It's Time For This Behaviour To Be Called Out

 So, the world is upside down for a lot of people right now, and there are a lot of things happening all over the world. In our own worlds here, we are seeing huge changes both in the rescue and in the private lives of our Board members. Of course, what rescue wouldn't be complete without someone going entirely off the rails at least annually, right? 

Well, this time we will share the entirety of the exchange we had with our periodic rail greaser. This time it is one Sandy Schedlosky, who, meaning well, took a kitten who needs medical care to the emergency vet. This is a wonderful act of care, and we love when people reach out to help as much as they can. Yesterday, 2 of our Board members spent the day dealing with some pretty heavy stuff, and when the message came that there was an injured kitten, one of them had a bit of a cry over the rescue's current financial position because it meant we couldn't help out financially. Here's how the conversation played out.

Now, these screen shots are trimmed so that they go in proper order and, with the exception of the last one, reduce the amount of reading the same thing over again for the reader. 

And here's the thing. We wouldn't be posting this today but Sandy decided that rather than simmering down and rereading the parts where she was told; 

• we are in the middle of a reset
• we cannot do any intakes right now
• if we said yes, it would be irresponsible on our part (verbatim was "whether we would be able to properly support him and that isn't fair at all")
• We would be happy to set her up with supplies in the meantime (this is not just a "can of food" as Ms. Shedlosky so wonderfully put it in her attempt to minimise us offering the help that we are capable of at this time. The gratitude was palpable, I tell you.)
• funds are non-existent (what we did not tell her because quite frankly she has no reason to know is that we are handling 3 spays, a mastectomy, and a few other projects we are trying to get off the ground. And right now the rescue has just a little over $100 in the account.)
• we have to move our current adoptables before we can do anything at all. 
• it was offered to her that we would reach out to other rescues to see if they could help.

As you can see, Sandy was ever so gracious in her response, telling us that she understood and that it was unfortunate that we were unable to assist. She even offered to lend help to us or another rescue so that it wasn't such a struggle! She kindly thanked us for our offer of food, litter, litter box, toys, etc... that come with having a cat in the house but declined, saying she didn't want to burden our already taxed organisation.

Just kidding. She posted a scathing review on google, thinking we wouldn't respond! And you know, a lot of rescues won't, because a lot of rescues don't want to upset people or rock the boat. We are a little different here though. You see, we value human beings just as much as we value animals. We will go to the mat for either one, and sometimes that means we show much more compassion for situations which would enrage others, but sometimes it means calling people out when they are acting like assholes. In this case, going to the mat for the kitten meant saying that we are unable to help with his emergency care bill, but offering what we could for the care he needed for the time he was in her care. And this post isn't about going to the mat for the person Sandy talked to, she has a pretty thick skin. It's about going to the mat for the rescue community as a whole.

Rescue workers are stretched. It's what we do. Very few of us get paid (in fact, none of the ones in our rescue take a salary at all.) so what we do, we do out of passion, and out of compassion. Yet the general public seems to believe that we are invincible and have bottomless pockets. That we don't feel those little darts thrown at us every time we express grief for losing a hard case (why didn't you do x? Well, you can't save them all.), or when we have to say no to an intake or when we have to explain to a person why their husbandry is making their companion sick. It's like being pecked to death by a lazy duck. And you know, we grin and bear it most of the time.

There is not a single person who got into animal rescue because they wanted to do nothing. There is not a single person who does rescue who feels good about having to say "I'm so sorry, we are at capacity. Not even one more." And very few of us can do so and go to bed without crying a little bit because we don't know what the fate of that little one would be. Because we all wish we had infinite funds and infinite space and infinite time to help every single struggling soul out there. And I am not complaining. No, this is not a complaint at all because another thing about rescuers is that rescuing them is what keeps us going. It's what makes the world a little better.

So I'm not posting this because Sandy is a meanie. I make no judgments as to the overall character of Sandy, despite her behaviour being entitled, childish, and petty. Who knows, maybe this is a one-off (although given that she had already been hung up on by another rescue prior to contacting us...) I'm posting this because there are thousands of Sandys out there, who would attempt to browbeat a rescue into taking in more than they can, and then strut about, bleating about how they saved that poor little kitten as though she had done anything more than a quick drive to a vet and some snotty messages. And there are thousands of rescuers who will get these messages from the Sandys of the world and say nothing. They would take the character assasinations, the pettiness, the snarling, and the holier-than-thou declarations of the Sandys and they would put it in their already heavy rucksack of shitty comments from ignorant people, and say nothing, and just add it to the load. 

