Maxwell
- At May 23, 2014
- By admin
- In Happy Endings
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We absolutely love him – he is very cuddly at night, and very sweet. As you can see from the pictures, he loves to bask in the sunshine, and we are fortunate that our house gets quite a bit of it during the day! We are still in a transition period with the other animals in the house, but they’re making progress, and while they’re not all best friends quite yet, we are seeing improvement. ~Sarah
Transfer of cats to other shelters – It’s a Good Thing!
- At April 05, 2014
- By admin
- In Norma's Notes
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As you know, we have been transferring many of our cats and a few kittens to shelters in other parts of Maine. We have been extremely fortunate to have established these working relationships and hope to continue for as long as these wonderful organizations will allow. It takes a lot of coordination and volunteer dedication to ensure our cats are prepared for the transition. It is always difficult to say goodbye to these sweet babies (especially when some of them have been in foster care for weeks or months!) but we feel blessed to know they will find new hope when they reach their destination. We are so deeply happy when we are told of their placement in just days – instead of lingering in a shelter cage or room for weeks or months.
But we know that some of you may wonder why we have been transferring so many of our cats, why not place locally? Well, the fact is that there are a lot of abandoned cats in our area and not enough adopters that make application to HHPR. In the past, we have had cats stay with us for weeks and even months waiting for a home. Their initial anxiety from being brought to the shelter often turns into a longterm depression that can contribute to their physical health. With cages full and not enough foster homes, we could not take in more cats who were in desperate need of our help. And with limited resources, we were all concerned as to how we could solve this dilemma.
We reached out to our colleagues across the state and many offered their resources to help our cats. From north to south, some wonderful humane groups have provided their assistance and found homes for so many County kitties. The most recent relationship has been with the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook. We can’t say enough about how blessed we feel to have this relationship for our cats.
So, to sum up what transfer means for our cats and HHPR, here’s a breakdown:
- no overcrowding at HHPR
- no overcrowding = less chance of upper respiratory disease outbreaks
- less cage time for the cat = less stress = better health
- quicker adoption time = happy happy happy
Christmas Adoptions
- At December 17, 2013
- By admin
- In Norma's Notes
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Halfway Home Pet Rescue of Caribou will plan to close for adoptions from Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 pm, 2013 until January 2, 2014. We don’t have any problem adopting near the holiday or shortly after the holiday but the rescue’s concern is for the safety and well being of the new kitten or cat.
People need to realize that all that family excitement with extra visitors in a new home is very confusing for the pet. Christmas decorations, ribbons, and candy can cause desperate health issues. Many veterinarians see more pets over the holiday season with blockage and digestive problems than at any other time of the year. The ribbon might look beautiful on the present, and funny to watch the cat play with, but the ribbon if swallowed can cause a serious blockage and the dye in the ribbon can make for a very sick cat or dog before the holiday is over.
I believe that a new mob of strange people pawing over the new pet can be so stressful that the over abundance of loving attention can cause illness, or nervous bites or scratches that would not have happened if the cat had had just a few days to calmly explore his/her new environment and become acquainted with his new owners.
HHPR encourages people to consider a new pet at Christmas, but to adopt it several days before the holiday so it can become used to its new surroundings and people. Keep decorations high and consider forgetting about tinsel and ribbons for this year for the new pet’s safety and always keep candy (especially chocolate) in covered dishes. Do not feed the new pet from the table. Keep it strictly on its regular food so his tummy and bowels do not get upset. If you have company on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, plan to put the new pet is a quiet bedroom with food, water and litter box. The new family can visit occasionally to give some loving reassurance, but keep the party at the other part of the house. If you cannot follow these precautions, it would be better to wait for the holiday season to be over and the company returned to their own homes before you bring home the new pet.
If a person chooses to adopt a kitten or a cat at HHPR, the rescue will be pleased keep the cat for you until after the holidays at no charge. Special appointments to view our cats can be made this week until Saturday by calling Mary at 999-1075.
Dallas and Sweetie
- At November 22, 2013
- By admin
- In Happy Endings
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Dallas and Sweetie Marquis
Dallas and Sweetie have taken over! They are a team and we are so glad to have them in our family! Thank you so much for everything you do HHPR!
Kelley Marquis
Roberta
- At November 22, 2013
- By admin
- In Happy Endings
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Roberta
My name is Roberta and I am almost 6 years old. For most of my life I have lived here on the farm with my Mum and Dad – he calls me Baby. Mum keeps telling me I am a good girl, which makes me happy so I purr all the time. I talk too, a lot, they tell me.
Before moving here, I remember living in Norma and Everett Milton’s garage at Madawaska Lake, with a lot of other cats. I really did not want to leave cause they were so good to me. Now I know Norma and Everett took care of cats like me, who could not take care of themselves and had no other home. I am so happy they made room for me.
Yes, I have a friend too. He was a stray from Calais, Me who needed his own family also. His name is Lucky. We like being together and I like to know where he is all the time because I don’t want to miss anything.
I owe my life to Norma and Everett who rescued me. God Bless them, especially Norma, for the work she and her helpers continue to do saving other cats and finding them good homes. Here is a picture of me that Dad took recently.
