$50 adoption special - Saturday, July 31

We have lots and lots and lots of kittens looking for their forever homes.  We are holding three adoption events this Saturday, July 31st and the adoption fee is only $50.00.  That's about $300 worth of vet care for only $50.   

All cats have received the following medical:

• Wellness exam
• Tested for FeLV/FIV
• Treated for intestinal parasites, fleas, and ear mites
• FVRCP initial vaccination and booster vaccination
• FeLV initial vaccination and booster vaccination
• Spay/Neuter
• Microchipped with Home Again microchips with shelter paid registration

Come see us and the kittens at one of the following events on Saturday, July 31, 2010:

• PetSmart Capital Blvd/Millbrook (Raleigh) from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM - we will be set up in front of the cat adoption center
• PetSmart Garner Timber Drive from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• PetSmart Knightdale from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM - we will be set up in front of the cat adoption center

Some of the cats/kittens attending the adoption events:

• PetSmart Capital Blvd/Millbrook (Raleigh): Lee, Wrangler, Jordache, Jaga, YumYum, Hunter, Abby, Woody, Bo Peep, and Jesse
• PetSmart Garner Timber Drive: Tigger Sue, Hawaii, California, Carolina, Sari, Snuggles, and Sneaky
• PetSmart Knightdale: Oklahoma, Utah, Panthro, Kano, Tygra, Damien, Dora, Ditzy, Zena, and Ian

Tigger Sue loves her mousey

Tigger Sue doesn't seem to have a care in the world at the adoption event last weekend.  In fact, she snoozed through a good portion of it with her head on her little furry mouse.  Too cute!

Are you interested in fostering?

Learn more about fostering for Alley Cats and Angels in this blog entry from one of our foster homes.

http://bluevelvetant.blogspot.com/2010/07/foster-kitty-city.html

We love positive feedback

Below is an email from one of our adopters to one of our supporters; thank you for the kind words.  

This is why we rescue and why we work so hard for the feral cats and kittens born into feral colonies.  Over 95% of the kittens in our adoption program are born in feral colonies. Sometimes the kittens come to us as early as a few days old or a few weeks old, sometimes they are pushing 9 weeks and it's more time and work to socialize, but it's worth it. We work hard with the caregivers to help spay/neuter the feral cats so no more kittens.  Systematic spay/neuter is the only way to help end overpopulation.

The Alley Cats & Angels program is so wonderful – they’ve figured out a way to address the overpopulation of feral cats in a truly caring manner, both for the adult ferals AND the babies (giving the babies a chance at a domesticated life that is far safer and happier than they EVER would have had otherwise).

Thank for being a part of the organization that brought us such a sweet new addition to our family (and for keeping her from becoming just another wild feral cat whose lifespan could likely be counted in days instead of years)!

Meet the Blue Jean Babies

These babies were rescued from the back deck of an empty house back in May when we got a call from a realtor that found them.  The kittens were around 3.5 weeks old and were very sickly and malnourished.  They went to a foster home where they were bottle fed until they were well enough to eat on their own and then moved to a different foster home.  Lee is one of the kittens that went to the specialist at Animal Eye Care when she was only about 7 weeks old and she had cataracts - but the vet thought it might resolve on its own as she continued to receive proper nutrition. 

These four will be spayed/neutered and receive the rest of their vetting tomorrow.  They are now big and strong and healty and available for adoption after the weekend. 
Levi is the black kitten, Wrangler is the grey creme tabby and Lee and Jordache are the dilute torbies -- they are practically twins.

Twin is searching for her forever home...

Twin is the beautiful dilute torbie who was born and raised on the grounds of a local prison.  The inmates named her Twin because she had a twin brother, but unfortunately Animal Control got him.  We were lucky enough to be able to take in this stunning beauty and her babies (the Thundercats kittens).  She has the most soft luxurious fur and big beautiful eyes.  Twin is very friendly, gentle and loving.  But adoption events are quite stressful for her. 

