FELINE FUZZ. Forgotten Felines and Fidos, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter Winter Amazing Rescues

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1 FELINE FUZZ Quarterly Newsletter Winter 2018 Amazing Rescues Beau Kirby Marci Nicholas If you think there are fewer kittens during the winter, you haven't seen December and January at Forgotten Felines! We have been inundated with little ones, trying to save them from short lives as outdoor kitties. We constantly urge everyone to spay and neuter. We even have programs available for the financially strapped. Our TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program charges only $30 for feral cats in traps, which includes the important rabies and distemper vaccines. Keep in mind, once a cat is pregnant it takes only 65 days until she gives birth. She can become pregnant again before her kittens are weaned. She can have up to three litters in a year, and unfortunately that last litter is heading right into winter. When these babies or juveniles need to be trapped to be caught, the decision to keep or release is a critical one. It s a race against time. It only takes a couple of weeks before the kitten loses its winter coat. Once FFF commits to taking and socializing the kitten, there is only a small window of opportunity to do so. Otherwise to release it during the winter would be putting it at risk without the ability to keep itself warm. It sounds a lot easier to just spay the stray kitty, doesn't it? Luckily we have dedicated foster moms so we have many amazing rescues of little ones who won't have to sleep in the cold or forage for food this winter. Many were injured and would not have survived. Still Waiting It is a real joy to take these young kittens off the streets and turn them around for adoption, whether it be socializing or tending to injuries. Yet it seems each year we have to battle an influx of kittens and our adult cats, who have been waiting for adoption, have to wait even longer since kittens get most of the attention. These cats love the attention and even if adopting is not on your agenda at this time, come and visit. They would love the company. They are amazing rescues and will keep waiting for their perfect homes. Our spay/neuter program is in full swing year round so please be an advocate and alter those strays! Kaleena Naomi Junie Sprocket Paka

2 Adoptable cats All of our adoptable cats are spayed and neutered, up to date on vaccinations, FeLV tested and microchipped. Would you help us find homes for these kitties by posting this page at work, your vet office and community boards. Pillsbury was found looking for handouts. You can see he got them here! This two year old, long-haired, big boy would prefer to be an only cat. Sadly, he is stressed in this multi-cat environment. He is a mellow guy who is just trying to endure this long stay here. Sheila is a sweet senior who is outgoing and loving. Front declawed and looking for a home without other cats. Simba is a stunning, sweet senior who even after being returned to the shelter, stayed happy and loving. So friendly! She eats Hills Science Diet. One bag of this food lasts three months! Daisy was relinquished due to allergies. She was living in a cage in her home, without any hope of rehoming until FFF stepped in. She is less than two years old, is sweet and playful, and she eats Hills Science Diet. Willoughby is two three years old and was abandoned at a persons home who doesn't like cats. The man brought him to FFF crammed in a kitten trap after it was trying to find food. The man was going to release him elsewhere or shoot him. This amazing cat is perfect for children to seniors. A perfect disposition! Nicki is only a few months old and is playful and affectionate. She was left behind at a trailer park when her owner moved. Samantha is full of mischief. She will knock things down, crawl over your keyboard, ruin your toilet paper and whatever else she can get in to. Be ready for bedlam with this young lady. She does have her good moments and will sit on your lap! She was the only kitten living in a large colony of 20 cats that came here for TNR. Wippy & Woody were adopted two years ago as kittens and returned due to allergies. These tall handsome brothers were not given as much attention as they needed in their home. This will be a challenging adoption with the potential of having to separate them in order to bring them out of their shell. Not a mean bone in their bodies just a bad case of the nerves! For Adoption Information and scheduling an adoption appointment, please contact: Therese: (610) or fffadoption@verizon.net

