Chipmunks' 11th Birthday!

NELSON

I'm so pleased as a foster caregiver for cats and kittens for Feline Rescue to get updates on my former fosters. I get an update from adopter Lisa every year. She adopted one kitten (Chip, now Nelson) from the litter of tabbies that I called the Chipmunks and later adopted a second tabby from FR (Lana Kitty Pierson). She also discovered that another one of the Chipmunks (Nelson's sister Alvie) is the "store cat" at Calhoun Pet Supply, so she updates me on her, too!

NELSON

Hello Denise,

It is that time of the year again when June 1^st rolls around that I want to give you another update on your foster boy Nelson, his housemate Lana Kitty Pierson (another feline rescue kitty), and his biological sister Alvie.

As you remember both Nelson and Alvie turn 11 tomorrow. Nelson is still doing well in spite of his feline hyperesthesia, changing his diet and Prozac from my vet help him immensely and allow him to continue to live a happy older gentleman like life.

He will never tolerate Lana Kitty Pierson though and I still have to keep them separated but they both seem to live happy. I just make certain that they both get the run of the house at different times and lots of individual attention and love.

LANA KITTY PIERSON

Nelson continues to enhance my life in spite of all his past issues and I have been very lucky to have shared my home with him the last 11 years.

I continue to visit Alvie every 2-3 weeks at Calhoun Pet Supply. Alvie is so sweet and mellow and seems very content and happy with her home at the store. While I still wish I could have adopted her with Nelson I’m thankful she has a home and folks who visit her and care for her.

ALVIE

She is smaller than Nelson and does not have his tabby circles but rather beautiful tabby stripes. When you look at just their faces they are the spitting image of each other and cute as a bug!

ALVIE

Once again I want to thank you and Feline Rescue for all you do for our feline companions. Your organization is awesome and everyone who I’ve ever been connected with have hearts of gold and such compassion for their missions to help cats in need.

I hope all is well with you Denise and that this past year has been a bit easier for you. Without you I would not have had the honor of sharing my life with Nelson!

Sincerely,

Lisa

Adopt in pairs!

Meow, meow. Purr, purr. Lick, lick. Peep, peep. Are you hearing double? We are – and seeing double. Kitten doubles that is, as many of our spring kittens bond with a special littermate or kitten friend. At Feline Rescue we see lots of kitten “best friends,” and we know it’s best for these buddies to be adopted together. Two littermates or two “adoptive” kitten siblings will give you double the fun, double the love, double the warm fuzzies – and will more than halve their loneliness, their stress and their need for constant attention.

Kittens make great duos for a number of reasons:

• They grow healthy and happy: Kittens who get to play, sleep and bond with another kitten grow to be healthier, happier and better socialized than those who are isolated from other kittens.
• They entertain each other (and you): Kittens love to play! And even if you’re home a lot, you likely won’t have time to play with your kitten as much as he or she wants (which is almost always). Kittens with a furry playmate are less likely to chew, climb, scratch or resort to other “boredom” behaviors that can be dangerous and destructive.
• They get to be kittens: Biting and scratching is normal, healthy behavior for kittens – but your hand might disagree. With a fellow playmate, kittens are free to be kittens.
• You get your z’s: Cats are nocturnal, and kittens love to play. So a kitten means a whole lot of nighttime pestering for your attention. With a fellow feline, your furry friends get their funzies while you get your zzz’s.
• May/December might work for people, but not cats: Kittens will pursue their playful natures with an older cat, but their overtures will not be welcome. Older cats are past the play stage and will find a kitten bothersome and annoying. This dynamic will color the relationship even once the kitten is an adult, and it may lead to behavior problems.

It’s sad to separate kitten besties who have bonded and lean on each other for affection. A pair of kittens will still seek human attention and want to play with their humans, but they provide irreplaceable companionship to each other. Ultimately, a kitten couple will make for happier and better adjusted cats.

So consider getting double – the fun, the love, the warm fuzzies – and adopt a kitten pair this spring.

Written by Tanya Cromey
Photos by Kris Kaiser  |  KrisKreativ Photography
Source: SPCA NOVA.

