ZOMG KITTENS!!!1!!!

Awesome foster parents Jonit and Scott sent us some pictures of their foster-kittens. These two were found in the woods with their sister, Colita who has already been adopted. Here is Beta:


And Electra (formerly known as Agent Orange Stripe.)


We don't expect to have these guys too long, because they are so super cute! And of course because babies get adopted quickly.

The Joys of Fostering...

Sometimes, fostering can be hectic.

Just this past week we went from 7 cats (only 1 permanent- my baby, Tidbit) to 5 (2 adoptions!), then two days later up to 6 (an owner relinquishment), the next day back up to 7 (a friend found a stray), two days later down to 6 (the guardian was found!) and the next day back down to 5 (another foster home took the relinquishment). Granted, since I'm on the board of the rescue, I deal with a lot more then our general foster homes.

But right now, I'm laying in bed typing while Handsome lays on my chest, purring his little heart out, looking completely blissed out. This poor guy was living on the streets just a month ago and already has an introduction tomorrow with a potential family. I'm already imagining this sweetheart playing and cuddling with the little girl who's coming to visit him, and my heart swells at the potential. I'm grateful for this moment of peace and bonding with him, as he may be leaving soon.

I know a lot of people focus on the perceived negative of fostering- the animal is (hopefully!) eventually adopted and you may be sad. Which happens.

But there's so much everyday joy and there's always another needy animal who would love to hang out with you.

Cleopatra, Queen of... your home?

Cleo has been with the rescue about 6 months. She almost had an adoption go through, but the family had some personal issues come up right before they finalized it.

We selected Cleopatra to be part of our Home for the Holidays campaign, which is focusing on the animals who have been in our care longest. As part of the campaign, her adoption fee is $40 for anyone who contacts us about her until the new year. Here's a little more about Cleo!

Ms. Queen Cleopatra is much better suited to being worshiped as the divine ruler of Egypt than laying with cats. She'd prefer to be the only animal in the house but has gotten along with some dogs and even a rabbit.

Her heighness represents all that is cat-like. She is independent yet social, and is pleased to make your lap her throne for hours! She dotes on her people and she'd much prefer to sleep on your bed at night. In fact, she insists on it. Slim and graceful, Cleo's silhouette is striking. She has quite the knack for silently moving and showing up suddenly in unexpected places. She'll follow you around and carefully investigate your every move, especially where food or running water is involved. Though affectionate, Cleo makes it very clear that she prefers to be top cat. She has just enough brattiness for a true cat-lover to cherish. Very playful, she acts half her age of 3 years!

This independent lady set sail and left her family in the dust. Too regal for the streets, she is auditioning families once again. She'll hold her family to the highest of standards and we suggest you meet them. But isn't divine love worth it?

Unfortunately, black animals are adopted at a lesser rate then non-black animals (this happens in the cases of dogs, cats and rabbits). This is attributed to many things: how they might "fade into the background" of a cage at a traditional shelter, how hard it can be for an inexperienced photographer to snap a good picture for an online listing, how a few white/gray hairs can age them far more then the same hairs on a differently colored face and more. Black cats often face a double bind with the silly superstitions and connotations that surround them because of their alleged historical crimes and their common use as "scary cat" in movies, ads and more.

If you can, please spread the word about Cleo! You may not be able to adopt her, but maybe she'd fit perfectly into a household of someone you know.

Meet Augusta!

Augusta came from the streets with her kittens. She is a lady, loves everyone, is happy to eat last and mews quietly.

She weighs only 6 pounds making her a perma-kitten!!

If you want an easy dog DON'T get a puppy!!!

Puppies are cute, but puppies aren't puppies forever. People see puppies as 'blank slates' and assume that if they raise their puppy with love he or she will grow up to be an easy dog. Sadly, it takes much more than love. And puppies aren't blank slates. In fact, behavior problems are normal! Many people simply don't know what they are getting into - and sadly many of the millions of puppies adopted yearly will soon end up in shelters because of behavior problems and many could easily have been prevented. Some of these problems are easily treatable, but some will need to be managed for life.

