Snicker Gets His New Home...

Snicker looking gorgeous - pic courtesy of Kim Adams

I am so happy to announce that Snicker, the big yellow tomcat that was brought to us in April has found a home!

As any of you who work with animals know that  after helping hundreds of them, they kind of start to blend together and without a picture or some strong assistance, the names and faces are hard to distinguish in your memory.  Not so with Snicker.   He became my favorite at "hello" and I will never forget him.

A big, burly guy who needed some good meals, the hand of a good doctor lots of love.

Snicker had apparently been involved with some kind of confrontation that left him with a wound on his neck.  Untreated, it became a massive infection site that opened his neck nearly ear to ear.   Thankfully Nata G. found him and got him to us so that we could get him the help he needed.

Everyone, and I do mean everyone fell instantly for this gentle giant.


Our wonderful Dr. Schultz repaired his wound as best he could...stitching part of it together and allowing the remaining area to heal on its own.  This meant daily cleanings and treatment with medicine.  Snicker was a trooper and endured it all like the hero he is.

Snicker at the clinic - you can see his wound.

After many weeks, I (Kathy) brought him home so that he could have a rest from the kennel at the clinic and to see how he would do with other cats.   He was a purrfect gentleman as far as interacting with humans and using his litter box etc.   BUT with my two girl cats, he was aggressive.   After two fur-flying incidents, I decided he needed to be an only pet and back to the clinic he went.

One of of friends on our fb page came to see him at the clinic and decided to attempt to foster him herself.  She has other cats and at least one dog...Like a miracle, Snicker has settled in with  their family like a charm.  He sleeps with the humans and the other pets.

I have to admit that I secretly (OK, not so secret) wanted Snicker to meld into my family.   I love him so much and I am so very happy he has found a new home....one where he is taken care of and loved like he deserves!

Thank you Nata, for calling us about him.  Thank you AVCheryl, Doc S and Mallory for caring so for him while he was at the clinic and thank you Amy for giving him a try.  There was no doubt in my mind. the day you picked him up, that he was "home".

AVCheryl provided LOTS of love at the clinic!

Some think working with animals like we do, that we will either be an emotional wreck all the time, faced with decisions and the choices we have to make in the best interest of the animal, or we will be come calloused and hardened by these same issues and our hearts will become stone.  I think we are a balance...we make the hard choices with a tear in our eye and a pain shooting through our hearts,  and each pain that shoots through, keeps it soft and pliable so that when we see the GOOD that comes along, like the success of Snicker, we notice and we celebrate.

I will always Love my Snicker-Boy! Pic courtesy of Kim Adams

It is only because of the kind and generous donations of our wonderful supporters that we have the funds to care for sweet kitties like Snick.  Thank YOU to all who help us buy donating or participating in our sales and auctions!  We are a great team!

Dr. Jim Hoffman Receives Service Award!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season this almost got past me!!!   I was filing all my paperwork this past week and came across this article about our own Dr. Jim Hoffman (fondly known as Doc)..All of us at WIFCaP are so very proud of him and proud to be part of this veterinary clinic!  Congratulations, Doc!

THEY NEED A HOME!!

Yes, yes, I know we are not a shelter and our primary purpose is NOT sheltering or finding homes for cats.  We are so fortunate though to have Avoca Veterinary Clinic on our side in so many way and helping us with our TNR program...As you all know we very often come up with friendly stray, those that have been lost or discarded and the clinic as well has people that walk in and surrender found animals or animals they can no longer keep.

Tomorrow, (Saturday January 5th)  WIFCaP will host an adoption event at Orscheln Famr and Home Store in Atlantic Iowa.  Hopefully the 3 little guys we currently have at AVC will find furrever homes...

As we start a new year, its my hope and prayer that we can help many more cats.  Thank you for following us, supporting us and encouraging us!

A Winter Wonderland of Wondering!

We are experiencing our first winter storm of 2012.  Looks like we will for sure have a White Christmas!  Its blustery cold out today.  As I watch my indoor kitties look out the window, I wonder what is going on in their head.  Are they happy to be inside?  Are they wishing they could go out and "play" and make kitty angels in the snow?  What goes on in my head is how many there are out there that don't have a warm cozy window to peer out of...I don't mean our community cats so much.  I know they can survive, it's all they have ever known.  They most likely have a warm hole somewhere and even other warm kitty bodies to snuggle with when the going gets tough.  I'm thinking of the ones who have been thrown away, or abandoned or have gotten themselves lost.  How do they handle it, not being "street wise" like Mrs. Gray, Franks and EJ?...

I am grateful that we have been able to rescue several from the throws of winter.  These are at AVC, waiting and hoping for a new home to call their very own.

This is Sylvester.  He was found in a field by a farmer.  Thinking this nice boy had been attacked, he took him to AVC.  We found him to be friendly and very lovable!  He is currently being treated for a severe case of ear mites and a skin infection and very soon he will be ready to find a new home.  We are happy he is out of the field.

This is sweet Roscoe!  I found him on my porch last week crying.  He is a beautiful boy who is just as friendly as anything.  He likes his space, but when given the choice, he will crawl right up into your lap and heart!

So at least these two aren't out in the blizzard, wondering where they are and when and what they will get to eat.  Being in a cage at AVC is much better than that!  BUT what would be the best??? A forever home with a family.....like yours!!

