Sweet little Yaya

Now that Yaya is healthy and doing great, she can now have her teeth cleaned and flash everyone her pretty smile. Okay - her smile is really more sticking out her little tongue, but the teeth she's not showing will be nice and clean and pearly white.   She has an appointment tomorrow (Friday, 12/31) to get them done. 

So after tomorrow, all four of the American Shorthairs will have completed their dental and so far only one tooth had to be pulled (let's hope it stays at just one and Yaya doesn't have to have any pulled). 

Now, we just need to look into kitty braces for sweet Fang.  Seriously - have you seen those "fangs"?!!

Update: Friday, 12/31/09 1:30PM: just talked to Dr. Jon and poor Yaya had to have three teeth pulled.  Two inciscors and one molar. 

Update from one of our adopters

I spoke with Wendy (adopter of Meena and Fairfax) today and they love the cats so much.  Meena is doing incredibly well - she makes the rounds and alternates who she sleeps with at night (family of four in the house).  She loves to have her belly rubbed and is super sweet. 

Fairfax has been renamed Otto and is doing better.  The family had a lot of company over the holidays so maybe it was a bit much for our shy boy, but he is doing better.  Fairfax has such a rough start in life and while we're always happy when one of our cats find a great forever home, it's sometimes more heart warming when the home takes a chance on adopting a super shy cat.   Fairfax (sorry Otto - I'll remember it soon!) no longer runs under the bed when he hears a loud noise, he runs towards the bed but doesn't run under it so that's a big step.  The family is accepting of the baby steps and is giving him the time, patience, understanding, and love he needs to blossom.

Meena and Otto love to wrestle and play together -- which is surprising because we thought Meena might do best in a house with no other pets.  But she's doing great with Otto and apparently not terrorizing the dogs! 

Thank you Wendy and family for adopting these great cats and especially for your patience and understanding with Otto. 

Prayers and warm thoughts needed for Tabitha

Prayers and warm thoughts needed for Tabitha (aka Tabby), our little tabby girl waiting for a barn home with her sister.

Our vet is keeping her overnight tonight while waiting for results of blood work and so he can watch her. She appears to have a neurological issue. Now that can be because she's in shock a little. Was doing great this weekend, whatever is wrong happened in such a short time.

Yaya and Fang

On November 29th, I posted pictures of Yaya a few days after her eye enucleation (removal) surgery. Well, Yaya is still in the same "recovery" foster home; instead of just recovering her, her foster mom and dad will keep her and her brother (Fang) until they are adopted. I saw Yaya and Fang on Christmas and they are doing great. Yaya has become grandpa's girl and Fang is grandma's boy. They both adore receiving love and attention, but Fang even more so.

However, I'm not sure my parents make good foster parents because they can't quite manage letting go -- as evidenced by the fact that they have adopted most of the cats they have fostered for us.  They're great special needs fosters, but not good at saying goodbye.  They adopted Mikey and Maddie - super shy cats caught as older feral kittens.  And then of course there is Spicey -the almost blind tortie.  They were only supposed to be fostering Spicey while she was recovering from being so sick but even though I had found a permanent home for her who knew how to handle blind cats, they couldn't say goodbye.  Spicey has no vision in one eye and appears to only be able to see shadows with the other eye.

The pictures aren't that great - they wouldn't stay still for photos and I only had my iPhone to take pix. I'll get better pictures soon. I promise.

Yaya's tongue does stick out most of the time from her little flat face, as does Fang's tongue. They have eyes as big as saucers. Yaya has the tiniest little nose and tongue - they really are about the size of a little kitten's nose and tongue. She's simply adorable.  She's a petite little lady.  Yaya is available for adoption now.  Fang's not quite ready yet. 

Fang has the personality of a little dog - he follows "his grandma" everywhere and loves to sit on her lap and chest when she's watching television. Mom's worried no one will want to adopt Fang because he's, ummmmm, very unique looking and has some issues. But mama loves that face (rescue mama and foster mama). He's got the "fangs" and heavily hooded eyes. His somewhat flat face and fangs make him a super messy eater. His hooded eyes water alot -- he's been thoroughly examed by our vet and he's fine, there are just some issues inherent in this breed. But he has such an incredibly sweet personality.

