Old Wethersfield Stray & Kitten Rescue

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Old Wethersfield Stray & Kitten Rescue

Neighborhood volunteers dedicated to rescuing stray cats & kittens in & around Wethersfield, CT. Melinda Robidoux
Old Wethersfield Stray & Kitten Rescue

Old Wethersfield Stray & Kitten Rescue was formed out of the grassroots efforts of friends & neighbors who were concerned about the feral cat population in Old Wethersfield, CT. We began our rescue efforts during the summer of 2021, when we noticed several kittens playing in an elderly neighbor's back yard. As a result, we quickly recruited the efforts of family & friends and began the process of

trapping 18 kittens along with neutering & releasing several female cats back to their original territories. These efforts were featured in an article by The Hartford Courant, "Old Wethersfield Community Comes Together To Rescue Stray Cats", published November 17th, 2021. Through this process, we were able to recruit several local residents who helped foster & socialize kittens while they waited to be adopted. We also secured the ongoing support from Double A Veterinary Hospital in Wethersfield, CT, where kittens receive initial wellness assessments and medical treatment for any illness common to feral kittens, as well as secured the ongoing support of Pieper Veterinary Hospital, Middletown, CT, who provide emergency vet care for feral/stray cats with serious injuries, Protectors of Animals, East Hartford, CT and Dakin Humane Society, Springfield, MA, who provide spay/neuter services for feral cats, who don't meet our adoption standards. With the proceeds of two successful Facebook fundraisers, we were able to raise enough money to cover most of the cat's daily care and medical expenses. As time went on, we soon realized that our efforts would need to continue and that ongoing management of the feral cat population in Wethersfield would need to be addressed, as our local resources were overwhelmed and underfunded. As word spread of our efforts, residents throughout Wethersfield began to reach out to us for support in managing other feral cat colonies in the town of Wethersfield... how could we say "no"! Armed with a list of local volunteers, a small stash of cat carriers and a few "Havahart Traps", we expanded our support to include the entire town of Wethersfield, CT and over the past two years, our team of volunteers has rescued over 100 kittens and TNR'd dozens of feral cats! So, with your support, Old Wethersfield Stray & Kitten Rescue, now formally registered with the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, will be able to continue its work and assist local residents with the trapping and neutering of feral cats as well as helping to coordinate the care and adoption of feral kittens. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these animals as well as help reduce the impact feral cat colonies have on our local wildlife.

01/22/2025

Meet Fergus - A sweet, shy boy looking for his FURever home!

Fergus is a handsome 1-2-year-old rescue from the colony in Newington where he was found with his buddy, Lilly (who was posted a few days ago). While Lilly is the social butterfly, Fergus is a shy soul who has been learning to trust humans with the help of his wonderful foster mom, Melanie.

At first, Fergus would hide when Melanie entered the room, but after just two weeks, he’s starting to feel more comfortable in his new environment. 💛

Here’s what you need to know about Fergus:
✨ He’s scheduled to be neutered on 2/11 and will receive his rabies and distemper vaccines. He’ll also be tested for FIV at that time.
✨ Fergus would thrive in a quiet home without dogs or small children, as loud noises and high activity levels can be overwhelming for him.
✨ He would benefit greatly from having another friendly cat in the home who can help him learn to trust and feel secure again.

Fergus may take some time to warm up, but with patience, love, and the right environment, this shy boy will blossom into a loyal and affectionate companion.

If you’re interested in adopting Fergus or learning more about him, please fill out an adoption application pinned to the top of our page! Let’s help this sweet boy find his perfect forever home. 🏡

01/19/2025

Helping Newington’s Cat Colony

Thanks to the amazing teamwork of our volunteers Katie LaVoie, Brianna & Boris Bruno, and local rescuers Brittany & Julia, a colony of outdoor cats in Newington now has winter shelters to keep them warm and safe. ❤️😻

While some of these cats may not be adoptable, we're committed to providing ongoing care, including rescue and vetting, to ensure their well-being.

Stay tuned as we continue to support this colony and work to give them the safe, warm winter they deserve!

01/15/2025

Meet pretty kitty, Lily!

This gorgeous dilute tortie is about 1-2 years old and was rescued from a cat colony in Newington, thanks to Brittany and her team. With our support, they trapped three cats, including Lily, and provided her a safe, warm place to stay.

Now, in foster care with Melanie, Lily is learning to trust again. She’ll be spayed/vetted on February 11th and will be ready for adoption shortly after.

