Brandi, Freddy, Teddy, Calli, Blinky

PAWS is urgently in need of either permanent (preferred) or foster homes for our 6 kitties who have tested positive for Feline Leukemia.  Because this can be a contagious illness in cats we keep our friends Brandi, Freddy, Teddy, Callie, Blinky and Bianco separate from the rest of the tribe which means they are confined in close quarters.  Until we have our new shelter, our space is very limited.

These cats desperately require a larger place to roam, especially since they are beginning to encounter weight issues.  Nothing would make their caregivers happier than to see them living with a special family.

Do you have a no-cat home where you could give these deserving felines free-run of your abode?  Or do you have a large, windowed room where they could while away the afternoons?  Please contact us if you (or someone you know) can provide a permanent or temporary home for these cats.  PAWS volunteers will only be a phone call away to help you with any issues that might arise – day or night.

An important message from our President:

Dear Friends:

Thank you for taking the time to read about Brandi, Freddy, Teddy, Blinky, Callie and Bianco – just a few of my best pals.  These cats have taught our family of Volunteers a lot about Feline Leukemia and I can say in all honesty that they are just as deserving of loving, forever homes as any cat(s) in our care.

There are no guarantees as to their longevity but that can be said of any animal or human currently inhabiting our earth.  We have had wonderful success with animals with immune deficiencies and they deserve a chance at a normal life.

Please know that they do not currently require any medications or specialized treatment whatsoever.  All they need is plenty of TLC, fresh water daily, a healthy diet and a clean and sanitary litter box.

Fair warning … if you were to come to visit any of these fabulous felines – you are sure to fall in love!!

Why not schedule an appointment today?

Kimberly Heys
President

In Loving Memory of Jasper who crossed the Rainbow Bridge on September 16, 2006

Most fondly remembered by his partner Brandi who remains in our care and who is hopeful each and every day that someone will provide her with the love and affection she craves and deserves.

Bianco

PAWS received a call from a woman, Lucy, living in the west end of Toronto to say that she had found a homeless cat.  She was very concerned about him as the temperatures were dropping and it was nothing less than freezing out this day – December 5, 2006.  She was advised by our President, Kim, that she should take him directly to her veterinarian as she had another cat.  PAWS never brings ANY animal into our care without first taking that animal to be examined, spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, tested to rule out or verify immune deficiencies and treated for internal/external parasites.  In addition to these precautions, we also segregate (quarantine) these animals for 2-3 weeks in order to protect our current residents.

Lucy’s vet suggested euthanasia.  Kim could not understand this as Lucy had not indicated that this cat was ill.  As far as Kim and the PAWS Volunteers knew, Bianco was simply frightened (more often than not, cats are mistakenly determined to be feral when, in fact, they are terrified – countless numbers of these cats are killed each day both by veterinarians and by other ‘shelters’). 

Kim suggested taking Bianco to another Veterinarian who determined that Bianco had tested positive for Feline Leukemia.  Upon meeting Bianco for the first time, Kim and PAWS Volunteers were devastated.  He was in terrible condition.  We had no choice but to board him overnight at this vet office due to the timing of the admission to our care and we moved him to our regular vet office early the next morning.

As you can see in the pictures we are providing … Bianco had been through an awful lot.  The staff and doctors at our veterinary clinic were not optimistic but were willing to do their utmost to save Bianco’s life WHICH THEY DID!!  He required extensive dental work and his blood results indicated that it was unsafe to neuter him – Dr. Mike indicated that he was at risk of bleeding to death.

It took some time to bring this little man back to health but within about 6 weeks we were able to neuter him and provide him with much-needed dentistry.  He is much more comfortable now and, quite frankly, is eating us out of house and home.  He also enjoys nothing more than hanging out on the laps of our Volunteers – purring like a cat should and he is so appreciative of the love and affection that he receives.

Yes, from time to time PAWS Volunteers and the reputable Veterinarians we deal with are expected to perform miracles and that we do!  Bianco is a classic example of this.

If you would like to sponsor Bianco or if you can offer any form of assistance (his bills to date total approximately $2,500) we would be very grateful.

