We've added a new adoption location

In addition to holding adoption events at the PetSmart in Knightdale, Alley Cats and Angels will also be holding adoption events at Pet Supplies Plus in Raleigh (4025 Wakeforest Road, Raleigh).

Our first adoption event at Pet Supplies Plus will be held on Saturday, June 13th from 1:00 - 4:00 PM.

If you can't make it to Knightdale to see the cats, please come visit us at Pet Supplies Plus in Raleigh.

We have many cats and kittens in all ages, shapes, and colors.

Huge thanks to Visart Video

Visart Video has closed their Chapel Hill location and generously donated approximately 4,000 videos to Alley Cats and Angels for us to sell to raise money for our rescue. This will be a great fundraiser for the cats and we are extremely appreciative of this donation. We'll keep everyone posted about date/location of the video sale.

Visart still has several locations still operating so if you live in the area, please support them and rent movies from Visart Video.

Memorial Day thanks

This is not cat related,but it's very important.

For all too many people, Memorial Day has become just another three day weekend. When it should be a day used to pay remembrance and respect to our fallen troops. So I would like to take the time to say thank you to our military.

And to pay my respects to those who died protecting and preserving the freedoms we enjoy and often take for granted. And to all the MIAs and POWs, we will not forget you.

To all the men and women who have served this country past and present - thank you. We owe you more than we can ever imagine.

I'm Adopted!!!!!

Chelsea, Fabian, and Tink were all adopted this weekend. We also received [approved] applications on five cats/kittens.

Isn't she adorable??

Meet Willow - one of new barn mates for the cats we took to the most fabulous property and barn Sunday near Siler City, NC.

A family purchased Willow thinking she was a pot bellied pig. But she was actually the offspring of a pot bellied pig that was bred with a commercial sow. When the family moved, their new community would not allow Willow to live on the property so the couple that owns the aforementioned fabulous barn took Willow in.

We took the cats to the barn on Sunday and they will be well taken care of. Upon pulling up at the barn, we glimpsed a pig. After we got the cage all set up for the relo and the cats settled in I went over to meet Willow. Now Daryl probably hurt Willow's feelings because she didn't she was cute at all. But me - OMG, I think Willow is positively adorable.

The cats will have lots of horses to keep them company, but they will also have Willow -- and there's no one quite like Willow. She's a pig with Donald Trump hair. :-)

The Starfish

We have received so many calls and emails for help the past month but all of our foster homes are already at capacity and adoptions are slow so we can't take in any more at this time. In my heart I know I can't save them all, but I sit here crying because I wish I could. In a perfect world I could. In a perfect world it wouldn't be so heart wrenching because there wouldn't be a cat/dog overpopulation crisis. But there is no perfect world -- there is this world, this reality where people are irresponsible and don't spay and neuter their pets so they reproduce and those offspring reproduce and on and on. It is a vicious cycle.

So I take a break and read the Starfish Poem (below) about making a difference in just the life of one but it still doesn't make it hurt any less. I sometimes think I'm not cut out for this because I want to go curl up and cry anytime we have to tell someone we just can't take on any more cats at this time -- that I can't rescue them, that we can't save them. But then I realize if it impacts me so much, this is exactly what I need to be doing. And so I continue to cry because a piece of my heart breaks each time we have to say we're full, we can't take anymore; I cry because of this horrible reality of irresponsible pet owners and the fact that I live in a generation that seems to think pets can just be disposed of so easily.

The Starfish
The StarfishAn old man was walking down the beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw a young man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. As the old man approached the young man, he asked; "Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. "But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish, exclaimed the old man. "How can your efforts make any difference?" The young man looked down at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw it to safety in the sea, he said "it makes a difference to this one."

In response to The Starfish Poem, this is how I feel: "I can’t save them all I know. But I can save this one. I’ll help him/her be what they can be. It matters to this one. And it matters to me.” And I sob because this I know - I can't save them all but I still haven't learned to accept that.

Meet Duffy

An extremely handsome grey creme tabby with beautiful green eyes. Duffy has been living outside someone's house for quite some time now. He's a very sweet boy and didn't raise a fuss at all when he had to take Capstar and Drontal tablets. Duffy is about 1.5 years old.

Right now he's not happy because he's in a cage but we've promised him that he won't be in there for long. The dewormer needs time to work and he needs to be vetted and then he'll get his freedom (indoor freedom, no outdoors allowed -- an indoor cat is a safe cat and a safe cat is a happy cat).

Our newest babies

And I think this makes 36 kittens currently in our adoption program. There are applications in on 10 of them so far.

