Cats for Adoption: Wouldn’t You Like a Family of Black Cats Too?

June 3, 2013June 28, 2013 Bernadette

black cat in carrier — Stevie was tossed out, abused and neglected and has a list of woes but just needs a little help to get better.

A sweet boy who was twice neglected, abused and thrown out in the street to fend for himself though he technically had an “owner”, rescued cat Stevie found himself in need of emergency care. Luckily for Stevie, a neighbor contacted the rescue group about him because he was just walking the street where he lived hoping to find some scraps to eat. The second time he was rescued he had a big scar on his head, some hair loss from flea-bite allergies and an old flea collar wrapped around his neck that had to be cut off, as you see above. But worst of all he had an upper respiratory infection that turned out to be a calici virus.

A message went out to the rescue group asking if anyone without cats, an interesting request for a feline-centered rescue group, could foster him for ten days to give him medication for the calici, by which time he should be recovered.

On the way to the vet, however, Stevie just crashed from a combination of his own weakness, fever and the heat of the afternoon and had to go to emergency, then to Dr. Morrow’s clinic for a few days, and expenses mounted though both vets were kind with their charges for a rescue cat and a known rescuer. Stevie’s rescuer sent out a plea for donations to help cover the costs, and people responded with a foster home and cash for his vet bills.

black cat and black dog — Stevie has the dog under control.

Today Stevie’s still just a little sniffly and gaining weight, and enjoying his rescued life! Says his foster, “Stevie is happy, yet still sneezy. Still getting Lysine and I think it has helped some. He’s a real love bug! I’d say for sure he is well enough to be adopted, though he’d have to see the vet first to decide if he is still contagious at all. He may not be…the sneezing/funny breathing may just be a residual effect from his illness. Of course, a home without a cat currently would be fine for him either way!”

People? Sure! Dogs? No problem! He’s friendly and affectionate, ready to love and appreciate his adoptive home. Many thanks his rescuer and to all the people who contributed to the costs of his care, including one particular customer of mine. Read more about how she donated for Stevie’s care by purchasing and original daily sketch from me in Helping Stevie With Art, Feeding Kittens and a Happy Ending.

If you can’t live without Stevie, please contact me and I’ll put you in touch with his rescuer and foster home! Give this wonderful guy a chance at the loving home he so deserves.

Sophia Slick and Beatrice

Lovely Sophia Slick is about 2 years old, all black with beautiful gold eyes. She was simply found wandering around and no one claimed her, so a rescuer took her in a while ago. Sophia has just moved to a new foster home and her foster reports, “She is already rubbing all over me and wanting attention,” so I would guess we can figure she’s also friendly. Sophia also lived with other cats as well as a dog and did fine with both. She isn’t yet spayed and hasn’t yet seen the veterinarian, but if you can’t live without a young black female kitty, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with her foster home!

Another gold-eyed black kitty who is not pictured here is also being fostered with Sophia. Beatrice (her foster calls her B) is almost all black with just a little white spot on her chest and beautiful gold eyes. She is about 5 years old and came into a shelter with a group of six cats. The person who dropped the group off told the shelter that they were not her cats, but that she felt bad for them, brought them into her house and had been feeding them a few weeks. At first all six were checked and were doing OK and were going to be put up for adoption, but B and her friend Pansy became very scared and could not be handled, and temperament issues, regardless of the reason, is usually a ticket to the next world during kitten season. They were pulled from the shelter and their foster took them in.

She reports that B is doing pretty well. She loves attention and rubs all over her legs, she can pick her up, but B still will sometimes get defensive if she decides she has had enough petting. Her foster thinks once she can trust someone, she will be a nice girl, but she may need someone to give her space until she they can get B to trust.

But B has been around the rescues dog and will rub on his legs, so she’s okay with dogs too. Once again, if you can’t live without a young black female kitty, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with her foster home! And this wonderful foster home happens to be a person I wrote about months ago who’s fostered dozens of kittens and cats in the past year alone.

Black Jack is Ready to Work For You

You know how I love black cats, and you can see every day how special black cats are right here on The Creative Cat. So here’s a black cat who’s ready to fill your life with that special black cat energy!

From his rescuer: “Black Jack was part of a colony in the Hill District. The housing authority trapped him and took him to the Humane Society. Because he was ear-tipped and part of a colony, they called the Homeless Cat Management Team, but we had no address to even investigate the colony Black Jack was removed from. Thank goodness he was friendly….

