November 16th Update

Two great things have happened since our last update. First, Dante, our Siamese kitty who survived burns suffered from a house fire, was adopted! He is is now living with two beautiful girls....Valeria who is in the fifth grade and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up, and her mother, Marina. He also has a feline brother who literally came all of the way from Russia with the family when they moved to the US. Pictures have been promised so I'll add them when they arrive.

Second, I've always believed in Magic! One of my older kitties passed away in June. I immediately realized that I had a space available and that Magic had been waiting patiently for that spot for three years. He settled into my home like he's never lived anywhere else. Instead of having the difficult introduction I had imagined, all of my other cats were like, "Hey Buddy! What took you so long!" Below are some pics. You will see Magic making himself perfectly at home on my kitchen counter, kitchen table, (I really do have lots of cat beds and cat furniture available! I swear!) the screened in patio, and even sneaking a kiss with an older, usually very finicky girl named Shea.

 

 

October 3, 2010

The greatest thing that happened over the last couple of weeks is that Chokolate was adopted! She was the kitty we sheltered in our office because she had been picked on for so many years, (SEVEN!) by the other cats at our shelter. Some of the coolest adoptions we do are when people do their homework. They read the kitty's bio, look at their pics, watch their video, and then come in to meet the kitty they've already fallen in love with. That's when they have to be strong and focused, because we have so many kitties here that they could easily become distracted and overwhelmed. Lindsey and her husband, Steve's focus was unwavering! They came to meet Chokolate and that's exactly what they did. In an update a few days later, Lindsey wrote the following, "She was funny on Sunday. Steve was playing with her on the floor and I was in the kitchen boiling chicken. As soon as the chicken started to cook she went crazy sniffing the air and looking everywhere to try to find the source of the delicious smell! Of course when the chicken was done and I offered her some she was uninterested." It made us realize something so sad! Shelter cats can go their whole lives without ever having smelled a fresh meal simmering away in the kitchen! Chokolate probably thought it was too good to be true and had to be a trick! For Chokolate to go from years of being bullied in our shelter, to the safe but sometimes lonely office, to a real live home with a real live family living in it....cooking chicken!....that's a fairy tale come true!

Here are a couple of pics of Chokolate in her new home:

 

 It was not only Chokolate who benefitted from her adoption. Three other kitties were helped. Dante got her coveted spot as "Featured Pet", and Bria and Charlotte, two kitties who were being picked on just like Chokolate used to be by all of the other kitties got to move into her quiet and safe office.

The saddest thing that's happened is that we lost Duckworth. One of our volunteers, Elissa, wrote the following, Duckie, a wonderful and loving kitty from Feline Friends, crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He had been sick for some time but gave us 11 amazing years. I felt honored to have bonded with this incredible baby for the past 9 months. He was especially fond of turkey (every Sunday) and cheese. He also loved his baby food (chicken and turkey). I miss him very much but am so glad he no longer is in pain and has been reunited with his siblings and friends. I will see you again, Duckie, and I will have a jar of baby food waiting for you. I love you."

September 2010 Updates & News

On July 7th, 2010 we received the following e-mail from Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary...

It's with a very heavy heart I write to you today to let you know that handsome Ballou crossed the Rainbow Bridge in my arms this morning. He developed a tumor at the back of his mouth, more than likely a squamous cell carcinoma, which impeded his ability to eat, drink, or even swallow. It came upon us very suddenly, with a change in his eating developing only in the last couple of days. It was an incredibly difficult decision for a kitty so full of life in every other way.... He was a wonderful furguy & his memory will live on in "Ballou's House", the cat room and yard that we built for him and a couple of his closest friends a couple of years ago (the picture is of him in that yard). Thank you for letting him live with us ~ he was a wonderful friend and great teacher!

Blessings,
Stacy Agan, President
Golden Hearts Animal Sanctuary

We responded...

Hi Stacy,

I got in from Rome late last night and was excited to get an update on Ballou but then was so sad to see what it was. We are so very grateful to you for supporting him for the last 5 years. He was probably close to 11 years old. For a cat with no tongue to get to live as he did...free...not in a cage...for so many years, that is amazing! We couldn't have done that for him. Thank you for being his mom! Sorry you had to go through the end without us. We are there for him now...a couple of days late, but hopefully he still knows. We are glad that his name will live on in "Ballou's House." I can still see the "Welcome Home, Ballou!" sign at the end of your drive when Paul, Ballou, and I drove up. That sign said it all. So, don't have a heavy heart! You took on a huge commitment and no one could have done better. You, Steve, and all of your Golden Hearts' residents provided Ballou with the perfect family. Thank you so much!

