Four adorable Wasco cats need rescue or adoption
The small rural Wasco shelter in Kern County is working hard to save the cats it takes in as strays or those surrendered by owners who no longer care about them. The shelter and a new non profit named Underdogz, which was formed to help small Central Valley shelters, established a chip in to raise money to spay/neuter and vaccinate Wasco cats before they are put up for adoption at a local PetSmart. Any and all contributions greatly appreciated.
The public’s response so far to adopting a cat that is already fixed with vaccinations up to date has been positive . Recently two adult cats showcased at PetSmart found their forever homes.
Still no sooner do a few cats find homes, more come in. Right now four adorable 8-10 week old kittens need homes. We’re hoping rescue groups can help. Transport can be arranged to the SF Bay Area or SoCal as needed. Please check out the adorable four for rescue or adoption:
If you are interested in any of these kittens, please contact Underdogz
- Austin – Male, grey Tabby with white kitty.
- Amor — Male, black/white Tuxedo kitty.
- Axel — Male, grey Tabby kitty.
- Asia + Female, white/grey Seal Point kitty.
90 cats in Porterville shelter waiting for new homes
Shannon Corbit is a rescue coordinator for the shelter in Porterville in the San Joaquin Valley (Tulare County). She has personally pulled many cats from the high kill shelter and cared for them in her own home. She has them vaccinated and spay/neutered.
There currently are 90 cats in the Porterville shelter in addition to the ones Shannon has taken into her home. We’ve included a few of them in the slideshow. If you know anyone looking for a cat or kitten, please direct them to the photos of these lovely cats. If anyone is interested in adopting one of the cats or if a rescue can take one or several, the person to contact here in the Bay Area who can coordinate transport is Ben Kellogg: ben96cal@mattlogic.comcastbiz.net or phone: 925-580-4306.
Wackiest Pet Names for 2012
I was thinking of Baby Gaga for myself
There’s no shortage of creativity when it comes to naming your pets. Check out the 10 wackiest dog and cat names provided by VPI Pet Insurance (VPI). VPI chose the names from its database of over a half million customers.
Cats:
- Pico de Gato
- Dingleberry
- Dumpster Kitty
- Schnickelfritz
- Koobenfarben
- Sassy Pants Huska
- Vincent Van Furrball
- Kitty Gaga
- Beefra
- Mister Bigglesworth
Dogs
- Chew Barka
- Nigel Nosewhistle
- Sir Maui Senqkey Schwykle
- Spark Pug
- Agent 99
- Stinker Belle
- Vienna Sausage
- Furnace Hills Dante
- Senorita Margarita
- Trigonometry
View the complete list of wacky names.
Percy, Devonshire Rex, needs a home
Percy is one standout guy. He’s a 10-year old purebred Devonshire Rex – not your garden variety neighborhood kitty. For a middle-aged kitty, he’s in great shape – just checked out A-OK at the vets; even had a few teeth pulled.
Very sadly, Percy lost his beloved guardian. In fact, he stayed right by her side during her last few days. He has a guardian angel in a family member who is making sure he gets what he need, but she would like to find him his own home since she already has a few of her own rescued cats.
If you would like to find out more about adopting Percy, contact: Joanne Marquez. Email: marquez7075@sbcglobal.net Phone: 650-218-7294.
Could your next best friend be one of these adorable kitties?
All roads may lead to Rome, but few sadly lead to the city of Wasco in Kern County. This is not only bad news for the Wasco Chamber of Commerce, it’s terrible news for the small shelter there that desperately tries to save the hundreds of stray and abandoned lives that pass through its door. The rural off the beaten path shelter gets little to no foot traffic and so the task of saving Wasco animals falls largely on rescue groups and independent rescuers – most in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
When I got the plea two weeks ago from Carol Parks, Wasco’s DEDICATED rescue coordinator, about several cats needing OUT, I couldn’t say no. So Tiger aka Dino and Alyx and babies Yin and Yang got on the transport bus and headed north to our little ‘rescue center’ by the Bay. I was grateful to hear several other dogs left on the bus, too.
You won’t be lonesome tonight – or any night for that matter – with Dino
Tiger who we’ve renamed Dino after the late crooner because this Tabby loves to sing….not to mention talk and chirp. We have no idea what he’s on about – maybe his life before he was found as a stray — but what a hoot. You’ll definitely know when he’s around. Once he sings or says his piece, he quiets down for hours at a time so no need for ear plugs.
Beau and Dino (right)
It’s no wonder, he was a shelter favorite. He is a love bug. He loves everyone, he loves other cats, he loves dogs — there’s not a mean kitty bone in this boy’s body. He’s about a year old, healthy (tested negative for FIV and FeLV), up to date on shots, neutered and microchipped. Definitely recommend a home with another cat or cats. He’s too gregarious to be by himself.
What a beautiful coat Alyx has
Alyx is showing off her beautiful coat
The first thing you notice about Alyx is her stunning coat. The Tabby and white kitty is about as sweet as they get. She’s still quite young – maybe 7 months — and small. She’ll grow some but won’t be a big kitty. She absolutely loves to be petted. Alyx too checked out healthy – no FIV or FeLV. She’s up to date on shots, fixed and microchipped. She does fine with cats and dogs
Yang is looking for his furever home
Yang is losing his Yin
How could we resist not pulling this guy and his sister Yin. Such sweet kittens. They are estimated to be about six weeks. They are small guys even for that age. Not feral kittens, these guys can’t get enough good lovin. Yin (photo below) has been spoken for by a family that has another cat -Yang too will need a home and one that has another kitty is preferred. They won’t be able to get their first shots until two more weeks, then they can be fixed, microchipped, etc.