Behavioral problems can occur even if the guardian does everything right. Dogs, like humans, have complex brains. Like humans, not all problems have an obvious source - or even any source at all. Some problems won't show until adolescence. That's a risk you take when you adopt a puppy.

People are quick to assume an aggressive or reactive dog has been abused, but this is most often not the case. Most reactivity and fear is the result of insufficient socialization or poor training methods. Here are opinions by veterinary behaviorists on the importance of puppy socialization. Dogs are detail oriented and many naturally respond to new stimuli fearfully. That means if you adopt a puppy you need to introduce him to people of all shapes and sizes, races and manner of dressing. (100 people a month!) Commonly dogs react to men, beards, hats, children, umbrellas, loud noises, humans who don't look or act like humans they've met before and to other dogs. Dogs who have not been properly socialized with children are likely to show fear - often aggression towards children. Even if they have been raised with nothing but love. Other dogs develop aggression because well intentioned humans use popular - but flawed training methods. Note that some people who break all the best training advice get lucky - but don't count on it.

Things you should know if you think you want a puppy:

• Some people who fail to follow all the best advice get lucky. Some people who do everything right, don't. Some dogs are born with "frayed wires". Just like some humans sometimes have serious issues despite caring families, careful training almost always creates well behaved dogs, but it is no guarantee - even from dogs who are "carefully bred". (For instance though you can make them less likely storm phobia, noise phobia and food guarding seem to be innate or at least they don't have clear causes.) What's more is that one bad experience during your puppies critical learning (8-16 weeks) period can last a lifetime. Maybe an off-leash dog attacks, maybe a child runs up and is too rough, maybe a stranger trips over or steps on or kicks your puppy, maybe your puppy walks over a wasp nest (and blames whatever he is looking at at the time for the pain.) When you adopt a puppy you are accepting the risk that even if you do everything right you may not end up with an easy adult.
• Training isn't intuitive. If you haven't studied advice from someone with credentials you aren't prepared. Make sure you are getting advice from someone who uses methods sanctioned by the veterinary and behaviorist communities. Not just a TV celebrity. To prevent aggression you need to learn modern methods and learn them well. Any dog can develop aggression because of outdated (but common) methods - but a puppy is especially prone.
• To be housetrained baby dogs need to be walked every hour. Yes, during the night too.
• To be socialized with people your puppy needs to be having positive exeriences with new people multiple times a day.All different shapes, types, smells, hairstyles. People carrying things, people moving in different ways and people of different ages. At least 100 a month in different situations for the first three months in the home!
• To be socialized with other dogs, they need to meet dogs of different shapes and sizes. Don't count on the dog park - there may be puppy-reactive dogs there. Puppies are often rude, and too anxious to play to properly communicate with other dogs. This can cause some dogs to react poorly to them. One bad experience early on may last a lifetime.
• To prevent them from destroying your house pups need constant supervision when they are free in the house.and ample chew toys. Dogs as good as they are at "looking guilty" don't actually understand punishment after the fact. To teach good habits you need to be there.
• To teach bite inhibition you need to be vigilant about stopping play when they bite too hard. Puppies need to bite when they are young in order to learn their own jaw strength but this should stop by four months. If it doesn't, it may be much harder to train away.
• To teach appropriate greetings you should work on polite behaviors at a young age. Teach your puppy to sit when he greets new people, reward him for not barking. Don't allow your pup to reward himself by jumping, make sure your guests turn their backs when he jumps. Make sure meeting new people is always a positive experience to prevent fear!
  