3 Volunteer Corner My name is Christy and I have been a FFF volunteer for three years. I first came to the shelter at the request of my daughter, Kelsey, who really wanted to help the animals in need. I was initially hesitant; I had long been fearful of cats because I had been bitten by one long ago. Luckily, the wonderful felines and more wonderful volunteers at FFF soon changed my mind. Every Sunday, my children and I started coming to the barn to clean, usually in Condo 1A, the Crystal Ballroom. The cats (Dylan, Dawson and even Jasper) soon became a part of our extended family. After a bit, we enlisted some friends, and we all enjoyed helping out and socializing with the cats. Recently I have begun to volunteer with the spay and neuter clinic. It is so interesting to meet the feline families and hear the many fascinating stories about their cats and how they came into their lives. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to meet the shelter s awesome vet and learn something new each and every time. Outside of FFF, I enjoy being a member of the Northwestern Lehigh community. I have a dog named Daisy and five leopard geckos, but unlike most volunteers, no cats. I enjoy hiking, kayaking and reading. I have been married for 20 years to my very understanding husband, John. I would definitely recommend becoming a FFF volunteer to anyone. The knowledge and commitment of the other volunteers, especially Dick and Sue, is always inspiring and the warm feeling you get, supporting people and cats, is something words cannot describe. I started here trying to help the animals, but in the end, I think the animals have helped me improving my spirit and making me a better person. Fostering Felines is Fabulous by Marlene I took my first venture into fostering a pair of kittens in November. What a fun ride! The brothers were about weeks old, Bowie and Mango. You might have seen them on the FFF Facebook page. FFF provides food, litter, and medical care to all of its cats or kittens for a foster family (and a litter box if you need one, a carry crate to borrow, etc.). I picked up the kittens and they were very quiet on the ride home, and when I put them into their room (you should keep little kittens in one room or they ll get lost in the house; you might not find them easily!), they were a bit timid coming out of the carry crate. Well that lasted all of 90 seconds! Mango started exploring right away; Bowie was a bit more reserved. A foster parent s job is to socialize the kittens so they are comfortable and happy being around humans. That means lots of handling and playing. After some alone time, it was play-time central in my house! The kittens were great with the litter box, and ate well (they both gained a pound in the 17 days I had them) but what they were awesome at was playing. It was fascinating to see the differences in their personalities and play styles. They loved to play with feather ticklers and balls, but mostly with each other. But again as a foster parent, I needed to get them used to playing with me, and sitting on my lap, and being held. If they only wanted to play with each other, they wouldn t be great company for humans! Every day I d spend time in the morning just handling them, picking them up and scratching them, getting them used to being held and carried around. They slept most of the day, but every day I d go into their room and pull them out individually and cuddle them, then put them back and let them sleep. It took several days, but they got used to it and started to like it. Night time was the best! We had hours of play every night, and as much cuddling as they would tolerate. After about a week, emboldened, they jumped over the barrier to their room and ended up with the run of the house. But by that time, it was ok because they weren t afraid of me anymore and didn t hide. We continued play time and cuddle time and by the end of the second week, they were competing to see who could sleep closest to me! Their transformation from close-to-feral kittens to adorable and loving ones was amazing. I thought it might be hard to give them up, but I knew I had a specific job to do to get them ready for a loving forever home. I wanted them to get adopted together and luckily, a wonderful family came in on their very first adoption Saturday and took them together.

4 A Great Italian Nite Dinner Everyone who ate at the Italian Nite dinner on Saturday, October 7, 2017 at the Commitment to Family & Community enjoyed more than just spaghetti! This year in addition to the traditional and tasty spaghetti and homemade meatballs provided in the past, Paragon Catering provided chicken parmigiana, sausage with pepper and onions, and cheese lasagna. Don t forget all the delicious dessert options of cannoli, Italian rum cake, Italian cookies, and many other homemade desserts. After eating it was hard to resist taking a chance to win some great baskets donated by volunteers and supporters. This was the fourth year that FFF volunteer, Tiffany D., helped organize this fundraiser, which raised ~$1,800!! A special thank you to Tiffany D. and her family and to Paragon Catering for a fabulous evening! Wine Tasting Fundraiser On September 23, 2017, Forgotten Felines hosted the second Wine Tasting Fundraiser with Blue Mountain Vineyards at the shelter. It was a beautiful Fall day filled with wonderful people and pets, light snacks, and of course great-tasting wine provided by the New Tripoli vineyard. The silent auction was filled with many unique donations that helped raise money to support the cats at the shelter. The Flutations, whose music was ear-pleasing, provided the music. Our volunteers welcomed everyone to tour the shelter, meet our fur babies, and check out the new meet-and-greet area. We would like to thank Sheila Y. for all of her efforts organizing this event, Blue Mountain vineyards, our volunteers, and attendees for a second successful fundraiser! A Fun Visit for All A day off school turned into a day of giving and lots of fun. On Monday, November 27, Cadette Troop 6214 from Schnecksville spent the afternoon at the shelter getting us holiday ready. We started the visit with a tour of the barn learning about how the shelter functions and stopping by each room to meet the cats. After that, it was time to get to work. We gave several totes of decorations to the visitors with instructions to "deck the halls"! Once all the decorations were hung and the white board covered with holiday drawings, it was time for snacks. They spent extra time playing with the cats. The group also brought us a supply of sheets, towels, laundry soap and paper towels. Hope you get a chance to check it out---it truly is a holiday explosion. Pictured- Sophia, Samantha, Brynn, Emme and Tressie. An Awesome Sale When you are a cat lover, you tend to buy cat-themed items. One of our longtime supporters, Sandy, made a decision to sell some of her cat-themed items to raise money for FFF. Over the years Sandy collected a wide variety of cat-themed items like books, notepads, greeting cards, clothing, purses, dishes, statues, hand towels, and much more! Sandy selected a lot of her unique items as well as other many other collectibles and new household items to sell. The volunteers who helped had fun unpacking and setting up. Sandy s Benefit Sale was held on Saturday, October 14, 2017 at the First Presbyterian Church. So many people stopped in to shop and or purchase tickets to win a choice of a large wooden cat statue, a Santa Claus decoration, a Christmas flower arrangement, and a cat lamp and stand. Having so many cat lovers in one place resulted in a lot of fur baby story swapping and picture sharing. Sandy s generosity raised more than $1,700 from donations, raffle ticket sales, and the rest of the items sold that day! We are very thankful for everything Sandy and the other volunteers did to make this benefit sale so successful.

