FFRC Blog Week Ending May 16, 2026
Our illustrious director, Megan, is on vacation. Here she is on her way to Jolly Ole England. I'm not sure how she got the clearance to take a bunch of her babies with her.
Picture by Taz
MILEY was adopted on Mother's Day, 5/10. Congrats to the New Kitty Mom and Dad! On 2/15/26, Miley was found in Bronson Park, where the local splash pad is located, by Volunteers, Stacey and Kat. She was found with her "brother", Tippy. Her date of birth is 3/15/25. She went home to a 7-year-old brother, Davidson. Her name may change as her personality is discovered. She had quite a long drive (1.75 hours) to get to her new home in Ann Arbor, MI.
Intakes:
A new baby was found in a crate in the parking lot during Humane Ohio on Tuesday, May 12th. She has been named TAYLA. The baby has bad eyes, a bad respiratory illness, fleas and a bad lip. She is approximately 1 1/2 month to 2 months old. She has tested negative, so that is great!
TAYLA has an adopted mommy in SCHMOOKIE. When Schmookie heard the baby cry, she started trilling and talking to the baby. Then she started pacing back and forth as if to say, "Give me this baby!". Now Tayla is with Schmookie and both are happy. Schmookie is NOT Tayla's birth baby, but she may have had a litter before and recognized that Tayla needs her.
Here are the results of the 170 votes that were cast to name this baby:
Tayla 52%
Babita 24%
Baby Whiskerson 24%
The name, Tayla, was submitted to the Name a Cat Program by Cindy W.
Center Kitties:
Here are weight updates on Philomena and her babies:
PHILOMENA, a great cat mommy. No update on her weight-she is doing great.
RENLY: He came in at 6.7 oz and is now 12.9. He is the chunkiest of the babies.
SMUDGES: He came in at 6.5 oz and is now 10.3.
PASCAL: He came in at 7.2 oz and is now 11.0.
RUMER: She came in at 7.1 oz and is now 12.4. CATSBY: He came in at 6.5 oz and is now 10.2.
RAMSAY looking quite the Dapper Dude with his bow tie that he received on Box Day.
BUTTERBEAN enjoying Shalin's bubble party;
RUMPLESTILSKIN and onlooker, MARILYN, getting in on the bubble action!
A very special day was honored on May 16th! Our Uncle DERECHO celebrated his 14th birthday. He wants to know, "Where is my medicine, I mean, baby food?"
Health Updates:
VICTORIA hadn't been feeling well and went to see Dr. Darcy on 5/8. She is a bit better, but we continue to monitor her.
SYLVESTER has a limp and saw Dr. Darcy on 5/11. His limp is a soft tissue bruise and is nothing major. He is on cage rest for at least a week but is doing fine.
JENNY also saw Dr. Darcy on Monday, 5/11. Her right eye will need to be removed; her left may be OK to leave--she does have some vision.
LUCKY recently tested positive for Feline Leukemia. Her intake test was negative, and she has since had a third test that showed negative for the disease. We are keeping her isolated with her brother CHANDLER. When Megan returns, she will visit Dr. Darcy for a more in-depth test. We do have a back-up Rescue that specializes in FIV and Feline Leukemia kitties.
Holds:
There may be a very special hold in the making. RAISIN and WIBBLES are most likely becoming Vegas Babies! That's right, JUDE'S mommy is looking for some more friends for him. Stay tuned for more updates!
This is from Megan's post:
Nyota's Nest is a very special room just off the side of the Main Room. As one of our volunteers puts it: "it's our little old lady room. If they were humans they'd all be sitting around wearing their purple boas and red hats and drinking tea."
The Main Room can be a little overwhelming with how crowded and busy it is. Some cats love it! These ladies do not. They like the quiet, slow life. Nyota's Nest gives them just that. It's their own little space where they can be themselves. They have a window, high shelves to climb on, a TV, some pink couches, and even a chandelier! And of course a host of volunteers who treat them like the queens they are.
Nyota's Nest currently consists of:
Nyota
Victoria
Chia
Happy
While Nyota is a Resident (you can learn more about her from the "Residents" page on our website), the others are adoptable! Once the others find their Forever Homes there will undoubtedly be more that come for a stay at Nyota's cozy little Nest while they wait for their humans to come adopt them.
Other Events:
We sent up either 46 or 47 cats for this week's Humane Ohio Event.
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.
Other:
No Q & A was held on 5/15, and we won't have one on 5/22, either--due to Megan's vacation.
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.
Photos by Dawn and friends.
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"May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers, what pretty music shall we charm the hours?"
Lord Edward Thurlow
"Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye"
Helen Keller
