The "Weather Girls"

Yesterday, we introduced you to Sunny, the Siamese mix with a hole in her head.  Dr. Jodi said she did really well today with the procedure on her head.  Because the area cannot be completely closed, Sunny will need to stay at the vets for about a week so she special wet-to-dry bandages can be applied, which will help encourage tissue growth.

The other three kittens are tabbies and we've dubbed the litter the "Weather Girls" - Sunny, Stormy, Cloudy, and Windy. There are two very "floofy" tabbies and one short-haired tabby.  They received the full spa treatment (baths, ear cleaning and ear drops (terrible mites), claws clipped, etc.) last night after being examined by the vet and they were not at all appreciative.  Their foster mom took one picture which she dubbed "Windy and the silent scream".  See below. 

Sunny

The Weather Girls chilling in a carrier

Windy and the silent scream (look at those big ears!!)

Photo Series: "Things Gretel is Small Enough To Do"

Gretel only weighs about half a pound, she's a very small girl.  We have two different estimated ages by two different vets so we're going with some place in the middle and thinking 5.5 weeks. Gretel is so small that her foster mom took a series of photos of "things Gretel is small enough to do". 

Here, she is small enough to get "beat up" by her brother, even though he himself weighs less than a pound! (Hansel is actually a very good brother and a sweet baby--he just loves to play.)

Here, she is small enough to sit inside a coffee mug!

Here, she is small enough to listen to some tunes from a My Little Pony-sized boom box!

Meet Sunny...with a chance

There's a television show on the Disney Channel called "Sonny with a Chance", well, this little kitten is named Sunny and after several weeks of working to get her turned over to our care and finally succeeding, she is now Sunny with a Chance.

Sunny and her siblings, three pretty tabby kittens, were born to a feral mom and were finally relinquished into our care.  Sunny has a head trauma with some part of the skull visible.  However, other than her head, she appears to be healthier than her siblings.  Her siblings are terribly underweight for their age.  Sunny and her siblings have an appointment with Dr. Jodi at Harmony Animal Hospital today so we can work on getting these babies all healthy and happy and then find them great homes.  Pictures of the tabby siblings forthcoming.

Alley Cats and Angels Announces 110th Spay/Neuter Surgery Through Alter an Alley Cat Program

The Alter an Alley Cat spay / neuter assistance program has subsidized 110 spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations this year, and we still have 3 months to go! In addition, 16 cats were sponsored on our 2010 Spay Day (100% of expenses were paid by AC&A). And on October 14th, Alley Cats and Angels will be sponsoring our first $10 Spay Day for feral cats in honor of National Feral Cat Day.

The Alter an Alley Cat program paid 100% of expenses for 90% of the surgeries performed, with the remaining 10% subsidized at varying percentages.

Alley Cats and Angels is extremely proud of this achievement. We’re a small rescue, but we are making a BIG difference in the lives of Triangle, NC and surrounding area cats.

Alley Cats and Angels’ Alter an Alley Cat Program provides subsidized spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations for cats owned by low-income/hardship families and feral cats whose caretakers have limited incomes. People requesting spay/neuter assistance are referred to us by our website, feral cat caregivers, veterinarians, AnimalKind, Spay NC Hotline, and other rescue groups. Our Alter an Alley Cat Program is just another example of our commitment to help end pet overpopulation.

Cassie, a super sweet one-eyed kitten, is searching for her forever home

Sweet sweet Cassie is fully recovered from her eye surgery and is looking for her forever home. Cassie is about 5 months old - her estimated date of birth is April 22, 2010.

