Mewsings. ringworm, and. are neutered, are vaccinated, microchipped, and combo tested. (all negative.) Hank and Merle

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1 Mewsings Thundering Paws Summer Vol 13, Issue 1 Bluebonnet and her six boys ~ Last year we contacted a high kill shelter in Alvin, TX for a mom cat and kittens, and got two families. This year, we once again contacted them, and got Bluebonnet and her family. When this family arrived, and were examined by our vet, it was noted that all five are male. Their foster a long time volunteer but first time foster named them all after country western singers. Not a fan of Willie Nelson, she chose Merle, Johnny, Waylon, George, Hank, and Dwight. ringworm, and all the boys are neutered, Bluebonnet is spayed, all are vaccinated, microchipped, and combo tested (all negative.) Hank and Merle have gone to their forever home with a family who have only had older cats. Imagine the fun their young son is having with his first two kittens! All have now recovered from

2 M arinda and her six babes ~ The normal litter is four, but three of our six moms this year have produced six kittens! Miranda and her babies were found on a back porch in Houston where they were fed but had no shelter, nor safety. Luckily, the people left us temporarily strapped for space, feeding them knew the rescuer who but, again, all have been treated facilitated the transfer of Bluebonnet to us, and and this family came along, too. So did the lovely ringworm.this second case of ringworm Ayana, Amara, Jabari, and Kiara S are recovered. Marinda s kittens Zuvan, Desta, TILETTO AND HER but get the kittens adopted out. FIVE BABIES ~ A man Stiletto was a very good mom. called from San Marcos to Frequently, mother cats allow their report a cat in his warehouse who had kittens to nurse too long, or they five kittens. He would like to keep use less than ideal ways to wean the mom cat, after she is spayed, them. Stiletto was perfect. She allowed

3 the huge kittens, already eating cat food, to nurse for about a minute, then would simply stand up and walk off a few feet, leaving the babies in a pile, purring and sleeping. Stiletto is now spayed and back in her warehouse. Three of her kittens have already been adopted, and the other babes; Ayana, Amara, Zuvan, Kiana & Desta, Jabari Kitties on Page 3 Clockwise from top: Will & Daisy, Huckleberry, Skeeter, Plink; Stone, Gabby, Emma, Merle, Johnny two are at the Bee Cave Petsmart s Cat Adoption Center Kitties on Page 2 Marinda &

4 Ally and Her Three ~ A woman, Brenda, who lives between Dripping Springs and Wimberley called us about a cat in her son s yard who had had a few litters already. A young cat, Alley, was suspected of having just delivered another litter. Diligent searching uncovered the three babies--farnsworth, Joanie, and Roberta and the family was fostered by Brenda until they were old enough for vetting. Unfortunately, this family, too, has come down with ringworm, and are all being treated at Thundering Paws. Ringworm is a fungus and one of the few zootic diseases we have to manage. A zootic disease is one that is capable of spreading to humans. Often, in shelters, even ones who try very hard to avoideuthanizing healthy animals, ringworm is a death sentence. The treatment is long and often difficult to perform without infecting the staff and other animals. We have been successful for two years so far! Kona s Colorful Litter~ Kona s kittens are a rainbow of beauty! Kona approached Marie, the woman who brought us Bluetonnet and Marinda, in the parking lot of a Houston Petsmart. Profoundly pregnant, Kona needed a safe place to have her babies.why are we taking all these cats from the Houston area? Because they re there. We had no calls from Central Texas, and, in Austin, a nokill shelter is able to at least spay/neuter all comers. The Hays County municipal shelter in San Marcos is not charged with animal welfare, but with public health, and at this time, doesn t work with rescue groups. The situation in the Houston area is beyond awful, and we are happy to help those animals when we havespace. At the beginning of kitten season, we know there is a need out there and we ll gladly answer it. A rescue is a rescue.we put out a call for foster people and a woman who lives in Bee Cave answered that she would like to foster for us. The group she had fostered with was far away from her and she was glad to have a closer organization. She was happy to take a pregnant kitty so her kids could have kittens from birth to adoption, thereby training new fosters! Her 11 year old son has had foster animals all his life.

