The Grace Card, Inc.

01/16/2025

Happy 5th Birthday, Emmie 🎂😻🎉🎈🐾

Emmie is one of our permanent residents. She came in from a colony that consisted of her, Reggie, and Lena (and 4 young kittens that were all trapped and adopted). They were all spotted and trapped in the frigid January temperatures three years ago this month.

Emmie is a quiet, polite and sophisticated Southern lady. She likes to curl up and take long winter naps with her family (Reggie and Lena) close by. She is quite timid and will hide from new people, and does not wish to be a lap cat, but is the best house kitty ever!!

Happy Birthday Beautiful 🤩 🥳😻

01/15/2025

BREAKING NEWS 🗞️ ❤️

Dan is eating on his own after 12 days of syringe feeding!!! 12 days of courage, 12 days of trying again, 12 days of hope …. whatever your 11th day looks like - your day 12 could change everything ❤️❤️ Keep going ❤️

01/14/2025

Sweet Bubba was having some dental issues and this past Friday he had to have 11 teeth extracted 😳

He is healing and doing well but a little upset that his kibble is not out right now, as that is his preference over wet food, but it’s just a temporary change 😊

His dad was with him the day of surgery and was able to spend time with him before and after, and he and Bubba’s fosters have become like family ❤️ The plan is still for Bubba and LG to one day be back with their dad permanently, but meanwhile they are sharing every experience and milestone for his boys with him. It is truly heartwarming to witness, and a lesson in compassion and love for another human and their furbabies alike 🥰🐾❤️

01/14/2025

Lt. Dan ate his first bite on his own in over 10 days tonight … a Churu bite …baby step, but still a big step ❤️ He continues to improve slowly and is still being syringe fed his meals every 4-5 hours. He has more energy and is getting stronger. Still jaundice and on liver medication but looking better 🙏

01/11/2025

Yesterday (Thursday) Lt. Dan started drinking water on his own again!! This is a good step forward and he has continued to drink plenty of water which is helpful in flushing some of the toxins out of his system and hydrating his body ❤️

He has not started eating on his own yet and is still being syringe fed every 4 hours, but is more alert and has more energy. He is moving in the right direction 😻🐾

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers 🥰🙏

01/09/2025

Great information!

Also - remember

**Honk your horns and bang on your hoods** Your engine is nice and warm and provides a perfect place for cats to find relief from the frigid temperatures. They may be sleeping. Take a few extra seconds to make sure critters have time to jump out of your engine compartment before you start your car/trucks. That few extra minutes will save lives and prevent suffering.

**Winter Care Tip** You can use totes turned on their side to place food and water at feeding time. Make sure to have small holes in the back to drain any water/moisture. This protects food and water from wind and delay freezing water in bowls. Dump frozen ice in water bowls away from the area. When temperatures rise above freezing, it will cause puddles of water that will get cats paws/fur wet and refreeze.

*Cats will not dig themselves out*. Many areas of Virginia saw over 6 inches of snow this week. It is important to check on cats who have shelters that are placed on the ground. Most entrances are just 4-5 inches off of the ground. Other places to dig out access to are trailer skirts, sheds, drain access on the streets, and crawl space entrances. Cats will not dig themselves out. Bring a small shovel to cat colonies and bring fresh straw to lay down to protect their paws from the frigid snow.

Extreme weather alert!

