real rescue stories | Savannah's Paw Tracks

Archive for the tag “real rescue stories”

29 Jan 2018

Trapping for SNIP Clinic

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

I am one proud kitty let me tell you!! Not only did Mom L and Dad P work another SNIP (Spay Neuter Impact Program) Mom L also helped her cat trapper friend trap some of the kitties! All said, SNIP saw EIGHTY FOUR community cats come through our clinic today!! APAWS!!!

Getting traps ready to set up at apartment complex

Before Mom L and Miss Lisa put out the traps, Mom L learned who the consistent feeders were. Then Mom L asked them to NOT FEED the cats for at least twenty-four hours before the traps were to be set out.

Here are just some of the things Mom L is learning about “how to safely trap a cat” and work with the residents who are feeding them.

Cat traps come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and trigger styles. SNIP clinics see all of these types of traps and many more!

Three important things to do before setting a cat trap:

Test the trap to make sure the trigger is working.
Make sure the trigger plate is in the UP position.
Don’t forget to put stinky goodness cat food bait in the back of the trap, after the trigger plate (the stinkier the better!).
Place a cover over the trap to make it dark inside. This helps the kitties feel the inside is a safe place to go.

Now where to place that cat trap? Things to remember:

Do your homework! Get an estimate of how many cats need to be S/N and ask what they look like.
Ask residents not to release the cats! Make sure they know you are caring cat trappers and cats will be returned once S/N
Talk to residents to learn where the cats are being fed and where they tend to enjoy sun puddles.
Place the traps in the areas where the cats are seen most frequently.

MOST IMPORTANT!!

Check the trap every three to four hours in daylight trapping.
In winter make sure traps are in areas protected from rain.
In summer be sure traps are not in direct sun.
When trapping at night NEVER leave a trap unchecked for more than one hour—if a raccoon, skunk, opossum, etc. is caught they can kill or lame themselves trying to get free!!

I bet you would like to see a couple of the cats Mom L helped to trap and get S/N? Right?

I am a lilac point snowshoe Siamese kitty. I have conjunctivitis but anyone can now adopt me!

Miss Lilac Point is now safe at our municipal animal shelter and almost ready to go up for adoption. She is so sweet and very friendly. Her intake number is 909368! You can call Contra Costa Animal Services if you wanna adopt her!

Next up is this darling very young calico girl. She was spayed to day at the SNIP clinic and will be available at Contra Costa Animal Services in a few days once she has recovered from her spay.

I am so scared! And what is going on???

Dad P and Mom L transported eleven community cats from Miss Lisa’s holding area to the SNIP clinic at six AM! Even the kitties were not awake!!

Can you see the calico kitten?

There were so many wonderful cats who passed through Mom L’s intake from local rescue groups.

Mom L is watching over three sweet silver point Siamese blue eyed kittens hoping we can get them into an adoption path next week.

All in all, such a positive outcome from our first SNIP clinic of 2018!

Please let me hear from you in my comments what you think of our 2018 community cat rescue efforts so far in 2018!!

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Community Cats, paw it forward and tagged feral cat rescue, paw it forward, real rescue stories

15 Jan 2018

23 Comments

Andi the Feral Kitten: A Happy Tails Ending

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

I first introduced you to Andi , our feral foster kitten, in late November 2017. (remember in all the gallery photos, drag your mousie after you have dedded it over each photo to view captions)

Behind their safe pallet

Mom watching Mom L

Getting used to trap

Andi was barely three months old and trapping her and her Mom cat, we named Mandi, was Mom L and Dad P’s first ever cat trap work. Mom L and I shared our news about deciding to keep Andi to foster and socialize her on December 4, 2017 . Her first week living in Mom L’s office was a shock for her. She did allow Mom L to touch her and eventually Mom L started to pick her up. Surprisingly, sweet Andi never did more than give a tiny little hiss. She never clawed, scratched, growled.

Where am I? Where is my mom?

Oh! You TOUCHED me!

Hmmm…I kind’a liked that touch

If you have followed Andi’s story, then you know that Dad P and Mom L had to release Andi’s mom cat, Mandi, back to the place where she was raising Andi. Sadly mom cat Mandi wasn’t ready just yet to be socialized. BUT—her feeder is workin’ on her as I type this Happy Tails Ending story!!

But I digressed, let me get back to Andi’s amazing story. Little Andi began to thrive and learn to trust human touch. Eventually Mom L and Dad P moved her to a larger enclosure where she could start to learn how to play. Remember, she was an only kitten and she had never played with any other kitty but her mom. And she was really too young to have begun to learn to stalk her “prey” so she didn’t know what to do with the wand toy schmousie at first.

Wait! What? You want ME to touch that schmousie???

The above pose is a classic Andi pose as she gets ready to play with anything. She always raised her right paw before she reached out to paw whap whatever she was playing with. There are other wonderful poses, special Andi poses that we all came to look for with anticipated joy and pleasure. Mom L’s camera loved working with Andi.

First time ever looking outside from inside.

What’cha doing up there?

Yes, I can do a head tilt purrfectly!

