Hi Everyone:

Time to say hello and let you see what we've been doing this year!  We're always busy and PAF has helped many dogs, cats and bunnies this year.  Enjoy stories of some of the animals we've helped through your support.  Please get involved if you see a little one needing help !

BLACKIE

In the cold and rainy days of mid-January, an email came to PAF from VOKRA asking us if we could help out an injured kitty in North Vancouver that was technically homeless but who had been coming to a family for feeding the better part of a year. He would come into their house for his food and allow pats but, because he wasn't neutered, he wanted out to roam after a short while. He was a great big unneutered tomcat who occasionally showed up with battle scars but this time it was different. He returned to their house one day with some bad fight wounds and missing chunks of fur behind his ears. He had scratched his face wounds and torn fur off. He seemed to be favouring his right front paw and the family became concerned that his ability to defend himself was compromised.

Two mornings later after some planning, Valerie managed to wrangle Black Kitty into a carrier so we knew he wasn't feral but he probably had a lot of rough edges due to being in survival mode and unneutered. When he arrived at Norgate Animal Hospital he sure looked a mess! One whole side of a cheek area from his ear to below his neck was all scratched up and bloodied. His cheeks were swollen, likely from an infection and inflammation. Mr. Handsome he was NOT !

While under anesthetic for neutering, an x-ray was taken of his leg and paw to check for breaks but luckily there weren't any. His wounds were cleaned up and he was given an injection of long lasting convenia antibiotics. We didn't want to release him any time soon so he could have time to recover. We were afraid if he got back 'home' immediately he would make it his mission to escape so PAF provided a temporary foster home. He was safe, warm, had all the food and BBQ chicken he wanted and he even used the litter box. He slept for days and gradually seemed to relax and calm down with the quiet environment. His 'family – Valerie and her daughter, Amelia', came to visit him to tell us they wanted him to re-join their family and that their little calico female cat, Stella, seemed to miss him !

After nearly two weeks of 'R and R' we took him back to Norgate and Black Kitty had another convenia shot for a second round of antibiotics and he looked a LOT better. Valerie and Amelia arrived at the clinic to take him home and it was a wonderful day for the big guy. They kept him inside for another week at least before he asked to go outside and, happily, after a few hours he came back home for dinner as usual. From several updates, the word is the boy stays at home a lot and is a total family member.

See Blackie here

THRASHER

An urgent call to PAF from Brenda of 'A Voice for Paws' came one afternoon in the Spring.  Another Director of 'A Voice' (Denise) was calling her with a critical situation out in Langley and Brenda asked if PAF could help.

Seems Denise was at Murrayville Animal Hospital for an appointment with a rescue dog when the receptionist took a call from a woman in great distress. Her young cat had been hit by a car and, although the woman had several hundred dollars to offer for vet care, THREE different veterinary clinics had turned her away when they gave a surgery estimate and she couldn't pay the full amount immediately. Denise asked to talk to the woman and the ball started rolling to get that cat some immediate care.

Kitty was brought to Murrayville asap and, after x-rays and an exam, it was revealed that the cat had a very badly broken hind leg and must have been in great pain. Pain meds were given and surgery scheduled. Within a couple of days “Thrasher” was up and walking around and getting all the special care he needed to recover. Murrayville Animal Hospital was amazing and Thrasher stayed there for awhile so he could get all the daily medication and bandage changes every few days he needed. And soon, Jenni, (his loving mom) sent the hospital and both groups a sweet card in grateful thanks for helping her and Thrasher out by covering the remainder balance for his treatment.

We don't always have extra funds and without your support, PAF couldn't jump in and help like this. We appreciate any donations coming our way so we can continue to help out when situations like this do happen.

See Thrasher here

MAUI

Jana noticed two little hungry cats coming to her backyard but both were shy and she thought they might be lost or new in the neighbourhood. Some times one of the cats would leave for a few days but the other one stayed under her deck 24/7. Jana canvassed the area but no one knew anything about them. One resident said they thought they might have been abandoned months earlier when a family on another street moved. So PAF brought two traps and we caught one beautiful little tortoiseshell girl right away. Off to Mosquito Creek Veterinary Hospital we went where we discovered little one was under a year old and not spayed. She was very frightened and did her best to hide at the back of the kennel. We didn't know whether she was feral or not but we wanted to give her a few days to settle down. So, after spay surgery, Mosquito Creek Hospital clinic kindly kept her for a week and the staff tried to socialize her little by little.

We thought there was promise so we asked Linda and Alan if they would foster little Maui as she was now named. Day by day there were two small steps forward and one back as we think she was very young when she was abandoned and out on the street for many months. She was still timid and easily spooked by loud sounds and sudden movements. Gradually, gradually she eased into household life and Linda emailed one day to say “Recently when I had flu, she slept beside me day and night, only leaving my side to eat or use her litter box'.

PAF started the adoption search and very soon a wonderful woman named Kathy responded that she thought Maui might be a good match. Kathy came to visit Maui who spent the whole visit inside her pet cove so Kathy decided to try the 'foster to adoption' route to see how things went. Any move for a shy cat is traumatic so there were a couple of weeks of 'roller coaster' days but Kathy persevered (we knew we had the right home!!) and gradually Maui (who now became “Missy”) decided to co-operate! Within days of a formal adoption, Missy had TWO new large scratching posts, lots of toys and flying wands, and big tub of freshly grown catnip out on the deck.

