Cat Rescue

Thanks to Winging Cat Rescue, Barb Lowe and Susan Birnbaum (who created the lovely graphic), we are now ready to ask for donations to help us move the 8 Jasper County Shelter kittens from their cages into loving foster homes in Connecticut. Once here, you know what we do! We find them great homes! These cuties won't stay long with us, we hope! Those sweet faces and personalities to match will make any cat lover's heart swoon.

Since we can't cover all the costs to rescue these babies, WCR is helping us by doing the fundraising-so all your donations are tax deductible! They are also doing all the paperwork so the kittens can be legally removed from the Shelter, since we don't have the proper license to do that. We just have a few empty rooms in our homes and anxious hearts to get them filed back up with more babies!

Please put out the word, so we can get funded quick! We need to get the kittens ready to go by next week...or else!

Thank you SO MUCH for your help! I appreciate it most sincerely. I promise we'll find each kitten a great Home for the Holidays!

P.S. Make SURE you check off "GIFT" with your donations using PayPal or else they deduct 3% of your donation for their fee!

Will continues to heal. He's eating well and his eye looks better every day. He's a far cry from where he was just a week ago-broken, bloody and dirty-either hit by a car or beaten by a cruel human. Regardless of what happened to Will, he survives as a loving, outgoing creature.

A lot can change in a week. Last Friday Will was at extremely high risk of being euthanized as he was taken to a place where they had no funding to care for him. Thanks to Jenna and Dr. Anderson, and LOTS of generous donations from all of you, Will got the chance to live.

Will looks clean and healthy. His eye is much better now and he just wants a home. His little tabby "cap" reminds me of my own cat, Spencer! Thank you for the photo, Jenna!

Our CiCH friend, Terry, helped get the word out on Will. He did a really fun poster for Will and tells me that over 14,000 people have heard about Will needing a home!!! So where is that ONE person who will step up and adopt this cute, 1 year old kitty??

Yes, Will still needs a home! Please visit his Petfinder Ad
and send it to all your friends! We can get this done, people! Will is waiting!

Will got neutered and while he was sedated Dr. Anderson took a better look at the injury in his mouth. It appears his palette is cracked, not surprising and pretty much cinches he was hit by a car, over being abused. His eye is healing, though it's not looking very pretty right now. In due time, Will should be able to heal from all of his injuries without surgery...knock wood.

Once Will was feeling up to it, Dr. Anderson let him out of his cage so he could stretch his legs and head to the second floor where comfy beds were to be found, along with some much needed peace and quiet. Will gets on well with everyone and has been assured that he has a place a the Cat Clinic for as long as he needs one. It's better he stay at the Clinic, than risk going to the local shelter. He's safe and getting stronger each day and eating well.

But where is a Forever Home for Will? Who would love a sweet, a "10 out of 10" on the friendly scale, kitten to call their own? So far, no one has stepped forward. Will doesn't need any further medical care and his costs have been paid for in full. All he needs is you-know-what (LOVE!) and a you-know-what-else (HOME!)

Will IS located in: Greenville, South Carolina.

Visit Will's Petfinder Listing HERE

Transport to the Northeast or Southeast CAN be arranged. If you're interested in Adopting or are with a Rescue Group and can foster Will, please contact Jenna Gutierrez (864) 801-3177 or email her: tomjeng@charter.net

Some cats truly get a raw deal in life. Little Fireball is a good example of that. This young cat, only six months old and barely over 5lbs., has been living in a cage for most of his life. His precious kittenhood, gone and each day his age makes it harder and harder to get adopted. The cycle never ends. The torture of confinement may eventually drive this poor young cat to some serious behavior problems.

Photo courtesy Jasper County Animal Control

Right now FIREBALL is doing well. He's healthy, affectionate, friendly. He likes other cats and people. He has the perfect Tabby personality, which makes him a great family companion. He's still a kitten at barely six months old. Did you know a cat isn't fully mature until they are FOUR YEARS OLD? That would mean, Fireball has a lot of playfulness and youthful exuberance left in him-and certainly a full life to live.

Photo courtesy Jasper County Animal Control

Fireball needs a Forever Home. If you live in the NORTHEASTERN United States we can fairly easily get him transported to you from Monticello, Georgia. If you LIVE in Georgia, then get your butt over to Jasper County Animal Control! Call: (706) 468-0396!!!