If you’re interested in giving Lily a forever home, please fill out an adoption application pinned to the top of our page!

01/09/2025

How do you summarize a year of rescuing 170 cats? What photos do you use? What stories do you tell? Who do you thank first?

2024 is a year that will go down in the record books for Old Wethersfield Kitten Rescue. Not only did our number of rescues double for the year, so did our trips to the vet. Over the past year, many of our rescued cats required multiple trips to the vet for care for upper respiratory or eye infections as well as treatment for worms… a total number of trips exceeding 100! Without the support of Double A vet in Wethersfield and in Middletown we would not be able to carry out the work we do.

During 2024, we were also able to spay/neuter 45 cats, which is a tremendous increase over 2023’s 5 spay/neuter appointments. The team at are one of the most significant resources in our local community that provides low cost spay/neuter services, and we are indebted to their ongoing support and service.

Our local support also grew during 2024. With the launch of our first “in person” fundraising event at PorchFest, where we were able to raise $2500 in just one day to be used towards our rescue efforts. Not only did hundred of people come over to meet us, and say “thank you” or drop off food donations, many of our adoptive families stopped by to share stories and of course photos of their new feline family members. What an amazing experience it’s been to know we’ve rescued cats in Wethersfield and surrounding towns and to have these same cats adopted by families within those same communities. Pure joy…

But I would be remiss if I didn’t fully acknowledge and mention the tremendous contributions our volunteers make in an effort to support our rescue’s mission. To think we started with a small group of neighbors and slowly turned our rescue into a force of 25+ volunteers is nothing short of amazing. From Robin’s willingness to transport cats back and forth to the vet, to Angie’s willingness to take over our adoption process, to Aileen overseeing the ordering of medications to Janet’s willingness to socialize feral kittens to Teresa’s selfless support, which resulted in her making significant personal & physical sacrifices to support our fostering efforts.

So with that said, I’d like to give a heartfelt “thank you” to all our 2024 volunteers: Beth, Dorothy, Angie, Rachel, Lucinda, Carol, Teresa, Tracy, Ray, Jon, Amanda, Natasha, Janet, Blaik, Katie, Ellia, Allison, Jody, Jill, Rosa, Krista, Ronnie, Sherri, Kelly, and Briana for their selflessness and dedication to our community cats.

We are more than a cat rescue, we are a family.

With love and gratitude,

Melinda

01/07/2025

Update: Both adopted… together!💕

First Rescues of 2025!
Meet our latest adorable duo: Shale, a handsome black male, and Pearl, a stunning grey female 😻

These two siblings are about 14 weeks old and are the last kittens from a cat colony in Wethersfield. This colony has been monitored for years by the amazing Cheryl and her team. They’ve worked tirelessly with the property owners to vet and spay the cats in this area.

Shale and Pearl are heading to AA this Friday for a check-up and will be ready for adoption once cleared!

A few details from Janet, their foster momma:
- They are both independent and can be adopted separately if needed.
- Both are playful and favorites include the ball tower and wand toys!
- Shale is curious and eager to explore, while Pearl enjoys being petted, though neither has graced us with purrs just yet.

If you’re interested in giving one (or both!) of these sweethearts a forever home, please fill out an adoption application pinned to the top of our page.

Let’s start 2025 with happily ever afters for these adorable siblings. 🏡❤️

01/05/2025

Happy Adoption Update!

Autumn’s journey has been nothing short of incredible!

She came to us as a young, pregnant momma, and not long after her rescue, she gave birth to four beautiful kittens (all of whom found amazing homes!). Shortly after, two orphaned kittens in need of a momma’s care came to us, and Autumn didn’t hesitate—she became their surrogate and lovingly nursed them back to health (both are now adopted as well!).

Now, Autumn has found her perfect forever home with Francine, where she’s been renamed Stella Carmella and has received so much love already! It was love at first sight for the two of them, and they’re now inseparable. Stella loves spending her days gazing out the front window, watching birds, and watching for Francine.

She had a magical first Christmas, meeting lots of new family members, and was gentle and sweet with everyone. Stella is already so loved and spoiled—just as she deserves to be! We couldn't be happier for the wonderful home she is now in. Thank you, Francine, for opening up your safe and loving home to this sweet girl!