• To teach appropriate on-leash behavior you need you to be consistent about not letting dogs pull. Make sure you teach your dog patience, have him sit and look at you before greeting other dogs. Some leash aggression is the result of frustration. You will need to make the leash not stressful, and certainly there is no better way to stress a dog out than an inappropriate collar. Choke, prong and shock collars are likely to cause aggression. As is letting the dog choke himself by excessive pulling on a normal collar. You need to be consistent because learning shouldn't hurt.
• To teach appropriate off leash behavior you should start young teaching reliable recalls even when there are distraction. Even with neutered animals, expect some re-education to be necessary when your dog becomes an adolescent.
  
• To teach appropriate behavior around small animals, you need you to teach incompatible behaviors and introduce the pup to animals while he is still young.
  
• To prevent food guarding you need you to teach them that touching their food leads to good things. Once food guarding sets in, you can work with it to a point - but the most common recommendation is to give the dog distance while he eats.
• To prevent owner-directed aggression it's recommended that you are consistent with a "nothing in life is free" regimen. Signs that your pup is prone to this behavior may be visible from a young age, but you can never be too careful.

There are no guarantees!! Some dogs may do relatively well with faulty socialization, and some may develop major problems for no obvious reason.

The dogs we get are lucky. They are the ones who (kill) shelters have pointed us to - they rarely show us the dogs who (through no fault of their own) developed serious problems due to lack of socialization. It's still true that many dogs come to us who already have problems, most often from well meaning guardians who just were not prepared for a puppy. Other times we have dogs (like my Arlo) who have in fact been abused. Sometimes these problems may be very difficult to cure - once fear has set in it may be a long treatment process. That's true even if there was no trauma behind it. However, most dogs who are lucky enough to make it to us don't have serious behavior problems. Some are little angels, others may need to review basic manners, like walking on a leash or sitting to greet new people - but these are a snap to teach next to raising a puppy! (It's tragic that some humans abandon their companions because of behavior habits that a competent trainer could easily address!)

We (like many other rescues) keep our dogs in foster homes. We keep them long enough to get a good idea of what problems a new guardian is likely to encounter. Depending on the problem we may hold off listing a dog while we are working on behavior issues. When you come to look at a dog we will tell you what that dog will need to become a good citizen. We are honest - we do not want our dogs to be returned because they have behavior problems their new families were not ready for!! Most often the needs of our adults are far less than what raising a new puppy would require. Never underestimate what rescue dogs can learn!!

Getting a baby dog is like having a human baby. They grow up faster but if you can't make the commitment to educate and socialize them then be prepared for behavior problems later on. This post was painfully long, but that's exactly the point. If you are not looking for another full time job, then a puppy probably isn't for you.


And if you need a better reason to adopt an adult - think of the millions who die each year because they are "over the hill" and hard to adopt out by the time they are a year old.

Not All Rescuers Run Rescues

Out in the middle of Englewood lives a woman who loves her cats very much. There are quite a few cats in her family, but she lives in a facility which will only allow one cat into the building and moving isn't an option for her. It's clear that it hurts her to watch her cats suffer through winter.

She has limited means but she told me, "my cats come first." She has taken each cat she can catch into PAWS to be spayed/neutered and to be treated for the various pests that all outdoor cats seem to have. She feeds the two colonies in her care wet food every day because "that's what they crave."

When she contacted us about her cats we had to tell her that we were not sure that we could help. We operate with only a handful of foster homes, so we fill up quickly and turn away more animals than we can possibly take in. Thankfully, within a few weeks several volunteers have stepped forward to offer their homes (we love you guys!!!). The woman was ecstatic when we told her that we could take in one of our cats. We hope that we can take in more soon.

Yesterday morning she trapped the cat she had chosen, Handsome, in a carrier. He is a big boy - and super sweet and clearly not used to living outdoors. She called me early yesterday morning to tell me she had trapped him. I drove out to Englewood early in the morning while she waited outside in the cold. Her building wouldn't let the cat inside even for the 20 minutes it took me to drive to her. She told me she'd be hiding in the alley, because standing by the street with a cat carrier might "attract attention." I'd like to tell you she was being paranoid, but she probably wasn't.

