Sunday, May 23, 2021

 The sun is shining and the temps are rising....summer is close by! My two favorite sounds are now abundant every morning----the first of the morning bird songs and the tree frogs. 

This past Thursday was a HumaneOhio day.  One of our favorite type of days! We sent up 47 cats, 28 females and 19 males. This includes 6 FFRC kitties--Pinkie, Herschel, Punky, Shone, April and Sleeky.  All surgeries went good for the public and FFRC. The discharges went great--done in 40 minutes! 

We have taken on two new kitties--

Punky--an all black kitten, 8 weeks old, female.  Her birthday is 3/22/21. She arrived 5/17/21. She was found in Paulding county and taken to their local Humane Society and then brought to FFRC.  She's a bit shy but this morning she purred and purred for Auntie Donna. And she is playing now.

Poppy II--a brown tiger, 6 weeks old, female. Her birthday is 4/9/21. She has been injured. The person who brought her said 2 male tom cats were getting ready for a fight when Poppy walked near them. One of the toms grabbed her and shook her. The bite wounds are minimal but there is damage to her nervous system/spinal cord. When she arrived, her legs were flat out behind her. She was immediately started on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. That was 2 days ago. This morning, she was bearing a bit of weight on the rear legs.  Super sweetie girl.

Both Punky and Poppy are sharing two pens in the main area, together.  It's good for Punky and is a comfort to Poppy.  Both names are from the Name a Cat name list. Poppy is named in honor of Cita's cat Poppy.

The three kittens before these 2 are doing great--Taffy, Tenshi and Nano. They are still in the back Thumper's Room, along with Spring and her 4 kittens. It won't be long until the 3 will be up in the Main Area.

We've had 5 more adoptions!

Indigo and CoCo were adopted together on 5/20.  Super nice family.

Chief Cleo was adopted 5/21. He will have a mama all to himself

Shone & Herschel were adopted together on 5/22. They will have new cat siblings in their home.

We have more adoptions coming up sometime.  Spring and Ms. M, Pinkie, April and Sleeky.  We also have other families coming in to visit the cats/kittens for possible adoptions, 

This week we started having the families come into the Main Area to see the cats/kittens for adopting. After 14 months of no visitors, it was different but so very very nice.  And the cats loved it!

We also had a few visitors that had been volunteers before Covid hit. We had visits from Judy and Phil and also Pablo. It really was nice to have our friends back. I even heard Magic mention to Derecho that it was nice to see fresh faces again! 

We are being careful though.........only 1 family at a time.  If not vaccinated, masks have to be worn. Hands are disinfected before coming in.  We are not yet ready for just an open door policy. This will take a bit of time to see how the area's Covid numbers are.

Just a little update on Sevaun our 18 year old Covie.  We have been giving her meds to help her have no discomfort from her severe arthritis but she is winding down. We are enjoying each day with her. 

I have to apologize for saying we would start BOXES last week.  I was not able to do that. Things have been super busy for me here and time gets away from me each and every day. But........we are hoping to get this going again very soon. 

Update on the Lings--the ducklings and goslings. They are 3/4 of their adult size now. They spend their days in a very large pen, still here in the front area, on the grass. At night, for their safety, they go into a pen.  Hoping soon they will be out on the farmyard with all the other critters. All are doing great. 

Just an FYI--Dr. Darcy's office has asked us to help by taking on a year old orange cat. She was found under Dr. Darcy's deck--she knew where to go for help! She has a severely fractured femur that is beyond pining and will require an amputation. I believe her surgery is tomorrow, Monday. Please keep her in your prayers and good thoughts. 

All is good here. Cats and kittens were extra crazy this morning! But........that is what is enjoyable about cats!  Take good care and have a wonderful Sunday. 

Saturday, May 15, 2021

 As was on a facebook page-- We did it! We did it! We did it! The Solar Panel Project is done. A thousand million heartfelt thanks for making this possible! We have enough to pay the solar panel bill, pay a year of insurance on the panels and put some funds towards our medical needs! I am so very grateful and in awe of our FFRCNation!  

As of today, the energy being produced by the panels has saved 31 trees and 315 gallons of US gasoline! We are actually anxiously waiting for our next electric bill!

