Update: Jones County Kitties in Need

I'm pleased to report some good news about the 22 cats in need of adoption in Jones County which I first blogged about here.

I was contacted today by an Atlanta-area rescue that may be able to take a Mom and a litter. It's not definite yet, but I'm hopeful. I'll post any further developments as they come in.

Despite this potential good news, the situation is still pretty dire. Ms. M., the wonderfully caring woman who is doing her best to care for these cats, is under a lot of pressure to find homes for these cats. Suffering from COPD, and struggling to get by on her social security, Ms. M. refuses to move to better accomodations until she finds homes for all of the cats. Her family is eager to get her out of the run-down trailer she lives in, while her neighbors are becoming increasingly annoyed by the adult cats wandering onto their properties. I and a rescue friend are doing what we can to help, but time is definitely running out.

If you or anyone you know can help, either by taking in one of the cats or by donating to a vet fund set up at a local animal hospital (Lakeside Animal Hospital), please contact me for more information.

Simon and Morgan

Here are the two kittens I took in from the Jones County case I blogged about here.














Simon is the white tabby, who is special needs. He was hit by a car which caused a pelvic fracture. The X-rays showed the pelvis did not heal correctly, which is causing pressure on his rectum. Both of his femur heads are fractured and are still healing. Simon is mobile and playful, but I will be getting a second opinion about corrective surgery.

Morgan is the gray Tuxedo kitten. He's a little spitfire!

Morgan and Simon and truly bonded buddies. Both are FIV/FeLV negative, thank goodness.

Cat Rescue in Canada

In Calgary, the good news is that cat rescue rates have doubled. The bad news is officials are still worried as local shelters are reaching capacity.

Spokeswoman Hedy Hope said of 31 animals adopted on Saturday, 28 were cats. While she said that is "pretty good," and up from the normal of about 10 to 20 on any given Saturday, the problem of cat overpopulation still looms.

The culprit? Kitten season. As more and more unexpected and unwanted cats arrive at area shelters, space is at a premium; of course, the easiest solution is also the most tragic:

Hope said a number of healthy cats had to be put down on the weekend because their stay in the adoption area was up.

And she fears unless there is a massive spike in adoptions, others will meet the same fate.

Urgent Need in Jones County, GA

Last week I received a call from the Jones County, GA animal control department asking for my help. There is a woman, elderly, very ill with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) needing help to find placement for 22 cats and kittens; I'll call her Ms. M. Only six of the cats belong to her (the adults); they are spayed or neutered, and just need to get up to date on their shots. Two pregnant moms and two adults were put on her property because people in the area know she would never refuse an animal in need. Unfortunately, Jones County AC has a black cloud looming over it - the former manager is currently under indictment on felony charges related to her job. As a result, the locals would rather "dump" animals than call the AC.

This wonderful, caring lady is doing what she can to help, but it's a struggle as she is on a very fixed income. Often times, she will go without food in order to insure the cats have enough to eat. I went down last week to visit and take pictures of the cats & kittens and brought $100 worth of food and litter to help. Ms. M has to make do with her social security payments since her medical condition has drained her savings. Her single-wide trailer is very old; parts of the flooring are actually caving in. She's trying her best, but the COPD is far enough along where breathing is getting hard. It's dangerous for Ms. M to be living without a caregiver; however, she refuses to go into a nursing home until the cats are placed. Ms. M refuses to turn the cats over to the AC; last year, the former AC manager came out to her trailer to pick up the abandoned cats. A true credit to her office, the manager simply chased the cats over the neighbor's fence where pit bulls literally ripped the cats to pieces in front of Ms. M and other witnesses. So, when Ms. M says the AC will get the cats "over her dead body", she means it. Frankly, I'm okay with that, since Jones County's euthanasia rate is an appalling 90%.

I have personally taken in two of the kittens - an eighteen-week old special needs kitten named Simon and a eight-week old named Morgan. I've had them checked by a vet and am actively trying to get them healthy and happy.

I'll be posting regular updates as we try to find these beautiful babies good homes! If anyone out there would like to help, please send me an e-mail and I'll follow up with you directly.