Thank you to PetSmart

clipped from finance.yahoo.com PHOENIX, AZ--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 27, 2009 -- As flood waters rise and evacuations continue in Fargo, N.D., PetSmart Charities is sending an Emergency Relief Waggin'® trailer stocked with at least 16 tons of much-needed pet food and supplies, as well as a back-up trailer loaded with essential care items for pets and their rescuers, to the affected areas.

Sunday Update on a Busy Week for the Cats

Hello Cat Lovers,
I will try to make this a quick Sunday morning update, as I listen to the thunder and lightning (lovely) here in Venice. We are having blessed rain!!

Johnnie Cash, the mangy bloody cat who came in a week ago, is doing much better, and he is recovering in a cage inside St. Francis's infirmary. He's been seen by 2 vets this week, and although a lot of people think he maybe should have been put down for his injuries and mange, Johnnie didn't want to go yet. So he came to us, and I do believe he's going to fully recover, return to his family (he's a yard cat) and live many more years in a healthy, calm, non-testosterone fulled state. I will post some photos of him soon. The vet said she thinks his head wounds were from being attacked by a larger animal, not from cat fighting.

The county is moving now to replace the ordnance that governs animals here, which will expire in its current form in July. We will join with our cat activists in meetings in the coming week to urge officials to change the language to help the cats, save tax dollars, incorporate more non-profit rescue group resources and modernize the county's policies towards TNR, spay-neuter and the killing of "excess" animals. Everyone pray for the animals on this one, it's important. I will post results as they come in and let you know of any key meetings to attend for public comment.

At the Farmer's Market this week, we met a couple who has opened a new pet store in Venice, "A Pet's Life", which is near Barclays Pharmacy on the island (200 Tamiami Trail, N. Suite G) 488-2636, owned by Carmie Bednar. www.apetslife.com. The first thing they did was donate a huge amount of gourmet dry cat food to the ferals. Besides saying Thanks a Million to them, I wanted to comment on what a way to create good karma for a new business. Please stop in and see them. KWCS hopes to partner with them in several exciting ways, and I will let you know of fun, beneficial things we are doing together that you can participate in!

Finally, the Key West Cat Society is ready to launch a new program. We want to encourage everyone to microchip our pets. We have finally obtained our first 50 chips from Home Again, and will begin microchipping the cats that we find homes for. We also will offer 10 pets per month free microchipping to help the animals in case they get lost. If you want to take advantage of this offer, email or call me, info@keywestcatsociety.com, or 941-445-4322, or stop into to sign up at A Pet's Life (see above)....

So, blessings from Bast and thanks for helping the cats!
Key West Cat Society president, Theresa Foley

Say a prayer for Johnnie

Here is Johnnie, a Nokomis tomcat who is tame and sweet but very sick. His feeders called KWCS a few days ago asking for help with 3 yard cats who were not fixed. They caught 2 very quickly and Johnnie was turned over on Sunday to me.

I took him into the TNR surgery at a local vet on Monday knowing he was sick. The vet fixed him, gave him a rabies shot and an ear tip, and gave him back. I knew I was rocking the boat with this one, because most vets and many cat care experts would simply say to "put him down" due to his condition. However, when he came in, I couldn't see all the blood and puss because of the extreme mange and matted hair.

After his neutering, St. Francis agreed to allow him to stay in its infirmary for 2 weeks so that he could be given medications, and then today, Tuesday, I found out how sick he really is. His face is oozing blood and puss from both sides and the mange is crusted over his head, and present over the rest of his body. Of course, mange is not fatal, just disgusting and itchy.

So it is an ethical question for me, should a cat like this be immediately killed, or should we treat him as best we can and try to bring him back to health? Johnnie has the next few days to help us answer this.

We have treated him for mange and he is on antibiotics. His infections (from fighting or an attack by an animal??? we just don't know) have gotten pussy, swollen and the abcess is broken. I am going into the shelter to help clean the pus out and clean up the dead mange parasites.

You can see in his picture how bad he looks. I will let you know in a day or two what the prognosis is and how he's doing. He did eat several bowls full of food today (thanks Judy!) and he rises up in back to meet my hand when I rub his back, so his pain and illness is not all consuming.

Check back on Thursday or Friday for how Johnnie is doing. I have not seen a street cat/mange cat in this bad of shape in 8 years, other than 1 I remember in Key West that was on death's door and in fact died as soon as he was caught.

Thanks for loving all the cats, even the unpretty ones like Johnnie!

Theresa

Greetings from Caroline

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the KWCS blog. This will be a good place to share information and support each other when it comes to our beloved feral cats.

I never knew what a feral cat was until I moved out east into the country. It was out here that I first noticed feral cats. I didn't understand why there were so many and why NO ONE did anything about it. There was so much cat roadkill. I was disgusted and confused why this even existed. I noticed 80 feral cats at a country gas station. Kittens running around, sick cats, injured cats ~ you name it. It was all there front and center staring me right in the face. I went home that night wondering what I could do. I wanted to know who is helping these cats and would they please hurry up and do something. I wanted someone to do something. I never even thought of me doing anything, just someone else.

When I went back there the next day, I saw a freshly run over cat in the gas station parking lot. People just ignored the cat and drove around it like it didn't exist. Nobody even checked to see if just maybe it was alive. Right at that instant I realized that the person I hoped was out there to help these cats didn't exist. And that if I wanted to do something, I WAS to become that person. So I did. I bought a trap and started trapping. Sadly, I was met with alot of resistance. I was surrounded by redneck mentality. People used to laugh at me and poke fun out of me, telling me I couldn't do it. I could NEVER trap all those cats. I was messing with nature. Who was I to play God and spay/neuter. Huh??? What??? Well, that was 10 years ago. I haven't stopped since.

And yes, I did trap every cat out there. One or two at a time. That's all I could do. I know some people frown on 1 cat here, 1 cat there, but really that was all I could handle. I was learning as I went along. I made alot of mistakes and I wish I had a support group, but these cats had absolutely no representation and they needed me.

As time went on an interesting thing happened. The rednecks didn't poke fun anymore. Isn't that interesting... Instead of being called a "Do Gooder," they now address me as "ma'am." Some of the rednecks have eveb "spaded" their own cats with the free clinics offered in Sarasota. Wow, attitudes changed out east, huh?

Fast forward 10 years. My colony is healthy and stable. they are fed every day. I put flea control on those I can touch. I love them and I know they feel it. It's alot of dedication and hard work, but it was all worth it. These cats are my inspiration. I draw strength and a second wind from them when I start to fade and feel hopeless and helpless from other trapping situations in other locations. THEY are the ones who give me hope that i can help other felines and to carry on with this important and thankless work.

I think back to the day I found the cat laying dead in the busy gas station parking lot. I say his short life had extreme value. Because of his sacrifice, he continues to save countless other felines. He ignited a fire in me that I didn't know existed. His life was not for nothing. If it wasn't for that fateful day, I'd still be waiting for that ONE person to show up that never even existed in the first place.

I end with this famous quote: Never underestimate the power of one.

Three Tabby Kittens Up For Adoption

Three month old brothers with all their shots (& neutered) are looking for their family. They are playful, adorable and would be great for any family, even with children. Raphaella has been fostering them for five weeks and wants them to be adopted soon so their new family can get to know them as kittens. Click here to see a slideshow of their journey with her. Call me at 941.445.4322 for more information. Prescreening required. Adoption fee $50-$75 if approved.