, mama to the Sedley Seven kittens, and just barely past kitten-hood herself! After a few tense days, Jasmine settled in and made fast friends with Rocky.

Here are some pics of the two of them enjoying their wonderful home, and each other! We are so glad that these two little cats landed such a great home.

-Alanna