Please help fellow rescuers

We believe that all of us rescue groups must work together to optimize helping the animals. As such, we ask you to help our one of our fellow rescue groups – St. Francis Animal Rescue in Rock Hill, SC (http://www.stfrancisanimalrescue.org).

With the downturn in economy, their donations are down and they are facing eviction in January. This wonderful organization currently houses 100 cats in community rooms. Those cats will face the shelter and euthanasia if we can’t help raise the necessary $5,000.

You can make a donation through their home page or by clicking the "ChipIn" button below.

Another adoption today

Lizanne was adopted today.  Our cute little orange female tabby is front polydactyl and abolutely adorable.  This adoption has been in the works for a while -- at least the adoption process has in place for a few weeks while waiting for an orange female tabby. Lizanne's foster mom, Ellyn, took this picture -- I really like it because it shows off her cute paws and extra toes.

Three adoptions today

Adoptions 100, 101, and 102 (of the year, we've adopted out more than 100 since our founding) happened tonight. Urchin was 100, Udder Moomoo was 101, and Isaac (aka Gravy) was 102.

Urchin and Udder Moomoo have been in foster to adopt homes since they were 8-weeks old so they are young in these pictures.

Urchin 

Udder Moomoo

Isaac was adopted by a couple that adopted Justina (now Biscuit) a few months ago.  

Isaac

Special Foster Home Needed

Alley Cats and Angels is seeking a special foster home for one of older kittens that possibly has IBS or food allergies. We've gone through the gamut of fecal tests and every medication imagineable and worked with two different animal hospitals but poor Oscar is still having issues.

We need a home with no other cats or a house that has a room Oscar can stay in so we can try out some different food options (sensitive stomach, allergen free, grain free, low-residue, etc.). Oscar is an active boy and quite the big lovebug and does not do well in a cage so we really need a special foster home for him. It may take only a month to regulate Oscar's issues or it may take several as we try several food options.

The foster home must be able to administer medication as needed (if new medication is deemed appropriate by our vets).

Alley Cats and Angels will provide Oscar's food.

Oscar is one of the sweetest, most wonderful older kittens. He is truly delightful. We hope to resolve his issues soon so he can be available for adoption and we can find the perfect home for him. He has so much love to give someone and we hope he can share it with his forever family soon.

Two more adoptions today

Riza and Rada were adopted together today. Riza and Rada were Raja's babies and were brown tabby/Bengal mix kittens. We're excited that they now have a home of their own for Christmas.  These girls look so much alike that we had to put different color collars on them and then double check who was who by scanning and checking their microchip number! 

We have several litters with just one kitten renaming that still need good homes:

• Rippa of the R's
• Jazz of the J's
• Stroodle of the S's

And Carmen and Cleo (the twins) really want a home of their own for the New Year.

Three adoptions today

Jayden was adopted. She was the last older kitten at her foster home so I've been asked who they are getting next. :-)

Meena and Fairfax were adopted together. An ADULT adoption (Meena, our gorgeous split face calico). Fairfax was a Flame Point Siamese mix and quite shy but he and his adopter bounded when he touched her nose with his. Meena and Fairfax were not together before but we're sure they'll adapt fine, once Meena establishes that she's boss!

Today was our last adoption event for this year. The adoption counselors and event volunteers are taking a much needed rest until January 4th. We are still doing meet and greets and there will be more adoptions this year, just no more adoptathons.

Merry Christmas kitties, enjoy your new homes this Christmas.

Local low-cost spay/neuter clinics

For anyone in need of low cost spay/neuter clinics for cats (some of these do dogs also), attached is a link to a comprehensive list on our website: http://alleycatsandangels.org/links.html. There are multiple vets on this list that will spay/neuter feral cats. Remember, spaying and neutering saves lives.

One adoption today

We love it when someone falls in love with and adopts a black cat. Perhaps because of superstition, black cats don't adopt out as quickly as others even though they often have the best personalities. We love it even more when the family decides that the shy black kitten is the one for them. Zelda, our timid black kitten was adopted today.

Our babies are growing up - 5 little kittens

Our "V" crew is growing up. They will be 5 weeks old Tuesday. Hard to imagine we've had them 3 weeks. The V kitties all have names now:

• Vittles (tuxedo kitten)
• Violet (dark gray tabby - only female and right now it looks like she might be medium haired and not short haired like her brothers)
• Varjak Paw ("cow kitten")
• Velcro (brown tabby)
• Vodka (light gray tabby with white)

The babies are crawling in and out of the tub (with assistance of pet stairs) and having lots of fun playing. The bathtub in a closed bathroom makes a great place for itty bitty babies. It keeps them safe and confined while mama cat can get out of the tub and stretch her legs and get away from the little ones when she needs to.

