"Cow" kitten

One of three kittens that we had to bring into safety. Of the other two, one is black and one is a darker gray tabby. They are approximately 4-weeks old and so fuzzy and cute. I love the super symetrical markings on this one's face and the black patch under the chin.

A Day of Animal Awareness - October 24th

A Day of Animal Awareness
Saturday, October 24, 2009
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Chocolate Smiles Shopping Center
312 W. Chatham Street
Cary, NC

This is a multi-rescue group adoption and awareness event, sponsored by Cute Buttons and Bows, Michael's Memories, and Marley's Cat Tales. There will also be multiple speakers delivering information through a series of short seminars. There will also be question and answer sessions covering a range of issues from hints on training, TNR, leash training, how to make animal toys, what foods are best, etc.

Several area rescues will be onsite with adoptable animals.

Marley's Cat Tales will be tempting everyone with delicious baked goodies to help raise money for their rescue. They will have wonderful adoptable cats and dogs there also.

Alley Cats and Angels will be there with adorable cats/kittens for adoption and a variety of catnip toys for sale (all made with organic catnip).

Wilson and Wimbledon

Good news:

• Wilson's eyes are looking fantastic with just the antibiotic eye ointment and the oral antibiotics. He is doing really well and will be neutered later this week or early next week. He is such a sweetheart.
• Wimbledon is recovery nicely, although he does not like being stuck in a cage and the antibotics are not setting well on his stomach so he has icky poop right now and I have lots of fun cleaning his cage and changing out bedding several times daily. He purrs as soon as you look at him and loves attention and wants to reciprocate and give people love in return. He'll go in for a checkup and to hopefully have his stitches removed next week. He was neutered the same day as his eye surgery since he was already under anesthesia.

Wilson will not be available for adoption for several more weeks after surgery because he will need a second FVRCP+FeLV vaccination. Wimbledon will need the same but also needs time to fully recover and adjust.

We want to extend a big thanks to Dr. Jon Dick at Magnolia Animal Hospital for such a successful surgery, and for taking such good care of our baby.

Wimbledon Update

Wimbledon (~5-6 months old)

• Rescued on 9/13/09 with severe herpese virus and perforated left eye
• Exam and biomicropsy on 9/15/2009
• Surgery for eye enucleation (removal) on 9/18/09

When first rescued on Sunday, Wimbledon was not able to open his left eye at all. After seeing the animal opthamologist, and being on oral and topical antibiotics, he was able to open his eye some but it was quite horrific to look at.

Above is Wimbledon on Thursday, 9/17 before surgery. He looks like a big adult cat in this picture but it's the angle and how close we were when taking the photo. He's actually smaller than average size 5-month old cat. He's quite skinny so we'll be fattening him up as well.

The above picture is after his surgery while still at the vet's office.

Wimbledon is now at home recovering from his surgery. Look closely and you'll see the stitches where they removed his eye. Poor baby. But now he won't be in all that pain from a perforated eye and we'll get him healthy and find a great home for him.

Wimbledon's eye was so bad that we had to act fast to help him. But we need your help please. We need donations to help cover the cost of his surgery and ongoing medical care. Between the cost of the animal eye care specialist, his surgery today, and follow-up/ongoing care, we need to raise $500 for Wimbledon's vet care.

We would also like to extend a huge thanks to Michelle and Jeff, the couple in Charlotte, NC that adopted Daisy and Dakota (the "twin engines" because they have such great purr motors) for opening their hearts and homes to Wimbledon while he recovers from his surgery. They are also going to foster Wilson, Wimbledon's brother, since they will be on almost the same medication regime. Wilson is lucky, the herpes virus in his eyes isn't as bad, no ulcerations and he is already doing better after being on the oral antibiotics and antibiotic eye cream for less than a week.

Please help Wimbledon

Wimbledon and Wilson (our tennis kitties) are recently rescued 5-6 month old grey creme tabbies with bad herpes virus. And it's a good thing, they were rescued when they were because the odds were stacked against them, especialy Wimbledon.

