12/15/23 – It was at the end of November when Jordan realized a stray she had been feeding outdoors had been attacked by a dog. She thought the leg was broken and the paw had two severe wounds. He was taken to our partner veterinary hospital, Five Mile Animal Hospital, where it was found that there were no breaks in the paw or leg but that the wounds were infected. Disco was treated for the infections and authorization was given for vaccines, testing, and neuter once the infections were cleared. While Disco was still recovering from the wound infections, he contracted a UTI and again visited our veterinary doctor who treated Disco for that. This past Wednesday, Disco was neutered, vaccinated, and tested negative for fiv/felv. Yesterday, Jordan reported that Disco is doing great and will be staying with her friend for the next month or so and then may be looking for his furever home. We have offered our courtesy petfind site and Friends of 4 Paws 1 Heart page to help find this very sweet boy a loving home if she can’t find one. – diana
Double your donation during our $2500 Christmas Match and save a life this holiday season.
12/14/23 – Last week we were contacted regarding a 5-month old puppy who had been seen wandering the streets for a couple of days near a liquor store. The store’s owner contacted the police in an attempt to find the owner. The police officer could not find any identification and an owner couldn’t be found so the officer turned the puppy over to Make A Difference for safe keeping while he remained on stray hold. Make a Difference said they had a couple of leads but nothing came of them and now the stray hold is up. We were asked to pay for Sprocket’s neuter and we were glad to help this great rescue and beautiful animal. Sprocket is looking for his furever home and if you are interested, please contact Make A Difference Rescue.
The need never ends and it now seems to be worse than it’s been in the 13+ years we’ve been in existence. We can only suggest that the state of the economy has resulted in many more animals being abandoned because of the understandably higher cost of vet care and food and when the animals are on the streets, they get hit by cars, abused, and contract many diseases. Everyone is feeling overwhelmed but we are all trying to do the best we can under the circumstances. That is why your donations are so important and why, although we still have limited funds, we want to do what we can to at least stop the reproduction, the diseases resulting from being unvaccinated, and some of the minor illnesses and injuries which cause the animal to suffer. Thank you for your help; every dollar counts. – diana
$2500 Christmas Match Has been Extended to December 25 to give our supporters more time to help us meet the match. A Blessed Hanukkah and Christmas to all of our supporters.
12/13/23 – It was late August, 2023 when Dewey was seen wandering around an apartment complex. When of the tenants took him in, had him scanned for a chip (there was none), and tried to find his owner. The rescuer’s mom had worked in rescue with another friend of 4 paws 1 heart, so she contacted us for medical assistance. Dewey tested negative for fiv/felv, received his rabies/distemper vaccines, and was neutered but he did have parasites which resulted in a few visits to the veterinary hospital. His last visit was in mid November. I checked in with the rescuer’s mom and learned that her daughter decided to keep Dewey and he is doing great. Another happy beginning. – Diana
We only have 6 days to meet the $2500 Christmas Match and we are only half way there! Please help us. Every dollar makes a difference in the lives who have no one else. Thank YOU in advance.
12/12/23 – Another Happy Beginning which began August 19 and was finally resolved on November 18, 3 days after he had amputation surgery of one leg. Here’s how it began:
“Hello Diana,
I work in cat rescue, and about 4 weeks ago, I trapped a wounded cat (named Frank) for TNR through All About Animals. Frank had an oozing abscess on his forehead that was removed, came back positive for FIV, and they found evidence of a healed broken limb that didn’t heal well. Frank showed signs during time in the live trap that suggested he was not feral, but dumped. Plus the condition of his fur also suggested that he was struggling with life outside, and to put him back out would be tantamount to a death sentence. AAA suggested euthanasia, but I wanted to give him a chance at rescue, and for the last 4 weeks I’ve had him healing in a large crate/cage in our basement to heal. The wound, which was an open wound for a few weeks, has properly healed. During feedings we’ve had success in petting him. So he’s now ready for the rescue I’m working with to begin looking for a permanent foster to finish his socialization and healing. He’s not all the way there, and my goal was to get him stable and healed and give the rescue time to get through a horrendous kitten season before looking for that foster. I’m writing because I’m in need of further medical examination for this poor guy because of the leg which didn’t heal properly. He was the roughest looking (thus far) rescue I’ve taken on. Any assistance or suggestions you can provide will be greatly welcomed – Tom”
After a couple of months of working on getting Frank the help he needed, he had the one leg amputated and one tooth extracted on November 15. The doctor thought he may have been hit by a car which broke his leg and shattered his one tooth. After a few days of being very much in pain and not taking his antibiotics; the only thing he would eat was a Churo. Gina suggested the pill be broken up and put in the Churo and like magic — it worked. Within 3 days Frank was no longer in pain and started to heal. Today, I asked his rescuer for an update and a photo and he told me the following and added some photos:
“Hello! Frank has fully recovered. He has transformed from a scared feral into a loving cuddle bug! Loves to purr, scurries about on 3 legs, and enjoys long cuddle sessions. He’s a completely different cat! – Tom”.