5 Mokihana and her Four ~ A young woman in Dripping Springs contacted Thundering Paws to say that there was a very pregnant Siamese living in her driveway. While she was quite happy to feed the cat, she knew she didn t have the resources to get her spayed, adopt out the kittens, and properly care for all. NENA - You may remember Nena, the white deaf boxer who d been rescued and successfully treated for a severe case of demodoctic mange and a range of infections secondary to the mange and malnutrition. By the time she went to her adopted family, Nena was happy, healthy, and had already begun to be sign-trained. Unfortunately, that adoption Another experienced foster had answered our plea on Facebook, and, again, wanted her teenagers to get the experience of kittens from birth to adoption. She took Moki, who had four kittens and, so far ringworm free, is soon to be vetted along with her babies did not work out the family s situation changed causing great distress to Nena. She is back with her original fosters and being loved on and resocialized. Nena is a cuddlebug, and loves to run and fetch her ball. Nena is a young 15 months of age and very active. She wants a new forever home where being deaf is normal and she can keep learning to communicate, along with snuggles, walks and runs. Motherless Kittens ~ SAMMI A young kitten was wandering around sporting a wound near the home of one of our donors. The lady took her in to her vet, got her treated, and asked for our help placing her. Maria and her adult son, Ernie, came to choose two cats for their household. Maria visited with everyone at the sanctuary, but no one struck her fancy. We took her to the Cat Adoption Center at the Bee Cave Petsmart, where Sammi resides. When Maria saw Sammi, her face lit up. We know this look well! Her son, Ernie, chose Alley, one of our mom cats. People who see our kitties at the Cat Adoption Center, located in the Bee Cave Petsmart, often say things HELP US PAY our veterinarian bills. If you are able to contribute ANY amount via bank, credit, or debit card, please call one of our vet offices and make a payment for us: Oak Hill Veterinary Clinic: Lake Austin Boulevard Animal Hospital:

6 like, Oh, the poor kitties! Locked in a cage! HAH! These kitties have a host of volunteers coming in every day to let them out into the rooms in the back and play with them We send our shyest kitties there, and they become happy, social kitties in no time with all the attention they receive. Gabby ~ We were contacted by a poorly funded shelter in northeast Texas. They found a kitten who was dragging a nerve-damaged hind leg. Because there was no money for her vet care, they would have to euthanize her if they didn t get her somewhere she could be helped. Because serendipity rules Thundering Paws (and our potential inhabitants), it was a weekend that one of our staff members was going to Dallas. A meeting was arranged, and Gabby came to us The leg was removed by a skilled orthopedic surgeon in North Austin, and Gabby is being fostered by a great couple. She needs to be adopted soon, however, because her fosters are falling in love. Since this would be their third foster failure*, we are really hoping that doesn t happen! Foster Failure: The person or people fostering the animal finds she/he cannot part with their foster. If

7 this happens with more than one or two, we lose a foster parent. (Our Thundering Paws mascot, Fleur Marie, is my foster failure.) STONE, DALLAS, AND COLE ~ Another donor found three kittens about two months old at her job. She fed them for a few days and, when no mother showed up, she asked us for help. Stone, Dallas, and Cole, all boys, came to us after being tested for FIV and feline leukemia (FeLV). Unfortunately, Cole has a positive FeLV test. Had it been for FIV, it would be no problem as this virus is only transmissible through sex or a deep bite, usually inflected in fights over territory or sex. But FeLV is transmitted via bodily fluids, and so Cole had to be separated from his brothers. He found a wonderful situation in the bedroom of one of our foster s daughter, Meghan. He is learning to be a bed kitten and a snuggle bunny. Since this family is going out of town for an extended perios, Cole will be fostered by a volunteer who has no other cats, only dogs. Cole s blood test checks a cat s blood for antibodies. The positive finding means only that Cole has been exposed to FeLV, not that he has contracted the virus. Our hope is that with good food, a stress-free environment, and lots of love, Cole s positive test will convert to negative. All three came with ringworm and, like everyone else, they are being treated. There are years when ringworm is no problem, however, the warm, moist environment that we have experienced in Central Texas this spring has given a boost to the fungus. We are doing a pre-emptive systemic ringworm treatment for any cat who has been exposed to the ringworm infected kitties. This includes all the cats inhabiting the Cat Adoption Center at the Bee Cave Petsmart, and the mother of three kittens with lesions, though she has none herself. VOLUNTEERS What else is there in Thundering Paws s world besides kittens and moms with ringworm? We have a bunch of new volunteers. Volunteers are the life blood of any non-profit organization, and Thundering Paws loves them! This morning, one of our new 14 year olds, Chloe, was asked to go play with kittens after she and her friend, Harper, had finished their work. Aw, Anne? she said, Do we have to? I told her it was a rough job but someone has to do it. She trotted off with a grin on her face. We need volunteers to scoop litter boxes morning and evening, fill up common food dishes, sweep, mop, change water in common bowls, fold laundry, walk dogs and, of course, play with kittens and cats. We need people to scrub dirty litter boxes and scoops, recycle used boxes and put down new ones (all cats LOVE a box!), stack clean carriers and litter boxes in sheds, weed eat and mow the yard, trim bushes and trees, and do all manner of other jobs. We also need administrative help and oh my gosh! fundraising help! You choose your job.