If you have room in your heart and home for this lovely lady, please contact us today.  Twin is a low maintenance kind of girl and would do fine in any home.  Twin really hopes she doesn't have to attend any more adoption events.

Oklahoma says "adopt me please"

Oklahoma is hamming it up for the camera and working hard to get everyone's attention to help him and his buddy, Utah, find a forever home.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8shsaFktYXM

How many toes?!!

Meet the Mordecai kittens -- they were found in the Mordecai area of Raleigh, born to a feral mom who was injured and had to have her back leg amputated.   Mom is named Jules and is being recovered by one of our TNR Task Force leaders, Marie P, and has a safe place to be relocated to once she is fully recovered.  As you can see, Jules has lots of toes and that's a trait she passed on to all but one of her pretty children. 

The Mordecai kittens are now 7 weeks old and their foster mom, Patti, has done a great job with them.  They came to us four hissing, spitting bundles of fur and they are now well adjusted, happy kittens.  However, we do need a new foster home for these four as Patti is headed out of town for an extended period of time.  If you have a spare room and can foster these four, please email us today (info@alleycatsandangels.org).  Thank you.

Jules - mama cat, several weeks after surgery

Khrisna (extra toes but you can't see them here)

Rama (look at those toes!!)

(Sita is the only one without extra toes)

Vishnu (he's all toes - I mean look at those feet!!)

Great week for the cats

Adoption News
We adopted out six kittens this past weekend.  All of the Star Wars kittens (Artoo, Chewie, Leia, and Luke) were adopted their first weekend attending adoption events.  New Bern and Django were also adopted. 

We had 11 more kittens spayed last week and about that many will be done this week so new kittens are always available.  Oklahoma and Utah put on quite a show in the adoption center and I'm very surprised they didn't get adopted so fingers crossed that this week will be their week.  And I'm a bit stumped as to why little "bunny butt" hasn't been adopted yet. Zena, our manx, is just fantastic.  Bo Peep is a manx also and was spayed Friday the 23rd so she'll be available for adoption this weekend.

Feral Cat Assistance/TNR News
Our TNR Task Force TNR'd almost 10 cats this week.  Great work Tricia and Marie P., the kitties would say thank you if they could.

Buttercup adopted

Beautiful and sweet Buttercup went to her new home last night.  An adult cat - yay!  Buttercup was found near a convenience store with five kittens and the owners/operators were going to have Animal Control remove her (nasty people, I will run out of gas before I give that place any business).  Fortunately, someone was able to take her and her babies in until we had space for her.  Poor Buttercup had to have a  BB removed from her back hip area; there are so many evil people out there. 

It's not often an adult cat is adopted before her babies.  But they aren't ready yet, they are only 9 weeks old.   Buttercup's babies are the E babies  - Eddie, Edmund, Edwina, Endora, and Esmeralda.  I like to call Esmeralda "possum" because of how she looks.  Hey, possums are right up there cats (well almost up there) in my critter list.  I love possums.  

Come meet us this week in the Petsmart Knightdale Adoption Center (July 19-26)

Twin (born at a local prison and protected her babies from other cats until she could be rescued)

Django: 3 months old - born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

Damien: 3 months old - born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

Ditzy: 3 months old - born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

Diva: 3 months old - born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

Dora: 3 months old - born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

New Bern: 3 months old, found injured and alone alongside the interstate by a family traveling back from the beach

Ian: 4 months old: born to a feral mom who has since been TNR'd

Oklahoma: 3 months old, born in a trap minutes after mama cat was trapped for spay, mom has since been TNR'd

Utah: born to a feral mom and rescued only a few days after being born.  Mom has since been TNR'd

Updates on some of our adopted babies

Below are a few updates on some of our recently adopted babies.  Karen does a great job following up with all of our adopters.  I honestly don't know how we ever managed without her.  She keeps all the medical records straight, keeps us on track for who is due for vaccinations when, who is due for spay/neuter, takes the vet info and creates the health records that go home with the cats, created and maintains the database, fosters cats/kittens, helps out at adoption and other events, and pretty much anything else we need help with.  She's just fantastic and we are lucky to have her volunteer with us.

