A Super Success Story

Regular readers will recall a special cat named Monty that we rescued earlier this spring, matted, missing fur and bearing the scars of life on the street. We were thrilled when Monty found a terrific new family within a day of being listed for adoption. His new family sent the following update:

Willis, formally known as Monty, has been such a success in so many ways. When we decided we wanted to adopt a cat we were looking for one that really needed a forever home. When we first heard Willis’ story we knew that he was the one. He has adapted very well to our home and our other cat Bear. He is very comfortable as an indoor cat and enjoys watching all the activity outside. I think that he is just so happy being warm and safe. His favorite place is in the front porch by the window where the sun shines through. He always greets us at the door when we come home and always has something to say. He is a very vocal guy and loves all the attention. Both cats are really getting their exercise playing and chasing eachother all around the house. Willis has always been such a playful cat and if he’s not playing with us or Bear, he’s playing with his favorite toy. Willis is a big boy with a big appetite and always enjoys feeding time. He loves the fish oils at meal time that help with his fur coat. He still looks like a little lion but it’s coming back very nicely. Willis is getting healthier and healthier everyday and we would like to thank Alanna and Sarah and everybody from People for Animals for all their help. Thank you again for rescuing Willis, he has become a large part of our lives.

Alanna

Goodnight Peanut

My Peanut lost his battle about 15 minutes ago in my arms. As I blogged about earlier, today when I came home from work I saw that what I had been worried about had happened - the three bigger kittens had pushed him aside in Chika's nest. He was cold and hadn't nursed in some time. I tried to warm him up with the heating pad, massaged him, and tried to get him to accept a bottle. He perked up a bit, but not much. So, I tried to put him back with Sammy, where there was less competition. She did take him and nurse him for a short while, but when I went back a bit later he was in distress and being squished by his brother. So, I took him back into my care, and went back to my previous efforts. I know he was comfortable, and he wasn't alone. I promised him that if he could fight through, I would keep him as my own. But his breathing kept on slowing, and finally, it stopped.I really thought he might make it. This is really hard.
-Sarah

Roo exploring the world

Piglet and Roo have started exploring the world outside Chika's nest. Note Chika's watchful gaze in this video as Roo takes a look around the nursery.

-Sarah

Chika's growing family

Here are some new pics of Chika, mother cat of the year, and her kids. The white/flame point siamese cross male is Piglet (4 week old male), the orange tabby is Roo (4 week old male), and the raccoon faced black and white kitten in the background is Patches (6 weeks, gender as yet undetermined). Patches was rescued this weekend, all alone, and Chika accepted him into her brood. He is still timid, but coming along well, and thriving with his new family. As you can see, the other kids aren't timid at all! Roo has been on antibiotics for a puncture wound that he had when he was rescued (we think he was attacked by the same tomcats that killed Chika's two other kittens). However, he is healing very well.

-Sarah

Sammy and her kids

Sammy is the semi-feral momma cat that was trapped in my own feeding station a few weeks ago, and very quickly afterwards had a litter of kittens in my fostering room. She gave birth to five kittens, but one died at birth. Despite my efforts to support her, two more kittens died after that. Sammy's remaining kittens are now about 11 days old.
After the last two kittens died, I moved her kittens over to Chika, who was also being fostered in my nursery with her two kittens. She accepted Peanut (grey tabby) and Jellybean (orange tabby), and nursed them along for a few days. Yesterday I put Jellybean back with Sammy, as he is twice the size of his sibling, and she clearly missed her babies. She hasn't left him for a second since then, and he is doing great.

My greatest fear this week has been that Peanut would get pushed out of the way in the nest by Chika's rapidly growing kids, along with a new arrival that Chika also adopted. Tonight, I went down to check on them and it had happened. Peanut was on the edge of the nest, cold, and hungry. I took him/her out, and warmed them up on a heating pad and tried to feed a bottle of formula. Peanut took a little of it, and did liven up a bit. However, I still wasn't thrilled with the improvement. So, I took a gamble and put Peanut back with Sammy. And she started nursing him!!!

I'll be honest, I'm not still convinced that Peanut is going to make it. He/she is half the size of orange Jellybean, and he has a lame back leg. But I am going to fight my hardest to make it happen.

-Sarah

Mitzi, home at last

We wrote about a sad story of cat hoarding this winter on the blog.

Mitzi was the first of the cats that PFA was able to rescue from that situation, and one of the most traumatized. She was fostered by Carol and Bob for almost a year, and finally found her forever home last month.

The photos above are of our beloved Mitzi in her new home, with her new best friend Buddy.