Please feed your cats in the afternoon Sunday, ahead of the snow and give them lots of fresh water. Monday morning and afternoon, do not encourage your cats to come out of their shelters. Cats coming out during this event will have snow melting off their fur. This increases their chances of hypothermia. Cats are smarter than we are. If they are not coming out for food, that is normal behavior. Leave their food in feeding stations and make sure it is protected from wind and water. They will come out when it is safe to do so.
Wind is also a deterrent for cats to be out and about. It is their survival instincts. Those instincts have been in place for thousands of years. We all worry about our friends outside but sometimes intervening can be a danger to the cats.
So help them by letting them do what nature has taught them and give them some extra food today!
More tips below:
Leave fresh food and water at their feeding stations.
Do not move any food closer to or inside their shelters! Cats won't sleep where there is food and they will leave and try to find alternate shelter which can lead them into danger.
Do not call your cats out. If they are hunkered down, there is a reason for it.
Some cats may hunker down for a day or two rather than venture out - this is normal.
Take a shovel to create a path for the cats or you may need to dig them out if a snowdrift covers the opening to their shelter door.
If you know of a cat that seeks shelter under a deck, shed, or even under a car to escape the high winds, heavy snow or sleet.....they could get snowed in and trapped. They won’t and can’t dig out.
So, if you don’t know where the cat is, think, “If I was a cat, where would I hunker down?
Mix kitten dry food with cats meals for extra calories, if possible.
Feeding at the high point of the day will give the cats the longest duration before wet food freezes.
Do not mix wet and dry food together in winter months. Dry food freezes but cats often swallow whole.
Ping pong balls floating in water bowls keeps the surface moving and delays freezing.
A small spoon of table sugar will also delay freezing.
Very important: Do not dump ice from water bowls at the feeding area. When ice melts, it will create dangerous wet / muddy ground, exposing cats to frigid water.

01/09/2025

An update on Lt. Dan - today he was seen by the vet again and given more subq fluids and another anti-nausea injection. He is given an appetite stimulant each day also. He is being syringe fed A/D canned food in very small amounts (about 1 1/2 tbs every 4-5 hours) until he starts eating on his own again. He is taking liver medication every day and is looking more alert and his coat is looking better. The vet said his progress is normal, even though it seems slow…very slow. She said it can take weeks for him to decide to eat on his own, but I’m praying for a miraculous quick recovery 🙏🙏

There was an option of placing a feeding tube, but because Lt Dan is FIV+, there is a risk of infection with the tube, and there can be complications, so we agreed that syringe feeding every 4-5 hours is the best choice of action. As you might expect, he is not happy with syringe feeding but is being a very good patient 🥰

Why did this happen? We don’t really know the why, although this is more common in big cats. They can recover and it is a long process.

I incorrectly stated his weight before at 10 pounds - he is actually 12 pounds right now, but he had lost weight, and a large amount, very quickly - he was almost 18 pounds over the summer because of steroids to control the skin issues.

Here is our boy resting today. He has been separated into a room by himself because of the necessity to see intake of food and output of urine, etc. For some reason he looks very small in this picture but he actually isn’t - he was just curled up sleeping and I woke him up 😊

We will update on his progress and big big prayers are needed 🙏🙏🐾🐾

01/06/2025

Please, please say big prayers for our sweet Lt. Dan 🙏🙏🐾

He has been showing less interest in his favorite foods, losing weight rapidly, and spending most of his time sleeping on his heated mat on the bed. The vet came last Wednesday to check his teeth and look him over because of his rapid weight loss but he quickly ran under the bed 😟 We decided that I would get him on a scale and separate him into a smaller space for monitoring.

I moved him into a large bathroom so I could see what he was eating, drinking and using the litter box (without Winston because I couldn’t tell who was eating/drinking, etc.). Saturday he wasn’t interested in eating or drinking anything and we started Mirataz, but Sunday morning I sent a message to his vet that there was no evidence that he was eating or drinking at all😭 With the impending storm, she came Sunday and got him. He has lost a large amount of weight very quickly and is jaundiced. She ran bloodwork and focused on his liver. It appears he has fatty liver syndrome and she began treatment immediately. He has had subq fluids, B12, anti nausea shot, antibiotic shot, was syringe fed a meal immediately and she kept him to watch for vomiting. As of late last night, he was resting well and had not had any vomiting, so she was starting liver medication. He needs to be fed small meals every 4 hours. I am abundantly thankful to her - she offered to keep him overnight and continue to monitor him and he is still with her this morning 🥰. This can take weeks to months to recover from but we have faith that he will be healed completely.

