It's a Rescuer's Life for Me

Marley Gets a New Home!

2009-03-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

So I got a great bit of news from L last week, that Marley, the FIV+ cat we arranged to get to Pets Unlimited last fall finally got his own forever home! Yeah Marley, and to the people that adopted him, thank you! Love him forever!

Now, kitten season is quickly approaching. We just got our first litter of bottle babies last week. Early, too early. Hopefully though, all the hard work we've done in the community with the voucher program, and networking with Fix Our Ferals means that maybe this year we'll actually see a difference. It would be so nice. We did end the year on a positive note - being in New Park Mall over the holidays was fantastic. We sold a lot of our fundraising T shirts, had a bunch of adoptions, and are actually in a pretty good place right now. Our foster homes are getting a much needed break before kitten season, we just had a pretty good fundraiser, and we got an awesome deal on some brand new cat carriers yesterday at a store going out of business.

As we start to gear up for kitten season, I want to urge you to get out and volunteer if you can - even if you can't foster. In this economy everyone is hurting and we're all trying to take care of each other the best way we know how!

Marley Finds a Place, and How About NOT Just One Litter

2008-10-13T14:36:00.001-07:00

Marley has successfully been placed at Pets Unlimited in San Francisco where he can live free roaming in the FIV+ Ward until he finds his own home. Yeah Marley!!! And a special thanks to D, L, and Pets Unlimited for making this happen.

If you see yourself in this next part, or this was you the other night, and you get angry, good, I want you to be. You're lucky you ran into the volunteer you did and not me. If I had been the person you talked to in person, or complained to on the phone, you wouldn't have gotten ANY satisfaction out of our conversations, and all of us who volunteer here 100% stand behind our volunteer trying to talk you out of letting your cat have just one litter. And you calling to complain that one of our volunteers was rude to you because she tried to educate you on spaying your cat? You must be kidding me. That volunteer is the nicest most non confrontational person I've ever met.

The IDEA that anything she said was in the least bit rude or condescending tells me you know you're wrong, and are uber sensitive to anyone trying to talk you out of what you want to do. And you're going to school to be a vet tech? I wish I knew what school - I'd call them and ask them if they do any education on the pet overpopulation problem. The fact that you are actively attempting to work in the veterinary field and still think its even better than a half baked idea to let your NON PEDIGREED NON SHOW NON SPECIAL cat breed just floors me. And your claim that because you're going to be a vet tech somehow makes you more knowledgable than the rest of us? Get over yourself!

I hope that your school sends you to the shelter, and makes you volunteer there to practice your "life saving skills". Go to the shelter and talk to those employees about being the one to decide who lives and who dies when the cages are all full. Ask them about how heart breaking it is to have to euthanize healthy, adoptable cats and kittens when they are out of room. Ask a rescuer how we really feel about opening our homes to dozens, if not hundreds of cats and kittens every season and cleaning up after them, sometimes bottle feeding them, nursing them through sickness, and placing them in loving adoptive homes. Yes we love it. We wouldn't do it if we didn't. But it's not so much about loving the actual activities. I mean really, who can really say they LOVE cleaning litter boxes? Who really LOVES getting up every two hours to bottle feed orphaned kittens? Who really LOVES giving up their weekends to lug cats around to various locations hoping they will get adopted? We do it because we are passionate about our cause, and that's what it takes to get this done.

We are not crazy cat ladies. We believe that we can make a difference, and for the most part we do. We adopt out hundreds of cats a year, TNR hundreds more, provide low cost spaying and neutering for the general public regardless of income requirements, and educate educate educate. Then someone like you comes along and we want to yell at you and lose our minds. Because we KNOW what can and does happen by you having "just one litter". Every life that your cat creates is a life that somewhere else must be taken because the reality of our life is that try as we might, we are not a No Kill Nation and animals die by the millions as a result of there not being enough homes for all of them. But instead, we calmly walk away so as not to offend you, and yet, still you are offended. Offended to the point of calling and complaining. Well guess what? YOU offend ME. So how about you give me your boss' name and number and I'll call him or her and tell her all about it. Like I said you're lucky it wasn't me you ran into.