Kathy lives near the intersection of two fairly busy streets but wanted Missy to have deck and large garden access so she designed the biggest and most unique cat enclosure ever! It's on two levels ! Missy can go out the back kitchen door to the large deck (with a view to the West Van waterfront), along an enclosed walkway the full length of the deck and then down into the lower garden by a series of wall mounts or an enclosed tree. Talk about 'the CAT'S MEOW' – THIS is it for little Missy . . . . a scared little unspayed kitty, abandoned at not much more than an older kitten age to fend for herself.

Thank you so much to Jana who spotted her and called us. Unfortunately, the second kitty never returned to Jana's yard and she went around the neighbourhood again asking about any sightings. We don't know whether that little one found a home of her own. We hope so.

See Maui (now Missy)  here

BENNAIR UPDATE

Some of you may remember from our December newsletter the hijinks we went through to capture this little Houdini just before Christmas last year. He gave us such a run around for months before we FINALLY nailed him in our drop trap. He became quite the neighbourhood celebrity outwitting us and we thought you'd like an update on Bennair. Just the highlights over the months from Laurie and Rock:

• Rock has discovered Bennair likes angel food cake!
  

• Bennair likes getting head scratches and tummy rubs from Rock!  He seems more comfortable with coming in, but he's still very wary. He's venturing inside more and more - he sits by the fire, stretches, rolls, and lets Rock play with him until he's had enough, when he gets up and saunters back outside.
   

• One day Rock heard a lot of rustling under the patio table - more than the usual Bennair sounds, I guess, and discovered a raccoon under there with Bennair. (The word was Bennair was born under the same commercial building where raccoons also had a den so maybe Bennair thinks they are siblings).
   

• another sign he's accepted Rock as 'his person' - twice now he's brought home a rat. The second time Rock disposed of it when Bennair wasn't looking, and when Bennair went back to where he'd left it, he stopped, looked around, ran around the table, looked again, ran around the table the other way, looked again - I don't know if he thought it had run away, or Rock had eaten it!

Bennair's original story here

Bennair's recent photos here

CHARLIE

About a year ago, Carol noticed a little black and white cat hanging around her backyard and word in the neighbourhood was that he had a home somewhere but was always outside, even on cold winter nights. He would circulate through the neighbourhood and several people began giving him food when he showed up but he was unneutered and skitzy. He didn't want to be picked up or petted so Charlie lived a nomadic life finding food and shelter wherever he could.

Carol began feeding him daily and he started to stay near her home so, last winter, she kindly bought him a little shelter house which had a warming pad that would heat up when Charlie lay on it. Gradually he became a little more trusting and would allow her to pet him but he still roamed.

Nearing this June, Carol took action. She was scheduled for lengthy travel this summer and couldn't face Charlie not having daily food and being uncared for so she went in search of his 'supposed' owner. Eventually she found him and, when Carol explained the situation, the 'owner' didn't care about Charlie or want him and that was that. Carol found out Charlie had been wandering for 4 years ! Next step for her was contacting PAF and, together, we planned Charlie's capture and vet visit for neutering. Although scared, Charlie allowed the vet staff at Norgate Animal Hospital to handle him and he was given the 'full spa day treatment' – neutering, vaccination, tattoo, deworm, deflea and nail trim. By day 2 he was calming down and deciding that being held and petted was actually quite ok !

Fast forward a week and PAF had him being fostered by Linda and Alan who are very experienced and have so much patience in 're-integrating' these little street cats back into domesticity! Yes, there were challenges and a few bumps in the road but little Charlie learned the ropes over a few months and turned into a hugely loving pussycat! So much so that Linda and Alan decided to ADOPT him !!

Linda says - 'He is a love bug, sleeping on my head most nights. He also recently began playing “the string game” and batting catnip pillows around. (He used to run away when we tried to engage him in a bit of fun.) So all in all, he is adjusting very well to domesticity and we love him.'

See Charlie here

FELINE FUNNIES

Just some very funny photos of some of our rescues to show you ! 

For some chuckles click here

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT !

Rescue work and calls for help or advice go on 24/7 and there is rarely a day that goes by that's quiet.  Even the feral feeders go out daily, every single day of the year.  Priorities switch in a minute depending upon the urgency of a situation so days can be chaotic (nights too!)  "Flying by the seat of our pants" describes what the PAF volunteers do and it applies to all our wonderful veterinary clinics too.  Sometimes they get 10 minutes notice by a phone call when we're coming in with an emergency.  We are SO indebted to all our wonderful and steadfast veterinary partners.  The staff are all amazing and quick to respond when we interrupt their schedules or they have to stay late to accommodate an emergency.  Kinder people you will not meet. 

Our supporters are the same.  Compassionate and understanding when we are behind appointment schedules or paperwork.  They all know that the actual hands-on-rescue takes priority and encourage us when we are tired (or cranky).   Thanks everyone  . . .         

We are still looking for a home for our two little sisters.  They are just under a year old and came from a sad situation.  They have had the benefit of nearly two months of good care and socialization so now both are really playful.  They are in a foster home with two small dogs and an adult cat and they get along fine with all.  Do you have room to adopt two little sprites ?  Princess and Sweet Pea.

Happy Thanksgiving and Halloween from PAF !