He weighs approximately 10 pounds right now, which is not far from a good weight for him, but in September he was about 16 pounds (he was overweight from steroid use for his skin and we were slowly trying to get the weight down, but this went fast). I didn’t get a picture yesterday but these are recent pictures - first is November 4 and the second is December 7. The rapid weight loss happened very quickly over the last couple of weeks 😭

Lt Dan is FIV+ but this is not related to that, although it is harder for his body to fight things off. I can’t even begin to tell you what a gentle guy he is and this shatters my heart to see him going through yet another health issue.

Please keep him in your prayers for a miraculous and speedy recovery 🙏🐾😢

01/01/2025

Happy New Year and Happy 16th Birthday Weezie 🎂 🎉 😻❤️❤️❤️

Weezie is one of our super seniors and permanent residents due to diabetes, severe arthritis and IBD. Due to her food restrictions and difficulty walking, she has her own apartment (aka Weezie World), complete with her cat sofa, comfy human chair, her “necessities”, and cat tv (and plenty of Hallmark movies too ⛄️🎄😻).

Weezie has been with us since March 9, 2022 - going on 3 years. She is a sweet lady, loves her space, loves to cuddle on your lap and watch movies, loves to chase birds on cat tv, does not love other cats invading her room (although she will tolerate Ace for a while 😻). She prefers quiet, relaxing Hygge days watching Christmas movies 🍿 and relishing in her independence and freedom now that she is retired 😉

Here’s to many more years of relaxing and embracing life for Weezie 🎉 Happy sweet 16 baby girl 🐾🎈🐾🎈🎂

12/30/2024

Bubba and LG, these two brothers have been in foster after their dad lost his home in June 2023. He was devastated to lose them. Their amazing foster parents have decided to keep them in foster in the hopes that their dad will one day be able to reunite with them and keep him updated and share pictures with him ❤️🐾❤️

Here are the boys in their window perches settled in for a winter’s nap❄️😴😻

Bubba will be having a dental 🦷 next week and may need extractions as he has been having some issues. Prayers are appreciated for an easy surgery if needed and quick and complete recovery and that all issues are then resolved 🙏

As 2024 finishes out and we move into 2025, we are so thankful and amazed to be blessed with amazing fosters that open their hearts to kitties like Bubba and LG. We almost always have long term foster situations like this and our fosters embrace their role in being the light in the dark for kitties who need them desperately to be their safe space…and they are 😻 😗

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas to all ❤️🐾🎄

Happy Birthday Jesus ❤️

Jesus….His entrance was grand because it was divine. A star shone bright. Wise men gathered. Gifts were given. Angels sang.

This time splitting moment in history is remembered to this day.

It reminds us that God doesn’t often work the way we think he should.

His plans for us often lead us down a more humble route then we expect.

Often off the path we envisioned for ourselves, but it is no less divine.

Jesus, Savior of the world, laid in a cattle trough.

Unexpected. Simple. Humble. Divine.

Perhaps you find yourself in humbling circumstances. Maybe things don't look the way you thought they would or should.

As much as I hope you are having a Merry Christmas, maybe you're having a Mary Christmas. One that doesn't look like what you thought it would. Because I'm pretty sure Mary didn't expect to be giving birth in a barn. But, it was no less divine. Because Jesus was there. And he's with you, too.

Keep trusting. Something divine is at work.

He has a plan and it's far above what the human mind can conceive.

Merry Christmas from Purrfecta, Little Bear, Koa, Sissy and the entire Grace Card family to yours today ❤️🎄🐾

12/22/2024

Do you remember the little kitten MacKinley??? Look at what a beauty she has grown to be❤️❤️

Grace Card alumni Peaches (formerly MacKinley) was an orphan kitten found in the woods by a kind woman. She reached out late one evening and asked for help. When she was rescued, she was named after a local American hero - Colonel Mac Dorsey - who has just passed away.