Joan was adopted on 5/9. She was loved on the spot here at FFRC by her new mom.

On 5/11, Sven was adopted. He was so sweet. When his new family came to adopt him, he immediately remembered them and was waiting for them. The way he would sit and look up at them just melted my heart. And then when he was shown the crate, in he went, all by himself. Lucky kitty, lucky family.

The Lilac Festival went great. I am grateful to Edna Gem and Mary Braid for organizing this event. And many thanks too for the volunteers that helped on the Lila Festival day--Connie D, Peggy S, Bill D, Jamie D and Faithy M.  This was a day for good PR to our community--lots of talk of spaying and neutering. It also brought in $582! It was nice to have an event be carried through during this Covid time!

And speaking of Covid........the latest for Ohio, effective now, is: " people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks in most situations. Those who have not been vaccinated should still wear a mask and socially distance. "

What does this mean for FFRC? Most of our volunteers have already been vaccinated. Those that have not still need to mask inside the rescue center, We will now let people into the Main Area while looking for a kitten or cat to adopt, which makes things a bit easier for me and will give the cats/kittens even more hands on TLC.  

But, this does not mean we are open for the general public yet. We will use the "wait and see what happens" in regards to Covid numbers before we rush into anything more than letting those in that are interested in adoption.  And those folks will have to have their applications completed so I know they are serious. We also will only allow one family group in at a time for now.    

We had a Quickie Flash Sale this week.  We sold blanket/cat toys/premium catnip and a cat magnet for $18.  This QFS brought in $450!  This sale is designated to help us pay for another box of Idexx leukemia/fiv/heartworm test kits. That cost is $569 (with our discount). All cats and kittens, upon admission has a test and also repeated on each one in 3-4 weeks after arrival. Thank you for helping us get a good chunk for that bill.     

We have taken on 3 new kitties.  These kittens were abandoned in a house and brought to FFRC. Their birthdate is 4/1/21 and they arrived at 6 weeks of age. Their names are from the Name a Cat name list.

Taffy--grey/cream torti, female

Tenshi--(name means angel), brown tiger, female

Nano--black/white, DMH, white stripe down the back, male

Steve and my anniversary is coming up soon. We usually go to Shipshewana for a few days to R&R! This year we will go up a week early--leave this Monday and come back Wednesday. During this time, I will not be answering emails, etc. I'm really going to try and not be on the phone except for the volunteers and mods. We enjoy going to Shipshi and just do everything at a slow pace! 

This next Thursday is HumaneOhio--it's a packed full schedule. 

Today was a light load FFRC surgery day. Many of the kittens we were hoping to get done did not make weight.  So, we did 2 neuters and 1 spay. Chief Cleo and Coco were neutered and Indigo was spayed. 

She also looked at Coralie and said she is doing fantastic!

Sevaun had a physical--her geriatric-ness is catching up with her. She had a brushing too!

Janie had her heart checked--no worse, no better, still a 4/5 heart murmur. 

Low surgery numbers gave us time to do outside physicals:

The Covies that we were able to do: Mayor Anony, Azreal, Dollop, Dude (needs a dental), Frank, Glory (grade 3 heart murmur), Sevaun, Victor and Walter.  All were good and behaved nicely for Dr. Darcy.

We only did 2 porchies--Cliff and Hopper. Both good. Hopper has a continued middle ear infection which we have a new plan of action. 

Shamballie's physical was god.

Enola--good physical

My Zap and Zara both need dentals. We pulled one canine tooth that was very loose for Zara. 

Thanks to Sue, Lynnette, Amber for their morning help. And a big thanks to Dr. Darcy for being our vet. 

It was a good day. Have a wonderful weekend! And the sun is shining and producing energy for us! 

                                                                                                      

Friday, May 7, 2021

 Yesterday was a HumaneOhio spay/neuter day!  One of our favorite things to do!  We sent up 39 cats--25females and 14 males! All spay/neuter days are extra good days! Thank you to Lynnette, Becky M, Gem, Debbie, Mary Braid, Marcia for helping us. We could not do this without all the help!

