Karma is in her new home!

Karma went to her her new home on Wednesday. I feel very happy about the family who adopted her. I think they will take care of her just like I did. I think she has a very good home! Yay!  Poor Artie misses her though.  We just play with him more since they used to run around and chase each other.  We miss her too but we couldn't keep her.  If we keep every kitty we loved, we would have an apartment full!

Crash course in diabetes

Now that I am taking care of Jonathon, I have been reading a lot about diabetes.  This is a very complex disease.  He also has FIV but I don't think that has much to do with the diabetes.  His blood sugar is down in the low 100's so I called the vet and asked what I should do.  I am now giving him 2 units of insulin instead of 3.

I feel anxious treating him sometimes because I realize the seriousness of this disease.  I am trying to find the answer to this question: How and why does the blood glucose change?  Why is it 300 then lowers to 200?  How does it increase or decrease?  What influences it?  Just food?  I have looked online and I cannot find this answer.  I would like to see some kind of animation or picture showing me how it changes.  I feel that if I learn all about this, I can help him better.

If you know of some sites that will help me with this answer specifically or if you take care of a diabetic cat yourself, please let me know.  I would really appreciate it!

Updates on Jackson, Daisy, Isabella and Annie

I went to visit Jackson, Isabella, Daisy and Annie yesterday.  As you may know, I brought all of them but Annie to the shelter last Tuesday so I could have space to bring Jonathon here.  Jonathon is FIV+ and diabetic and needed foster care to stabilize him.  


Jackson was very hissy the first day or two.  Isabella was pretty much fine the day I brought her.  She was curious and wanted to investigate.  She didn't want to hide which I was really happy about.  She seemed to feel fine about the situation.  Daisy hid for a few days.  Yesterday, when I saw her, she was sitting in her litter box.  For some reason, when cats are nervous, they sit in their litter boxes.  She was hiding in a little cubby, laying under the blankets for the first few days.  I was so happy to see that she had progressed to sitting in the litter box.  I also visited Annie who was really happy to see me.  She rolled around and wanted me to scratch her belly and under her chin. 

I feel a lot better about all of them.  It was hard for me to bring them to the shelter.  Now, I am happy I did because they are much more available for adoption.  It is hard to get a cat adopted when they are in a foster home.  The only way the public is aware of them is their picture on petfinder.  Now that they are living at the shelter, I don't have to arrange for a time for the prospective parents to meet them.  They can meet them anytime!

This picture of Jackson is sad.  I was leaving and I decided to take another picture of him.  He meowed and reached out to me.  I felt really sad when I left but I know that he is safe and is getting taken care of.  I would never leave them if I felt they would be neglected.  I am going to visit them on Wednesday.  

Gracie was adopted today!

Gracie Mae and her brother, Diego, were adopted today by a very nice, older couple who recently lost their cat due to illness.  Diego was in a different foster home but they were together today for adoptions.  Sorry, I don't have a picture of Diego but he is solid black.

I brought a new kitten home today.  Her name is Lucy and she is actually Gracie and Diego's remaining sibling.  She needs some time to get more used to humans before she can get adopted.  She is beautiful!  She is solid grey with gold eyes.

I will take a picture of her tomorrow and post it.  I don't want to freak her out too much on her first night in her new (foster) home.

Ramses was adopted!!

Ramses was adopted about a week ago but I forgot to blog about it.  A fellow volunteer adopted him.  I am so happy with who adopted him because I know she is a good pet parent.  Ramses now lives with 3 children, 2 other cats and 2 dogs.  He is adjusting nicely to his new home.

We still miss Ramses but because I know the person who adopted him personally, I feel better about him not living with us anymore.  Artie misses him but he has some new friends living here now.

Gracie Mae is available for adoption!

Gracie Mae is available for adoption.  Click here to visit her petfinder page.  She is a sweet, playful kitten who would prefer to live with other cats.  She is spayed, microchipped and up to date on her vaccinations.

Checkers Found Her Forever Home!

Checkers was taken to her new home last Saturday, January 10.  A few days later, her new mother called me and said that she was very shy and she didn't know if it was going to work out.  I explained that transitions take awhile and some cats take longer than others.  I urged her to give it another couple of days.

Thankfully, she took my advice.  Yesterday, she called me and said that Checkers was much better and they love her and want to keep her. Checkers sits on their laps and sleeps with them.  She is getting along well with their other "resident" cat.  They are going to finalize her adoption this week.

Checkers was trapped outside and I tamed her.  I didn't believe that she was fully tamed when she was adopted but I told the prospective adoptive parents that and they still wanted to try it.  I told them that basically, they would have to tame her the rest of the way.  I think it worked our well that they had to tame her the rest of the way because feral cats bond very strongly to one or two humans.  This way, they helped tame her and she will bond to them, too.

Make 2009 the year for animals!

Make this year the year for animals!  If you truly care about the welfare of animals, this is your year to prove it!  If you have only one hour or one day available, there is something you can do!  I recommend donating to smaller, local shelters.  The larger, more established shelters have many supporters while smaller organizations generally have only local residents supporting them.

