FFRC BLOG

FFRC Blog Week Ending April 18, 2026

We started the week with National Pet Day (April 11th). National Pet Day is an annual observance dedicated to celebrating the joys pets bring to our lives and raising awareness about the millions of animals in shelters awaiting adoption. From Nationaltoday.com

Adoptions:

We had a surprise adoption on Thursday. BUCKEYE went to his furever home with our volunteer Stephanie. Buckeye was found locally and brought to FFRC on 7/13/23. His date of birth is 7/12/22. When found, Buckey had a large open wound on his back. We tried multiple things to get it to stay closed and finally contacted an emergency center in Ft. Wayne. They were able to vacuum close the wound. He is our $10K kitty!!! He will be keeping his name and will have a chill cat brother that is about 3 1/2 years old and 2 little old doggies.

Buckeye is doing great in his new home.

Another adoption was on 4/18. It was our sweet orangie, ALLEN. He will be keeping his name. On 5/26/24, Allen came to us after being found in a box. He is almost 2 years old. and will join a large group of siblings, which include a pit mastiff, a mini aussie, a bird, a ferret, a grey tabby cat, a boa, a bearded dragon and 15 fish. Wow, he will be having a great time!

Intakes:

We have another new baby kitty. This one is a little boy. He was found by our local trash company in a bag inside a box. It's a good thing this one has a healthy set of lungs, because his cry is what was heard by the rescuer. This baby was brought to FFRC at only 1 day old and still had his ambilocal cord attached. The cord detaches after about 3 days. He is another grey tiger but has white paws and other white markings, plus a very pink nose. This is a very serious time for a baby to be without its mother. Please keep him in your prayers. He is not eating well and seems to be declining. He is getting lots of love and we are still hopeful. We have named this little guy, HECTOR. His name came from the Name a Cat program and was submitted by Auntie Anita. Here are the results of the 287 votes:

Hector 40%

Baby Wiskerson 30%
Little Guy 30%

Health Updates:

WILLOW and LEMON are doing great. They are both eating and "all that goes with it" well. In fact, on 4/18, Debbie gave them wet food. They loved wallowing in it and also getting quite a bit in their tummies. They are very loud and demanding at feeding time. They are both gaining weight and are on track to being healthy kitties.

POPSICLE has had the sniffles but is doing much better after being on meds. You really can't keep this guy down long.

We lost SCOTLAND on Thursday, April 16th. Last Saturday, it appeared that he was straining to urinate. Meds were administered and when he was able to pass urine it was determined that he did not have crystals. On Sunday night to Monday morning, he appeared worse and was taken to Dr. Darcy's office. She did x-rays and found that a mass (encapsulated abscess) was blocking his urinary tract. On Thursday, exploratory surgery was performed to see if anything could be done for him. It was discovered that the mass was cancerous. He was not in any pain, due to the medications that he was on. The decision to let SCOTLAND pass peacefully was difficult but was the best that we could do for him. If you all can recall, Scotland came to FFRC about two years ago with a prolapsed rectum. He was skinny and had very little fur.

FFRC and Dr. Darcy worked their magic on him. He turned into a beautiful floofy boy. He was in the cove, so was not at the camera. We were able to give him two more years of love, food and warmth. We are wishing him the best but understand that it was his time.

We will miss our SCOTTY BOY!

Holds:

MARY LOU is also no longer on hold. We have been unable to reach the potential adopters. She's a beauty and ready to find her furever home.

Center Kitties:

JIMMY JAMES (JJ) has the most unusual and beautiful eyes. They look like marbles. He usually doesn't stand still long enough to get a good picture of them, but here is a pretty good one. JJ is one of the Porchies that greet you when you arrive at FFRC.

BUTTERBEAN taking a stroll on the wheel. She's crying because she wants your attention.

JEFFERSON is a chunka chunka burnin' love.

BEBOP is a big girl now!

Adopted Kitties:

JUDE (black cat) and his brother JAX checking out the desert.

KARL and WILL POWER playing. Aren't they cute?

RENEE (Wonder) and BRYNN are so photogenic, aren't they?

Road Trip Updates:

Artwork by Christine P

The trip started out pretty smoothly on Wednesday, 4/8. MR. ROGERS is a great traveling companion. He only meowed for a short time and then settled in to watch the world pass by. There was a lot of traffic and a few accidents that made the already long trip even longer. Megan decided that the best way to get there as quickly as possible, was to eat "Gas Station Food". This turned out to be NOT the best idea. Not to worry, Megan was fine....Lynnette decided to get some chicken nuggets to eat on the way--which she shared with Mr. Rogers. A couple of hours later, Lynnette wasn't feeling very good and Mr. Rogers wasn't either. Megan let Mr. Rogers out of his cage to walk around and use his litter box. PU!!!! Not the most pleasant smell!! It was time to get back on the road, but about a half hour later, Lynnette told Megan that it was time to pull over NOW! After Lynnette relieved herself of the poison chicken, she felt much better. Of course, Megan telling the story was much funnier than this post!

