THE SCRATCHING POST
  ~ a special Spring Has Sprung! edition ~ 
Spring 2001, Issue 7 - by Barbara Stanley - home2cats@aol.com
Home2Cats, P. O. Box 752671, Memphis, TN  38175-2671

ews You Can Use:

Adopting ---

You have decided to share your life with an animal. You adopt a kitten or a cat.. You are delighted with this new member to your family. The time goes by faster than you anticipated. You haven’t had a chance to spay Fluffy or maybe you hadn’t even planned on it.

Kittens ---

Fluffy’s pregnant but that’s all right because it will be fun to have kittens again. It will also be great for the children to experience the miracle of birth. Fluffy gives birth to a beautiful litter of kittens. You would like to keep all of them but you simply can’t.  You don’t have enough room and there are too many mouths to feed.

Good Homes ---

You contact and pass the word to all your friends, relatives and neighbors that you have beautiful kittens that need a home.

Good Homes ????? ---

Some of the ‘good homes’ don’t work out. They didn’t think ahead and now realize having a pet is too much effort and also expensive. Not to mention how much of their time the new kitten takes.

Homeless ---

The kitten is left outside with little care. Then you hear "The kitten ran away" or "That one died." The neglected and unwanted pet lives a heartbreaking life. They suffer hunger, abuse, disease and territorial fighting.

Fighting ---

Territorial fighting may cause severe injuries and also transmit diseases such as feline leukemia and AIDS.

Birth ---

The strays continue to breed at an astonishing rate. They suffer from poor nutrition and lack of food. They are also starved for love and affection.

Death --- 

Most of these strays face the same fate. Euthanasia if they are taken to a shelter or death on the street from disease and/or starvation.

--- How many are you responsible for?

 

at Tails:

Name:  "Angel" aka "Magoo"

Breed:  Tuxedo Cat Extraordinaire

The first rescue group almost put her down……….

She was a very plain looking and badly malnourished little kitten. Born eyeless, and with an abnormal ribcage and internal organs. 

A nameless orphan baby with obvious medical problems and a very bleak future is how she came to Home2Cats. But there was something about her that hinted of promise.

Home2Cats found her a home….

And now she has a name, ‘Angel,' and even a nickname, ‘Magoo.’ And she has good food to eat, a warm place to sleep and a safe place to play. Also, most importantly, she's part of a family that loves her. You’d never guess that this was the same kitty!

She runs. She jumps. She flattens. She twirls. She licks and sniffs and listens and chirps.  Grabs, rolls, cuddles, naps.  All of that goofy, crazy kitten stuff!

And she never even suspects that there’s anything wrong. Just like a real kitten. Which is, of course, exactly what she has been all along!      

Angel’s Most Favoritest Things:

Fave Item ...	Bat Cat -- Big Brother -- aka ‘King of the Cats.'
Fave Toy ...	Anything that rolls, makes a noise, and doesn’t hit back.
Fave Food ...	Eukanuba and also Dad’s hamburger.  (Not necessarily in that order.)
Fave Place ...	Underfoot -- anywhere, anytime.
Fave Activity ...	Licking Dad’s hamburger.
Fave Song ...	"They Call Her ‘Angel’ In The Morning, 'Aan-Gell'"

Angel’s Most Un-Favoritest Things:

All-Time Un-Fave Item ...	Neki Neko -- Big Sister -- aka ‘The Evil Queen.’
Un-Fave Toy ...	Anything that’s not supposed to be where it is or that's supposed to be where it isn't.
Un-Fave Food ...	Mom's fried-egg sandwiches and those icky sweet-pickles that come with them.
Un-Fave Place ...	The Evil Queen’s lair.
Un-Fave Activity ...	Getting caught by the ‘Evil Queen.’
Un-Fave Song ...	"Walk Don’t Run"

 

Synchronicity?  A Sign From Heaven?

A while back I received the above drawing from my new Internet friend, Claire, who lives in Ireland.  It's her design for a Maneki-Neko lucky cat figurine that she was planning to make.  Neither she nor I had ever heard of Angel at that time.  A couple of weeks later, my wife and I adopted Angel from Home2Cats.  An uncanny resemblance, eh?!  

--DLH

 

nimal and People Recognition:

While losing a companion is one of life's greatest sorrows, never having one is to miss out on years of loving companionship.

 

In memory of people:

Ted Cartledge
--Ruth Blann Cartledge

Mary Magdalene Benda
--Ann and Gary Meyer

In memory of animals:

Bumper-Thumper
--Brenda and Don Hargrove

Mookie
--Brenda and Don Hargrove

June
--Violet Trosper

Sweet Pea
--Violet Trosper

Gypsy
--Barbara and Larry Stanley

In honor of people:

Barbara and Larry Stanley
--Brenda and Don Hargrove

 

rom Home (2Cats):

Our Feral Cat Colonies Here in Memphis ---

The task that we are currently focusing on is with the feral colonies that we support. With kitten season approaching we are fast and furiously trying to get the females spayed. We will then concentrate on the males in each colony. 

This can sometimes be a slow process as ferals don’t always do and act the way we want them to. With patience and perseverance we believe we will reach our goal with the females in a few weeks and the males by summer.

 

 National Animal Poison Control Center—800-548-2423