Wilson's vision should be ok with oral antibiotics, L-Lyinse, and antibiotic eye ointment.

Wimbledon is not so lucky. His right eye should be ok with the above treatment per the specialists at Animal Eye Care but his left eye is very bad. His left eye is perforated and has a bacterial infection and needs to be removed (enucleation is the term for eye removal). It is important that we have the surgery as soon as possible so we have scheduled for Friday.

We need your help please. We need to raise money for the surgery and after-care -- including the Animal Eye Care visit, we need to raise about $500.00. And we need a quiet foster home for Wilson and Wimbledon to get better in and for Wimbledon to recover in. The foster home will need to administer oral medication and eye ointment and follow any post-surgery instructions from the doctor.

Please help if you can. We will post pictures soon.

Cats and Dogs Looking to Score New Homes at the Twin Lakes – KB Homes Community/Adoption Event

Alley Cats and Angels announces a multi rescue group community/adoption event. Come meet the all star cats and dogs from Alley Cats and Angels cat rescue and Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue on Saturday, September 26 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the KB Homes community event held at Twin Lakes in Cary. The rescue groups will be set up in the sales center parking lot located at 103 Bright Sand Court, Cary, NC.

Cats and dogs will be on hand showcasing their talents and interviewing families for their new homes. And delicious baked goods will be for sale – a sweet way to contribute to this worthy cause. Other items will also be for sale – all proceeds go directly to the medical care of the cats and dogs.

Pet supplies and donations will be accepted at this event. In addition to monetary donations to help pay mounting vet bills, Alley Cats and Angels’ current needs include Purina One dry cat and kitten food, cat litter (clumping, clay, and pine), Fancy Feast canned food, cat treats, cat toys, and cleaning supplies (bleach, heavy duty trash bags for used cat litter disposal).

To learn more visit www.alleycatsandangels.org and www.blueridgeboxerrescue.com.

Alley Cats and Angels
PO Box 785
Apex, NC 27545
www.alleycatsandangels.org
info@alleycatsandangels.org

Alley Cats and Angels is an all-volunteer 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, stray, abandoned, and feral cats. All of our cats are spayed/neutered and fully vetted (including microchipped) before they are adopted into loving, permanent homes.

Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue, Inc. is a purebreed and Box mix rescue based out of Hickory, North Carolina. BRBR’s current coverage area is the state of NC, as well as regions of South Carolina

Kitten admirer

Well, several of us admire Bumblemuffin, but he also very much admires himself. Here he's seen looking at a picture of himself on our blog! :-) Yes little buddy - you're cute, you know it, and we know it.

Bridgey's first 48 hours in her new home

I wanted to let you know how little Bridgey is doing after the first 48 hours in her new forever home. She has met the two other cats and all three dogs. The cats were happy to have her in the house and greeted her with enthusiasm....a bit too much according to Bridgey. However everything went smoothly and they are all fine together in the "cat room". The have shared the food and water bowls with no incidents at all. (note from tia - the cat room is a room with a cat door that allows the cats to get away and be in a dog free zone when they want.)

She has decided that my boyfriend is her best friend and that his lap belongs to her. She has found perches that are now her thrones throughout the room. She is very interactive with all of us and has decided that she likes our laps especially my son and my boyfriend....She likes to be held and petted continuously while they are playing video games or watching TV. She has been found to watch the TV and games as well. She likes to talk and is very happy and content.

The puppies were very well behaved with her and stayed at a distance until she came to them. She smelled them and tentatively walked around them. Since they did not give chase, she will now come up to greet them and rub her head against them. The older dog was much more excited at meeting her and got a face full of claws for her effort. The dog now approaches with extreme caution and is greeted warmly now.

We have decided to change her name to Raven as we have a Superhero theme with the animals. She seems to like the name and comes when called. I think she is a perfect match and is blending with her new family wonderfully. I will send pictures of her and the other family members as I get them uploaded.

OMG!!!!!

