T H U N D E R I N G P A W S. Mewsings. T h u n d e r i n g P a w s A n i m a l. Summer Volume 12, Issue 2. Some of the Thirty-Nine Kittens.

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1 Mewsings T h u n d e r i n g P a w s A n i m a l S a n c t u a r y Summer Volume 12, Issue 2 Some of the Thirty-Nine Kittens Sterling 4/4/2015 Mufasa Alex 4/17/2015 Rufus 3/8/2015 Macavity Frmale Enid Clementine Rum Tum Tugger Tara 3/21/15 Greystoke 2/28/2015 Freckles Guido 03/21/15 thunderingpaws.org 1

2 Corban Simba Tinkydink 4/17/2015 Matilda Eli Milton 2/20/15 4/17/2015 4/04/2015 Gypsy Magnus Malik 2/20/2015 THIRTY NINE KITTENS People often ask where we get our animals. There are so many, we could pick and choose! But we don t. We say yes until we have nowhere else to put them, and no more money to get them vetted; then we begin the heart wrenching proc- ess of saying no, while trying to find other alternatives for people. The alternatives are so few! thunderingpaws.org cates who moved onto a property with feral cats. They have been feeding, trapping and neutering, and taming kittens for weeks. Two moms came with their eight kittens from a south Texas shelter that Mother Nature plans births as the earth warms, so kittens come to us in the spring and summer. In Texas, they pour in fairly regularly. Our current batch of 39 kittens and seven moms breaks down like this: two semi-tame moms have advo- doesn t have the luxury of being nokill. When I asked for a mom with 2

3 kittens, they sent pictures of TWO moms with kittens. Rather than leave anyone there, I simply found another foster home. A mom and four were in the yard of people who appealed to us for help, and they have since adopted that mom. Six kittens were dumped at a feed store. Three each went to two foster homes. Four motherless kittens were found outside the office of a volunteer. Our bottle baby, Rufus, has a serendipitous story. Found behind the tire of a car about to back up, this week-old kitten was raised by foster parents to be a love muffin. Initially thought to have FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), his second test was returned negative. (See more information on FIV in this newsletter.) Two moms and ten kittens came from a trailer park where none of the colony cats were yet spayed or neutered. The people trapping there will continue working to help these cats. No matter where our kittens and their moms come from and, as you can see, they come from a wide range of places throughout Central Texas they are all welcomed, loved, and cared for by Thundering Paws volunteers, fosters, and staff until they are placed in their forever homes. As of this writing, we have adopted out two moms and five kittens. We are optimistic about finding homes for all of them. Nena Two friends who fostered cats and kittens last year were driving down a Texas road, on the way to look at an adult Rottweiler for Luz to adopt. They stopped at a spot where a white bulldog puppy was locked in a kennel, without water, in the heat. She had a rash and the young woman selling her to anyone with the money said the puppy was five months old. Once the puppy was out of the kennel she was excited to meet new people. The little dog was malnourished, and, in addition to an angry looking rash, she was obviously ill. No one likes to pay people who don t treat animals well, but sometimes you just have to shell out the money to save the dog. My friends did, and took the little gal home, the Rottweiler search having been put on hold. On the way home, Luz and Suzanne bought her a new bed, toys, and healthy treats. Lucky pup! When I went to see her a few days later, she was happy, healthy looking, except for the mange, and stayed close to Luz. Now that she is in an air conditioned home (she had never been inside before), is being fed good food, taken to the vet for her ailments, and is loved, Nena is healing rapidly. Discovering that Nena is deaf, Luz bought a book of sign language for dogs and is teaching her sign. She already knows sit, and down. Smart pup! Luz still wants a Rottweiler mix, but she will foster Nena until we can find her a forever home. Her life is now filled with love. Transformed pup! Boscoe A woman named Trish called Thundering Paws seeking help for an old Rottweiler who showed up at her house in Driftwood. In spite of being thin and unkempt, the dog was friendly and happy. He gobbled up all the food Trish offered and was grateful to sleep on her porch out of the rain. However, Trish was going out of town, and was concerned about care for the dog in her absence. Before I left the sanctuary, armed with food, clean water, dishes, a collar and a leash, I called Karen Cole, Director of Lizzy s Hospice House, and asked her to meet me in Driftwood. Lizzy s Hospice House is just what its name implies, a safe haven for older, and/or terminally ill dogs. Upon my arrival at the house, I got out and walked around for just a few minutes before the dog showed up, smiling and anticipating only food and thunderingpaws.org 3

