The American Shorthairs -- focus on Yaya

Yaya is a sweet purebred American Shorthair. She's a sweet girl and one of four American Shorthairs we took in from a bad situation. Yaya is supposed to be about 3-5 years old but she (and the other three American Shorthairs we took in) have the teeth of 8+ year old cats. Fang has already had his dental done and Yancy and Yates go in this week for their dental.

Three of the AS kitties are super sweet and loving - just want all love all the time. Yates is the most handsome of the cats but is shy and a little skittish but we're working on that. I'll post some picture of Fang soon and you'll know right away why his name is Fang!

Fang and Yaya do not have the typical American Shorthair faces, their little faces are flat with the tiniest of noses. Yaya's nose is about the size of a 3-week old kitten's nose - poor thing.

The cats were infested with fleas and earmites when we got them. Flea situation was easily resolved but we're still working on the ear mites - Ivermectin ear drops prescribed by are vet are given weekly with ear cleanings about 3 days following the drops -- the ears are getting much better.

Yaya had an old ulcer on her left eye and we were hoping to save her eye with aggressive medical treatment and twice weekly visits to the vet for eye debridment and treatment. When we went to her appointment Friday, her eye was worse and Dr. Jon said it was time to do an eye enucleation (remove the eye). He did the surgery that day and kept her overnight. Yaya is feeling better already - she's eating well (something she wasn't doing before). However, poor girl has to wear the e-collar so she won't scratch her eye and with her little flat face she can't eat or drink with the collar on (Wimbledon was able to). So tonight Yaya went to go stay with her "Grandpa and Grandma" (my parents as I'm her foster) until she no longer has to wear the collar. The collar will go on her at night but most of the time she won't have to wear it as she'll be on the sofa with my mom. Once she heals up and feels better, we'll be able to wash her dirty little face (drainage) - plus she gets her food everywhere!! Here are a few pictures of our little lady.

(pictures aren't the best - taken with an iPhone and she wouldn't hold still!)

Here she is all tuckered out after exploring Grandpa and Grandma's house. She's curled up on the bed with her little tongue sticking out. She's such an unbelievably sweet and affectionate lady. After she's fully recovered from her eye surgery, she'll need to have dental done also and then will be ready for adoption.

Pictures and videos of our two-week old kittens

Well, actually as of today, they are 16 days old. How adorable are they?!!

Poor mama is feral and scared. She will go to a nice barn once the babies are weaned, etc. The barn has a heated tack room so she won't be going from the nice warm inside to the cold outside.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catastrophegirl/sets/72157622888310252/.

Two adoption event locations this weekend

PetSmart Knightdale and PetSmart Apex

Friday and Saturday
November27-28
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Come see the kitties!

We have the purrfect accessory to help keep you warm this winter!

You will need a furry friend to cuddle as the temperature drops this winter! There is nothing better than a four legged furball to keep you company. Here are a few very special cats who are hoping to have a warm lap to relax in this winter. If they don't tug at your heart, please look through the others we have for adoption. We have something for everyone!


Meena: Meena is extremely sweet and loving calico. She has the most beautiful orange and black face and the cutest black button nose. She can't get enough of head rubs and chin scratches. Grooming is not a problem as she loves being brushed down. Meena is very loyal and always shows her appreciation for your love by rubbing and standing up on your leg. Meena really shows off when she is the only kitty in the house. She is very good about using her scratching pad and playtime is a marathon when you bring out the laser pointer. Meena might be a little shy at first, but get ready; because when she comes out of her closet, you will be loving and playing with her for a long time to come. Meena was rescued from a high-kill shelter.

Tipper: My personality is really starting to shine through. I now ‘talk' to you to in a soft chatter to let you know that I want to be petted and have attention. I've also come to realize how nice it is to sit in your lap and get comfortable for a short catnap. While I live in a house with other cats, I am a good fit as an only cat or integrated into a home with other cats. I'm very friendly and I get along well with every cat I meet. My favorite pastimes are still to chase balls, play with feathers on a stick and pop in and out of my tent. I also love it when you shake the treat bag--I come running! I do have a grade 2 heart murmur which means you need to make the Vet aware in case I would ever need to go under anesthetic. On the outside you'd never know the murmur existed since I act normal and require no special care. I was found living in a storm drain near a local pizza restaurant and would dart between traffic to sit under cars as they parked so I could stay warm, so when I was rescued, the hair on my ears was singed but it's grown in beautifully.