These little ones are absolutely precious but I can't believe how incredibly LOUD they are for such small babies. The kits are about 4 weeks old with two gray creme male tabbies (aka the twins), one solid gray male tabby, and one little tortie (female). They can't even quite manage Royal Canin Baby Kat 34 dry so we soak it in water for the kits. We also make them a mix of canned kitten food, some NutriCal, and a little bit of water. OMG, it's amazing how messy these little ones are -- they are so messy, they get a mini-bath after each canned food feeding session. :-)

No names yet, they go to a foster home tomorrow and the foster will name the kittens.

Meet the O's

We took in these kittens yesterday - they are so adorable, but then I've never seen an ugly cat or kitten (well maybe those Sphynx or Peterbald cats - those are actually ugly). It's suspected that some teenagers threw the mama cat to some dogs. These little guys and gal are safe now. Ophelia goes to the vet tomorrow because she most likely has an umbilical hernia. Poor baby girl, we'll get her all taken care of.

We've decided to name our kitten batches by theme or letter of the alphabet -- much eaiser that way. Ginny is fostering the singers, Karen is fostering the NCIS crew, Debbie is fostering the H's, Daryl Ann is fostering the M's, and Marie is fostering the O's. The kittens in Bahama aren't theme named. And the newest little kittens from PetSmart (the babies) don't have a theme or letter yet.

O'Malley (adoption pending spay/neuter surgery)

Othello

O'Reilly

Ophelia

Adoptions this week

We adopted out three kittens this weekend: Coco, Newton, and Romeo -- kittens ranging from 4-6 months old.

We're especially excited about Coco's adoption. A wonderful young couple came by and met Newton and then wanted to meet Coco. Now, Coco has several strikes against her in most people's book - she's black, she's shy, she'll take longer to acclimated, etc. But this couple fell in love with Coco and wanted to adopt her since they knew Newton would get adopted very quickly. Coco is now part of an absolutely fantastic family. Thank you so much for adopting Coco.

Right now everyone wants a kitten and the poor adult cats get overlooked. So sad because we have some incredible adults.

• Boots is about 1.5 years old and is the most fantastic cat. He has to get adopted soon or as his foster I'm not sure I'll be able to let him go. He is too wonderful. He's still quite playful, gets along well with other cats (assumes the big brother role easily but also likes being mothered by other cats), he's a lap cat and loves to snuggle, and likes to talk to you too.
• Bridgey is often overlooked. She's "just a plain gray tabby" (but she's very pretty). She's a sweet girl and very clean and neat - such a tiddy lady. Bridgey is not a lap cat but very much enjoys the attention of humans and visiting with them and will sit on your lap at times.
• Domino is a vocal lady that absolutely loves Boots. They like to wrestle and then she holds him down and gives him a bath. :-) She's a very wonderful girl that loves to be with people and shower them with attention and love and hugs.
• Tipper: sweet Tipper - what a gentle loving boy. Still a bit shy but loves to be petted and brushed and loves to play.
• Izzie (Isabella): tortie with tortie-tude. Izzie wants to be with you and give you love all the time. She has a cute little "stumpy" tail and a funny little meow.
• And many others