For Carolyn!

Very often when we have cats surrendered to AVC we don't get much of the story behind why they are being left to find a new family and a new home.  What we see is a frightened kitty that hasn't a clue why it's home is now in a kennel or cage.  Dogs barking around them and strange people poking and prodding and asking questions only adds to their confusion and fear.   AVCheryl does a fantastic job of acclimating our adoptable kitties to their new surroundings and making them feel loved until they find their new forever home.

Recently we had two kitties brought to the clinic by a the family of a lady who claimed she couldn't care for them any longer... we get that alot.   Both cats have found new homes and are doing very well. Today we received this sweet note.

" I am so happy the cats are happy and loved.  Sherman was a little bashful when it came to another cat.  She'd get on my lap and be so loving.  Ernie was really loving too, so they really should enjoy their new homes.  Carolyn " 

It is so evident from this note that the decision to surrender her two cats was not an easy one for Carolyn. She knew them well and is missing them.  What a difficult decision it must have been to let her beloved pets go.  I want Carolyn to know how much respect I have for her for doing what she knew was best for her animals.

We at WIFCaP are delighted that we could find homes for these two kitties and put Carolyn's heart at rest.

While we see people discard their pets to fend for themselves in the streets or drop them at the clinic like a goodwill donation, this opened our eyes to those that must surrender because of health or age issues.   Carolyn knew that bringing her cats to AVC would give them the best chance to have a new lease on life and it worked!!  Rest easy Carolyn, your babies are being well taken care of and if you can make it over to AVC, there is always a kitty handy that will be willing to sit in your lap awhile!

Smith and Wesson Find Their New Home and Head to the Mountains!

It is with great pleasure I can tell you that our little kittens found in Walnut have found their new home.  Susan and Rich Prince fell instantly in love with these two and headed back to their home in Castle Rock Co with both little boys in tow!

They have been renamed Smith and Wesson...and pretty much "shoot" around the house until they drop with fatigue!   We are looking forward to watching them grow and hearing all the tales of their new wonderful life!

Sweet Babies need a HOME!

Just like Einstein, these two were found outside drifting alone.  Hannah J. 's brother and his girlfriend found them.  They were filthy dirty, full of fleas, little bellies tight with worms and skinny.  Thankfully Hannah called me right away and off to AVC we went. 

They were there for the weekend and I picked them up yesterday!

These sweethearts have been wormed, given a flea bath, gotten their vaccinations, and have both been neutered.  We are calling them Mutt and Jeff.  Mutt is on the right, the smaller one and Jeff, the larger on the left.  Mutt also had a damaged tail and about half of it had to be removed.  He is in a bit of pain from it, but the stitches come out next week and he should be fine.    They seem healthy and tame.  They just want to explore and sleep, like all babies do!

They are living in my cottage in a cage lent to me by Cheryl at AVC!  Our vets office is awesome.  This job of cat TNR and foster parenting is a big one.  Fulfilling and busy.  Without the help and cooperation of Avoca Veterinary Clinic, and from all of you out there that help me too, I would have already given up!  Some days I feel alone in this, but I know I'm not.  So thanks go out today to everyone involved with WIFCaP in any way!  I need you all out there to spur me on!

Please pass the word that these kitties are available!

You can have this kingdom, because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.

Relentless!

This is our newest feral.  We've named her Jenny....the director on NCIS...We are working through the cast, naming our ferals after Kathy's favorite show.  Yes, we will eventually move on...and yes we will be giving opportunity for our supporters to name our sneuters...This little girl is the mousy little gray one that I first saw in Mrs. Gray's yard.  She has been elusive, but hunger got the better of her this morning.   I set the trap this morning, caught Tony, let him out and reset.  She was trapped and at the vet's office with 30 minutes of the 2nd set of the trap!  We only have one more sibling and the mama, Mrs. Gray to go before we move on to the next area.  I will be attempting to trap both mama and baby yet today.  We are at 7 now!!  Our goal was 10. We may not make it but it wont be for not trying!

Kathy's son is in the Navy on board the USS George Washington CVN73 Aircraft Carrier.  He is home ported in Japan, which means when he isn't at sea, his "home" is Atsugi, Japan.  Kathy has done some preliminary work with Bellevue University in Bellevue NE so that he can start school as soon as possible when he gets out.  Major obstacles didn't deter Kathy.  Jeff emailed and said " Mom, you're relentless!"  I never thought of myself in that way, but when I'm passionate about something...I guess you could call me that!

Look out Mrs. Gray, Im after you!

Meet McGee!

Ok, I know it looks like Im posting the same picture every time I report a new snueter!  But, honest, each of these is a different kitty!  I set the trap this morning and had him within ten minutes!

So off to Avoca to see Dr. Schultz we went!   ITS A BOY!  Going along with our NCIS theme of the day, we've named this one McGee! 

McGee is another sweetie!  He now has his sneuter, vaccinations, de-worming and ear mite treatment.  He is resting well in my cottage.  I will keep watch over him til he is ready to go home.  Its another good day for WIFCaP!

 Please consider helping us to keep up our work with the kitties...you can chip in or send a check to PO BOX 244, Walnut, Iowa  51577

One of our vets asked me today how we are going to keep going at this pace.  My response was, "We will do it as long as we have the funds.  After that, we stop til we get some more.  Please help us continue!