5 Sammy, Angie, and Abby's Happy Ending Debbie adopted three kittens from FFF in July Prior to being adopted by Debbie, the kittens, Sammy, Angie and Abby were bottle-fed babies, cared for by foster mom Jan. Debbie came upon hard times this past year and was no longer able to care for the cats she loved so dearly. She had no choice but to return them to FFF. However it was always her hope to be able to provide a home for them again. When Sammy, Angie and Abby first arrived at the shelter they were kept in separate cages in the barn. When several cats were adopted from the house adoption room, we moved them to this area, which gave them more freedom and the ability to get some much needed exercise. Debbie faithfully came to visit her "kids" every Saturday. She looked forward to seeing them every week and they couldn't wait for their "mom" to arrive, treats in hand for them. During Debbie's weekly visits she also spent time with Jasmine, Winnie and Dash, the other cats who shared the room. They too looked forward to her visits and treats. Debbie worked hard to get her life together again and to be able to provide a home for her kitties. On Debbie's birthday, December 16, our president Dena, her husband Dj and her cousin Derik, moved furniture into Debbie's new apartment. Dena's co-workers and other FFF volunteers helped Debbie furnish her apartment. Debbie took her beloved Sammy, Angie and Abby to their new home just in time for the holidays. All of us at FFF wish her a very happy Thoughtful Donations On Wednesday, December 20, Kyla, and her mom Anne visited FFF for the first time. They brought supplies for the shelter and toys for the cats that Kyla made. They went on a tour of the barn and spent time petting and playing with the cats in each condo. Everyone had a good time Kyla, Anne and the shelter cats, who enjoyed the early evening visit and extra attention. Vendor Bingo Sunday, March 4, 2018 Doors open at NOON Game starts at 1:15 PM Get your good luck charms and daubers ready for another vendor bingo that benefits FFF at the Emmaus Fire Company #1! Please contact Tiffany Dieter if you are interested in donating baked goods to sell the day of the bingo. Admission is $5.00 Make sure to mention at the door you are there to support Forgotten Felines and Fido s and the $5.00 admission goes to FFF. Bingo sheets are a $1.00 for one or $2.00 for three If you bring a donation of Purina Cat chow (Green Indoor Bag), litter (white clay), Friskies wet food (NO seafood), bleach, paper towels or laundry detergent you will receive a FREE wild card to play! Emmaus Fire Co#1 50 S 6th St, Emmaus PA For more info, contact Tiffany Dieter: OR tiffanydieter@gmail.com

6 PO Box 62 Germansville, PA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 6022 Mountain Road Germansville, PA Open Saturday from 12-4PM Other times available by appointment only. Please call Therese: To set up an appointment to adopt one of our special cats or kittens Board of Directors Dena Hankee Carm Biery Karen Sweeney Dick Bowman Sue Bowman Therese Podoyak Mary Ann Schaeffer Jeanette Maucher, DVM Linda Becker Contact Us (610) (610) Spay/Neuter Appointments: (610) A Wonderful New Year Resolution Ask your friends and family to make a donation in your honor to Forgotten Felines and Fidos ( Or give a gift to yourself and make a donation in honor or memory of your favorite pet. You'll be doing a world of good for all our cute cuddly and crazy cats! A New Year by Sir Alexander Well my friends it s been quite a year. I managed to hide all of Dumble Dogs toys under anything I could. Such fun. Mom finally took her broom and started sweeping under everything to clean for the holidays and boy, what a load of toys came flooding out from under the TV stand, refrigerator and my other favorite places. Dumble Dog got so excited at seeing all his long lost toys that he almost peed on himself. Me, I just sat in my window like nothing happened. Mom told the stupid dog he shouldn't be hiding his toys like that. Now I must think up new adventures for the toy game. He gets so frustrated when he can't find his toys, it makes me laugh. Such a wonderful life.