Success!
2018
This year we did 176 adoptions! We consider all of them a success story, here are our two favorites this year.
Zerika
In May we rescued a 4 year old female brown/black tabby and white from the Hollister animal shelter because she wasn't doing well there. She had been owner-surrendered and was depressed, which progressed to utter despair when she reached her foster home and found herself one of a herd rather than a treasured princess. She hadn't been eating well for some time and quit entirely a short while later, though she continued to drink water. It was only a month further on when the skin in front of her ears started turning yellow that it was realized she had a serious problem, which by that time was in danger of ending her life. The veterinarian installed a feeding tube in Zerika's neck because she was known to be extremely resistant to having anything put in her mouth and statistically cats who are in her condition do not survive without far more feeding than can be accomplished without a tube. Starting with small feedings every few hours, over the next weeks she was gradually able (and willing) to take more through the tube, though when shown food she would shudder and jerk aside like she'd been offered poison-laced poop to eat. She was also on a collection of meds to make her hungry, help her digestion, reduce inflammation, prevent infection, and keep her intestines working. All were also administered through the tube, making her care a very time consuming project. The best thing about it was all the attention! She loved being held and fussed over even if it was just having her neckhole cleaned or getting a fluids injection, and she would purr as if she didn't think that food was involved so long as she was adequately fussed over while her nutritional syringe-loads of goopy special prescription diet were pumped in. Eventually she was down to getting three meals a day, the yellow coloration receded from her head (after initially climbing all the way up her ears), and one day she was spotted sneaking a few crunchies from a bowl when she thought nobody was looking. It took a few more weeks of slowly tapering off the supplemental tube feeding and regular weighing before everyone believed she was willing to eat enough to sustain herself without the tube, and it was finally taken out. She had a weird-looking hole in her neck for over a week but it healed on its own surprisingly quickly and cleanly, and daily checks ensured she wasn't relapsing and losing mass again. She didn't like not getting as much personal attention so extra effort went into making her feel special and loved all the time. We knew she'd need a particularly attentive and affectionate home to do well, preferably where she could monopolize all the laps and petting available, so we were prepared to wait quite a while for the right placement for her. After only another month, the perfect home came looking for her! We were gobsmacked, but the adoption went so well it was like everyone was being rewarded. Her new mom reports that she is eating fine and demanding all the time and attention that a cat loving home wanted to give; she had this habit of rubbing her face on the chin of the person holding her and she's already letting her new person know how very much they're appreciated.
Professor Merriweather
The Professor was brought into the San Jose Shelter by a homeless man who had found him. When he was brought in he was unable to stand so the shelter went ahead and did some x-rays to find out the reason. It was discovered that he had a broken back and a broken pelvis so he was placed on the rescue list because the shelter doesn’t have the resources to care for such serious medical cases. Deanna, one of our foster parents that volunteers at the San Jose Shelter, absolutely fell in love with him and decided he had to be saved. A week went by and no one stepped up to rescue the boy and she was getting worried. She talked to us about rescuing him and because he was a special medical case we then spoke to Dr. Rubin, our veterinarian. She reviewed the x-rays and contacted a specialist and it was determined that he would most likely heal without surgery and just on cage rest. We rescued the boy and Dr. Rubin fostered him for 2 months. The poor guy had obviously had a bit of a rough life and keeping him in a cage for 6 weeks was quite challenging. Even with pain meds! He finally finished his 6 weeks and was taken for another x-ray and it showed that the breaks had healed. That was the best news ever! Dr. Rubin knew she couldn’t keep him boxed up so we transferred him to the care of the Foster Care Coordinator. The Professor was a tough one to acclimatize to the house. It was obvious that he wasn’t thrilled with the other cats and he looked longingly out the windows. Since the Foster Care Coordinator lived in a very safe, protected area, she decided to try him as indoor/outdoor. That made him so happy! He started to explore and make friends in the neighborhood. The foster home is next to a school and he actually goes and visits a classroom that teaches children with autism. They love him, he is very gentle with the kids and just sits and watches. He also goes into the district school office nearby and lounges on the desks and enjoys extra love and attention. He is an amazing boy that is happy as can be, and making others enjoy their days more, because of Deanna and Dr. Rubin.