Bessie and Bandit: Hi, Bessie and Bandit are a delight and they have adjusted very well to our household. Bessie is such a lovable kitten we really enjoy all her snuggles. In fact, she is so cuddly that my husband has claimed her as 'his' cat because he says she purrs loudest for him. Bandit is great fun and has had us all laughing so many times with his anticks. they have both made friends with our other cats and our dog (I know they would) and we are so happy to have adopted them both. There names are going to stay Bessie and Bandit. I do want to thank you and your organization for what you do. To many people are too busy with their lives to take the time to see that they could help and even fewer people are willing to give freely of their time to do so. It makes me feel so good to be part of a community where there are people who care. Thank you all for what you do and thank you for saving Bessie and Bandit.

Isaak Newton has apparently settled in wonderfully. He's doing great and getting along fine with their other cat. She said though she has always previously gotten her cats from shelters she will not do that again because she thinks the foster home care that Isaak received is key to how well-socialized he is.  She says she is telling everyone she knows about Alley Cats and Angels and how wonderful the cats are.

Adoptions this weekend

Montana, Nevada (aka Princess Girl Cat), and Madeira were all adopted this weekend. 

Montana and Nevada were part of the US States kittens -- the kittens from the mobile home park where we TNR'd over 23 adult cats.  Some of the kittens were born within hours of the mama cats being trapped, and some were born in the trap just minutes after mama was trapped.  And then some were born before their mamas were trapped but we were able to get the kittens and the mamas.

Madeira came from a backyard feral colony and was to be TNR'd but we discovered how sweet she was.  At 12-13 weeks old, that's quite a miracle.  She did have a cropped ear because she was trapped the night before her spay and it was only her spay did we realize she was adoptable.  So for Madeira, the cropped ear was just a different kind of beauty mark.

Please donate to the kitten medical fund

We have 65 kittens in our adoption program that are coming up on their spay/neuter dates.  Adoptions have somewhat slow probably due to summer vacations.  We have a 100% spay/neuter before adoption policy with no exceptions.   Also, Cassie, our kitten with upper eyelid agenesis is ready to start treatment for her eyes at Animal Eye Care.  Please make a donation today to help us with all these medical costs.  Thank you.

Alley Cats and Angels is an all volunteer rescue group - we have no paid salaries or overhead expenses. All money donated goes directly to care for the cats. Please donate today. Thank you.

E Girls Gone Wild!!

Just some amusing pictures of the a couple of the E kittens to make you laugh today.

Cassie and CeCe playing ball

One of our adopters (and now, foster moms) donated a video camera to us.  Attached is our very first video.  We'll take the video camera around to the foster homes and get more videos taken and posted.  Watching cats in action sometimes provides great insight into their personalities that don't always come through in writing profiles.  Remember, Cassie is our upper eyelid agenesis kitten.  Cassie is having fun playing ball and CeCe is having fun playing with Cassie's tail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQrFl4W7eA

Meet the E kittens

Their foster mom describes the E's as energetic, entertaining, exceptional, exuberant, effervescent, and endearing.  I would like to add that a couple of them are animal impersonators.  The E kittens and their mom, Buttercup, were found living behind a little convenience store and the owners demanded the cats be removed.  Fortunately someone took them in until we could take them.  Buttercup has already found her forever home.  

Eddie

Edmund

Edwina (ok, come on, don't you think she looks a little bit like a koala bear? It's all those tufts of hair!) 

Endora

Esmeralda (doing her best possum impression!!)

Adoption Update

Bailey and Meredith Grey (both kittens from the Grey's Anatomy kitten litter) and Hayley Mills (our little one eyed princess) were adopted this week/weekend.

And we have several applications in on other kittens. 

Why Foster?

"They" say a picture is worth a thousand words.  But this picture doesn't need a thousand words to show you why you should foster.  Want love and adoration from a furry feline friend but don't want a long-term committment?  Fostering is perfect! 