Cassie's story from her point of view: I was found with my sister CeCe, locked in the attic of a house being remodeled, when we were just a couple of weeks old. CeCe looked fine, but even when I was a tiny little thing it was clear there was something wrong with my eyes. They had something called eyelid agenesis (which means my eyelids were not properly formed), and my right eye was small and cloudy. The doctors at the eye hospital suspected I could not see out of my right eye, and recommended that once I was old enough I have a procedure to help keep the hair growing above my eyes from irritating them. I never let my poor eyesight slow me down, though. I love chasing balls and string toys and anything that moves. To look at how I play you would not know there was anything different about my eyesight. Just as I got old enough to have surgery, my right eye began to swell and develop glaucoma. The doctors then said I had definitely had no sight in that eye, and recommended removing it. So when I went in for my eye surgery the right one was removed and the left one had the procedure to help keep the hair out of my eyes: now I'm a pirate kitty! I have fully recovered from my eye surgery and am now ready to find my permanent home - my sister CeCe has already found hers and I don't want to be too far behind! When I'm not playing like a wild child, I like to settle down near foster mom and keep her company, I sleep on the bed with her at night too. I'm not always fond of being held, but I do like attention and will purr when foster mom I get petted.


It is possible that Cassie may need an additional surgery on her left eye in the next few months but the specialists at Animal Eye Care said it is too soon to tell. If Cassie does require additional surgery, the surgery wil be fully funded by Alley Cats and Angels so please don't let that stop you from considering adding her to your family.

Cassie - really not that big, just looks like it in the picture!

Adoptions this weekend

A bit slower this weekend than the past several weekends, but still a good weekend.  One adult and three kittens were adopted this weekend:  Parker, Dharma, Sita, and Edwina.

Donors - thank you, you do make a big difference

With the economy struggling, donations have been way down, but our donors still come through for the cats.  Donations trickle in, $10 here, $20 there.  A recent donation of $15 was accompanied by a note of "I'm sorry, I wish I could do more, but it's all we can afford right now".  Please don't feel sorry, that $15 donation covered vaccinations for 2 cats through our Alter an Alley Cat fund, or one FeLV/FIV test kit, or one microchip.  Those "small" donations add up.  Five $10 donations will sponsor a spay/neuter of a feral cat or cat owned by family with limited income.  Your donations, how matter the size, make an incredible difference in the lives of the cats in the Triangle, NC area.

Because of your generous donations (and some fundraising), we don't have to hesitate to send an animal to a specialist.  Our cats get all the medical care they need, no matter how costly.  Because of your donations:

• We were able to co-sponsor a spay day in February (with Paw Prints Animal Rescue) that spayed/neutered 9 dogs and 16 cats
• We are able to hold a $10 spay for feral cats in honor of National Feral Cat Day (for 12 cats)
• We have been able to spay/neuter and vacciante 99 cats (as of yesterday, 9/23/10) through our Alter an Alley Cat program.  Of these, over 90% were fully funded by Alley Cats and Angels and about 6% were subsidized at 50-75% by Alley Cats and Angels
• We have been able to take in and fully treat cats with severe medical issues

Words cannot quite express our extreme gratitude for all of these donations. All I can really say is a most heartfelt thank you. And to let our donors know that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Update on Xerox

Hi, Hope all is going well. Wanted to let you know Xerox is doing GREAT.....I brought my cat tower down from the attic this weekend and he loves it....it has one of the sisal poles and he really enjoys that. He has really settled in and my entire family loves him....they come to visit him and not me. My friends say I have spoiled him, and I tell them NO his foster mom spoiled him ...I am just picking up where she left off. I promise you I will get some pics of him and send to you soon. I tell everyone what wonderful organization you have.

He is truly the sweetest cat I have ever had. He is so smart...He already has the run of the house while I am at work. I come home everyday to check on him at lunch.

It's been a hard couple of weeks

Yes, we've had fantastic adoptions, but we've had some losses as well.  And those are always hard - it doesn't matter if we've had the cats 2 minutes or 2 months, it really still hurts all the same and it rips a little piece of your heart out everytime. 

Not quite two weeks ago, we took in a mama and her three 4-week old babies.  Right away it was apparent that one of the babies was definitely not thriving and something was wrong with him, so the priority was vet care.  Upon examination, some of the one kitten's internal organs were not where they should be and at four weeks old, he was about the size of a 1.5 week old kitten.  I hoped he could be "fixed" with surgery but he was so little and in such bad shape that surgery was not an option, so we had to make the hard decision to have him put to sleep. 

