FFRC BLOG: April 2025

FFRC Blog week ending April 26, 2025

FFRC Blog week ending April 26, 2025

Adoptions:

Our Xavi was adopted today. And the good news gets better as he is going to the family that adopted his good friend Percy, in December.

Xavi came to us when he was around 6 weeks old. The story changed a bit from him being hit by a car to being found stuck in a car. Either way, he came in a bit messed up. He had a degloved tail (which was later removed to prevent Sepsis) and his back right leg was discovered to be a little out of joint at the hip. It was put back into alignment and his rear leg ‘juts’ out a little but causes no pain, doesn’t slow him down and just him being him.

Xavi came in about 10 days before Percy and they both became instant friends and actually first came into the Main Center together. Where one went, the other was close by. How wonderful these friends will be reunited and will grow up as true brothers.

New Cats:

None

Health Updates:

Sinopa and her 5 babies are doing well and gaining weight. She is a great mom and very protective of her babies. She lets other cats know to ‘get away’ if they try to peek through the pen and see what’s what.

Surrogate mom, Jacci is still being a good mom to Lilo and Ali. She has been producing milk and feeds Lilo and Ali 100 %. We are still ‘topping them off’ every four hours. Both are now ready for the weaning process to begin! We’ll put a onesie on Jacci so the kittens can still get mom time, just no more nursing.

Heinz (the mason jar kitty) is doing great too. While he doesn’t like to be held, he has been down on the floor and enjoying his time. He gets along with other cats.

Holds:

Jefferson. Time and date TBD.

Other Updates:

“As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good,” Maya Angelou
Urgent needs:

Odoban
Wet food Fancy Feast and Friskies

Appetizers

Disinfecting wipes Pickles

FFRC Blog week ending April 19, 2025

Adoptions:

Our beautiful Margaret was adopted!

Such a stunning cat, Margaret came to us in February. She was much loved by her mom. However her mom had to move and take care of an ill relative. She’s 5 and half years old and will have a beautiful 7 year old sister (Rennie). She will keep the only name she’s ever had! Congratulations sweet Margaret!

New Cats:

Sinopa had her babies. She gave birth to 6 little ones. Sadly, one of them was too fragile and did not survive. We take comfort in knowing he wasn’t alone, he and his siblings were not born outside where the temperature this time of year can still get very cold at night. He was with his momma, he was loved and we will keep him in our hearts.Nature is certainly a marvel, by her actions, we could tell that Sinopa knew, love gives one inexplicable insight. While we have not yet named the new borns, we did give this special soul a name. Baby Bear was only with us for a short time but left a paw print in our hearts.

The remaining babies are doing well and Sinopa is caring for them as a very loving and protective mom. Two gray and 4 darker brownish tigers. As infants grow, they can often change color from light to darker or darker to lighter. The happy family is of interest to many of the other cats who pass by to say ‘hi’. It’s adorable to see.

Last Monday we received a call from the Sheriff’s office about a cat at the Independence Dam that had a jar stuck on his head. Connie D. went out and found a long haired black cat with a big mouth mason jar stuck on his head and he was with a torti friend. Connie put out two traps and first, the torti was caught and we were able to take her from the trap and get her spayed. Later in the afternoon, we received a call from the Dam people. The black cat (with the jar) was caught. The maintenance man at the Dam was able to get the jar off the cat. We were able to bring to the vet and neutered. Both cats passed all tests. The inkie is covered in mats. The vet was able to shave him to relieve him from the pain of the mats. Both cats were also vaccinated. Originally we thought they were feral. They are not. In fact, they are approachable and friendly. The torti is very unsure of things and we’re working with them both to evaluate them.

The ‘jar kitty’ has now been named Heinz (it wasn’t a ketchup jar, but how cute is that name!)