2017
This year we did 141 adoptions, and although we consider all of them a success story, these are the stories that we chose to share this year.
Carter
We rescued Carter from San Jose in early November of 2016. At 3 years old he was a beautiful white medium-hair with a few tan spots on his head and tail, and an affectionate nature that made him a favorite at the shelter. He had been adopted as a small kitten sadly returned to them in bad shape, mostly from his flea allergy dermatitis which had led to an extensive skin infection. He also had a cyst that was removed before he joined us.
Friendly with other cats, he quickly got along well in his foster home, and his looks earned him an offer of foster to adopt with another family only a couple weeks later. But his goofy, clueless way of playing was too aggressive for them and he was returned in a few weeks. Three months later, his good looks and big fluffy tail earned him a real adoption, but again he was returned after a couple weeks as too aggressive.
It was five more months before he was adopted again, this time to a wonderful couple looking for a companion for their cat who had recently lost its buddy after a long illness. He fit in perfectly, playing with his new friend and energetically making himself loved. They adore his goofball ways and even the fact he's a handful of occasionally excessive exuberance doesn't detract from his appeal. He's finally home for good and is utterly smug and satisfied about it.
Teşekkür
Found in a dumpster in early June of 2017, this six-week-old kitten was so cold that the shelter wasn't sure she'd survive. One of their volunteers took her home and warmed her up slowly, saving her life. We picked her off the save-a-kitten list that week and everyone loved her big eyes and habit of purring continuously when picked up. As she grew quickly, her silky-soft but uneven fur changed color and thickness until she developed a fine mane and huge poofy tail along with the cutest little tuft of forward-tilting fur right under her chin that looks like a goat's beard.
In only two months she was adopted and continues to delight her new owner. Still growing, she loves to play fetch and often comes running when her name is called. Her name means "thanks" in Turkish (pronounced TESH-eh-cure), a play on the way the word is often seen on public trash cans. Looking like a purebred Norwegian Forest cat, she rules the household like a full grown ugly duckling who has come into her true inheritance - a long way from that doomed little discard.
Vala
Vala was rescued in our first summer of 2014 with a group of kittens that came to us through a friend all the way from Mexico. She is a beautiful tortie but was left behind as all her siblings were adopted. She was a bit shy, but over time became a beautiful and loving cat. We didn't know why she wasn't finding her forever home. Jenny, her foster mom, was happy to keep her in her home though and loved her for more than a year. Finally, after almost three years with Four Paws to Love, Vala found her family this spring at our Bissell Empty the Shelters event. She is one of the special ones!
This year was another hard year for FPTL when it comes to tiny kittens. We lose too many of these orphans because they do not have the nurturing care that they receive from their mothers. To highlight the plight of our little babies, below is the story of Robin.
- As told by Christine Kiuchi, Executive Director, Four Paws to Love
Robin, renamed Toby, getting cuddles with one of his new family members
On May 1, 2017 we got another call from our friends at the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter. There was a litter of 6 2-week old kittens in need of rescue. Someone found them in their yard with no mother to be seen. I took on that task for these little ones, just as I have for so many others in my 14 years of animal rescue. So many have passed under my roof and amazingly only 2 bottle babies have stayed as permanent residents. I lost count years ago, but there have been many fabulous results from my efforts. Unfortunately, just as many tragic outcomes as well. There is a 50/50 chance for these orphaned babies and this group was no exception. I brought them home and started trying to feed them kitten formula. They were not long
apart from their mother so trying to get them to suck from a bottle was a bit of a challenge, I had to wait until they got hungry enough to not care that the bottle wasn't as good as mama. They finally settled in and for a couple of days they ate and did well for the most part.