Help wanted: Kitten Season

Kitten season. If you love cats that probably sounds like a magical time of year. Kitten season is real and while it does indeed produce wonderful, loveable kittens, too often they are unplanned and unwanted. 

So, what is kitten season?
Female cats mate and give birth from early spring to late autumn. With a gestation period that averages just over two months, cats can have two-to-three litters per year producing between three and five kittens per litter. When you consider a cat’s typical 10-year breeding span, one female cat can produce up to 150 kittens!

Kittens, kittens and more kittens

When kitten season arrives, shelters across the country are overrun by an influx of kittens. At Feline Rescue, we are busy preparing for the incoming kitten take-over, but we can’t do it without your support.

How can you help with kitten season? There are several ways you can make a difference:

Make a donation

The easiest way is to make a donation online.

You can also ship or drop off supplies at:

• Our adoption center at 593 Fairview Ave N, St. Paul, MN 55104.
• Between now and May 5, one of two Chuck and Don’s: Edina (6821 York Ave S, Edina 55435) or Woodbury (265 Radio Drive, Woodbury 55125). 
• Between May 21 and June 1 at Bone Marché (3777 Park Center Blvd, St. Louis Park)

Supplies needed include KMR or Breeder’s Edge kitten formula, Royal Canin BabyCat wet and dry food, wand toys and much more. See our entire wish list on Amazon.

Attend a Kitten Shower

Do good while having fun! Bring the family for games, treats and a guest appearance by the very kittens you can help. We are hosting Kitten Showers to raise funds and gather supplies for homeless cats and kittens. 

• Saturday, May 5, between 10am-2pm
  Chuck & Don's Edina (6821 York Ave S, Edina 55435
• Saturday, May 5, between 10am-2pm
  Woodbury (265 Radio Drive, Woodbury 55125) 
• Friday, June 1, between 4-7pm
  Bone Marché (Next to Lunds & Byerlys, 3777 Park Center Blvd, St. Louis Park)

Adopt a cat or kitten

If you are looking to add a new furry member to your family, Feline Rescue is the place to be! You can review our eligible kitties online or stop in and let our friendly volunteers help you find the purrfect companion at our adoption center.

At Feline Rescue, cats and kittens always come first. We are grateful for any and all support you can offer during the wondrous time of year that is kitten season.

Written by Tara Fahey
Photography by Kris Kaiser

A big THANK YOU from Freddie

Hi, I'm Freddie! I'm a Feline Rescue foster guy who you may have seen featured on the Facebook page to raise funds for my medical care in December. I want everyone to know that I’m alive and feeling better than I have in years!

I’m grateful to supporters and volunteers for their help and their belief in Feline Rescue’s core values and mission to a lifelong commitment to each cat,and also that cost is not a factor in the decision for whether to provide medical care to a Feline Rescue cat. Volunteer experience and veterinary partner expertise are more priceless than the freshest tuna, if you ask me!

I’m enjoying a pampered life in a foster home. I receive the best of care. I’m playful, silly, maybe even a little bossy - just as any self-respecting cat should be. It’s wonderful to feel strong again. I explore. I get treats. I take naps. I do all the things people love their cats to be able to do.

Before Feline Rescue I had a loving home with a person who tried to get me treatment for diabetes but wasn’t able. When my person died, I was brought to the impound in December 2017. I was depressed and critically ill. No one there knew I had been an unregulated diabetic for over a year. When the nice impound people saw that my glucose level was 522 and I was in diabetic crisis, they asked for rescue group help.

When Feline Rescue volunteers brought me to Southview Animal Hospital, they never imagined how ill I was, the care I would need, or how much it would cost.

I was severely emaciated, dehydrated, and my ketones were super-high. My phosphorus and potassium were dangerously low. I got pancreatitis, and my calcium levels were dropping, all because I was starving before I was found alone. I developed fatty liver disease and a long list of other health issues. You’d think I was going for a world record! I was so weak I couldn't walk or lift my head. My condition was touch-and-go. Just when the team thought there was no hope, I would show some improvement.