Things you can do for a shelter:

Offer to help at adoptions, set up cages, take down cages and anything in between!

Return calls (to people who want to donate, people who want to relinquish their cat or dog, someone found an animal, or lost an animal, etc) or make calls to recent adopters to see how the animal is doing in their new home (you can do this at home!).

Volunteer to do laundry (at home or at the shelter if they have the facilities).

Foster an animal! Fostering an animal means that the animal lives with you and you help socialize that animal and learn more about their likes and dislikes and personality which makes for a very informed adoption when someone comes asking about that particular animal. Check with the shelter to see if the food, litter and vet costs are covered. Some shelters only offer paying for vet care, others, like the one I volunteer for pay for everything.

If you have extra money consider donating towards their medical care or food costs.  If you would rather buy items (instead of giving money) buy cat toys, dog beds, cat trees, chew toys for dogs, scratching posts, etc.  With so many animals, supplies can wear out fast!

Walk dogs for a local shelter or help socialize cats.  Animals in shelters benefit immensely from human contact.  Having a play session, being brushed or getting a pet behind the ears calms them and reduces their stress. (Which makes for happier cats and dogs on adoption day!)

Have computer skills?  Design a shelter's website, create invitations for upcoming events, design flyers to promote adopting an animal, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Anything, really anything, you can give to or do for your local animal shelter will be appreciated. We always need an endless supply of air tight containers to hold dry food, newspapers, blankets, towels, pillows, toys, cat litter, treats, wet food, high quality dry food, flea medications (NOT over the counter meds-only Frontline, Advantage) laundry detergent, dryer sheets, hand soap, Purell, we use Swiffer Wet to clean the floors, plastic bags (for cleaning up after dogs), plastic baggies (ziploc-type bags of all sizes), trash bags, plastic measuring scoops for accurate amounts of food (not the glass cups), Clorox wipes, paper towels, latex gloves, cotton balls, q-tips, KMR-powder, kitten formula, KMR- powder, 2nd step, Royal Canine-small bite kitten formula.  These are things that we use daily and can always use.

Other things that we use that we don't necessarily need as often are collars, leashes, harnesses, food bowls, water bowls (stand alone and ones that attach to cages), cages, carriers, beds, scratching posts, cat trees/towers, brushes, cat window perches, anything that the cats can scratch on, not necessarily just scratching posts (cats have different preferences on scratching), night lights, rotating floor fans, space heaters, brooms, dustpans, trash cans, clip boards, pens, bird feeders, bird seed and anything else you can think of.

Whether you buy treats for $1.99 or a cat tree for $199.00, it will be appreciated! The more you donate, the more money shelters have to save more animals!
 

Click here to find your local shelter 

A little bit can go a long way when you help out a local animal shelter! Most of the people there are volunteers and are not paid anything. Some are a more commercialized and have very few volunteers with mostly paid workers. Those shelters have generally been around longer and have more supporters and get more donations.

And lastly, support the no-kill shelters! Why would you want your money to go to kill an animal?

What do you do for your local shelter?

Can you give an animal a temporary home?

The Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter Volunteers and Community Friends Needed to Save our Strays!

FOPAS is always in need of foster homes for our cats and dogs. With limited space available at the shelter, without your help we will need to turn animals away. 

Your support will save their lives!

What is a foster home? FOPAS provides food and medical care while the foster family provides love, attention, opportunities for socialization, and an indoor home until the cat or dog finds a forever family. 

Long and short term commitments are available. We ask that you transport the animal to Saturday adoptions and/or be available to meet a FOPAS volunteer with the potential adoptive family evenings or weekends.

Fostering is a very rewarding experience and you can help us know more about the animal's personality and behavior so we can match him/her with the best possible home.

If you are interested, or would like to know more about fostering, please contact Leslie at friendsofparkville@hotmail.com. Thank you in advance for your friendship and support!  

Visit our site at www.parkvilleshelter.com 

Can you give a cat or dog a temporary home?

FOPAS Volunteers and Community Friends Needed to Save our Strays!

Due to the change in seasons and current economic conditions, FOPAS is in desperate need of foster homes for our cats and dogs. With limited space available at the shelter, without your help we will need to turn animals away. Your support will save lives!

What is a foster home? FOPAS provides food and medical while the foster family provides love and an indoor home until the cat or dog finds a forever family. Long and short term commitments are available. We ask that you transport the animal to Saturday adoptions and/or be available to meet a FOPAS volunteer with the potential adoptive family evenings or weekends.

Fostering is a rewarding experience and helps us know more about an animal's behavior so we can match with the best possible home.

If you are interested, please contact Leslie at friendsofparkville@hotmail.com. Thank you in advance for your friendship and support!  Visit our site at www.parkvilleshelter.com

Low Cost Spay/Neuter Appointments in Kansas City

Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic (cats & male dogs only) November 23. No walk in clinic. Spay/Neuter appointments only (vaccines available for surgery patients). Appointment required. Drop off 8:00-9:00am. Pick-up 5:00-6:00pm. Call 913-671-PETS

This is available through the Pet Connection. The Pet Connection, Inc. is a no-kill, non-profit animal shelter located in the Kansas City metro area. It's our intention to form a no-kill coalition by educating the public, providing spay/neuter and other pet owner services, and to find homes for unwanted and abandoned animals.

