Thank you for keeping up with me

Hello Feral Friends

It is BEYOND me that any of you read my blog when I'm so crappy at keeping it up.
Suffice it to say, I've been busy with the kittens at Brooknelle and other projects.
I promise to write soon.

Please keep with me!

Much Kitty Luv-
Carol

PS Barb Olson was fostering Rhubarb and got her brother to adopt him. His new name is Skippy....Like Skippy Peanut Butter!

PSS At our adoption event this weekend, 6 of our kittens found forever homes. And Lily my semi feral mama was just released to where she was trapped two months ago. All 5 of her kittens have found homes, but Lily was more of a feral type and she wanted to go back out to the wild vs living in a house. So today, Lily is free!

Rhubarb & The Lesson of Microchipping!

Hello Feral Friends-

As you know, I have not found time for TNR lately, but last week I managed to trap a really wonderful guy on my front porch.

At first, I thought he was a feral, but like Morgan, Oreo and Hershey, he is a "friendly".

Dr. Langlois was out of town last week so I took him to C-SNIP to be neutered. After sedating him they realized that he was already neutered. AND GET THIS....front declawed!!!

Barb Olson is holding him till we find his owners or get him a nice home. He did see Dr. Langlois yesterday and got a clean bill of health. Before we did anything we scanned him for a microchip! But alas, no chip to identify this guy!

Rhubarb is a great cat. Weighing in at a sturdy 8 lbs, he is a real head butting, attention loving boy! He is about a year old!

If you are interested in adopting him or know someone who has lost a cat matching his description, please contact me asap at 616 560-0555 or by email at dollmouse@aol.com

Thanks
Carol

Let Rhubarb be a lesson to all of us! Microchipping is the ONLY way you can be sure that your pet is returned to you if it becomes lost. I have put signs up all around the neighborhood, placed "found pet" ads in the GR Press and Advance, contaced both HS and Animal Shelter, and I can't find the owners of this cat. If he had been microchipped, he would be in the arms of his family who are no doubt missing him like crazy. Most people don't get their cats fixed and declawed and dump them....Rhubarb is lost. Collars are useless and dangerous. If it's not a break away collar, a cat can get hung up by it. If it is a break away collar, the information will end up in someones backyard...not on the cat!!!

Amy Pietras of Jandy's Home will be doing Microchipping of cats and dogs this Saturday, July 22 between the hours of 10:30 am - 2:00 pm at Mel's Feed Store ( 7720 Clyde Park Ave SW). She charges only $25 per animal - - a small price to pay for your pets safe return to you should it become lost LIKE RHUBARB! She will do house calls as well. If you need to schedule a microchipping appointment, contact her via email at jandyshome@yahoo.com. If you have three or more animals to chip, it's only $20 per pet.

This is wonderful Rhubarb!

Not my best side....

There...that's better!

Adoption Event - Cats & Kittens Ready to Roll - Spread the Word!

Hello Feral Friends-

If you can, please help spread the word about our extended Adoption Hours this weekend and the following.

Normal visiting hours for the Adoption Center are:
Wednesdays from 6pm - 8pm AND
Saturdays from 2pm - 5pm

BUT...

This Sunday, July 23rd
we will be open from noon - 8pm

AND Next weekend:
Saturday, July 29th and
Sunday, July 30th
we will also be open from noon - 8pm

We have lots of kittens, some very sweet young mothers,
a really wonderful girl named Ellie and
Bob our special FIV guy who is as chilled out as they come!

Please spread the word to anyone who is looking for a special friend to share their live!

The Jandy's Home Cat Adoption Center is located at 4600 Knapp N.E. just two miles East of E. Beltline Avenue. It's in the Brooknelle Pet Resort Complex.

Thanks-
Carol

Opinions...everyone has one (or ten)...but do they have the solutions?

