2017 Summer Issue. At the Shelter

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1 Summer Edition 2016 This issue is about kittens and is full of all kinds of fun and interesting information. News at the shelter; What we did in the community; Replacing the outdoor enclosures; Stories and articles about kittens; Our wish list items; Featured Cat and Happy Tails; Upcoming Events. The PURRFECT News can be found on our website. If you would like to receive it by , contact the editor Tilda at 2017 Summer Issue At the Shelter Paws In The Garden Fundraiser On Sunday June 4 th we held our 5 th annual Paws In The Garden fundraising event. It was a fun day and everyone enjoyed the afternoon popping balloons, listening to our auctioneer Tina s banter, and chatting with fellow cat lovers. A huge thank you to all the sponsors, donors, supporters, and volunteers who helped to make this another successful event. We raised over $9,000 and all proceeds will go towards our kitten adoption program. Contact Us: Dufferin County Road #3 East Garafraxa, ON L9W 7J1 (519) Registered Canadian Charity Visit our website and Follow us on Facebook There are no bad cats. They are just misunderstood. Page 1

2 Paws In The Garden Sponsors & Donors Thank You to our sponsors and supporters for making the 5 th Annual Paws In The Garden a big success. Mark s Installations Lynn Archbold Intelligent Power Solutions Riot Axe Brushcuts Professional Pet Grooming Italian Canadian Club of Guelph The Doggy Did It Pet Photography Country Hill Farm Kitras Art Glass Little Star Photography Beth Campbell Ceramics Hartsland Dental Murray Taylor Guelph Little Theatre Ali s Place Aesthetics Darren Scott - The Co-operators Baker Street Station Goodness The Wooly Pub Lai-Leis MacInnis - Artist Baird s and the Bees Rick Rogers - Diver Trek Lucian J. Vermeulen - Edwards Jones Marlene Kawalez - Sculptor Tempeh Trails Shoeless Joe s Jackie Harrison - Homelife Power Reality Helena Wehrstein - Artist The Village Green Lorna Ronald - Royal LePage Kloepfer Custom Framing & Gallery Dixon s Distilled Spirits Jane Burgess - Artist Wholesale Picture Framing Services Dr. Lynn Voortman Royal City Nursery William Band - Artist Cats Anonymous Volunteers Anonymous Supporters Cats perceive people as big, hairless cats. Page 2

3 In the Community Ruffin s Pet Centre - Georgetown Many thanks to Ruffin s for hosting the 1 st Annual Cats Anonymous Fundraising BBQ on May 20. The hot dogs were delicious and there were some lovely raffle prize items. They raised $350 for our shelter. Did You Know? Getting a kitten is fun but it is also a lot of work. If you are planning on getting a kitten, make a list of the pro s and con s first. Kittens are very active and need lots of time and interaction compared to an adult cat. If you are away all day it s better to get two, to keep each other company and out of trouble. In addition, they are so much fun to watch when they play together. One important thing is to baby proof the house the same way you would do for a human baby. Get down on the floor and look around at what dangers can be lurking. Pet Valu Adoption Weekend A huge thank you to our friends at Pet Valu Acton for the food donation from their pet adoption weekend. Our kitties appreciate everyone s generosity. Belwood Celebrates Canada 150 On June 17 th the Lion s Club hosted a Canada Turns 150 celebration at Belwood Lake. Cats Anonymous was there with an information booth and a few of our adoptable kittens, Rain, Mane and Baley the tortie triplets who were happy to entertain the crowd! Pet Valu Fergus Paw-a-Thon! Many thanks to our friends at Pet Valu in Fergus for their continued support of our shelter. They raised $1,646 for our shelter during their recent Paw campaign!! They also helped 2 of our kittens find their forever homes during their last adoption weekend. Here is store owner Nina (right), presenting our volunteer Mary Lou with the cheque and our lovely Dudley. Kittens have been known to climb curtains and get caught up in the cords, so tie them way up high or wrap them around a cleat. Always pick up hairbands and rubber bands so your kitten will not eat them. I had one kitten who use to like to chew cords. This is very dangerous as they can burn their mouth or have an electric shock. We bought clear PVC tubing at the hardware store, cut it to length and then sliced them and wrapped them around the cords. No one even noticed because they were clear! You can also coat them with a bitter spray from the pet store to deter chewing. Adopting from a shelter will be more economical as most shelters now spay and neuter the kittens before they go to their forever home. Here at Cats Anonymous we also microchip, test for FELV/FIV and deworm your new family member which an added bonus. You will need to get some things for your new kitten, a good cat carrier, a couple of litter boxes, kitten food and best of all toys that are safe. You may want to get a nice kitty bed or hiding cube or even a cardboard box for your kitten to hide in when they need some time alone. And most important, take lots of pictures because kittens are so darn cute and they grow up so fast!...deb There s no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat. Page 3

