12/21/17 – While so many people are out shopping and getting ready for a Merry Christmas, there are caring people braving the bitter cold to save the many animals needing our help. We are so thankful to our supporters for giving us the opportunity to help those rescuers. Lori D. and Megan Blass from Friends of Scooby are two of those people. Lori has been taking care of a cat community and in the process discovered a 12 week old kitten we named Santa, because we didn’t know the gender. Our good friends at Hartrick Veterinary took her in as soon as she was trapped and found that this little girl was under weight, had a low body temperature, a severe upper respiratory infection with both eyes infected. and is not eating at this time. Santa is already looking a little better and we will pray that she has a full recovery and finds her way into a permanent home. ~ diana

12/20/17 – An update on Big Chuck ~ diana
* Well he was nicknamed the Terminator by the vet 😺 They were able to neuter and vaccinate him, estimated to be about 7 years old and weighed 14 pounds. They didn’t find any wounds, thank goodness! But he does have a severe URI and has been prescribed oral antibiotics. The only way we can safely give him meds right now is mixed in his wet food but he’s not eating anything for us yet. He has been setup in a big cage with a litter box and his food so we can try and get him eating again. We will be taking him to another vet if he doesn’t start eating in the next 24 hours. Thank you to everyone that has donated for this guy, it’s so reassuring to know if he needs more vetting that we have your support ❤“

12/20/17 – At only about 5 weeks old and weighing under 2 pounds, Brownie was rescued by an individual rescuer who seems to attract the abandoned and unwanted. Brownie showed up with an upper respiratory infection and seriously flea infected. She has been seen by the vet and 4 Paws 1 Heart will cover her neuter and vaccines when she is healthy. Hopefully, she will soon be on to her forever home. Anyone interested should contact Amy at: [email protected] ~ diana

12/18/17 – Another Happy Beginning made possible because of our financial supporters and those who don’t turn their backs on an animal in need. Remember that donations (up to $2,000) made between now and Christmas Day will be matched by a generous supporter. Donations can be made by using the link on the left side of this page or by mail at P.O. Box 84, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080. ~ diana

“I wanted to share this handsome boys story!! Tino walked into the feral colony I care for one night, it was very clear that he was not an outside cat and wanted nothing to do with being outdoors!! His eyes were very irritated and running I thought from maybe an upper respiratory infection! I was able to house him overnight and I contacted 4Paws1Heart about having him looked at! I knew I had a home for him if we could get his needs taken care of! They gave me the go ahead to have him seen, turns out he was already nuetered and he had something call entropion of his eyes, the bottom of his eyes were turned in and his lashes we’re rubbing against his corneas!! Left untreated he would probably lose his sight, not to mention how painful it was!! The vet contacted 4Paws and they agreed to pay for his surgery!! Valentino is such a loving, beautiful cat and if not for all that 4Paws1Heart does, and all of the donations that come in I can’t imagine how this story would have turned out!! Thank you Thank you!! Love Tino❤️”

12/18/17 – It’s heartbreaking to think of all of the animals who are still out in this freezing weather trying to fend for themselves. To say ‘thanks’ to all of the individuals who don’t turn their back, is truly not enough. ~ diana

“I got a message last night from a caregiver about a shivering injured cat at one of our TNR colonies in Shelby Twp. I went this morning and was able to trap him. It’s a huge tom cat and though he’s a bit beat up, I think he’s ok other than he needs to be neutered. He maybe needs an antibiotic shot for injuries we can’t see. He’s headed to AAAR tomorrow for surgery and any other vetting that he needs thanks to 4 Paws 1 Heart. We’re calling him Big Chuck! Tax-deductible donations can be made directly 4 Paws 1 Heart
https://4paws1heart.org/donations/
Thank you for all your support 😻 ~ Cristen”

12/18/17 – Maddie’s Story:

“Sometime in mid-October, while my husband was working in the garage, a little cat wandered in. She ran out as soon as she noticed him, but we started seeing her around the house more often and she always appeared to be trying to dig something out of the lawn to eat. She was very small and we couldn’t get close to her, so from our vantage point she looked to be an older kitten or very young cat. She started showing up at our door wall every morning about 6 and staying close by all day. The weather was getting colder and there were quite a few thunderstorms. We left the side door of the garage open and she came in for shelter one stormy night and decided not to leave. She had a voracious appetite and would devour a can of food in minutes. It took awhile for her to allow us to pet her and pick her up. When I could finally handle her, I could see that her coat was in really bad shape. Her tail was almost bare-I thought she might have mange or some type of skin infection. On Nov 14th, I took her to All About Animals for vaccines and to be tested for HIV and Leukemia. I still thought she was very young because of her size. The vet there examined her and said he thought she was pregnant; but said he couldn’t say for certain unless she had an x-ray or ultrasound-which they did not have. He said if she wasn’t pregnant, there was definitely something going on in her uterus. Thankfully, she was negative for HIV and feline leukemia and her age was estimated to be 7 years. They checked her for fleas and examined her skin and felt the condition of her fur was due to malnutrition and a very tough life-no fleas, mange, or mites. Her coat was so bad they couldn’t tell if she was a Tortie or a Tabby. The next day, my husband took her to a veterinary Clinic for an x-ray. The vet tech said she didn’t see any kittens but said the vet would call us after he read the x-ray. We paid $50 for the x-ray and despite numerous calls, the vet never called us back with results. I then took her to an affiliated veterinary clinic for an ultrasound. There, the doctor said that they could see her uterus on the ultrasound-which was not normal; however, there were no kittens. She palpated her abdomen and didn’t feel that her uterus was enlarged. After doing a fecal check for worms (negative), she did blood work and kitty had an elevated white count. She was given an antibiotic injection and I was told to wait at least two weeks to have her spayed. At this point, I had spent approximately $330 and she was still not vaccinated or spayed and we didn’t know the cause of her elevated white count.

My sister took her in for the next two weeks, but things did not go well with her cat; so I got her back. I had her stay in the garage for a few day to decompress as she was quite stressed by the whole ordeal. It was getting really cold and even though she had a little house and heated pad, I hated leaving her in the garage. Once she calmed down and would let me handle her again, I started calling around for a spay appt. I called another affiliated veterinary clinic and they weren’t able to get her in until Dec 26 and my gut was telling me she needed to get in sooner. I asked them for the name of some reputable rescues because I was in dire need of advice. I just didn’t know if I should turn her over to a rescue, allow her to stay in the garage, or try to introduce her to my two cats and two dogs. They gave me Diana’s number at 4 Paws 1 Heart. Diana was so very helpful. She spent a lot of time explaining how to slowly introduce her to my animals and offered to authorize payment for her spay and vaccines. I was shocked; but so happy. With Diana’s help, I was able to get her an appointment within two days! Everyone at the clinic was just wonderful. Turned out, our poor girl had a very severe uterine infection. They could not believe how huge her uterus was and even took pictures because it was so grossly enlarged and infected. Untreated, this infection would have killed her, so thank God for Diana helping to get her an appointment sooner than Dec 26. I don’t think she would have made it that long.

When we picked her up after her surgery, she became an indoor cat! I work from home, so I am in the office with her for at least 9 hours a day. The first couple of days she would only awaken to eat-but she has a little more energy everyday and seems to be adjusting to her new life indoors. She loves to be petted and has the cutest way of plopping down and rolling on her back. Her coat is coming in and she is a long-haired Tabby. I plan on taking it extremely slow with introducing her to the other animals and God willing, this little one will have a long life, free of sickness and starvation-she has known enough suffering in her 6 years.

I want to express my gratitude to Diana and any one who has donated to this worthy cause. Please know what a difference your donations make in the lives of these helpless animals.

Sincerely, Rose”

12/15/17 – RIP Sweet Gabriel. At 12 years old he was surrendered by a breeder who could no longer care for him. Our Board member, who has a special place in her heart for seniors, took him in when no one else wanted him. As a flat-faced Persian he had breathing and heart issues and he had severe arthritis. 4 Paws 1 Heart was happy to have Gabriel treated at Pawsitive Steps Rehabilitation and Therapy where he did get relief after therapy and acupuncture. At 16, he is now pain free and romping with all of the others who were waiting for him at the Rainbow Bridge. ~ diana