With lots of love from,
Beth, Cindy, and all of the volunteers and kitties of Feline Friends

To read more about Ballou's story, please click here: Ballou Story

Now for some happy news!

Hollywood came to Feline Friends and vice versa! In July, Dynamic TV Marketing came to our shelter and shot a commercial for a new cat toy, the Mouse Chaser. If kitties were going to star in this commercial, then why not have them be shelter kitties?! Our volunteers and kitties shot all day in their home where they felt comfortable. Then a few days later we took the kitties with obvious star quality to a house in Delray Beach for an on-site shoot. The result is a very cool commercial. Please enjoy and watch for our director, Cindy Weber...volunteers, Fredda & Aggie...our friend Kerry, and our stars, Chestine, Mad Max, C.J., Daniel, Gunter, Gernold and Roz!

The Mouse Chaser

August 2010 News!

Grizzly Addison was adopted! We were hoping it would work out and boy is it ever! He was found in an abandoned house set for demolition. He had had one eye surgically removed and was pretty much blind in the other eye due to glaucoma. He also had a broken back leg. That was in January. This is him now!

 "Just a quick update on Grizzly Addison, now known as Junior. He has settled in great. As I sit here typing, he is sitting next to me purring and sleeping on his cat scratching pad while my daughter plays next to him. He is eating well, slept great last night, and has explored the whole house. He is a wonderful cat!"

Shop For A Cause

Feline Friends will be participating in Macy's 'Shop For A Cause' Event on October 16th, 2010 at the Town Center Mall. Tickets are available right now. They are $5 each and all of the money collected from our ticket sales goes directly to Feline Friends. If you would like to purchase a ticket, or if you think you might be able to help us sell some tickets, please contact us at Trust319@att.net or call our shelter 954-596-0848. The five charities that have recorded the most ticket sales as of Friday, October 8th will be invited to sell tickets in the store on the day of the event. We want to win!!! Please help us help the kitties! Enjoy exclusive savings that day and maybe even win a $500 gift card!

July 2010 Updates and News

The hardest part of helping Dante find a home has been that we didn't know him. The thing that sets us apart from other shelters is that we really know our cats. We can tell you their likes, their dislikes, their good characteristics, and bad. We know their quirks. We will never lie to you about these things because we want every adoption to be forever. We want to set you up to win.We rescued Dante on June 10th. He spent the next seven days in the hospital. When he was released back into our care, he was so traumatized that he was pretty much catatonic. He had withdrawn so far into himself to heal that we couldn't even reach him. We were just happy if we could get him to eat a meal. We watched as the burned parts of his ears scabbed up and fell off. We were as careful as we could be when we pet him because almost everywhere we touched, the fur was melted and brittle so we knew that the skin underneath was also tender. He would spend the whole day in the same place without moving. Two weeks ago, I tried to take his picture to do an update, but when I looked back at the pictures, his eyes were still so dilated with terror, that I knew it wasn't time yet.

Last week, everything changed. We've cared for and worried about Dante from the moment we met him, but last week, we fell in love! He was finally present. He realized that when we pet the soft, unburned parts of his belly, it felt really good! He stood, stretched, scratched on his scratching post, talked, and flirted! Today, we played catch with a ping pong ball, and boy did we have fun! He is the most trusting pampered boy ever! He lay upside down while I gave him a pedicure and then just wanted me to start all over again. Now that we know him, we can tell you without a doubt that he's addictive, adorable, and amazing! Here are some pictures from when his ears were at their worst up until today. If you think that you can provide him with as pampered and peaceful a home as he's getting accustomed to, please come and meet him.

 

 

 

DANTE'S INFERNO

On Thursday, June 10th, Cindy and I witnessed a terrible tragedy and then became part of a dramatic rescue. We live in the same neighborhood and were checking in with each other by phone before leaving for the shelter. Cindy said she was hearing a lot of sirens and smelling smoke. I said I'd head towards her. We stayed on the phone together while I made my way on foot towards the entrance of our neighborhood. There we saw six fire trucks, several police cars and a house burning to the ground. Luckily, the elderly woman who lived there had been out walking her dog when the fire started so they were safe and were being cared for across the street. The tenant who shared her home wasn't there at the time. It was now just a matter of the house itself being destroyed, right? Of course not! There were scores of neighbors on the street witnessing the inferno and we could hear many conversations going on at the same time, but the one thing we heard several times was, "I think there might have also been a cat."Well, that just changed everything! Cindy and I immediately started asking any firefighter, police officer, or reporter who might pass by if they knew anything about the cat that we were hearing about. We actually found one neighbor who said someone had tried to open the screened-in patio to let the cat out to safety, but that with all of the chaos, he spooked and ran the wrong way. Back into the fire! Finally, someone said that they saw a cat sitting on a chair in the screened in patio at that exact moment. It wasn't like sitting out in the fresh air though! With the heat index that day, the 90 degree temperature felt more like 100 degrees and the smoke was so thick and heavy it was difficult to even breath across the street! The fire fighters said that if we could bring a carrier, they'd go in for it. Cindy ran the couple of blocks back to her house for the carrier and almost didn't make it back in time. Moving through the air that day was like moving through molasses and she has lung problems anyway which were not being helped by the smoke. I found two young boys with a bike and said, "Please ride over to that lady! Grab the pink carrier from her and get it back here as quickly as you can!"

