Rescue Work of Theresa Foley's Venice Cat Coalition

Meet Willow, my newly adopted rescue kitten. When the time came to adopt a new kitten, I met with Theresa Foley, the director of the Venice Cat Coalition, to discuss my concern about how another cat in the family would be received by Diana, my 4-year old orange tabby.

Diana had been rescued by the Venice Cat Coalition as a little kitten with a broken tail, left to fend for herself outdoors. She is still a little timid and fearful, so I wanted to be sure whichever new little kitten joined our family, it would not intimidate her further.

Theresa suggested I do a long-term foster to give us all time to see if the kitten I selected was a good fit in our home. I picked Willow, a female tabby with beautiful spotted markings.

Within a week it was clear to me that things were going well between the two cats. Willow has a brave heart and playful spirit. She enrolls Diana in games from time to time, yet respects her space and finds her own. After a few months I am certain she is a perfect addition to our family. I believe Diana agrees. - Raphaella Vaisseau

Venice Cat Coalition Continues Good Work

Three poses by one of the five little kittens who were at death's door a few weeks back. They were rescued by the Venice Cat Coalition and are being nurtured back to feeling pretty darn good under Theresa's care. Soon they will be all well and can go to foster homes where they will grow and play until they are ready for adoption. Click here to make a donation to support this important work.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Cat Faerie Beds (and a lot of other purr-fect things) by catfaeries.com

Diana tells me she sure would like one of the soft and yummy cat faerie beds (in sage please) from catfaeries.com. You'll have to click on this link to see the pictures.

While you're browsing their site, be sure to see their cat toys, sign up for their mailing list, and read everything. Then check out (& like) their facebook page.

It's nice to know so many people are out there speaking for the cats. I appreciate every one of you (them). Oh, and by the way, here's a link to the VCC's Sarasota Kitten Club facebook page.

Diana - of Venice Cat Coalition T-Shirt fame

Here's a current photo of Diana, Raphaella's beautiful orange tabby cat, who was the model for the Venice Cat Coalition logo and T-shirts. She was first a VCC rescue, and two years later, she's growing up fine and healthy here in Venice.

Three KWCS Kittens currently being fostered by Raphaella in Venice, FL

My three little foster kittens: Abbey Road, Zeke, and Tony. There were actually eight in this litter, and they are all on their way to finding their families through various foster families. I'm blessed to have these three here with me. Mama cat went with three of them up to Cat Depot where I know Marilyn and her crew will take good care of them. Cat Depot is hosting Pawpurr's Ball, their annual fundraiser on Saturday, November 13th at G. WIIZ - The Science Museum, 1001 Blvd of the Arts, Sarasota from 6:30 - 11pm. To see all the kittens the Key West Cat Society / Venice Cat Coalition currently has up for adoption, go to petfinder.com.

Bottle Babies for Me

July has brought me four little bottle babies - 5 weeks old. Theresa has been "Mom" for weeks already and now it's my turn to take over the duties.

She taught me how to feed the little darlings with a miniature bottle. They are so cute. I am getting used to having them climb all over me as I try to work. You can see how "easy" it was to read a book today.

Mind you, I'm not complaining. I am blessed with cuteness, soft furry babies and the opportunity to take 100 pictures a day.

Enjoy!

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Kitty Pile - Raphaella's Picture of the Day

Is there anything cuter than a soft, furry kitten? ... Three of them all cuddled up together taking a nap. 

What a blessing they are.

And then, there's Angel.

Enjoy!

- Raphaella Vaisseau 6-13-10

Poster Child

Here's little Annie Oakley, one of my new little foster kittens. She's so cute and patient, she let me take a hundred pictures of her and make one into a poster.

For once I can tell all the kittens in my house apart from one another without memorizing the little details of a face or a foot. Annie Oakley is smaller and has more subtle markings than her brother Kimosabe (saddleback tabby). Tonto (orange tabby) is their sidekick, a little shy but coming around. And the tiny but very brave kitten is Angel (white and grey). She watches over the whole family.

