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Monday, January 30, 2012

Short break for the kitties!

The kitties are taking a short break from adoption centers. We elected to give our extra week in one of the centers to another group since we've had three months of incredible adoptions (83 adoptions since November 1 and 29 of those were in January!!).

We'll be moving into Petsmart Capital on February 6 and Petsmart Morrisville on February 13. A big thank you to everyone that helps keeping the kitties clean and helping with adoption events - enjoy the week.

No adoption events next weekend (Superbowl weekend) but we are doing several barn cat relocations next weekend. YAY!!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Thank you volunteers!

Thankful for new volunteers this weekend.

Plus, so many of our volunteers are people that have adopted from Alley Cats and Angels. That means a lot to us as it means our adopters have a lot of confidence in Alley Cats and Angels. THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS - WE LOVE YOU!!!

If you're interested in volunteering, please email info@alleycatsandangels.org, there are many different ways you can help.  Thanks.

Adoption Update

Three adoptions this week: Sassafrass, Sassy, and Wren(!!!).

A bit slower than it has been but then again we've had so many adoptions lately that of the 65 cats currently in our adoption program, only 15 are available for adoption as the rest are newer intakes and undergoing medical or are young kittens not old enough to finish medical yet. Of the other 50 cats not yet ready for adoption, quite a few of the kittens have a status of adoption pending spay/neuter - so if you see a kitten you're interested in, get in your application now!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

TNR Volunteers Needed

Does you love feral cats? Want to help them out? Are you an experienced trapper for TNR? Or not experienced but want to learn TNR - we can train you and mentor you.

Alley Cats and Angels receives so many requests for help with TNR, including referrals from other local rescue groups not experienced with ferals. To help with these requests for help, we need to grow our TNR Task Force by adding feral cat loving volunteers who want to help with TNR (trap-neuter-return).

Be it helping with trapping, helping transport to and from vet, helping with recovery or all of the above - it all makes a big difference in the lives of forgotten felines. Help us help the ferals by joining our TNR Task Force. Email info@alleycatsandangels.org for more information. Thanks!

Barn/Garden Homes Needed

Many feral cats in several Triangle, NC locations under the threat of trap and kill from Animal Control (animal control trapping ferals is a guaranteed death sentences as shelters are not eqiupped to handle or place ferals and they will be put to sleep).

These cats typically prefer the freedom of a "working life" in a rural area to a comfortable lap in suburbia. If you have a barn or larger outbuilding, yo...u can provide these cats with a second chance at life. We work hard to match the right cats to your location, provide all relocation equipment, ensure all relocated cats are spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccinations before they are relocated.

Alley Cats and Angels has a proven relocation protocol and has relocated over 250 feral and semi-feral cats to safe alternative homes. We have a 97% success rate of cats staying around after the confinement period.

Please email info@alleycatsandangels.org if you can provide a safe place for these cats. We will travel up to two hours from the Triangle to place cats (we can drive farther for larger cat placements).

More rescues!

Alley Cats and Angels received a request for help Saturday from a feral cat colony caregiver in Alamance County. He had 11 kittens that he had pulled from the colony that needed placement. Because we had just taken in 16 cats that day and had already comitted to pulling more this past Tuesday, we really didn't enough space for 11 more ~4 month old kittens.
Alley Cats and Angels visited and assessed the kittens Tuesday evening.  There were 5 super friendly kittens and the other 6 are shy but not hissy/spitty and can be handled without incident.  We were able to pull the 11 kittens and transported them back to Raleigh.  There are 7 kittens approximately 3 months old and 4 that are approximately 4 months old: (5 cow kitties, 4 solid black, and 2 tabbies).

Alley Cats and Angels took in 6 of the kittens and we are so grateful that the Wake County SPCA took in the other 5 kittens. Many thanks to Lisa Kroll of the SPCA for coordinating this collaboration with the SPCA.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Adoption Program Update

Adoptions
It was a slower adoption weekend than we've had in a while but we are happy with the four adoptions.  Plus, if any more were adopted, we might not have had enough available cats to fill the Petsmart adoption center.  Yep, that's how many adoptions we've had lately.  Approximately 57 in 7 weeks.  We have lots of cats in the adoption program but they are all still receiving medical.

The following were adopted:
  • Puck (handsome white male kitten)
  • Princess (pretty orange female ticked tabby kitten)
  • Mister Oscar - woohoo - score for the garbage dump adult kitties [he was found living at a garbage dump
  • Marco Polo - remember the kitty who walked into Staples and "pressed the easy button" looking for a new home (back in July).  He's had some health struggles and it is suspected that he has asthma but exams and testing and xrays did not confirm it.  He's also a little porker older kitten who likes to eat and cannot be free fed.  That did not scare off his adopters and we are so thankful they took a chance on a special needs kitty

New Intakes
Saturday was a big intake day. Our core focus is feral cats and cats found in feral colonies (kittens that can be tamed and friendly cats that have been abandoned and migrated to feral colonies); but because we've had such amazing adoptions lately, we had space to take in some cats from kill shelters this week. So today, we pulled 12 cats - 5 younger kittens, 2 older kittens/young adults, and 5 adults - from a very high kill rural shelter today (98% kill rate for cats).

We also took in 3 very young feral kittens [5.5 weeks old] ("I hiss and spit at you and might bite you, aren't you scared?" [sorry, no little ones, you weigh less than a pound, we're really not scared, besides it's adorable when you hiss and spit!].

Lastly, we took in one golden tabby around 9.5 weeks old from a feral colony.  He's very scared but interested, sort of reminds us of "The Watch Cat".  Right now his nickname is Watch Cat Jr. until we decide on a name for him.

Lots of drawing blood for FeLV/FIV/Heartworm testing, cleaning of ears, treating with flea meds and intestinal parasite meds. We had an assembly line of sorts going.  Testing over here.  Then one corner for flea meds (capstar and revolution), another section for cleaning ears and ear mite treatment (Milbemite), one section for first deworming (Drontal), one for weighing cats, and one for putting together medicine packets to go to foster homes (deworming protocol of ponazuril and panacur and pyrantel).  And finally, pictures.

Several foster homes helped with intake and then took their fosters home and we delivered some fosters.  And since we took in more adults than we had originally anticipated, we are looking for a few adult cat foster homes!

Many thanks everyone that made this possible. Thank you to Maria Brown, Jill Walters, Melissa McLaughlin, Laura Arpin, Nicky Thayer and Cherie and Elizabeth Sisk for helping. (We had lots of people helping, my sincere apologies if I forgot someone). 

Pictures are posted on our Kitten Alley Facebook page (although we missed pictures of two of the adults, we'll get those and add later: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.307732699256059.88961.127004140662250&type=1 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Fairfax County, VA and TNR (Kudos to Fairfax County)

Wake County, NC and surrounding counties should take a cue from Fairfax County, VA. Way to go Fairfax County. More proof positive that TNR (trap-neuter-return) works. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2012/011912trapneuterreturn.htm

Commentary from Alley Cats and Angels on TNR: The benefits of TNR are many—for the cats and their caregivers, as well as the community in which the ferals reside; these benefits include less noise from mating behavior and fighting, less roaming, less spraying from males, and a ...more manageable colony that stabilizes over time due to attrition. Most importantly, TNR reduces the number of feral and stray cats in our community in both the short- and long-term by preventing future litters from being born, which in turn helps lower the number of cats/kittens killed in shelters each year. TNR is not only the most compassionate solution to the feral cat overpopulation problem, it is also the most practical way of stabilizing a colony.


In addition to providing the best life for the feral cats, TNR also saves the government money by not having to house and then kill feral cats because local animal lovers and rescue organizations are already using donations to implement TNR programs. TNR is the proverbial win-win for both cats and people. TNR is the only effective, long-term strategy for humanely controlling the population of feral or free roaming cats.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Protect Feral Cats - Feral Power Action Needed

As a very feral focused rescue group, we're allowed to get on a soapbox about ferals sometimes and this one of those times.

Please contact Loews Hotels in Orlando and let them know their new policy of "relocating feral cats to a shelter" is a guaranteed death sentence for those cats. Until recently, they allowed TNR. And removal of the feral cats will create a vacuum effect and new unsterilized ferals will move into the area. It will be a never ending cycle of killing feral cats.
http://capwiz.com/alleycat/issues/alert/?alertid=60246576&PROCESS=Take+Action&external_id=10519.0

Tell Loews Hotels you will not support a business that puts these cats' lives in danger. https://www.facebook.com/LoewsHotels/posts/10150487973715765

What Loews Hotels posts on their facebook page: "We appreciate and respect the opinions expressed. While Loews loves pets, like many Florida businesses, we have plans and procedures to address issues involving outdoor, undomesticated animals on our property. The decision to remove the feral cat colony humanely and relocate them to a local shelter takes into consideration the safety and comfort of all our guests."


This was a managed colony - being the cats were TNR'd (trapped-neutered-returned) and were being cared for.  And it was allowed by Loews Hotels until just recently.  MANAGED COLONY - what could the safety risks have possibly been?  The cats were vaccinated.  They are feral cats, they are not going to wind themselves around guests' ankles and trip them. 

What what they are really saying is: "We have plans and procedures to address issues involving outdoor, undomesticated animals on our property. The decision to destroy the feral cat colony by catching them and transporting them to local shelter for euthanasia is something we're doing despite studies that clearly show that the 'vacuum effect' will result in new popluations of unvaccinated and unaltered feral cats taking residence at our property and we'll just haul those off and get them killed too."

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Thank you Animal Shelter Life Volunteer blog!

Thank you Animal Shelter Volunteer Life for selecting Alley Cats and Angels’ blog as one of your five favorite up-and-coming blogs. http://animalsheltervolunteer.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-fave-and-new-award.html.

We very much enjoy your blog as well. And now that year end is over and we’re winding up all the paperwork and such from last year, we’ll get back to posting on our blog more regularly like we typically do. And get back to reading the awesome blogs we follow – like yours!

A personal note

It's been a very very hard week and it's only Tuesday.  One of my personal cats, Bailey - my wonderful boy with the loudest purr motor and tiniest squeak of a meow - has been battling cancer for a while now.  But he had been doing fine.  He'd have really great days and not so great days but didn't seem to have any bad days.  Until this weekend.  And it was really bad yesterday (Monday).  He had an appointment at the vet this evening but I called yesterday and Dr. Jon was able to see him on very short notice.  It was time to make the hard decision.  The decision that even when you know it's time and it's the right thing to do, is still a gut wrenching decision.  Dr. Jon ended Bailey's suffering yesterday at 2:40 PM.  It had to be Dr. Jon, I really like the other vets, but Dr. Jon is the kindest vet and I couldn't let anyone else put Bailey to sleep. 

My heart is broken and it feels like it will never be whole again.  I know I'm in the rescue "business" and my heart gets broken a lot when we lose a cat.  But this was my Bailey so I feel my heart is broken in a different way.  Like complete broken.  Not mendable.  Although I know someday it will mend. 

This is the boy I had way back when I lived in a condo where I wasn't supposed to have pets but he needed me.  And I loved him so much.  The second night I had  him, he door darted out the condo door so I spent the night in the woods looking for him and calling for him.  I could hear him in the woods but there was a ravine so I eventually put down a blanket and sat on the blanket and talked to him all night.  Talk about covered in mosquito bites the next day and come time to get ready for work, he still hadn't come in but I could see him and hear him so - yep - I called out of work that day.  Finally got him around noon. 