That's not how we work here. And maybe it isn't as nice as the image of rescue is supposed to be. Most rescues have a face of cute, and smiles, and happiness. We don't. We do the shit that needs doing because it needs doing. We are, in contrast to most other rescues out there, pretty unfiltered about the truth of it all, the including how the same people who consider themselves saviours to animals will just as quickly (and gleefully) abuse another human being. That doesn't make us better and hell, maybe it is part of why we aren't seen as easily as others. But it's who we are.

So next time you decide you want to be a Sandy, I want you to remember the motto of our rescue. Well. The whole motto of the rescue. It's isn't just "do all things with kindness..."

Do you know that the ellipsis is there for?

Diabetes in Cats

This is a guest post, written by one of our wonderful volunteers, Ronnie V. (click on her name to be taken to her true crimes podcast site!) It details her experience with diabetes in her kitty Romulus.

Romulus

At the beginning of January 2022, I began noticing my 13 year old cat Romulus was losing some weight. He is a longer haired fluffy tabby, and always had a couple extra pounds, so it didn’t seem too concerning right away. 

However, in a short amount of time I noticed he began drinking lots of water, having big pees in the litter box, and was losing quite a bit of weight around his haunches. He seemed uncomfortable, not really wanting pets nor having the same energy as before.

I was heartbroken. I wasn’t ready to face a difficult decision. 

I scraped whatever money I had together to bring him to the vet to get bloodwork. I spoke with the vet about his history, which included having bladder blockage (struvite urolithiasis) when he was 5, but ever since he has been doing well. 

I waited for a call back once the vet had the results, and I was surprised when he said, “Romulus has diabetes.”

I then asked what the treatment options were, and he explained how he would require insulin twice a day, and that I should look for food that has lower calories. 

I received papers with information, and was shown how to give him his shot. I was a bit overwhelmed, and worried about messing up somehow. But when the vet had asked what I wanted to do, of course I said I will do whatever is in my power to help Romulus, especially if it is something that is treatable. 

I had many questions though, and over time I began to learn what food seemed to work well for Rom (and what food didn’t), as well as developing more of an understanding of how diabetes presents in cats. I want to share information in case anyone out there has any concerns about their own cats, or wants to have an easy place where there is some basic, digestible information. 

What is Diabetes

Feline diabetes, or diabetes mellitus, is a condition wherein the body can not produce insulin on its own. Insulin is a hormone that is necessary in the process of releasing glucose from the blood, and allowing the glucose to be absorbed for energy.  

Though humans and cats have different digestive systems, this is a basic process that we share, and in that we share similarities with diabetes. 

It is interesting because cats also have type I and II diabetes. Here is an excerpt from https://bondvet.com/b/diabetes-in-cats : 

“There are two types of diabetes mellitus: Type 1 and Type 2. 

Type 1 means the body has a shortage of insulin, a blood sugar regulating hormone produced by the pancreas. 

Type 2 diabetes means insulin resistance., where the body’s cells become less and less responsive to the hormone. Insulin can’t be effectively used by the body, even if enough insulin is produced. This type of diabetes most commonly develops in overweight or obese cats as they get older. “

Signs and Symptoms

Here is a basic list of signs and symptoms to look out for:

• Increased thirst.

• Increased urination.

• Increased appetite. 

• Noticeable weight loss.

• Lethargy.

Treatment

In order to treat diabetes, it is necessary to give the feline insulin. This can be done in the following ways:

Insulin: I use the Lantus SoloStar pen in order to give Rom his doses each morning and each evening. It is simple to use-I click to the unit amount required on the bottom, and then I screw on a fresh needle on top each time. I find its easiest when I grab the scruff of his neck and inject it into him that way, and I do it as he is eating his breakfast/supper. He usually doesn’t put up a struggle, and I’m sure any struggle is because I hesitated or came at him the wrong way. It may seem worrisome at first, but before you know it the process will be barely a thought in your everyday routine. 

There are other options and ways to administer the insulin, and this is something that you can determine with your vet. I imagine each clinic has their own preferences or brands, as at one point I ran out of needle tips, my clinic had none until the next day, and every other clinic I went to didn’t have the same type of needle tips. 