Late this past Sunday, we took in an itty bitty orphaned orange kitten (about 3-days old) from animal control.  We had a nursing mom so it was good for the kitten.  The kitten went to the vet early yesterday and stayed the night (well, Jennifer, the goddess of vet techs at Harmony, took him home and took care of him overnight).  As of last night, he was going to have part of his foot/leg amputated today, even though he was tiny, it had to be done.  But as of mid-morning today, he was not doing well at all and appeared to have other serious health issues, and it was decided it was in his best interest to end his suffering.  We were prepared to do whatever needed to be done medically and surgically (that's why we fundraise, I don't ever want to not be able to take a cat solely because we can't afford extended medical care), but it just wasn't an option anymore.  Little boy was with us such a short time he didn't even have a name.  That makes me want to cry even harder.  But at least we were able to help end his suffering and he's not in pain anymore.  

We'd like to thank the absolutely wonderful Dr. Jodi Reed for her incredible care of our rescue kitties and also for letting us know when we need to make the decision.  And thank you to all the staff at Harmony Animal Hospital for your loving care of the babies. 

It's a sad day today, but sometimes knowing it's time to "let them go" is the best thing for the cats.  But it sure doesn't really make it any easier when they are gone.

Meet Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel were found on a local college campus after a big rain storm.  They seemed to have been seperated from their mother during the storm, but then no signs of mama.  Some wonderful students took them in, took them to the vet, and cared for them until they could find a rescue to take them.  After a bath this weekend, they were sent to their new they went to their foster home where they are being showered with attention.  Gretel is the little black kitten and she is smaller than her brother and a little more needy, so we wanted to find a foster home that was home during the day (their foster mom works from home so this is good).  They are about 6 weeks old and super cute and on their way to getting healthy. 

Gretel

Hansel

Nathan Junior's Extreme Makeover

Upon rescue/intake (August 11): sicky and sticky:

Picture taken September 19:  all healthy, handsome, and ready for adoption:

Another fantastic weekend

Another wonderful adoption weekend this weekend.  Nine cats/kittens were adopted this weekend: Tygra and Bennie were adopted together, Tigger Sue, Eddie, Edmund, Snuggles, Arizona, Darla, and Vishnu.

Congratulations to the kits that found new homes this weekend and to their adopters on a wonderful addition to their family.

Even Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Support Feral Cats

Great article about Disneyland after hours - page 2 (excerpt below) describes the Park's policy on feral cats - they TNR (trap-neuter-return).  How awesome is that?! Disneyland - you rock!!  Next time I'm in California, I'm going to Disneyland! http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/02/business/la-fi-cover-disney-20100502/2

Park workers have also found a resourceful way to remove other unwanted guests — rodents. Years ago — no one seems to know when — feral cats began to sneak into the park, living among the park's trees and shrubs during the day. At night, they venture out, and an estimated 200 cats now prowl through Disneyland and neighboring California Adventure Park.  "We are not trying to get rid of them," said Gina Mayberry, manager of Disneyland's Circle D ranch, where the park's animals are housed. "They keep the rodent population down." But instead of evicting the cats, Disneyland's animal wranglers work to control the feline population by spaying and neutering the adult cats and finding homes for all kittens born in the resort. The cats eat at five permanent feeding stations installed throughout the two parks.

Come visit us tomorrow at Whole Foods, Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC

Just a reminder that our TNR Task Force Leaders be at the Whole Foods (Wade Ave. Raleigh) Friday, Sept. 17) from 12:30-6P.

They will be handing out info on feral cats and TNR, answering questions, and collecting donations of cat food.  All cat food will be distributed to lower income feral cat caregivers.

We'll also be collecting monetary donations for our Alter an Alley Cat Fund. Donations will help offset the cost of our $10 spay for ferals on our October 14th clinic, as well as the spay/neuter of free roaming cats and cats owned by people with low-incomes.