“Our friends at the Animal Rescue League adopted him out for us, but he was returned after he scratched a child who wasn’t being gentle with him. He is litter trained without accidents in his foster home and plays a little rough, but he’s a young kitty, less than 2 years old we think. He is the type of cat who would love a string and feathers to play tug of war with a new owner!

“Black Jack thought he had his forever home, a warm place to call his home, but now he needs a real forever home who will understand that any children who interact with him need to be gentle! He gets along well with other cats and really enjoys the pets!

“His foster mom tells me that this guy acts like a kitten! We can work with someone if they want to meet him or trial how he does with your cats.”

Here is Black Jack’s list of qualifications in his own words:

two year old rescued- black short haired cat
Black “Jack”
Love to chase mice
Eat spiders
Better than a fly-swatter
I know what it is like to feel alone
I could fill that empty spot in your heart. or your home.
If your lap is around, I am available
If you have a rodent problem, I am your pest control expert.
I can police your home night and day.
Catnip is my anti-drug.
The string of feathers is mine and I will challenge you to take it from me.
I love to be indoors and could never imagine being homeless again.
I am up to date on vaccinates, tested for disease, and microchipped.
I am not used to kids or dogs.

**Rehoming fee applies (donation-based)
**Home visit required
Adoption form/contract required

Are you interested? Please contact me or Donnie at [email protected]

Magik

In March, a lovely and sweet black cat was rescued from someone who had posted her ad on craigslist as “Free Ugly Cat” and described her in a way that sounded like a joke. It wasn’t. The person sincerely wanted to get rid of this cat.

Her name is Magik and a foster or forever home—and if any cat deserved one, it’s Magik! As it turns out, it wasn’t the cat who was ugly but the people who had her in their garage because they didn’t like her, and for a much longer time than they originally admitted, like, years. She was apparently given to the people giving her away by an elderly woman who could no longer keep her.

Look at her sitting there calmly in her carrier. She is sweet and friendly, about ten years old, declawed, and spayed.

Magic is in the Pittsburgh, PA area. If you’d like to adopt or foster Magic, please contact me! If you’d like to help with Magic’s veterinary care, housing and food, you can make a donation to the Homeless Cat Management Team or to Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue.

Photo taken by Magic’s rescuer, and thanks to him as well for always being ready to pull a cat out of a bad situation, and rescuing so many.

One “Lucky Kitty”

black cat in cat tree. — Lucky is ready to charm the cat tree off of you! Photo courtesy Animals Against the Odds.

Don’t you want a silly playful black cat just like one of the Fantastic Four? Really—no home is complete without at least one black cat!

From Animals Against the Odds: Lucky is looking for her forever home! She is already spayed, rabies and distemper shots, microchipped, dewormed and Frontline applied. Lucky is very affectionate and demands attention! She is good with other cats, dogs and kids!

Lucky has quite the dramatic story! Workers at an apartment complex found newborn kittens—still wet—and were told to “throw them over the hill”! One very special man with a heart of gold refused to kill these babies and asked AATO for help instead. AATO had a nursing Mama kitty, Star, in foster care who was feeding her own four kittens and took in the three newborns immediately. Lucky was apparently touch and go for a while, but by eight weeks was the strongest of all the kittens.

Below is a slideshow of a few photos of finding the newborns—and Lucky was found on a concrete floor, cold and unmoving—who they placed in a plastic bin with straw hoping the mother would come back. But the kittens were beginning to suffer and they couldn’t wait any longer so took them home to care for them, where foster mom Star took over.

See a slideshow of photos of Lucky when he was just hours old and first rescued!

Lucky is located near Pittsburgh, PA, and I am told that AATO has had SEVEN BLACK CATS in foster for up to a year. If you have room in your heart and home for Lucky or one of the other black kitties in foster—or any one of the kitties in their care, please email us for an application at: [email protected]

The Little Black Cat, Goes with Everything

And if all these available black cats—plus my five who are enviably beautiful but not up for adoption—don’t convince you that you need at least one black cat, preferably more, then perhaps this painting by John White Alexander will convince you that a little black cat really does go with everything!

“Black and Red”

Hmmm…wonder if I could find a nice red dress like that and Mimi and me could pose for our portrait?

Thanks to The Pet Museum for posting this today!

All photos courtesy the kittens’ foster homes.

And read about other kittens and adult cats who are looking for homes.

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

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

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