They're all listed on Petfinder. Click on "Our Adoptable Pet List" and scroll down to see all cats and kittens available for adoption. Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures of my new little fosters. I look forward to watching them grow and helping them find their forever homes and families.

- Raphaella Vaisseau, Foster Kitten Mom

Delta Queen

Love Letter to My Foster Kittens

Dear Little Ones,

I love your little eyes as they look into mine. I love when you look up at me from the floor or the couch, expecting food or attention or a game. I love when you watch what I'm doing and your eyes follow me across the room, even when you're scared and are preparing to scurry away. I love how you learn to trust. I love noticing when you decide I am FOR you.

I love creating spaces for you to play, hide and sleep in. I love making little toys for you to play with and for me to play with you too. I love when you come to me when I'm laying down and you curl up next to me and purr. I love when you touch your paw to my face. I love feeling your soft fur in my fingers. I love taking care of you when you have first been rescued - sometimes you're sick or especially scared then. I love helping you learn that humans can help and make you well.

I love loving you. I love holding you in my arms like a baby and wrapping my T-shirt around you so you feel safe and warm and loved. I love naming you sometimes when it's my turn to do that. I love getting to know your distinct personalities and watch you play with the other kittens in my house. I love photographing you and sharing your cuteness and beauty with the world. I love knowing that I'm helping you find a good forever home even when it's hard to let you go. Most of all, I simply LOVE you ... each soft, furry, sweet, beautiful, magical kitty. You bring so much joy to my life as I freely and completely love you for one day, for a week, for a month or forever. You are a precious gift to me and to the world.

With Sincere Gratitude,
Your Kitty Foster Mom.

Shamrock Preschool Wins $500 grant for Venice Cat Coalition/Key West Cat Society

Deborah Whitham had a great idea to have her schoolchildren at the Shamrock Preschool in Venice learn about what we do to take care of rescued and homeless cats in Sarasota County. They adopted Frankie, our little kitten who came to us last spring with his leg broken in two places. Theresa and Raphaella brought Frankie to the preschool in September so the kids could meet him. They had made a fund-raising jar to collect donations and had a table set up where they would bring things to buy and sell. The children met Frankie and learned about his pending surgery to remove the injured leg. They all wanted to help Frankie get adopted to a family that would care for this special boy kitty. After Theresa taught them about the Key West Cat Society and how we find and help the cats, the kids went to their craft area and drew pictures of Frankie.

Wonderful things came of the dedicated work of Deborah and the children of Shamrock Preschool. First of all a miracle: when Frankie when to the vet for his pre-surgery check-up, the vet said Frankie didn't need an amputation after all. Apparently he had "done his own physical therapy" while trying to keep up with all the other foster kittens at Raphaella's. Second, he found his family!!! Frankie was adopted by a Russian lady from North Port who wanted this very special kitty for a companion. Frankie is now learning Russian!

The third wonderful thing that happened is Deborah submitted her story about Frankie and the Shamrock Preschool to the Community Foundation of Sarasota and this week won a $500 grant for community service for the cats! We are thrilled and so proud of Deborah for coming up with the idea to help, taking action, holding the vision, following through and ... winning! Her devotion to making a difference has already helped Frankie, and now will help a lot more cats in Sarasota County through our work as the Key West Cat Society/Venice Cat Coalition. One person can make a difference.

Click here to make a donation to KWCS/VCC.
Click here to see more pictures on Flickr.

Order Now!!! T-Shirts with new KWCS - VCC logo (featuring art by Raphaella Vaisseau)

The new Key West Cat Society / Venice Cat Coalition T-shirt samples arrived. Shirts are $17 each (donate more if you can) - or better yet, become a member of KWCS.