From rescue to furever, Stella’s story is a heartwarming reminder of why we do what we do. ❤️

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12/31/2024

2024 proved to be an overwhelming year for our rescue, but thanks to the selfless dedication of our twenty plus volunteers, we were able to meet the demand for rescue support of our local communities and more specifically the needs of our community cats.

While we are grateful for all of our volunteers and their kindness and compassion, one foster stood out over the past twelve months, Lucinda.

When going through our records we noticed one name kept coming up as an assigned foster… Lucinda. And lo and behold, Lucinda single-handedly fostered 19 cats and kittens. Of this group of cats, two were pregnant moms, which required fostering and care of their babies for at least 8 weeks at a time! All tolled, Lucinda spent months dedicated to caring for these sweet babies. Overseeing the care of the “Queen” her labor and delivery, which at one point took 24 hours to complete the delivery process. A task not for the faint of heart, as new born kittens require special care and consideration.

As Lucinda is a dedicated wife and mother herself, this task comes naturally to Lucinda, who takes on these assignments with a cool and levelheaded approach.

Not only has Lucinda overseen the care of her assigned cats, she’s also assisted Melinda with the urgent care of other kittens whose health was either declining or had special needs which required a dedicated room, one which Lucinda had available. Even at the end of the year, as the holidays were approaching, Lucinda opened her home one last time to assist with the care of two neonatal kittens requiring emergency care and a nursing female cat. As luck would have it Lucinda was fostering just a cat named Autumn.

Adjusting her personal schedule and needs, Lucinda agreed to take the kittens and extend her fostering assignment another month stretching it out to the first week of December. A selfless act that saved the lives of both kittens.

In recognition of her commitment to our rescue mission and her outstanding support, the board of directors have named Lucinda “Volunteer of the Year” for 2024!

So please join us in congratulating her on her award as well as her outstanding accomplishments.

12/22/2024

This weekend, we want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible Animal Advocacy Club at Rocky Hill High School! Your hard work and dedication have resulted in a boatload of cat food for our rescue efforts, and we couldn’t be more grateful. ❤️

The generosity of the Rocky Hill community has truly touched us, and Nala, the cat, is thrilled to help with inventory (or maybe she’s just supervising!).

Thank you all for making a difference in the lives of so many animals in need! 🐾

12/20/2024

Happy Adoption Day to Kit & Dottie!

When these two precious kittens came to us, Kit wasn’t even moving, and we feared the worst. But thanks to the incredible care and dedication of momma kitty Autumn and foster momma Lucinda, both kittens pulled through and absolutely thrived! ❤️

Now, they’re off to their forever home with Tamara and her boyfriend Alan, who we know will love them endlessly. 🏡🐾

Thank you for opening your hearts and giving Kit & Dottie the wonderful life they deserve. We are wishing you all a lifetime of love, purrs, and happiness! 💕

12/13/2024

Holiday Shopping Reminder! 🎁🐾

Stop on by Circa Antiques & Collectibles for some suPURRR swag! Purrfect for your holiday gift-giving! Recently, a generous supporter stopped in and bought a bunch of our merchandise for holiday gifts. How wonderful is that?!

Every purchase goes directly to support our local rescue efforts, including helping sweet kittens their forever homes and, more recently, our TNR efforts with the Carson Colony . 🐾

Stop by Circa Antiques this weekend through 12/29/24 and grab your rescue merch while supplies last! T-shirts (kids and adults), our ever popular totes, and more! Spread the holiday cheer while making a difference. ❤️

Thank you for your continued support, and happy holidays!

12/11/2024

Helping Carmello Conquer Vet Visit Anxiety!

Our sweet boy Carmello struggles with serious "vet visit" anxiety. Thankfully, the incredible team at Pieper in Middletown noticed his nervousness and implemented special handling protocols to help him feel safer. These included using Churu tube treats as a positive distraction, which made a huge difference!

Many cats like Carmello have significant anxiety around car rides and vet visits. For him, a small dose of Gabapentin helps take the edge off, allowing the veterinary staff to handle him more comfortably and safely during necessary exams. It’s a relief to know he’s less stressed, and no one, cat or human, gets hurt.

Recognizing your pet's cues and needs is *key* to managing these challenging situations.

What are some ways you’ve helped your furry friends stay calm during vet visits? Let’s share tips and help each other out!

12/06/2024

Happy Adoption Day!!

Pictured first is Pebbles and her new mom, Eliza, who rescued her from her backyard in Wethersfield. Pebbles was very sick and had to be put on a special diet. Thanks to the great care she received at Double A Vet, Pebbles is doing great and now on her way to start a new life!