After the traffic and other delays, Mr. Rogers was at this new home with Terri, our wonderful Mod. We can only imagine the Hi Jinx that ensued until Megan and Lynnette left to continue on their journey. The ladies arrived at their hotel between 2:30 and 3:00am and then crashed!

The next morning, the trip was to the beach! BUT it was really cold and windy. The ocean was very angry, but the ladies stuck it out and even tried to find some shells.

The next stop was to see our former director, Jacci. Since no shells had been found on the beach, Lynnette bought some from a local shop. The plan was to stay a couple of hours and then start heading back. At around midnight (much later than planned), the travel home had started.

About 3:30am, it was time to stop for the "night". Again, they crashed until it was time to leave the hotel and get back on the road. They did stop at a rest area, and each got massages in a chair. The weather wasn't the greatest; there was rain and maybe even sleet.

Lynnette drove for a couple of hours while Megan snoozed. She somehow managed to get on the wrong side of some construction barrels. She had to weave in and out of them to get to her exit. I guess she needed her own express lane. In fairness, it was pouring and very foggy--not to mention dark! Lynnette is a trailblazer! LOL

The ladies made it back late Friday and now it is all memories of the good times, the not so good times and the knowledge that Mr. Rogers is at home where he belongs!

Humane Event:

Cindy sorted and cleaned Kitty City in preparation for another Humane event that was on Saturday, 4/18. She made the area as clean and sterile as possible, so that we could triage the 29 kitties that were in desperate need of help. Thank you for all of your hard work, Cindy! FFRC, the Humane Society and our local Humane Agent met at the house at 8 am and were able to capture all of the kitties. They all appear to be friendly.

All 29 cats were tested and unfortunately, 3 of the cats (which were outside shed cats) were found to have FIV. Because of this and their other health issues, these 3 were euthanized. All cats were extremely thin, had fleas, worms and some of the worst infected ears that FFRC has experienced. All cats were given three separate vaccines: distemper, Bordetella and leukemia. They were also given flea meds, Capstar and dewormers.

FFRC has kept 4 of these cats (names and pictures to follow in next week's blog). Our local Humane Society took 14. The remaining 8 cats were taken by foster/adopters. We are so grateful that these individuals stepped up to help!!!!

More thanks to:

Lynnette that held all of the cats during their intake.

Edna who documented everything.
Dawn that handled the after processing and test results.
Mary "Braid" who ran all over helping where needed.
Michael C. who thought he was there for a nice vacation and who was put to work.
Lisa, the Humane Society director, who worked with the foster and adoptive parents.
Stacey, our Humane Agent.

Sunday, Megan will work on completing the intake process for the FFRC kitties and will be working with the Humane Society on dispensing meds based on health protocol and with vet approval.

Events:

A flash sale will be held on Wednesday, April 22 at 11 am.

Humane Ohio was on Tuesday, 4/14. We sent up 25 males and 24 females. Included was our new kitty, Lyla.

Believe it or not, it is time to start planning for this year's Cat-a-thon! This year, the event will be held from June 15-19. This is the biggest financial Fundraiser of the year. We will using the same type of board as we have in the past. The boxes will be numbered 1 through 400. We ask for a purchase of one of more boxes. The number on the box is the amount that you pledge to FFRC. Many fun activities will be held during the week. More to follow.

Also, back by popular demand will be CatStock. This event will be renamed soon. We have received a number of suggestions. This will be a scaled down version of past year's events, so that staff can enjoy themselves. It will be a great time for a picnic and visit with your FFRC family. There may also be a small work party put together during the weekend. Mark your calendars for 9/12 & 9/13. Megan is working on contacting local hotels to see if she can get a group rate for those wanting overnight accommodations.

Current Needs:

A list is kept up to date on the Amazon Wish List found on the FFRC website. The biggest need that we have now is financial. After Megan mentioned this need on an impromptu update on Thursday, over $10K was raised before Q & A was held on Friday. We are so overwhelmed and thankful for having you as part of our Nation!

Other:

Miss Hailey's Middle School Special Needs class sent letters, a poster, DIY projects and other kitty items during Box Day, 4/14. The class watches the YouTube channel regularly.

Megan was able to get a number of adoption requests approved. Here's hoping for some kitties finding their new homes soon.

The Valentine's Day Date videos are nearly ready to be sent.

If you haven't looked at our Instagram page, please do!! There are great pictures of our center's kitties. Thanks so much!