Her new family writes:

"Just a little update. Mitzi seems to realize that she's a big part of our family. She's playing with Buddy (they chase each other and play fight), she sleeps with him and us every night now. She was pretty skittish for a while, always running away when we came into the house or a room unexpectedly, but she is much better now. We can walk around her, even while she's eating, and she doesn't get scared. She has two favorite places to watch the world go by outside (on the back of the chair by the window in the livingroom and on the bookcase by the big window in the dining room), she has a couple of toys she likes and she knows ALL about treats! Mitzi loves falling asleep in our laps or snuggled up beside us. All in all, she's become one of us! And it all happened in her own time and on her own terms. We love this little girl to pieces and are so happy to have her with us. Buddy is in love with her, too. So you can be assured that she's happy and healthy and getting along fine now. Just thought you'd like to know how well everything has turned out. "

I also wanted to share a little bit of Mitzi's former foster home's response when they heard how well she was doing in her new home:

"We certainly know how psychologically damaged Mitzi was when she came here, and she is a testament to an animal's ability to heal. I won't go into how traumatized she was again, but from the cat she was when she first came here, one year ago this month, to the cat you describe, is absolute night and day. I've fostered lots of cats in my time, but I can tell you honestly no other cat, and no other cat's adoption has touched me like Mitzi, and you, and Buddy. "

Thanks so much to Carol, Bob and Zoe, Mitzi's loving foster family, and to her new family for loving her so much. Thanks also to our tireless pet rescue volunteers who helped save so many cats from that unsafe environment.

-Sarah

A day in the life of fostering 12 cats!‏

Michelle B is one of our fearless and invaluable foster homes, as well as a Foster Home Liason Volunteer. We asked her to share a typical day with us:

600 Woken up by kittens chewing on my toes.

730 After hitting snooze button on alarm, get up to get daughter off to school and feed cats.
Soft food for mouse and 5 babies. 1 can. They are all in hiding. Mouse is still very timid but the kittens will peak out from their nest.
While downstairs I feed my dog Zoe and foster dog Sabre.

Upstairs to make daughter's lunch and feed everyone upstairs. This takes 1 large and 1 small can of soft food and 3 plates and one bowl (for my cat Princess as she won't eat with the others so she gets a bowl to herself on the counter)
I then head back downstairs to let dogs outside and peek in on Mouse's family. Yup all the food gone and still hiding!

Daughter's bus comes. As I am waving good bye 4 cats run outside so I chase after them.

830 clean up after everyone's breakfast then head outside to feed rabbits. They are named Cupcake and Gibby and they hop around their hutch excited for breakfast.

900 watch TLC " what not to wear" while folding laundry or some other chore.

1000ish Daughter Meadow gets up and we have breakfast and play with kittens and cats while watching cartoons. Besides Mouse's kittens downstairs we have Lucy and her remaining 3 kittens upstairs (who we received when the kittens were just a few days old and are now 8 weeks old and are being adopted out) and my newly adopted PFA kitten Angel.

Total cats free range in house: 12!
6 are my babies (ages ranging from 12 yrs to 2 mos )

1PM Go for walk with dogs while Meadow rides bike. Often go to park. Get home and check on kittens downstairs, play with them a bit and ensure everyone has fresh water and dry food available.

300 Meadow plays while I check emails and do PFA paperwork. I am a foster home coordinator and follow up on foster homes, arrange visits and do vaccinations etc. I often do 1 to 3 visits a week. While working I have to break up a few cat fights as they get into each other's space.

4PM Older daughter comes home. We may run a few errands (like buy pet food) etc before supper.

6ish Take girls to dance class on Mon Tue and Wed and eat early or usually eat at this time then outside for yard work, playing with dogs or visiting with neighbours.

8PM. Time for feeding again. Total of canned food 1 large and 2 small.
Feed cats upstairs
Feed cats in foster room and let dogs in to feed them. Often breaking up fights with those who don't like to share! Get children ready for bed.

9PM Yay girls are in bed. I head downstairs to do laundry, feed our fish and scoop out 7 litter boxes. I always end up in foster room and hang out with the occupant. Today that is Mouse and her babies. I talk to and pet Mouse (who is still hiding and growls at me at first but relaxes and enjoys the petting) and laugh at the babies wrestling and chasing each other around.

10 PM tidy up house and again play with kittens or any adult cat who likes to snuggle and watch tv.

11ish Off to bed which is already occupied by 3 cats and another 1 or 2 join me once I'm settled.

Total cats 18
Total dogs 2
Total bunnies 2
Total children 2
Total cans of soft cat food 6 and 1 large bag of dry food every 3 weeks
Total of 2 cans wet dog food for picky foster dog Sabre
2 boxes of litter a week
Amount of love in the house priceless!

PS this would be a typical day off for me. I also work full time shift work as a nurse.