Bottle Babies

We are ever grateful to the volunteers who take on bottle babies. Feeding kittens and pottying them around the clock every three to four hours is exhausting.

Willie and Baxter (aka Autumn) are two of our newest bottle babies.  Willie was brought to our shelter one evening cold and thin, and Baxter was transported from Red Lake Rosie's Rescue.

Here is Willie - he is so hard to photograph! He really is a beautiful kitten.

Current pic of Baxter asking for a drink!

After lots of love and medical attention they are both doing well.

Adopting Moms and Kittens Together

Mom cats can form strong bonds with their kittens, often remaining close friends as the kitten grows into a cat.  

Billie was rescued through Feline Rescue's Outreach Program. She gave birth outside to three beautiful orange and white girls. Two of the girls have found a great home together. Billie is particularly bonded with her daughter Lola, and the two are now looking for a home together.

Lola and Billie are both affectionate, outgoing... and just a little bit mischievous! They like to snuggle and play with each other and with their foster caregiver. If you are interested in hearing more about Lola and Billie, call Molly at 651-295-3758.

Outreach volunteers also just rescued a tiny kitten and mom, who gave birth out in the cold rain last week.  All of the babies but one died.  If you have room to take in this sweet tabby mom and her one lucky baby, please call Molly at 651-295-3758 or email.  Mom can do most of the work, but she needs a safe, warm place to care for her baby.

Tiny Autumn comes from Red Lake

FROM THE RED LAKE ROSIE'S RESCUE BLOG:
Before the past 2 days of much needed cold fall rain, Polly and Dan were at the garbage dump in Red Lake and there they found this tiny kitten next to the dumpster. They took the baby and called for help at the Red Lake Rosie's Rescue.

Unable to get the kitten to the shelter for almost a whole day, they bottle fed the little one evaporated milk and kept it warm in Polly's fur hat!

Once at the shelter last evening we got the little one on kitten milk and he eats eagerly in a bottle. We have a heating pad on low temp and check it regularly, as well as help the little one toilet after every feeding.

Riley, our dog has taken a real interest in kittens. Each time we have a kitten, he often lays and guards the kitten 24/7. This time was no different.

We are so thankful to be able to transfer the little one to the foster through Denise and Dr. Vickie on Saturday, October 20th. We will all miss the little one, especially Riley!

A special thanks to Polly and Dan for the rescue, to Geri for helping , and to Act V and Denise for getting the little one a foster home.

Sincerely, Karen

RLRR NOTE FROM DENISE:
This kitten was only about a week old when found at the dump with no other kittens or mother around. Karen and Geri tended to him every three hours round-the-clock for a few days, then he was tenderly transported to the Cities where he spent two nights with four other orphaned Red Lake "ditch" kittens. However, they were twice his size, so Feline Rescue agreed to take him and he moved in with foster caregiver Jill who specializes in bottle babies and had another lonely-only of similar size who needed a buddy. Yesterday he became ill, not eating, dehydrated so he made a trip to the vet. Please keep little Autumn in your thoughts.

Raja, Now King of his Castle

Earlier this month we received an update for Rajah fka Saki.  His new family sent a great play-by-play complete with photos of his adjustment to his new home.

Hello all!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since Rajah (formerly known as Saki) has been home! and it's been fantastic! It took him about a day to get comfortable. His "home room" was the bathroom since thats where I first let him out of his carrier so he knew where his litter box was. And it's been smooth sailing ever since. The funny bit is he wouldn't play at all and just gives me the classic "You're kidding, right?" look. I had just mentioned this to Dawn when she called recently and lo and behold later that night I heard him running about the living room and realised he's totally into his fish and feather toys and he's been playing excitedly ever since though once in a while he likes to pretend he's too royal for that (Rajah means King in Hindi).

I've attached a number of pictures for your viewing pleasure with a description of each below :) .
Day 1
Pic 00307 -For the first 8-ish hours he simply refused to leave the bathtub and only go as far as his paws on the rim... So I left him alone for a while.

Pic 00301 - I heard a loud noise and came back to find him exploring the top of my bathroom cabinet looking like it was the most natural thing for him to do.

Pic 00305 - After apparently he'd done enough exploring of the bathtub and light fixtures, he finally accepted sitting on the bath mat...

Pic 00302 - Then I managed to coax him out of the bathroom.

Eventually...
Pic 00310 - My sister came to visit and the two were totally taken with each other. He's actually a very friendly cat and will go to anyone willing to give him a belly rub which he will demand by plopping down at your feet with his white belly up. :D

Pics 00315 and "photo" - This is him keeping watch over my balcony and just chilling in the sink, both of which he likes to do.