4 Replacing The Outdoor Enclosures Well folks work has begun on replacing the outdoor enclosures. It started with a very busy day in Marsville and as the old saying goes What goes up, must come down. Over 20 years ago we put on our first outdoor enclosure for the cats to enjoy the great outdoors safely, and we have now marked the beginning of the de-construction of that enclosure to make way for the new and improved Catio. The old enclosure was well used and well worn from years of enjoyment and weather. Volunteers gathered to get the project underway, and a good time was had by all. It was time to get the ground ready for the concrete foundation. After removing the sod and soil now we could get the gravel in place and tamped down to perfection. No easy task - with shovel and wheelbarrow the gravel was moved into place. Our volunteers were all pumped and ready for the concreate foundation pour! Because the shelter is set further back on the property and there isn t sufficient room to get a big truck back there, we had to bring the concrete in one wheelbarrow at a time. Volunteers lined up and we did a convoy of concrete until the foundation was poured. It s a thing of beauty folks! Now that the concrete has set, we can start to frame the new enclosures. We followed the roofline so that the cats will also be able to utilize the height where we will put up some swinging bridges, shelving and swinging beds. Next step is to seal the concrete floor and install the roof and it will be ready for our cats to enjoy. We couldn t have done it without the help from our wonderful volunteers. Thanks for all your hard work on this project. In our fall issue we will share a few pictures of the final outdoor enclosures where the cats are free to roam the great outdoors safely. Many thanks also to Leathertown Lumber for donating the wiring and giving us a break on the lumber! You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. Page 4

5 Kitten Adoption Program There are many steps that we take here at Cats Anonymous to try and ensure that we adopt out happy, healthy, well adjusted kittens to new homes. Let me take you on a guided tour through the steps All our kittens originally come from feral colonies. They are literally rescued from the streets. When we do our TNR (trap-neuter-return) program for feral adult cats we inevitably come across kittens or pregnant cats in the colony. Kittens are very impressionable and are generally fairly easy to tame as long as they are taken in at a young age (under 12 weeks). These kittens are taken into the shelter for taming and adoption, rather than being returned to the colony. When a kitten arrives at our shelter they are first assessed to see if they are still within the ideal window of opportunity for taming (said to be 5-12 weeks). If so, they are blood tested for feline leukemia and FIV and are then given deworming, flea and ear mite treatments, and are vaccinated if old enough. Once this is done they are ready for the next step on their journey to a new life foster care. Foster homes are a very important part of our kitten program. It is here that these frightened, unsocialized kittens first learn to trust humans and to enjoy being petted and touched. Our foster families work very hard to win these kittens over and to turn them from hissing little spitfires, into purring balls of love! Kittens are hand fed for extra bonding and are introduced to all aspects of home life, including dogs, other cats, children, and all our regular daily household noises. Once a kitten is comfortable and confident in their foster home, they are ready to return to the shelter for the next leg of the journey. Socialized kittens that return to the shelter from foster care are then booked in with our veterinarian for their spay/neuter surgeries. We have been doing pediatric spay/neuter with our kittens for over 20 years now and we love it! The kittens recover very quickly from surgery, the new owners don't have that extra responsibility and worry, and we have the peace of mind knowing that none of our rescued kittens will ever add to the ongoing over-population issues in the world of cats. A few days after surgery, the kittens are ready for adoption! At this point, some kittens will stay at the shelter for adoption, but many will go off to one of the pet food stores that are kind enough to host our adoptable kittens in their stores. They have a display cage set up for us where we can showcase our kittens and this helps to get them adopted quickly since they are seen by so many people. Matching up the right kitten with the right home is important to us, and we screen all potential adopters to ensure a good fit. Our volunteers meet with the new adopters to go over all the necessary information they need to help their new kittens transition into their home go as smoothly as possible. But that's not where it ends Cats Anonymous is always here for their kitties, and we check in regularly to make sure that things are going well and that everyone is happy. If there are ever any problems or issues with one of our adopted kittens, we are ready and willing to help if we can. We are not just looking to find a home for our kittens, we are looking to find the RIGHT home for them. One where they will be cherished and loved for their whole lives. Many thanks to all the volunteers who help these kittens along their journey to happiness the feral cat trapper, the shelter intake person, the foster families, the veterinarians, the pet food stores who host us, and the adoption volunteers who do the final paperwork. It's a long, complicated journey but it's so worth it! Tish Walshe - Founder Only about half of the cats in the world respond to the scent of catnip. Page 5

