Happy Fall Y’all! The temperatures still feel like summer, but the daylight hours are shrinking! It’s time for baseball, WNBA playoffs and FOOTBALL! Hockey pre-season has started, as well. Go Sports!
The Blog has returned. I cannot begin to express my thanks to Rita for all of her wonderful blogs and Facebook stories. No one can fill her shoes. It is my plan to provide updates on a weekly basis. Soon, I will be more comfortable with providing stories and backgrounds of our adoptable kitties, our residents, staff/volunteers and FFRC.
But first, this from Megan, originally posted on September 15 th and couldn’t be expressed more eloquently:
Remembering our Friend, Rita
Today our hearts are heavy as we share the loss of our dear friend and volunteer, Rita Murphy a.k.a. CantonCat. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Rita was more than a volunteer-she was the voice and spirit behind so many of our words. She lovingly crafted our blogs, kept our Facebook and Chatters pages alive with warmth and wove stories that captured the heart of every cat and person who passed through FFRC’s doors.
Her gift for writing was matched only by her love of cats. Whether she was sharing a heart-tugging rescue tale or a simple update about a playful kitten, Rita’s words always carried kindness, humor and deep understanding.
We will miss her wisdom, her friendship and her way of making every story shine. But most of all, we will miss her.
In Friendship ~ Megan and all the Cats now, those to come and those who’ve passed.
Adoptions:
7-24 Lilo: Lilo arrived at FFRC on 4/2/25 with her sister Ali. They arrived from the local Humane Society. One of their workers found them in a garage. They were only a few days old when found and only 3 ounces when they arrived. Debbie hand-fed the babies until they were able to join the main room. Lilo is another miracle baby. She is a medium hair gray and white tortie. She now lives in Alabama with three other cats, including one of our favorite orangies, also, Lilo will keep her name.
8-8 Opie Cunningham: Opie came to FFRC on 4/21/25. He was just over three and half months old on his adoption day. He is a buff colored and is very vocal. Opie, now named Obie will stay a local boy and won’t live far from where he was found.
8-14 Lena: Lena found her fur-ever home with her new, most special mama, Kim, our fantastic morning associate. Lena will keep her name and she will join three fur brothers. It is not often that a Resident cat is adopted, but this is the purrfect match for both cat and mama. Lena is a 7-year-old tuxie. She was found behind a Coke machine at Meijer’s where she had had a set of five kittens. She was nearly feral until Kim worked her wonders with her. Lena’s three younger brothers (Ringo, Zorro and Zinnie) were waiting for her at home. Hurray for Lena Lena Bo-Bena!
8-16 Donny: Donny arrived at FFRC on 5/26/24, with siblings Allen and Dark Cat. They were found in a box in someone’s yard. His date of birth is 5/7/24. Donny is an orangie and has two new siblings, Jasper and Denny, both Inkies. His new name is Waffles.
8-23 Fonzie: Fonzie, now is Nala. She is one of Sinopa’s babies which were born at FFRC on 4/17/25. She is a gray tiger. She now lives about two hours away and has one sibling at home named Joan.
8-24 Amy: (went back home to daddy after successful FIP treatment!) Amy was originally adopted on 5/19/25. Her mom, Wispy, and siblings, Popsicle and Eric, both are at FFRC. They arrived at FFRC on 2/27/25. Her date of birth is 12/25/24. She is in a single-kitty home and is much loved.
9-10 Pinkie: Pinkie’s birthdate is 3/11/21. She was surrendered on 4/30/25 after being adopted from FFRC as a kitten. Pinkie had a four-year-old brother waiting for her. Her new name is Polly. She is a dilute calico.
9-16 Achoo: Our Inkie, Achoo, was born at FFRC on 5/6/23 to Millie. His birth siblings are Butterbean, Cheerio and Squizzle. (the ABCS kitties). Achoo went home with his own supply of his favorite snack, minnows. He flew to his new home in California, where a sister, Cheese, and a yorkie was waiting for him. His name has remained as Achoo.
9-19 Heinz and Jacci: Together furever! Both were found in a feral cat colony at the Independence Dam. Heinz was found with the top of a broken mason jar that was stuck on his neck. In an attempt to trap him, Whoopsie, we got Jacci first. The next day, we got Heinz. Although the plan was to release both back to the colony after their spay and neuter, both cats were found to be friendly and not feral at all. Heinz is a long-haired inkie and quite a snuggle bug. Jacci is a shy tortie and takes some time to warm up to others. They are a bonded pair. Megan agreed that these two cats would not be separated and luckily, the right family has come along. They will remain in Defiance and have kept their names.
