Monthly Archives: November 2009
I thought that since we are coming up on the holiday gift giving season, I would try to alert everyone to unique gift items that I come across that not only would be very appreciated by any animal lovers in your life, but would also give back to various charitable rescue organizations. Not only do you give a great gift, but you also support rescue work. It is a winning situation for everyone.
The first place I’d like to direct everyone to is the Dogs Deserve Better web site. They have a ton of cool and very uplifting items for sale that help them promote their work of getting dogs off of chains and into homes. I had a very nice email from Dawn Ashby who is the Illinois rep for the group. She had read the story I posted about Squanto, the chained deaf dog who was killed when he was run over by a grain semi. She thought many of us might be interested in Dogs Deserve Better’s new book, Unchain My Heart, Dogs Deserve Better Rescue Stories of Courage, Compassion, and Caring. The book is edited by DDB Founder Tamara Ci Thayne and Dawn. It is made up of happy endings–all the joyous rescue stories DDB has been able to help with. I have already ordered my copy, which I will pass along to our area library when I have finished reading it. And I also bought one for my friend who helped me try to save Squanto’s life.
To order your copy go to: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/unchainmyheart.html
Besides this wonderful book, the site also offers other lovely stuff for those involved in rescue work, such as the “Release Your Joy This Holiday Season” greeting cards (I used this image in the story about Squanto) and Rescue Angel Temporary Tattoos.
To order the tattoos: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/rescuetemptattoos.html
Or the greeting cards: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/rescuetemptattoos.html
There are lots of other great gift items in the Dogs Deserve Better store, including shirts, hats, and children’s books that we know the dog lovers (and cat lovers) in your life will enjoy. And your purchases will help this group continue their important work.
To see everything in the store, including one of my very favorite children’s books, Buddy Unchained, the story of a chained dog who finally gets to experience life in a home, go to: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/store.html
Chase is giving away $5 million to various charities and they are asking each of us to vote for our 20 favorite non-profit organizations through Facebook.
If you have a Facebook account, simply log on and then go to this link to vote:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/
You do have to become of fan of Chase. There are two rounds of voting for this contest. In round one from November 15 to December 11, you can vote for 20 charities. The top 100 will receive $25,000!! In round 2 from January 15 to January 29, the top 100 charities will receive votes again. The top group will receive $1,000,000! Yes, one million dollars. The five runners-up will receive $100,000 each. Please participate and pick out your favorite charities to vote for.
Here are some of the ones we picked besides Black and Orange Cat Foundation. We tried to stay local to help other rescues working in our area. Remember to vote for B and O either by putting in our name or our zip code, 43064. You can search for all the rest of these groups by putting in their names and then vote for them! Spread the love around.
1. Black and Orange Cat Foundation (goes without saying)
2. Columbus Dog Connection
3. BarkPark
4. Columbus House Rabbit Society, Inc (to honor J. J., our little Bunny Foo Foo)
5. Rascal Charities (hey, it was their email that alerted us to this contest. We had to vote for them. They do a ton of good with their mobile unit going around Ohio spaying and neutering companion animals–dogs, cats, and rabbits!)
6. Humane Society of Madison County, London, Ohio
7. Cozy Cat Cottage
8. Ohio Wildlife Center (they are the only organization in our area that helps injured or sick wild animals. I have taken many birds and mice there that the outside cats have not been nice to).
9. Union County Humane Society, Marysville, Ohio
10. The Forgotten Persian Rescue and Friends
11. Pet Promise (they have a good TNR program called “City Kitties.”)
12. Pet FBI (Pets Found by Internet)–they help find lost animals. Super site.
13. Alley Cat Allies–the premier TNR group–they help all the groups around the country that are trying to help feral cats!
14. Citizens for Humane Action
15. Humane Society Serving Logan County, Inc–they are at PetSmart with us and could use a windfall.
16. Siamese Cat Rescue Center, Locust Dale, VA (they help Siamese Cats all across the East Coast and I volunteer with them as the person who assesses Siamese cats in shelters for their foster program).
17. Beagles RRRR Us, London, Ohio
18. Cat Welfare, Columbus, Ohio
19. Dogs Deserve Better, Tipton, PA–they work across the United States to promote unchaining dogs and bringing them into the home. Super group.
These are just a few that we voted for. We are sure you can think of more, but please make sure to vote for Black and Orange Cat Foundation!