6 Being Feral The dirt laneway, brimming with lilac bushes along one side, was barely noticeable from the road. Vehicles and farming equipment, in varying stages of sinking and blending into the ground, lined the way toward a farmhouse and a scattering of out buildings. Long grasses and plenty of nature of all sorts were in abundance. This is wilderness at its finest. This is where the Infamous Black Momma calls home and this is her story. It was by word of mouth that the colony s caretaker learned about the Cats Anonymous Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program and got in touch. Not long after, our volunteers were out to visit. Here they were introduced to eight female cats who were raising about a dozen kittens. A number of happy tom cats were also enjoying and enduring their wild life along with them. The caretaker welcomed the help that was offered and the TNR program for this colony began. In that first year, fourteen adult cats were trapped and returned. The females were now free to live their lives without ever having to take on motherly duties again. One female cat, however, would prove to be elusive. You guessed it the Infamous Black Momma. In fact, Black Momma had been in one of the live traps until the caretaker mentioned that this mother cat had a litter of two week old kittens. Alas, she was immediately released and left to take care of her kids. Efforts throughout that first year to trap Black Momma were in vain. Of the kittens that were successfully brought into care that first year, most were socialized by shelter volunteers and went on to live their lives as spoiled, domesticated cats. Some, however, had no interest in having human contact as they came from generations of feral cats who preferred to remain wild. Feral cats, unlike stray cats that may have previously been domesticated, will live close to humans but do not want to be part of a human family. Life in the wilderness can be tough during the winter months. In this managed colony, the feline residents are very lucky for the care they are provided. Shelter, food and a watchful eye are accepted. All the while, though, Black Momma is unfinished business for the TNR program. The shelter volunteers plan to be back to the site at the first opportunity. The TNR efforts from the first year were clearly evident at the start of the next season. No new females had arrived. One kitten was located and entered into the program as were two new tom cats. All the while, Black Momma was ever present. She would sit flicking her tail in annoyance of the lure but would once again avoid the temptation and remained wild for another year. Enter the 2017 kitten season at Cats Anonymous. Once again, our volunteers were out to the colony with tasty treats and offers of a warm bed during the cold and wet spring days. Now Infamous, Black Momma knew the routine and so the volunteers had to take on new tactics which mainly involved more patience and many more hours monitoring the traps. Spring days quickly turn to dark evenings and late one night when the caretaker went out to close down the trap for the night, guess what he saw? The Infamous Black Momma had finally taken a chance and was there in the trap. And, she was still pregnant. Hurray! At the shelter, Black Momma was provided with a quiet room to rest as she awaited the birth of her next litter. Each day her food, water and other comforts were quietly refreshed but there was very little interaction in order to keep her as calm as possible. She did not make a sound until one morning when her CA volunteer approached her covered rest area. A low growling was her way to indicate that kitten season had begun! Black Momma had given birth to 5 beautiful kittens. Four black, just like her, and one tabby, just like the tom cat that was spotted back at the yard. Within days, Black Momma and her babes were settled into their foster home for the duration of the time required for a mommy cat to raise her kittens to be healthy and to learn the ropes of being a cat. Within four weeks, the kittens were litter trained and by eight weeks, they were interested in helping themselves to food and water and starting to wean. It was time for this hard-working momma cat to get spayed and get back home. If cats could talk, they would lie to you. Page 6