I have permission to cross post this note written up by another one of our rescue friends. She says it better than I ever could.

I am not God.

But, those of you who allow your cats to have kittens make me play God.

But, those of you who view your pets as disposable – a commodity to dump on someone else when you move, get into a new relationship, or have a baby (which none, by the way, are valid reasons) – make me play God.

But, those of you who get a new puppy like the one you saw on TV and then just throw it in the backyard are a part of the problem. A year later when the puppy has grown into a dog and jumps on people, barks, and digs because YOU did not bother to train it, you try to dump it on someone here on Craigslist and threaten them with “if you do not take it, I will be forced to take it to the pound” (as if it is our fault that you cannot make a commitment to your animal) – you make me play God

On Saturday, I watched an operation that should have never had to happen. I watched a cat who was at least half-term with a pregnancy of six kittens get spayed and the kittens thus aborted. I watched the vet tech inject each kitten with the pink solution that would end its life if the premature birth had not already done so. The vet said to me with a catch in her throat that this was the least favorite part of her job – a necessary evil that went against the oath she took to do no harm.

Those of you who are horrified should be. Those of you who think I shouldn't write about this, I think you should get out from under your rock. You should be horrified. You should think about it before you go to sleep tonight. People should know. People should be horrified. If it prevents ONE death, it is worth it. It is not fair for me to carry this burden on my own. I am just like you. I have a “real” job (not animal rescue), a family, a life. Now we are sharing the burden.

It is ALL of our problem and hiding from it is making it worse. If you own an unspayed cat, the blood of those kittens is on your hands. Unless you can provide (not find, but PROVIDE) a home for every kitten you bring into the world, and the kittens of those kittens, and their offspring infinitely, then your cat needs to be spayed.

Why wasn’t she allowed to have her kittens? Well, it wasn’t my decision and I am glad it wasn’t. But, I was at a shelter with three rooms full of cages stuffed with adoptable kittens who are already born and aware. There were two other rooms filled with adult cats who also needed homes and who statistically (at this shelter) only about 3% of them would make it out alive. Where would those kittens have gone? There was no available foster home to take them. There was no cage to put them in and keep them for the eight weeks it would take to get them ready for adoption. They would have just added to the over-population of cats that already exist and who do not have homes. Did you know that each and every one of us would have to own 45 cats to give a home to those who already need it? Yes. 45 cats. That means a family of four would have to own 180 cats. Not possible.

Back to my God playing. Every time I walk into a shelter, I hold the power of who lives and who dies in my hand – I play God. I know how many foster homes I have open and how many kitties they are able to take. I know what I will have the best chance of getting adopted. I walk into a shelter able to take X number and there are at least 5 times that amount who need me each and every time. But, I can only help some. I point and with my finger, I decide who lives and who dies. By choosing only some of them, I leave others behind to die. Those of you who give up your pets make me play God and I hate you for it. Maybe my God will be able to forgive me for not being able to save them all.

Those of you who blame the shelters for killing the cats… what else are they supposed to do? They can only house so many. When they keep getting brought it, where are the ones there supposed to go? There is not some magic ranch that they can go to. Those of you who take your cat to a “no-kill” shelter are just taking the place of one of the cats from a kill shelter who could have gone there if you had honored your commitment to your pet. Your cat took the place of one who will now die. I hope you are proud.

If you are going to adopt a pet, then adopt it with a commitment to keep it for life – FOR LIFE. That means when you move, you find housing that accepts pets (the worst excuse EVER is that you are moving and your new place does not accept pets – find one that does. I have multiple times, so have many other people.). That means when your new boyfriend/girlfriend/alien doesn’t like cats you tell them “too bad.” It means when they are allergic, you tell them to take medication or deal with it (only 1% of those allergic to animals are SO allergic that it means they cannot find a way to deal with it because their medical condition is that serious). It means when you are having a baby, you get someone else to scoop the litterbox (or wear gloves) and you teach your baby to be kind to the animal. It means you be an adult and make a commitment. There are NO excuses. None. I have never heard a good excuse so yours does not move me. No matter how you think your excuse is different or better than everyone else’s, it is not.