Really - that's how we feel! We are all so incredibly happy. Today, Bridgey was adopted. All those cute adorable kittens we have and someone wanted an adult - they wanted Bridgey. Sweet gentle southern belle Bridgey finally found her new home after 15 months. Often ooohed and ahhhed about, Bridgey was often overlooked because she was an adult and "just a plain gray tabby". Bridgey is the most wonderful girl who was left behind last year when her owners moved and has been searching for the right person to realize how fantastic she is. Today, she found the right person. Elizabeth, you are a very lucky lady to have adopted such a wonderful girl. And Bridgey is very lucky to have you. We are over the moon happy for Bridgey and her new family.

Meet some of our newest kitties

Speckles, Stroodle, and Swizzle - found abandoned. Tested and vaccinated last week. Being spayed/neutered, microchipped, and rabies vaccinated today. Not available for adoption until after September 22nd (after second FVRCP+FeLV vaccination). Super social kittens, approximately 5 months old.

Rascal and Cider - victims of the downturn economy. Lost their home to foreclosure. Close buddies, these big linebackers are only 1.5 years old. Rascal is a big ol' love bug. Cider is very sweet; he lost his eye when he was only about 8 months old. Available for adoption now.

Bumblemuffin, rescued from middle of a country road - available for adoption around October 5th.

Yet to be named. Cutie rescued from a feral colony - available around Oct. 5th. Mother has since been TNR'd.

Lambchop

Hold off on sending in those applications, I know she's magnificent but she's not for adoption. Lambchop is my girl and she is the sister of Love Muffin (the poor shaved kitty now living in shame of being almost bald).

Lambchop was posing for pictures last night when I was taking pictures of other cats and I couldn't resist. She really is a gorgeous girl. Lambchop is also a kitten pleaser -- all the kittens love Lambchop and flock to her. She loves to be with the kittens and I secretly think she basks in the kitten's admiration of her.

Slow holiday weekend

There wasn't much traffic at Petsmart this weekend, but we did have one adoption. The little toe nibbler, Jezebel, was adopted. YAY.

Check out our website, pictures and write-ups for new cats for adoption are now posted. We have lots of cats and kittens for adoption. All colors, all personalities.

Our biggest need right now - cat food

Specifically:

1. Purina One Healthy Formula for kittens: with over 30 kittens in our program, we go through a lot of food every day
2. Purina One Chicken and Rice for adults: we also have a lot of adults in the adoption program
3. We can use other brands to help feed feral colonies

We do not belong to a rescue food program where we get donated food or food at reduced rates. We need help with cat food donations.

Donations can be given to us at our adoption events this weekend at PetSmart Knightdale (Friday, Sept. 4 from 5-8P; Saturday, Sept. 5 from noon to 4P; and Sunday, Sept. 6 from 1- 4P). Or we can arrange pick by emailing us at info@alleycatsandangels.org.

Of course monetary donations are always needed to help with medical bills and daily care of the cats.

Thank you for supporting the cats.

Poor Love Muffin

Love Muffin with all her glorious fur

Love Muffin is one of my personal cats. I adopted her and her sister, Lambchop, from the SPCA about four years ago. My neighbor was fostering a litter for the SPCA and the second I saw Love Muffin, I fell in love with her. And who could resist Lambchop (aka Trouble) - certainly not me. Debbie fostered the L's for about five months as we battled ringworm, giardia, etc. I went up to her house almost every night and spent time with the cats, helped do baths, medicine, etc. So after five months, I couldn't bear the thought of not having Love Muffin and Lambchop around so I adopted them.

The girls are Norweigen Forest Cat mixes and are gorgeous. Lambchop absolutely loves to be brushed, but Love Muffin hates it and throws a hissy fit. Unfortunately, because Love Muffin does not like to be brushed at all, she had some mats that I couldn't get out so yesterday she was shaved. My poor beautiful girl is quite embarrassed. Of course it doesn't help that mama can't stop laughing at here -- she has a big ol' head because of the long hair and a little body now -- she looks like a kitty bobblehead toy.

So here's Love Muffin, starring in "If Looks Could Kill". Try not to laugh too hard.