7 Being Feral continues I was fortunate to be invited to tag along when Black Momma was returned to the place that she clearly loved. On the short drive there, I was told stories of the several colonies that Cats Anonymous has worked on and also the ones that are still ongoing. There is a lot of time and patience involved but it was clear that a natural compassion is key. What drives our TNR volunteers is that they know the benefits to everyone that a healthy and happy colony provides. A well-managed colony is going to be far more productive for their caretakers as the cats do their part to keep rodents and birds away from the buildings. An existing colony rarely allows the addition of new cats. When we arrived, the lovely Black Momma was immediately released right back to the spot where she was trapped. Relieved to be free from the carrier, the door was barely open before she darted out. She ran a few meters to safety but did not hide from us right away. She stopped and looked back at us as she deeply breathed in the familiar scents that surrounded her. We beamed with delight at her seeming happiness and what we hoped was some appreciation or at least forgiveness for what we had put her through. Once that was done, we located her caretaker. He let us know that no new cats had been allowed to enter this year. His eyes twinkled as he talked about what a challenge Black Momma had been to lure and how clever she was to have done that. He wanted to know how many kittens she had and was pleased to hear that they were all thriving. This was a much-loved group of wild cats. As a successfully managed colony, this caretaker will continue to provide care for his current residents and will contact CA if any new ferals or strays take up residence. As I write this, I have Black Momma s five friendly and loving eight weeks old kittens walking across my keyboard, chewing on my note book, snuggling up and sleeping on me or generally running all over the office as happy as can be. This is what fostering and volunteering with CA has always been to me. The love these kittens provide back is the tonic of life for me. I am so appreciative to be a part of this wonderful group of people who work to provide a better life for cats and kittens in need. If you have ever considered becoming involved in fostering or in any capacity at all, I highly recommend taking the leap. You will be very glad that you did... Karen Home Sweet Home Black Momma A cat s a cat and that s that. Page 7

8 Foster Tales Ann & Wayne have been fostering for Cats Anonymous since We have had well over 100 kittens pass through our house - this doesn t include adults or moms! We ve had 6 litters born in our care, so lots of kittens have been with us for many weeks. We ve come to like having the long-term fosters the best. It s so much fun to watch them grow until they re big enough to go off to their forever homes, and see the development of their individual personalities. And every litter has a wide range of personality types - the explorer, the brave one, the nervous nellie, the shy one, the wacko one, the sweet one and so on. Before hooking up with Cats Anonymous, we had taken in a number of abandoned cats. We quickly got beyond our capacity to look after and feed them - we had 5 of our own, and had found homes for a number of others. There s a great temptation to persuade yourself that no one else can look after them as well as you can. Sad to say, that s just not true! There are so many wonderful homes out there, and Cats Anonymous does such a great job finding them. For us, it s the best of both worlds - we get kittens to play with, and they leave us before they grow up!! Our latest houseguest is Sara Bee. A friend showed up on a Saturday afternoon with his daughter and a kitten. They had been at our local dump, and found the kitten amongst the garbage. She s a dilute calico and was about 10 weeks old when she arrived, very thin, dehydrated, filthy, and stinking of ripe garbage. She ended up spending a couple of days in quarantine that first week because she stopped eating and drinking. Some TLC did the trick, and she bounced back nicely. She was exceptionally friendly right from the start, loves dogs, and gets on fine with the adult cats. Our Nelson (formerly Avatar from the 2015 kittens) has finally decided she s not dangerous, and loves to visit and play with her. She s a lucky, lucky girl! Ann & Wayne Look how she has blossomed and grown! She is a sweet girl and we are sure her new family will be very happy with her. Sara Bee is now known as Myrrah. She went from living in the dump to a loving home in just over a month. My name is Cassidy and I am 10 years old. I have been fostering kittens for 4 years. They are cuddly and cute and full of love! Every day, I get off the school bus and go inside and play with my stinkin adorable kittens! I love watching them play together and jumping on one another. I love to hold them and feel their soft purrs against my cheek. I love fostering kittens but when we have to give them back it is so sad. It s amazing watching the kittens from when I first get them and they are hissing and spitting until now, a loving little bundle of fluff! I want to keep them all but my mom says no Cassidy Cats can jump up to six times their length. Page 8

