For the Foster Program!

The foster program is very near and dear our hearts, and because of this, we always devote at least a day of our donations during the fundraiser to this program.

This amazing program allows both cats and kittens to receive the best possible care while they wait to reach an "adoptable" state.

With these cats and kittens temporarily living in our huge network of foster homes,  more space is created at the shelter for incoming cats, and this time of year there are a LOT of incoming cats.  It frees up shelter staff, too. Animals in need of fostering require more care, sometimes 'round the clock, and special attention, too.



Foster homes give mama cats a safe and quiet place to raise their babies. For orphaned kittens, foster families are able to socialize them and monitor them closely to make sure they're getting all that they need.

The foster program helps big cats, too. Adult cats are fostered when they need time to recover from an injury or illness (like a highly contagious upper respiratory infection) or if they just need to spend some time working on their social skills.  By sending recovering cats into foster homes, it keeps the remaining cat population healthier too.

Fostered cats and kittens tend to be happier, healthier and better-adjusted pets. So when they return to the shelter and are put up for adoption, they get adopted quickly, and the likelihood of them being returned is very, very low.

A lot of kittens pass through the foster program each year -- last year there were 968 and 292 of those were neonates (four weeks and under).

Currently, we have 120 active foster homes and we're providing care for 185 kittens (the week before it was 265!!).  As you might imagine, it takes a lot to keep all of the foster homes stocked with supplies they need to care for their wards.



All day long, and through the weekend too,  the funds we raise will support the Foster Program.

The money will be used to purchase the essentials like kitten formula, bottles and syringes, canned and dry food, bedding, crates, kennels, scales,  kitty litter, litter boxes, vaccines, flea treatment,  heating pads,  probiotics,  nutritional supplements, medicine, sub q fluids, and more.

Kitten season is far from over, so I'm hoping we'll be able to bring enough to really bulk up the Foster Room shelves with all that they need!



Thanks to our Awesome Anonymous Donor, we've got another match!  It's a big one, but we love our foster kittens, so I'm confident we can complete it!

For every single dollar we donate, she will match it until we meet her very generous $5000 cap.  The match will run until 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) tonight, so we've got 12 hours to get it done.

Once the match is over, we'll still collect donations for the Foster Program until 11:59 PM on Sunday. I know many of you will be slipping away for a long holiday weekend, so before you head out of town, please get your donations in!

Thank you, EVERYONE, for all the support!  Thank you, Awesome Anonymous Donor, for this generous match. And thank you to all the foster families out there taking care of those many kittens and cats.


To make a tax-deductible donation, please pay a visit to our FUNraising page.

THANK YOU!

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Just in case you missed it yesterday, I did create a space for us to leave our comments after making our donations.  You can read about it HERE.

Also, we passed the $25 squillion mark yesterday and we're now over a quarter of the way to our goal!!  Of course, we still have a long row to hoe, but we are making major progress!  Thank you for helping us go so far in just a few days of fundraising!

I'll be back with more today.  I'm going to take you on a little tour of the Foster Room next! Stay tuned!

No Kittens, But an Awesome Update!

No kittens just yet, but hopefully some good candidates came in over the weekend, and our kitten department will be restocked today.  If and when I know more, I'll give you'll a update!

I got a really awesome update from Wendy and Patrick, who adopted our dear Hazel and Effie. It's always nice to hear those what those kittens are up to. They'll always be so special to us -- they were the first batch took in after sitting out a year because of Filbert's Panleukopenia. Also, the first litter that Wylla met.

First, lets take a look back at tiny Effie and Hazel.



Here they are today!



















And here's what their parents had to say:


Hello Laurie –

 Really long time. Sorry about that. Of course you are in our thoughts every day, because every day we are so thankful that Effie Pru and Hazel Ezzie found their way into our life!

We are all doing extremely well! We now live in Southern Oregon. The girls did just great during two moves. I’m sure Wylla let them know that travelling was really cool, so that was super helpful! (I over-worried for nothing; thank goodness!) As part of the move we upgraded to a king sized bed – and oddly enough, we still don’t have any more room: these two are experts at sprawling out to take up maximum bed area. The nerve!

They seem to be really enjoying their new home. We now have stairs, which they love to run up and down at the speed of light!!! They sound like a herd of horses, and yet, it’s just the two of them; stay out of their way! And Hazel Ezzie has become the best spider hunter in the area. Yay, little E! Oh the bugs in warm Southern Oregon…yuck!