A big takeaway is to be open and communicative with your vet so you can give and receive the most information possible in order to manage your fur babies needs as best as possible. 

Diet is a big component to help your cat buddy to thrive and potentially reduce the amount of insulin necessary each day, even remission. 

I like to try to compare the nutritional value to the canned Purina DM (Diabetic Management) formula cat food when looking at alternative foods that are more accessible/affordable. Romulus wasn’t a fan of the DM wet food because it was more chunks in gravy, and he just drinks the gravy and leaves the rest! Pate, or some kind of more mushy type of food is good for knowing Romulus is not just drinking the liquid, but is also getting food into his tummy. 

Here are some pictures of the nutritional values for the Purina DM wet food, and the food itself:

Romulus gets bad poopy bum with kibble, so I keep the boys main diet as wet food, however the best kibble that I have found that doesn’t affect him too harshly is the Purina DM formula kibble. 

Again, this is something you will have to analyze and look for in regards to what is accessible to you, affordable, and jives with your own kitties body and preference.

I find that Tiki Cat and B.F.F. have the correct values I look for, and my boys love them. They are a bit pricier though, so sometimes I do have to see what are more affordable options are out there. 

(Note from ALWAYS Director; we are primarily a Royal Canin feeding rescue, and stand behind their foods as one of the highest in quality available. To obtain Royal Canin for diabetic kitties, please contact your veterinarian's office. As with all higher end foods, they are somewhat pricy, but what you spend in extra food cost you will save in vet bills and heartache. Always, always ALWAYS follow the advice of your veterinarian with regard to your companion's health needs.)

Hypoglycemia 

Now, this may be off putting-it was for me when I read about it. But it is something to be aware of, and something that knowing how to treat is important. 

There can be a risk of the insulin negatively affecting the kitty, mainly if too much is administered. This happened to Romulus suddenly, as if his body began responding differently to the medication and change in diet, and he was not needing as much insulin. I gave him his regular dose, but he became ill and vomited his food. I wasn’t sure if he was in contact with something that made him sick or what, but he didn’t eat more after. He then began wobbling around when walking, and basically fell into his litter box at some point. I took him to the emergency, where he got to sit like a king in some kind of oxygen bed that was like a baby insulator, and I got a nice big bill. Again, I didn’t mind because I felt awful. I wanted to make sure he was all good. However, I could have avoided that emergency visit if I had corn syrup on hand (I had maple syrup, but it is NOT sugary enough to counter balance the insulin). Here is a quote from https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_diabetes_mellitus:

“Hypoglycemia is a serious and potentially life-threatening state that should be treated as an emergency.

Signs of hypoglycemia in cats might include:

• Dull mentation or disorientation

• Profound weakness or lethargy

• Gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhea, not eating)

• Trembling

• Seizures

• Coma

If you see any of these signs, give your cat a sugary product (corn syrup, maple syrup, honey) and immediately go to an emergency pet hospital.

If your pet is having seizures, try rubbing syrup on their gums, but be cautious of your cat biting you.”

Outlook

You can make your cat nice and comfortable and happy if you keep up with a good food routine, give them enrichment so they are exercising and having fun, and give them all the love in the world as usual. It is important to make sure we do all we can for our animal friends, because we love them. 

Romulus is laying next to me as I write this, having a nice sleep after spending the day clawing at my face for snacks, chasing his younger brother Kato around, and randomly running from one room to another from spontaneous zoomies. I couldn’t’ be happier seeing him thriving, and though I wish I could give him an even better life, it is amazing to see how far he has come since his initial diagnoses.

I have links to many sources below, use them to read through and get an understanding if you are suddenly thrust into the world of having a diabetic cat. There is lots of information out there, and always reach out and talk to others to see what information they may have. Also, be kind to yourself. 

-Veronica Vetter 

Sources

• https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/health/diabetes#:~:text=Some%20cats%20are%20more%20at%20risk%20than%20others,inflammation%20of%20the%20pancreas%20or%20urinary%20tract%20infections.

• https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/endocrinology/managing-feline-diabetes-mellitus/

• https://pets.webmd.com/cats/features/feline-diabetes-symptoms-treatments-prevention-diet#1

• https://bondvet.com/b/diabetes-in-cats

• https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_diabetes_mellitus

• https://www.catsanddiabetes.com/

• https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.ca/consumer/products/dm-dietetic-management-canned-feline-formula

Why Does Your Rescue Insist on Indoor Only for Your Adopted Cats?