Thank you for your support.

Update on one of our adopted cats

We received a wonderful update on Django (now named Peter Pan).  Peter Pan, is the black kitten below. He's about 5 months old now. I just love how Captain Hook is washing Peter Pan's head in this picture.

"Recently we adopted Peter Pan from you at the Pet Smart in Knightdale. I just wanted to write to tell you that he is the perfect addition to our family. I've enclosed a picture of him with our other cat, CPT Hook. They play all the time and are the best of friends. Peter Pan is so affectionate and not just to one of us, but all of us. He gets me up in the morning and goes to wake up my kids for school with me. He will follow me down the hall and run into their room, jump on their bed, and nudge them until they wake up. Thank you so much for all that you do. He is truly a God-send."

Super Adoption Weekend was a Big Success

Alley Cats and Angels held seven adoption events from Friday night to yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.  Seventeen (17) cats and kittens were adopted and we have several more applications as a result of the adoption events. 

News 14 Carolina came by the Capital/Millbrook location yesterday and took some video of the kittens playing and a did an interview with one of our volunteers.  Dana did a great interview - only a small snipet of the interview actually made it on the air but some great shots of the cats, our banner, and another volunteer talking with potential adopters (family submitted an online application later that day - they want to adopt two sibling brothers, preferrably tabbies, so we'll arrange a meet and greet with some good matches in the next few days).

Thank you to everyone that worked the adoption events this weekend.  We really appreciate it, as do the cats.  And thank you to our adopters. 

The following cats and kittens were adopted: Levi, Lion-o, Twin, Sneaky, Roo, Katie, Taffy, Jasper, Toothless, Piglet, Rainbow Sherbert, California, Hawaii, Xerox, CeCe, Lee, and Wrangler.

Alley Cats and Angels Super Adoption Weekend - September 10-12, 2010

Alley Cats and Angels and Paw Prints Animal Rescue have partnered together for PetSmart's National Adoption Weekend (September 10-12, 2010) to offer lots of opportunities to help you find your newest family member. We have lots of wonderful rescued animals wanting to meet you. We will have lots of cats and kittens and dogs and puppies over a three-day super adoption event at three area local PetSmart stores (PetSmart Apex, PetSmart Capital Boulevard, and PetSmart Knightdale). Our goal is to help the many rescued animals in our program find their desperately needed special home.

With our expanded hours including Friday night, Saturday extended hours and Sunday hours, we hope that we will be able to help you find your special new family member so that we can continue our mission of rescuing other homeless animals.

• Friday, September 10, 2010, 5PM to 8PM: PetSmart Capital Boulevard/Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC
• Friday, September 10, 2010, 6PM to 9PM: PetSmart Apex, NC
• Saturday, September 11, 2010, 11AM to 2PM: PetSmart Knightdale, NC
• Saturday, September 11, 2010, 11AM to 4PM: PetSmart Capital Boulevard/Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC
• Saturday, September 11, 2010, 1PM to 4PM: PetSmart Apex, NC
• Sunday, September 12, 2010, 12PM to 4PM: PetSmart Capital Boulevard/Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC

Adoption fees have been reduced to only $50 for National Adoption Weekend! All cats available for adoption by Alley Cats and Angels are fully vetted (medical care is a $250 value).

So, which cats will be where this weekend?  Below is a list of cats that will be at each event (additional cats may attending some of the events):

• PetSmart Apex: Edmund, Endora, Slinky, Sari, Snuggles, Sneaky, and Shannon Rose
• PetSmart Knightdale: Eddie, Edwina, Bennie, Xerox, Zena, Tigger Sue
• PetSmart Capital: Ditzy, Darla, Demi, Parker, Levi, Wrangler, Lee, Ian, Arizona, Pooh, Roo, Charlie Girl, Twin, Jessie, Tygra, Pachina, Suzie

National Feral Cat Day

October 16 is National Feral Cat Day, as it has become known internationally by animal rescuers, thanks to the committed efforts of Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/). It is a day to recognize the growing problems of feral cats, and their place in our lives whether we are aware of it or not. However, National Feral Cat Day is more than just thinking about the problem, it is a day of action.