Wednesday was another Flash Sale! This sale brought in $807--super wonderful!  Many thanks to those that provided the items we sold and to all the participants! Since this week is in the Solar Panel Project timeframe, this sale went towards our project goal!

We've heard from the family that adopted Freddie and Abicat, now known as Freddie and Ginger! "They are such a joy! I can't believe how fast they've settled in. After 1 day they were sleeping on my lap, which I love. They are having so much fun playing with each other and all their new toys. I love them so much!" Another happy adoption! 

As you probably know, we are still doing our Solar Panel Project. I am completely blown away with the generosity and support shown for this project. Truly is heart warming. Here's a look at the last 10 days:

4/27, $4,160 donated

4/28  $2,286

4/29  $1,750

4/30  $1,637

5/1  $3,251

5/2  $2,269

5/3  $2,526.01

5/4  $1,610.17

5/5  $3,577

5/6  $2,092

This as of today, makes $25,158.18 (yes, every penny is important, especially when those pennies were donated in memory of LJ!).  

Our Total cost for FFRC's share of the solar panels is $27,750.  Monday is the last day that donations to FFRC goes towards the solar panel project.  Will we make it?  It's very close!  Even though I am a very positive, optimistic person, I thought....wow, if we could even get $10,000 raised, we would figure out some how to pay the rest off. But, our FFRCNation is blowing that apart with their generosity! I am so full of gratitude, relief and joy about this. 

Following the final show of the graph on Monday, we will do a live tour of the Rescue Center. This is a way to show my appreciation. 

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We have  taken on a few more kittens/cats. 

Bijou (Bee-zhoo)--female, DLH white calico.  Name means Little Gem.  Arrived 4/28.  Her birthday is 4/18/20 so she is just a year old. This sweet, quiet girl was left unattended in a trap for over 24 hours. She was so very hungry. She is very beautiful and loves to be petted.

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The R2 litter is here now! Their birthdate is 3/25/21 so they ae just 6 weeks old. Super sweet, playful and ornery already!

Sleeky--female, white/black/gold calico

Shone--female, brown tiger

Herschel--male, black/white

Hudson--male, white and grey, dot on nose and chin

Hyatt--male, grey and white

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A friend of FFRC has been caring for a group of cats that have no owner any longer. He brought 4 of them to FFRC yesterday for their spays (all 4 are girls). FFC has taken over ownership of these cats. They are ever so kind, so friendly, loud purrers. I didn't have the heart to send them back where they would be outside cats with no real owner. 

Corabelle--the prettiest, super friendly DLH, white calico. Birthday is 2/4/21, 13 weeks old

Dee Dee--female, siamese, birthday is 6/14/20, is 11 months old. Super nice

Qapla--female, white/gold, birthday is 3/14/20, is 14 months old. 

All names above are on the Name a Cat name list. 

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Yoey is healing. His wounds were very nasty.  Everyday we find another wound that is abscessed but each are getting better. His appetite is good and he loves to wrap around your legs. 

You may have noticed we have a bit of competition going on in the Main Area. We have 3 females with the desire of being wannabe caretakers of the kittens.  Ms. M, Sazaz and Ruby. They just want to love on the kittens, give them baths and play with them without the other wannabe caretakers. It makes life a bit interesting. All will settle down soon though.

Sunday, Joan will go to her new home. She is the last of Ms. M's kittens. The next group which is the R1 kittens are having holds put on them now. They cannot leave yet until they are bigger and can be spayed/neutered. 

Tomorrow is the Lilac Festival in Defiance and FFRC will be there! Please stop by and see the booth! Thanks to our awesome voluntees who have organized this and helping with the booth!

All is good here. It's still chilly but the sun shines for part of the day! Take good care. 

Saturday, May 1, 2021

 Happy first day of May! Bring on the flowers, the tree leaves, the sunshine, the beginning hint of summertime! 

What it also means is many births happenings. It's well known that there are simply not enough homes for all the cats (and dogs) being born. Please, do your part, get a cat or dog spayed or neutered!  Even if you do not own a cat or dog, you can donate to make it possible to do another stray!  Wouldn't it be so wonderful if every pet born had a home. 

