Please feel free to go visit some of our sweet "babies" in the adoption center this week. It's the PetSmart on Capital Boulevard and Millbrook Road. We have a good mix of adults and younger cats and they are all wonderful!
The adults featured in the adoption center this week are Shannon Rose, Jasper, Tiger, and Picasso. (Picasso would not sit still for his photo so he doesn't have one yet.)
The younger cats featured are Lexus, Usher, Darrin, and Zander. This is Zander's first time in the adoption center. He is just a little over 3 months old.
The cats will be in the center through this weekend (Easter Sunday, April 4th). We will be holding adoption events there both Saturday and Sunday from 1PM to 4PM.
Well, it seems that every good adoption week/weekend is followed by a painfully slow adoption week/weekend. Not that last weekend was terrific (four adopted but one returned next day due to allergies). This weekend, we had one return and one adoption so basically it's a 'wash'. Lexus from a few months ago was returned, and Andy was adopted.
Bedford has an adoption pending. He'll be living in Illinois. Now, we typically do not adopt out any farther than we are willing to drive to pick up the cat if it doesn't work out but there are special circumstances for this. Bedford is being adopted by the brother of one of our two-time adopters and volunteer. She will take Bedford to Illinois and get him settled and will make a trip to visit her family and pick him up if for some reason it doesn't work out -- so we're still making a life-long committment to Bedford as we do all of our cats there are just a few extra steps involved.
Donations for the yardsale are starting to roll in and, man, do we have some nice stuff. Professional/commercial grade chafing dishes and serving platters, lots of jewelry, furniture, electronics, lawn and garden stuff, kids' speciality toys. Hopefully we'll raise a lot of money for the cats' medical fund.
We were notified that we were approved to have a booth at Apex Peak Fest, which is Saturday May 1st. our booth will be more community awareness and education, however we will have some of our handmade catnip toys and handmade fleece cat mats for sale. The proceeds from any sales made at Peak Fest will be split between the general rescue medical fund and the Alter an Alley Cat spay/neuter assistance fund.
We will also have a booth at the Cat Fancier's Association show on Saturday, May 8th. Now some people may think this is not a fit -- breeders and rescues together but the truth is there are some people that will always want to adopt a purebred no matter what and many breeders also participate heavily in rescue. It's not uncommon to have a cat rescue have a table at and participate in a cat show. We will be handing out information about our rescue group and selling our catnip toys and cat mats. The proceeds from any items sold at the cat show will be split between the general rescue medical fund and the Alter an Alley Cat spay/neuter assistance fund.
And finally, we are able to have a full page ad in the show program of the Raleigh horse show in June. What a perfect audience to learn about our barn cat program. As many calls and emails as we get each week about ferals in danger and in unsafe environments, we need barn homes. Right now we have about 30 that need barn homes and are living in unsafe environments because there is no where to put them until we find a barn home. The ad space was donated to us - thank you.
Cleo is such a wonderful girl with big green eyes and an amazing personality. She's been in foster care for quite a while and would really love a forever home of her own very soon. Do you have room in your heart and home for Cleo?
Cleo
Est. DOB: 4/2009
Color: DSH Gray Tabby
Gender: F
I am so much prettier than my picture and not mean at all – I just kind of look like it in my picture. I just was not up for modeling that day but my foster mom insisted that I have my picture taken. I’m not normally a diva, I'm a very down to earth girl, but that just wasn't my day! I am a sweet gray tabby with super soft fur and the sleek body of a supermodel. Oops – don't forget my cute spotted tummy! And, I’m a "double threat" because I’ve got a great personality too (looks and personality – wow)! I am very loving and affectionate, energetic and full of life. I love to play with other cats and kittens. My favorite toys are mylar balls, small catnip mice, and the trackball toy. Cleo and her siblings were born to a feral mama cat in Raleigh who has since been TNR'd.
Carmen was adopted today by friends of Kate and Justin (Kate and Justin are two time adopters from Alley Cats and Angels and Kate vlunteers with us now). Carmen has been overlooked for too long, she's such a fantstic girl. Now we hope it's Cleo's turn soon.