Below "Princess Girl Cat" (name yet to be determined but I think Jill is leaning towards Nevada) is smitten with her foster mom, Jill.  And Jill is quite smitten with "Princess Girl Cat".

Meet Tao

Unfortunately, with over 120 cats in our adoption program, we have had to close intake.  Actually intake was closed except for extenuating circumstances and there were so many that we went from 60 cats in the program to 85 to 122.  It is with very heavy hearts that we realized we do have to close intake completely at this time.  It's not rescue if you take in more than you can take care of and fully vet to the high and standards we have set for our rescue.  So I'm just slowly introducing the cats we've taken in in the past few weeks/months as we get pictures and write-ups from their foster home.

This is Tao.  He's a very handsome Flame Point Siamese mix who is approximately 4 months old.


Hello all… my name is Tao. As you can see I am one handsome little guy.  If you are looking for a laid back, soft spoken (meows in kitty language) kitty, then I am your man. I even sat perfectly still during my picture taking session for my foster mom so everyone could see what a nice guy I really am. Okay, I’m a ham at heart…but a sweet one.  After getting cleaned up from my ride under the hood of a pick-up truck my rescuer, realized what a sweet and cute little guy I am.  I purr when you hold me close and I love to lay on my back and have you give me a tummy rub. I also play well with other fellow cats.

Faces of Rescue Project Still Going Strong

Olga Wagner is painting portraits of rescue cats and raising money for local cat rescues.  Each painting will be done in oils on an 8"x8" panel and will be available for purchase with 50% of the proceeds donated to Alley Cats and Angels, Safe Haven for Cats, and Paws for Ever.  The project is open to any rescued cats.

You can track the progress of this wonderful project - the Faces of Rescue project - on Olga's blog at http://catclawsstudio.blogspot.com/.  Alley Cats and Angels' own handsome mancat, Jasper, is the face of the Faces of Rescue Project (Jasper is still searching for his forever home, visit our website at www.alleycatsandangels.org for more information on Jasper).

These paintings will make a great fit to a fellow animal lover (or for yourself) and they are real paintings - not sketches, or prints, but oil paintings.  And they are gorgeous!  Can't beat the price at $75 for an original oil painting.  I have Lambchop's painting hanging up in the house and I swear she gloats at the other cats because her picture is on the wall! 

A big thanks to Olga Wagner, Cat Claws Studio, for doing such a wonderful project and supporting the cats in this area. 

Meet "Mini Kitty"

On Sunday, June 27th during our adoption event at Petsmart, we were given a sweet little kitten.  The kitten was found under a grill.  The lady that found her is pregnant, moving, and was overwhelmed so she left her with us.  When Jill and Dan came to pick up Hugh from the adoption event, they went home with something a little extra (the little kitten for quarantine in the hall bathroom).  Jill started called her Lagniappe,  which means a little something extra.  We all thought cute name, let's go with it, until hubby kept calling kitten "little lap dance" (I must admit Lagniappe is hard to remember/pronounce and calling her "little lap dance" is hysterically funny).  So until her real name is decided, she's now called Mini Kitty. 

Mini Kitty is a sweet little girl that won't stop purring and is now 6.5 weeks old.  She's a beautiful brown marble tabby with white bib and feet.

Meet Dharma

Dharma is 8 weeks old and has a fractured back leg.  She is currently being cared for by Dr. Jenny Bennett at Wake Forest Animal Hospital and we will pick her up tomorrow.  She'll go to the vet weekly for her leg but it is believed it can be saved by splinting/casting it and that amputation will not be required.  So fingers crossed and warm thoughts everyone, we want this little girl to keep all four of her legs.  However, should amputation be required, she will adjust and get along just fine.  Dharma is picture below making air biscuits because she's such a little love bug.  And she's definitely all girl in her pink cast. 

Big thanks to Dr. Jenny Bennett and Wake Forest Animal Hospital.