Ten Reasons to Adopt an Older Cat

• What you see is what you get. When you adopt an adult cat, you know what you are getting. Sure, kittens are cute, but you never know what the future holds. An adorable kitten could grow up to be a really ugly puss. This is a big risk. Go for the sure thing. Take a sweet-faced old Tabby.
• High mileage cats still run great. Used cats aren’t like used cars. They aren’t at a shelter because they are defective or worn out. They may have simply outlived their former owners or been unable to join them at a hospital, nursing home, or new apartment. Some cats get lost and end up at a shelter. And many are brought to a shelter after a family member develops allergies, or an aversion to the family cat. (In those cases, it is the previous owner that is defective, not the cat.)
• Adult cats aren’t as “chewsy”. Kittens are like human children: everything goes in their mouths. Whether teething or just exploring bits of the world around them, kittens can be very destructive little bundles of fur. Kittens chew on shoes, the corners of books, ear lobes, carpet tassels, electrical cords, drapery strings, plants, and much, much more. Adult cats typically chew less, if at all. They tend to save their energy for more important activities, like tormenting the neighbour’s Terrier.
• Kittens stumble in blindly, where adult cats fear to tread. Two well-known clichés about cats are: “curiosity killed the cat” and “cats have nine lives.” And curiosity usually leads to the loss of about eight of a kitten’s lives in its first year. Kittens tend to get into much more trouble resulting in accidents and injuries (see, for example, the reference to “chewing electrical cords” above). Kittens eat things they shouldn’t, fall from high places, unsuccessfully attempt to make friends with the neighbor’s tormented Terrier, and generally worry you half to death.
• Kittens are lacking when it comes to licking. Few kittens have mastered the fine art of self-grooming. While adult cats may spend up to half their waking hours licking fur, kittens are just too busy enjoying life to clean themselves properly. When you consider that kittens are really just dust-mops with legs, and that they generally display marginal litter box etiquette, you might want to master the somewhat dangerous art of cat-bathing.
• Einstein knew the truth about cats. The genius scientist Albert Einstein discovered an important relationship between mass and energy. He described it using the mathematical equation E=(MC)2. This equation means that your Energy level (E) is proportional to the Mass (M) of your Cat©, twice over. The equation basically shows that if you adopt a cat with more Mass, like an adult cat, your Energy level will be much higher than if you adopt a cat with a low Mass, such as a kitten. This is true because adult cats sleep more, play less, require less supervision, break fewer lamps, and don’t try to bite your toes through the blankets in the middle of the night. With an adult cat, you will sleep better, relax more, make fewer claims on your homeowner’s policy, and enjoy more Energy. There you have it. Are you going to argue with Albert Einstein?
• Kittens and children don’t always mix. Children can be rough on both cats and kittens, even when they mean no real harm. It can’t be helped. It’s just how kids are. When you tell a child that “cats always land on their feet,” the first thing the child will do is drop one from your rooftop to see if it’s true. Adult cats are better equipped to deal with pesky kids. They can generally escape from them, hide, and then contemplate revenge by moonlight.
• You don’t need to teach an old cat new tricks. Actually, you don’t need to teach a kitten tricks either, because the truth is that neither cats nor kittens allow you to teach them anything anyway. But new parents usually feel the need to try. Inevitably, they end up feeling guilt or failure when the kitten disregards them, jumps on the counters, unrolls the toilet paper, and engages in other acts of feline mayhem. If you adopt an older cat, you avoid all this emotional turmoil. Since you didn’t raise the cat, you don’t have to take responsibility for the cat’s shortcomings. Instead, you can blame the former owner and play the role of victim and saint for tolerating it all.
• Adult cats don’t “litter” as much. Kittens play, sunbathe, build sandcastles, and even sleep in their litter boxes. And then there’s a game called “poo-hockey,” where a piece of dried waste is removed from the box and batted around the floor until it disappears under a major appliance or piece of furniture. People who adopt older cats happily miss this stage of feline development. Adult cats understand the purpose of a litter box and will usually cooperate with your efforts to keep theirs tidy.
• It might be their last chance. Many adult cats end up in shelters due to no fault of their own. Separated from their loved ones, surrounded by other strange cats, confined, confused, and sometimes frightened, many are emotionally devastated by their misfortune. Sadly for adult cats, most people who adopt gravitate toward the adorable, bouncy, big-eyed kittens. Older cats sit by and watch, as one loving family after another passes them over for a cute kitten from this season’s litter.

We gratefully acknowledge Kevin Davis for his (February 2002) article ‘Ten Reasons to Adopt an Adult Cat Instead of a Kitten’ at www.catsontheweb.org.

An email from one of our adopters

Below is an email from the family that adopted Ming Lee.

We just wanted to send you an update on Ming. She has been renamed to Jynxy... She has so many different tricks up her sleeve. She fetches balls and brings them back to you so you can throw them again. She has a new tree house scratching post that she climb's all the way up to the top and bats at her bird toy that is up on top. She loves her ball that squeaks and makes bird noises. She has two favorite places in the house. One on my pillow at bed time and the other on the back of the chair over seeing the whole house. She has already figured out the noise of the garage door opening and will be waiting to great anyone who comes into the house through the side door with meows and rubbs.

She has brought so much love and joy into the house. I didn't think I had a place for her in my heart as much as I had for my Kali but she has carved out a nice home in my heart and I cannot imagine my life or our families life without her!! We cannot thank you enough!!!

Sincerely,The Martin Family

Went to PetSmart to hold an adoption event and look what we came home with!!!

Uncle Rich holding the babies (although as the foster, we should call him Papa Rich)

Went to PetSmart around 4:15P to get everything ready for a 5:00P adoption event. Was in the middle of straightening up the cats' cages when there was a knock at the door. A lady found three little kittens by her shed and no mama in sight. The kittens appear to be about 10 days old. One is very tiny, one is about average for 10 days and the one with white (in the middle of the bottom picture) is a big boy - we're calling him Bruiser for now. :-)

Called Barb and Rich and asked them to bring me a heating pad so we could keep the babies warm. Bought some KMR and bottles real quick and fed the babies before the adoption event.

These little guys need to be fed every several hours. After the adoption event (during which Coco was adopted, more on that later), I took the kittens over to Barb and Rich's house where they will be fostered. Did a short refresher course for Rich (and quick tutorial for Barb) on taking care of the little ones -- how to mix formula, temperature of formula, how to feed, how much to feed, how to stimulate for elimination, what their body temperature should be, etc. These little ones are in good hands right now and we'll keep you posted on their progress.