If Kitties were in charge of government...

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

The Evolution of Baby Girl

Baby Girl, the first time I saw her, and when we knew we had to rescue her and her kittens.

Oct. 2008

Baby Girl now, Sept. 2009
More Baby Girl now, Sept. 2009

Baby Girl (known as Gemma in her adoption ads) was rescued by PFA almost exactly a year ago. She had been confined in a small windowless bathroom for close to 4 months with her four kittens by a well meaning but misguided elderly lady. We rescued the entire little family, and I took them into my home as foster cats. Baby Girl was about 9 or 10 months old at the time. My guess is that she had gotten pregnant on her first heat, and was then rescued from the street by the old lady. Baby Girl was thin, slight, and exhausted from caring for her kittens. As you can see from the above photo, she was scared, poorly socialized, and depressed, and not sure what to think of humans.

We quickly found homes for two of her kittens (the orange ones, of course!) and over the course of this past year we also found a wonderful home for her two black female kittens once they were adults. However, Baby Girl needed more time. We rescued her last October, and I wasn't even able to touch her until about December. At first, she would simply race around the large room I had settled the family into, panicked at the thought of having any contact with me. After a few weeks, I gave the whole family the run of the house, and Baby Girl relished her freedom, but still ran any time I tried to engage with her.

Finally, last January, Baby Girl decided that I wasn't so bad. She began letting me touch her when she was eating, and even started asking for attention from time to time. And then, it was like the floodgates opened, and she became the most loving, affectionate cat! I earned her trust enough that I was able to get her into a carrier and take her to the vet for her spay (finally... after a noisy heat). And, even after that experience, she continued becoming more friendly and loving.

Today, Baby Girl is a happy and healthy, well adjusted tortoiseshell cat. She is large for a female, and has the most lovely, plush fur. She greets strangers at the door, and loves to snuggle with me in bed at night. She wrestles and races with my own cats all over the house.

A year is a long time for a PFA cat to stay in foster care. However, in this case, I think Baby Girl needed all of that time to truly recover from her rough start in life. This is one of those times that I am so glad that we are committed to giving cats every opportunity to have a happy ending, with no timelines. We never give up on a cat.

Baby Girl is ready for her forever home now, of that I am certain. I love her so much, and I truly wish that I wasn't already at my 6 cat limit so that I could keep her. But I simply cannot, especially since I am expecting my own baby in the New Year!

-Sarah

Homeless Once Again (it was almost a happy ending...)

PFA was quite dismayed this week to hear from former foster home and volunteer Shelly that her family, including 4 cats, along with her entire apartment complex, are being evicted on November 1 when a new owner takes over the building. This means that many families have to quickly find new rental housing in a city with a vacancy rate of less than 1%! Sadly, this means that many pets will no doubt have to be given away or surrendered to the Regina Humane Society.

Shelly and her family were able to find a new home, but not one that accepts pets. Luckily for Shelly's cats, PFA will once again take them into foster care and hopefully will find new homes again soon.

Take a look at this sweet bunch of kitties (descriptions below) and consider fostering or adopting one. They need new places to go by October 30th. It isn't their fault that our city is tough on renters and on pets! Regina definitely needs more pet-friendly rental housing. Far too many animals have to be surrendered and needlessly euthanized, and far too many families have to say good-bye to cherished pets due to lack of pet-friendly rental accommodation.

For more info on these cats, please contact alanna at abanana71@gmail.com.

Alanna

Misty - black 1 year old female, spayed and fully vaccinated. She is very loving and enjoys snuggling.

Garfield - orange male tabby, 18 months old, neutered and fully vaccinated. He's a real character that loves to lounge around, and gives headbutts when he wants attention. Garfield is talkative and meets you at the door as soon as you walk in!

Princess is a spayed and de-clawed female, grey and white, who has all her shots. She is a bit shy after being rescued as a stray a few weeks ago (her former owners would not take her back), but is starting to relax and seek attention. She would do best in a home with only one (or no) other cats.

Bad Luck Happens to Good Animal Rescue Groups!

PFA has celebrated a lot of great things this year, such as obtaining charitable status, new friends and supporters, finding many rescued cats great new homes, and a record number of sterilizations for the year (120 and counting)!

But, we also have our challenges. Right now we are in a particularly tight spot and urgently need new foster homes for rescued cats. This month alone we have 3 cats returning to our care due to failed adoptions (through no fault of the cats - severe allergies and re-locations are to blame). We've also lost a number of long term and reliable foster homes due to out-of-province moves, work travel demands, and lack of family support. This is making it very difficult to deal with the rescued cats that we already have in our care, let alone planning any new rescues, with winter on the horizon. We also have several special needs cats, such as Malcolm, featured above, a sweet, plush grey guy who needs to be in a single-cat home as fending for himself on the streets of north central has left him hostile toward other cats. He loves people though, and is very affectionate!

Fostering even on a temporary or transitional basis would make an incredible difference in helping us through this rough patch. Fostering is a great way to enjoy an animal companion without having to make a long term commitment. It's a good opportunity for someone who hasn't owned a pet before but would like to try it, someone who would like a pet but isn't in a position to commit to caring for one long-term, or for anyone who has compassion for animals in need. PFA can provide supplies such as litter pan, dishes and limited food supplies . Tax receipts are also available for out-of-pocket expenses.

Please give some thought to fostering a rescued cat this fall, or encourage your friends and family to do so! It is an incredibly rewarding experience and it makes a tremendous difference to animals in peril on the street. Please e-mail alanna at abanana71@gmail.com if you or someone you know is interested in fostering for us.

Thanks!

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

Help Needed at Feral Feeding Station

Back in July People for Animals added yet another feeding location in an effort to help stabilize the feral cat population in the city.

We took over a spot on Toronto St. from an elderly lady who was feeding neighbourhood stray and feral cats, but who had become to ill with cancer to continue. These cats have been added to our list for sterilization and removal to a farm home before it gets too cold.

We were already swamped, but we pulled together a small team of volunteers to cover the feeding site until we can move the cats out. We are still in need of several volunteers to feed at this station on a number of week days. The location is very close to downtown for anyone who works in the downtown and surrounding area.

If you are interested in helping out at this location, please contact us at saskpeopleforanimals@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Donate Refundables to Help PFA

Our dedicated supporter and volunteer Bonita is once again preparing to return refundables and donate the funds to PFA. As always, we can certainly use the money!

If you are interested in donating your refundable cans and bottles to help animals in need, or if you have a pile collecting that you just haven't found the time to take to Sarcan, please contact Bonita at 569-9732 to make arrangements. Her next run to Sarcan will be in about 2 weeks.

Thanks!