Feline Rescue Cat Tales

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Vanalikes are one week old

I read it on the internet, so it must be true!

The Turkish Van is a rare, naturally occurring breed of cat from the Lake Van region of present-day Turkey. For Turkish Vans, the word van refers to their color pattern, where the color is restricted to the head and the tail, and the rest of the cat is white. It is the maximum expression of the piebald white spotting gene that makes the van pattern.[1] The spotting gene (Leucism) appears in many different species (like the horse and ball python). It also shows up in the common house cat, so a cat that shows this color pattern but is not registered or from the Van region, is called a "Vanalike".

My Vanalike kittens are Bonnet, Beau & Bunny, born the day before Easter. Their eyes started to open on their one-week birthday on Saturday.

Two Benefits for Feline Rescue

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY APRIL 10 – AND BENEFIT FELINE RESCUE
On Thursday, April 10, let your appetite be your guide to charitable giving!

In honor of the ASPCA’s “Go Orange For Animals” Day, the Signature Café, located at 130 SE Warwick Street in Minneapolis, will donate a portion of the day’s proceeds to Feline Rescue. The menu will be vegetarian that day, so encourage all of your animal-loving friends to attend! If you’re especially hungry that day, consider coming for both lunch and dinner!

Events celebrating “Go Orange for Animals” Day will take place in cities all across the country and will help raise awareness for the humane treatment of animals. For more information on “Go Orange for Animals,” please visit:http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aspcaday

And to find out more about the Signature Café, check out their web site:http://www.signaturecafe.net/

MAKE A WISH FOR FELINE RESCUE AT THE MALL OF AMERICA
And during the entire month of April, you can make a wish and benefit the cats at Feline Rescue.

The fountain at the Mall of America, located in Bloomington, will give all of the coins tossed into its fountain to Feline Rescue. So during April, visit the mall, make a wish, and help our wishes to come true – finding forever homes for stray, abandoned and abused cats in the Twin Cities area.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Once Upon a Time in a Land of Ivy and Elves

Above is a photo of the kittens I called the Elves and left is their momma Ivy back in the fall of 2006. I must confess I didn't think they were very pretty when I picked them up. They had lank wispy fur and were skinny, but they just needed good food and care to grow into great beauties.

Ivy went to a home with her lookalike daughter and they are more beautiful every time I see pictures of them. The gray brother went to a home with another kitty waiting to become his best friend.

The black kitty and his brown tabby brother went to a home together and all have been living happily every after until I got word yesterday that the black kitty, Gus, is gravely ill with lymphoma. We are so sorry for Gus, his brother Max and their adoptive family.

U of M Vet School Open House

Feline Rescue is pleased to have an information booth
and a shelter cat at the University of Minnesota
College of Veterinary Medicine Open House on Sunday,
April 6, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Open House includes a variety of exhibits from
many animal rescue groups, as well as demonstrations and
seminars for people of all ages. Visit the Veterinary
Medical Center, where thousands of dogs, cats, llamas,
and other animals are treated each year. Learn about
educational opportunities offered by the College of
Veterinary Medicine. Visit The Raptor Center to see
and learn about eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. And
Visit the Leatherdale Equine Center, a new
state-of-the-art facility dedicated to the health,
well-being and performance of horses.

The College of Veterinary Medicine is located on the
St. Paul campus at 1365 Gortner Ave., St. Paul.
Public parking is free and available in the Gortner
Avenue Ramp adjacent to the college.

We hope to see you there!

Names for the Vanalikes

It is always a struggle to name a foster cat before you have had a chance to get to know them. It is the same problem with newborn kittens.

Vanna, the momma cat, got her name because she looks like the breed of cat known as the Turkish Van. When I did a little research on the breed I learned that cats that just look like the Turkish Van are called "vanalikes".

Well, I loved that word and that is how this group of kittens will be known. However, they still need names and S and I have been toying with "V" names (Vance, Vanessa, etc.) or Easter names since the kittens were born on Easter weekend. The Easter names seem more fun. We are considering Bunny and Bonnet for the two girls and Bo for the boy. Any suggestions?

Vanna and the Vanalikes are doing great. Life is pretty easy for a mom cat with just three kittens. They have gotten so fat so fast! She is a wonderful mother and her tendency to bite me seems to have disappeared since the kittens were born. Must have been hormones!