thebean: Another One Bites The Dust!

Well, the Meow and Chow FUNraiser is just two months away from today. I am reaching out to my friends for gift baskets and cat stuff and gift cards and jewelry and bottles of wine and booze and anything else you can think of that YOU would like to win at a funraiser! Please let me know if this is something you can help with, and if you need me to pick up, or you can bring to me, or whatever. I am hoping this is a FUN day for all, and I hope you will all be able to attend. Music, food, booze, kitties, what more could you ask for!~ :) The venue is a bit different from years past. This time is on my side of town, and in an enclosed cabin. I am pretty certain that its the same size inside, just not elongated as it was at the Creekside. It also will not be the food fare you are used to. It will be a mishmosh of sorts, but plenty to eat and should satisfy every taste out there. Food is always my number one concern if I attend something, so ... :) I will try not to disappoint! :) Again, please contact me to let me know I can count on you for a raffle donation.

IRMA!

Sunday morning... I did it again. Yes, another rescue. Even though I don't like to rescue a cat while I have several in foster already, I just could not leave this baby on the streets. Could you? Here is Irma. I have been touting Irma as a girl, but this morning, I had my doubts. I had to get my reading glasses to inspect this area further, because I really thought it was girl. But turns out it COULD be a boy! I need another set of trained eyes. Good Lord.

Taco says HI! (I kitten sat for him last week).

TACO

Saturday I had all the kittens on the porch with Gracie, their mom. Harley was the first to go. He went to his new home, and what a home. Check out this photo of him with his new canine brother! Can you believe he got that comfortable that fast! See, these cats really do adapt quickly to their new surroundings!

HARLEY!

Yawnie and River will go to their new home this Saturday in Newark. I had some great folks stop over this weekend to meet Lulu, and Nugget. Both were adopted, but won't go to their new homes until I have time to breathe. I have so much planned this weekend with my niece getting married! Ellis is spoken for, so now we just have Sammy and Irma, as far as kittens go. Harvey and Huey are currently on hold until they get well.

Sebastian is chillin.

Sebastian

Black cats rock!

This white kitty is still on the streets. He needs a home soon, its getting cold. Please consider fostering. You are saving a life, literally. The following is all you need to know to be able to become a foster.

Not only does fostering provide an invaluable service to rescue groups and the shelters who depend on foster homes (not to mention the pets themselves), it’s a great way to learn about your own needs as a pet owner. (You can’t know if you’ve got what it takes to walk a young puppy at 1, 3 and 6 a.m. until you’ve done it!)

But I’ve heard a lot of excuses — er, reasons — why people can’t or don’t want to foster. So I was delighted to get the article below in a newsletter from the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, which answers just about every possible excuse. (It was written by Liz Pease, the shelter’s director of operations.)

With shelters overflowing and many people needing temporary care for their pets while they find new housing or weather a crisis, fostering is even more important these days. So print out this list and give it to everyone you know who thinks they just “can’t” foster.

“I DON’T HAVE THE SPACE” — I used to think this too. Then a cat came along that really, really needed me … and I made the space! All it takes is a small spare bedroom or office, a bathroom, or even a corner where you can set up a playpen cage, which you can borrow from MRFRS! While we do need foster cats to stay separate from your own cats, it doesn’t take much space to do that. And remember, whatever space you have at home is probably more than the kitty has here at the shelter now!

“I MIGHT GET ATTACHED” — OK, yes, you might. But no matter how difficult it is to bring your kitty back to the shelter, just knowing that you’re helping to save a life should ease any short-term pain. When you take in a foster cat, it gives us room to help other cats that might otherwise be brought to shelters that euthanize for time and space. It also lets us learn more about a cat’s personality than we ever could in a shelter environment, which, in turn, makes the cat much easier to adopt out. Yes, some cats are harder to bring back than others, but be strong! You can do it! (And yes, I’ve kept one foster cat, but not the 60 that followed that first one!)

“MY OWN CATS WON’T TOLERATE A FOSTER CAT, ESPECIALLY AN ADULT” — If you have a separate room, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. Yes, your cat(s) will know there is another cat in the house, and they may be a little upset about it at first. But chances are they’ll get over it pretty quickly, especially if you make sure you wash your hands after visiting with the foster cat and keep the cats from seeing each other if possible. Feliway Comfort Zone diffusers or Rescue Remedy flower essence can also help. Tell your cats they need to help do their part too! Eventually, they will be totally nonchalant about the whole idea of fostering. My cats no longer even bat an eyelash when a foster cat comes into the house.

“I CAN’T AFFORD TO TAKE ANOTHER CAT” — This one is easy! You can get all your food and litter from MRFRS if you like, and MRFRS covers all medical expenses associated with foster cats! This policy may vary across adoption groups, so if you buy your own supplies for fosters, save the receipts so you can take a tax deduction!

“A SHELTER CAT MIGHT GET MY OWN CATS SICK” — If you follow basic health protocols, such as washing your hands between handling cats and wearing an over-shirt when handling the foster cat, you shouldn’t have any problems. A sick cat should be kept in a separate room, and bedding/clothing should be washed with bleach after use. We are also happy to provide you with a bottle of heavy-duty kennel disinfectant for cleaning if you like!

“SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAY YES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER FOSTER HOMES” — They won’t and there aren’t. It’s that simple. We have lots of folks who will take kittens, but very few who will take adults, and even fewer who will take sick, feral, and/or rabies-quarantine cats. Please help us! Kittens are easy for us to place. But our poor adults need help too.

“I ALREADY HAVE A FOSTER CAT” — All right. Well, this gets you partly off the hook. But wouldn’t your foster kitty like a friend?