Finally the day arrived when we thought is was for Andi’s best interest to take her to my former kitty shelter, Kitty Corner. We knew that Miss Chrissy would make sure Andi was adopted by the bestest fit family ever—just like she did for me when Mom L and Dad P adopted me in 2012!

It was tough at first for Andi. Remember she had not grown up with any siblings and the only humans she knew were Mom L and Dad P. She spent much of her first days at Kitty Corner in a special cubby on a cat tower made cozy with a special brand new blankie Mr. Terry brought in for her. Mr. Terry is a very special man who luvluvluvs cats just like Dad P.

I’m scared…can I just go back home purrlease?

Dad P and Mom L visited Andi every day trying to help her learn how to play in such a large open space as Kitty Corner. This was the largest room she had ever been in. Besides, remember Andi didn’t ever know any other cat but her mom cat. So now she had seven to ten other cats aged seven months to over five years housed with her.

But Andi being Andi, she started to adjust with Mom L and Dad P’s help. She responded to her favorite wand toy. That schmousie!!

Oh!! My schmousie followed me here!!

And then just two days later Dad P and Mom L saw with their very own eyes our little teensy Andi climb to the tippy top of a tall cat tower and then—she jumped to another one!!! Aiiiieeee! So brave and so confident she was becoming!

And then the day arrived when our precious beloved little Andi was discovered by a young family. (human faces disguised to protect family’s privacy)

They arrived to adopt a seven month old kitten named Joey, but then through encouragement from the Kitty Corner staff, they considered adopting another kitty so Joey would have a play pal.

Now Joey and our Andi had never met, but everyone figured “heck, they are youngsters” so no problem, right? Well Andi was more willing to give their relationship a try than Joey was at first. However it seems like they are adjusting to each other.

Mom L and Dad P are relieved that the family’s son, the oldest, at age thirteen has chosen to be Andi’s champion and protector and bestest ever pal!!

They look good together, don’t ya think??

Now Andi and Joey will always be inside only cats, but just check out how much this family luvluvluvs animals of all species!

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Andi’s human, Mr. Austin, asked if his bedroom could be Andi’s special “alone time/safe zone” room and guess what? Andi agreed wholeheartedly! She started snoozing with Mr. Austin immediately and now his bed is her bed!!

Please give our precious Andi a very special round of APAWS! for finding her forever family.

Forever our special feral foster heart kitten—our Andi!

PAW PATS, SAVANNAH

Posted in Feral Kitten Rescue, paw it forward and tagged feral cat rescue, kitty corner, paw it forward, real rescue stories, scared cat

04 Dec 2017

22 Comments

The Story: Sunday Selfie Mystery Guest

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

I have always wanted to say this even though there probably aren’t any more news presses that work these days—

I am certain you all remember my blog post about the mom cat and her kitten who are our first successful cat trap effort. Well, mom cat aka Mandi and her kitten aka Boogie, have been living for a week in my our office, in those luxurious cages I shared last week.

Boogie clearly showed signs of being open to human touch and interaction.

So we are already set up for her to move to Kitty Corner once Mom L and Dad P have her more socialized. Right now they are teaching her how to play with humans. More on that next week, so stay tuned.

It broke Dad P and Mom L’s hearts, but we had to release Mandi back to her home at the lodge where she was trapped. After a week, she still had little interest in human interaction. But, there is still hope for Mandi. Her feeder, Miss Kandi, is working with her to try to get her to allow pets. At least Mandi won’t ever have more kittens to care for as she is about five years old. She needs to enjoy her life without kittens to care for.

Mandi was very much ready to go home too.

She clearly knew exactly where she was once she was released. Please watch this eleven second video. You can see that Mandi knew she was home the way she darts behind that wooden pallet, her refuge for over a year or more.

Miss Kandi continues to feed Mandi and we hope their bond will continue to grow so that we may once again offer Mandi the opportunity of being adopted into a caring home.

The same day that Mom L and Miss Kandi released mom cat Mandi, I also had Mom L taking care of another adult abandoned cat on the opposite street corner. Miss Kandi has named him Pumpkin! And that fits for sure!!!

Pumpkin is fortunate that my former cat, Vet Dr. Josie, was willing to travel to Pumpkin’s Corner and administer his rabies, FVRCP and flea treatment— right on the street corner he calls home! And that is how Dr. Josie rolls—anything for the kitties!!

Pumpkin needed those vaccinations to be able to allow Mom L to take him to our public animal shelter where he well go on temporary “Owner Surrender” status to learn if he can tolerate being in the shelter while he waits for an adopter. Mom L can spring him loose in three days if he doesn’t adjust well. Pumpkin is so friendly, loves pets, purrs, can be picked up—he just needs a chance at a new home. You see, his former “family” abandoned him on that street corner when they moved from the apartment complex. He is likely a senior cat.

So there was one more Paw It Forward Project over the weekend. Miss Kandi had a new male kitty to join her little 6 pack over where she works. His name is Sweet Pea and he was not neutered. So Mom L and Dad P got him into the new cat clinic for Community Concern 4 Cats just this morning.

I really want to hear from any readers about what you think of my latest Paw It Forward Projects. I had Dad P and Mom L working on not one, not two, not three but FOUR projects this last ten day. How do you think we are doing so far???