special need cat rescue | Savannah's Paw Tracks

Archive for the tag “special need cat rescue”

21 Jul 2014

The Generosity of Others: Monday Meowsie News

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

I have a couple of newsie items I have been holding onto until ‘the‘ right time to share them with you. In fact, I have had them stashed in my Three Way Teleport Tunnel, where I keep important items for safe keeping.

Today is ‘that‘ right time. And both pieces of news have to do with others showing generosity toward us…meaning me, The Kid Sage and a sweet adult rescue cat named Tiny who is awaiting her forever family.

I have introduced Tiny to you once before. You can click HERE to refresh your memory.

If you recall, Tiny has now been at my former shelter for over a year. Like me, she keeps getting passed over. She is a cat who thrives on human interaction and contact. She has been living in the staff offices for several months now and her job, as she sees it, is to accompany anyone who enters the toilet facility to insure that they are not alone and that they come out alive.

Seriously, Tiny is a “sink cat” par excellence! (click photos to view complete captions please)

Let me get comfy…

Have everything you need?

You sure?

I’ve got your back if you need anything

Given Tiny’s preference for visiting with humans while she is ensconced in the sink…I had a totally brilliant idea…Tiny needs something in her “Hope Chest” to take along with her to her home when her forever family finally comes to collect her…so I sent Mom L off to get Tiny her very own Sink Bed.

Our warmest thanks go to these humans who made this possible:

Miss Kate Benjamin of Hauspanther who responded immediately to Mom L’s request for information as to who to contact…Miss Kate volunteered to give the vendor a shout out. And they responded with this email to Mom L…

“Send us the shipping address and we will get Tiny’s bed into production”…just like that!!! …no green papers exchanged hands! What generous people. So a huge big paw hug and thank you for the owners of Little Cat Design.

The bed arrived and Mom L let The Kid Sage do product inspection…

Yep…looks the right size to me

And it was delivered by Mom L and Dad P to Tiny at Kitty Corner…first they placed it in ‘her’ sink thinking she would just hop right in…heh…heh…

What is that?!!

Next they asked her to inspect it while it sat on a chair…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Needless to say, Tiny’s new bed is being kept safe so it doesn’t get broken before her new family, when they find her, can take it home with Tiny.

PLEASE…help Tiny send out more “special Tiny energy” into the universe so her family can find her…SHARE…SHARE…SHARE…on your blogs, Twitter and Face Book…

Now my second Meowsie News is about the generosity shown by my long time pals, Archie, Oscar and Henry from My Three Moggies. We started blogging about the same time and have been pals ever since. I am embarrassed to say that I do not even recall “WHY” I received this prezzie from them…I recall that I won something or someone asked that their win be sent to me???

Anyway…this wonderful bunch of goodness arrived and I let The Kid Sage do the honors of checking out the contents…guess what she caught her laser focus???…

The loot! Notice that black cat nip toy

TREATS!!

paw, paw…

chomp…chew…

Got it!!!

Thanks lots Archie, Henry and Oscar for thinking of us and for sending such tasty and fun prezzies…

Paw Pats, Savannah

asdf

17 Jul 2014

33 Comments

“I Hear You Do Cat Rescue”: Thursday Purrsday

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

The pet sitter being interviewed to care for me and The Kid Sage was lovely…such a soft voice and such a warm spirit…but…

…as the peeps’ chat was ending she said the words Mom L and Dad P struggle with…

“I heard from ____ that you do some volunteer work with cat rescue??”

Dad P and Mom L wish they could turn away…it is so very, very hard to acknowledge that inquiry…the end result bring such great responsibility…and it does not always end well…

Did they turn away??…Nope…enter the reason we are purring up a storm on this Thursday Purrsday…and hope you enjoy our contribution to Pepi Smart Dog’s Thankful Thursday blog hop.

The back story…

Pet sitter sold a condo in which Tigger’s person lived with 2 grown sons and TIgger
Person could only afford apartment for self and two grown sons which allowed “NO PETS”
Pet sitter loves all animals and asked for help for 10 year old Tigger
Tigger’s guardian only adopted Tigger because a neighbor, 3 years before, also had to move and ‘could not find rental allowing pets’ so Tigger was looking for a home
Pet sitter asked Mom L and Dad P…”can you help?”

Next steps…

Mom L and Dad P say ‘of course’…
Rescues we know only pull from the kill shelter…Tigger MUST be “Owner Surrendered” to this shelter before we can even begin to help
Guardian has no problem surrendering Tigger…best they can do for him
Mom L engages my savior Miss Tammy…and Miss Tammy starts to work her network
Miss Tammy tries to find someone to agree to pull Tigger…as with every where in the USA…all are full
Mom L discovers The Cat House on The Kings sanctuary from my former Adoption Manager at Kitty Corner…Miss Chrissy
Mom L discovers it will cost $900 minimal to surrender Tigger…it is worth it…trust us
Miss Tammy visits Tigger at the kill shelter…

ohhh…thank you for the scritches

I think I love you…

Can I come home with you???

Time is running out…Tigger was owner surrendered on a Sunday…as a 10 year old male, neuter…good temperament…needing a dental work up…that’s all. Yet he was scheduled within one week to be killed…no blame on the kill shelter…just recognition of how short their time is even if the cat is very domesticated and loving.