9-20 Clarity: Clarity is a silver/gray tiger. She came as a baby from Dr. Darcy’s office. She had come from a farm where she contracted a virus that caused some damage to one of her eyes. Wolfie, aka Choco, and Burger are her new siblings, both from FFRC and two more other kitties. Her name is now Ginny.
10-3 Jude: Jude has gone to his furever home in Las Vegas! At the time of his early am adoption, he had nearly 500 watching the live feed. Jude is an Inky that was found on 6/21 in the middle of the road. Both of his eyes were ruptured due to a virus. His birthday is 6/10, so he was just 11 days old when found. He was hand-fed by “Mama” Megan until he grew into a BIG BOY! He went home to two brothers; one has Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). See more about this condition, below. Jude will be keeping his name.
Intakes:
7/20/25 Fischer – a little brown tiger was found outside roaming around. He is so sweet! He is a brown tiger with beautiful eyes. His DOB is 3/1/25.
7/23/25 Spark - was originally adopted on 5/22, and was returned. Sadly, it just wasn’t a good fit for the family. She is a pretty dilute grey calico, DOB 4/19/24.
7/30/25 Miss Jewel – this sweet girl was dumped on the property in the early hours. Overall, pretty healthy, some fleas. She is a domestic long hair brown tiger. Her DOB is 3/3/25.
8/4/25 Rochambeau – this sweet boy was found wondering around a residential area in Defiance. He is an adorable white cat with black spots. His DOB 6/16/25.
8/9/25 Rosa Maria – This sweetie was brought to the rescue around midnight on 8/8 -8/9. She was in rough shape. She had some kind of melted plastic on her leg, taking off the skin, and had lots of bugs…YUCK! (current update—she’s doing AMAZING now!) She is a pretty American short hair brown torbie and her DOB is 6/29/25.
8/14/25 Tygra – this beautiful tiger striped calico was found stuck under a pallet in a factory. She had a few minor nicks and scratches. Her DOB is 6/23/25.
9/1/25 PeaPod (Female) and Fudge (Male) – these adorable siblings were found under a deck with their mama who had sadly passed. They arrived about 10 days old and were very cold. They are both amazing colored….inky with a beautiful smokey gray undercoat. Fudge is more long haired, but Peapod is more medium. Their DOB is 8/18/25.
9/15/25 Nigel – ever-so handsome Nigel was found wondering around a residential neighborhood in Defiance. When he was originally seen, he had a collar, but was later seen without collar and blood on his left side. He appears to have a ruptured ear drum which is causing his third eye lid being more prominent. He is a handsome kitty with gray spots. His DOB is 3/29/25.
9/19/25 Peanut Butter – do you like adorable American Short Haired kitties? Do you like big orangie boys? Then we have the boy for you! This handsome boy was originally an FFRC kitty that was adopted as a young kitten, only to be returned about 5 years later. It sadly just wasn’t working out. His DOB is 6/26/20.
9/25/25 Paprika – this pretty girl was brought in by our lovely Dr. Darcy. Paprika was brought into her clinic for health issues. Now she is wonderful! She has the prettiest golden eyes and is a brown tiger. Her DOB is 5/29/25.
Health Updates:
Otter received a full dental on Monday, September 29 th . He is feeling so much better as he recovers from his procedure. Cats are able to continue to eat dried food once their mouths are healed.
Jelly had a large polyp removed on the 29 th . She is also feeling much better.
Alma is struggling. We stopped her meds after a visit from Dr. Darcy confirmed that they were no longer helping her. Alma’s birthday is 2/22/13. She arrived at FFRC on 2/22/14. She came from a vet office in Pennsylvania where she had lived for months in a cage and wasn’t able to even sit upright. Alma has severe CH and cannot actually get up and walk. But…..she’s so smart! She’s figured out how to do the things she wants and how to get around. Between her flips, falls, leaning, and flops, she has worked out a way to move! And she also lets us know what she wants by different meows that she does! Her wish is our command! She’s a beautiful grey tiger girl. We are all sending her well wishes and our paws are crossed. A message from Dark Cat: “In the depths of sorrow, Alma gave us hope.”
Amy completed her FIP treatment and has returned back home to her furever home. Her once black fur is now tipped in white/silver. She is a beauty!
Finney is now undergoing FIP treatment, but don’t tell him. He feels just fine and is as playful as ever.
