Transfer of cats to other shelters – It’s a Good Thing!

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

Kitten Season isn’t over yet …

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

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.

WANTED: Good Foster Homes for Kittens

WE NEED GOOD FOSTER HOMES FOR 2-3 WEEK VISITS OF OUR KITTENS

This is only the 23 day of the month and we have already taken in 34 new kittens/cats in just June. There 4 more kittens due in tomorrow at 11 am and another 5 on Wednesday. Most of this month’s entries are young kittens abandoned in the most horrible situations.  We have 3 nursing mommas who have pitched with in feeding these orphans, but a whole lot of around the clock bottle feeding has had to go on to support these overworked moms. Foster living is needed for the kittens who are now eating on their own and are about 7 weeks old.  Just for about 2 weeks of visiting with you and they will be ready for adoption.

We are anxious to increase our foster home network. To become a foster home, we ask that you complete an application, available HERE. This does require a home visitation before application acceptance. Most people understand that if we don’t know you, we need to check out the home to assess if it is a safe environment.  We wouldn’t want to OK a hoarder who would just add to the young kitten’s misery.

It’s A Jungle Out There

It is June, at the height of kitten season and we are overloaded with sick mommas with sick babies and well babies with no momma and well babies with well mommas.  This all requires around the clock bottle feeding and then we add into this mix way too many young adults who became “throw away” toys just when they reached breeding age and through no fault of their own. I now function with never more than a 2-hour stretch of sleep if it is a good night. My impatience with irresponsible pet owners is high. Several people can attest to that. Sorry, animals and children first.

It is 2 am and I am just finishing up bottle feeding 5 orphan babies who grab at that nipple like it is the last meal they will ever see. I hear noises in my backyard and finishing up the last kitten’s feeding, I go to investigate. It is big, very huge, and ugly, both in looks and in the mean expression reflected in its eyes.  This appears to be a large bear cub and I try to scare it away as I stand in my kitchen doorway. I know noise will scare him. “Boo,” I whisper instead.

Suddenly, I realize I have left the side garage door open and the light on inside. The animal steps into the lighted area and I see the largest raccoon ever. I mean this animal could not get his head into one of my large Hav-a-heart traps he is that big and he is not scared of this old lady standing in her robe and slippers. At the same time, I realize that my old cats, Faith and Charity have run past my feet and they cheerfully go to greet the “newest” guest in our kitty foster home. I can taste my concern for their safety and also realize that our rescue’s food delivery was in and was stored in the garage until sorted. I knew he wanted to rip open all those bags, eat a huge dinner and then lay his scent by peeing and “you know” all over the food.  HHPR cannot afford to lose this food.

OMG, I jumped back and grabbed a kitchen knife. Not a butcher knife – really just a table knife. Realizing how stupid I look, I reach back and grab my broom instead – much better. I stand on the steps waving the broom and yelling, “Go away, go away.” He looked back at me as though he would raise an eyebrow. I realized I would have to go all the way out, open the large noisy overhead door, and close the garage side door from the inside. I dance sideways across the yard with my broom doing a sort of side step of the Mashed Potato dance from the 1960’s. Maybe the noise of the door would scare him. I am within 4 feet of him to get to the other door still waving my broom. I open the overhead door and now stare almost nose to nose with Herman, the raccoon. We are on a first name basis now. He is not afraid, but I am doing big time deep breathing to cover up my fear scent from him. It doesn’t work.

He doesn’t break eye contact. I am too scared to move my eyes. I pray that my good neighbor across the street is up again and looking out his window. He keeps our neighborhood safe, but where the devil is he now. I feel Herman is about to make a move, I strike first plunging my broom at the door slamming it almost closed before he could actually move in. Only his nose is inside and he is not very nice about this. I ease up just enough to let him release his nose. Racing back out the overhead door, slamming it closed, I head to the house just as he comes around the garage corner. My broom and I do a wicked fast Mashed Potato dance all the way back to the house. The cats were waiting at the kitchen door. “Come on in, you fools,” I complain. “Although right now, I don’t know who was more of a fool, the cats, the raccoon, or me.”