Please, tell your friends about Fireball. He's a sweet boy and he's been overlooked long enough. He's got a big heart and lots of love to share, so please give him a chance to win you over!

No urgent plea for rescue today. We need a break from that. Instead, I wanted to share with you an experience I just had that was quite wonderful, though admittedly, bittersweet, too. I'll do my best to write while my eyes burn and my throat constricts from inhaling fumes. No. I'm not writing while my house is burning down. I made the poor choice to set my oven to "self clean," which quickly caused the house to fill with pretty blue, toxic smoke. I had to shut off the heat and open the windows. It's 48°F outside and now, inside. Why can't I just live with a filthy house? I like to vacuum at night so I don't have to work as hard to make it look clean. Why do I need my oven to shine? Sheesh!

Since I'm freezing to death, typing helps keeps the circulation going in my fingers, though I think I need to get a hat. I stopped feeling my ears awhile ago.

Oh yeah, cats...so my foster room is empty and needs re-filling, I've been somewhat (you know me, hard to be subtle) quietly looking around for the next foster kittens. I looked locally, first. I really LOOKED all over the state and into NYC. Most cats were too old for me to help, so I went southward.

At Barb's (from WCR) suggestion, I reviewed a list from Jasper County in Georgia. I'm told their ACO, Karen, is super awesome and runs a very spic and span shelter. She also happened to have a LONG list of kittens available for adoption.

I went over the list once, twice, three times. I printed out each kitten's ad. I tried to do math (not easy for me!). I knew that I could take four kittens and Jennifer, with some coaxing jumped at the chance to take four kittens, too. Yes! That's a nice number, but I had twelve kittens picked out.

UGH.

After more reviewing, listing, adding, subtracting and some very powerful headaches, I cut the list down to ten. I got ahold of Karen, the ACO and we talked about those kittens. Thankfully, my job was made easier. Two of the kittens were spoken for and two that had been on the list were going to be adopted, as well. I had my eight.

But...there are a few kittens left I could not pull and I feel bad about them. I feel very bad about it. I hate to break up litters, even if they were already separated, but perhaps now that most of the kittens are gone, the ones that are left will have a better chance at finding a home? Jasper is not a High Kill Shelter, so my hopes are that all will work out.

There's LOTS of paperwork, emails, details and FUNDRAISING (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to work out, but with any luck, in a week or so, I'll have my room filled back up with bouncing babies!

I just stuck my neck way out and you know, it's not that scary any more. Sure, I have the same old fear that I won't find these guys homes, that they will be too darn big to adopt out by the time they get here, but I gotta try.

I feel like I just got to do the best kind of online shopping! "I'll take that kitten and that kitten and oooo look! That's a cute one! Yes!"

So without any further delay...here are our newest rescues if I survive smoke inhalation, that is!

Jennifer's Crew:

My Muffins:

Our friend, Sylvester, the 36-month old, 17lb baby was pulled out of Jasper Co. Shelter yesterday, thanks to some poking and prodding by our CiCH friend, Barb at Winging Cat Rescue, to be cared for by a rescue group in Georgia who has a soft spot for big boys.

We're told that although Sylvester loves people, he might not love other cats as much. It's tough to say for sure. He's been in a tight squeeze for too long and that would make anyone hateful of pretty much everything!

A nice lady in Arizona would offer Sly a home, but we can't get him transported over there on our own. Anyone know a pilot?

Regardless, Sly has a foster home and we'll see how he does over the next few months. Hopefully, he WILL find that FOREVER home and lots more love, soon.

Best wishes and good luck to you, big fella!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED MONEY TO HELP WILL GET THE VET CARE HE NEEDS! I'M SO THRILLED AND PROUD OF YOU GUYS FOR STEPPING UP! WE RAISED THE MONEY WE NEEDED IN LESS THAN FOUR HOURS!!!

Will has many Guardian Angels looking out for him. That's for sure!

More updates on Will coming tomorrow!

Will should be ready for his forever home in about two weeks. His eye is not doing so well today, but hopefully he will be back on track to healing up very soon. The cut in his mouth is doing all right. Jenna, one of his rescuers, told me it's tough to get a photo of him because he wants to be picked up and loved and all she thought she could get is a photo of his nose!