Our good friend, Susan, and her puppy mill pup, Jimmy, who lost his leg due to the horrific conditions in the cage he was in.
There is an excellent book called “A Rare Breed of Love” by Jana Kohl, that documents the story of a puppy mill survivor, Baby. Baby lived for nine years in a cage in a puppy mill with her vocal cords cut so the puppy mill owners would not have to listen to her plaintive cries. At the end of her breeding usefulness, she was scheduled to be killed, but was rescued instead and went on to act as a “spokes dog” for puppy mill dogs everywhere. She lost her leg due to the terrible way she lived in the metal cage that was her home for nine long years.
I would encourage everyone to read this book. While it does explain the sad plight of puppy mill dogs, it also gives hope that people who care can make a difference for these dogs. To find out more about Baby and to order the book, go to: http://www.ararebreedoflove.com/
A good friend of ours, who has done a lot for the B and O kitties, knows all about the horrors of puppy mills. Susan adopted her four month old puppy, Jimmy, this past June from a rescue group that specializes in taking the old and unwanted dogs out of puppy mills. Jimmy was only a baby, but he had to have his right front leg amputated, because his foot got caught in the metal flooring of his cage and became infected. It was so infected that it had to be taken off. Jimmy went to live with Susan and he had all kinds of health problems from his days at the puppy mill: pneumonia, kennel cough, every parasite known to dogs–you name it, the poor pup had it. Luckily, Susan had pet insurance to cover the expenses of constant emergency medical care and overnight stays in vet hospitals.
But what if the rescue group that saved Jimmy had not stepped in? What if there were not kind people all over the country helping puppy mill dogs like Jimmy and Baby? It is an industry that needs to be stopped.
If you’d like to find out more about what you can do to end puppy mills in Ohio, please visit the Columbus Dog Connection web site, http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/
On the Columbus Dog Connection site, you can learn where the current puppy mill bills (Senate Bill 95 and House Bill 124) stand in the Ohio legislation and make your voice heard each time puppy mill opponents need to speak for all the dogs who cannot. Together, we Ohioans, can stop the puppy millers from taking over our state and harming more innocent dogs like Jimmy and Baby.
Miss Blue escaped a hoarder, euthanasia at Capital, and needs a place to live out the rest of her remaining lives!
We thought we would take this time to introduce you to some special kitties that have recently come into rescue with us and only escaped death because we were willing to give them a chance.
The first of these is Blue who is a chocolate point Siamese kitty. Miss Blue was brought to Capital Area Humane Society back in August as part of a hoarding case. She and thirty other cats, who were also part of the hoarding case, had to be held at the shelter while the hoarder was prosecuted. Finally, after sitting in a scary cage for all that time, Blue was finally allowed to find an escape. But she could not go out on the adoption floor at Capital because she was not “perfect.” Blue’s right eye did not develop correctly as a baby. The eye is smaller and she also has a cataract over the eye. Because of that, she was considered “un-adoptable.” This is because many people are so picky and do not want a cat that is not ideal in every way.
Siamese Rescue was not able to take her at this time. So we pulled her to keep her from being euthanized. We had thought at first that she was a feral cat. She was so timid and shy and scared at the shelter that it was hard to assess her personality. But as soon as we got her out of there, we discovered that she is the sweetest cat ever. She loves to crawl in your lap and be petted and held. She especially likes belly rubs and will head butt and purr up a storm.
Blue is definitely NOT un-adoptable.
We think Blue was born with her eye the way it is. She has limited vision in her right eye, but it does not seem to cause any pain. Blue is still only a baby at one to one and a half years old and truly deserves a life of leisure and happiness. She escaped a hoarder and euthanasia–she truly should have only good things come her way from now on.
Mr. Michael Mittens also escaped with his life this week.
Michael Mittens, who was formerly just called “Mittens” due to his white paws, also squeaked past a date with death this week. Michael Mittens was brought to Riverside Drive Animal Care Center because he was “not acting right.” His owners thought he had eaten chewing tobacco. Although he is a year old, he had not been vaccinated or neutered at any point in his short life. It turned out that he had some “sludge” and crystals in his urine, and could not pee. The family did not have the money to pay to have his system flushed, so they asked Dr. Wisecup to euthanize him. Michael Mittens is a sweetheart. He loves attention and even in his painful state, he was still begging for belly rubs and rolling around to get love. The staff at Riverside could not euthanize such a loving and young cat. So they called us.