If you are interested in any of these kitties, email barbara@kohnpr.com or call 650-585-2249. Also appreciate you passing on this information to anyone who might be looking for a kitty. Once they move on, we can rescue more from Wasco or one of the other high kill Central Valley shelters.
ASPCA study finds appearance and behavior among top reasons for adoption
The ASPCA today announced that a study of nearly 1,500 adopters from five animal shelters across the country has uncovered the reasons behind why adopters chose the particular pet they took home.
Appearance of the animal, social behavior with adopter, and behaviors such as playfulness were the top reasons for adoption across species and age groups.
- More than 27 percent of dog adopters cited appearance as the single most important reason, while more than 26 percent of cat adopters cited behavior with people as the most important factor.
- Within each species, the results give an even greater glimpse into the factors that are most important for adopters. Appearance was the most frequently cited reason for kitten adopters (23 percent), while adult cat adopters cited behavior with people as the most important reason (30 percent). In contrast, appearance was the most frequently cited reason for adopters of both puppies (29 percent) and adult dogs (26 percent).”
In addition, a greater number of adopters stated that information about the animal from a staff member or volunteer was important than adopters who found information on cage cards, and health and behavior information was particularly important.
- Roughly 80 percent of adopters reported that an important source of information about their pet was given to them from a staff member or volunteer.
- Receiving information about the pet’s health (nearly 90 percent) was more important than receiving information about the pet’s behavior (roughly 80 percent), or about the pet’s life before entering the shelter (roughly 60 percent).
Adopters also found greater importance in interacting with the animal rather than viewing it in its kennel.
- Thirty-three percent of adopters reported that the first thing their kitten did when they first met him/her was vocalize, while 22 percent of adult cat adopters reported their cat first approached or greeted them.
- More than 20 percent of people reported that the first thing their adopted canine (both puppies and adult dogs) did when they first met him/her was approach or greet them followed by licking (more than 14 percent).
- For both cats and dogs, seeing the pet’s behavior when interacting with them was more important than seeing the pet behind the cage door, or seeing the pet’s behavior toward other animals.
The study was conducted from January through May 2011 at five animal welfare organizations in the U.S., two of which are open-admission shelters that perform animal control services for their municipalities: Hillsborough County Animal Services in Tampa, Fla. and Charleston Animal Society in Charleston, S.C. The three others are limited intake, privately-funded animal shelters: Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, Calif.; Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, Wis.; and the ASPCA Adoption Center in New York, N.Y.
Help Snuggles Get Life-Saving Treatment
Meet Snuggles. Anyone who has an orange cat won’t question his ‘mom’ Charisse when she tells you he is the ‘sweetest, cuddliest, love-bug big boy kitty’ you’ll ever meet
Tragically this sweetheart of a kitty, who lives in Lincoln, Calif., north of Sacramento is suffering from a very rare condition called Acromegaly, in which a pituitary tumor results in the production of excess growth hormone. In people the condition causes gigantism. In Snuggles case, the Acromegaly is causing him to produce excess bone, muscle and soft tissue growth, along with uncontrollable diabetes. As a result of his condition, the soft tissue in his throat is slowly suffocating him.
The vets at University of California at Davis (UCD) want to use a special radiation therapy called SRT (Stereotactic Radiation Therapy) that can help shrink Snuggle’s tumor and stop the excess growth. His prognosis with this special treatment is very good. The UCD vets expect Snuggles can have many more years more of good quality life.
As to be expected, the treatment is very, very expensive. Because Snuggle’s condition is so rare, UCD has offered to cover one third of the cost. Still Snugggles needs $4000 more to get this life-saving treatment.
Snuggles mom emailed me:
The treatment not only can save his life. I also hope by doing this procedure it may help any other animals or even humans for that matter that may be afflicted by this tumor or uncontrollable diabetes through the scientific data it will yield. Either way it will shed light on the feline endocrine system
A chip in has been established to help save Snuggles. If you can, please donate any amount to help Snuggles and further the research into this devastating condition. His chip is in at: http://savesnuggles.chipin.com/snuggles-life-saving-treatment
Study asks: Where do cats go when they roam?
The cats were fitted with radio collars and tracked over two years.
If you’ve always wondered just how far your cat goes when it leaves the house, the answer has been discovered. A two-year study of feral and free-roaming cats conducted by the University of Illinois department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and the university’s Prairie Research Institute has some surprising results for cat owners and feral cat colony feeders
Cats with FIV can live long happy lives
Meet Bobby. He’s four years old and does everything in his power to live up to the reputation many male orange cats have for being ‘lover cats.” Bobby is definitely a lover not a fighter. And that’s a particularly good thing since Bobby is FIV positive. FIV, which stands for feline immunodeficiency virus, was once a likely death sentence for cats like Bobby because of misunderstandings about how the disease spread between cats. Thankfully, the situation is changing due to understanding of the disease and education among cat owners. Read more>>