Uma finally went to her new home and the family adopted Urp also. And sweet but shy at first Angie was adopted. It's a good day for the kitties.
Ok, I posted too soon. Marie called to tell me that Usher was adopted today also. So it's a really great day for the kitties.
Today, we were able to get 13 of the 16 cats from the trailer park. The three remaining cats are ferals that need to be trapped and that is currently in progress. It was very hard for the couple and they didn't want to part with a couple of the cats but after talking with them more, they realized it was the best thing. I promised we would all work together to find the best homes for the cats and extra special care in adopting out the deaf kitty. They did keep two cats -- one they have had for twelve years and one from the trailer park that they have taken care of for a couple of years. The first one is vetted, the second one is not. The second cat will be spayed/neutered soon, with sponsored spay/neuter.
I would like to thank several local rescue groups for each taking some cats. Alley Cats and Angels will be keeping 7 of the cats, 4 of which are feral and need barn homes (3 of those are the ones that are being trapped), 3 of which are yet to be determined as to who semi-feral they are or if they are just extremely shy and need some extra TLC so they can be adopted.
Thank you to Hobbes House, Safe Haven for Cats, Paws4Ever, Best Friend Pet Adoptions, and Dr. Carol Tice of the Cat Care Clinic. It is so wonderful when rescue groups work together, because together, we can save more cats.
Thanks to Chris, one of our volunteers, for all his help today transporting cats to various locations, we really appreciate it. I'll be transporting one in a few minutes and then some tomorrow morning to Paws4Ever in Mebane.
We received an email from one of our adopters (adopted Dakota and Daisy last year). This great couple is fostering for another rescue group -- they live in Charlotte so fostering for us doesn't make sense. We wish they lived closer and could foster for us, but they can foster and help kitties close to them.
One of the cats, Wendell, from the local rescue has FIV and keeps being passed over for adoption so they thought about fostering him. They have done research, but reading our blog about FIV put them more at ease so they decided to go ahead and foster him. Well, they let me know today they will be adopting him. Michelle and Jeff -- YAY and thank you for opening your homes and hearts to an FIV positive cat.
Read more about FIV in this article from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/cats_fiv.cfm
If you're interested in adopting an absolutely fantastic cat, who just happens to be FIV positive, please consider Jasper -- or Big Bear as his foster mom calls him. What a total lovebug.
We responded to an email and call for help from an older couple with 15+ cats (15 does not include the high risk ferals) that need to be removed from their current living situation by tomorrow, Friday, 3/19 due to the house being condemned. This is a case of a sweet older couple with really big hearts who have been working to save all the cats in the trailer park where they live. Cats that people have abandoned, neglected, and, possibly, some born to ferals. I was able to go out last night and meet the cats and check out the situation. The couple was out of town and a water main broke and came up through the toilet and the toilet basically exploded and went through the roof of the trailer, and water ran for 36 hours. There is no roof on most of the back half of the trailer, there is no plumbing except for running water in the kitchen and a good portion of the floor is missing. The couple must find a new place to live (right now they don't know where they will be living) and the cats need to be moved by Friday, March 19.
15 cats is not necessarily a big rescue number - especially when you hear about rescue situations with 30+ cats in one house more frequently than one would think, but it is more than our very small rescue can take on at this time. So we reached out to a bunch of other rescue groups today but haven't heard back from most of them yet. I'm sure most of them are inundated with requests for help. We did hear from two groups (Hobbes House and Safe Haven for Cats) and one vet (Dr. Carol Tice) who will take a couple cats each. THANK YOU!!
I saw 12 of the 15 cats. Some of them are a little shy, but none are feral. Ages range from 4 months to 12 months. There are a few at-risk (and possibly pregnant) ferals outside the trailer and we'll be trapping them and hope we find barn homes soon. There is one friendly cat that is deaf, beautiful Susan, a DMH white cat. There are also at least four high risk ferals that need to be trapped, vetted, and moved to barn homes.
None of these cats have ever had any medical care, but it’s not a case of intentionally not caring for the cats – it is truly a case of people with big hearts and good intentions biting off more than they could handle financially but they truly love each and every one of those cats and want to do right by them but could not afford it. The wife’s heart is very heavy over this and she was trying to keep her voice from cracking and tearing up, it was even harder for the husband to fight back the tears.