Needless to say, we could not sentence this gentle boy to death either.
Micheal Mittens has since been neutered, vaccinated, and tested negative for feline leukemia/FIV. He is also peeing again on his own. Dr. Wisecup says many cats do not ever have these type of issues again. He needs to be kept hydrated so he will have to be fed soft food. His new family will also need to keep his stress levels low and make sure that he is always drinking enough. But these are small things to do to get such a lover.
Charlotte tested positive for feline leukemia/FIV while pregnant. She also slipped by a death sentence due to a caring foster mom.
Miss Charlotte is our last death row inmate who was granted a reprieve by the governors of B and O. Charlotte is an absolutely gorgeous purebred cat who was being bred for kittens that were being sold for drug money. Pregnant again, from being let outside, a nice lady helped Charlotte escape her situation and planned to get her into a purebred rescue. Charlotte is a Himalayan/Ragdoll.
But, unfortunately, Miss Charlotte tested positive for feline leukemia/FIV. The vet did not want to euthanize her and her unborn kittens, so instead she suggested that we wait three months and then test Charlotte and the kittens at that time. She thought we might have a false positive test. The nice lady who had saved Charlotte, saved her again, promising to take care of Charlotte until she either tested negative or we could find her a special needs home.
Charlotte had her kittens at the end of October. By the end of December, beginning of January, we should be able to test her and her kittens. If they are positive, we will be looking for homes without other cats or with cats that are also positive for feline leukemia. They could also go to homes with dogs only. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be negative.
Charlotte, too, was just too nice to euthanize. Cats can live very long lives with feline leukemia if they are cared for and taken to the vet if they have any issues.
We do not regret saving these three lives from untimely and early deaths. We only wish that we could save more kitties from that fate.
Look what they make me do! Rabbit ears at Easter and now a pirate hat!
Poor Fiona. She is doing better after the “drug burn” following her dental surgery in September. Basically, a drug was used that she had a reaction to and it caused a burn on her skin. Her hair, in one area on her side, fell out in the shape of a heart. The hair is all growing back, but strangely enough, although she is mainly brown and black, the new hair coming in is light gray. Perhaps she was so traumatized that this caused her to go “gray.”
Anyway, Fiona is ready to head to her forever home now and so we took her to a PetSmart adoption event. Things were going a bit slow, so we purchased a pirate hat for dogs (yes, we dressed her in a canine hat–even further adding insult to injury) that was on clearance from Halloween. Fiona has endured all kinds of humiliating outfits, including bunny ears at Easter.
Poor Fiona in bunny ears.
Fiona endured the hat for a bit, but by the end of the session, she was giving me the famous “Fi stink eye” and plotting revenge.
We decided we would try the pirate hat on Winston, too. He and his bud, Suzy, are still looking for their forever home. Winston is a big guy–a gentle giant–and he just sat with the hat on and did not try to escape our crazy dress up session. The look on his face is, “Please let this be over soon.” While we also tried to make Suzy a pirate, she was having none of that. She threw a fit and let us know that she would not suffer such a humiliation.
Winston endures while Suzy watches from her cage next door with a look of horror!
Notice Winston’s dread locks. Too cute. Or, at least, we think so. The cats are probably secretly planning how to take the pirate hat and get incriminating photos of us to post on Facebook.
Noah's Ark Veterinary Hospital, 6001 Memorial Drive in Muirfield
We (meaning me and all the rescue cats, as well as my own kitten clan) are so excited! A new vet hospital, Noah’s Ark, is going to be opening up in Muirfield, just ten minutes from our house. But that is not why we are so exuberant. We are having kitten fits, because one of our most favorite vets in the whole world, Dr. Kim West, is going to be one of the four vets on staff there!
Today, after a late lunch, Joe and I decided to try to locate the vet hospital. I did a mapquest for it on my phone and within minutes, we were pulling into the parking lot of a small plaza in the heart of Muirfield–just centimeters from the golf course that made Dublin, Ohio nearly as famous as its Irish counterpart. The plaza contained an eye doctor as well as a pediatrician and several other service type shops. And there, at the front of the plaza, visible from the road, was the vet hospital, which looks like it was renovated from what used to be an old bank (I say that, because there is the remnant of a drive up window, which is now going to provide an access door for emergency animals. This entrance will allow very sick or injured animals to be brought in through the back rather than the main lobby).
