Lake Norman Lucky Cat

10/06/2025

Francine is back home in Richmond❣️

10/05/2025

Confirmed sighting of Francine at Lowe’s distribution center in Garysburg, NC.

UPDATE on

We've gotten news that has us feeling the most optimistic we've been since we first learned Francine is missing. Lowe's says there has been a sighting at their Garysburg, NC distribution center on October 4, and they have confirmed it is Francine! A small team from the Broad Street Lowe's in Richmond, including the store manager, headed to the NC distribution center this morning. These are folks whose voices are familiar to RVA's beloved calico, and they'll be calling for her and shaking her food dish to entice her out of hiding.

Check the comments for more background on this story, and be sure to follow Where's Francine on Instagram for updates.

📷 by Iain Gordon, taken in May 2022

09/29/2025

As promised, even if a bit after the fact, the stats from our 9/18/25 Mooresville spay/neuter clinic.

40 Cats Total
24 Females
16 males

1 pregnant

1 already spayed but had no microchip or tattoo and no spay surgery scar present so this poor kitty, obviously someone’s pet previously, had to undergo and now recover as a community cat from surgery only to determine she had no ovaries.

Currently, shelters and low-cost clinics are utilizing tummy tattoos which allows, once the cat has been shaved/prepped for surgery, to KNOW if this cat has already been spayed/neutered. Typically, full service vets do not tattoo when spaying/neutering. If using a full service vet, please ask that they tummy tattoo your pet!

11 cats were post partum meaning they had recently had kittens. You can just imagine the number of kittens born to those 11 moms who will now be adding to the community cat population.

One of the 11 post-partum cats was freshly post-partum meaning she had given birth likely in the previous 24 hours. She was returned to the site where trapped the evening of surgery to get back to her kittens.

Two cats in heat which means, they absolutely would have become pregnant!

Nine ‘normal’ kittens meaning not in heat, not pregnant.

One cryptorchid male meaning one or both testicles had not dropped as they should.

One already neutered/microchipped male whose owners were located, elected to surrender him. The person who trapped this friendly fella turned him over to rescue.

So the above was Thursday.

The next day, Friday, 20 more cats went to Stand For Animals in Charlotte. We do not have a van but managed to convince several people to use their cars, their gas and their time to get the cats to Charlotte by 7:30 am and pick up the same day in time to sit in I-77 traffic heading back North.

Without these dedicated volunteers doing what they did, these 20 cats would not have had this opportunity so ‘thank you volunteers’!

Of these 20 cats, sadly one was euthanized as he was not well enough to undergo the eye surgery he needed.

Another ‘friendly’ community cat required a left, rear leg amputatation and is being cared for by an awesome volunteer. Thank you Meagan❣️We hope to get this kitty into rescue once she’s fully healed.

So that is a total of 60 cats receiving care in the form of spay/neuter and much needed medical care in just 48 hours. It’s a lot of hard work but we are privileged to be a part of it!

Thank you to all who were part of the week’s success and if you would like to make a positive difference in the lives of less fortunate cats, we’d love to have you join us!

This week, we have 35 cats scheduled at our Iredell County Animal Services location and we thank ICAS for this opportunity allowing for easier access for cats coming from the I-40 corridor.

While we did not post this week’s clinic due to a large colony taking up most of the space, we have and continue to reach out to those individuals inquiring about upcoming appointments.

Our October 16th clinic will not be posted publicly, again due to a large colony needing most of the space. There will be a limited number of appointments available so should you wish to inquire about appointment availability please email us at info@ luckycats.org.

09/19/2025

Today was one of those 40 cat kinda days as in 36 cats TNR’d and four friendlies spayed/neutered/vaccinated, at the old mill in Mooresville thanks to Community Pets Mobile Veterinary Clinic (CPMVC).

Thank you to the team who makes the magic happen, among them, CPMVC, Michael Bay for the space and the ability to hold the cats overnight and Giving With Grace for making it possible for Lucky Cat to subsidize the cost of TNR for those out there in the community with boots on the ground, doing the time consuming work of trapping/transporting to clinic.

We have a couple or more interesting stories from our clinic today like the cat with the microchip, 12 cat colony from Sherrill’s Ford (those ladies rock!), and more. Check back because once we’ve recuperated from Tuesday’s set-up, Wednesday’s intake, Thursdays surgery day and Friday’s pick-up of cats, we’ll be back to tell you more!

09/16/2025

An example of what ONE person can do! And he didn’t even like cats. 😆

09/13/2025

Rest peacefully little Becky. You were loved! It is with deep sadness that we tell you little Becky crossed the rainbow bridge this morning. Thank you Dr. Jackson of Animal Hospital of Cornelius (AHC) for assisting this little angel in her transition.

Becky’s life was brief, but her story is so important.

Becky was born to a friendly mom at an apartment complex in Mooresville. Apartment home communities are ground zero for cats left behind! One of our trappers gathered mom/baby and the network sprang into action.

Lucky Cat’s ‘Amelia’ fostered little Becky as she was not yet big enough to go up for adoption. Her mom, Adina however went to our rescue partner, Piedmont Animal Rescue ((PAR).

Becky began to have seizures and was immediately seen by Dr. Meena at AHC. Liver shunt was suspected but Becky wasn’t big enough to draw the amount of blood needed for a definitive diagnosis.

A feline liver shunt is a condition where blood from the intestines bypasses the liver and goes directly into the general circulation, causing toxins and nutrients to go to the heart and brain without being properly filtered.