Many thanks for our Flash Sale that we had this week. It brought in $861!  And more thanks goes to all those that donated the items for the sale, to those that bought those items and to all who made this sale happen!  Lots of people involved........makes for a fun, lighter way of doing these sales!

As you may know, we are doing a Solar Panel Project! All monies given to FFRC this week and next is applied to this project!  Everyday we do an update on the cam, usually around 3:00 ish.  We have installed 32 (sorry, earlier info said 34) solar panels! These are now in place, way down on the lower area of land, in full sun! Our electricity bills are always so so high and we wanted to do something positive in helping ourselves with this problem. The company's name that installed this is Super Energy Solutions. 

FFRC's electric bills frequently are over $1,000 a month (this is an actual FFRC cost--this does NOT include the percent of what electricity the house and barns use). These 32 panels have a cost of $37,000. That is "all-in" cost.

The company we chose is reputable, very helpful and will remain with us through all the question s and help we may need. 

We have already received our first bill and have a decline! These panels should see a return of the cost in 12 years. We need to be active in doing something to reduce our electric bill for FFRC. Solar panels should be thought of as an investment.

Of the $37,000, FFRC's share is $27,750. We had a friend come and figure the percent of our electric use for the house versus the rescue center. It's 75% for FFRC. So, that is how the $27,750 came to be.  The remaining cost is Steve and my responsibility. 

Steve and I also realize that it is very probable that FFRC cannot fulfill that $27,750. We will figure something out later of how we can cover that. We have stepped out in faith that all will work out, one way or another. 

If you'd like to make a donation to help with this, we are grateful. If you cannot, it's ok too! We truly understand the shortness of funds. 

If you'd like to help, you can send a PayPal to FFRC (go to our website at fofrescue.org and click on PayPal), OR you can send a check--mark it for solar panels OR you can do Venmo OR you can send a money order. We are grateful as can be and sincerely appreciate any help given for this huge project.

As of this moment, we have brought in:

4/27--$4,160

4/28--$2,286

4/29--$1,750

4/30--$1,637

5/1--$3,251    

This comes to $13,084!  Isn't that just an awesome amount?  I am always so astounded at what our FFRCNation can do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ruby Love LittleBit is now an FFRC kitten and is now known as Ruby. She and Sven are great friends. Sparrow too!

Zayvan, that cute sweet big orange boy, now has his sutures removed. He is such a big boy with a big heart and personality. I love how he talks to us!

The Barnie Babies are doing better. They all had severe diarrhea upon arrival but doing better now. Their names:

Vlinder--female, brown tiger

Goldie Pearl--female, calico/tiger

Bobo--male, black tiger/white

Gunner--male--gold/white   All are Name a Cat Names

The R1 litter is now up in the Main Area. They are all doing wonderful and will be able to have Holds put on them starting next week.

Spring, our pretty calico tiger girl arrived very pregnant and had her babies just a few days after arrival. She had 4 kittens, all are healthy. Their little tummies are nice and round! They all weighed 3.8 to 4 ounces at birth but each has gained at least an ounce already.  Their birthdays are 4/27. 

Their names:

Viola--female--black tiger/white

Ju-in-Ji--female--calico tiger

Quill--male--gold/white 1 gold ear patch

Quiller--male--gold/white 2 gold ear patches

Sazaz, the orange tiger that was surrendered after the owner decided they couldn't care for her medical issues, is doing awesome. She responded so quickly to her meds and is feeling great. 

We also took on another new cat. My heart hurt for him. He has massive bite wounds on his left hock and right hip and thigh. He also has a small bite wound on the side of his neck.  As large as the other bite wounds are, this surely has to be from a dog. His pain level was so bad that just to put a finger on him produced much crying. So, this sweet boy was given pain meds and antibiotics before we did too much with him.  His wounds were clipped, debrided, flushed and packed with antibiotic ointment. He was also famished. He is about a year old. We gave him the birthday of 4/13/20 and only weighs 6 pounds. He sure likes his food and wants to be touched now, petted and have his head rubbed. He has been given the name Yoey, another Name a Cat name.  Welcome, Yoey!

Have a great Sunday and let the sun shine!