575 animals are put to death every HOUR simply because there are not enough homes for them. You decide – are you a part of the problem or a part of the solution? You have to be one or the other. We know your cat/dog/bunny is special. We know it is tempting to let them procreate so that you can have a kitten/puppy/bunny JUST like them. But, there are 575 kittens/puppies/bunnies dying every HOUR because there are not enough homes for them and they are special too – go adopt a special one and be a hero. If your friends/family/neighbors want one too, go adopt from the same litter and you will have a family of lives that were directly saved.

SOLUTIONS:

So, you want your kids to experience the “miracle of life”???… go to petfinder.com, search your zipcode, contact any/all of the rescues listed and volunteer to foster a pregnant animal (or place an ad on Craigslist saying that you are willing and able to do so). Everyone wins this way. At most you are responsible for food and litter (sometimes even these are covered) and the rescue pays the medical bills. You help a rescue save a mom and a litter that they otherwise would not have room for. Your kids get to watch the whole process and the rescue finds homes for all of the progeny and makes sure that they will be spayed/neutered before placement (much easier to get this done if you are with a rescue group than the average Joe) so that they will not contribute to the overpopulation problem. (This is, on average, an 8-10 week commitment. This is a perfect summer break project for your kids and summer break, coincidentally falls right in the middle of kitten season when rescue groups are desperate for help in this area.)

Your kids want a pet and you don’t? Don’t give in, compromise. Contact a rescue/shelter and offer to foster a dog/cat/guinea pig until it is ready to find a home. It also counts as community service and most places would be happy to write a letter for graduation requirements or college resumes. Your kids get to borrow a pet and you do not have the commitment so when you move/develop allergies/have a baby, you do not have to worry about what to do with the pet you do not want any more because it has already gone back to the rescue and been adopted to someone who does.

Want to have your pet spayed/neutered but just cannot afford it? There are a TON of low-cost options everywhere. Fix Our Ferals (happening this weekend in Oakland) is FREE for cats (who cannot afford free?). If you live in San Jose, you can get your cat done for $10 and your dog for $30. Not your area? Post and ask where you can go – someone will know the low-cost options for your area. Still can’t afford it? Post an ad here on Craigslist and ask for a sponsor. We’ve all gone through rough times. I bet you someone will offer to pay for it just to prevent the potential births. Then one day you can pay it forward and do it for someone else. We were able to get 5 cat spays paid for last Saturday from a woman who had the money and wanted to make a difference because someone had helped her over 20 years ago. Since, it is estimated that a female cat and her offspring can, in 7 years, be responsible for 420,000 kittens, this one woman – in theory – prevented the births of 2,100,000 – over TWO million new kittens. THAT is a big difference. She is a hero.

Copyrighted September 2008 -- Permission to crosspost granted

We Saved A Life Today

2008-10-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it doesn't seem like enough. One life saved. But to that one animal, it's the greatest gift of all. Today we saved Marley. Marley was found as a stray by one of our peripheral volunteers/supporters. He tested positive for FIV, which for some animals is a death sentence.

For our animals it used to be. Then we got educated. FIV is not a death sentence. I personally had a cat who was FIV+ for 12 years. She never infected another one of our family pets, and I never considered euthanasia as an option.

Now I'm happy to say that we as a group have embraced the possibility that life as an FIV+ cat both feral and owned is not a quality of life issue. Please educate yourself on FIV+ status, not just from your vet, but from other online and educational resources. FIV+ cats can live with FIV- cats and not cause infection. As long as they are not aggressive, there is no cause for concern. Even in feral cat colonies, once a cat is neutered or spayed, there is no increased risk for cross contamination among the population.

The Last Litter of the Season

2008-10-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I found some time to write. Kitten season being in full swing is always the hardest part to manage everything that needs to be done all at the same time. This year has been no different, except maybe harder.

The economy, fears of a recession, people tightening their belts, foreclosures, its all made this year's season seem that much tougher. Our shelter is getting adult cats in all the time, we are seeing tame adults dumped in our colonies and our neighborhoods. Adoptions have slowed down even though we've lowered our adoption fees. Everyone is struggling to keep on top of their game, and in the middle of kitten season it's that much harder.