Between those two boys and the amazing firefighter in WPTV's picture above, we were finally able to get the kitty the medical attention it needed. Even with the help of a translator, (the elderly women who owed the home didn't speak any English), we were unable to learn anything about the cat. She didn't know it's name, sex or medical history. Her family didn't even know she had a cat. No one from the family has even called to see how he is doing.We decided to name him Dante. He's still recuperating at Pet Vet Animal Hospital.

Here is a link to WPTV's Vince Norman's coverage of the fire:
Boca Raton fire leaves 89 year old woman homeless

Also, Alexia Campbell of the Sun Sentinel wrote the following article yesterday, June 14th:
DEERFIELD BEACH A Siamese cat rescued from a burning house west of Boca Raton is looking for a new home.

The male cat, now named Dante, is recovering from severe burns to his ears, paws and whiskers, according to Cindy Weber, director of Feline Friends in Deerfield Beach.

The nonprofit, no-kill cat shelter is paying Dante's veterinarian bills and will look after him while a new home is found.

Firefighters rescued Dante from a home fire Thursday in the 8200 block of Garden Gate Place. The cat had a 106-degree temperature and was placed on oxygen support, Weber said. He recently started eating on his own without an IV.

Dante's owner has not picked him up, Weber said, and likely can't take care of him. He is a Lynx Point Siamese cat, about 2 years old.

For more information, call Feline Friends at 954-596-0848.

May 25, 2010 Updates

IF YOU CAN HELP WRITE TO trust319@att.net OR CALL 954-592-2567!

May 8th 2010

On April 29, 2010, Feline Friends was fortunate to be chosen to be the beneficiary of a fundraiser. Local business owner, Kerry Miller, of Kitty Litter Deliver, organized the whole event with a lot of help from Tina Valant. (Tina, this is the not the first time you've stepped in and helped us with the important things...like the details, and we are so grateful to you. Everyone has raved about the catnip toys!) Kerry's wife, Heather, was also our hero that night. Her skills blew us away. Literally! She had to register everyone in a wind tunnel and I don't know how she did it, but she did a great job! The Whale restaurant provided the venue and even donated 10% of their food sales during the event. We raised just under $2000 that nightWe also had a lot of fun! It was better than a high school reunion, but similar because we saw friends from near and far. We dined and visited with twelve years worth of Feline Friends! Thank you to everyone who helped get so many nice raffles prizes donated for the event. We can't wait to do something like this again, but we don't want you to get sick of us either, so we'll try to keep a nice balance.

KITTY LITTERWell, not just because he helped us, (but it is nice to support businesses who give back to local shelters and rescue groups!) Here are my feelings about this delivery service. My least favorite part of grocery shopping has always been buying litter. It's heavy and awkward. I always need two large containers that take up almost the whole shopping cart. Then I have no room for my groceries. My cart is so heavy that I can't steer it easily anymore. I still have to get it scanned loaded into my trunk and then unloaded again at home. The Easy Clean litter that Kerry delivers is cheaper than the name brand litter I normally buy. It's less dusty. The delivery is free. It magically appears at your front door, or if you are home, he will put it exactly where you need it. One forty pound bag is $15.99 but who needs just one? If you get two or more they're $14.99. And it's not like litter goes bad. I get four bags at a time and then am good for a couple of months. Why would anyone not do this So, I wasn't trying to write a commercial, but those are my true feelings about a great way to deal with a not very enjoyable part of my life. Visit Kerry's link on our favorite links page

May 4th, 2010 Zuzu Update

We get wonderful updates on our adopted kitties all of the time, but the update we recently received on Chrysanthemum, who is now named Zuzu, just reminded us why we do what we do. It's not only about finding a home for a cat. When the match is right, magic happens. Homes and hearts are healed. 

Feline Friends:

I just got the note below from my mother today, and I have personally seen the change in my mom since she adopted Zuzu (formerly Chrysanthemum). Zuzu is truly a testament to the love, joy and healing that pets bring us.