9 More Foster Tails Erika is a volunteer with Cats Anonymous and has fostered some of our wonderful little kittens. In this article she would like to share some things about bringing your new kitten home. Enjoy! For those of you thinking of adopting a furry friend, there are many things/steps to do in preparation for a successful transition into your home. First, you will need to buy all the things you ll need to have on hand when your kitten arrives, such as toys, a litter box, food, the bowls, so many things! From being a recent kitten raiser, I have found that my kittens really enjoyed having a scratching pole. At first we didn t have one and they were using the couches to sharpen nails (not good at all, big mess, sigh). So we decided it was time to get a pole scratcher, finally! That would now be on the top of my list when investing in things to buy a kitten. Now for food bowls, I use glass food bowls solely for the reason my older cat gets abscesses from the metal bowls under his chin. For feeding, most people I know just leave a big bowl of food out for their kittens and cats, but I find this a big no no. I have a senior cat and if I left food out all day and all night, he would eat and eat; and become an oversized cat, so I suggest a feeding schedule just like dogs. This also helps you to monitor what they are eating, or if they are not. I also recommend buying toys like little mice, maybe a few catnip toys to keep them busy. My kittens love their little mice, they love to show me what they have hunted and caught! Kittens are also quite curious, which can lead to serious trouble unless you take the proper precautions. Here are some suggestions to make your home safer for your new kitten. Make sure all windows have secure screens to prevent falls and escaping; Securely store away cleaning supplies and all other dangerous supplies as kittens are attracted to their sweet taste; Store plastic bags where your kitten can t get inside and suffocate, chew or tear them and swallow little bits of plastic; Keep exposed electrical cords as short as possible so your kitten can t play with them or chew them. These few suggestions should help keep your kitten safe and happy in their furever home Erika Mandy came into my foster home on June 1 st and she was so small and skinny. She was found without a mother, which is so sad, but we are glad that we found her in time. The moment I took her home she was greeted by my cat Ariel, my 2 dogs and my family. She didn t hiss once, but was purring and purring all the time. Mandy was in need of lots of love. Ariel and Mandy hit it off great and my dog Jackson was obsessed with her ears. It was fun to see her meet my hedgehog and our big Koi fish! Mandy was not eating very much for the first couple of days, so I took her back to the shelter where she stayed a few days of supportive care. Once she was back on her feet, I got to take her home and now she loves to eat her food and is growing and getting much bigger. She is such a joy to have around. Speaking of joy; that s going to be her new name! We will be welcoming Joy (aka) Mandy into our family. My father fell in love with her. So Joy has been adopted and will be joining our extended family. I truly enjoy being a foster mom. I love to watch kittens grow up and their personalities just make me smile Brianna (here are of few of Brianna s foster kittens) Joy Brianna Cats walk like camels and giraffes. They move both of their right feet first, then move both of their let feet. Page 9