Kitten Season – Spring 2013

Life at Halfway Home Pet Rescue (HHPR) is looking much better for this young Momma Cass than it did a couple of weeks ago. A young girl was taking the garbage out to the outside garbage barrels when she heard a soft pitiful cry. Looking over the barrel at the ice still between the garage building and the garbage cans where the sun can’t reach, she saw little Momma Cass frozen in the ice with her 5 young kittens. Reacting quickly, she got her parents and they quickly started thawing out the ice to release the momma and 5 babies. Unfortunately, 4 of the babies could not be revived. The family soon brought the feline family to HHPR for more help. Momma Cass and little Rocky were treated with eye ointment and antibiotics during their recovery and are now slowly gaining weight and energy after their near death experience. This family is a hero to the HHPR volunteers as they postponed their day’s tasks to save the lives of this feline family. Momma Cass has recently taken over the care and feeding of 4 new orphan kittens. She is extremely loving and grateful for her rescue.

HHPR is in great need of Purina Kitten Chow and Purina Cat Chow. Our supply is extremely low and our population is high. We have many kittens still too young for adoption. We have had several young adult cats come in with various injuries like a broken tail (possibly from being hit by a car), stomach cut open about 5 inches from an abuse case, blistered feet, many signs of starvation, and other injuries. These cases take time to heal and become adoptable house cats. We also are very short in supply of 24/7 heating pads and heated beds for the comfort of orphan kittens and abandoneds cat with very little body heat of their own due to starvation. We cannot use the heating pads that turn off every two hours because the weak cats require a steady warm pad. We also are looking for nicely used shoes, sneakers, work boots, and dress shoes for both woman and men. This is for our Shoe Recycling Program which helps HHPR pay their vet bills. We are still overfull of beautiful adoptable cats with all their medical needs completed including spay/neutering. Our special adoption fee of $10.00 for an adult cat over 6 months will continue until June 1. Our adoption prices will return to the usual $40.00 for adult cats as of June 2. Adoption hours at 489 Main St., in Caribou are on Saturday from 12 noon to 3 pm. Special appointment can be made with advance notice for the volunteer schedule. We made $690.00 at the Caribou Yard Sale. Thank you for your support. Your help does make a difference. FMI: Call 999-1075.

Help Hyperthyroid Harry

Recall Harry from a previous post: He is a young, neutered, declawed male who was basically thrown out to fend for himself. The Fort Fairfield police rescued him and brought him to HHPR. After much evaluation and medical attention, it was determined that Harry had a bum thyroid that was preventing him from gaining any weight! We opted to have that gland surgically removed so that Harry could at last have some sort of life. He is recovering very well, every day is getting stronger.

Harry is currently in a foster home where he can find the best sunny spots in the house and gain some self-esteem. He is a very affectionate guy and when he gains weight he is going to be a very, very nice companion.

Kelly Normandin, one of our dedicated, hardworking volunteers (and our Adoption Facility manager) created a fundraising campaign through Indiegogo. The medical bills for Harry were considerable, even with the kind and generous discounts that our Presque Isle Animal Hospital vets often give us with these special cases.

The fundraiser is now closed and you helped us raise $785 for medical expenses. Thank you!!

We still welcome donations for medical expenses for all our special needs cats. See our donation page or mail a check to HHPR, P.O. Box 488, Caribou ME 04736. For the very latest information about our cats and fundraising efforts, visit our Facebook page.

Marmalade and Toby

Little Marmalade cuddles with Toby

Toby, a 3 1/2 year old buff neutered male, is the mascot of Halfway Home Pet Rescue. Although brain damaged at the age of 5 months, Toby has found his niche and a purpose in life at the pet rescue by offering love and comfort care to young foster kittens with special needs. Toby has recently befriended Marmalade a very young, tiny orphaned kitten with seriously underdeveloped digestive issues. When offered a choice of whether to nap by himself on his special heating pad in his special bed or to crawl in bed with Toby, Marmalade leaves no room for doubt that it is nice for “little people” to have a big brother who loves him.