The past couple Sundays of doing Meet & Greets at the Eagle River Pet Zoo, I received $30 in donations. The kind souls that donated were unable to adopt a pet, so they gave money. The $30 was spent on a litter of 5 eight week old kittens I just received and it bought:
1. a 20# bag of Science Diet Kitten Food
2. the 1st distempter vaccine for each kitten
3. the 1st deworming for each kitten

So, as you can see, every little bit does help.

BTW, Cindy and I will be doing a Meet & Greet at the Eagle River Pet Zoo this coming Sunday, Aug 10 from noon til 5pm. Come on down and visit us!

To anyone who knows me...I am not computer or electronic equipment friendly. Everyone who sees me reach for a computer cringes...you never know what will happen. As treasurer of Kitty and K-9, I took it upon myself to put all our 2007 information into QuickBooks...I lost it four times which was terribly distressing...lots of tears. I am very proud to announce that I have finally completed the 2007 QuickBooks project...with the help of my husband doing the back-up...and was amazed what I found in all the year end reports. I thought I would share some "facts" with you.

We placed 113 cats, 120 dogs and 1 ferret last year.

Cindy & I went to the Animal Control Advisory Board Meeting last Thursday evening. The SPCA asked for $2500, the balance of the $10,000 we originally asked for in order to continue the program. It was approved by the board, but still has to go thru the Assembly to be approved before the money is released. With the addition of this money, we will be able to spay/neuter approx 150 more cats.

The program has been going very well. We've spayed & neutered approx 20 cats each time we held the spay/neuter clinic in the SPCA's mobile unit. There has also been a lot of education of the public that we have reached with this program.

Are you into Homeopathic Care for your pet? If so, Rescue Remedy and many other flower essence remedies are available for your pet. This includes dogs, cats, horses, birds, (and people also).
I use Rescue Remedy on some of my rescue cats to help calm them, it really does help. I have not tried any of the other essences. There are essences that also help with anxiety, terror & panic, lonliness, among other symptoms. The articles also tell about dosages, be sure not to overdose. I gave too much to one of my show cats one time, and he fell asleep and was groggy the entire day of the cat show. Some of these essences can be purchased locally. Freddy's and Natural Pantry have Rescue Remedy.

If you recall from prior posts, Pretty is the cat that I rescued from Bethel. She had been left in a ferret cage in an apartment when the person moved. She had a uterine infection, and as time passed, kittens were born, but none of them survived.

Pretty has been a real trooper, and came thru all this with no ill feelings toward humans.
She went home with a very nice lady, Suzanne last Thursday. I just got an email update on how she is doing, and here is a little bit of it:

Pretty is doing great. She came right in and checked out the whole house and pretty much made herself right at home. She put my cats in place to let them know she was the new boss. She still will not let them to close to her but she is starting to play with them. Mine try to play with her but she does not tolerate it yet (only if she plays with them). She is working out great and I am glad I found her. She found our hedgehogs last night and was quite interested in them. I was

Charlie is just a plain ol' ordinary 4-5 year old 16 pound brown tabby who was initially pulled out of Animal Control in 2007. He was adopted fairly quickly by a family in Eagle River who promised him a lifetime home. In June I received a call from Animal Control because this “lifetime” family dumped him off there instead of calling me as it states in the contract citing ‘allergies’. But I regress.

A family with a small child, about 5 years old, was looking for a cat that would get along with their son and big dog. I thought Charlie would be a good match and they wanted to meet him. Even though they were looking to adopt a declawed cat, and Charlie isn’t, his award winning personality and soulful eyes won them over. They would do a trial period and see if he worked out.

Many of us have awesome employers that allow pets in the work place. Of course, when I worked for the State of Alaska for thirty years, that was not the case. But my job at Arctic Paws (we make the Yummy Chummies dog and cat treats) allows dogs, cats and children. Today we are working with four smaller breed dogs and a larger dog running and playing through the office. Sometimes we have cats who come hang out and foster here with us for awhile.

To have success when integrating a new dog or cat into a household with an existing dog or cat requires time and patience. You don’t want to rush introductions as you might have a bad outcome. How fast introductions happen depend on whether the dog has been around cats before and vice versa, so go to each step when you feel the dog and cat have successfully completed the previous one.

Introductions need to be gradual and under controlled conditions. A great way to start is to put the cat into its own room, with the door closed, so they can get use to each others scent through the door. The next day or so, when the dog is outside, let the cat have the run of the house so it can explore and familiarize itself with the scent of the dog. When it’s time for the dog to come in, put the cat back into his room so now the dog can become familiar with the cat’s scent. Do this each time you let the dog out.

For those of you that have been following the story on Pretty, my rescue cat from Bethel:

She has had all her babies at various times, and none of them survived.