Pic 00321 - And finally, this was him last week providing a very welcome distraction from work.

Thank you, thank you for connecting us two.

All the best,
Ruddi

Thank you Ruddi for giving Rajah a wonderful home!

Wilson fka Garnett Has His Own Facebook Page

We received a fabulous update for Wilson, fka Garnett, the beginning of October and then we learned from Wilson's family that he has his very own Facebook page. Always so much fun to follow former Feline Rescue kitties on their Facebook pages, blogs, and web sites.

Yesterday [Sept. 30] was the one year anniversary of when I brought home this amazing cat from Feline Rescue. You knew him as Garnett. I re-named him Wilson.

I just wanted to contact you to thank you again for keeping this special boy safe while he waited for me to find him. He has brought so much pure joy to my life and I know he is very happy to be here with me. He tells me every day how happy he is.

Wilson is truly the best cat I've ever owned. He is smart, playful, affectionate, talkative and he loves everyone…..and everyone loves him. I fell in love with this cat the minute I saw the picture of him you your web site. That mischievous, intelligent look in his eye told me he was just the cat I was looking for. Then, the day that I came to pick him up, he walked straight up to me and gave me that big meow and then walked straight in to my cat carrier. He chose me as definitively as I had chosen him! As I filled out the paperwork he got up on the table and rubbed my hand with his head almost the entire time...and also tried to chew on the paperwork a bit, too…lol….

Wilson became comfortable in my home very quickly and soon I got to know how very special he really is.

Wilson plays fetch! He brings me toys…mostly ponytail binders…and wants me to throw them so that he can bring them back and have me throw them again. He also does this with paint brushes from my crafts box, pens, sticks he finds on the deck, and even sometimes a real cat toy….but mostly he likes things he finds around the house. He brings me presents all night long while I'm sleeping but is very courteous about not waking me up. Every new person who comes to visit gets a special greeting from Wilson and he melts the hearts even of friends who say they don't like cats. He's what they call a "dog cat."

Wilson and I are very, very happy together and both of us will be thankful to you always!

Cindy

Thank you Cindy for giving Wilson a home and SO much love!

They Look Identical But Have VERY Different Personalities

Sarabi is an absolutely wonderful momma cat who gave birth to four orange tabbies. They're nearly identical (one does have to look hard to see the differences) in size, shape, coloring, and markings. Their personalities, however, are not identical. One of the four babies was adopted. The three remaining - and their mother - are looking for their forever homes.

Timon (aka "Timmy") is a talker. He has a lot on his mind... and most of those topics have to do with breakfast... and lunch... and dinner. He loves food. Timmy was the first of his family to embrace canned food (the others all preferred dry food). Now that the rest of his family has learned that Timmy had the right idea - that canned food is yummy - Timmy has to share his breakfast with the others. Once Timmy finishes his bowl and decides he's still hungry, he sticks his paw into the bowl of one of his siblings and pulls it in front of him. Afterall, he's the one who told them that canned food is yummy so he feels as though he's earned part of their share.

In addition to sharing his thoughts on food ("When's breakfast?" "When's lunch?" "What are we having for dinner... and when is it?"), Timmy also likes to cry while being petted. He's just so happy he can't contain himself! Again, Timmy was a pioneer of his family. He was the first to decide that being a lap cat was a wonderful thing to be. Timmy loves to sit on laps... after he's eaten.

Timmy loves to play with his stuffed mice. He carries them around in his mouth - and has even dropped them at the feet of his foster mother!

Simba is quite a lover. He loves to be petted. He loves to purr. He is such a purr machine! He has a deep, loud purr which seems to be motoring all the time. He loves to sit on laps (after he learned from his brother that laps are a good thing). He'll even forgo breakfast (which makes Timmy very happy) for a lap. He likes to be first in line for lap time. He loves to follow his foster mother around until she sits down so that he jump on her lap to be petted. And if she happens to kneel down (like to clean a litter box), he flops down at her feet, exposing his belly. He loves belly rubs.

Simba loves to play. He's a little zany. He is an amazing acrobat! He does magnificent flips as he tries to catch the waving feathers on a string (or, in his mind, a low flying, indoor bird).

Nala is a bit shyer than her brothers. She's so incredibly sweet. She's learning that lap time is a good thing. She's learning that she loves to be petted. She loves to play in the kitty tunnel - and has decided that she likes to be petted while in the tunnel. She'll bait her foster mother by sliding through the tunnel and then sticking her head out of the center hole, insinuating that she wants to have her ears scratched. She purrs from within the tube. She loves to burrow under covers. She likes to dig under the blankets in her kitty bed and when she frees one, she carries it around with her (like Linus and his security blanket). She's a sweet girl that is just learning that being loved is a wonderful thing. Nala absolutely loves to play in the tunnel. She even likes human interaction, to be "tagged" while she burrows through the tunnel.