Since 2010 is National Feral Cat Day’s 10th Anniversary, it only seems appropriate that Alley Cats and Angels (http://www.alleycatsandangels.org/) celebrate the day in “tens”. We will be holding a $10 spay/neuter clinic on Thursday, October 14 for ten feral cats whose caregivers cannot afford the cost of spay/neuter.  Caregivers must live in Wake County. 

People requesting assistance will be required to fill out a spay/neuter assistance request form (http://alleycatsandangels.org/neuterform.htm) so we can determine those that most need our help. Appointments will be made for the cats selected (based on biggest need) and we will start a wait list of the other applications and work to help them in the following weeks and months as funds are available in our Alter an Alley Cat fund.

Cute pictures

We managed to snap a couple cute pictures this weekend of the cats on the tabletops at the adoption event.  The first is of Jessie, the last Toy Story kitten using her little stuffed animal as a pillow.  The other picture is Roo and Arizona snuggling together.  Roo has his arm around Arizona protecting her from whatever she needed to be protected from!  Very cute.

Adoption Update

Well, we thought it might be a slow weekend for adoptions with the holiday and the SPCA doing $30 adoptions (and $5 for special adult cats), but four cats/kittens were adopted over the holiday weekend.  Congratulations to Woody, Tao, Luci, and Esmeralda on finding great homes. 

Set your VCRs - one of our adopted cats is going to be on television!

The attached picture of one of our adopted cats (Biscuit) and her forever mommy is going to be featured in a Fancy Feast commerical on the “The View” on September 13. Congratulations to Kate and Biscuit.

Biscuit was the first cat Kate and Justin adopted from Alley Cats and Angels. They adopted another kitten from us in January of this year and also volunteer with us on a regular basis.

http://theview.abc.go.com/photos/best-feline-friend?photo=2

My cat's name is Biscuit! She is the sweetest little thing with an occasional sassy edge. My husband and I rescued her from a wonderful local organization. She has made us laugh so many times due to the crazy things she does!" -- Katelyn, Raleigh, NC

Cassie is recovering nicely

Little Cassie had secondary glaucoma in her right eye, which causes loss of vision (some or all) and sometimes pain.  When she went in to the animal eye specialist on 8/27, she had marked damage to her optic nerve and globe enlargement and permanent loss of vision in her right eye and surgery was scheduled for 9/2. 

On Tuesday, 8/31, Cassie had emergency surgery as she was in definite pain.  Paying the extra fee for emergency surgery was well worth it - we don't want any animal to suffer. 

Cassie had eye enucleation (removal) and an orbital implant for her right eye.  On her left eye, eyelid agenesis cryoepilation was performed.  Her left eyelids will be swollen for several weeks and she is holding that eye partially closed due to swelling.  We have lots of meds from the doctor - eye lubricant, pain meds, and antibiotics to help minimize pain, inflammation and infection and keeping her eye well lubricated will help ease some of her discomfort.

Cassie is actually much smaller than she appears to be in the below pictures.  She's about 4 - 4.5 months now.

It's getting to be that time of year - time to collect items and plan for our fall yard sale

We are now collecting items for our fall yard sale which is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2010.  We will be collecting items through Sunday, October 3.  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. Our semi-annual yard sales are a major source of funds for Alley Cats and Angels. Funds received will help pay for medical care for the cats in our program, and we've had many big medical bills this year - over $4,000 in unexpected medical so far this year (unexpected meaning vet/surgical bills due to illness, to treat cats who are injured when rescued, etc. - not routine spay/neuter, vaccinations, etc.)

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
• Collectibles

Please contact us via email at info@alleycatsandangels.org or via phone at 919-303-3500 to arrange pickup or drop-off.