Long story short…the pet sitter found a neighbor, Miss Foster Mom, who agreed to take Tigger as foster for TWO WEEKS only. We completely understand her reason and support it. But now Tigger has a place to go…we can “pull” him from the kill shelter if only we can get an accepted rescue to pull him under their ‘umbrella’.

Miss Tammy and Miss Chrissy agree…Tigger, two day before he was to be killed, will come to my former free roaming cat shelter…Kitty Corner.

Hearing this…the kill shelter moves him to their free roaming area…and Tigger immediately starts to attack, stalk and fight with the other cats…He had to be returned to his cage. Now we know…he CANNOT be moved to our free roaming shelter at Kitty Corner.

Finally we can move him to the foster who will keep him for two weeks…Tigger is FREE!!! And pulled under the umbrella of my former rescue.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tigger has had some issues with wanting to eat…but a visit today to vet helped him out lots. Please send Tigger LOTS of healing purrs that he starts to eat normally. He has been having a rough time.

Tigger is looking for his furrever castle like my Cuzin Leo did a year ago. And Tigger can ONLY be the ONLY cat. He may never have been with other cats in his whole ten years.

If anyone can find Tigger a loving, acceptable, one cat only home within 100 miles of San Francisco Bay Area…Mom L and Dad P will not only deliver him…but will donate $100 to the adopter’s favorite rescue where they also volunteer.

Thank for helping Tigger with sharing his need…we appreciate all your purrs…but he desperately needs your active involvement to share him…he only has another week left with his foster. Then…who knows…maybe back to the kill shelter….

Can You Help Tigger?

Paw Pats, Savannah, Mom L and Dad P and The Kid Sage

Posted in Savannah's Life Experiences and tagged adopt adult cat, cat recovery, kitty corner, paw it forward, scared cat, shelter rescue cat, special need cat rescue, trust

15 Jul 2014

45 Comments

Realty of TNR: B4TC

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

This Paw It Forward Project is truly personal for me

This blog post is dedicated to all the humans who are making TNR happen in the USA. This is the best ever PAW IT FORWARD PROJECT EVER!!

Mom Linda is taking over the post for today…it is her story to tell…as our contribution to Be The Change 4 Animals movement.

Hello All…I have just learned that TNR is not at all for the feint of heart; one must be ready to see beautiful vibrant cats,young and old, being spayed and neutered and then released back into the outdoor world where they live, often never to be seen nor touched again by any human before they die alone, sometimes in pain…cats living a feral life are very low on the food chain in the out of doors…victims to unleashed dog attacks, cars, cruel humans, wild animals…

But…TNR is the best most effective strategy in the USA with any hope of dramatically diminishing the increasing number of feral cats. This is my personal belief, others will disagree, but I was simply humbled to take part in a TNR clinic this past Sunday.

The SNIP (spay, neuter impact program) Clinic for Contra Costa County has been operating since 2006…visit their web site to view some great photos

This clinic is held on site at our largest county shelter. They open their surgery on a Sunday four times a year and vets, vet techs, and people young and old volunteer to make it happen. Perhaps the true heroes of the day are the people who are committed to trapping the feral cats. One requirement of the clinic is that all cats must arrive and depart inside their traps…some have been in the traps since Thursday or Friday…fed, papers kept clean, etc. Trapping a feral cat is not something one can ‘plan’ based on precise scheduling so many trappers get them as close to the clinic date as possible and then care for them until they can present them for TNR.

I was asked by the managing Vet to limit where I took photos so as to not show the cats in surgery or other states where my readers might perceive the cats are treated without respect. I agreed, but nothing can be less true about how these feral cats were treated from the moment they arrived (I worked check in for 3 hours) to their recovery in our ICU area (I worked this for 4 hours). We work quietly so as not to disturb the cats coming out of their anesthesia and recognizing that most have never been handled by humans before today and are terrified of our voices.

(please hover to view captions, click to view the complete caption)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

…before the cats are brought in to await their turn in surgery

After check in and they are waiting…

They then go back to receive their first injection to begin the anesthesia administration process…at this time they can be weighed as they are now asleep…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The surgery where females will be spayed…males do not need the full surgery theater as their procedure is much less intrusive.

Surgery theater for females

Vets prepping

Lining up to be shaved…

After their procedure, they are taken to recovery where we closely monitor them. Those who have temps lower than 97 degrees are quickly taken to a heating station to give them extra warmth. All the traps are placed on heating pads to make them comfortable as they recover. We check them every 10-20 minutes for “Heads and Ears Up” movement…then we know they are coming around successfully.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Now I have a whole new perspective on what TNR really looks like, feels like and how it is one of the only strategies to truly reduce the growing numbers of unwanted cats in the USA.

We desperately need more low cost, high volume, preferable free, spay and neuter clinics if we are ever to reduce the numbers of dogs and cats killed in public shelters. Someone told me that an estimated 180,000 feral cats live in Contra Costa County, the majority in the east county where the population is less dense and the ability to dump a cat much easier.

Can YOU volunteer and Be The Change For Animals in your community by helping with your local TNR efforts? You do not have to trap cats…but you can help manage the clinic operation on days like our SNIP Clinic.

This day I will not soon forget. I wanted to touch every cat I saw once they were asleep…so beautiful, many so thin, so young…ferals do not often live more 4-5 years…so few were very old. Many very young females were pregnant already…we were able to abort and spay. I will be back to help SNIP in October.