See how adorable these little monkeys are in the attached video.

Qaylee adopted today

Ok, it wasn't last weekend's 8 (9 counting Isaac [aka Gravy]) adoptions, but we did have one adoption this weekend. Qaylee (kay-lee), our pretty little medium haired "tabbyco" (gray tabby with lots of calico markings also) was adopted today. There was also quite a bit of interest in Jayden and Fairfax.

Who doesn't love Biscuit and Gravy?

A wonderful couple adopted Justina a few months back and renamed her Biscuit. They emailed us last week asking about adding a second cat to their home and came and met several of our babies last weekend. Apparently Biscuit is quite a daddy's girl and they were hoping a male cat would be a mama's boy. After interacting with several cats, Kate and Justin decided to foster Isaac for a little while to see if he and Biscuit would get along. Well, they most certainly do - the below pictures attest to the fact that they've become best buds. And as Kate sent us one of the emails, Isaac (aka Gravy) was sitting on her lap. Total win-win! Needless to say, they will be adopting Isaac and he will be officially renamed Gravy.

How cute is that - Biscuit and Gravy?!!!

New adoption venue

Starting January 2010, Alley Cats and Angels will have space in the adoption center at the PetSmart on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh and will be holding adoption events there in addition to our other adoption venues.

We have the adoption center for the month of January on an every other month basis (SPCA will have cats in the center the months we are not there).

We would like to thank Zamantha and Chris, managers of the Capital Boulevard PetSmart for the invitation to be their newest adoption partner at this busy store.

Beautiful custom engraved crystal holiday ornaments

Searching for that last minute unique Christmas gift? Purchase a Custom Engraved Crystal Ornament / Suncatcher and help save a life! Alley Cats and Angels is pleased to offer these unique treasures. Just choose your favorite design and add your own. Personalization up to 40 characters including spaces.

Orders must be received before December 15th to ensure delivery in time for Christmas. All proceeds benefit Alley Cats and Angels and help us continue our work as “Advocates for Forgotten Felines”.

http://alleycatsandangels.org/AC&A_Ornaments.pdf

Wonderful weekend

We had an amazing adoption weekend. Which would not have been possible without our terrific adoption event volunteers this weekend - Jill Walters (pulled double duty between Santas helpers and ), Landis McEntee, Debbie Beam, Tara Munn, and JoAnne Paterniti. Thanks to our great team, we adopted out eight (yes EIGHT [8]) kittens this weekend and two more went home as foster to adopts.

The following were adopted:

• Tokyo Rose and India (together)
• Pebbles
• Remy
• Julius
• Ivan
• Earl Gray
• Swizzle
• Isaac -- foster to adopt
• Urchin - foster to adopt

I would like to also extend a big thanks to Maria B. for her continued support of Alley Cats and Angels - the donated food is very much appreciated.

Big thanks to our Santas and their helpers...

We would like to extend a big thanks to Mike Sayers, Dan Johnson, Joe Moore, and Jason Fern for being Santa Claus for our Santa Claws pet photos at PetSmart Knightdale and PetSmart Apex this weekend. We made about $240 for the kitties -- all of which goes to the kitties medical fun. Mike Sayers was our Apex Santa and Dan, Joe, and Jason rotated shifts in Knightdale.

Also big thanks to Jill Walters, Augusta Fern, and Marie Brewer for being Santa's helpers and taking and/or printing pictures.

Dan as Santa ans his helpers, Jill and Augusta

Mike Sayers as our Apex Santa

Jason Fern as Santa

Joe Moore as Santa wishing everyone peace (on earth and goodwill to men)

New foster homes

We are thankful for two new foster homes. We delivered two shy kittens to Ellyn last night to foster and will delivering kittens to Cass tonight/tomorrow.

YAY!

Our teeny tiny babies are growing up

They are just a little over three weeks old. There are 4 boys and 1 girl - the dark gray tabby is the female. Aren't they absolutely adorable?? They'll be named shortly - I think their foster parents are waiting to see their personalities first. However, there are only so many names you go with when all names have to start with the letter V. Right now I just call them by their description prefaced by "little", except I call the female Little Girl.