I got out of the car, and after telling another of her cats, Gido, not to follow her (she was worried he might run into the road) she came over. She handed me his vet records and insisted on giving us some money for his care. She made sure to confirm with me (after separately asking Emelda) that we wouldn't kill him if he turned out to be FIV or FeLV positive. She was really happy that he'd be fostered in a home - not caged in a shelter.

We thought a cat who'd been outdoors would take some time to adjust - but he is a lap cat already. He snuggles every chance he gets and shows no sign of missing life on the streets.

All My Kittens Are Liberals.

We started calling the new kitten our little Ewok, due to this picture-

Her socialization is coming along so quickly it's surprising me!

Like I mentioned, we had her in a large dog cage. Part of this was so she felt comfortable faster, as it was absolutely her territory in her mind.

Since my roommates and I are taking care of 2 permanent cats and 5 other foster cats (all of various ages and emotional/medical needs), we couldn't be in the room at all times. So we would leave NPR on all day and night (the indoctrination must begin early!), unless we were in there, to help her adjust to hearing people's voices. When we were in there, we'd talk to her in soothing tones to help her adjust to us. Sometimes we'd just hang out and other times we'd engage her, depending on how comfortable she felt.

The number one tool a cat socializer has in their arsenal is: FOOD! Occasionally, you'll find a cat that responds more to interactive playing, but generally food is the way to go. With the little Ewok, we never left food in her cage- she only ate when we were around so she would associate people with food and other good things.

At first, she was very reluctant. I would open her cage door and she'd run behind her milkcrate. After pushing the food a little closer to her, she'd steal a bite then go back to hiding. So, I upped the game with baby food (pure meat) and started feeding her several times a day from a spoon. I would lean into the cage, my hand as far away from my body as possible. As she gobbled down the baby food, I slowly pulled the spoon away from her and towards me. Sometimes, I would pull too quick or she'd get a little intimidated, so I would have to start all over again.

Eventually, she gained enough confidence that she'd walk out of the cage straight unto my lap during the feedings. When she was done, I'd pet her and talk to her. Most of the time, she'd jump out of my lap and explore the room but sometimes she'd stay and purr until I had to put her back in her cage and attend to something or someone else.

After just a few days, I decided she was social enough to go to another home and her new foster parents picked up last night. The rescuer who trapped her is trying to get her 2 siblings soon, so hopefully I'll be updating with new kittens soon and/or we'll have an update from Ewok's new foster parents!

Farewell to my monster

gReNDeL was found alone, separated from his mother at just one week old. When he came to us his skin was red from flea bites, and his fur was matted.

We say, lovingly that he "ruined our lives". Caring for a one week old kitten caused me to fall about a month behind in school work, the bi-hourly feedings along with the constant panicked rushes to the vet had Andy (my lovely bf) and I at each other's throats. What's more, Arlo was definitely not getting the attention he deserved.


The first time we offered Grendel food he ate like a champ. At one week old Grendel was mighty. His eyes and ears were still closed, but he'd claw so ferociously at the bottle that he earned his fearsome name.

We made him a nest in a bucket and cared for him every two hours around the clock. Still, several times we panic rushed him the vet (once to CVES and several times to Hyde Park Animal Clinic ). The veterinarians were careful to warn us that even healthy one week olds don't always make it. Especially without their mothers.

Grendel not only pulled through - he thrived! At about 2 months old we transferred him to Minku and Emelda's home because he really needed to be with other cats. We just couldn't entertain him, so he entertained himself by nipping at us. Ouch.

Grendel has grown up to be quite the kitten. Being with other cats has taken care of his bad habits, and he has been handled by so many people that he just loves them all. He loves other cats too. He has found a wonderful forever home with another energetic cat and I know he is happy.

