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Archive for the tag “real rescue stories”

15 Aug 2016

USA Island Cats At Risk

HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!

First let me make sure you aren’t confusin’ my buddies over at The Island Cats blog—this is not about Ernie, Wally and Zoey bein’ at any risk whatsoever! Well, except maybe from trying to figure out how to make space during their day for The Lady With The Yellow Hair who is rumored to be getting ready to being around to supervise them ALL DAY LONG very soon. But, that may be just a rumor.

Moving on, the mystery island cat who was a guest selfie on The Kitties Blue Sunday Selfie Blog Hop, is indeed an island cat from the great state of Hawaii, hailing from Kaui.

If I just close my eyes, I can see the palms waving and hear the ocean waves laughing

Mom L once again visited the first USA Cat Cafe—Cat Town Cafe—in Oakland, California when she hosted a little tour for the human from Dash Kitten.

Miss Marjorie is going to have a great visit

Mom L was fortunate to have a good long chat with one of the hostess to Cat Town Cafe, Ms Devon. Mom L asked Ms Devon if she had kitties and of course she did!

Hey Mom Devon!! Look at us!! We are famous!!

She introduced Mom L to the Cat Town program with Kauai Community Cat’s Organization. And that is where she first met Mr Havana Brown cat! You can see him in the lower bunk on the left!

Cat Town Cafe quiet room

There were two other cats in that Quiet Room who also hail from the Island of Kauai. Naturally Mom L had to know why these island cats were in a rescue in Oakland, California!!

The challenges of community cats, aka feral cats, across the USA is not unknown. But in the island stats of Hawaii that challenge is increased. You see, the islands are small, and the community cat population if huge. The sentiment of many residents is directed toward viewing these cats as “an invasive species” and thus falling under their legislation to eradicate them.

There were four cats residing in Cat Town Cafe on the day Mom L was there.

Please, dim the light when you are done admiring me

One of the Kauai cats was actually hanging out in the common room.

*spftt* Take your flashy box away please!

Perhaps some of my readers may not realize how much danger the community cats in the island state of Hawaii face. There has been a recent push in legislation to insure that this population of cats, on all the islands, is eradicated.

Rescues such as Kauai Community Cats are fighting to move as many adoptable adult cats and kittens as they can to partner cat rescues in the mainland USA. And with great pride we learned that Cat Town Cafe in Oakland, Ca is one of those rescues who are willing to accommodate as many of the Kauai cats as they can.

Now listen up humans!! If you are visiting the island of Kauai, you can help them save adoptable cats and kittens simple by agreeing to have a cat/kittens added to you ticket home to Oakland, and other states in the USA. You bear now cost. However Kauai Community Cats bears a great challenge to manage the cost of getting these cat off their island.

A health certificate – health exam with official paperwork — is about $55.
Rabies vaccination is about $45. Rabies vaccination is NOT required for California state, but some shelters require it. Rabies vaccination IS required for Washington state for kitties more than 3 months old.
FVRCP vaccination is about $40. Some shelters require this vaccine, and some donâ€™t.
Other testing is SNAP testing for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV – feline AIDS)/Feline Leukemia —” is about $35. THIS TEST IS NOT ALWAYS REQUIRED — but Cat Town DOES require this test.
The cost for ONE carrier on Alaska — either in-cabin or cargo — is $100. That at is $100 PER carrier.
Up to FIVE cargo carriers can go on one flight, and these can be accompanied by ONE passenger. The TOTAL number of cargo carriers allowed on any one flight is FIVE. There can also be up to FIVE in-cabin carriers. So ONE passenger could theoretically accompany five cargo carriers, each with TWO kittens, and also take ONE in-cabin soft-sided carrier with two kittens. So ONE passenger could potentially accompany 12 kittens. The cost for carriers would there be $600: $100 for the on in-cabin carrier, and 5 X $100 for the five cargo carriers.
After we find a traveler, we get their six letter confirmation code and call Alaska to make a reservation for the cats with that passenger. The earlier we can do this the better, because other people sometimes book pets either in cargo or in cabin.

Kauai Community Cats stated “This is a list of all potential costs. We have looked at our costs, and come up with the approximate cost of shipping one kitty in one container of $200, or two kittens in one container for $300. NOTE that we save $100 off the top in Alaska Air fees by putting two kittens in one container.”

