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.

  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.

  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."

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

July 15th, 2010

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.

June 15th, 2010

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 25th, 2010

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 night

We 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 LITTER

Well, 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

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. You can read about just such magic here: Zuzu

News from May 2008 through April 2010