Sarabi is an amazing mother. She protects her children from the loud, scary vacuum cleaner. She comforts them when they're scared or sad by licking their head. She's an absolute sweetheart. She is quite a lap cat. She's serene and quiet. There's a lot of wisdom behind those calm eyes! She loves to sit up high and watch her children play below her. She likes to kick up her heels at play time and show her kittens that she's still got a lot of pep in her. She can go quite crazy for a laser pointer!

All four cats are available for adoption. They'd love to meet you!

Foster Update!

Remember the homeless white mom cat and her 5 kittens who were in desperate need of foster?

She and her 5 eight week old babies were living in neighborhood near the shelter.  One of our outreach volunteers had been feeding her and checking on her, but when neighbors reported that the mom had been hurt by a dog, volunteers decided to catch her and her babies. Mom was friendly and easy to catch but the kittens were difficult. They got a couple and then would use mom as "bait" to try and lure the other kittens close to the trap. The entire rescue spanned almost a week!

Thankfully everyone was caught and the kittens and mom parted ways and went to 3 different foster homes, where they are doing AMAZING!

Zahara (mom) and Pixey lounging at their new foster home!

Little Pixey

Huckleberry (white) and Primrose cuddle up at their new foster home.

Huckleberry is the biggest purrer his foster family has ever met! Very affectionate! 

Primrose is a little shyer but if you pet her tail she will purr just as loud as her brother. 

Hunter is the shy white kitten and Dylan is the out going runt!

Check out some videos of Hunter and Dylan:

These kittens will be ready to be adopted soon! If you are interested in meeting them please contact Joan at 651-705-6264.

Learn about TNR and caring for outdoor cats

Come to our Community Open House this Sunday, October 14th from 10-1. Visit our shelter and learn about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), humane care of outdoor cats, and how you can help strays in your community.

We will have information and demonstrations on building shelters for outdoor cats.

For more information contact outreach@felinerescue.org

Spay and neuter to prevent more homeless kittens like Charles

We're gearing up for our Community Open House and Neighborhood Spay Day. Our volunteers have come across lots of baby kittens that still need to come in from the cold. Outdoor kittens like Charles and his siblings are easy to socialize when they're young. If you are interested in taking in some of these needy kittens so they can make it through the winter and become happy house cats, let us know.

Charles

And if you know of outdoor cats on your property or in your area, please help get them spayed and neutered to prevent more litters of kittens this winter and spring and to end the cycle of unwanted, homeless cats.  We still have room for community cats to be spayed/neutered at our October 14th clinic. Contact outreach@felinerescue.org

Molly and Java Have a View of the Prairie

Molly and Java, now Tansy and Tiger, were adopted by a family that is restoring the prairies and savannas that were there before their land was farmed.  Their restoration work is chronicled on the A Prairie Haven web site. Tiger and Tansy have quickly captivated their new family and now have their own web site, tnt-cats.com.

Tiger and Tansy

Tiger

Views from their home

These two kittens were both homeless orphans rescued from an animal control facility.  This time of year animal control facilities in the Twin Cities area end up dangerously over crowded with cats.  A Feline Rescue volunteer had gone to the animal control facility the end of August to pull one kitten but ended up leaving with five including Tansy and Tiger.

Please contact Joan at 651-705-6264, if you are interested in adopting a foster kitten or cat.  The more kittens and cats we adopt, the more we can rescue.

Helping cats starts with you!

Community Open House and Hamline-Midway Neighborhood Cat Spay Day

Sunday, October 14th, 10-1
Feline Rescue, 593 Fairview Ave. N.

• Tour our shelter, learn about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and humane care of outdoor cats, and find out how you can help when you see a stray cat in your community.

• Feline Rescue will offer assistance with trapping and scheduling the spay/neuter of outdoor cats that are being cared for outside by community members. We can also offer options for low-cost spay/neuter of cats owned by community members. All cats must be scheduled in advance.

Photo: Alley Cat Allies

For assistance with getting a community cat spayed or neutered, for more information, or to make a donation to support our efforts to help reduce the number of cats that are out on the streets or euthanized by animal control facilities, please contact Molly at 651-642-5900 ext. 4 or outreach@felinerescue.org

Thanks to Woody’s Pet Food Deli for a generous donation to support this event!