FFRC Blog Week Ending January 24, 2026
We are definitely in the midst of winter for sure. Temperatures in Defiance will be in the low teens with single digit windchills for the next week. BRRRRR!! On top of that, we've got...you guessed it, SNOW. We are prepared for all weather conditions, but we may have fewer staff on camera. Also, you may see different faces than you have come to expect at certain times.
Adoptions:
No adoptions this week
We took in a couple of new kitties this week:
JENNY: On Sunday, 1/18, we received a call that a cat had been found that was in rough shape. When the finder was told that he could bring her to FFRC, he dropped everything to get her here. Her date of birth is 10/19/25, so she is only about 3 months old. Her eyes are in pretty bad shape. She will most likely lose one and may lose the other. She has some vision out of the one eye. Herpes eye conditions are too common with outside cats. Even once the disease is no longer visible, the damage is permanent. In addition to eye issues, Jenny had ear mites, an upper respiratory infection and a few fleas. Jenny is on pain meds, so she is feeling pretty good. She is quite the little lover. She likes head bonks and purrs all of the time. Jenny has teeny tiny girlie mittens. Her name was chosen from the Name a Cat list. The results of the vote were Jenny 49%, Iva 31% and Tutu 20%. The winning name was submitted by Jenny K.
PARKER is a new Covie kitty. Parker came to us from Dr. Darcy. She is about 10 years old and is colored much like MALADE. She is a big girl and has taken quite a liking to WALTER WALTER WALTER.
We can take these rough cases because of the you, the FFRC Nation. Thank you so much!
Health Updates:
ROCKET is doing great, but he still leaves a trail when he is on the floor. The drag bag has been ordered but not yet received. We will see if this helps.
We have him intermittently in his pen. He does a pretty good job grooming himself but has some issues getting everything cleaned as it should. We help, but he really doesn't like that. As a result of the incomplete grooming, he has developed some sores on his bottom. Jacci, the prior director, experienced a similar situation like this with Magic. Megan is working with Dr. Darcy. Together they will come up with a plan to make Rocket's life the best that it can be. He is a happy boy and is very playful. What a great attitude!
FINNEY appears to have a recurrence of FIP. We noticed that something was a bit off with him. We have him in Back Thumpers Room now and have started him on meds again. The plan is to put him in his pen an hour before he is given meds and then have him stay in his pen for an hour before letting him out of the pen. This will occur twice each day. The pen time is in order to withhold food and help the medication do its job. This becomes a multi-person task, because treatments cannot be missed. There isn't a whole lot of information on the recurrence of FIP. Every instance of this condition leads to more information on the treatment. The "old" way to treat was to have full isolation and the "new" way is to not be overly concerned about the transference to other cats. Finney is eating, drinking and having solid poos. He is still just a playful as normal.
BETTY is doing great but seems to prefer a pen. She's very glad to be inside during this cold spell!
RAISIN is a moderately severe CH Inky that came in with her sister on 1/12. She is currently in Paddy's Place with her sister WIbbles. She is doing great and loves to play.
WIBBLES is a severe CH Inky. Wibbles' severity is more like ALMA. We have been monitoring how Wibbles eats, drinks and potties to determine how much she can do on her own. We are encouraging her to be as independent as possible, but also are aware that she may need help.
DIGBY was neutered on 1/19, so he is able to roam the main room. He is adjusting great.
Holds:
TIMMY is on hold, YEAH! More details to follow.
We have another approved adopter, but the kitty has not yet been selected/confirmed.
SAZAZ is a kitty that doesn't get much camera time. This kitty is most often in the Welcome Room.
MARILYN and ALMA are snuggle buddies that are making sure that this cold weather isn't an issue for them.
Events:
Current Needs:
A list is kept up to date on the Amazon Wish List found on the FFRC website.
Other Updates:
FFRC sent 43 kitties for their spay and neuter, 25 males and 18 females. In this crowd were FFRC's Digby, Faisy and Bebop.
Weather Update: FFRC has added additional tarping and has ensured that all of the "outside" animals are going to be warm and fed during this freezy and snowy time. Cindy and Laura have been working non-stop to make sure all will be fine. Our barn cats, Dude and Stripe have been moved to pens inside. This is because they are both pretty old. They aren't really thrilled with being inside, but they are warm! There are heat lamps in multiple out-buildings that our outside babies will use to weather this storm. We are also concerned about staff during this time but have plans in place to make sure that ALL are well taken care of.
During Box Day, a new treat was sent. Bonkers Purr Pops Lollipop Cat Treats are a hit! Eric took his and ran off with it so that he didn't have to share. Ramsay bit his treat right off the stick, devoured the treat and asked for more! These treats were loved!!!
Also on Box Day, a new Princess Bed was sent in. Guess who was in it first, none other than our Popsicle, soon followed by Eric. I guess they don't care that it was meant for a Princess.
Shalin has found another position. But don't fret, she will still be with us, just fewer hours. Here she is with Mrs. Charles.
In early December, PetFinder made an update to their software. This is the program that FFRC uses to list our cats that are available for adoption. If you click on our main page to try to look at these cats, you will receive an error. PetFinder is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it. Megan will try to find us a direct link so that we can see our sweet kitties again. Pictures of many of the adoptable kitties are on Instagram.
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, Megan and Laura.
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It's for times like this that we need to remember:
"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
Anne Bradstreet
"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
Hal Borland