T-shirt orders are now being taken for delivery before Thanksgiving. Call Raphaella 941-993-7001 for size, style, color choices. See samples at the KWCS booth at the Venice Farmers Market or Raphaella's Heartful Art booth everywhere.

Prints of Raphaella's cat painting are available at www.RescueCatClub.etsy.com

Help find Frankie a Home

Click here for downloadable flyer to post for Frankie.

Help us find his forever home.

Frankie wants a home - Now

Frankie is six months old today. The children at Shamrock Preschool in Venice, FL adopted him as a project to help him get through the next few months of surgery and recovery, help him find his forever home and raise money for his medical expenses. Click here to see a slideshow of his visit with the children.

Please call Theresa (941-445-4322) or Raphaella (941-993-7001) to foster or adopt. Please visit our website to make a donation to help with Frankie's medical expenses. Thank you for your support of Frankie and all the cats helped by Key West Cat Society and the Venice Cat Coalition.

Frankie, aka Franklin D. Roosevelt

Frankie was rescued in June 09 from a Sarasota backyard by a family who said they couldn’t keep him because one of their daughters was allergic. He was six weeks old and had a bad leg. They dropped him off at Feline Flair, a big cat rescue event with dozens of rescue groups exhibiting, but still no one wanted him or his siblings. He came to Venice to reside with a foster home associated with a spay-neuter group, the Key West Cat Society. The people who turned him in didn’t know how his hip and knee joints became injured, nor could the vets say what had happened to hurt his little leg.

All his brothers have gone into good homes, but Frankie is still awaiting a permanent adoption. He has seen several vets for his bad leg, and the consensus is that the leg must be taken off in October. So he is getting ready for that big change, and his foster family is hoping someone will step forward soon to take him home for good.

He is grey and white, slim and handsome, and one of the friendliest, most playful kittens we’ve seen. His bad leg kept him from getting to the food bowl as fast as his brothers when he was young, and even though he is a big foodie with a large appetite now, he is a skinny teen cat.

Frankie has tested negative for FeLK-Fiv and been neutered. Please ask any friends in the Sarasota-Venice area who may want to provide a home for a new “tripod” lovecat to consider adopting Frankie. He has learned quickly to compensate for his physical limitations, hopping and climbing around almost like a cat with four good legs. He is willing to teach his new humans all about living with a handicap and spreading love and goodwill, despite being dealt a difficult hand, in exchange for sharing their lives with him.

If you’d like to meet Frankie, adopt him, or donate towards his upcoming surgery, please contact the Key West Cat Society in Venice, Florida, at 941-445-4322, info@keywestcatsociety.com

Frankie Needs a Special Home

Here's Frankie ... a special needs kitty rescued from a backyard in Sarasota. A family found the mama kitty and three kittens and could see Frankie was stuck in the bottom of the pile. This may be the reason his leg did not form properly or perhaps the hip didn't form properly. We don't know if it's a birth defect or an early injury or break. He gets along really well despite the handicap. He's a very loving, friendly kitten who will make a wonderful addition to a family looking for a special needs indoor kitty. Long term fostering is an option. Call Raphaella 941-993-7001 or Theresa 941-445-4322 for more information.

Luna and Sterling at Pet Supermarket in Venice

Luna and Sterling are spending a few days at the Pet Supermarket, 470 US Highway 41 Byp, Venice. If you're in the neighborhood, stop in to say hello. Hours are 9-9 M-Sat & 10-5 Sun.

They are looking for their families, so keep your eyes and ears open for their forever homes. Call Raphaella 993-7001 for more information about these two little darlings.

They aren't biological brother and sister but they seem to have adopted each other. Calling all cat lovers: Luna and Sterling need their forever homes. Tell everyone.

Summer Solstice Cat Update

As summer officially begins, we are nearing (we hope) the end of kitten season, so the trappers (like me) have a tiny bit of breathing room in our lives for a change. So I can now write a bit about what's going on with the Venice Cat Coalition-Key West Cat Society.