This condition is a vascular anomaly meaning it is a birth defect though it can be acquired in some cases.

Symptoms are variable and can include poor growth, lethargy, nuerological issues like disorietation or seizures and digestive problems.

Becky was treated based on what we did know but seizures became more frequent and violent. She was lethargic and seemed to be hallucinating, staring into space and hissing. Becky would need to be four pounds to undergo surgery to correct the liver shunt but to allow these seisures to continue for another two months, and not knowing the long term effects on Becky’s brain, was not something we were willing to ask of her.

This baby was not meant for this world. Or maybe she was, if only to remind people of the importance of spay/neuter. Had her mom been responsibly spayed sooner, Becky would not have been born to suffer.

We can no longer snuggle this tiny kitten but we can honor her through spay/neuter. Please, in Becky’s memory, consider sponsoring a community cat spay /neuter ($85) at Luckycats.org. Enter ‘Becky’ in additioal comments line.

Becky’s mom ‘Adina’, now spayed/vaccinated is up for adoption through PAR. Please ask to meet her. Her people failed her, maybe you are the person/family who can make her world what it should be, full if love, compassion and trust. Despite having been abandoned , she is a sweet cat who deserves to have the best life going forward.

Rest peacefully Becky. We won’t ever forget you. 😭

09/11/2025

Anytime of year is time for fixing kitties! Local rescues and shelters are drowning in kittens! The numbers of homeless cats and kittens in our immediate area is STAGGERING!!!! PLEASE help us all - our neighbors, our community, and the cats. Fix a cat next week in Mooresville! The Community Pets Mobile Vet team and LKN Lucky Cat will provide a low-cost kitty spay-neuter clinic on Thursday, September 18th at Merino's Mill in Mooresville. Registration is required. To register, go to luckycats.org and click the registration link at the top of the page, SCAN the QR Code in the graphic, or just click this link: https://forms.gle/zhqNWDFmLQCXhdJG6

09/05/2025

09/04/2025

09/01/2025

Highlights of 8/28 Statesville Spay/Neuter Clinic:

As always, thank you to Iredell County Animal Services for the space needed for the clinic. The location makes for easy access from I-40 to the counties North and Northwest of Iredell county.

Speaking of location… due to lack of affordable/accessible spay/neuter opportunities in Lenoir and surrounding counties, we had a young man travel 199 miles/ 3 1/2 hrs. from Goldsboro/Wayne co. to ensure his cat was spayed before his military move.

Local vets were cost prohibitive and although we provided another low cost option, they were booked months out.

Now as if doing the right thing to be part of the solution to cat over-population weren’t grand enough, one of our supporters heard of his efforts and on pick-up, we were thrilled to reimburse his already paid bill plus some gas $.

He thanked us but said he couldn’t take it. We told him the person picking up the bill really wanted to do this and to thank him for his military service too. The hug our executive director, Robin Byrd, received was why we do what we do. It was the best kind of payment a volunteer can receive.

And like that, he left happy, with a ‘Lucky Cat’ companion for his 3 1/2 hr. drive back home after spending the day in the Statesville area.

Thank you to our amazing supporter Roxanne Blake for this kindest of deeds!

The BIG kitty in the trap is a purrfect example of an un-neutered male. All you have to do is look at the size of the head to know this fella is a baby daddy many times over and he has fought for the win! He too left as a Lucky Cat and with the ‘badge of honor’ universally recognized eartip!

27 cats total sayed/neutered.
20 TNR
6 male, 14 female
1 pregnant, 4 post-partum, 1 pyometra (see below), 8 normal kittens.
7 Friendly - 3 male, 4 female.
1 pregnant, 3 in heat.
LOTS OF FLEAS!

Pyometra is a serious and life/threatening uterine infection in the uterus of female cats requiring quick , agressive treatment.

Early signs of pyometra in an unspayed female cat can be subtle, but often include increased thirst and urination, lethargy, loss of appetite or a noticeable decrease in activity.

Vaginal discharge (pus-like, bloody, or watery) can occur in open pyometra, while signs like a distended abdomen may indicate the more dangerous closed type of infection.

A cat with pyometra can die within days, as the severe bacterial infection can spread to the bloodstream, leading to sepsis and organ failure or cause the uterus to rupture and spill puss into the abdomen.

Pyometra cannot be cured with antibiotics alone. Prompt medical care including removing the uterus is necessary to save the cats life.

The condition is 100% preventable with a spay procedure!

Thank you Dr. Welch (Community Pets Mobile Vet Clinic) for saving this community cat’s life and making her yet one more ‘Lucky Cat’!

08/31/2025

😻We did it! Check out our update and message of thanks from Abigail and Robin. 👏👏

Thank You for Making Our Fete a Success!A Message of Thanks from Abigail and Robin:We are thrilled to announce that Lucky Cat's "Treasures at Cedar Grove, 25th Anniversary fete was a resounding success, and we could not have done it without the incredible support from our community. Your enthusiasm....

08/23/2025

Tomorrow's the big day! Join us for “Treasures at Cedar Grove” to celebrate our 25th Anniversary and raise funds to help make more Lucky Cats in our community. A huge array of astounding treasures awaits our guests. Hope you can join us, it’s all for the cats!
Tickets: https://ticketstripe.com/Treasures_at_Cedar_Grove
Be sure to check out the online auction ,too. All auction items will be on display at tomorrow’s event. The auction ends at 5:00 PM. https://go.rallyup.com/luckytreasures
(Yes, we will ship. Purchase price does not include shipping.) Thank you for your support!