FFRC is always looking for Center volunteers. Candidates need to be at least 18 years old and have transportation to get here. Volunteers work set shifts and have assigned tasks, which include cleaning, feeding and other caring for cats. Please contact Megan if you would like to help.

Please make sure that you have a plan for your pets in the event that you are no longer able to take care of them. The best plan is to have both a primary and a secondary backup.

2026 Calendars are now available and are being offered in two sizes: 8 1/2 x 12 or 8 1/2 x 14. Orders for calendars will be through the FFRC Store and also on the FFRC website. We are unable to take orders via the phone or e-mail. I've received mine, how about you?

Photos by Dawn and friends.

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In honor of Megan and Lynnette's Road Trip:

"It's not the destination, it's the journey."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"People don't take trips, trips take people"

John Steinbeck

"Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter."

Izaak Walton

"No more gas station food!"

Lynnette Begley

FFRC Blog Week Ending April 11, 2026

ROAD TRIP!!!

Wow, what a great opportunity to visit North Carolina's Atlantic Coast, see Mod Terri and former Director, Jacci! Not to mention, deliver our beautiful boy, MR. ROGERS. I'm not sure that it was a wise decision to let DERECHO drive, let RAMSAY navigate or OTTER ride shotgun, but looks like all made it there and back in one piece. Megan and Lynnette left on Wednesday morning and were able to get to Terri's that evening. On Thursday, Lynnette got to see the ocean (for the first time). They also visited with Jacci and clan and left to come back on Friday. Megan was in early on Saturday to administer meds. She is waiting until Monday to fill us in on the trip.

Artwork by Christine P

Adoptions:

We had a big one.... MR. ROGERS was delivered to North Carolina and our Mod Terri. Does FFRC deliver? Normally, no, but this was a special case. Mr. Rogers came to us on 1/15/26 to be euthanized. He was in pretty rough shape and oh, so skinny. It only took a short time before Megan and Lynnette agreed that they would try to save them. In saving him, he saved a little bit of all of us. He is another miracle kitty. After getting him healthy, he had all of his teeth extracted on one side and then he started fattening up. He is now a healthy 9 lb., 6 oz. Terri will be keeping his name, and he will have plenty of company at Terri's with over 10 other kitty siblings.

Intakes:

We had a new intake of another female gray/black tiger baby this week. She has been named LEMON. Her name came from the Name a Cat Program and was submitted by SonJa Here are the results of the vote. 201 votes were cast:

Lemon 56%
Diggers 30%
Baby Whiskerson 14%

LEMON was brought to us on Monday, April 6th. She was found during the recent storms of last weekend. She was under a shed, caked in mud. She's another wee baby and will be bottle-fed along with WILLOW. Here is what she looked like before she got the FFRC treatment and after her first bath.

WILLOW now has a friend. Debbie and Megan are tag-teaming the feedings. Neither kitty will let anyone forget about them.

Health Updates:

WILLOW and LEMON are doing great. Megan and Lynnette showed the two on camera during Box Day. Megan thought she was being slick when she brought up the new baby, LEMON, and said it was WILLOW. She deceived us for only a short time. The two kitties look quite a bit alike, but LEMON is darker and smaller. We are pretty sure that both of these babies are girls.

All other kitties are in good shape.

Holds:

MARY LOU is also still on hold, but we are awaiting word back from her family on when this will occur.

Center Kitties and Others:

Lynnette enjoying her first outing at the beach. It was cold, but that didn't stop her!

And even time for a shout out for YOU, FFRC Nation!

A quick look at Eric not on the move!

The Mona Lisa from Cheryl T is a big hit.

DAGDA taking a snooze.

POPSICLE being a copy-cat and also snoozing.

Painting class posted on 4/8 showing MRS. CHARLES, SQUIZZLE, RUMPLESTILTSKIN, and SPIKER. Hmmm, wonder what chaos they can get into!

Not to forget...On April 10th, we celebrated National Siblings Day. Here's a tribute to some of our FFRC siblings:

Not pictured are Apple, Elm and BIrch, Faisy and Bebop, and new kids on the block Lucky and Chandler. Possibly others...?

Adopted Kitties:

And here's the start of getting pictures of MR. ROGERS from Terri. I am sure that we will get many updates!

RORY is very photogenic!

Events:

Current Needs:

A list is kept up to date on the Amazon Wish List found on the FFRC website. At this time, we are very low on canned food, shreds, and chicken fillets.

Other:

RAMSAY got a new "FURRARI" on Box Day. It's bright yellow and very fluffy. He's looking sharp tooling around the center.

Photo Provided by Ros

Q & A was cancelled this week so that Megan and Lynnette could deliver MR. ROGERS.

