When Love Goes Astray: A Valentine s Day Tale

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1 Stray Cat Blues,Inc. P.O. Box 8 Colmar, PA Tel: (215) For immediate release Media contact: Linda Palmarozza Work: (267) Home: (215) When Love Goes Astray: A Valentine s Day Tale When Linda died this past November, she had 40 cats stuffed into her small, ramshackled Pottstown home. The house stunk of cat urine and many of her cats were in poor health due to lack of proper nutrition. Living in overcrowded feline squalor was never Linda s intent. She really loved cats and did a great deal to save and neuter hundreds of strays in her area. At some point during her days of saving strays, however, she crossed the line from being a cat rescuer to being a cat collector. Her friends and relatives harped that there were just too many cats, but their laments were ignored. Linda couldn t say no to any homeless kitty even though she never had enough money to properly feed or provide vet care for the ones she had. Her collector s logic there is always room for one more. Linda suffered from another collector malady -- no one could care for the cats as she could. She made endless excuses as to why she couldn t offer them for adoption or pass them to other foster homes. They can t be in cages or carriers. They are too wild. They must be adopted with their siblings. A few were extracted from her and found loving homes, but the majority stayed trapped in Linda s love gone astray. Then Fate interceded. Linda suffered a stroke and while she was in treatment, her doctors discovered a large mass on her lungs that was diagnosed as terminal lung cancer. Two months later she was dead at the age of 59. In loving service to her and her family, Stray Cat Blues, Inc., a no kill cat rescue where Linda had a former affiliation, stepped in to take all the cats from her home. It was either that or Linda s daughter threatened to open the doors and windows of her

2 mother s home and shoo all the cats into the neighborhood. Her frustration had reached a point of desperation. Now under the compassionate care of Stray Cat Blues, Inc. foster volunteers, Linda s cats are receiving proper vet care and nourishing diets. Some of the less social cats have been placed in reliable barn homes. Sweet and adoptable ones will be featured during Valentine s Day adoption events at three local adoption locations: Saturday, Sunday, Feb. 10, 11 at PetsMart, North Wales, 10:30 4:30 both days. Saturday, February 10 at PetCo, Montgomeryville, 11 to 3 Saturday, February 17 at Cutter s Mill Natural Pet Supply, Chalfont, 11 to 3 For the love of Robby, Rusty, Lacey, Trisquit, Max, Tyler and the many other cats from this situation, Stray Cat Blues, Inc. will be offering a reduced adoption fee to encourage local residents to open their hearts and hearths to these loving cats that deserve a second chance. # # # Stray Cat Blues, Inc. is a 501 c 3 non-profit charity dedicated to the rescue and neutering of stray cats and kittens and in finding safe and secure placement for them whenever possible. Adoption applications and more information are available online at

3 Stray Cat Blues,Inc. P.O. Box 8 Colmar, PA Tel: (215) Media Contact: Linda Palmarozza Stray Cat Blues, Inc. (215) (daytime) (215) (evenings) Stray Cat Blues, Inc. Offers Top Ten Ways to Care for your New Kitten It s kitten season and the purring puffballs are everywhere. Should you be lucky enough to adopt one, Stray Cat Blues, Inc., (SCBI) a local non-profit cat rescue, with many kittens for adoption, offers some important tips for keeping your new pet happy and healthy. 1. VETERINARY CARE. Find a veterinarian near your home and begin to build a trusting relationship. Early care followed by annual check-ups, ensure the ongoing health of your kitten. 2. TESTING. Ask your vet to test your kitten for feline leukemia and feline aids. (Stray Cat Blues, Inc. tests all the cats and kittens in its foster care system). This is especially important if you already have other cats in your home. These fatal diseases are highly transferable among cats but not humans. Cats that test positive may not have any external signs of the disease and can lead long, healthy lives with proper veterinary care. 3. VACCINATIONS AND WORMING. Your kitten needs two rounds of FRCP vaccine 3-4 weeks apart to protect it against distemper. At approximately 16- weeks old it needs its rabies vaccination. Since all kittens are born with internal parasites, they also need to be wormed. Bring a stool sample to your vet who will give your kitten medication to eliminate round and hook worms, coccidia parasites and ear mites. 4. NOURISHMENT. Kittens require a high protein diet. Select a premium brand cat food suited to the stages of a kitten s life and provide it with fresh water daily. Do not feed it milk. Contrary to popular opinion, cow s milk is not good for cats and can cause digestive problems.

4 5. ELIMINATION. Your kitten needs an easily accessible and clean litter box where it can go to the bathroom. Most kittens know by instinct how to use the litter box because their mother teaches them how to bury their waste. However, you may have to place your kitten in the box the first few times. 6. SPAY/NEUTER. If your kitten is not already altered, have females spayed and males neutered by six months old. Over population is the reason millions of healthy unwanted animals are euthanized each year. 7. PAWS and CLAWS. Some veterinarians routinely declaw cats and kittens. Others agree with Stray Cat Blues that declawing is an unnecessary, painful operation that should not be performed just because. It s very simple to clip a kitten s nails and by starting early, your pet grows comfortable with the manicure. A SCBI volunteer or your veterinarian can show you how to do it, or do it for you. 8. TRAINING. If your kitten starts to scratch furniture, gently pull it off and place its front paws on a sturdy scratching post. Keep the post easily accessible and make it the center of your kitten s play so it becomes accustomed to using it. If the kitten persists scratching where it shouldn t, give it a squirt of water from a spray bottle. Do not spray in its face. At the same time, say a sharp no then take it back to its scratching post. 9. PLAY. A kitten has boundless energy, so provide toys it can bat and chase. Feathers-on-a-stick is a wonderful toy to reinforce your kitten s use of the scratching post. Wiggle the stick on the post and watch your kitten leap at the post to get it. Kittens are especially active at dawn and dusk, which is the time they hunt in the wild. For a good night s sleep, put your kitten in it s own room for the night until it becomes accustomed to your household routine. 10. LOVE. When kittens are treated lovingly, they become affectionate, heartwarming pets for the whole family. Spend time petting and holding your kitten and teach your children to be gentle. SCBI is sponsoring the first of a series of summer Kitten Extravaganzas at PetsMart, Montgomeryville on June 12 and 13, to find homes for over 20 tested, vaccinated and altered kittens ready for adoption. There will be many wonderful adult cats, too. To learn more about Stray Cat Blues, Inc. and the Adoption Extravaganza, visit our website:

5 Community Calendar Listing Kitty Extravaganza Adoption Weekend, June 12-13, 10:30 to 4 p.m., PetsMart, Witchwood Drive, North Wales, sponsored by Stray Cat Blues, Inc. Many adorable kittens and cats available for adoption. Approved adoption applications required. Visit or The Adoption Center at PetsMart. Dogs are also available through Animal Underground.