Foster homes are harder to find and retain, and we're all overwhelmed with the sheer number we've had in our houses this season. Not to mention how slow they're moving. I was so happy to see the single digits in number of animals in my house including my residents, I think I wanted to have a party.

For the first time ever, I'm hearing stories of the larger organizations turning folks away for even service based requests because the money simply isn't there. Donors are being more conservative with their funds, adoptions are slower, and for less money. Costs are increasing on everything from food to vet care. We're in for a long tough winter, but we're getting creative, and we ARE making a difference!

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

2008-07-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Letting KP go was really hard for me. Anyone who rescues knows in your head that you can't save them all. But sometimes your heart doesn't care. And we see death a lot, more than we want, but it never gets any easier.

KP was brought in as a stray to the shelter, and subsequently turned over to the e-vet. Whether or not she really was a stray, or turned in by her family who couldn't afford her care, or didn't care that she was obviously sick, we'll never know. All I do know, is that a dear friend of mine and fellow rescuer had inspired me to take in a hospice kitty - an older, sick cat that just needed some love at the end of his life. The vet had tagged KP at about 19, and suffering from renal and/or thyroid failure and had her slated for euthanasia. She seemed like the perfect candidate for hospice care.

After pulling her, she was immediately deposited at our vet for a combo test (FeLV and FIV) and blood panel. This was to ensure that she didn't have anything contagious she could pass on to my residents or other fosters. This is where the vet determined that she wasn't as old as originally thought, and that she had a thyroid problem. Her levels were the highest our vet had ever seen, but we immediately started her on meds and she seemed to improve. She gained weight, cleaned up real well, and was a delight of a cat. She purred constantly, and was also quite a chatterbug.

The problem with thyroid cats, is that their hearts have to work so hard to keep up with their racing metabolism, and the strain proved to be more than KP's heart could stand. She began retaining water, and the thyroid meds weren't working as well. Then she began dropping weight again.

Finally when she could hardly eat the vet told me it was time. While my head knew that I had done all I could for KP, and made her comfortable and showed her love, my heart still broke for her, not getting to have her own forever home before going to the rainbow bridge. My friend however pointed out that indeed, KP did get her own forever home - mine.

God bless you sweet baby, may you run and play and eat all you want at the Rainbow Bridge

Okay Really - KP Here Again

2008-06-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ever think you're surrounded by idiots? Yeah sometimes I feel the same way! So after allllllllll this time, these dorks taking care of me FINALLY figured out that I'm a GIRL! And to add insult to injury, let me tell you how they managed to find out - they shaved my butt hair! Yep that's right ladies and gentlemen, they subjected me to the humiliation of having my butt hairs trimmed so that I wouldn't be so messy.

Oh.My.Gosh.

So then the search went on for a new name. And nothing made these guys happy. See my crazy foster mom likes to shorten my name to KP. And nothing anyone else came up with worked - Queen Purrcival - QP, nope she didn't like it. Princess Purrcival - as if after having my butt shaved I'm going to put up with being called PP. I will eat her. Lady Purrcival.... cute, but LP? Okay so finally..... crazy foster mom (I'm calling her CFM from here on out just to get back at her) comes up with Kween Purrcival. So I still get to be KP and she just looks like she can't spell to save her life.

Ever seen a cat roll her eyes?

Anyway, I'm rebounding from my infection, and eating really good too. I have this little friend I absolutely adore. Her name is Calla and she's this little tiny gray polydactyl kitten that has adopted me as her mom. Glad someone around here was smart enough to realize I was a girl! We snuggle all the time and sometimes I even give her baths!

I wanted to says thanks to all of you out there helping with my medical bills. I hope to find a new home once I recuperate from my surgery. Maybe someone will adopt me and Calla together since we love each other so much.

Gotta run, CFM wants me to eat again. Life is tough!

Poor King Purrcival

2008-06-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

That King Purrcival, he is one awesome cat. The more he has to deal with, the more I wonder what must go through a cat's mind when they feel like he must feel.

KP now has an infection going on somewhere in his body. After struggling to gain .75lbs and feeling good enough to have free reign of the house, he came down with some type of illness. He's lost 1.2 lbs and is getting steroids to encourage appetite, and fluids to keep him hydrated.