Thanks again for keeping her until she was adopted by my mom. They are quite the pair!

Best regards,

Anne Boomer

P.S. I have two cats and never had to put child-proof anything up, but when my fiance and I were visiting my mom a month and a half ago we all decided that it would be safest to install them to keep Zuzu OUT of the cupboards and out of danger. She is the very definition of curious!

"To my friends at Feline Friends:

I have to tell you about my Zuzu. You may remember that I adopted her as Chrysanthemum after Christmas, when my daughter Annie Boomer bought her for me, to help heal my broken heart after my tiny kitten Lulu was put down in November in MI.

We left Feline Friends and drove to Zephyrhills to start our life together. It has been very good for both of us. After C got used to her new name Zuzu, she certainly grew into a rip-roaring Zuzu! Actually, she's more often Zuzu-Boo!

You said she was very smart and had you all wrapped. I can say the same, times 100!

Zuzu wakes me up with a kiss and a paw on my face, usually between 6:30 and 7 a.m., and expects me to get out of bed and open the blinds in the living room so that she can see what's happening outside. I am NOT a morning person, but this I do for Zuzu.

Zuzu has gotten me more mobile than I have been since I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, climbing down under tables and running the yardstick under the refrigerator to get her toys and felt mice. She was a wonderful fetcher, and brought the mice back to me, to be tossed again and again for her to catch in midair with both paws! I say was, because I think she saw the recent cartoon of the dog who decided his master was too heavy and needed the exercise more than he did and stopped fetching. She followed suit, and I am now the fetcher. I guess Zuzu knows best.

I had to install child-proof locks on the lower cabinet doors in my kitchen and bathroom, because Zuzu would open them and get into things that she shouldn't. And after having that done, I still have to tape the bathroom cabinet doors shut at night, because Zuzu opens/shuts/opens/shuts/opens/shuts the doors as far as they will go, until it makes me nuts! My bedroom is right next to the bathroom and the noise makes me crazy!

Speaking of the bathroom, which is one of Zuzu's favorite places, I have to tape shut one side of the wide, slim medicine chest over the sink, because the slider door is easy to open, and Zuzu likes to get into that side and chew on my toothbrushes. Her teeth are pearly white already! She also likes Kleenex very much. She climbs on top of the vanity and pulls them out and leaves a huge pile of them. But she never blows her nose! When I stuff all the tissues back into the box, she just pulls them all out again. Finally, I gave up and threw the whole box on the floor in the hall, where it remains. Zuzu never bothers them now. She only wants what she shouldn't have. She is truly a toddler!

The small kitchen sponge I use to wash dishes is frequently found on the floor at the foot of my bed. I can't imagine why, but Zuzu knows. And the heavy metal strainers for my double sink are a huge curiosity to her. Occasionally she moves them from the kitchen to the bathroom floor. I know she has a method to her madness, but I can't figure out what it is. Sometimes, the strainer might only make it to the middle of the kitchen floor, and the sponge from its place in a bowl by the sink INTO the sink. Maybe she thinks of doing the dishes during the night, and then decides against it. Whatever.

A few days ago I got a small toy ball at the store that included a wee plastic bag of catnip. After filling the sputnik-like ball, I put the catnip in the top cupboard, where I figured Zuzu couldn't get it. Silly me! Imagine my surprise a day later, when the new toy had disappeared as most do, to find the plastic bag opened and its contents spilled on the living room floor. Zuzu-Boo had rolled in it and was simply stoned on "kitty weed" and seemed to have no idea what she had done, much less where she was! The top cupboard door was closed, and Zuzu would have had to stand on her hind legs on the countertop and use her front paws to get the catnip out of the cupboard. It was not an easy reach, and the loot wasn't in the very front of the cupboard, either. She's pretty amazing!

That's just a little of what this kitten has done since I've had her. She has kept me in stitches laughing at what she can find to get into. I was a very busy toddler myself, and I think my Mother, who is deceased, must be having a good laugh at the hijinks this kitten is up to. My daughter Annie was an easy child. Zuzu is not an easy kitten. But I adore her and she adores me. She isn't so much "a tortie with a 'tude" as "a kit with a wit!"

I thank Annie every day for finding Chrysanthemum on the net and encouraging me to adopt her. She knew this kitten was special when she first saw her. How right she was!

Thanks for keeping her for me until we found her, Feline Friends!

Zuzu's "People Mama,"

Teresa Boomer

PS Zuzu has never said a word about what happened to her bobbed tail, or why it dried up and fell off. It's her story, and she's keeping it secret, but that tail...it communicates like all kitty tails do! Wonderfully!"

April 2010 Updates