Of course, because I wanted to let everyone know about the new vet hospital, which is going to be extremely rescue friendly, I had to make Joe pull up so I could take a few photos. Unbeknownst to me, a large portion of the staff, including Dr. West, was inside wondering who the crazy person was taking pictures. When Dr. West realized it was me, she had to run out and say hello, before inviting us in for a tour of the building.
The hospital is awesome. There are separate exam and surgery rooms for the cats and dogs, keeping the cats completely away from the canine patients to reduce their fear levels. Everything is state of the art and looks really nice. Even better, the facility is going to be a 24 hour emergency hospital. This will make it so much closer to go for emergencies rather than trudging half an hour over to MedVet in Worthington.
Noah’s Ark is being set up by Renee Kelly, a lady who is no stranger to rescue, having been the fearless leader of The Forgotten Persian Rescue and Friends for many, many years. I have worked with Renee on several rescue issues in the past. My dad has transported Persian kitties to her in Marysville. Renee was also one of the founding forces for some of the first spay and neuter programs at the Union County Humane Society.
Noah’s Ark is located at 6001 Memorial Drive in Dublin, Ohio in the heart of Muirfield Village. The phone number is 614-761-8400. They plan to be open in the very near future and we will keep you updated on the progress. We will definitely be using them for B and O!
To learn more about The Forgotten Persian Rescue and Friends, visit: http://www.persianrescue.net/
The first bit of news comes Iowa. A 13-year-old tabby cat tested positive for the H1N1 virus, having contracted it from human members of the house who were sick with the swine flu. This is the first time the virus has been shown to move between the human and feline species. Scientists are now saying that the most common spread of the disease is from humans to other animals. So we can’t blame the animals!
To read the complete story, visit: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/swine-flu-confirmed-in-cat.html
The second tidbit comes from Cat Fancy magazine, which I have to admit is a secret indulgence. In an article by Sandy Robins, titled “For the Cat Who Has Everything,” Ms. Robins recommends the EmeryCat for those well off kitties in your household. The EmeryCat is a patented scratching post that has a gritty surface similar to an emery board or nail file. When the cat scratches on the board, the nails gets a feline manicure and pedicure. It is marketed for those cat parents who hate chasing their cats down to trim nails. But I also think it would do well for those people considering declawing. If you could keep the nails filed back with little or no work on your part, and the cat could not destroy furniture with their nubbin nails, there would be no need to declaw.
And the price is pretty good, too–only $19.95, plus shipping and handling. Right now the web site offers a buy one, get one free deal.
To find out more and order your own EmeryCat for your spoiled kitty, visit: www.emerycat.com
And finally, two things about the passage of Issue 2.
A lady wrote a Letter to the Editor in the Sunday, November 8 edition of The Columbus Dispatch titled, “State Issue 2 was portrayed differently.” In the letter, the woman responded to a Dispatch article from Wednesday, November 4 in which the reporter said that voters, by passing Issue 2, voted “to protect the state’s $93 billion-a-year agribusiness industry.” The woman complained that “the majority of supporters voted to ensure ‘safe, local food,’ which is how Issue 2 was sold to Ohio residents. Big difference!”
That is exactly right. If most voters had known that Issue 2 was being set in place to protect large agribusiness, namely factory farms, I don’t believe they would have voted for the issue.
And finally, on another blog, I found a comment supporting the passage of Issue 2 that made me uncomfortable. In essence the person said that there were “too many ‘fur babies’ and not enough real babies.” This person was lamenting the fact that many people in our society today have opted to not have human children and instead “humanize” their pets and call them their fur babies, treating them like the human children they do not have. This person felt that those who were against Issue 2 tried to place human traits on all animals, not just pets.
As someone who does not have children, and cannot have children, my cats do get treated like my kids. But my husband and I have thought about adopting. There are so many needy children in the United States and other countries who need homes. I just can’t understand why someone would say there are too few human children. I think there are too many who do not get the care and love they deserve! I do agree with the fact that there are too many “fur babies.” My response to that–get on board and spay and neuter!!
Front Window of Colony Cats New Adoption Center
We attended the grand opening of Colony Cats’ new Adoption Center off of Sawmill Road in Dublin. We got there shortly after the celebration began at noon and the parking lot was already packed. There were a ton of people inside. We were greeted at the front door by the cat ear bedecked kids of the “Giving Tree” who asked us to buy a leaf for the Tree (a giant cat tree). A leaf was purchased in honor of Oswald P. Kitten Craft.