Peaches family just recently celebrated her gotcha day - her one year anniversary😻. She loves her family and is a Velcro kitty and is constantly hanging out with them, usually begging for treats 😜

12/22/2024

And..another Grace Card alumni update ❤️❤️

Remember Cider (now affectionately named Figgy) who came in as an orphan kitten who was brought in during the fall of 2023 (and named appropriately for apple cider sippin season 🍎).

He was adopted to an amazing family in June, almost immediately decided he really, really loves dogs and his bestest friend and brother is the golden retriever he is cuddling with in this picture🐾😻🐶. Look at that beautiful coat and tail!!

He is king of the castle!!!! Doesn’t skip meals - in fact he is the built in alarm clock for 5:30 am breakfast time 😂🤣😂🤣😂

Another first Christmas with a forever family 🎄❤️🐾🎅

12/21/2024

A mouse is in the house…that’s Mr Mouse to you 😉 His very first Christmas inside, his very first Christmas tree, his very first real family, and he has his buddy Tom to share it all with 😻❤️ A truly Merry Christmas for them this year ❤️😻❤️

12/21/2024

We don’t have a cat problem, we have a human problem…

Some helpful information -

🐾kitten kibble is higher in calories and a good choice for homeless cats in cold weather

🐾wet food is beneficial as it provides extra hydration they need, but it can freeze quickly so feed when it can be eaten when cats are present (not just left for them to show up later)

🐾fresh water daily is important!!!

🐾hay is for horses, straw is for bedding - fill cat houses and shelters with straw (never fabric or blankets which hold moisture and can actually cause a sleeping cat to freeze to death). If you are lucky enough to have a covered deck or porch with electricity consider heated mats in a cat shelter and heated food and water dishes - which are preferred. Remember the cement on your porch is freezing too - if you can place a door mat under the food dishes so the kitties can stand and sit on that while eating

🐾feeding twice a day if you have cats coming to your home will give them the extra calories they need

🐾feeding directly on pavement or cement can cause their teeth to break while eating - consider using small flat wet food boxes or small flour tortillas to place the food on - the tortillas are then food for other critters in need this winter. Always remove your trash and be respectful of nature and property - being disrespectful by leaving paper plates, cat food cans, boxes, etc only hurts the cats by bringing negative attention to them and causes people to blame them and leads to requests to stop feeding and removal of the cats (not in a good way), and some of the things left behind other creatures try to eat or get tangled in or hurt by.

They need YOU - thank you for being the difference this winter 🐾❤️ Together we can work to help them all 🙏

12/21/2024

Good news update for Camie Jo, our breast cancer warrior - she saw her oncologist, Dr McNeill at The Hope Center. Her lump has shrunk in size!! The chemo is doing its job ❤️❤️

Camie has gained a little weight (not surprising as she literally can be found inside the food containers 🤣), her blood pressure is good, and bloodwork looks good. Her white blood count was a little low so her chemo dose is being reduced by one day a week.

She’s a warrior and a fighter and has no signs of even fighting this battle…she’s a wonderkitty 😻 💪 strong enough to topple Christmas decor in a single push 😉

12/21/2024

Our newest senior kitty, Miss Charlie, is settling in well with her foster family and becoming braver each day - even meeting their super sweet (but big) pup 🐶😻 She loves to play and give hugs too…although she has a very impressive stink eye at times…an almost “sleep with one eye open” look 🤣🤣

Please send up some prayers for her foster family today for comfort and peace and wonderful, lasting memories as their senior kitty gained his wings yesterday 🙏🥰😢.

12/20/2024

Grace Card alumni - sweet Nellie (formerly Lucy) living her best life with her mom for her first Christmas inside and in her forever home 🎄🐾❤️