This is a question we face regularly. Many people feel that cats should be allowed to roam freely. Ultimately, that would be nice wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it just isn't safe. I won't even go in depth with regard to the damage they can do to bird populations and peoples' gardens, or the spraying of doors and windows that happens. You see, what our biggest concern is what can happen to your kitty. As a rescue, we see what happens to cats who are permitted to wander around. 

Sometimes, we are mending them after they've been hit by a car. Sometimes that car was intentionally aimed at them. Sometimes we are mending them after a human being with malicious intent gets hold of them. The lengths to which some people will go to harm a defenseless creature for their own amusement would make most people lose their appetite.

This is Audrey, after whom our rescue is named. She came to
us with a broken hip and needing extensive surgeries. She also
needed to be spayed before she got pregnant and had a severe 
parasite load. It took months for her to recover.

Sometimes, they will get into fights with other animals. This almost never goes well for either animal, and the injuries can become infected. 

This cat was in a fight with another, and his guardian
let him back out before the antibiotics were finished.

While this is terrible, if the wounds are cared for and healed, the cat will be okay. PROVIDED your kitty is properly vaccinated, they might even escape catching FeLV (feline leukemia virus) or FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). Of course, your cat doesn't need to get into a fight to catch panleukopenia or chlamydophila. Maybe a touch of feline rhinotracheitis? I mean, yeah most cats are prone to it, but why increase your baby's chances of catching it? Then there is the all-too-common feline calicivirus.

What we are trying to do by having the indoors-only clause is not be controlling doody-heads. We are trying to protect your new family member from the many dangers out there. We don't let dogs, birds, bunnies, guinea pigs, reptiles, hamsters, or toddlers (and let's consider for a moment how similar cats and toddlers are) wander free, so why are we doing it to cats? 

So, now I've written out a whole bunch of reasons for you to not let your kitty wander free. So what are the solutions? 

Before you do any of the following, make sure your companions are fully up to date on all vaccines!

We love taking our little goobers out for walks if they're willing. A good harness, ability to provide shade & water, and some waste bags and you're set! Don't forget, you're walking with a cat so really the cat will be walking you. Be prepared to see a lot of slinking low in the grass, statue imitations, and once the kitty becomes more comfortable with it, rolling around and playing. You can tether the kitty outside in the back yard on a harness as well if you like, but don't leave them unattended. This has resulted in tragedy when the leash or tether becomes hung up on something or the cat tries to jump over something that there isn't enough slack left on the lead for too many times. 

Our absolute favourite method is the catio. This is an enclosed area outside which can be either a box with chicken wire attached to a window, or something more elaborate and fancy. What you have room and permission for are the only limitations with this solution. If you're in an apartment, you can always enclose your balcony, or if you don't have one you can build a window box which doesn't need to be affixed to the building. Googling "removable apartment catio" brings up scores of ideas for this. We have 2 window catios on our home, and have decided this year to undertake converting our gazebo to a catio extension. Once we get that completed, we will post photos!

We will be offering some fantastic leash and harness sets soon, so stay tuned!

Aaargh! He Peed On My Clothes Again!

 Inappropriate urination in cats can be so frustrating for guardians. Our home and belongings become soaked in urine and the smell is unbelievable. Of course our first reaction being that of upset is natural, it feels like a slight against us. But let's look at why it happens. 

Not our kitty, but she made us laugh so we shared.

First and foremost, take your little one to the vet. Trust, a visit to the vet now is a lot less expensive and painful than a visit when it gets worse. Also, crystals and urinary blockages can be fatal. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 (although that might help with the vet bill), just get to the vet. The most common reason for urination that we have experienced here is urinary crystals, urinary tract infection, and in one case, renal failure (our amazing vet was able to fix her up, thankfully!). Another issue that can arise is if the cat has been declawed (please don't do this, it's so barbaric). The pain experienced on the tips of those little toes can be further exacerbated by rough litter. For that, you'll want to try the softest litter you can find. For that we recommend ökocat litter and a perusal through the website for City the Kitty.