The torti is named Jacci. We think Jacci Moss would approve!! And in true Jacci style, she has taken the infants Ali and Lola under her paw and has been loving on them. She is grooming them and cuddling them and protecting them as any mother would. While us humans can care for them, there is nothing like a momma cat holding, loving and guiding baby kittens. Jacci may not be their mother, but all the kittens know is she is loving them. That’s what a good cat mom does. Jacci is a good cat mom. Must be something in the name!

Health Updates:

Teddy is officially done with all his treatments and out in the Center, having a great time being free and FIP free!! Teddy is our happy, miracle kitty!

Skye -- The nervous CH kitty that came from Dr. Darcy’s office. After giving her special one-on-one attention by Megan she is doing great. She is out of the Welcome room and in back Thumpers room. She comes up to you, wanting attention. She does have skin mites which causes her hair to fall out. We gave her a specific type of flea medicine and she is now improving but looks a little odd with much of her hair needing to be regrown. Skye plays and lets out a very loud scream. This is her way of talking. She screams as she has fun! She is now thriving. So happy to see.

All our other cats are also doing well, including Pania and Mrs. Charles who both have been getting stronger. Pania has been gaining a little weight and Mrs. Charles is a little less wobbly since her polyp removal.

Holds:

Jefferson is on hold! Such a wonderful thing for our boy. Adoption date TBD.

Other Updates:

Our longtime Friend and Chatter, Gentlesong (Sylvia) passed away this week. She’s always been a joy to chat with and such a positive person. We were lucky to have her visit from her home in Tennessee a few times. Back in 2013 when she visited we were short staffed and she scooped and cleaned and loved on all the kitties. Such a truly Gentlesong was truly a GentleSoul. We pass along condolences to her family and friends.

As we now have a number of babies, we could use some KMR liquid if anyone is wondering what we are low on. KMR is Kitten Milk Replacement. It’s really more of a supplement as well as a replacement for mother’s milk.

Other:

“Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.”

This was the jar that Heinz was stuck in. Thankfully he was not hurt.

FFRC Blog week ending April 12, 2025

FFRC Blog week ending April 12, 2025

Adoptions:

Prince was adopted this week! Another survivor story that ends in an adoption and a whole new life, full of love and happiness. Found hit by a car on a rural road, his broken leg had a successful pin put in (which xrays show has healed nicely). He’ll have the pin removed in about a month. He came in a mess and now is in a home full of love and FFRC family! This is what we do, take in the lost, the broken, and get them the medical help they need and help them to heal their spirits and embrace life again. Well done to all! And good life to you, Prince!

New Cats:

None

Health Updates:

As of this blog, Sinopa still has not given birth. The over/under is April 15th and 4 healthy babies. If she can’t get her taxes in by then, she’ll qualify for an extension.

Teddy went to Dr. Darcy’s this week and he has been officially declared cured of FIP!!!! Unheard of a few years ago, here’s hoping advances in cat diseases (and all diseases) continue. Good job Teddy. You are our miracle boy and a very courageous little guy.

Mrs. Charles went to the Vet this week and a ‘small’ polyp was removed from her ear. This removal will make her feel more comfortable and we’ve already seen a slight improvement in her walking. There is a video of Megan and Lynnette showing the polyp in a specimen cup. That part of the video is rated ELF (eat lunch first).

Our Porchie and official welcome kitty, Jimmy James (JJ) went to the vet this week. He’s had a thyroid issue for years which we control with medicine, but lately he has lost more than normal weight. His thyroid level hasn’t gotten lower than expected so we’ve increased his medicine.Everything else on his blood work looked good. Jimmy James is 12 years old and he’s been a loving member of our outside cat family for over 10 years. Why do our outside cats stay so long with us? This is our home, silly! And we love all our Porchies, Covies, Barnies, Fire House cats. We especially love our Jimmy James. If you ever visit FFRC, be sure to say hello to him, but he’ll probably say ‘hi’ first.

