Looking to adopt a pet this holiday season? Read this article to prepare

We're a bit late in posting this, but thank you to the News & Observer for publishing this article this week. Whether you are looking to adopt a cat from Alley Cats and Angels or a cat or dog from any other rescue group, this article contains some good advice.

Adoption Update

Another great adoption weekend for the kitties with seven adoptions this weekend. The following were adopted: Hunter, Apricot (!!), Turnip, Limerick, Breo, Snowball, and (wait for it…..) Cindy Lou Who (can we get a woohoo!!). Congratulations to the kitties and their families. 

24 more kitties to find forever homes for our “Forever homes for 75 cats before 2014” adoption campaign - but if we find forever homes for more than 24, we'd be over the moon happy!

Adoption Update

Another great adoption weekend for the kitties with fourteen (yep – 14!!) adoptions this weekend. At least five of the cats/kittens Several of the cats/kittens were adopted by previous adopters – which is a great testimonial of our kitties. 

The following were adopted: Flora and Merryweather (together), Fauna, Bowden (woohoo!!!!), Princess Peach (yay! she was adopted last month but was returned due to family allergies), Derby, Haiku, Shirley, Mr. Fluffy Pants (yay!!!!), Colonel Mustard, Sonnet, Jalapeno, Mr. Green, and Nando. 

Congratulations to the kitties and their families. 

32 more kitties to find forever homes for our “Forever homes for 75 cats before 2014” adoption campaign.

Mistletoe Market a big success!

Mistletoe Market a great success!!!

A very big thank you to our volunteers (and their friends and family) who made items for us to sell at Mistletoe Market today - and of course huge thanks to all the the volunteers who helped staff the event today. 

And thank you to everyone that came by and purchased items and helped support the cats. 

We raised $1,062 for the medical fund. That's an all-time record!

Adoption Update

Due to rescue, work (the paying job!), and ailing parents, I am absent from the blog a lot lately.  I try to keep up on the blogs I follow (waiting for dinner - read a blog!), but don't always have time to post comments on the blogs or post updates. 

The following cats have been adopted since the last update posted on the blog:

November 2 update

What an AMAZING weekend for the cats with eleven adoptions this weekend. The following were adopted: Marquee, Professor Plum, Juniper and Lavern (together), Leela, Amy Poehler, Jane Doe, Milo, Nefertiti, and Cheesesteak and Lark together. 

November 9 update

A little slower of a week for kitty adoptions - but we're happy that two precious kitties were adopted this week. Sweet Bell was adopted on Monday and Zucchini was adopted today. 

45 more kitties to find forever homes before year end in order to meet our goal of "forever homes for 75 cats before 2014"

And sometimes you must say no.

This was my personal Facebook post on Sunday evening.   



As the weekend winds down and my migraine is getting progressively worse, my feelings and emotions this weekend have ranged from happy (that one of our kitties was adopted this week), to mainly horrified, sad, heartsick, and finally (still horrified, sad, and extremely heartsick) but absolutely beyond a doubt mad as hell. 

Saying “no” is one of the really hard parts of rescue. I respond to many emails and phone calls each week where, unfortunately often the only response I can give is “no, I’m sorry, we cannot take the cat/kitten you found, we are at capacity” and then all I can offer is a courtesy posting and adding the cat(s)/kitten(s) to the wait list for our adoption program, or help with spay/neuter. Why? Because if you take in more cats that you can care for with a quality standard of care (nutritious food, clean water, sanitation [clean living environment], veterinary care, and loving care), then you have not truly rescued and you put all the animals in your care at risk.

I cry myself to sleep countless night each week because my heart feels like it’s breaking; because I have had to say no, I’m sorry, we are full right now. You want to help every cat and kitten in need, but you can’t – it’s not feasible. You can only help the ones you can properly care for, and as a result, you have to say no.

Therefore, not only is saying no very hard, SAYING KNOWING YOUR LIMITS AND SAYING "NO" IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF RESCUE.

2 Adoption Events this Saturday

Calling all Cat Lovers!  "Forever Homes for 75 Cats Before 2014" adoption promotion with reduced adoption fees

Adoption Event - Pet Supplies Plus

Saturday, November 9th

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Pet Supplies Plus

3074 Wake Forest Rd

Raleigh, NC 27609

919-878-0080

Attending the Pet Supplies Plus event: Cindy Lou Who, Sassafras, Zucchini, Newberry, and Mushroom. 

Adoption Event - PetSmart Knightdale

Saturday, November 9th

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Petsmart Knightdale 
220 Hinton Oaks Blvd. 
Knightdale, NC

Cats attending Petsmart Knightdale: Blynken, Bowden, Carya, Celery, Davis, Derby, Devlin, Gumbo, Hunter, Leia, Limerick, Myrtle, Nando, Nye, Penne Lisce, P.T. Barnum, Shenanigan, Shirley, Sushi, and Tomfoolery

Alley Cats and Angels is an all-volunteer, non-profit, 501(c)(3), foster home-based cat rescue organization located in the Triangle, NC area. Alley Cats and Angels is dedicated to improving the lives of the stray, abandoned, and feral cats while reducing the overall number of homeless cats in the Triangle, NC area; we focus on the unwanted and forgotten felines.

Alley Cats and Angels is not your typical cat rescue -- we have a broad range of programs that allows us to find the right solution for cats in various situations. In addition to our adoption program, we have a barn/garden cat program, a feral cat education and assistance/TNR program, and a low cost spay/neuter assistance program ("Alter an Alley Cat").