He also has terrible diarrhea, so we had stopped the thyroid meds to see if that would help, but then his thyroid is going back out of whack. So now he has to restart his meds, endure being hooked up to an IV every day, and being injected with stuff to encourage him to eat. Once the infection is gone, if he doesn't bounce back, it might be time to let him go.

It just sucks, because I can't imagine anyone loving this guy and letting him get this bad without trying to find a way to help him, even if money was an issue. I wanted to be able to give him an awesome home to live out the rest of his days, and it's just proving to be a real struggle. All pet owners can tell you that it's the hardest decision to have to make, whether or not to end an animal's suffering, or keep them alive. KP still purrs for me almost constantly - not when he's getting his fluids though. We're going to give him another chance to kick this infection, and fight long enough to get him the surgery for his thyroid.

King Purrcival Here Again

2008-05-20T13:49:00.001-07:00

I had to go to the vet on Friday to have my blood drawn again. Everyone who sees me says I look depressed. I'm not depressed, I just have low self esteem! All my hair is falling out still.

The good news is that the Dr says not only have I gained 3/4 of a pound, but my thyroid level is down from 25 to 7.86. Now anything over 4 is high in a cat, so I'm still considered high, but hey, I'm down from TWENTY FIVE!

I get as much to eat as I want, and people who come visit me always want to brush me, and it feels good!

My foster mom and her friends think my meow sounds like I'm a meanie, but they say I'm the sweetest guy ever. Hey, I am FIERCE! You just don't know it yet!

The even better news that makes me feel so much love is that you guys out there have been donating to my care! Wow, do you feel the love too? I know these meds I'm on is expensive, and my surgery is going to be really expensive too. I appreciate it so much that people care about me. My foster mom says it's good that so many people care so much, it means I should have no problem finding a good home. I thought I was in a good home, this place has cats that seem to like me. Well except that little girl kitten. What was her problem anyway? It wasn't like I was gonna eat her, I just wanted to sniff her, but she smacked me! Hey I'm a neutered guy, I don't get fresh anymore!

I did get moved out of my kitty condo though temporarily. My foster mom picked up some pretty sick kittens last night and they apparently know how to escape the other kitty condo. So now I'm in a condo all by myself with no upstairs neighbors. Much better - those babies upstairs were always dropping food into my bed!

Hopefully I'll be healthy enough by the end of the month to have my surgery, so that I can go on to be a normal kitty with hopefully normal hair. My foster mom says that because my paws are SOOOOOO big and my hair is sooooo long that maybe I am part Maine Coon kitty and when I don't lose weight so easily, I should fill out to be a big beautiful lion cat! Wow, I can't wait!

Feral Cats Make National Headlines

2008-05-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Feral story

I absolutely love this! Kudos to USA Today for buying a clue, and putting this story out there. More people need to be educated on feral cats, and how to effectively stop the growing population through non-lethal means.

I know, remember me, I don't DO ferals. But the more I learn, the more I'm exposed to, the more cycles of homeless kittens I see, the more our group has to turn away, the more I want to shout from the rooftop to people! If you just helped one... you could change the world.

So here's me, stepping on my soapbox. I know the cats are hungry. I know you feel bad. I know you want to help. But feral cats are all or nothing. Don't feed if you aren't going to stop the population growth by spaying and neutering. Does that sound harsh? Cruel? Maybe... but lets look at the choices:

You start feeding one homeless cat. It turns into two, and then three, because now there's a constant source of food. One of those is a female, and suddenly 6 months later your 3 is now 10 and 4 are pregnant. 6 months after that you've got 25 and 6 are pregnant. The colony is growing faster than you can keep up, and suddenly you are wondering how you are going to afford to keep feeding. If you can't, those cats who have spent the last year depending on you won't know what to do. Some will move on and find another food source, but some won't make it.

On the other hand, if you don't feed that one homeless cat, it will be forced to move in search of food. It will find it. Hopefully where someone else will make sure it is spayed or neutered. Maybe it will move two houses down to that nice cat lady's house. She'll neuter him and feed him every day, and he'll lay around in her sunbeams for 10 years. Fat and happy.