We miss him. Andy and I drove him home from his neuter surgery so that we could see him one more time. He came out of surgery asking for snuggles and trying to jump around. When he got back to his forever home he picked up a toy and got his cat-brother to chase him.



He is a happy monster now.

New Kitten.

Meet... well, she doesn't have a name yet, but here she is!

Isn't she the cutest kitten? Look at that face!

This little girl is an intake from an independent rescuer who is a caretaker for several colonies. Originally, there were at least 3 kittens in one of her colonies (from a mom she didn't catch/TNR in time) but unfortunately this little girl is the only one she was able to get.

Since she's untested, we have her isolated in an extra bedroom- in a crate so she's easier to wrangle. The crate is covered in blankets so it's smaller and cozier- cats have an easier time adjusting to smaller spaces at first. There's a litterbox, a water bowl and a milk crate sitting on its side, with towels on the inside and on top so it's more comfortable (that's where she's perching here).

We're assuming she's about 3 months old. Generally, the prime time for socialization of kittens off the street is 6 - 10 weeks. Being 2 weeks above the "prime" window, it may take a little extra time to have her come around. Having socialized kittens of various ages, let me tell you- it's amazing the difference a few weeks of age makes with these scared kids! Both in terms of how amazingly scared of humans they are, and how quickly they come along.

I'll be updating on her progress every couple of days. Here's to hoping she comes along quickly and is able to go to her forever home soon!

Oh yeah? Well, Arlo was rescued by Broad Shoulders before Broad Shoulders even existed.

I thought for my first post I'd tell you a little about my boy, Arlo.

Arlo is a two and a half year old teddy bear. He likes to cuddle at night and gets excited when I ask for a hug or a kiss. He knows when I'm upset and he'll come "rescue me" when I'm being tickled by blocking me with his body (or giving kisses!) He remembers people he knows and loves them all - but he isn't quite so good with strangers. He is terrified of people and though he has made impressive progress he can still sometimes show his fear in a scary way.

His story starts before Broad Shoulders Animal Rescue was formed. Minku and Emelda heard noises one morning and thought that their neighbor was assaulting his girlfriend. It turned out he was beating his puppy. With a chain. Confronting the man put Emelda in the hospital with whiplash, but Emelda and Minku managed to take the puppy, who'd later become my Arlo, away.

He was taken to the vet and I took him home to foster that day. He was scared and put his head on my chest for the whole ride home. He was malnourished, had worms & diarrhea and was so bruised from the abuse that was inflicted on him that the vet was worried he might have a blood clotting disorder. He spent his first week with me sick. It rained for the first three days I had him, but we were outside every 1h 45m because that's how long he could go without pooping on the floor. My friend put it well, "his belly doesn't know what to do with enough food." He'd also have terrible nightmares where he yelped in his sleep. Despite all this he managed to put on 10 pounds in the first week.

Those first days he was loving to everyone, and he still loves the people he met at that time. I lived in a co-op (with a dozen housemates) at the time and at first he seemed happy there. Within a few days the first hints of reactivity began to show. He'd start barking at people across the street - or even a block away. This developed over the next few weeks to the point where he lunged at everyone he saw outside. His yelping nightmares progressed to barking and growling in his sleep (a change that I found somewhat positive - it meant he didn't feel quite so helpless). Not long after he began to react to anyone who came near him at all.

I was in over my head. Needless to say I had to move out of the co-op. Though Arlo came to me weighing 48 lbs, he was growing quickly. A 50 pound dog was one thing - but when he hit 80 pounds he'd knock me right over when he lunged. (He has since reached his adult weight of 100 lbs.) What's more, no one (not even the first trainer I'd found) seemed to know what to do with his fear reactivity. I'm grateful that my friend pointed me to a wonderful trainer, Laura Monaco Torelli , and she immediately brought a vet behaviorist, Dr. Ciribassi , into the program. They taught me how to work with Arlo while he was calm in order to help him stay calm longer.