Little Tux - is that the cutest face or what? Possible a little Zoolander model in the making

Little Girl - this one's pretty cute too!

Little Cow Kitten (kinda!!) - oh no, another cute one.


Little Brown - seriously, I'm having a hard time picking the cutest one!!

Little Gray - a cutie too, but didn't want to pose for a picture like his siblings so not a supermodel kitty in the making

Thank you Secret Santa

For the three large bags of Purina One Chicken and Rice adult food you left at Petsmart for us today. We really appreciate it. If we knew who you were, we'd thank you in person (and give you a receipt for taxes!). But if you wish to be a secret santa, we're good with that and will just put our thanks out on the web in hopes that you'll see it.

Barn Cat Update

We received this wonderful email from one of our barn/garden cat owners. We relocated Bree and Gunnar to a beautiful farm near Hillsborough. Brie and Gunnar were extremely shy cats that had little hope of being adopted, in addition, they had spent all their life outdoors, it was where they are happiest. We relocated the two in March of this year. Brie and Gunnar are pictured below below (older pictures, cages no longer up, cats are free to roam the property).

Tia - Just got your newsletter and thought I would let you know how our 2 beauties are doing...

They have settled in wonderfully. Both of them feign indifference if you try to call them over, or reach down to pet them - in fact they seem skittish and run away - but I guess that is to be expected. On the other hand, Bree is always waiting at the back door in the morning when we go out to feed the cats and chickens. Both cats love to romp and play around us when we are outside working, and are in fact quite sociable. And they have done a wonderful job keeping away the varmints that were destroying our garden. Yay! Sometimes we find little presents on the door step!

Paul is much braver with the cats than I am - and has been slowly working on picking them up! They become more and more tolerant of that! They also both are comfortable with our lab, Evie, and usually say hello by rubbing noses with her! And you should see them with the guineas! There is one particular grey guinea who is a sort of loner and he has started playing with Bree. It's hilarious to watch them - Bree will chase the bird and then all of a sudden, the bird will turn around and start chasing Bree. And so it goes on. Back and forth. I can't tell you how much pleasure we have from these two special cats.

And how grateful we are to you and Allecats and Angels for bringing them to us.

Last weekend's adoptions

I forgot to post last weekend’s adoptions. Now for some much needed good news -- both Raja and Wilson were adopted and are doing well.

Raja was adopted by a family in Charlotte. She is doing well and apparently likes to party all night and sleep all day! Raja is doing well extremely well with the 6-year old son and is apparently quite a smart lady. The son is trying to teach her how to give a paw and she’s quite close. We’re so glad she’s doing well.

Wilson was also adopted by the sister-in-law (and family) of one of our previous adopters (O'Reilly's adopter). Wilson is very happy in his new home with three young boys and mom and dad to shower him with attention.

Hello kittens... and goodbye Tacoma

The kittens were 3-weeks old yesterday. These are the "V" kittens although I think Jill and Dan are waiting a bit to name them. They are doing well and their foster mom posted new pictures of them on her Facebook page. I saw the pictures today and they made me smile.

The pictures made me realize this "rescue stuff" is worth it even on the worst days -- with today and tomorrow being horrible days.

We took Tacoma, a 7-month old kitten, to one of our vets to have a full blood panel done. Tacoma is one of only two siblings remaining from a litter we rescued from a car repair shop this summer. Each of those kittens died soon after we got them and the necropsy results were inconclusive. Tacoma and Tanner were doing great (Tanner still is doing great, but we're getting full blood workup to be safe), but Tacoma just started rapidly losing weight. Tacoma's bloodwork shows renal disease among a list of other major health issues which are highly unusual in a young kitten. Our vet said it's possible it's heredity or congenital that's just now manifesting. After speaking with the vet, we've decided it's time to help Tacoma cross the rainbow bridge. It is unlikely we can save her even with aggressive medical treatment and part of rescue is knowing when it's time to let them go -- because it's the most humane thing to do for Tacoma. I'm sorry Tacoma, I wish we could do more. But you will be free from suffering and will soon be chasing mice in kitty heaven. We love you little Tacoma, rest in peace my sweet baby.