If you've ruled out any mechanical concerns at the vet, now it's time to look at the next culprit; behaviour. Now, a lot of people believe that cats will urinate inappropriately because of some vendetta. Let's put a stop to this right now; unlike people, animals are incapable of malice. Period. They do not plan to upset us, they do not punish us, they do not piss because they are upset they got in trouble and they want to exact revenge. Yes, we do need to anthropomorphise animals to an extent because we don't understand much about them and it keeps us attached to them, but this is a thing that can go too far. Not anthropomorphising them at all will keep us too detached, but anthropomorphising them too much makes us get a little more fussy than we ought to be. Strike a balance. ANYWAY. Let's get on to how to suss out why kitty is peeing where she shouldn't.

1. Look at where it's happening. Is it by windows and doors? Look around and see if there are neighbourhood cats hanging out in your yard or worse, marking by entrances to your home. You might have to look pretty hard for that, or even use a black light at night to determine if that's the case. If it is, use the detergent I'll leave the recipe for at the bottom of this post to eliminate the urine and set out deterrents to keep cats out of your yard. We have used coyote piss, bear piss, wolf piss, and cougar piss to keep cats off of our property with pretty good success, but you have to acquire it during hunting season and I won't lie, it stinks. You'll want to spray it around the perimeter of your yard so the smell doesn't get in the house, and I strongly recommend wearing disposable gloves when you handle it. You'll need to renew it every once in a while or if it rains. If you can't get ahold of predator piss, try a motion activated sprinkler. Place it where your mail carrier won't get hit with it of course, but you could put it close to the side of the house near the windows. We've had success with this for keeping cats out of our garden.

2. Is it where another cat has peed in your home? Think hard, you may have forgotten about the habit of a cat who used to live with you. Or maybe, a cat who lived with the people who were in your home before you moved in. You can determine this using a black light. You might need to pull the carpet up a little to see the underlay or subfloor in order to determine just how much work it will take to eliminate the hot spot. Again, there will be a recipe for what we use.

3. Has something changed in the home? Some cats can be kind of neurotic about stuff. New people, new or rearranged furniture, a new cat, sometimes even a new deodorant or scent can trigger upset in cats. (And honestly dear reader, a lot of perfumes make your author here want to misbehave too, so can you imagine having a sense of smell as acute as a cat's?) Check out any changes that have happened in the house. With us having just gone through a major worldwide event, a lot of people were home all day and now that many are returning to work, some of our animal companions will not know how to react to this. If you suspect it may be an anxiety response, we recommend trying a small shirt (we use size small and medium dog shirts, depending on the size of the cat) to help your kitty feel a little more secure. The Thunder Shirt is a well known tool for this, but sometimes people may find that cost prohibitive or heavy for their needs, so we do like to start with the simple shirt. Calming treats and CBD (please be mindful of dosage and do NOT administer THC to your cat) can be very helpful in this situation as well. Please avoid using essential oils without first looking into which ones can be safely used and how. We don't recommend following the advice of those selling the oils because a lot of the time they're misinformed and can sell you something which can cause toxicity. We have a short blurb with a link to the CVMA (click the pic on the article) article about oils. Sometimes you might have to go as far as using an anti-anxiety medication prescribed by your veterinarian.

4. This one is obvious, but is the litter box clean? Are there enough boxes? There should be 1 box per kitty plus one. So if you were like me and had 10 cats (listen, the kids moved out okay? Don't judge!) you would need at least 11 boxes. We have 13 and still sometimes have pissing incidents. If you have 2 cats, have 3 boxes, 3 cats means 4 boxes and so on. Also, does your cat like the litter? Is it too coarse? Is it perfumed? Please don't use perfumed litters, they're awful for their little lungs. 

The thing to remember is that inappropriate elimination is almost always a cat's way of telling you something is wrong in their world. Something hurts, they're confused, stressed or anxious. They aren't being malicious or bratty, your kitty still loves you. They just really need you to figure out what it is and help them solve it. Best of luck, and try to remember, scolding or punishing a cat for this doesn't teach them a lesson, it teaches them not to trust you.

Settling A New Cat Into Your Home

Congratulations! You've added a new feline companion to your home. Be prepared, your life is about to become so much more interesting in so many ways. Cats are wonderfully diverse creatures, with different personality traits, moods, quirks, and routines. The wonderful thing about them is that, despite popular opinion, cats can be taught. 

William and Maggie took to each other like peanut butter and jam.

So you've brought your kitty in and they're a little skittish. They're going to need some time to adjust. Wherever they were before landing in your life is what they know, and the new smells, people, and surroundings are going to put them off their game a little bit. They're going to hide for a little while (possibly a week or two!), maybe even be off their food for a day or two. That's okay, place some food and water close to their hiding spot so that they at least meet those basic needs. They're likely doing so when you're out of the house or sleeping, but it's no fun to go hours without water when you're thirsty, and cats can be stubborn. 