Izzie: Izzie was rescued when we received a call to help the petite cat because it was so cold out; expecting a kitten, we found a beautiful adult instead - and that's quite ok (vet estimates Izzie is 5-6 years old). Izzie is a typical tortie, which means she has "tortie-tude". She can be wonderfully sweet and then sometimes be a bit persnickety. Izzie loves attention, wants to sit near you, sleep with you, and be your world. She’s actually quite a good snuggler. She has the cutest little short tail (not quite 2/3 the length of an average cat tail) – which is how she gained one of her nicknames (Isabella Stumpy Tail). But we mean it with love – it’s actually quite a cute stumpy tail. Izzie would be best suited to a house without young children. However, if you want unconditional love (98% unconditional love, 2% feigned indifference), then Izzie is your girl.

New catnip mice - perfect stocking stuffer for cat lovers

Because when the cat is happy, the owner is too! And what better way to make a cat happy than these adorable mice filled with organic catnip.

We have gorgeous 100% handmade catnip mice for sale. They are very cute and unusual mice that are filled with organic catnip. There is a wide selection of colors available - even available in team colors (Carolina blue, NCSU red and black, etc.). Does your kitty like to try to destroy and behead toys? Well, these mice are tightly constructed and will withstand the roughest of handling. They are approximately 4.5" long (they are larger than appear in photo).

Place your order today by emailing: info@alleycatsandangels.org. $5.00 each. We can also ship mice for out of area orders. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to our medical fund.

We also have other catnip toys (twists, squares, and kicker) made with organic catnip for sale also. Prices: twists, 3 for $1.00; squares $2.00; kickers $3.00. Twists, squares, and kickers not pictured.

Just when you thought kitten season might be over...

Another kitten pile. These adorable babies are 10 days old They were born on 11/17 to a feral mom who had been trapped for TNR. Mama gave birth before her appointment. Mama is taking good care of the babies and will go to the rescuer's farm as a barn cat once the babies are weaned and doing well on their own. There are five babies - appear to be all boys except the darkest tabby which is a girl.

Warm thoughts for Yaya

Yaya goes back to see Dr. Jon for an eye recheck Monday. We're still hoping the eye can be saved. Positive thoughts and prayers that it can be. Yaya's had a rough time of it in her est. 4 years of life.

Come get your pet's picture taken with Santa and Support Alley Cats & Angels

Santa Claws Program - Lend a Hand to Save a Paw!

Alley Cats and Angels is participating in the Santa Claws photos with Santa program at the Knightdale Petsmart. Come get get your picture taken with santa (pictures of pets with santa too). You'll receive one 4x6 printed digital phot in a holiday collector frame. The cost is $9.95 and Alley Cats and Angels will receive $5 from each purchased photo package.

We will be there Saturday and Sunday, December 5-6 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 p.m. Come out and support the cats. Thanks.

No more princess outfits for Wilson

Well, he won't be dressed up in princess outfits anymore because he's being adopted by a family with three boys. Wilson will be so happy that he no longer has to be in touch with him feminine side! :-)

Wilson will go to his forever home right after Thanksgiving.

Sweet Meena needs a forever home

Sweet Meena is about 1.5 to 2 years old. She really needs a home of her own. Adoption events are especially stressful for her and it takes her a while to relax and destress after each event. One our wonderful supporters has sponsored Meena's adoption fee. This means the approved adopter will not have to pay an adoption fee, it has already been paid (adoption process, application, interview, contract, etc. still apply).

More About Meena

• Meena is extremely sweet and loving calico. She has the most beautiful orange and black face and the cutest black button nose. She can't get enough of head rubs and chin scratches.
• Grooming is not a problem as she loves being brushed down.
• Meena is very loyal and always shows her appreciation for your love by rubbing and standing up on your leg. Meena really shows off when she is the only kitty in the house. She is very good about using her scratching pad and playtime is a marathon when you bring out the laser pointer.
• Meena might be a little shy at first, but get ready; because when she comes out of her shell, you will be loving and playing with her for a long time to come.
• Meena was rescued from a high-kill shelter along with her kitten

Much to be thankful for

First - we adopted out four cats this weekend:

• Blizz was adopted by a family that adopted Persephone in February
• Zappa was adopted by a great family in Charlotte (thanks to Jill, our web goddess and key volunteer). Zappa was adopted by good friends of hers and Jill did the transport for this adoption
• Electra was adopted. Sweet but shy girl. She went to a lovely home.
• Rascal - oh my Rascal. Rascal was my foster and quite the bed hog (I've blogged about his sleeping habits before), but I sure do miss him not hogging the bed and giving me hugs. I think it was love at first sight between Rascal and the adoptive family. The big ol' chunk of love went to a great home where he will be pampered. The mom is hoping Rascal will sleep with her since the other three cats sleep with her son.