4 love. That s what he got, too. When Karen arrived, she spoke to the dog, read his energy perfectly and kissed him. She introduced him to all four of the dogs she had with her, and they got along swimmingly! How could I NOT take this dog? she said to me, rhetorically. The next day, Karen told me that she had named him Boscoe, and taken him to the vet, who discovered that he is heartworm positive. Thundering Paws helped with that vet bill. But Lizzy s Hospice House is run completely on donations and they need help for the heartworm treatment. To donate to Boscoe s care, go to lizzyshospice.com/ In addition to their hospice service, Lizzy s is temporary home to some adoptable dogs. Rapidly putting on weight, Boscoe is a gentle, loving dog who is now ready for his forever home. More on FIV When we got Rufus, he had tested positive for FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus. Mistakenly called the virus that causes kitty AIDS, FIV is not nearly destructive enough to be compared to HIV, or human AIDS. Rufus was tiny. We tried to get a mom cat to nurse him. We were unsuccessful in finding a mom cat during the three weeks he had to be nursed, and his wonderful foster, Nance, diligently lost lots of sleep to keep him alive. Next, he needed some kittens to play with. Kittens who grow up without siblings don t know how hard to bite and claw. We questioned many vets about the risks that he might pose to step-mom and step-siblings. What we found out is that FIV does not pass through a mucous membrane. That s why, for a cat to contract FIV from another cat, it must be through sex or a DEEP bite. The passage must be from blood to blood, and a mucous membrane must be penetrated or the virus deposited in an airless environment. There was no danger to a mother cat who nursed Rufus nor to any playmates he might have. We found him a mom after he was already weaned, but she did clean him and cuddle him. His playmates were all smaller and younger than he was, but Rufus is a very gentle fellow and they enjoyed each other s company. When it was time to have Rufus neutered, we had another combo test run. It was negative for FIV. This is many times the case: a cat will be exposed to the virus and since the test registers antibodies, the kitty will have developed those antibodies that show up on the test. But, in many healthy cats, the antibodies do their job and fight off the virus and then the cat tests negative on a subsequent test. Rufus has now gone to his forever home where he has an older brother kitty, Wendell. After some initial mild hissing, Wendell decided he likes his baby brother, and they are happily playing together. You can see Rufus enjoying his new bed on YouTube and on our Facebook page. Older Animals Finding Homes Even with all the kittens, we re still finding homes for older animals. This can be more challenging than adopting out kittens. ZOLA: Three years ago, a couple took a tiny kitten with a dreadful case of ringworm* to their vet and asked that she be euthanized. The vet refused. Instead, he called us and offered to treat her if we would take her once the treatment was done. Sure, we said. She was successfully treated, but, due to having to be fostered in a home where she got little attention, didn t get as socialized as we would have liked. Zola went to the BCCAC. An undertheblanket hider, Zola attracted the attention of a woman who came in and played with her...and fell in love. Sweet Zola now has a forever home. *Ringworm is a fungus and it is curable. Please don t give up on animals with ringworm. FUJI: We don t have many animals dropped off on our doorstep, but we have had a few. One of them is a dark Siamese cat whom we named Fuji because of his apple-shaped head. About 9 years old, he came to us last spring. Fuji HATES cats! He gives a serious hiss to any cat he sees. Unfortunately, that meant that we had to keep him in a cage while at the sanctuary. We put a plea for a foster home for him on our Facebook page. A young opera singer saw our plea and offered to foster him. As she may leave the country for her career, she couldn t adopt him. He thunderingpaws.org 4

5 followed her around her apartment, talking to her, occasionally complaining when she sang, but she loved him dearly. She would drive him from San Marcos to adoption events a 100 mile round trip! While there, Fuji preferred to hide under a towel in his cage. How were we ever going to help this kitty to a new home? Susan found him on Facebook. Since she has a gentle dog, we gave the cat a trial run with our staff dog, Dante. Fuji gave Dante a mild hiss but went right back to talking to the volunteer to whom he was telling his life story. Now named Ravi, he is a happy boy. ALBA: As I returned to the sanctuary one evening, a dog limped down the driveway toward my car. When we met, I opened the door and she jumped in. We assume she was dropped off. An old injury to her right hip caused nerve damage resulting in the limp and slightly incontinence. She tried very hard, but sometimes made mistakes. The vet declared her to be about 7 years old. We called her Alba, part of the species of barn owl, because of her owl- like face. Beautiful and sweet, this dog had so much love to give! How could we find a home that loved her enough to deal with her problem? We took her to adoption events and she had lots of interest, but, when they found out about the incontinence, interest waned. A Petsmart worker fell in love with her, but couldn t take her because she was at her pet limit in her apartment. She introduced Alba to her mother and brother. They fell in love, too. We would never adopt an animal without full disclosure of their issues, but the family is willing to work with her. Some foster animals touch their temporary people s hearts more than others. This one was hard to let go, but she has a great home now, and I am happy for her. MYTH BUSTED ABOUT THE BEE CAVE CAT ADOPTION CENTER Thundering Paws supplies cats to the Cat Adoption Center at the Bee Cave Petsmart (BCCAC). Some people think this is cruel, believing that the cats are left in cages all the time. That s a myth! Nothing could be further from the truth. The BCCAC is where we send kitties who are almost, but not quire tame enough for a home. Three to four sets of volunteers visit the BCCAC daily, cleaning the cages, refreshing the water, filling food dishes, changing linens. While all this work is going on, the kittens and cats are playing with the workers and other volunteers, often the workers children or grandchildren. It s a great way for people to spend time with family members, and volunteer at the same time. The shy cats who go there become confident and very adoptable within a few weeks. MORE KITTENS Eno 02/28/2015 Kami 4/4/2015 Melvin 02/20/2015 Danika thunderingpaws.org 5

6 Thundering Paws A Program of Central Texas Animal Sanctuary P.O. Box 1555 Dripping Springs, TX / Authorization for Monthly Donations through Credit/Debit Card I authorize Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary to initiate variable* transactions to my credit/debit card as described below: Card Number Exp. Date Mo. Yr. Card Verification Number (three numbers on back of card) Amount $ Name Telephone ( ) Address City State Zip Code Frequency: Monthly ( ) Date of Month Yearly ( ) Month and Date Signature This authorization is to remain in full force and effect until Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary has received written notification from an authorized individual of its termination in such time and manner as to afford Thundering Paws a reasonable opportunity to act upon it. Your information will be swecure at all times and used only by the sanctuary director or by staff under her direct supervision. * The word variable in this instance pertains to the ability of Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary to collect donations using the above credit/debit card and, if a cancellation order is received after a monthly donation has been taken, to refund that donation back via the card. To cancel this authorization, please send a copy of this form with the word CANCEL prominently written across it to the above address. Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary thanks you for your tax deductible donations. You will receive a yearly summary of your donations in January.