It never fails to amaze me that so many beautiful cats and dogs end up at shelters...

For example, Princess, this lovely Papillon, also known as a butterfly dog:

Here is a Lhaso Apso named Clancy:

Here is a super sweet Siamese mix with the prettiest light blue eyes named Tinkerbell:

And LOTS of kittens of all colors and breeds:

Kitten season has unfortunately been extended this year.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you've all had a great week and have wonderful weekend!

Until next time. Michelle

Meet Cleopatra:  Our latest foster cat!

The 6 inch diameter bowl above shows just how tiny she is.  You might guess her to be 4 months old, but she is actually more than 4 years old!  She got very sick a few weeks ago and lost some hair and a lot of weight.  The shelter took her to the vet and learned she had an infection.  I was very worried about her extreme weight loss and thought she might recover more quickly in a spare room at my house.  She is such a sweet cat.  The type that sleeps right next to you all the time.  I have been trying to give her good food (Royal Canin baby cat is great for cats who need to gain weight), lots of attention, and of course her antibiotics.  She has gained a little weight and has a lot more energy.  I am going to try VERY hard to find her a home.  She has been in the shelter since she was found as a stray kitten four years ago.  She has beautiful green eyes which I'll try to show you later.

Queenie found a home in an assisted living facility where they allow pets.  I'm so happy for her and her new owner.  I also hope more of these assisted living facilities and nursing homes and apartments begin allowing pets more often!

I know I'm always whining about all the little things I have to do, but I just couldn't stop thinking about this cat.  Thanks so much to everyone who stops by and I hope everyone is having a great week :)

Queenie:

(A declawed mother with her four 1 month old kittens at my local shelter)

Along with photographing animals at my local SPCA, I also answer the shelter's e-mails and it's always hard to read some of these.  However, these e-mails from people unable to keep their animals due to being evicted or loss of employment have increased dramatically!  The economy in Florida, and especially this area) is very, very bad!  I'm sure many shelters around the country are having to turn animals away and it is truly heart wrenching!  Although we are a non-kill shelter, we can't take all the needy animals in our community and I shudder to think about what happens to them...

Therefore, I am publishing a list of ways people can help.  I believe there are many people out there that want to help animals but aren't sure how.

 There are so many easy ways to help animals.  Many of these ways require little sacrifice but can save a life.  Most ways fall into the categories of donations, fostering, transporting animals, volunteerism, and public outreach. 

Donations

Donating even a small amount of cash such as $10.00 can make such a huge difference in the lives of several animals.  An expert on the Petfinder web site stated that she could give 5 animals basic vaccines for that amount of money.  Those who sell items on EBay can choose to have a very small or very large percentage of there profits to groups or agencies that help animals. Donating needed supplies such as food, litter, old towels and bedding, hand sanitizer, and laundry detergent to your local animal shelter is also a wonderful way to help out. 

If donating money or supplies is not an option, simply visiting the Animal Rescue Site:

and clicking on this button:

 will provide a hungry animal with .6 bowls of food.  This site also allows one to send a free e-card which provides an animal with 1.0 bowls of food. There is a really great variety of cards to choose from for all occasions.

Fostering

There are nowhere near enough foster homes for animals.  Fostering animals does not mean that you have to have a house full of animals all the time or become animal rescuer of the year.  Imagine if everyone fostered just one animal per year.  This is not entirely realistic, but if it were, think how many animals’ lives could be saved!  Fostering can be a very enjoyable and very rewarding experience and is a great opportunity for children to learn about animal care.

Transporting

A lot of the time it's not an issue of rescue not being available but a matter of getting the animal to the vet, a foster home or a shelter. There are several great websites where transport coordinators post for volunteers where you can check if a transport is coming through your area. You don't have to make a regular commitment to transporting. Even helping out a couple of times a year and you've made a big difference for the animals you've transported.

 Volunteerism

A person can volunteer in a variety of ways.  Another expert on the Petfinders’ site said that it’s wonderful to have volunteers with good administrative and computer skills who can set up a web site, but having enough people to change litter boxes and walk the dogs is critical, and there seems to be a tremendous shortage of such people. 

 Public Outreach

 Educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets and caring for animals is another opportunity to help.  You can plan a program for children at schools, camps, or churches.  Web sites are another way to educate the public.  They do need to be advertised enough and in such a way that all people will find their way to them and not to those who already know the information they contain.

 Please feel free to leave a comment with any ways that I’ve left out!

Thanks for stopping by!  I will be visiting all of you soon.  I so appreciate all of me readers and their comments :)))

(below is a new Long-haired Chihuahua to our shelter) 

As most of you know I take photos at my local SPCA non-kill shelter and list them on Petfinder.  I will be writing a follow-up post about how wonderful Petfinder is and how it works in the next few days.

In the mean time, I wanted to show you some adorable three week old kittens that will be available in May.  I didn't take them out of their cage because their mother is VERY protective!  The next two photos are of Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl who are Russian Blues.  Russian Blues are known for being potentially hypoallergenic.  These two cats have medium to long hair and are SO soft.  However, they would need to be tested due to their hair being long to see whether or not they are in fact hypoallergenic.  The last photo is of a super sweet kitty named Charley.  ALL of these cats would make wonderful pets!

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

You are now entering Queenie's quarters:

We cordoned off our rarely used upstair's sitting area to be used for fostering along with a spare bedroom behind the screen:

Here is Queenie in her bedroom:

We decided to foster Queenie because the shelter we volunteer at believed her to be pregnant.  After she had been with us for about two weeks with no increase in her belly size, we decided to take her to the vet.  It turned out that she is not pregnant after all - which of course is a GOOD thing!  This is especially so since the people who brought her to the shelter also had several kittens with them she had just had :/  If only people would spay and neuter their pets, it would make such a BIG difference!!!

I have put Queenie on Petfinder and set up her spay appointment.  I am so attached to this beautiful, sweet cat that LOVES to talk.  She will make someone a wonderful companion!

Fostering is difficult because you do get so attached to them, but  it does make a difference.  We weren't able to foster during Coco's illness, but beginning to again a few months ago has helped fill the hole left in my heart by Coco's passing.

Queenie:

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope everyone has a wonderful start to their week :)