COST TO MY TRAVELLING READERS: NONE

Simply contact Kauai Community Cats and let them know you are willing to have some kitties fly home with you. They have other locations in the USA, especially in the western USA who participate in this program.

If any of my readers are anticipating a little vacation to the glorious Hawaii islands, please be sure to check in with the island you are visiting to learn if they have a similar program to Kauai.

The Hawaii Island cats are under attack and even the state’s own Department of Land and Natural Resources is less than a “friend” to free roaming community cats.

As if the situation weren’t bad enough already. Under current state law, cats “may be destroyed by any means deemed necessary” by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, if they’re found “on any game management area, public hunting area, or forest reserve or other lands under the jurisdiction of [DLNR].”

I hope you can help by donating a few green papers to helping these beautiful island cats get over to our USA mainland. And if not, then perhaps you might get your humans to schedule an island get-away and purr really hard to convince them to bring back a few cats for a welcoming rescue.

I have included some links to further information about the very dangerous legislation being considered in our island state of Hawaii. Please click on at least one to learn more. The Island Cats in Hawaii are counting on all of use to help save their lives and to get their overpopulation under control.

TARGETED TNR WORKS

Further reading:
Kauai Community Cats
Trip Advisor
Hawaii News Now
Vox Felina Blog

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

PeeEss—you all know I am working my current Paw It Forward Project like the world of cats depends on it. And it does!! SHARE SHARE SHARE #mommakatssearch across all your social media networks.

You are welcome to use the badge above or this wonderful graphic created by my pals from Three Chatty Cats. Please share across Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Face Book, Blogs, Google + etc. The time for Momma Kat is NOW!!!

Posted in Adult Cat Rescue and tagged adopt adult cat, paw it forward, real rescue stories

29 May 2016

28 Comments

Joy and Sadness—Rescue Hurts

HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

*wiping leaky eyes*

Oh, hey everyone. Glad you stopped by to have a look at my favorite Sunday Selfie contribution of the WHOLE YEAR! I am again joining the gang Kitties Blue for their infamous Sunday Selfie Blog Hop. Paw that badge and be transported over to some of the most fun photos ever!!

Yes, I am serious, this is, and will always be, my most fave photo submission for 2016. And it hurts as much as it gives joy. Trust me. Remember the kittens and their feral Mom Cat. I introduced the kittens about eight weeks ago? here, here

The kittens slept through their first Vet visit. Mom L had to haul each one from its slumber to get weighed. They are so very confident, thanks to their foster family and their feral Mom Cat who trusted this family to protect her and her kittens.

A day at the Vet’s.

They settled in quickly at Contra Costa Humane Society‘s free roaming small shelter for cats, Kitty Corner, my former home.

Oh, hiya! we are just waiting for our permanent home

The Mom Cat, Muñeca, has been crying and crying hoping to find her kittens and bring them to her. Mom L and I have been helping the foster family understand the joy and heartbreak of helping a feral Mom cat and her kittens. Thankfully, the foster family wanted Muñeca to be returned to them. She will be forever cared for and loved. She has been spayed, microchipped to the foster family, vaccinated, combo tested, wormed etc. She will have a safe life free from further kittens.

As Mom L has told me before, there is always great JOY and sometimes great HEART BREAK when we get into a PAW IT FORWARD project.

Let me know what’cha think of our latest PAW IT FORWARD project and PLEASE share with our readers what your experience is with doing the same thing.

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Community Cats and tagged KITTEN SEASON, paw it forward, real rescue stories, trust

18 Apr 2016

37 Comments

What’s It All About Alfie?

HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!

I wanna share a long time friendship, virtual, but real to me. I ask all of you to tell me in comments if you believe your virtual friends are as real to you as my UK pal Alfie is to me. And yes, Alfie hit the road for The Bridge back at the end of January 2016, but I have proof pawsitive that he is hangin’ around for a bit longer.

Wanna know why I know this for a fact? Read on—

Alf and I met in June, 2012 when he and his huMom Miss Stella reached out to me and my huMom L for some help gettin’ started in Blogville. He had a sidekick, his twin sister Mollie aka Mollops to friends.

I promised Miss Stella that I would not make this celebration of Alfie’s “here on our earth” time maudlin nor sad. Alf, like Miss Stella, always loved a good joke and a ton of humor! He taught me to hang loose and be cool. And so I asked him once—”What’s it all about Alfie?” What do you think my UK pal answered me?