We've assisted other groups before and taken in cats where the other rescue has spear headed the rescue effort, but this is the first time we have led an effort. I must say we've only started and it is stressful, very emotional, and heart breaking. I don't like this part of rescue. Maybe because it's my first time, but I cried like a baby all the way home last night and a good part of the night. I wonder does it get easier? Thoughts of what if no other rescues groups can take in a couple -- where will they go, what will we do, how will we raise the money for medical. Well, that part is stressful. But what's heart breaking is what if we can't save them all? That's what kept me up all night -- the thought of not being able to help all 15 plus the high risk ferals. It weighed so heavy on my heart and mind and it was overwhelming. If we can't take all of them, the remaining cats will end up at a very overcrowded Animal Control (even more crowded than usual due to several large hoarding situations). When I spoke with the couple this evening they asked how many cats we would be able to save. The thought of the remaining cats going to AC is more than they can handle. Well, I can't handle that either. We will pick them all up tomorrow, parse out the ones going to other groups and figure out what to do with the rest. I hope we hear from a couple more rescues tomorrow. Marie is talking with one of the other rescue groups to see if they can take in 1-2. I hope so. We will not let these cats down.
Three minus five equals ?? Hmmm... We adopted out three this weekend and took in five. We took in two sweet ladies - maybe 10-12 months old. They'll go to a foster home tomorrow. I'll get pictures of Callie and Tidbit up soon.
And we took in three new meeps. More little babies without a mama. No idea if mama was killed or just dropped them off somewhere she knew they would be safe and left them, but no mama sighting in several days. Hard to believe something as small as these kittens can make so much noise - wow, they have all got a great set of lungs on them!! I think two girls and one boy - will figure out for sure in a bit.
We stopped by "grandma's" house on the way back from picking them up and they ate a good meal of kitten milk replacement mixed with some kitten canned food and water to make a disgusting sloppy mess but they liked it and ate much more than I thought they would. Then we had little baby baths because they get it everywhere! Messy but super adorable little beasties. Their temporary foster mom is here to pick them up. We need to find a foster home for these three because Daryl does have other fosters - adults, but right now she is able to go home during the day to feed the babies as needed and she can keep them in her bathroom for now. Thanks a bunch Daryl. They did not want to sit still for a picture so we'll get pictures of them up this week too. All black and white (mainly black, with feet, some white elsewhere; two of them have little white "lightning marks" on their noses. Almost twins.
Xanadu and Eclipse -- black kitten and black older kitten - were adopted together. Totally awesome. The family love black cats, which is very exciting.
And the big ol' hunk of love Rascal was adopted. Yipee for him. He is the only cat and since it's been 8 hours since the adoption, I assume he's already spoiled rotten! He's an awesome cat. I will miss him, but I won't miss him hogging the bed at night (big cat who loves to sleep right smack in the middle of the bed -- I wonder if we warned his adoptive mom?!!).
So two black cats and one adult adopted. We are totally pysched!
We need items for our spring yard sale. We are collecting items now through April 17, 2010. Please contact us if you have items you would like to donate and we will arrange pickup or drop-off, as we do have some space to store items. Alley Cats and Angels is a 501c3 non-profit cat rescue. Your donations are tax deductible and we will provide you with a receipt for your taxes. The yard sale is a major source of funds for Alley Cats and Angels. Funds received will help pay for medical care for the cats in our program, as well as help fund our Alter an Alley Cat program which subsidized spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations for cats for lower-income families. We need your help to get enough donated items for our yard sale -- please spread the word to all of your friends. The following items typically sell especially well:
- Furniture
- Lawn/garden accessories and tools
- Tools
- Pottery
- Jewelry
- Electronics and small appliances
- DVDs and books on tape
- Antiques
- Home decor items
- Pet related items
- Children’s items
Please contact us via email at info@alleycatsandangels.org or via phone at 919-303-3500 to arrange pickup or drop-off.
Here are the babies after their "spa treatment" (full bath and blow dry) tonight at their new foster mama's house. This picture was taken before they got all dirty again for late night snack (their last canned food/formula mix feeding before bedtime -- they do pretty good on Royal Canin Baby Kat 34 at night). Aren't they adorable?!