The last few years I have waited to give my tiny ones names until I have a good feeling that they will pull through the tough initial period, so these babes were known as 1C-6C. 1C was a little gray tabby girl, 2C was a black and white tuxedo boy, 3C was a solid black girl (the runt), 4C was a female fluffy all gray, 5C was a big boy brown tabby, and 6C was a gray and white girl. Everything was going fine, they ate, they slept, they had beautiful poop, until a few days into their care they developed the dreaded diarrhea! Sometimes this lasts a short time after starting on the formula just until their bodies get used to the change from mother's milk, but if it lasts longer than a day or two then it is very dangerous for their little systems to take and they can quickly become dehydrated. Medication was started immediately and it started to slow it down but this was a particularly severe case.
Two days went by and despite their good appetites they were losing weight. They had spirit though and were as sweet as can be despite being constantly cleaned, medicated and given many injections of fluids. Just 5 days after being separated from their mother, 6C didn't pull through. 1C lasted one day more. Surprisingly, the tiniest little black girl, 3C, hung on for two more days. She was a fighter, she had spunk, I thought she would pull through. That one hit me hard. Sometimes you just get more attached to certain ones and she was it for me in this litter. But, you have to be able to move forward to save the ones that you can. 2, 4, and 5 were the survivors, they were not out of the woods yet and they still needed medication, fluids, and care. The three gradually improved over the next two weeks and it was time to give them names. I decided on a Robin Hood theme and named the tuxedo boy with a mask Robin Hood, the roly poly big tabby became Little John and sweet little gray fluffy was dubbed Maid Marion. Soon they were joined by a little lilac point Siamese boy around the same age that was found all alone and brought to the shelter for rescue. He rounded out the group as Friar Tuck.
As time went by, Tuck was adopted first then Little John found his forever home. Robin and Marion were with me for several more months. They were small for their age and Marion always seemed thin even though she had a good appetite and had plenty of energy. I came into their room one August evening and found her and some other kittens curled up in a little bed. When I put their dinner out she always came running however this time she didn't move. I thought the worst and walked over to find her alive, but barely. I went into emergency mode...fluids, Karo syrup for blood sugar, antibiotics for infection, warm towels, cuddles! To no avail. She died in my arms and we will never know exactly why she suddenly took a turn. I was concerned about Robin and kept a very close eye on him for quite a while. He seemed to finally start to catch up in size to the other kittens his age and now he is a 9 month old ball of sweetness and energy. He has recently found his forever home with two little girls and their mom and is getting more love than I could have ever hoped for.
Tiny kittens are certainly a challenge. It can be hard work, physically and emotionally. Is it worth the cost? Even though you have to accept the sad outcome for some, you also get to experience the joy of the happy outcome for the others. If we had never tried, then instead of 2 of 6 surviving, there would be none. 2 families are greatly enriched because of the addition to their families... and that is worth the cost.
It takes a certain kind of person to be able to do this specialized work. If you feel like this is something you would like to help with, we would certainly love to have you join our ranks. It's not for everyone though, but you can still help us in our struggle by donating to our work. Every penny you give goes to save lives like Robin, Little John, Tuck and the other cats and kittens mentioned here. You can also donate supplies, drop by our adoption events at General Feed & Seed from 1-4pm and drop off any of the items listed on our donate page.
Just as important, or even more so, you can also spread the word about spay/neuter. Some of these kittens come from feral cats, but some come from pet owners that feel that spaying or neutering their animals is unnatural or the erroneous idea that females should have at least one litter before they are spayed or they would like their children to experience the "miracle of birth". I ask them to come visit us during "kitten season" and experience the heartbreaking results of these actions.
2016
This year had some very good outcomes for our furry friends.
We did 143 adoptions. To see more stories from this year and more, please visit our desktop/tablet version of this website.
© Four Paws to Love 2018