12/12/23 – ‘Tis the Season of Giving and this is the purrfect Christmas story. Meet Silverbell. The dad of the house accidentally shut this sweet little girl in the garage and he finally got her trapped the morning of December 9. He had noticed her poking around the woods behind the family’s house for about three or four months. After she was trapped and released into the home, they found out that Silver is actually very friendly and could eat solid food, drink water, and use the litter box.
Unfortunately, the family already has cats and a little tight on finances in that the dad had a work accident requiring shoulder surgery and won’t be able to go back to work until next March or April. We were contacted to see if we could help and the dad was going to try and find a home for Silverbell in that feeding another animal could be financially difficult.
Now this is where the heartwarming story starts. The family’s son, who is old enough to understand the limited family finances, offered to give up his allowance if he could make Silverbell his own. The mom said if Silverbell could be his only present “under the tree”, and if he would give up his allowance to cover her food, and IF, they could get help for the medical, the young boy could keep Silverbell. So, we all came together and will make it happen. We will cover Silverbell’s vetting and pray that she tests negative for fiv/felv and a gift of life will be given to a caring young boy. The family couldn’t thank us enough and I told the dad “Merry Christmas from the Donors of 4 Paws 1 Heart”! – diana
P.S. Silverbell will also need her left eye checked because it’s cloudy and the dad thinks Silverbell may be blind in one eye. Also, the dad has seen who appears to be Silverbell’s mom and sibling playing in the yard. He will try to trap them and we will cover their vettiing at All About Animals or the Humane Society of St. Clair. Paws Crossed.
12/11/23 – Tiny was found late in the summer in very tough shape. Her rescuer contacted us for help in that she appeared to have a very serious upper respiratory infection. We authorized Tiny to be seen at our great partner vet at Five Mile Animal Hospital where Tiny was treated for a severe infection. After several follow up visits because the infection was difficult to treat, Tiny was able to be vaccinated, tested, and spayed. She is now living the good life. – diana
$2500 Christmas Match continues through December 18. Your donation will make a difference!
12/11/23 – (See posting 10/11/23). She was rescued from the streets of Flint after being seen wandering for 2 months. Wendy, a rescuer of strays and wild life, was able to find her and rescue this sweet pregnant female on September 27 but before we could help her to be seen by a vet, she had her babies. Now look at how the babies have grown. They are all scheduled for their spays/neuters in January and February and then they will be available for adoption. If you are interested, contact Wendy at 248-704-4144.
Willow and her puppies, Winnie, Kane, Keegan, Keene, and Quinn, are just a few of the thousands of animals helped in the past 13+ years because of our generous donors. And, as always, we need you to continue. Please don’t forget that you can double your donation during our $2,500 Christmas Match. – diana
Back in August Snow was found with a huge wound on his neck that we think was caused by an infection under the skin that ruptured. Unfortunately, after almost fully healing the area is starting to appear infected and not closing. Today he will be seen for a culture to see if there is a bacterial growth, and we will treat with the antibiotic sensitive to the bacteria. Please keep him in your prayers as he has been through a lot during this healing time. Snow would certainly have not survived without our help. Please consider donating today especially while we have this match going on and your donations are doubled!
From 8/15 – Snow is doing well. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FIV but he is otherwise in good health. He was neutered today and his wound was addressed. This is going to take some time to heal. He may need daily bandage changes until skin closes up. It was likely from some sort of trauma. Snow is INCREDIBLY sweet and deserves a forever home. Gina
Paws crossed.. I’m sorry for the graphic pic but this is why we need your support because of animals like this who are found injured, in pain, and helpless. We were contacted today and fortunately able to get him in for care. Thank you Moore Veterinary Hospital for allowing us to get help initiated for Snow even tho the schedule was packed. His angel rescuer, Amanda, can sleep well tonight knowing he is in good hands. I’ll update tomorrow once we have been able to address the wound. For now, antibiotics, pain medication, and fluids have been given to get him comfortable and stable for anesthesia in the morning. If you would like to donate our link is –
12/6/23 – Mittens was dumped at a woman’s house who cared for 9 other cats outside her home. Mittens was very emaciated and had swollen gums. She was taken to Orion Animal Hospital and eventually was tested (negative), vaccinated, and spayed. Her gums were fine; the swollen condition was most likely the result of Mittens being fed improperly. The woman fed 10 cats with one bowl of food once a day. AND, the good news is that the doctor’s son adopted Mittens and now she is living happily ever after in a great home with a great family. – diana
$2500 Christmas Match is on until December 18. Make a Difference this season.