I learned that dog training isn't as easy as I thought and that popular dog psychology is dangerously flawed. Arlo's reactivity had nothing to do with "dominance" and though I had to learn to remain calm, his reactivity wasn't about me. I learned that he had a condition directly analogous to human PTSD, and that his brain was physically and chemically altered from the trauma he'd experienced. There was no quick fix, trainers who claimed to treat this instantly (by intimidating the dog) would make the problem worse in the long run. Laura worked with me to come up with an ever-evolving training plan and Dr. Ciribassi helped us to manage the medical side of Arlo's treatment. I have a lot to say about the path to healing Arlo so far, but I'll save that for another post.

I will leave you with a few references for now:

• Calming Signals are important to learn, and are indispensable when it comes to understanding dogs.
  
  
• Fearful dogs booklist from a website that is well worth exploring!
  
  
• Boogie's blog is a blog written by a Lili Chin who is an illustrator working with another excellent trainer to heal her fear-reactive dog. The posts labelled "training" and "BAT" are especially helpful.
  
  
• PDF on BAT - the training method Arlo and I are working with now.
  
  

Faustina shows affection

As a follow up to Emelda's post I thought I'd add a video of Minku and Faustina which shows just how far she has come.

She is awkward, afraid of strangers - and she is even afraid of her foster parents when they are standing. However, whenever one of her foster parent's has a lap open she wants to be in it.

Faustina & Foster Parenting

Last night, Faustina let me trim her claws. While that may not seem like a big deal (unless you've had experience with cats who really, really hate having their nails clipped), I nearly cried. Faustina, my "semi-feral", "unadoptable" foster baby, let me cut her nails while she sat in my lap and purred.

At first, it was one claw- so quick, she barely knew what happened (when you have so many foster cats, there's always a nail trimmer nearby!). It freaked her out, so we just hung out for a few minutes, me caressing her feet and she smelling the trimmer. She jumped down when she got bored but came back quickly, settled again in my lap. I quietly trimmed the the rest of her front paw, then the next, all while telling her what a good girl she was and cursing my lack of cat treats to give her.

You have no idea how big of a step this is. Faustina came to us from our "Great Kitten Rescue" of 2009, a TNR (trap-neuter-return) project that took place in an industrial park where kittens and cats were being abused. Originally, she went to a foster home that took in the majority of the kittens from that rescue. As the other kittens adjusted to their new inside surroundings and learned to trust people, she stayed a terrified kitten. After a few weeks, she came to live with my ex and I in an effort to help speed up her socialization.

Unfortunately, she continued to be terrified out of her mind. Our socializing exercises helped, but not quick enough to get her adopted as a kitten- the easiest time to find homes for cats. While she's come very far in the year we've had her- no more scratches, no hisses when she scared, etc.- Faustina bolts very quickly when there is a loud noise or unexpected movement. She's very adorably awkward but has become a lap cat, in her own way.

Back to my amazement from last night. I've cut her nails probably FOUR times in the year we've had her (I generally trim everybody probably once a month). Each time I had to either trap her *inside* a pillow case or it took her being burritto'd in a long towel & two people (both methods restrict her body movements and allow us to take one leg out at a time). When I was done clipping her nails this time, she stayed in my lap purring while I teared up, telling her how proud I was of her.

Often times, when I tell people that I'm a foster mom, they reply with "I could never do that." I think people focus on the heartbreak that can happen when a critter you've nursed back to health, or whose emotional scars you've helped heal, or whom you've simply had for a long time, gets adopted. I understand that. Every animal I take in takes a little piece of my heart when they are adopted, get transferred to another foster home, or dies.

But the animals I've cared for provide so much love, they help heal the small losses that the others have brought. Faustina will be a hard one to lose, but she has so much to gain and so much love to give for someone who has the kindness she deserves. I've learned so much patience from her and so many skills for the next "semi-feral" kitten that comes into my care. I'm grateful for her being in my life but am looking forward to seeing her full journey unfold.