I spent several weeks at the hospital. Tube-feeding became part of my life for months. I was on many medications. My medical team and volunteer friends put in countless hours tending to my extensive needs. Step by step my health improved and I built my strength back up. I was able to come off nearly all my medications. Regulating my diabetes was a big challenge but has become much easier. I kept the humans on their toes! They were so excited to watch me transform from a defeated looking wreck into the incredibly handsome dude you see pictured here.

Thank you to all who helped me and who improve the outcomes for cats in need. Many people joined together to make my recovery possible with their donations, time, and love. I could have been just another cat who didn’t make it. But here I am, snoozing on the couch in a warm home without a care in the world.

Story by Karen Dulski
Photography by Kris Kaiser

Obesity in Cats: The Story of Q

Imagine getting winded when you walk across the room. Imagine not being able to bathe yourself because you can’t reach certain parts of your body. Imagine the stress on your joints from carrying more than twice your ideal weight.

Now meet Q, one of Feline Rescue’s newest residents. She is a beautiful tuxedo cat with soft fur and large, green eyes. Her very favorite thing is receiving pets, and she purrs in gratitude. Her former owner died and she wound up at animal control where one of our volunteers spotted her. Carrying twenty pounds on an eight-pound frame, Q was hard to miss. She couldn’t take more than a few steps without resting, she couldn’t clean most of her body, and she couldn’t make it over the side of the litter box.

Though Q’s condition is extreme, cat obesity is a serious and growing problem in the United States. Experts say that around half of domestic cats can be categorized as overweight or obese. And while chubby cats might seem cute, they are actually at risk for significant health issues. As little as two pounds of extra weight can increase your cat’s chances for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and respiratory disease, kidney and liver disease, many forms of cancer, and osteoarthritis. That extra weight can even decrease your cat’s life expectancy by more than two years.

So how did a cat like Q, with loving human guardians, get to be so heavy? Just like people, cats need to expend more calories than they take in, and those calories need to be from the right sources and consumed in the right amounts. Like most cats, Q was probably given a bowl of kibble and allowed to “free choice feed” or eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. While that is convenient for humans, it’s not ideal for many cats! Some cats (like some people) will eat past the point of fullness or have a hard time recognizing when they feel full, while others eat out of boredom. Furthermore, cats have a harder time processing carbohydrates than humans, so the carb-rich, dry chunks of commercial cat food are more likely to be converted into stored fat. Though some cats can eat kibble and maintain their trim figures, cats like Q just gain weight. The extra weight leads to less activity, which leads to more extra weight.

It took Q a long time to get to twenty pounds, and it’s going to take a long time to get her back to her ideal weight. For now, she’s got a room of her own at the shelter where she gets regular, portion-controlled meals of protein-rich wet food. The volunteers tempt her with toys instead of treats, and she has her very own stylist who comes in to help her care for those as-yet unreachable spots. As the weight comes off (she’s already down to nineteen pounds!) we will increase her activity and adjust her meals accordingly.

If you are interested in making a huge difference in the life of an animal, consider adopting this sweet girl. Q will need a regular schedule and lots of attention, but imagine watching her become the playful, healthy cat she is under all that extra weight!

You can visit Q at our shelter, 539 Fairview Ave N, St. Paul, any time it is open.

Sources: Cornell Feline Health Center, The Cat Community, PetMD

We Need You!!

Become a Feline Rescue foster caregiver! You'll be in great cat and volunteer company! Foster once, foster forever.. whatever works for you. Homeless cats and kittens are in greatest need of rescue in Spring and Summer months. 

Learn more about our Foster Program and apply online.

Not able to foster? Pass this along to a friend who might be willing. Every little bit helps!

Here's what people like you say is the best parts of being a Feline Rescue foster caregiver:

"Having the success stories. Seeing them grow and be comfortable in their furever home."

"Having all the kittens I want!!! Watching the transformation they go through. Learning to trust and love humans. To growing and discovering what it is to be a cat."

"CATS! SO MANY CATS"

"Having been the recipient of unconditional love by fur babies my entire life, I am humbled to be able to give that back to the forgotten and so called unadoptable ones who are on the euthanization lists. Watching their personalities shine after some acclimation is so wonderful. All we need is LOVE."

"Short answer - snuggles 
Long answer - seeing a cat that is consider a lost cause or unhandable find a loving forever home."

"Happy reports from forever homes."