So, she will be spayed soon, and put up for adoption.
sue

If you are facing home foreclosure and you have pets, here are some tips to help you relocate with your pets or find other safe placement for them. Never leave pets behind when you vacate your home!

Take Your Pets With You or Find Them a Safe Place to Stay:
Take your pets with you when you vacate your home; they will not survive if abandoned in the home or set loose. In addition, the comfort and companionship of pets can provide therapeutic benefits to family members by easing the strain of moving to a new residence.

Follow these steps to find safe placement for your pets if you are unable to vacate your home with them:

This article is simple and to the point. Used from Hill's Pet Website

House-Soiling: Trouble Beyond the Litter Box
Unfortunately, cats don’t automatically make the connection to the litter box. Even cats that know the drill will sometimes choose another spot at home. “House-soiling” can become a concern for even the best cat owners. It can be a sign of a serious health issue or simply the result of changes around the house. Pay close attention for clues to put an early end to a nasty problem for both you and the pet you love.

is what the veterinarian calls my sweet boy Finn. Found at birth in a dumpster and weighing in at a mere 4 ounces, he and his brother were brought to me by Solid Waste Services. I soon became their surrograte mother, getting up at god awful hours of the night and morning to tube or bottle feed, clean and make sure they were kept warm.
Finn & Sawyer @ 1 WeekFinn @ 4 Weeks
Sawyer was a blue point Siamese mix and died at 3 weeks of age, Finn is black and now 7-1/2 months old. He is a true mama's boy in every sense of the word. Sleeps with me, follows me around, talks to me, wants to be held. I had made up my mind early on that I was not keeping these kittens so I was ecstatic when I was contacted by someone who wanted to adopt them both...if they made it. It made caring for them easier knowing they were promised to someone else. Well.....Sawyer died and who wants just a black male cat?? Presto, changeo, never heard from the person again. Well, actually once, but then he disappeard into the Twilight Zone, never to be heard from again.

HELP US! What would you all like to see in our Animal Rescue blog? There's got to be some great ideas out there. We're not sure if many people are even reading our blog, since we don't have much in the way of comments.
Thanks for your help.
Sue

I took Pretty to the Vet today to check that the rest of the babie were ok. The Vet did an exam, one of the babies kicked. Then we had an xray done, and she still has 3 babies left in her. They are due 6/26/08. Everything seems to be going well.

Sue

The kitten, Mimi, was at the Vet friday getting an xray. Ends up she broke her pelvis. The Vet said she most likely fell. Probably while chasing around with the other cats. So, luckily no surgery, just need to keep her confined for a couple weeks. She seems to be in a little pain, but not too bad.

The Mama Cat, Pretty, is holding her own. Friday night, she spontaniously aborted one of the kittens. All was fine after this happened. She's been eating normally and being loving. I was told when I got her that no one had heard her meow for the 3 weeks they had her. She was meowing at me Saturday morning, perhaps to tell me what had happened. She will go into the Vet in the next few days to make sure all is well with the other kittens, which are due to be born this weekend if all goes according to schedule.

There never seems to be a dull moment when you are in pet rescue.

I have a 4 month old kitten and she's been hiding from me for the past 1.5 days. When I found her late last night, she was having problems walking. She seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, and had trouble deciding which leg to lead with walking up the stairs (which she really didn't want to do). I believe she may have broken her back leg, or at least sprained it. I put her in a large dog crate so she couldn't do any more damage to herself, and gave her a little bit of pain medication. She is in at the Vet today getting X-rays. I am hoping it's just a sprain.

This past weekend the SPCA Spaymobile did 13 surgeries Saturday, and 13 on Sunday. That's 26 cats that won't be making babies any more!

If you need your cat spayed or neutered and can't afford it, please call 230-2171 to schedule an appointment. We will be out with the Spaymobile most weekends this summer. This weekend is at the Muldoon Community Center.

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments, but I have only you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

Cats spend most of their time (when they are not cat-napping) trying to teach their human companions about things they should know in life. Here are just a few examples of life's lessons that a talented cat can illustrate.

Life Lessons for Humans from Cats

Actually, cat-napping itself is a good lesson.
"Get plenty of rest, and you will be ready for anything," I say.
Ever watch a cat wash himself?
"Personal hygiene is essential."
Where would the world be without healthy curiosity? Who would discover the next great invention without curiosity?
"Learn to be curious, and you will expand your horizons."

June 1st was our first Fix A Feline event with the SPCA spaymobile at Fairview Rec Center. We spayed/Neutered 8 cats, did rabies vaccines and microchipped several of the cats. The rabies and chips were done at cost.

If you are in need of a spay or neuter for your cat and can't afford it, check the Alaska SPCA WEBSITE for further information as to where we will be when. Then you can call and schedule your appointment.
June 7-8 we will be at the MountainView Community Center
June 14-15, we will be at the Muldoon Community Center