If you know of a feral colony, the best thing you can do is to work with a local group to do TNR on them. Yes, we know it's not your problem, but those groups will work harder to work with you than you can possibly imagine. A little money, a little compassion, and a little legwork, and you can change the world. Really, isn't that what we're all looking for? Leaving a mark on the world? I know fame and fortune and being a rock star - but what does that really mean... just leave your mark. You can do it today.

King Purrcival Checking In

2008-04-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

Okay in all seriousness, that has got to be the worst picture I've ever taken. I can't even believe my foster mom took it, much less has put it out there for the whole world to see! How mortifying. If she doesn't watch out, I'm going to chew a hole in her sock or something. Just wait another week or so til I have a much nicer picture to look at!

Tonight she gave me this thing called a bath! Don't humans know that cats bathe themselves?!?!? She told me I was "stinky" or something like that. Well, it didn't sound nice, so all I have to say about that is phbtttttttt. I'm a very sick boy and I don't feel like taking that good care of myself. But I must admit that after my bath and this thing called a brush, I did feel a lot better. I even felt like bathing myself a little.

I must say that I really like it here a lot. I have my own living quarters called a condo. It has an upstairs and a downstairs! My bed is upstairs, and my food, water, and potty box are downstairs. Most of the time I hang out upstairs. I have a condition called hyperthyroid - it's a big word that pretty much means my body is all out of whack. Even the doctor said he'd never seen a cat with a thyroid number higher than mine! But I'm on meds for it now, and my foster mom tells me that it will help me to gain some of my weight back, and that my hair will even grow back! That's cool, because I'm a pretty handsome guy when I'm feeling well.

Well I gotta run now, my foster mom says she needs the computer now, and its time for me to go have some more to eat! I love that I get as much wet food as I want. Oh and chicken....... mmmmmmmmm I love me some chicken!

The Kittens are Coming! The Kittens are Coming!

2008-04-17T15:30:00.001-07:00

So it's that time of year again, when the kittens are starting to pour in. I love going to different foster home's houses and taking pictures of the kittens. The PURRFECT kitten age is 3-5 weeks. They are just starting to move around and play. They have the cutest faces and quirks.

When I don't personally have any kittens (as I don't right now) I love to go visit the other houses and see theirs. Last week I got to see pictures from a visit our Foster Home Coordinator and Assistant Foster Home Coordinator went on to vaccinate a couple litters of kittens. I think I oohed and aahhed for at least 5 minutes over the pictures!

Then I also got to go photograph some kittens that are about 3 weeks old and play with them the other day. Goodness, to die for cute!

I still have some juvenile kitties waiting for their forever home, but when I come back from vacation will be freed up to take in some babies. There truly is nothing better for your health than watching a bunch of kittens playing with each other.

If you don't believe me, try fostering for us and see what I mean!

Why Blogging is Good for the Rescue Community

2008-04-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

I think sometimes rescuers really don't embrace the value of having a blog, or what the benefits are of having a blog. I know I didn't for a long time. I felt too much that a blog was like a diary for my deepest darkest saddest happiest rescue memories, and who really cares about all that but me?

But what I've realized from listening to people who read blogs, and who are into the blogging thing is that a blog can be such a powerful tool. It's the part of your website that doesn't have to be fact based, and statistic filled, and informational. It can be those, but it can also be a window into the story, a voice to give sound to the work going on.

Earlier this week this story came out about this Senator Kent Williams from South Carolina. This epitome of ignorance when it comes to animal welfare issues, and the kind of guy you want to spend some time working at the shelter, just so he finally GETS it. He had adopted this GSD from the SC shelter, and she wasn't spayed yet. (Another note, don't you think that by now the HSUS should be telling EVERY shelter and rescue why this is a STUPID IDEA?!?!?) Anyway, he never got her spayed, because he actually PLANNED TO BREED HER. (ah yes South Carolina shelter..... THIS IS WHY YOU SPAY AND NEUTER PRIOR TO ADOPTION).