Audrey walked into our home like she owned it
and promptly made herself the queen,
much to the chagrin of George and Gracie. 

If they aren't the only animal in the home, they're also going to need time to adjust to the new friend as well. This can be a little scary for everyone involved because we aren't so sure if there will be fights or if they'll hit it off immediately. Chances are that there will be some vocalization, perhaps some poofing up of kitties, but it's not a guarantee that there will be fighting. Some people recommend keeping a barrier between a new cat and existing resident animals, and we agree with that to an extent. Our usual method of introduction of a healthy cat to a new home with resident animals is to allow open, supervised visitation between them, keeping a watchful eye over the interactions to ensure that they aren't violent. Hissing and growling is normal, and we recommend allowing that type of interaction, but ensure that there is an adult human close by to intercept if there is going to be a physical confrontation. Give treats (but not too many!) when you see that they are all sharing space without confrontation, and praise them all equally.

If there are times when there won't be an adult human present to supervise, or if the companion animals are having a hard time adjusting, then you'll want to do the following;

1. Set up a room with a door for the new cat. Include food, water, toys, litter, and other sources of stimulation for the kitty. You'll also want to set something up for you to be able to spend time comfortably in there as well, because kitty is also going to have to get to know you as well.
2. Put a blanket where kitty is likely to sleep. Also put a similar blanket where your existing companion animals sleep. You're going to swap these back and forth between animals every 2 days for a while, to get them used to the scent of the other.
3. Feed all companion animals close to the door of the room. Not immediately at the door, but close enough that they can sense each other but know that there is that safety of a barrier and some space.
4. Go in and spend time with the new companion animal. Be it homework, or just doomscrolling (because let's be honest, nobody "surfs the net" anymore, we all doomscroll social media now), your quiet presence in the room will help settle your new friend. Bonus if kitty comes up for snuggles, because you'll be leaving the room smelling like the new kitty, and you can go immediately to your established companion and show some affection while smelling like the new kid.
5. Swap the aforementioned blankets between the animals to help them associate the smell of the new companion with sleep. Swap them every 2 or 3 days to help move things along.
6. Eventually, you'll want to start encouraging face-to-face time with the animals in the home. Do so slowly, heeding all of the warnings from prior to this list. Eventually, you'll be able to just let everyone free roam in the home without worrying.

We have also found that Feliway plug in diffusers help immensely, as well as Royal Canin Calm food (available through your vet). There are some "homeopathic remedies" out there for cats, but few of them have actually proven to us to be effective and many of them are quite fragrant. We use LucyLoo #hashtags essential oil blend in our main foster home because it's safe, non-offensive, and actually seems to help our animals when they decide to go all West Side Story on us. It's available exclusively through Hashbrowns Homestead Supplies in Red Deer, Alberta. Please refer to our post about cats and essential oils before going ahead and using oils with cats in the home.

Other methods we have found help the process are;

• brush the new kitty, and without removing the hair from the brush, brush your existing companion animals with the same brush to transfer scents between them
• put one of your dirty shirts in with the new kitty
• stuffies that can be swapped between the animals
• spending time around your new kitty without fussing if the cat is somewhat skittish toward you. If you go into their space and just spend time being there without being a force, they will become curious and come see you for affection. BUT...
• some cats respond to what we call "forcible affection". That's something you will want to ask the foster family about. This is exactly what it sounds like; scooping kitty up and snuggling them whether they are game or not. Again, ask the foster family about this and if you or they aren't sure, err on the side of respectful distance instead

Again, every cat is different, and they can either waltz in like they already own the place or they will take a few weeks to get settled enough to snuggle. You absolutely need to practice patience. It doesn't matter if the 6 cats you had before settled in like nothing, this 7th bebby might be the challenge who ends up being worth it. 

That said, some cats are just not meant to live with other animals. We had a lovely little girl named Harlow who had her umpteenth litter of kittens while in our care (she was on the street prior to that) and after her babies were weaned, she wanted nothing to do with any other cat. No matter what we did, she just was not interested in having any other animal friends so she had to go live with a lovely lady who has no other companion animals. She is thriving there and is treated like the queen she is.