Holds:

None

Other Updates:

After much thought, it has been decided that it is the best interest of both Eric and Popsicle to become permanent residents of FFRC. While cats with CH can be adopted (and over the years, have been), because of the care these kittens will need for the first months of life, it is best that they be allowed to grow, knowing this is their home, where they will have the best lives. It would also be hard to separate them as they have a unique bond and asking an adopter to take two cats with CH is quite a lot. Their sister Amy does not have CH and she will make a wonderful addition to any home. Mom, Wispy is also available for adoption.

We have some names for our recent new kitties:

The kitty that Dr. Darcy’s office asked us to take in that has Cerebellar Hypoplasia, is now Skye. She is the brown tiger girl that had been living outside, which is no place for a cat with CH. Her CH is moderate. She’s a sweet girl who is a little shy and we are helping with that.

The infants are doing well and the calico is now Ali and the small gray torti is now Lilo. Debbie is taking good care of them and they did spend an overnight with Megan and rumor has it Megan’s dogs would love them to visit more often!

We had our Hare Raising fundraiser this week and it exceeded expectations. Once again, our FFRC Friends showed their love and commitment to our work. We raised $8,250 with some bump ups still coming in. Thank you to everyone for your help with this, special shoutout to Mike and Lola who donated each basket and EthelWings for her beautiful diamond paintings for each of the baskets. What wonderful friends we have!

Other:

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met.” -- William Yeats

Our Jimmy James

FFRC Blog week ending April 5, 2025

FFRC Blog week ending April 5, 2025

Adoptions:

Our sweet girl, Bridge was adopted to a nice, quiet family where she will be the center of attention and allowed to be the cat she wants to be. After almost 3 years of waiting, Bridge now has her own beginning. She’s now Rosey. She’s now free to be herself. How wonderful is that! We’ve already had several updates and pictures of Rosey and she is loving life! And her new family mentioned that she loves looking at herself in the mirror! Our hearts are filled with joy.

Mr. Carson was adopted this week. Mr. Carson is a true survivor. If you remember he came to us in September after a woman saw three kittens fall from a car. Sadly, one was deceased at the scene and one passed shortly after arriving here. Mr. Carson survived and has captured the hearts of so many of our staff. He’s a special boy that didn’t deserve his beginning weeks of life but got through it and put the past behind and said “this is my time now.” We will always have a special place for this special boy and wish him the best life ever. He deserves it.

New Cats:

We took in a new kitty this week that came to us from Dr. Darcy’s office. She is about 8 months old and was brought to Dr. Darcy from a wonderful family who live on a farm and have quite a few outside kitties. They are responsible care givers and realized this kitty was having some challenges with mobility. It appears she is a cat that has CH (Cerebela Hypoplasia). She appears to be moderate CH. She is already spayed and given a complete blood test panel to rule out other possibilities. Dr. Darcy asked if we could take her. We are still evaluating what her unique challenges are, as not all cats with CH have the same level of mobility. She can eat on her own, uses the litter box and walks with some wobbles and ‘hunches’ down when she walks. She doesn’t have a name yet.

The Humane Society reached out to us as they had two tiny babies about a week old that they could not find any fosters for. The babies are not weaned so need constant care (feedings and other things a mom cat does for their babies.) We asked Debbie if she would help with them and as always, she couldn’t say no. Taking care of new born kittens is a very time consuming process and having two is, well, twice as time consuming.

One is a gray tortie and the other is a calico. They are so tiny we haven’t yet been able to get a gender on them. The tortie is smaller than the calico. They are both so tiny and could use everyone’s positive thoughts that they thrive.

Health Updates:

Our Malade did have a small seizure on Monday. She’s fine now, but we are monitoring her closely. It was a minor seizure which she popped out of fairly quickly. There’s not really any kind of test that can be done at this point, we just monitor and watch and make sure she is getting plenty of fluids and going to the litter box.

Teddy’s FIP treatment ends soon and he’ll be going to Dr. Darcy to have a complete blood work panel done and once he’s given the ok, he’ll be free to come into the center, if he chooses. After all he’s been through, he gets to pick when he’s out and about.