They still so love each other. Oddly enough, Hazel Ezzie, little runt of the litter, is the calming influence when Effie Pru is in need - which is daily! But the sweet grooming head licks always seem to morph into neck biting and a bit of a scuffle…sisters…

Effie Pru’s colors are still changing. Lots more brown and taupe over the last year, and more recently quite a bit of peachiness. Hazel Ezzie remains the same as when a kitten with her cute little white spots and peachy paws, and those all-knowing, please-love-us-we-need-you eyes. Not to be fooled by her super sweetness. She definitely has a wild and sassy side. When she gets a wild hair, even Pru looks at her like she is crazy and gets out of the way, as she does laps around the house at full speed batting at everything in sight. She has a blast pulling her cat blanket around the house with her little baby teeth. What a nut. 

We still aren’t the best photographers (sadly; because these girls should have the best), but have, nonetheless, attached some recent photos.

Your baby girls have grown into the most beautiful and lovely cats, whom we love beyond love!

Do hope all is well with you, Craig, Bean and Wylla, and all those lucky itty bitty kitties!

Warmest purrs,

Patrick & Wendy & Effie Pru & Hazel Ezzie

Thank you so much fora sharing with us today, Patrick and Wendy.  What stunning creatures Effie and Hazel are! I can hardly believe how dark Effie has become.

We're happy to know they are loved so deeply and that they make your lives so happy. Please give them some pets from all of us and let them know we think of them often.  

And don't sell yourself short in the photography department! Your pictures are awesome!

A Puzzle from the Past

A couple years ago, when we were hosting Hazel Swift and Effie Brisker, an old client of mine from my days as a florist asked to borrow a couple of kittens for a project. She was working for a local company that manufactured jigsaw puzzles, and they were in need of a kitten or two for a photo that could possibly be used on one of their puzzles.

We had the brief photo shoot with Effie and Hazel one afternoon, and that was that. I never followed up to see if an image was used for a puzzle, and the whole thing just slipped my mind.

Well, earlier this week, I was hunting online for a new jigsaw puzzle project for Craig and myself, and I ran across a familiar face!!!

LOOK! It's Effie Brisker right there in the middle of that picture puzzle!!!

How cute is that??!!

If you want to pick up a copy, the puzzle comes in 750 or 1000 pieces and is available at Puzzle Warehouse, Barnes and Noble , Simple Pastimes, and Amazon.


I think I'll order one for us. We normally prefer to tackle puzzles with more pieces, but for this cutie I will make an exception!

It was fun to be reminded of this sweet little pair of kittens. They were the first set Wylla got to help foster, so they will always be special to us!   Here are a few photos of the dear things from their time in our care.

















If you want to see the lovely cats these two became, here's an update their parents shared with us last year.

Cutest Easter Ever

We had the pleasure of spending last Easter with Hazel, Effie, their brothers, and couple of dear friends. It was a sweet time, and I think worth revisiting again, so I'm sharing it with you again today.  

Please enjoy!   And have a lovely Easter weekend.




We had some special guests stop by this weekend! Sue and sister Jean came by with Effie and Hazel's brothers for a play date

It's been over two weeks since the girls saw Mack, Jack, and Zack last.  I don't know that they recognized each other, but they did merge and mingle quickly.

 



Wylla met the boys, but we didn't want to overwhelm her with five tiny explorers circling the living room, so we tucked her away upstairs after a few minutes.  She's doing really great with Effie and Hazel and I'll share more on that subject in tomorrow's post.



The boys are nearly identical, so it's tricky to tell them apart.  I think this bunny is Jack, but there's a pretty good chance I'm wrong.





Of course you know who this little bunny is.





Effie enjoyed spending time in Jean's gentle hands.



Then she climbed into her hood, and eventually out Jean's sleeve,  and back into her hand.



From left to right: Mack, Jack and Zack. Zack's worried eyes make him easiest to identify.  The boys are healthy and growing and developing at the same pace the girls.  They're sweet and social too, just like their sisters.




Here's the whole tiny gang.







I don't know who this is, but he sure is adorable.



The boys wear ribbon collars so Sue can tell them apart.  Jack is blue, Mack is red, and Zack is yellow.  I think.







After many wrestling matches in the basket, the boys crashed.





The girls got sleepy too, and joined them.



We watched the basket of nappers for quite some time,  but it was time for the boys to return home, so we tried to wake them to take a quick family portrait before they left.

The girls were soon alert.



But the boys were still out cold.



Eventually they sat up, but kept dozing off.

And by the time the boys were alert, the girls moved on were chasing each other under the sofa.  

It was a great visit, and the perfect way to spend Easter Sunday.  I prefer my Easter basket filled kittens instead of candy - just as sweet, but much, much cuter.