Then	Now

Tommy

In August of 2006, our President, Kim, was returning from a weekend spent in the Windsor area.  While stopping at a local business a beautiful and extremely friendly cat approached and literally jumped into Kim’s arms.  After giving the cat some love and affection, Kim gently placed the cat on the porch and entered the store (worried for his well-being as the store was just off a very busy highway).  The employee at the cash register noticed that Kim had shown interest in the cat and asked if she would like to adopt him.  Already having more cats in her care than she knew what to do with, Kim began speaking with other customers to see if anyone would consider at least fostering the cat until such time as a permanent home could be found.  Not one person would even consider helping.  The woman at the cash went on to say that all of the siblings to this innocent little being had been killed by cars and that the neighbors who were ultimately responsible for the cat had stopped feeding him and hoped he would just disappear.  She begged Kim to help (as if she had to).

Kim named him Tommy.  Upon entering the vehicle with Tommy – he became very afraid and tried everything to get out.  Kim always travels with a carrying case but was not in her own vehicle, therefore, Kim had to stop at a local Canadian Tire to purchase one – thankfully, she made it just before the store was scheduled to close.  Prior to this a local business offered a box … as you can see by the picture this did not last for long.  As much as cats love to play in boxes – they do not appreciate being kept in one!  Tommy settled down once safely placed in his new carrying case (he was also given food and water at this point as it was a long drive back to Toronto – about 3 hours to go).

Amazingly Tommy remained in Kim’s care for several months (he is SOOO adoptable and PAWS Volunteers introduced him to dozens of potential adopters!) when suddenly in March of 2007 he was unable to apply pressure to one of his hind legs.  Sure enough, he had somehow managed to fracture the ‘Femoral Head’ and now required surgery which cost PAWS over $1,500.00 to repair.  He is still recovering and we are hoping someone will step up and assist with these expenses.

Being young and very energetic, we suspect that Tommy was rough-housing with one of his buddies or jumped down hard off of a scratching post.  Thankfully he is doing very well and on the road to recovery.

Buster – a.k.a. Brewster

Buster’s foster Mom, Marg, can’t seem to make up her mind as to his name – actually, she has many ‘pet’ names for him but, for the most part, he is BUSTER.

Now that we’ve got that straight … here’s his story:

Buster was struck by a car in Scarborough in late August 2006.

A caring PAWS member stopped to help him (thanks Gerry!).  He required a very serious (and expensive) surgery to insert a plate in his back and is doing phenomenally well today!  He does not have full use of his hind legs and he is unable to urinate without being expressed but Marg is retired, home with him almost all day and loves him more than anything.  He also has several pals whom he adores – Ben, Missy, The Duster (his best pal) and Scooter.  They all love nothing more than to suntan together, play with the dozens of toys available to them and, believe it or not, Buster is able to climb to the top of the scratching post all by himself.

He’s a terrific young fella and is in need of sponsors to assist with his ongoing veterinary expenses and special diet (Buster currently requires a veterinary diet due to crystals in his urine).

Buster is in need of YOUR help!  We urgently require that a knowledgeable cat person, ideally a Veterinarian or Veterinary Technician, will visit to express his bladder on a daily basis.  This is vital to Buster’s continued good health.  He is presently being fostered in the Birchmount Road and Finch Avenue East area in Scarborough.  We also need sponsors for Buster’s ongoing medical costs.

UPDATE:  A special young lady from Ajax recently celebrated her Birthday.  She very kindly and selflessly decided that, rather than buy toys or clothes for herself with the monies she received as gifts, she would donate her Birthday money to PAWS to assist with Buster’s veterinary care.  She has also decided that she would like to hold a fundraiser of her own at her school to raise money for PAWS.

WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA – please consider doing the same yourself and encourage your children to get involved!

We will post pictures soon of the wonderful meeting between Buster and one of his sponsors.

** NOTE **  As Buster requires specialized care on an ongoing basis, his expenses are far greater than those of a typical rescued cat.  He’s well worth it though and we know our supporters will want to help.