10 Our Wish List In order to run Cats Anonymous effectively, the shelter requires daily cleaning which uses a lot of supplies. All funds and donations come from adoptions, surrender fees, fundraising events and private donations from individuals and businesses. We can always use the following items: High Quality Dry and Canned Food Liquid HE Laundry Detergent Dish Soap Bleach and Ammonia Paper and Shop Towels Cleaning Supplies such as Mops, Brooms and Scouring Pads Postage Stamps Printer Paper and Office Supplies Clean Wood Pellets (to use as litter) Canadian Tire Money, Gas Cards and Coupons Gift Cards Hot Hands Warmers Pee Pads Just a Moment Rules for the Cat The cat is not allowed on the furniture. Alright, the cat can go on the furniture, but NOT the kitchen counter. OK, the cat can go on the kitchen counter too, just not when I m preparing food. Deal? Fine The cat can go wherever it wants, whenever it wants, as long as it doesn t swat me in the face at 5:30 in the morning demanding to be fed. The cat will be fed at 5:30 in the morning. Helping Hands Craft Tyme Tuesday in London is a small group of ladies that are retired, seniors, living on their own or have disabilities. Each week these women get together to socialize and craft. They heard about the adoption blankets that Cats Anonymous includes with each adoption package and offered to make some for us. They donated a bunch of blankets and catnip toys for our kitties. Many thanks ladies for your kind gifts! Each and every cat/kitten that gets adopted goes home with a nice warm blanket. Another group of ladies from the Pine Meadows Community in Fergus asked Cats Anonymous to come and talk to them about what we do at the shelter. They gave our speaker a bag of cat blankets they had made from spare yarn and wool. Thank you so much ladies! If you knit or crochet maybe you would be interested in using up your spare yarn or wool and help make some blankets for each cat that gets adopted. There is no set pattern, they should be about the size of a large placemat, and colour and texture doesn t matter. I have made some out of small balls of yarn; I tie the ends together and just crochet away. If you have any questions or would like to donate some handmade blankets, please send me an at cavolunteer@outlook.com. We are always looking for some extra helping hands. Cats dream, just like people do. Page 10

11 Sponsorship and Special Funds Our funding comes from adoptions, surrender fees, volunteer fundraising events and private donations from individuals and businesses. We have no government or township assistance. We rely on the community for donations and support to run the shelter. If you can help, please make a donation. To accomplish extra things around the shelter, we need extra help! There are a number of special projects that we need to get completed and we could really use your assistance. The Project Fund is directed towards facility maintenance, upkeep and improvements to our shelter. We have an ongoing wish list that cannot be completed without some financial assistance. Our most recent project is the new outdoor enclosures. Construction is ongoing and more funds are still needed to help cover the expenses! You can donate directly through our website. Go to and click on the link Donate Now through CanadaHelps.org on our main page. Or, send an Money Transfer to tish@catsanonymous.ca Or, even mail us a cheque, use the form below. We are looking for corporate sponsors to help with various projects and events during the year and would welcome the opportunity to partner with your company. Please contact Tilda at cavaolunteer@outlook.com or the shelter to discuss how your company can become a corporate sponsor to Cats Anonymous. We appreciate any and all help you can offer. Some cats love the smell of chlorine. Page 11

12 Featured Cat Adopt Me! Happy Tails April Four (4) Adoptions Jackie & Charlie Mack Mack can be found patiently waiting for his furever family at Ruffin s Pet Centre in Georgetown. This big orange bundle of love spends his days looking out the window, lying on the counter getting extra cuddles, or chasing his tail in one of the aisles. He will do anything to get your attention! Mack is 11 years young and loves dogs and happily greets our many canine visitors each day. He is however not a fan of other cats as he doesn t want to share you with another feline. When food is involved, Mack becomes a flash of orange as he charges to the dinner plate. Mack has simple eating requirements as his diabetes that is now in remission is managed with diet. May One (1) Adoption Wally June Thirteen (13) Adoptions Mack is definitely a handsome special boy and deserves a home to call his own Monica Ruffin's Pet Center 140 Guelph Street Georgetown, Ontario Valiant Cats dream, just like people do. Page 12

13 Upcoming Events We hold Meet & Greet days each month at our shelter, where you have the chance to not only meet the great cats that we have for adoption, but also some of our special volunteers. So why not make plans to drop by for a visit if you get the chance! Saturday, July 1 Saturday, July 15 Monday, July 17 Saturday, August 5 Saturday, August 19 Monday, August 21 Saturday, September 2 6:30 8:30 pm 6:30 8:30 pm Saturday, September 16 Monday, September 18 Saturday, October 7 Monday, October 16 Saturday, October 21 Saturday, November 4 Monday, November 20 6:30 8:30 pm 6:30 8:30 pm 6:30 8:30 pm Upcoming Events: Wingrove Vet Open House Thursday, July 6-4:00 7:00 pm Hillsburgh Family Fun Day Saturday, August 19 Cats Anonymous Chili Dinner Saturday, September 30 Cats Anonymous Christmas Open House Sunday, November 26 See more upcoming events on our website Keep up to date with shelter news by visiting us on Until Next Time! It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens. Page 13