Please buy a leaf for the Giving Tree.
The inside of the Adoption Center is great. All the cats live cage free in nicely decorated rooms. There is an area to sell merchandise and lots of places to sit and cuddle with kitties.
Sit and Cuddle a while
This is really going to be a nice addition to the Adoption landscape for kitties. We are so glad that Colony Cats opened this center and we wish them the best of luck. They plan to be open 4-7 pm Monday to Friday and 12-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. They will, of course, adjust those hours as needed.
If you would like to check out the new Adoption Center, you can visit them at 2740 Festival Lane in the Festival Center off of Sawmill Road, near Joann’s Fabrics.
Colony Cats Cat lover's car.
Black and Orange Cat Foundation is a Best Friends Network Charity. This partnership could allow us to raise $50,000 in 25 days–if we can raise $25,000, Best Friends will match it. So we could potentially make $50,000. Watch the YouTube video that explains more about this exciting fundraiser by clicking on the link below:
Double Your Impact with Best Friends Charity Network
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has created a group of Network Charities. Beginning on November 9th and continuing for 25 days, Best Friends will match donations that come in to B and O–up to $25,000!!
To find Black and Orange on the Best Friends Network and donate, visit:
http://network.bestfriends.org/groups/black_and_orange_cat_foundation/default.aspx
To donate: Along the right side of the page, next to the article and photo of Miss Flower, there will be a yellow column with words in blue. The first word at the top is “Home” and then below that is “About Us/What We Do.” At the very bottom of that column should be a GREEN Donate box next to the words, “Support Our Work.” Click on that Green Button. I already tried this and it does allow you to make a donation.
I had some confusion from people when I sent out the email announcing this. I know where the confusion came in–there is a list under our Petfinder listings on that page that says, “Ways to Help.” Number 3 is “Donate.” If you click on that “Donate” it takes you to our web site and the PayPal link (which the day I sent this email campaign was not working and caused even more confusion!). Do not donate from our PayPal link on the home page. The donations must come through the Best Friends site in order for us to get the matching donations! I apologize for the confusion.
There are lots of other things you can do on the Network Charities site, too, besides looking for us. You can “Go Local” and find out about important animal issues in Ohio:
http://network.bestfriends.org/golocal/ohio/default.aspx
Please let everyone know about this super thing that Best Friends is doing. And please donate to help us raise $25,000 in 25 days, so we can get the matching $25,000 from Best Friends! Hurrah!!
I have to tell you that if there was no Black and Orange Cat Foundation, I would probably be working with Colony Cats. In fact, I first got my start with Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) because of one of the volunteers with Colony Cats, Nancy Heller. Nancy had her own group at that time, CATco (Cat Assistance Team of Central Ohio), and she helped get a PetSmart grant to spay and neuter cats at a trailer park in Plain City at my plea for help. This was in 2005 and I was the lead person in charge of trapping, contacting residents, and taking the cats to vet appointments (which Nancy set up and paid for with the grant). Once the grant was used up and we had spayed and neutered almost 100 cats in the trailer park, I was hooked.
I wanted to do more. I wanted to do more to help the cats in Plain City.
It was Nancy who encouraged me to start a group that would work to help cats in the rural counties that border Plain City–Madison and Union counties. Since there were no other groups working to spay and neuter stray and feral cats in our area, Black and Orange Cat Foundation was born. And we had our work cut out for us.
CATco, as an organization, left the Central Ohio landscape soon after B and O was started. Nancy began working with Mona at Colony Cats. It had always been Nancy’s dream to have an adoption center for CATco. I am so glad to see that Colony Cats is doing that very thing.
I will be attending the grand opening on Sunday, November 8th, of the adoption center. In fact, Joe and I stopped by last night to get a peek and the place looks fabulous. I’d like to encourage everyone to stop out and support Colony Cats. They are one of only a few organizations in the Central Ohio area doing Trap-Neuter-Return, as well as finding homes for stray kitties (and dogs) in need. They are a super organization and they deserve every good thing that can come their way! They do so much for the cats everyone else overlooks.
Congratulations, Colony Cats. Black and Orange Cat Foundation would not exist without our mentors in the TNR world!
To learn more about Colony Cats and TNR, visit their web site, www.colonycats.org