8/27/20 – This little beauty is Molly She is a polydactyl (6 toes) born to a feral mom. She is only 5 weeks old but had an upper respiratory infection. We were happy to authorize her visit to the doctor where she received antibiotics for her infection and will have her vaccines and eventual spay before she gets adopted or placed with a rescue. For the majority of us in the rescue world, 2020 will be remembered as the year of the Felines — not necessarily a good thing. But, we continue to be thankful that we have not had to turn  away any stray animal in need. – diana

8/26/20 – I’ve often talked about the criticality of spay/neuter. In the world of felines, a female can start having kittens at 4 months old and she can have 3 litters a year–very different from dogs. If you consider that each litter averages 5 kittens, there is a possibility of 15 cats being born each year to one female and the cycle continues with the females born in each litter. Here is the perfect example of how 3 cats can turn into 60 – 70 cats in just 3 years.

This past week I received an e mail from a very frustrated couple who owns a shop in an industrial complex in a nearby community. Three years ago, a person from another shop, dumped 3 cats behind one of the shops. They turned up behind the couple’s shop and they did what they could to control the situation. They took in a number of kittens themselves, they al so found homes for some. They tried to take care of their medical but eventually their work hours and financial ability made it impossible to keep up. Then, just a couple of days ago, two little beauties showed up — one with a very serious eye issue (Misty). The kind couple took the kittens in to see two vets, both said Misty would need a specialist. One of the vets we have worked closely with over the years has done a lot of work with ‘eyes’ so Misty will be seen today by her. Then we will determine next steps. In the meantime, our good friends at Ferndale Cat Shelter and our friend, Debbie, will be working to trap all of the cats by the shop and we will cover the medical costs at All About Animals. In many cases, these cats/kittens have become very friendly, so I pray that something can be done to find homes. The other shop owners really don’t want the cats around but as many of you know, it is very difficult to relocate cats who have lived in a particular community for awhile. Again, thank you for your donations during our 10 Year Celebratory Match. – diana
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8/24/20 – The many, very sick kittens keep coming. Here are 3 babies rescued by 2 different people who we’ve helped in the past. The first baby is Molly. She’s about 5 weeks old and showed up in our friend’s yard with crusty, runny eyes, and a cough. Sher ([email protected], the finder, will be looking for a rescue or adopter, but wants to get her well first.

These other two kittens Panther and Phantom) are about 3 and 1/2 weeks old. They were abandoned by their mom who stopped feeding them and the finder brought them in to bottle feed. They are also showing signs of upper respiratory infections.

8/23/20 – We were happy to provide some medical assistance so that Lil Pancake could have life-saving surgery. Lil Pancake is only 9 weeks old and she was born without an anus. She was fed soft foods but when she got blocked, she would throw up and her feces would come our of her vulva. She was taken to Oakland Veterinary Referral Services by her rescue, Saving Cats & Kittens of Michigan, and because of the cost of the repair surgery to make an anal opening, we were contacted for assistance. The Village once again came together and Lil Pancake had successful surgery and although she is still experiencing a little “leakage’ she is enjoying her second chance at life and is very sweet and loving. We continue to thank those many individuals who give up so much to rescue those who have no one. diana 4paws1heart.org/donations/

8/22/20 – Tiger is another one of many innocents who showed up in a cat community being cared for by a very caring business owner. His mouth with full of pus and he was just drooling and in obvious pain. We, fortunately, were able to get him into one of our favorite veterinarians, where his mouth was found to be severely infected with Stomatitis. Once the infection could be treated, Tiger would require several tooth extractions. I was also told by his caretaker that Tiger had several siblings being cared for and although she would take care of their vetting, she was concerned about putting them back outside in their home territory because many of the other shop owners didn’t like the cats. One day she found a dead kitten wrapped in a bag and placed near the community feeding station so she felt it would not be safe for them to be returned. Tiger, who actually turned out to be very sweet and loves human interaction, is scheduled to have several teeth extracted at the end of the month and the vet cost will be quite costly. For their safety, the other kittens have been taken into the home and the rescuer/caretaker will try to find a barn for the feral kittens/cats. In the mean time, Tiger will continue to have a loving home with his rescuers. In the last five months we have experienced the perfect storm — veterinary hospitals were closed or restricted; animals could not be spayed/neutered (and remember that female cats can have back-to-back litters if not spayed), and all of our fundraisers had to be cancelled. Without our supporters, we would have had to shut down our assistance long ago. But instead, you have been there for the innocent and abused and we are forever thankful. Remember that donations made between now and August 25 will be matched (up to $1,700). – As always, thank you for making a difference. – diana4paws1heart.org/donations/

8/21/20 – For every disheartening story, there are many more happy beginnings. Here is one of them as told by Oreo’s family:

Hi 4Paws This is Oreo, adopted in 2013. Reported to me that he was run over by a car in Detroit, rescued, rehabbed and we adopted him. After adoption, he broke his leg jumping off furniture in our home and after a visit to the vet and a bone scan (and a cast) we were told that he suffered from many years of malnutrition causing brittle bones and the broken leg. Poor guy. He is all fixed up, eats like a champ, and has two cats and a dog (as well as humans) who love him. He’s the cuddler in the group and cuddles with any human or animal available- any time of day ❤️. We love Oreo Doreo. Thank you 4 Paws.

8/21/20 – Prayers for Moenart. This past July we were contacted about a very sweet cat who turned up in a cat community being cared for someone we have helped in the past. Moenart’s face appeared swollen, he had a few healed puncture wounds on his neck, a few teeth missing, and needed to be vaccinated and neutered. We authorized him to see one of our partner vets and, unfortunately, was found to be FIV positive. And, his ‘swollen’ cheeks, according to the vet, was actually the result of a “chubby tom cat” and not an infection. Of course his FIV prognosis should never be a death sentence as long as the rescuer was going to now keep him inside a home and away from the cat community. So, we proceeded with Moenart’s neuter and vaccinations. This past week, I was contacted because Moenart was experiencing diarrhea and appeared to have an upper respiratory. Yesterday he saw our doctor again and was treated for the URI but the doctor also wanted to do a blood draw because Moenart had lost one pound since his prior visit. That was done and we are now waiting for results. I just can’t express enough the severity of the health issues these animals have been facing these past few months. Thank God for our Village of rescuers, veterinarian staffs, and donors who make our work possible. I will update you on this very sweet boy as I hear back. – diana4paws.heart.org/donations/