Hello Feral Friends-

Something needs to be said. And I have a big mouth, so I'm going to say it. Everyone has an opinion about some aspect of animal rescue. Some people actually believe that all feral cats should be euthanized because they will never have an "acceptable" quality of life. I guess that is compared to their very lucky socialized indoor house cat cousins. Kinda unfair to compare a feral to a domesticated house cat, but so be it. THIS is the opinion of many...of course not me. I'm a TNR girl.

Within the TNR realm, there are also debates on the big one....if a feral has FIV or Feline Leukemia, should it be euthanized. Then the question is...does the cat pose a risk to other ferals and strays in the area? Should it be euthanized to spare it's eventual horrible death? You can say, yes to that if you feel it is right, but then again, all the ferals will eventually suffer a horrible death unless they are equally sadly hit by a car or meet a quick death some other way. Life has no guarantees for us humans nor does it for our animal counterparts.

I remember a conversation with a TNR colleague of mine who basically told me in not so many words to butt out of her business. She is of the mind that if a feral is infected with FIV it should be euthanized. I don't hold this belief. I think if the cat is FIV positive and now "fixed" that is poses less of a risk to others as it will be very much less likely to fight for territory (and FIV is spread by deep bite wounds). She disagrees and makes the painful decision to euthanize. However, my opinion for a "true feral" that is Feline Leukemia positive would be euthanization as it would be a carrier of the disease to many even if "fixed" since it is carried by saliva and can be transmitted through simply drinking from the same water puddle.

But I strong armed my friend into letting a FIV positive cat be released against her "better" judgement because it was me who provided the test to be used and me who drove it to the vet to be neutered. And while I'm happy that cat is alive now, and I didn't play GOD, I still had no right to butt into my colleagues business with regard to how she runs her rescue.

WHY???? Because all of us who do rescue need to be RESPECTED for what we do and not questioned continually by others. Those of us in rescue make tough decisions every day and need the support of everyone to continue to do the work that we do.

This brings me to another question that seems to really divide cat lovers. DECLAWING! Do we declaw cats or not? I am not a proponent of declawing. I have two cats that are front and back declawed (as that is how I rescued them) and 4 that are not. Sometimes I wish that they were all declawed because my furniture, stereo speakers, screens, arms and legs have paid the price. But I don't declaw and I'm not a huge fan of it.

BUT.....Some cat rescue organizations declaw the cats before putting them into homes. Why would they do this? Do you suppose spending time, energy and money to declaw a cat just strikes their fancy? Do you think that they find it enjoyable? OF COURSE NOT! They do it because they believe that a declawed cat has a better chance of being adopted than a cat with claws! HELLO!!! And I have to agree with this! Look at the number of cats that are adopted through Crash's Landing. While not all of the cats going into Crash's Landing are declawed, many of them are, and Jen Petrovich has the most phenomenal adoption rates out there! I have given Jen a dozen cats from Cedar Springs. She declawed these cats and 9 of them have been adopted. On the flip side, Jen has taken FIV and FELV positive cats from us and has NOT declawed them. Nor has she declawed some other cats that she believed to be too old, too stressed or for whatever reason....not good candidates for declawing. (Case in point...Mango the crazy Katrina girl that she just took off my hands). Maybe they will get adopted? Maybe they won't. But she makes an independent decision on EVERY SINGLE cat she takes in.

This is her right! She runs the rescue! What if she caved in to everyone who had an opinion contrary to her beliefs? What if I stopped doing TNR because people think that ferals live a crappy life full of fleas, ticks, ear mites, worms and harsh weather? Where would we be?

What I am simply saying is that WE must support each other. Every rescue is doing their level best to help animals. They can't all be saved. But we can save some. And we need not bother with arguing our points, but rather need the support that will enable us to go on with what we are doing....because it's hard, exhausting and often upsetting work that we do and defending our policies is not anything that deserves any time as it takes away from caring for cats.

So let's get back to supporting and not arguing. Respect those who help cats even if we don't agree 100%.

Ok, now I'll shut up!