Mrs. Charles is going in for a polyp check this week.

Prince will visit the Dr. this week as well. He will have an XRay on his leg and his neuter.

Holds:

Prince is still on hold. Remember Prince still has some treatment things to go thru before being adopted.

Other Updates:

Sinopa is now roaming around the center a little bit just to get some exercise. Still no babies yet, but she’s gained some weight and is ready to give birth soon! But she’s definitely holding out as long as she can!

Mrs. Charles is now out and about and is very curious. She walks pretty well, but does have her wobbles. She also ‘over grooms’ herself, which could be being in a new environment.

We are now in the middle of our Hare Raising fundraiser. Check out info on FB, the Blog, our website or ask a mod for details.

Other:

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.” — Maya Angelo

Brown Tiger

Calico baby

Torti baby

April 2025 Fundraiser

Beginning tomorrow (any time, you choose!) and running until April 11 at 9:00 a.m. we are having a special fundraiser featuring some of our special cats.

Now, we all know all our cats are special, but these cats are cute as a bunny and soft as a rabbit, so we’ve put together 7 baskets, each one featuring a picture of a special kitty and very special items.

You can win one of these baskets for $5.00. Just tell us the letter of the basket you want to put your name in for (and yes, you can put your name on multiple baskets or put your name on multiple tickets for one basket). Then on April 11 we’ll have a drawing at noon where all the names are put in the appropriate list. Our special magical computer system will randomly pick a winner for each basket.

You can pay by paypal, venmo, check, call in with your credit card number or, if you are local, stop in waving cash! Just be sure to let us know the basket number you are entering to get. For example, let’s say you want to buy 5 tickets, 4 of them for basket B and one for basket F. Just let us know.

The baskets:

The Marilyn basket. Everyone’s special cuddle bunny contains a photo of our Marilyn, bunny kitchen towels, some soft stuffed bunnies, a bunny basket and a bunny pillow.

The Alma basket. Everyone’s courageous motivator contains a photo of Alma, a bunny tablecloth, a stuffed bunny, a bunny knickknack, a stuffed bunny and a bunny basket. Also, butterflies show up on several of the linens.
The Spiker basket. The cat that makes us smile with every step he takes contains a photo of Spiker, a stuffed bunny that looks a lot like Spiker, a porcelain bunny holding eggs that are guaranteed not to increase in price, a stainless steel coffee thermos, and an eggplant and bunny linens.
The Magic basket. Everyone’s favorite leader of the Center contains a photo of Magic, a reminder to Bee Kind with a bumble bee, bee kind knickknack, plate and bowl of bee’s adding beauty and specialness to every table, a stuffed bunny and kitty dish cloth, a honey jar and something that this writer has no idea what it is, but it’s cute anyway!
The Pania basket. The blind kitty that can see more than any of us, contains a photo of this beautiful girl, a ‘forget me not,’ potpourri spray (lavender), a flowery platter, a cute book of cat thoughts, a plant, stuffed bunny and a table runner.
The Lucy basket. This basket celebrating the cat that loves to sleep under blankets while stealing our hearts, contains a photo of Lucy, a bird house, some birds (not real ones, or are they?) a plush throw and some beautiful bird linens along with a stuffed purple bunny.
The Derecho basket. This basket celebrates the cat that brought CH into our lives and has educated thousands of people about cats with CH contains a photo of Uncle Derecho, stuffed bunnies, bunny linens, bunny washcloths, a bunny serving tray and a kitty tea towel.

The pics attached to this post show them better!

As always, if you can help with this fundraiser, thank you. But don’t feel bad if you can’t. Your support can be in thanking the donors of the items making up these baskets, liking our video’s, or thinking positive thoughts about what we do and where we are going. Having Friends that add positive thoughts to our community and what we do is priceless.

Thank you all for being our Friend.