We have a new Farmyard/Outdoor helper. Her name is Sheyanne. Welcome!

A Spring Party was hosted by Ros on Saturday, 4/11 at 5pm. Snacks were shared!

The Valentine's Day Date videos are nearly ready to be sent.

If you haven't looked at our Instagram page, please do!! There are great pictures of our center's kitties. Thanks so much!

Please make sure that you have a plan for your pets in the event that you are no longer able to take care of them. The best plan is to have both a primary and a secondary backup.

Photos by Dawn and friends.

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In honor of National Siblings Day...

"You don't get to choose your siblings. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."

Unknown

"Siblings: children of the same parents, each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together."

Sam Levinson

"Siblings are our first partners and rivals, our first friends, and our first enemies."

Erica Goldblatt Hyatt

FFRC Blog Week Ending April 4, 2026

Just in time for spring!!!! Brought to you by Fountain City Veterinary Hospital.

Adoptions:

There were no adoptions this week.

Intakes:

We had a new intake of a female gray/beige tiger this week. And guess what? She's a polydactyl baby. She has been named LYLA. Her name came from the Name a Cat Program and was submitted by Dianne E. Here are the results of the vote. 220 votes were cast:

Lyla 74%
Lemon 21%
Larlene 5%

LYLA was found on the property on Monday, March 30th, by Kim. She is approximately 7-8 months old and was very hungry! She is doing great. We look forward to having her in the main room as soon as all of her initial intake is complete.

Polydactyl cats are cats born with extra toes due to a genetic mutation, often called "mitten cats" or "Hemingway cats." Normally, cats have 18 toes--five on each front paw and four on each back paw--but polydactyl cats have at least 19, with some rare individuals having up to 28 toes. The extra toes are most commonly found on the front paws, though they can appear on the back paws, as well. Taken from Wikipedia.

Health Updates:

WILLOW is doing great. She is receiving her kitty food via a bottle and is very LOUD and demanding! Debbie is taking a break from baby care and has handed the baton to Megan. She is being fed Breeders Edge Foster Care Feline, which is working great. She is having perfect solid Poos! Be prepared for cuteness overload!

Megan did a few surprise weigh-ins during Q & A:

WIBBLES was 3 lbs. 8 oz. Now, 5 lbs. 1 oz.
RAISIN was 5 lbs. Now, 6 lbs. 3 oz.
BUTTERBEAN 6 lbs. 3 oz.
POPSICLE 8 lbs. 1 oz.
SPIKER 14 lbs. 3 oz.

CHANDLER, BOWIE and LUCKY have graduated to Paddy's Place and the Main Room.

Holds:

MR. ROGERS is doing great and is officially on hold! Our Mod Terri is getting a new kitty! Details to follow as we get closer to the adoption day!

MARY LOU is also still on hold, but we are awaiting word back from her family on when this will occur.

Center Kitties:

BUEHLER is our "go to" man on the cam!

STEVEN wondering what will happen if he pulls this?

Lovely LEIBCHEN needs a quiet home!

RUMPELSTILTSKIN has caught his prey, now what?

Adopted Kitties:

Remember Macaroni and Pickles, now MAC and PICCOLO? These are the RV kitties on their way to Florida.

STARLIGHT is making herself at home. Her personality is coming out more and is adjusting well.

Events:

Current Needs:

A list is kept up to date on the Amazon Wish List found on the FFRC website.

Other:

Humane Ohio day was Tuesday, March 31st. We sent up 52 cats, 24 females and 28 males. None were FFRC kitties. LYLA will go up next time.

We have a new Farmyard/Handyman named Cody. Let's all welcome him! He will first be working on rebuilding the fire pit and general maintenance. He has also been power-washing the buildings. Taking care of a downed tree is also in the plans. Looking good!

Laura (Pooh Bear's Mom) has left FFRC. Wishing her the best. We are interviewing for part-time help to help Cindy with the outside & Cove kitties, plus the other farmyard animals.

Mrs. Yacks visited most of the week and brought some letters and artwork from her 5th grade class. Magic made quite an impact on her class.

Storms have hit Defiance, Ohio again! This time, an actual funnel cloud was spotted (EF1). Wind damage and flooding occurred throughout town, especially the downtown area. FFRC is located across from the Auglaize River but is high enough to avoid flooding issues around the center and farmyard.

The Valentine's Day Date videos are nearly ready to be sent.

If you haven't looked at our Instagram page, please do!! There are great pictures of our center's kitties. Thanks so much!

Please make sure that you have a plan for your pets in the event that you are no longer able to take care of them. The best plan is to have both a primary and a secondary backup.

Photos by Dawn and friends.

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"Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's party'."

Robin Williams

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush"

Doug Larson