This love bug deserves a wonderful, loving home. If you'd like to adopt or foster, Will, please contact Cat Clinic of Greenville, 1525 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC 864-232-7050.

If you'd like to help with Will's Vet costs, please donate below. Your money will go to Kat5, a Non-Profit organization who will make sure Will's fees are paid. That way your donation is tax deductible, as the law allows, and you can feel safe that your money is going to the right place. We love the Ladies at Kat5 and trust them implicitly.

You can also use this link to go to Will's ChipIn widget on the Kat5 web site!

"I'll give you $100. Just take the cat to the Vet and have her euthanized."

This is what one woman recently said to her pet sitter. She was talking about her 13 year old cat, Chloe. Chloe, a beautiful Maine Coon mix with shocking green eyes and a plush coat, who had only known this woman's home her whole life, was now being treated like a worthless, meaningless, nothing.

Chloe's owner was tired of a very common behavior problem in cats-inappropriate urination. Not only had Chloe climbed under the sheets, then peed ON her owner, she defecated on the bed, too. We know it's been going on for years. Chloe pees on anything soft. Chloe lived with two other cats. Was she troubled by them? What about her health? Would her owner even get her to the Vet for a checkup? Certainly, NOT. That would require making an effort.

Fortunately for Chloe, her pet sitter was not about to do hew owner's bidding. Instead, he took Chloe home. Since he wasn't sure he could safely keep her in his home, he chose to place Chloe in a small storage space over his garage. It's dark with just one window and a single overhead lightbulb. It's cold and damp and a bit mildewy-a far cry from the comforts Chloe once knew, but she was safe and in loving hands. That's what really mattered most.

This big, pouffy baby just fits in her prized cat bed. With a new diet, she may slim down a bit and overall feel much better.

He got her a big dog crate and put her inside it with a litter pan. She used the pan properly, but when she was allowed out of the crate, she would pee on any bedding in the room-possibly because it smelled like other cats. Everything was removed, save for one new cat bed. I went to visit her to help set up a better space. We moved the litter pan out of the crate and into a corner. Sure enough she started to use the pan perfectly for a few days in a row.

She was seen by a Vet who said she might have some sediment in her urine that might cause her to feel uncomfortable. Chloe is quite overweight. Her diet needs to be addressed. I also thought she might be backed up with impacted feces. Many years on dry food...there is no telling what sort of shape this cat is really in. We put her on grain free food. She was slow to adapt to it, but this morning I found one (I call it Kitty Crack) that she liked. With a diet change may give her additional comfort and she's on antibiotics for awhile, too.

This morning she peed on a comforter. First I thought it was because it must have still smelled of other cats even though it was washed. I realized it might be WHERE it was placed (inside her crate). She may have thought "inside the crate means go to the bathroom"...so the comforter will be washed again, but this time placed OVER the crate to give her a place to snuggle at night. I brought her a new cat bed, too. Hopefully, she will use that for SLEEPING only.

Chloe looks stern, but it's just the tabby markings on her forehead that give her that expression. She's really a sweet cat.

The pet sitter feels a strong connection to this cat. It made me sad because she may need to be placed in an only cat home and not be able to stay with the pet sitter. At her age and with this behavioral issue, she may have a long road ahead of her in a cold room with little companionship. Is it enough for her, for now? She'll live to see old age, but at what cost? How many others, like Chloe are subjected to ostracization (or worse) by their families for doing the same thing?

Working with inappropriate urination problems is very tough. I've suffered with cats ruining my home for three years! I can really feel for anyone with this problem, but to kill the animal is not the answer. It will take work to get Chloe turned around and find the right home for her, but in the end it will always be worth it to me.

Will is going to be picked up in an hour by Dr. Anderson! The poor baby has had to wait this long to get any medical care. What a crime this is!!!

I'm VERY GRATEFUL to Jenna for getting the ball rolling and to Dr. Anderson and her staff for being willing to take on this homeless patient.

Later today I hope to get more information about Will's injuries and what sort of financing we will need to put together for him. Also, more than anything, Will is going to need a FOSTER HOME or RESCUE GROUP to step up to take him once he is stable. Again, when I have more information as to his condition, needs, prognosis I'll ask you guys to really PUSH the word out there so we can help this little fella out.

Thank you all, again for your care and concern for Will.