Alley Cats and Angels March Newsletter
Was emailed out today. If you don't subscribe to the newsletter and would like to read it, follow this link: http://www.alleycatsandangels.org/marchemail.htm
This, that, and the other
Well, I think it's gonna be another "year of the tabbies"!! We took in several adults in the past week and you guessed -- all of them are tabbies!
- There's Quinn - Qadira's "brother". Not really her brother, but was her buddy in the same feral colony. He was TNR'd and then it was discovered he is a nice boy - a bit timid, but very sweet so he came to us. We took in Qadira and the other cat was hit by a car the night before, so Quinn was the last and not in a good area. Quinn is a beautiful silver white and black tabby (kind of hard to describe). He's about 1 year old
- There's Picasso named because the "paint brush"/plume at the end of his tail. He was loved at one time you can tell his lion cut is the work of a professional groomer, but his owners moved and left him. So, you have the money to get a cat professionally groomed, but not neutered?! ARGH and a few unprintable words. He's a gorgeous brown tabby that will have medium hair once it's grown in. He's about 9-10 months old
- And today, there's the friendly cat that was dumped in my feral colony. I noticed him the first of last week but have been in a haste to feed after work on my way home so I can change clothes before cleaning the adoption center at Petsmart. I only knew him to be very talkative and he would get kind of close but I thought it was because he was starving -- he would scarf down food like he hadn't eaten in days every night when I fed so I figured the other cats were picking on him and not letting him eat. So I moved his food down about 20 feet from the others. Always in such a hurry but knew he was new and planned on trapping in the next week. I feed and then drive back about 30 feet and watch for a few minutes to do a visual check of which of "my babies" (my ferals are my babies too) are there for dinner time and to look for new ones that need to be TNR'd. Well, this guy is about 1.5-2 years old based on teeth and is super sweet. Did great while holding him while blood was drawn for his FeLV/FIV SNAP test tonight. Purred the whole time while I gave him kisses. Not neutered and looks like he has an umbilical hernia and a possible burn mark in his "armpit" under his front leg -- does not look new and does not look horrible but does look suspicious. Calling vet in the morning. He's a brown tabby and what a talker. He doesn't have a name yet but will soon. This close to St. Paddy's Day, and he's fortunate to have ended up in a managed colony so might name him Lucky.
We took in five adorable 4-week old kittens today. These little ones are orphans -- their mama was run over.
I am loving the digital animal scale so we can weigh them on a regular basis. Their info and today's weights are:
- DSH black - female (12.7 ounces)
- DSH orange tabby - male (15.1 ounces)
- DSH black with some white - female (12.1 ounces)
- DMH orange and white - male (14.9 ounces)
- DMH black and white - male (13.6 ounces)
They are super sweet and loving. And very stinky -- they're always stinky at this age, but the cuteness factor outweighs the stinkiness, I think. They are doing very well for their age. The attached pictures are not good quality because they were taken from my iphone in close quarters and the kittens would not sit still! They are in the bathtub right now with a snuggle kitty complete with heartbeat and warmer.
We're not holding an adoption event tomorrow so it was just today. However, Pierre was adopted today. He's an adult cat, he's black and white (more black than white) and he has a cropped ear (not negatives in my book, but those are negatives in many people's eyes) and he was adopted at his first adoption event. Way to go Pierre. Of course his absolutely fantastic personality had nothing to do with it, we're sure - *wink, wink*. Way to let your purr-sonality shine buddy. YAY!!
Check out the Faces of Rescue project by talented local artist, Olga Wagner.
Starting March 15th, she will paint portrait of 1 CAT per DAY for 100 DAYS. Each painting will be done in oils on 8x8 canvas or panel and will be available for purchase for $75.00 with 50% of the proceeds donated to Safe Haven for Cats and Alley Cats and Angels. The project is open to any rescued cat. You can read more about the project and see a portfolio of Olga's paintings (including a painting of Alley Cats and Angels' handsome mancat, Jasper) at http://owagner.fineartstudioonline.com/other2.
