Cat for Adoption: Fred, and Another Little Rescue

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 Bernadette

Some cats go through a lot of living before they get to their rescue, and potentially their forever home. Not all of that living is good or they wouldn’t need to be rescued, but some of it is downright bad. But often you’ll find that cats who’ve suffered deprivation and injury are the most ready for rescue and love after their healing, no matter how that healing turned out.

Fred is one of these kitties who suffered a serious injury and he needed a lot of healing, but he is ready for love as soon as he sees you coming toward him, purring, kneading, even asking for belly rubs, the last thing you’d expect after all that. Sometimes he eats and walks a little funny, and he’s pretty much deaf, but none of that really matters. If you click here you can see a photo of Fred’s injuries; if you’ve done some rescue they’re not too bad, but if you don’t have rescue experience his injuries may be upsetting.

Here is what Fred himself had to say, transcribed by his foster:

Hello. I’m Fred, and I’m about five years old. I’m an affectionate, loving boy. When you start petting me, I’ll make muffins and roll over for belly rubs. My foster mama says she’s never seen a cat that loves belly rubs like I do! I lead a tough life outside for a really long time, but then I was rescued when something attacked me and I got really sick. As a result, I can be a little standoffish with new people at first. It’s a rough world out there, so can you blame me? But all you have to do is pet me and my purr motor will start right up! I am a bit more of an observer than an in-your-face sort of fellow, but if I see you coming, I’ll start tapping my paws and get really excited for attention! And my mama says I’m a hoot when I eat because I make funny head motions when I’m trying to chomp my food down. Also, my injury is all healed up, but sometimes I walk a little funny and make my foster mama laugh! I’m also quite deaf, but if you stomp on the floor, I will feel the vibrations and know you are coming. All in all, I’m quite the character.

My foster mama says I’m a very special kitty who has been through a lot, but that doesn’t stop me from desperately wanting attention and love. I will be so happy with a loving forever family! I would do best with patient people in a quiet, mellow home. I can adjust to a calm kitty friend; in fact I was a proud foster dad to two little orphan kittens! I will miss them, but they are grown up now and will be great on their own. I’ve met a dog or two, but they are scary! I don’t think I’m ready to let a dog friend into my life!

Please consider adopting me! I want a home to call my own. It might take me a week or so to settle in, but I promise I am very sweet and absolutely love to be petted and get belly rubs. Did I mention how much I love belly rubs? If you’d love to rescue a special fellow like me, apply today! http://tinyurl.com/pghcatapp

Fred also knew how to handle a couple of rescued kittens who also needed some healing.

Fred knows how to handle kittens who also need some healing.

You can also see Fred on Pittsburgh C.A.T.’s Facebook page and on Petfinder.

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A Tiny Kitten!

(Last Thursday) a friend called to say he’d found a tiny kitten in his yard after it meowed all night, what should he do? Kitten was snuggly but would not eat, and one mew from the kitten on the other end of the phone and I knew this was a tiny one who needed special care. Normally I could take the kitten, but I can’t drive yet and really can’t take on a rescue for another few weeks. Thank goodness for Margo who took the time to listen and let the kitten into Pittsburgh CAT if Amy had the space even though the rescue is already overflowing, and for Amy who said of course she had the space. And to artist Andy Sujdak and his wife who took in the kitten and called me. They will be watching for more kittens and potential mom because kittens this age don’t go wandering off on their own. Even saving one tiny loudmouth kitten is a great thing to do!

Yes, that is one tiny kitten, way too young to be wandering around on its own. I’m so glad they noticed and found it and called for help. The kitten has since been named Andy, but Amy’s son didn’t realize that was his human rescuer’s name! This little bit is doing well and will be up for adoption through Pittsburgh CAT in a couple of months.

~~~

Adopting from Pittsburgh C.A.T.

All Pittsburgh C.A.T. adoptions begin with our application. After it’s reviewed you’ll be contacted about meeting your cat or kitten. All cats have been fostered in homes and are healthy, spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccines.

Also look for more adoptable cats on Pittsburgh C.A.T.’s Petfinder page.

Help Pittsburgh C.A.T. with kitten season!

You know that Pittsburgh C.A.T. is the rescue I volunteer with, but even when I’m rescuing cats and kittens for others they still provide support to me in the form of traps and transport, fostering, food, kitten formula, and low-cost clinic and surgery appointments. I couldn’t help anyone without their support. Rescuing adult cats to foster and adopt to a forever home can be expensive depending on their condition, but rescuing kittens is always expensive because they need complete vetting, often they are orphaned and need formula and bottle feeding for weeks, they often develop illnesses or conditions specific to young kittens and they eat A LOT. We don’t adopt kitten out until they are spayed and neutered and have all age-appropriate vaccines, so we make a substantial investment in their future.

Here’s what you can do:

Donate Amazon gift cards to [email protected]. Because our cats are fostered in homes all around the Pittsburgh area, gift cards enable us to send supplies directly to fosters!
You can also buy supplies through our Amazon wishlist
Or donate cash through Paypal ([email protected]) or Venmo (Pittsburghcat).

Can’t adopt? Foster! Can’t foster? Donate or volunteer.

There are so many ways you can help cats who need homes and care. You may not have room to adopt another cat, but can foster a cat or kitten for a few weeks. If not that, you can volunteer at a shelter or with a rescue, or donate. You do this because you love your cat, and by doing so you help all cats. No matter which of these actions you take, you help to save a life, and make life better for all cats.

Adopt one of the cats I’ve posted here, or from any shelter or rescue near you, or from Petfinder, to open up a space for another cat to be rescued and fostered.
Offer to foster cats or kittens for a shelter or rescue near you.
Volunteer at a shelter or rescue.
Find a group of volunteers who work with homeless cats and help them with their efforts.
Donate to a shelter or rescue near you.

If you can foster kittens or adults cats to help prepare them for a forever home, please run to your nearest shelter and find a cat who needs you! Anyone can help with this effort at any level, even if all you do is donate to a shelter or rescue so they can help to pay for the food or medications needed for their foster, or the spay/neuter/veterinary care during a clinic.

Need to know more? Read Fostering for Your Shelter and Fostering Saves Lives

On Mondays I publish articles featuring Adoptable Cats and TNR.

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

Great Rescues Day Book:
Portraits, Rescue Stories, Holidays and Events, Essential Feline Information, All in One Book

day book with cat portraits — Great Rescues Day Book

Each month features one of my commissioned portraits of a feline or felines and their rescue story along with a kitty quote on the left page, and on the right page the month name with enough lines for all possible dates, with standard holidays and animal-themed observances and events. Great Rescues also includes a mini cat-care book illustrated with my drawings including information on finding strays or orphaned kittens, adopting for the first time or caring for a geriatric cat, a list of household toxins and toxic plants, or helping stray and feral cats and beginning with TNR.

Each book includes also 10 sheets of my “22 Cats” decorative notepaper with a collage of all the portraits in black and white so you can make your own notes or write special notes to friends.

The portraits in this book, collected as a series, won both a Certificate of Excellence and a Muse Medallion in the 2011 Cat Writers’ Association Annual Communication Contest, as well as the 22 Cats Notepaper mentioned below.

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.