Kitties who have passed:
7-17 Pania
9-8 Muddles
9-9 Marvin
Holds:
Ludwig: Ludwig will be going home on 10/18. The time has not yet been set.
River: River will be going to his family as soon as he finishes vaccines and his neuter! He will be going to a local family.
Nigel: Nigel has a family waiting for him as soon as he has his neuter and completes a couple more vaccines!
We also have several people who are approved and will be working on dates to pick up their kitty! Stay tuned!
Events:
Flash Sales will start up again on October 8 th . Please stand by for the time.
SAVE THE DATE!!!! Kitty Christmas will be on December 6 th . More information to follow.
Current Needs:
Spiker says that he NEEDS treats.
Desperately low on paper towels, soups, bisques, appetizers and Odoban!
In Depth Focus:
I will be adding a note about a condition, breed of cat or something else of interest about once a month. This month I will focus on CH:
This was taken from the FFRC Website.
CH—Cerebellar Hypoplasia
What is Cerebellar Hypoplasia/CH?
This is a disorder found in cats and dogs which causes jerky movements, tremors and generally walking and balance problems. It is a non-progressive and non-contagious condition. Symptoms appear at birth although they may not be noticed until the kitten starts walking. If CH-like symptoms show up suddenly or later in life, this would not be CH.
How does a cat get CH?
A kitten is born with CH when the cerebellum is underdeveloped at birth. The cerebellum controls fine motor skills and coordination. CH is most commonly caused by the kitten’s mother contracting the Panleukopenia virus (feline distemper) while pregnant. Kittens with CH are not infected with or carriers of this virus, it has only stunted the cerebellum’s growth while developing.
How many kittens are affected in a litter?
It varies—it could be one kitten or all of them.
How long will a CH cat live?
They can live as long as any other cat!
What is the treatment for CH?
There really is no treatment. It’s more a way of managing the condition. The cat should be indoors only. A family can also “CH kitty proof” a house. Ramps can be used to help them get up on furniture. Sometimes a raised food dish helps. You also may want to pad sharp corners of furniture. Be careful of stairs—many CH cats have trouble negotiating going up and down safely.
What are the levels of CH?
Most cats have good life quality and make up in personality what they lack in motor skills. While some cats have a slightly noticeable stumbly gait, others may have significant trouble getting around. Still, there are others who are unable to walk at all. It’s important to remember that the cat isn’t sick, weak or hurt—he simply is uncoordinated. CH cats don’t seem to know that they’re any different from other cats!
There is a system of “measurement” though for CH cats.
Mild—These cats are very capable and require little to no extra care. They may have an unusual gait (called high steppers), an occasional balance loss and/or slight head tremors.
Moderate—Cats with moderate CH can get around on their own, but one end of their body may appear to be doing something entirely different from the other half. They frequently lose their balance, have noticeable head tremors, and walk with their legs splayed widely apart.
Severe—These CH cats cannot walk on their own and require a great deal of special care. They cannot walk or stand and sometimes flipflop to get around.
Is CH preventable?
This condition is easily prevented by vaccinating female cats for feline distemper before they get pregnant. Simply, vaccinate!
Are there other health issues one should be aware of for CH cats?
CH cats are very prone to chipping their teeth. Besides the issues with being uncoordinated, there are no conditions to worry about. They are susceptible to the same medical problems that any other cat may have. It’s the injuries that can happen from the uncoordination that can be the highest cause of problems.
Other Updates:
August 25, 2025 was Defiance College Volunteer Day. 31 students helped clean up the FFRC grounds by pulling weeds and sprucing up the property. We are very honored to have had such a great turn out!
The newly renovated Kabana was officially opened on September 4, 2025. The wall between the old office and the Kabana was removed. This opened up the area for the kitties. The camera was moved to provide a wider frame that captures those watching out the window and also viewing the television.
Jacci and Heinz are feeling more comfortable in their new home. They are more visible and are adjusting great.
Dr. Darcy Day was September 24, 2025. She was able to provide health checks for all of the FFRC kitties. FFRC received an A+, with only a few minor tweaks to meds.
Megan will be on vacation from 10/13 to 10/17. Look Out Universal Studios!
Special thanks to all of you that have answered the call when FFRC reaches out and expresses their needs. Whether it be a food, cleaning supplies, litter, office supplies, financial, the FFRC Nation continues to come through. If you are unable to contribute in any of the above ways, please Like and Subscribe to the Live YouTube Channels and leave comments.
Closing:
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi