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.