Submitted by Betty Drake
Holly and Walter
- At November 22, 2013
- By admin
- In Happy Endings
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Holly and Walter
I must share Holly’s story. Norma didn’t need to, but she took a chance on saving a little starving kitty. Not only was Holly only 3 pounds, she had severe frostbite on all four feet and porcupine quills on her mouth, shoulder and neck. As a vet tech, I told Norma I would “foster” her until she was well enough for adoption. Well, weeks of foot soaks and small meals every hour of the day makes you pretty attached to a girl. I adopted Holly from HHPR officially and she has been an amazing part of the family ever since. She loves our 3 dogs, our 2 other cats, and especially her good friend Walter, the bunny! Without Norma’s compassion and fight for these throw away kitties, I would never have met Holly. She will be spoiled rotten the rest of her life. Thanks HHPR- Angie (Angela Flanagin)
Loving Cat FAMILY
- At July 31, 2013
- By admin
- In Volunteer Corner
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Did you ever think that a momma cat would also have her sister to take care of her growing family. Well, if not, check out this wonderful family who I am now fostering and will be ready for adoption in the future.
Help Little Evie Fundraiser
- At July 31, 2013
- By admin
- In Volunteer Corner
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I have started a Fundraiser at YouCaring.Com for Little Evie who was hit by a car and left for dead. Please check it out and donate if you can. Thank you. https://www.youcaring.com/pet-expenses/little-evie/74989
Evelyn (a 10-12 week old gray kitten nicknamed Evie) was struck by a car on a Sunday on Bennett Drive in Caribou, Maine and the driver DID NOT stop to help her. For two hours, local people stopped by the road and tried to get agencies to help and received no response. Finally, someone realized that perhaps HALFWAY HOME PET RESCUE had not been called and within 10 minutes, rescuers Kevin and Kate McCarthy had Evelyn at the HHPR intake center where she was examined and called in for an emergency visit to the HHPR vet at the Presque Isle Animal Hospital, Presque Isle, Maine. Within 30 minutes of that call, Evie was in hospital and after X-rays, snap-combo testing, she was set up for a surgery date to pin her little leg together in an hopeful attempt to save her leg from amputation. The surgery has been remarkably successful and Evelyn is in a foster home enjoying lots of loving attention and limited safe exercise while she continues in her recovery. At a very greatly reduced surgical fee, exams, x-rays, testing, Evelyn’s current medical bills are close to 700.00 now with a couple of hundred dollars more expected in her future. Evelyn is a sweet, very loving and kissable kitten who just loves her new foster family. HHPR considers the McCarthy couple Evelyn’s HERO for saving her life.
Kitten Season isn’t over yet …
- At July 10, 2013
- By admin
- In Norma's Notes
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Did you ever get so exhausted that you honestly wished that you would be run over by a Mack Truck. Well, bring on that Mack Truck for this crazy cat lady. This is one of the most difficult kitten seasons ever. We have 17 babies upstairs in the 2 empty bedrooms, a dozen in the basement and about 18 in foster care, and then we come to the young adult cats. So many loving, purring hearts thanking us for saving them from a fate worse than death… Starvation, serious injury and being eaten alive by parasites and predators.
Momma Cass is looking much better today. Keep the prayers going for her as she is responding to them. She has actually started to eat a little on her own, but is so smart and spoiled now that she will stop eating if she sees me watching her. What a little drama queen she has turned out to be. She is so cool and smart.
Little Evelyn, our little hit and run car accident, is facing major surgery soon. The X-rays proved that the femur bone has a complete break just below the knee. Poor little baby, she is only 10 to 12 weeks old and already had far more pain than any little one should have to face. Kevin and Kate McCarthy are our Caribou Pet Heros this week for coming to the aid of this baby and bringing her to HHPR. Where is the person who struck her with his car and kept on driving? He didn’t even look back.
BTW, it is shoe packing time again. Do you have some nicely used shoes to donate to HHPR for our recycling program? Drop them by 11 Pioneer Ave., in Caribou and we will take it from there. Also, looking for more brand name used ink cartridges and toner cartridges. The only thing we cannot recycle is the cartridges marked as “compatible.” Help us with our recycling programs of returnable bottles and cans; used shoes and used ink cartridges and help save our environment at the same time. You can do this and it doesn’t cost you a cent. What a win/win situation for HHPR cats, the city dump, and the environment.
HHPR LOVES PetMeds
- At July 03, 2013
- By admin
- In Norma's Notes
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OMG, can you imagine the surprise and gratitude to the pick up the package from UPS and find a gift box of over $500.00 worth cat products from 1-800-PETMEDS — FREE. What a godsend right here during flea season when we so greatly need it. The box was packed solid with so many good items, quality products that pet rescues like HHPR desperately need and find it so hard to buy. There were tapeworm medications, more than a dozen boxes of 3 dose flea prevention products, vitamins, etc. etc. etc. Thank you so much 1-800 Petmeds. The pet distribution company with a compassionate heart for our cats.