Visit their website for more information:
www.thepetconnection.net/

Can you give a cat or dog a temporary home?

FOPAS Volunteers & Community Friends Needed to Save our Strays!

Due to the change in seasons and current economic conditions, FOPAS is in desperate need of foster homes for our cats and dogs. With limited space available at the shelter, without your help we will need to turn animals away. Your support will save lives!

What is a foster home? FOPAS provides food and medical while the foster family provides love and an indoor home until the cat or dog finds a forever family. Long and short term commitments are available. We ask that you transport the animal to Saturday adoptions and/or be available to meet a FOPAS volunteer with the potential adoptive family evenings or weekends.

Fostering is a rewarding experience and helps us know more about an animal's behavior so we can match with the best possible home.

If you are interested, please contact Leslie at friendsofparkville@hotmail.com. Thank you in advance for your friendship and support!

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week November 2-8, 2008

In 1996, The HSUS launched National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (based on an idea from the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln, Nebraska). This campaign was designed to acknowledge and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services. During National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, the first full week of every November, The HSUS promotes and celebrates animal shelters across the country through media and public outreach.

What can you do for your local shelter?
I volunteer at a shelter where the cats and dogs are in completely different buildings. The lists below are only for cats.

Anything, really anything, you can give to or do for your local animal shelter will be appreciated. We need an endless supply of food bowls, water bowls, newspapers, blankets, towels, beds, pillows, toys, cat litter, treats, wet food, high quality dry food, flea medications (NOT over the counter meds-only Frontline, Advantage) laundry detergent, dryer sheets, hand soap, Purell, we use Swiffer Wet to clean the floors, plastic baggies, measuring scoops (not the glass cups) . These are things that we use daily and can always use.

Other things that we use that we don't necessarily need as often are cages, carriers, beds, scratching posts, cat trees, brushes, cat window perches, anything that the cats can scratch on, not necessarily just scratching posts, night lights, rotating floor fans, bird feeders, bird seed and anything else you can think of.

Whether you buy treats for $1.99 or a cat tree for $199.00, it will be appreciated! The more you donate, the more money shelters have to save more animals!

Click here to find your local shelter

Things you can do for a shelter:
Volunteer to clean or socialize animals.
Volunteer to help at adoptions.
Volunteer to return calls or make calls to recent adopters.
Volunteer to do laundry.
Foster an animal! Fostering an animal means that the animal lives with you and you help socialize that animal and learning more about their likes and dislikes and personality which makes for a very informed adoption when someone comes asking about that particular animal. Check with the shelter to see if the food, litter and vet costs are covered. Some shelters only offer paying for vet care, others, like the one I volunteer for pay for everything.

A little bit can go a long way when you help out a local animal shelter! Most of the people there are volunteers and are not paid anything. Some are a more commercialized and have very few volunteers with mostly paid workers. Those shelters have generally been around longer and have more supporters and get more donations.

And lastly, support the no-kill shelters! Why would you want your money to go to kill an animal?

What do you do for your local shelter?

No Kill Advocacy Video

Is anyone reading Redemption:The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America? Let's discuss it!

I am reading this book slowly. It is very hard for me to read too much at one time. The accusations are very surprising and I am angered by them. I would like to get a discussion going on this book. I have read some negative things about Nathan Winograd and one of his colleagues. If you have any personal experience with Mr. Winograd, I would love to hear it.

I just got this in my inbox. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this?

American Humane’s upcoming trainings include these essential workshops for animal welfare professionals:

Euthanasia by Injection
Novato, CA -- February 14-15, 2008
San Jose, CA -- February 18-19, 2008
Pasadena, CA -- February 21-22, 2008
Birmingham, AL -- February 28-29, 2008
Albuquerque, NM -- March 11-12, 2008
Upper Sandusky, OH -- March 18-19, 2008
Pueblo, CO -- March 26-27, 2008
Fairbanks, AK -- April 10-11, 2008
Altoona, PA -- April 14-15, 2008
Columbus, OH -- April 17-18, 2008
Grand Junction, CO -- April 21-22, 2008
Longmont, CO -- April 24-25, 2008
Louisville, KY -- April 24-25, 2008
Green Bay, WI -- May 28-29, 2008

Managing Compassion Fatigue
Silicon Valley, CA -- February 20, 2008
Denver, CO -- February 23, 2008
Pueblo, CO -- March 28,
Green Bay, WI -- May 30, 2008

National Fundraising School
Chicago, IL -- May 5-6, 2008

Playful Parrots: Bird Care
Chicago, IL -- April 8, 2008

Shelter Operations School (SOS)
Tacoma, WA -- March 26-27, 2008
Knoxville, TN -- April 15-16, 2008

Shelter Operations School for Managers
Tacoma, WA -- March 28-29, 2008
Knoxville, TN -- April 17-18, 2008

Scholarships are available for some classes -- the deadline for applications is 30 days prior to class date unless otherwise noted.

Don’t miss out on these professional development opportunities!