Thanks for reading-

Carol

Furry Critterz Rummage Sale to Benefit C-SNIP Today!!!

Hello Feral Friends-

Sad News. Furry Critterz is going out of business. Kathy and her husband tried to make the new location work, but alas, with not enough community support, they will be closing their doors. But until then, they continue to serve by hosting a rummage sale to benefit C-SNIP. It's today, so try to swing by. Also, please stop in and pick up some real deals on Furry Critterz merchandise, pet supplies and display racks, cabinets and store fixtures.

If you know anyone opening a shop, have them stop by Furry Critterz to see what they can get there before they pay huge bucks on new store fixtures.

For more information on Furry Critterz, visit thier website: www.furrycritterz.com.

Thank you Kathy for all you have done to help the animal welfare organizations of Grand Rapids! All the best to you in your future endeavors.

: ) Carol


Here is information from their website regarding these events:

July 8th

Indoor Yard Sale - benefits C-SNIP! 9:00 - 5:00

Visit our facility today and discover the many treasures that are available. Furry Critterz is hosting an Indoor Yard Sale with a portion of the proceeds donated to C-SNIP. Relax in air-conditioned comfort out of the hot or rainy weather. Items available include: toys for kids, sports equipment, furniture, house wares, lots of books and magazines for young and old, school supplies, office supplies, kitchen items, clothing, furniture, and the list goes on and on.

SNEAK PEEK - here is a partial list of items that will be available:

Magazines: complete sets of National Geographic and Sky & Telescope
Books: hard cover & soft cover, kids and adults
Sports Equipment: skis/boots/poles, weight/exercise equipment, bicycle
Toys: Matchbox cars, Legos, games & puzzles, cars & trucks
Small Appliances: wok, crock pots, commercial coffee makers
Furniture: desks, end tables, entertainment center, full size bed
House wares: dishes, utensils, pans, Corning ware, Tupperware
Knick-Knacks
Craft Supplies
Wicker Baskets
Collectibles - sports cards, pogs, figurines

The list of items continues to grow so DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!

---

July 5th - July 15th

Furry Critterz Going Out of Business Sale

We will be closing our doors on July 15th at 5:00, ending 2 1/2 years of serving the dogs and cats in our community. More information on our closing can be found on our "Furry Critterz Closes Its Doors" page.

July 5th - July 8th visit our store and save 15% on your purchases.
July 10th - 15th visit our store and save 25% on your purchases.

Shop early for the best selections, shop later for the best savings.
Check out our sales bin for even more great savings. Many items are marked up to 75% off!

All displays, racks, and fixtures are available for purchase.

Offers cannot be combined, no special orders or substitutions, limited to in stock merchandise only. Sale excludes Natura foods, Bakery dog treats.

Volunteers needed at Jandy's Home Adoption Center

Hello Feral Friends-

It's Official! We have a fully functioning Adoption Center! And now....We need volunteers to help us staff it!

Currently we need to man two clean-up/feed/medicate shifts each day. And we have daily
cuddle/play time shifts available too!

If you are interested in helping us run Jandy's Home Adoption Center, please read on.

The AM shift starts anywhere between 8:30 am - 10:00 am and takes about 2.5 hours.
The PM shift starts anywhre between 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm and take about 2 hours.

Both shifts entail feeding, giving meds to cats, cleaning of cages, litter boxes and adoption center. Once that is done, it's play time! The adults love to be stroked and brushed. And all the kittens want to do is PLAY and be snuggled! Well, we want to snuggle them! They want to PLAY!

Obviously the morning shift is a little more focused on cleaning. There is a good deal of bending, stooping and getting on your hands and knees. But there is no really heavy lifting involved. All you need is a willingness to help some formerly homeless cats and kittens.

It helps to bring a friend. The shifts go much easier with two people. But if you come solo, we will try to put you with a buddy.

If you are interested in picking up a shift or two (or more), please get in touch with me, Carol at dollmouse@aol.com