I have to say -- We are growing! Much more than I would have imagined in our first "active" year. The non-profit was registered in 2006 but we did not collect $ or organize much until last fall. The IRS gave us our official recognition just a few months ago.

Our progress is measurable! In the last 45 days or so, our group has taken upwards of 80 cats or kittens to spay-neuter surgery, either via the free clinics, or using our own funds or donated vouchers. This is great news, and put a big dent in the waiting list of 100 cats plus needing to be TNR'd about 2 months ago.

We also have been doing adoptions as a steady pace, despite the economy and the other blues that many people are singing. I am still adding up the numbers but we have done at least a dozen adoptions in the last month or so. Not bad for a nonprofit that has no facility or shelter: just volunteer homes!

And we continue our practice of working with the "end of the road" cats, taking in and placing even the bad luck cats that the other rescue groups have rejected or condemned to die for some reason. We will tell more of their stories soon, but they have included a blind kitten, a broken-legged kitten, a male tom that was badly mauled by an animal and mangy, a declawed cat that was declared "vicious" and "unadoptable" by another group, another badly mauled six-toed cat, and at least one cat that tested positive for a blood disease but appears to be in perfect health.

So all is well here. You can help by volunteering or sending in a financial donations. Helping so many cats does cost money, and we regularly buy medicines, flea treatments, food, litter and other supplies, in addition to paying for the vet bills. Mary Riley is becoming our volunteer coordinator and she has a nice list of jobs that could be done by willing helpers.

With the slight slow-down in kittens and trapping now that we are in the heat of the season, we are going to turn some of our attention to education and community awareness, and building more community partnerships -- all to help the cats, all cats, not just the "fluffies" but the ones out on the streets who have no one to speak for them (except you and me!).

Thanks to all who have helped this season, and all the best of Bast to you!

Theresa

Venice Cat Coalition Dinner at Ophelia's Honored Sarasota County Cat Trappers

Our photo (left) appeared in the Venice Gondolier's Weekend Edition on June 20, 2009. It shows the party we held at Ophelia's in Nokomis on May 8th. Living proof of inter-agency cooperation, trappers come from far and wide and work together to help the feral and free-roaming cats in Sarasota County.

Theresa Foley and the Venice Cat Coalition (VCC) / Key West Cat Society (KWCS) honored the trappers' selfless service with this dinner party, generously supported by Nancy, owner of Ophelia's, who also is a big supporter of our work.

Donations to help the Trap Neuter Return (TNR) work of the VCC / KWCS can be made online at www.keywestcatsociety.com or may be mailed to KWCS, 1131 Columbine Road, Venice, FL 34293.

The smaller photo to the right is Caroline Resnick holding an adorable puppy rescued and being cared for by one of the trappers. The puppy was the star of the ballroom, even among cat lovers!

Once again, thank you to the trappers!

Twins Adopt Twin Kittens

A week ago when Gus (fka Zeus) and Elsa (fka Grace) were adopted by a family, the father said one of the reasons they selected Gus and Elsa was because Eros and Anteros looked like twins. He felt they should be adopted by a family with twins. I started calling the little boy kittens twins, and in my mind I started envisioning a family with twins finding them. Three days later a woman called Theresa looking for kittens. No mention was made of twins, but the woman and her two 6 yr old children came right over to the Venice Cat Coalition booth at the Farmer's Market in downtown Venice to meet the kittens. All three of them immediately fell in love with Eros and Anteros. When I said they were twins, the mom exclaimed, "My children are twins!" Voila. It felt like destiny to me. So perfect.

I invited the family to visit the kittens at my home so they could meet them and play together outside of the confines of the adoption cage at the market. Julia loved little Eros and named him Spot. Gianluca fell in love with Anteros and named him George. All agreed, the kittens had found their family and the family had found their kittens. The adoption was made June 1, 2009.