It’s all about love and friendship

What’s it all about Alfie
Is it just for the moment we live,

I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you’ve missed
You’re nothing, Alfie…
Excerpt from “What’s It All About Alfie”
Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David

Straight up, Alfie found that love with Miss Stella and eventually with his woofies best pal ever, Mollie. I asked Alfie to share his rescue story with me back in 2012.

“Alfie here, tooo look at mee’s you would fink I had alway’s been spoilt and led the life of luxury, well’s dat’s not the case. I use to live with a family, they wern’t very nice to me cos they picked me up, took me in the car and dumped me. Yes, just dumped me. I didn’t nose where I was. I was scared and sooo fightened. I loves to be wiff people but there was no peoples about.

I don’t nose how many day’s I spent, walkin on my own, trying to find somewhere to live, someone to give’s me some dinner. I hadn’t eaten in yonks! I eventually came across an old gal, she took me in and did give mee some food. I fought my luck had changed. She put me outside her back door and told’s me to go on my way. On mee way where’s?? I didn’t have anywhere to gooo.

The weaffer was getting real bad, rain and cold. I found a bush to cuddle up in. The rain was still heavy and I had to keep lookin for a home, someone I could luv’s and someone to luv’s me. I was now a bag of bones!! Soo weak, I smelt, I was dirty, wet, yoo’ s name it. I found my way to a little close, wiff a few houses. I jump’s wiff the little strength I had left, onto a window sill. I stared into the house. It was cosy and looked so warm. I was soaked through and shakin. Then I saw a Human comin to the window, meee heart started fluttering and a managed a small meeeow ( help ). The Human took me in, wrapped me in a blanket, gave me a drink and some corned beef. ( that’s all she had as they didn’t have pets ) She asked around if anyone new where I had come from. Someone mentioned the old gal but she didn’t want me. Human took me off to the cat doctor, I was injected, prodded , de flead and microchipped. Did this mean I had found a new home ???? Yes… and that’s how Human became HUMOM ! Now I’m fat, lazy, warm and cosy and spoilt. This isn’t a story, it’s true.”

Don’t ya think Alfie found his true love in his true home?? Come on, tell me in comments so Miss Stella knows for sure that Alfie dashed to The Bridge with joy and love in his heart. Well, except for one thing.

Ahem—ummm—ya see this is where the whole question of are “virtual pals” versus “real pals” comes in. Here’s the deal. Miss Stella made this ahmazzing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious bed and blankie for Alfie. And he dashed off to The Bridge before he could even give it a test drive.

Fast forward, Mom L asked Miss Stella if we could buy Alfie’s legacy bed and his legacy blankie. Now here is the real story. It arrived, and normally I don’t give two of my favorite treats for “new” anything. But that bed and blankie, well they called to me.

That blankie has MY name on it??!!

And then there was the bed. You see, Alfie has only ONE WING!! He must have two to make his complete journey over The Bridge. Why would he ask for only ONE WING?

Can this be real??

Unexpectedly, I could hear Alfie encouraging me to give that bed a try—

I did in fact try that bed faster than any other new cat bed brought in to my forever castle—and Alfie was right there with me.

And not only did I try that bed, I have never left that bed!! It is the softest, more delicious beddy ever.

In fact, TKS waits until I leave my Alfie bed and she dashes in to take a brief turn.

Finally!! My Turn!!

It took me a couple of days before I could try out the blankie Mom L placed on my our short cat tower, but eventually I hopped right up and made myself at home.

This could be very nice

*zzzzzzzz*

I hope you are now wondering why, oh why, would Alfie ask for ONLY ONE WING?? Well, Alfie has a few things to settle on with his fur sib, Mollie aka Mollops, the blonde bombshell border collie who appeared out of nowhere to share his life. Alfie took her arrival in stride, except he does have just a few things square away before he accepts his second wing.

And Mollie just built up Alfie’s need to keep a paw present—

But in the end, they are bonded for life. Mollie misses Alfie, and he waits for her at The Bridge.

Real love

Now I ask once again, can we have true friendship virtually? All I know is that I kept having to wipe Mom L’s leaky eyes as she typed and then she gently wiped my leaky eyes as I celebrate my REAL friendship with my pal Alfie. And I know for sure he is still waiting in the “wings” , pun intended, to reap his havoc with Mollie. I hope you will all join the fun when Alfie One Wing takes after Mollie. The stuff cartoons are made of!!

Enjoy a few photos to remember my pal, my love, Alfie.

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