Second, thanks to the generosity of Electra's adopter, Earl Gray (Electra's brother) now has a sponsored adoption fee. Earl Gray is a bit shy and doesn't "show well" at adoption events but is a wonderful older kitten. He'll make someone a great pet, he just needs someone who doesn't expect the "insta-cat", Earl will take a little time to acclimate to his new surroundings. We have quite a few shy cat success stories - they just require some time and patience to blossom but then you have a friend for life.

Next, we are thankful for the donation from the "I've always wanted to try that" meetup group. They held a raffle at their Halloween party and donated the proceeds to Alley Cats and angels. We are extremely grateful for the $400 donation. It will be used to help offset the growing medical bills for the American Shorthair cats.

And last but definitely not least, thanks to Augusta who is helping get some much needed administrative work done. She's already updated our adopter spreadsheet, is currently working on email mailing list for our e-newsletter, and then move on to check microchip registrations. We really appreciate all her assistance. Augusta is a two-time adopter of our rescue kitties.

Gentle Giant

Rascal is a big boy, weighing in at roughly 20 pounds. But he's 20 pounds of solid love. Rascal truly is a gentle giant full of love. He's so good with other cats, especially younger cats and gives them love and attention and gives them kitty baths and kisses.

Julius and Blizz were a bit disconcerted at yesterday's adoption event so I put Julius in with Rascal first and once Rascal started washing Julius' ears and head, Julius was in bliss. Put Blizz in with them after that and Rascal gave her kitty loves too.

Just in time for the holidays - sweet treats (fudge)

Just in time for the holidays -- Alley Cats and Angels is now taking orders for creamy marble slab fudge. Fudge is available in both half-pound bars ($6.00) and one-pound bars ($11.00) and there are nine delicious flavors to choose from.

• Chocolate
• Peanut Butter
• Rocky Road
• Maple Walnut
• Mint Chocolate Chip
• Chocolate Pecan
• Vanilla Pecan
• Chocolate Peanut Butter
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Orders due by Wednesday, December 2, 2009. Delivered in holiday appropriate boxes week of December 14, 2009

To order email info@alleycatsandangels.org. All proceeds from fudge sales go to the medical and spay/neuter fund.

For more info: http://alleycatsandangels.org/2009-HolidayFudgeFundraiser.pdf

Too funny....

Justina was adopted by a great couple a few months back. Justina was renamed Biscuit. Well, Biscuit wore a cow costume and was a "steak biscuit" for Halloween! Too funny.

Blizz and Julius - foster buds

Blizz and Julius shared one of the bottom "cages" at the adoption center this week. They are quite the buddies. Usually it was Julius washing his little "sister" (foster sister) but this time Blizz decided Julius needed a bath. Please excuse the shaky video - I took it using my iPhone and when I tried to go in for a close-up for different angle, it's a little shaky. But it's so sweet, especially when Blizz puts her paws on Julius' head to hold him for washing.

Weekend update

Wimbledon was adopted this weekend and we are very excited that our little one-eyed boy found a fantastic new two-legged mom in Dana. We know and love Dana and she is going to give his such a great home. Wimbledon was a favorite among many of the Petsmart Knightdale employees (and everyone else that met him). (Update - Dana said her cat not quite so keen in Wimbledon right but that's to be expected. However, her dog loves Wimbledon and was giving him a bath Saturday night!!). A big thanks to Maria B. for sponsoring Wimbledon's adoption.

The A's (Arnie, Angie, and Andy) attended their first adoption event. We name litters by the alphabet but we don't necessarily do it in alphabetical order. (We only have the V's and Y's left for this year). The A's are a bit shy but they did pretty good until one of the darn birds at Petsmart started screeching. It was an obnoxious noise that made me want to hide too! Here's a picture of Arnie in his Halloween bandana snuggling with a teddy bear in his cage.



It was a long week for the cats in the adoption center and they were glad to get back to their foster homes. They're not used to being in cages (only caged during quarantine). Of course everyone got playtime out of the adoption center cages each day and night but they were getting a little restless.

Big big thanks for the 11 bags of donated cat food, including food for the adoption program and food for the ferals. Saying we really appreciate it does not really convey how much we really appreciate it. We are very grateful for the donation.

And finally, we were notified last night that a meetup group had a raffle at their Halloween party this weekend and they are donating the proceeds of the raffle ($400) to Alley Cats and Angels. This means a lot to us. We have taken in some cats that have very bad dental problems and need teeth cleanings (cannot wait, it's bad - stage 4 periodontal disease) and some teeth removed. The raffle money will go to help pay for the dental work these guys needs (now that sounds like they need fillings and root canals, doesn't it?!). Again, huge thanks to Erin D., organizer of the meetup group, for choosing Alley Cats and Angels to be the recipient of the raffle proceeds.