Well lo and behold she turns up pregnant, and the good Senator from the South can't bother to find a way to keep her confined and on his property so he calls his good friend over at the shelter to come pick up his dog. He surrenders her, 8 days before giving birth to a KILL shelter. Good going Senator Williams, what a way to show your constituents how to behave!

It reminds me that all humans, even the ones who "love" animals don't always do the right things for the animals. Rescuers still have to deal every day with people who put things off until it's convenient for them, (oh like spaying and neutering their pets), or until they can afford them (that same person who thought our $100 adoption fee was too high so they got a free kitten on craigslist), and the guy who's moving TOMORROW and needs us to take his cat, those are the people we talk to every day that have a cat they need to give up, re-home etc right this second.

Those same people that if they had come to us a month ago, we probably could have helped. Given us some time to help find your cat a new home, given us some notice that your boy and girl cat are both not fixed and asked for our help before there's now 8 kittens and 2 adults that you no longer want to deal with. Trust me, there is no reason you can give me that I haven't already heard. 90% of the time, your reason is bogus - the real reason you are now wanting me to take care of your problem is that its no longer convenient for you.

So be honest, at least tell the truth. I'd much rather know what I'm getting into and what I have to work with. Because those other 10% are the ones that share our joy and our pain, and work WITH us. Like the lady who's daughter moved back home with 4 cats (2 of them very pregnant) and 2 kids, and then promptly left the whole brood with her. SIXTEEN kittens later..... yeah it's a little overwhelming for her. But she didn't call us and say hey you have to take these now.... she asked us to help her. So we're helping her. Food, litter, vet care. All of those kittens will be speutered and put up for adoption, and then we'll take care of the momma cats. The family will keep the mom's and the two older kittens, and everyone will be taken care of.

Rescue is expensive, and I actually WORK incredibly hard to fundraise for a cause that I believe in. So while I know the stray cat living in your back yard because your negligent neighbor left it behind when he moved isn't your problem either, realize that I AM helping you by offering to help you get this cat neutered for just $50 instead of the $120 or so you'd be charged anywhere else. Also know that if you are a feral cat caretaker and you have a colony of 20 that you need to take care of, I will bend over backward to help raise the money or find you other referrals to have that entire colony spayed and neutered and keep them fed because I KNOW what a huge commitment you are making to those cats.

If you're so inclined and still with me, please send a note to Senator Williams and let him know what you think of him dumping his pregnant GSD at the Marion County kill shelter! WILLIAMSK@scsenate.org

Keep your furfriends close tonight, and remember - encourage everyone you know to spay and neuter, and to adopt, not shop!

Kitten Season is Officially Here

2008-03-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

The kittens are starting to pour in. The weather is getting warmer, the days longer, and girl kitties are on the prowl. For that matter, so are the boy kitties, but they aren't the ones that will be popping out kittens.

We're starting this year on an upswing - through a mutually beneficial relationship with Cat House on the Kings, we were able to relocate some of our feral/unsocialized cats, and take in some kittens from the Fresno area. We placed about 31 kittens in a matter of weeks, which got us a lot of visitors to the website. Getting our name out there is always a good thing.

We've probably got about 40 kittens in the program already that aren't big enough to be spayed or neutered. Those 3-5 week old kittens are the most darling things ever I swear. And we've got a great group of mom cats again this year that are taking great care of all their kittens. Knock on wood it stays that way for a while.

We had 7 adoptions this past weekend - and a couple of them were older kitties - not OLD, but not the 8-10 week old range either. It was a good weekend actually because we only took in 4 more, so we're ahead this week!

I'm hoping that our postings on Craigslist will generate some more interest in fostering, we have to up our foster home numbers this year, or we'll have a very hard time saving as many as last year. Rescuing and fostering isn't always easy, and folks need to take breaks periodically in order to keep their sanity.

Next weekend is our wine tasting event, I'm very excited about this event. The bistro is absolutely adorable and Audrey has been so great to work with. I was hoping for a sell out event, but if that doesn't happen, at least I know the event will be a lot of fun, and still successful. We'll definitely be doing this one again. If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, never fear, there will still be some available at the door.

I promise to get some more pictures loaded soon, you won't believe how cute these baby kittens are. It ought to be illegal to be that adorable I swear!