Hot Diggity....Iggy was adopted

Iggy was adopted by a nice young couple Monday.  He'll have two big kitty sisters to keep him company (or keep him in line!).  This boy truly had some spectacular markings and is a very sweet boy.

Adoption update

Bennie was adopted yesterday.  He's a sassy little orange and white tabby kitten about 3.5 months old.  His sisters will miss him, but he was adopted by a wonderful family with two children and two other cats.

50/50 Raffle Fundraiser - Please Help Support the Cats

Alley Cats and Angels is holding a 50/50 raffle to benefit our medical/surgical fund. We have had thousands of dollars in non-routine medical/surgical procedures this year, with more to come as Cassie becomes old enough for the procedure for her eyes (she will be old enough in approximately 1-1.5 months). 

The winner of the raffle will receive a cash prize equal to 50% of the total ticket sales. Tickets are 1 for $5.00 or 5 for $20.00 and are on sale now through August 14th. Please see attached flyer for more information. http://www.alleycatsandangels.org/50-50Raffle.pdf

Some of our unexpected expenses this year include:

• Zammie, multiple vet visits and full diagnostic workup and finally surgery.  Zammie has Ehlors-Danlos Syndrome and his vet care so far is over $750 this year
• Hayley Mills, our little miracle girl who was a little less than 2 weeks old and only weighed half a pound had to have emergency surgery to remove a ruptured eye.
• Cassie, another "occular unicorn" has upper eyelid agenesis -- meaning she has no upper eyelids.  We knew Cassie had this condition when we took her in but we could not turn her away even though we knew she would have huge medical expenses.  Cassie has some vision in her eyes and in order to preserve that vision, per the specialist at Animal Eye Care once she is old enough (3-4 months old), we can start her medical to save her eyesight (first step is removing the hair around the eyes that irritates the eyes since there are no eyelids to protect the eyes.  Next step is creating (either from excess skin or cryogenically) upper eyelids and surgery and follow-on care.
• CeCe (otherwise known as itty bitty cow kitty) is Cassie's sibling and has been to the vet three times in one week and had to undergo a surgical procedure a couple of weeks ago.  She will need continued care to get her healthy.  Her medical to date is over $500.
• Meredith Grey, one of the Grey's Anatomy kittens had surgery for an encapsulated hernia and required a partial bowel resection.  Her surgery was almost $500.

We do not turn away the medical cases if we have room to take them in.  However, we need to raise money so we can continue to get them the quality medical care they need and deserve.  Please help support the cats and buy some raffle tickets.  And please ask your friends and co-workers to buy some.  IT'S ALL FOR THE CATS.

Adoptions last night

Webber (handsome medium haired black kitten) and Isis (pretty little petite gray tabby with white) were adopted together last night.  Although we think they are almost the same age (based on estimated age at intake), they are not litter mates.  But they played and snuggled with each other very well at the adoption center so it is a good pairing.

We are happy for the kitties and we're sure Victoria and her family will be very happy with these two wonderful kittens.  I did warn them about kittens and forehead soccer in the middle of the night.  :-)

A HUGE THANK YOU to our foster homes and volunteers

The board of directors and cats of Alley Cats and Angels would like to thank all of our foster homes and volunteers. When we started in 2008, we had three foster homes, now we have over two dozen with more foster applications coming in.  We started with maybe five volunteers and now we have quite a few (I didn't count them, sorry). As cliched as it sounds, we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Without you, we could not save as many cats as we have. 

Whether you foster one cat/kitten or you foster six, you make a difference.  We can take in cats because you care enough to foster.  You open your hearts and homes to the cats and you help us save lives.

And volunteers who don't foster also make it possible for us to do what we do.  Without the volunteers helping our adoption counselors staff adoption events, keeping the cats clean when we are in the Petsmart adoption centers, doing follow-up calls to fosters and adopted cats, keeping the best financial records around (our treasurer is fantastic!), doing all the paperwork and keeping us organized, transporting cats to and from vet appointments, and helping raise money, we wouldn't be able to help all the cats we do.  You also help us save lives.