November 2011 Updates!

Well, there is always good and bad news. The bad is that we lost two more of our older kitties, Farrah and Ali. They were two of our most feral cats, but they were happy at Feline Friends with the other cats and didn't mind us too much as long as we provided them with baby food and treats and then left them alone! The good news is that we found homes for my boyfriend Jason, and Barcelona, and Countess Chocula! We also helped "re-home" Blues, a kitty we'd adopted out years ago. Then, since I had been planning to bring Jason home this Fall but he was already safe and happy in a great home, I took our two office kitties, Bria and Charlotte! They had once been the pariahs in our shelter. When Chokolate was adopted out of our office, we moved Bria and Charlotte over for their own safety. For a year and a half, they've thrived and blossomed. During that time, of course, a new pariah was in the making. Marigold. It's been painful to watch. She always had scratches on her nose. We had to sneak food to her. She wasn't allowed to use the litter box without being attacked by one cat or another. Now, in the office, it's wonderful to see her enjoying the finer things in life...cat nip, feather toys, quiet peaceful meals and a safe litter box. Hopefully, she too will thrive, blossom, get adopted, and then pass the baton on to another kitty in need.

     

We also want to thank all of our volunteers and donors! First, thank you for supporting our fundraising efforts! Thank you for buying and helping us sell the Macy's Shop for a Cause passes! Second, thank you so much for coming out to The Whale! Strangely enough, I had my camera in my purse that night, but didn't take it out once. I was too busy enjoying the wonderful company of so many friends, (and figuring out the trigonometry involved in organizing a raffle table. That was hard!) The last great bit of news is that with the direct help of our supporters, we have completed many projects this year that greatly improved the happiness and health of our cats and volunteers. Michelle, the owner of Roadrunner who passed away in April, visited in June. She knew we had been wanting to paint. She gave us a donation that helped us completely repaint the inside of our shelter! Then, an amazing married couple that has been volunteering for years, gave us a donation that allowed us to build more cat shelves, perches, and walkways throughout! THEN, (that's the last then, I promise!) we got the best donation of all: a new state of the art air conditioning system that not only keeps us cool, but also has an ionizer/deodorizer that kills viruses and neutralizes odors. Since we always measure our success by the happiness of our kitties, we've had a very successful year! We and the kitties are grateful! Check out our new look!

     

October Updates!

South Florida friends, please come to our second annual fundraiser at The Whale in Parkland. All of the kitties are inviting YOU! Help us make this second fundraiser at The Whale as magical as the first!

Here's a link to The Whale where our October 27th fundraiser will be held so that you can familiarize yourself with the location, menu, and venue. (I am such a poet!)
http://thewhalerawbar.com/

Shop for A Cause This July!

And

Together Again!
Saturday, August 27th, 2011

Donate $5 to Feline Friends and receive a "Shop For A Cause" pass entitling you to 25% off most merchandise available in any Macy’s store anywhere in the country or online at Macys.com on August 27th. Each pass also has an entry form to be dropped off in the store the day of the event to put you in the running for a $500 gift card. To participate in this exciting event and support the kitties of Feline Friends, call us at 954-596-0848.

April 2011 Updates

Over the last several months, we’ve experienced what we have almost come to expect as the normal, calm, cool, chaos of daily life in cat rescue. Three of our older kitties, Batgirl, Fu Manchu, and Dixie passed away from renal failure. The place just doesn’t seem the same without them. They were so popular with the cats and volunteers alike, that I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t sticking around to watch over and protect all of their friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc… They are very missed!

  

We also unexpectedly lost a young kitty, Goblin, who probably ate something that he could not pass which formed an intestinal blockage. This seems to be a very dangerous theme recently. Roadrunner and Lolita, two kitties adopted from us in the past, had a similar situation. Sadly, Roadrunner didn't make it. She had ten inches of sewing thread wrapped deep around the base of her tongue where it could not be seen. And that was just the beginning! She had ingested so much of the thread that it was found throughout her intestines. We paid her medical bills and tried to ensure that she received the best medical care available, but 70% of her bowels were damaged beyond repair. She passed away soon after the surgery. Lolita participated a little too much in a birthday party and found the tinsel tabletop decoration. She also needed surgery to remove the tinsel from her intestines, but she is going to be okay. For everyone out there reading this, be paranoid! You hear it all of the time, but rubber bands, thread, ribbons, tinsel, etc…really can kill your pet!

We have had some great adoptions! Paddymack was adopted! He now lives with a beautiful four-year-old Bengal kitty named Naneko. His mom and dad, Amanda and Jeff, were the best adopters ever! They did their homework and were already informed and knowledgeable about cat introductions before they brought Paddymack home. They worked with scent, one of the most important factors in an introduction, and they were patient. They did it by the book and kept us informed. Yes, he’s still doing lots of fetching! We received so many great Flickr pages of Paddymack, that I am including just one of my favorites.

Here’s Paddymack’s Second Day

Jasmine, Croc, Blueberry, Patrón and Roz (This is so new I’m almost afraid to jinx us!) were all adopted too!

Other adoptions didn’t go quite as well, but no harm was done and we fixed it.

One adoption went so wrong, that it almost makes us want to just stop. Why put ourselves through it? Why put the cats through it? Why ever trust anyone again? We screen, check in by phone, and even visit if it might help, but sometimes, there is a disconnect there and our cats are literally put in danger. Instead of giving up, we enlisted the help of a friend, who enlisted the help of her friend. With cat people from all different walks of rescue working together, we got our cats back safely. Trappers definitely don’t get enough appreciation! I’m not talking about pest control trappers, but the dedicated trappers who do “Trap/Neuter/ Return.” We were in distress. We called for help as surely as if we had called 911. Donna was the trapper who received our call. With a picture of our kitty and all of the information we could possibly provide, she had her in a trap and back safely to us within 24 hours. Trapping is a skill. Donna, you are very skilled, and you are our hero! Thank you!

We also were able to help two kitties who never even stepped a paw into our shelter. One was an outdoor, neutered male kitty who was being fed by the cousin of one of our volunteers, Mary. This kitty had been attacked by another animal and had four puncture wounds in his left cheek. We provided him with the medical care needed to get back on his feet.

 

The second kitty we helped is Patches. We played a small part in a very heartwarming adoption. The main person responsible for Patches’ great fortune is Ira Fischer. He actually wrote an article about Patches’ rescue which will be coming out in the June issue of The Happy Harold. Please read Patches’ story.