Three weeks later, we braved a flood together as after a weekend of solid rain, the creek had risen and the parking lot was flooded (fortunately, I had moved my car to the mall across the road earlier but didn't think it would come into the condo) and after trying to catch Bailey for 30 minutes, the water was coming into the condo.  Fancy was already in a carrier but since I only had him a few weeks, I hadn't yet bought another carrier (I was on a really tight budget,  hadn't expected him and had to pay for vetting after I got him).  So, I stuffed my purse, a change of clothes, toothbrush, and Bailey into a small duffle bag.  As I opened the condo door, the water was about knee high.  When I made it to the parking lot to get out of there, the water was waist high and I held the two cats over my head as the rushing water pushed us around but we made it to the car and then to my mom's house.  The next morning my mom came home from work (she was a nurse) and looked in the room where I was sleeping and started laughing because Bailey was a kitty of many expressions and most of them would make you laugh.  He was like a kitty comedian with his facial expressions. 

Bailey and I had a lot of good times together.  He purred so loud that on those rare times that I got to watch television, he'd be behind me on the back of the chair or sofa purring and I'd have to turn the volume on the TV up at least 4 notches so I could hear.  That's how loud he purred.

Bailey snuggled with me at  night.  He slept by my head with my arm around him.  And if I turned over in the middle of the night, he got up and walked to the other side of the bed so I always faced him.

He was there when my friend Debbie and I rescued (before Alley Cats, did independent rescue at the time) our first set of orphan kittens.  Bailey would wash them.  And as they got older, Bailey showed them how to scale the baby gate and make the great escape out of the kitten room.

I'm sorry for rambling.  I just miss him so much and it's only been a short time.

I am fortunate that when Elizabeth Ruffing came over last fall and took pictures of the W kitties, she also took some pictures of Bailey.  He was doing really well then and she sent me the pictures yesterday.  I'm so happy to have them as I don't own a decent camera and didn't have any recent pictures of him.

I love you Bailey.  I miss you Bailey.  But I am so glad you are free from pain.  RIP my boobear.


Great adoptions continue

Another weekend of great adoptions.  Nine cats and kittens were adopted this weekend.  Without the "little ones" to take some of the attention away, some of our overlooked older kittens (~8 months) and some of our adults cats found homes.  YAY!!  What a perfect way for these kitties to start the new year (starting it a tad bit late, but hey it's still January!!).

The following were adopted this weekend:  Tango, Tiffy, Blue, Elmo, Sugar, Mister McGhee, Picnic, Pinnochio, and Licorice.

Another great adoption weekend. In addition to yesterday's adoptions, four more cats/kittens were adopted today for a total of nine (9) adoptions this weekend. Adopted today: Mister McGhee and Licorice together, Pinici, and Pinocchio.



With Mister McGhee's adoption, all of the cats taken in from the Siler City neglect case have been adopted. Except Grandpa Tom who is one of our long-term residents. His broken pelvis has finally healed and he is doing well. He's still a character to look at (his poor face has a Frankenstein look from many years of neglect and fighting), but his personality is so awesome and he's very happy in his forever foster home.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Recent adoptions

Trying to wrap up all the year end paperwork for the rescue and also working on the 2012 operating budget, so I'm once again behind on posting.  I might have to find a volunteer to blog!

On December 31, 2011 the following were adopted: ToeToe, Dr. Watson, Darjeeling, and Jill Munroe - last of the Charlie's Angels kittens.  However, Jill was returned today because she was just overwhelmed in the house filled with children and other animals.  It was too much for her.  We make a lifetime committment to all cats adopted from us - they can be returned at any time for any reason and we will always welcome them back with open arms.

This week's adoptions are quite a few!  We had 13 adoptions today and one earlier in the week.  The following were adopted this week: Luna, Oliver Twist, Vito (woohoo!!!!), Seraphina, Nikki, Naomi, Daisy Williams, Saturn and Scamp together, Nugget and Nash together, Sherlock Holmes and Noel together, and Serenade.