Figaro adopted last night

Figaro has been in a foster to adopt home since he was 8 weeks old and the adoption was finalized last night. He is as much of a big ham as ever. I did get a picture of him but it hasn't been transferred to computer yet so no picture to post.

Figaro's official new mom, Maggie, is just head over heels for him and has renamed him Grady. He's a lucky boy to have such a good home. And yes, he is absoutely spoiled rotten.

The "inn" is full, but...

..what do you do when you see a kitten in the middle of the road and especially in fox country (near a river, lots of foxes)? Pick it up and take it in of course and continue to try to catch the other two.

Here's the little guy hollering - he's about 7 weeks old and what a super sweetheart. He was weighed, dewormed, deflead, vaccinated, etc. last night. He's safe inside right now being quarantined in a bathroom. He looks like a regular tuxedo kitten in this picture, but he actually has a unique deep charcoal with ash undertones and almost tabby stripes where the black usually is on a tuxedo cat. I can't actually say that I have seem one that looks quite like him -- could be that he grows up to look like my Bailey boy (dark gray tabby with white).

Izzie Mae, Interior Designer

Izzie Mae is helping her new mom and dad pick out a new wall color. She's a pretty girl and partial to pink -- pink carrier, pink bed, pink toys, etc. -- she's such a princess. I sure hope the house doesn't end up with a bright pepto pink room! Although it looks like she's leaning towards purple.

Updated on Biscuit (formerly Justina) adopted this weekend

Subject: Justina AKA Biscuit

Just wanted to let you know that Biscuit did GREAT yesterday! She was a little nervous as soon as we let her out of the box, of course, but we showed her her home in the closet under the stairs and she loved it. She used the litter, ate, slept with her head on the pillow you gave us. . .seemed right at home! We would go in and sit with her and she began to purr SO loudly!

Finally last night, around 10, she ventured out of her home and played like a wild woman for hours. We stayed up until midnight with her. It was great! This morning, she was excited to see us. She had used the litter box, and she's been out and about meowing and figuring this new world out.We absolutely adore her. Thank you for all your help. We'll keep you updated, and check my facebook page for pictures!

Come visit our kitties

You can can come by and personally meet some of our great cats/kittens this week while they are in the adoption center of PetSmart Knightdale.

The following cats are camped out in the adoption center through Sunday in hopes of finding their purrfect home:

• Bridgey (adult): what a lady, she's a true Southern Belle
• Meena: beautiful adult calico who loves attention
• Kittens: Othello, Eureka, Conrad, Cleo, Carmen, Jazzman, Jezebel, and Jacob

Low cost spay/neuter options in the Triangle, NC area

SAFE Care Clinic (SAFE Haven for Cats)
Permanent clinic located on Durant Road in Raleigh
Website: www.safehavenforcats.org
Phone: 919-872-1128
Email: clinic@safehavenforcats.org

Pet Overpopulation Patrol (POP)
Mobile spay/neuter clinic
Website: http://www.pop-nc.com/
Phone: 919-942-2250
Email: appointments@pop-nc.com

Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP-NC)
Mobile spay/neuter clinic
Website: http://www.snap-nc.org/
Phone: 919-783-7627

Saving Lives Spay/Neuter Animal Clinic
Permanent clinic – located next to the SPCA Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center
Website: http://www.spcawake.org/site/PageServer?pagename=We_believe
Phone: 919-772-0211
Email: N/A (online form)

Operation Catnip Raleigh (clinic and voucher program)
Monthly clinic and voucher program: feral, unowned, free-roaming cats
Website: http://www.operationcatnip.org/raleigh.html
Email: opcatnip@nc.rr.com

AnimalKind
Voucher program: $20 fix - must live in Wake, Durham, Orange, Person or Caswell County in North Carolina and meet income requirements listed on website
Website: www.animalkind.org
Phone: 919- 870-1660
Email: info@animalkind.org

Affordable Animal Care Clinic
Low cost spay/neuter, low cost vaccinations, lower cost medical services for cats and dogs
Address: 2005 North Pointe Drive, Durham NC 27705
Phone: 919-620-7729