Miss Harlow was not having any of this "friends" business.
We know that some kitties just don't want to do it, so we 
respect that and placed her so she will be the only cat.

What are other ways you have helped new kitties settle in to your home? 

What's Fostering Like?

We hear many objections to fostering around here. "I would get too attached", "I have no room", "My own cats/dogs/etc... would hate it", "I have small kids". What people don't realize is that these are all actually good reasons to foster.

"I would get too attached" is probably the most common objection I hear. Here's the thing though; we want you to get attached. We want you to really care for these little ones as though they were your very own. We want you to fret about their health, their happiness, their overall well being. You see, that's what makes a great foster family. Yes, it is hard to say goodbye at first. The first year of fostering, I wept every time I dropped kittens off at the place I was fostering for. What nobody told me was that eventually, I would welcome the surrender of my little wards because it meant that not only were they off to have wonderful lives, but that I now had room to save some more little lives. Yes, there are still the occasional foster babies who tug at my heartstrings when it's time to say goodbye (Wren, Gregory, and Moose come to mind), but even so they are meant for other families and other adventures.

"I have no room". Well, really everyone has room. We all have bathtubs, bathrooms, little unused corners of our homes that would make lovely little spaces in which to care for animals who need a temporary home while they wait for their always home. Look around you, you'll find so many spots. And you won't have to worry about paying for anything; rescues pay for the needs of the companion animal while it's in your care. That means you won't worry about the cost of food, litter, puppy pads, or anything else like that while they're your foster.

"My own pet would hate it". Well, fair. Nobody wants to put their pets through unnecessary stress. However, our oldest cats were 8 years old before we started fostering and while they weren't thrilled, they did get accustomed to the parade of little goobers through the house. It took some learning on all of our parts, but a good rescue will help and advise you through the process of settling your companion animals in to being foster siblings.

"I have small kids" is, if anything, an even bigger reason to foster! What better way to teach your children about how to give selflessly of their love and attention? They will also get to experience the wide range of personalities that animals have, and get to know about the behaviours of the animal you're fostering. Fostering with kids is a wonderful experience, and I could not recommend it more.

If you're interested in fostering or would like more information, please email us or download the foster application form here and send the completed application back to our email. We will contact you as soon as possible for a visit and discussion regarding your application. Thank you so much!

Exciting News! Also, let's talk about food for a minute.

Since the inception of our rescue's formation, we have fed our cats & kittens Royal Canin food. Even prior to that, the founder of our rescue has been a staunch supporter of and advocate for the feeding of Royal Canin. As of today, we are officially a Royal Canin shelter partner. That means that any time you adopt one of our companion cats or dogs, you get a sample of their food, plus some wicked coupons. It also means that your companion animal is coming to you with a balanced nutritional foundation.

I've been asked more than once why we don't feed a cheaper food. After all, it's a shelter (or in my own case, we have a lot of permanent residents) so funds are tight. And it's true, they really are tight. However experience with other foods has proven to me that with a few exceptions, Royal Canin has led to healthier coats, healthier GI systems, fewer instances of UT crystals recurring (our George got them terribly for a year or two, until one of our vets told us to try the RC Urinary S/O to prevent the formation of them. We haven't looked back from RC since then, and have used the range of foods to help sort out any issues our kitties were having (here's looking at you, CALM). That said, if you feed a higher quality food, you have fewer health issues which saves on vet bills. You also put a little more money up front for the higher quality food, but you're spending less on litter and food because the food is packed with more nutrients and fewer fillers than a lot of your lower end foods. Transitioning is fairly simple, by mixing 75/25 current food with new, then 50/50, then 25/75. This allows for the digestive flora to respond to the new food slowly rather than do a rapid truffle shuffle in order to "recognize" the new chemical makeup of the nutrient delivery vehicle. (Don't let "chemical makeup" scare you though; those words apply to literally everything in our world. Meat, vegetables, even your skin has a chemical makeup, and it doesn't mean it's been altered or is dangerous.) Transitioning slowly reduces the instances of diarrhea or vomiting, or of the food being rejected entirely by the animal.

That said, there are a lot of families struggling to make ends meet right now, and can't even afford to feed a lower end food let alone a really good one. No animal should ever have to go hungry, and with that in mind we still collect food donations. Those donations go back into the community by helping to feed the companion animals of families who need that leg up, for as long as they need it and for as long as we have the food to give. If you or someone you know is in need of food for their companion animal, please feel free to drop us a line.