Pictured second is our sweet little girl Ginger going to live her best life with the Wnuk family from New Britain!

We are wishing you both happy tails and holidays in your new homes!

12/05/2024

Neither wind, nor rain nor snow can keep our volunteers and adoptive families from making their various spay & vet appointments today!

As all pet owners know, there is a shortage of veterinary care providers in the state of Connecticut not to mention the overwhelming need for low cost spay providers. As a result veterinary care appointments and especially spay/neuter appointments are highly coveted. So, there is no way, we’re going to let a little snow stand in our way this morning!

Wishing Jill, Beth, Isaac and Janet safe travels today as they each venture out in support of our rescue cats.

12/03/2024

For Giving Tuesday: Support the Carson Cat Colony

This year, we’re dedicating Giving Tuesday to making a difference for a local farmer and his barn cats.

The “Carson Cat Colony” consists of 14 outdoor cats living on a farm off Nott Street in Wethersfield. We first learned about them last year, thanks to a thoughtful mailman who noticed the colony living between two homes.

With the help of POA Spay’s street team, we secured four spay surgery slots for today to kick off a larger Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) project. After gaining the property owner’s approval, we’ve set our sights on ensuring all 14 cats are fixed in the coming weeks.

The Carson Cats are well feed and have access to outbuildings for the winter. However, ensuring they’re fixed is critical to maintaining the cat population in surrounding neighborhoods and ultimately giving these cats a healthier, more stable life.

For Giving Tuesday, we’re asking for your support to help fund this impactful project. Your contributions will go directly toward spay/neuter surgeries and the ongoing care of the Carson Cat Colony.

On behalf of Thomas and his barn cats, we thank you for being a part of this important work. Together, we can make a difference!

11/28/2024

These two littles are thankful! Thankful for a kind man named, David Babel who saw them in his backyard in Wethersfield. Just four weeks old, weak from hunger and the cold, David remembered Circa Antiques sold our T-shirts and went to the store for support. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Alana contacted the owner, who immediately responded to David’s request for help.

Just a few short minutes later David was standing on Melinda’s back step holding a cardboard box with two rain drenched kittens. Shocked by the sight, Melinda knew they needed to act fast as one of the kittens wasn’t moving. Within minutes she enlisted the help of her son, Scott and fellow foster and neonatal specialist, Rosa, who immediately came over to her house with heat lamp in tow.

Struggling to survive, the littlest one named Kit wasn’t moving while her sibling named Dottie was stronger.

With the help of gentle massage, warm towels, heating pad, heat lamp, syringe & ni**le filled with sugar water, the three worked together to revive Kit, who after a few hours began to move on her own!

Once kittens were stable, Melinda contact fellow foster, Lucinda, as she was fostering a nursing momma cat, “Autumn” in hopes she would willingly accept these two kittens and allow them to nurse.

To ensure their success, Melinda rubbed Autumn’s kittens down with a cloth in hopes of transferring their scent to Kit & Dottie. With much prodding and encouragement, Lucinda and her daughter Ally were able to get Autumn to accept the kittens… well at least Kit! Dottie was a different story, as she prefers eating tube treats!

Now a week later, the two have gained weight and will be seen by the great staff at Double A vet.

While we are hopeful that they will continue to thrive, we remain cautiously optimistic. So many things can impact the health of such young kittens and while this is just one of the 170 rescue stories for 2024, we are blessed and grateful for our caring community, selfless volunteers and dedicated veterinary staff who support our ongoing efforts to help our community cats.

11/26/2024

In support of our amazing volunteers that make significant personal sacrifices to support our mission, the "OW Kitten Rescue" Board of Directors have voted to institute an annual "holiday shutdown" from Thanksgiving to New Year's.

During this time, we will not accept any new rescue requests or applications for adoption.

Instead, our volunteer-based rescue will turn its attention to our loved ones... those who have supported our efforts throughout the year and have graciously sat by our sides, while we turn our attention to care for our community cats. We are grateful for their unconditional love and understanding.

In the meantime, should you require rescue or adoption support, we suggest reaching out to the following local resources:

Protectors of Animals, East Hartford, CT (https://poainc.org/)

CT Humane Society (https://cthumane.org/)

CT Cat Connection (https://www.ctcatconnection.org/)

Wishing you and yours a safe & happy holiday!

11/24/2024

UPDATE: ADOPTED!

Meet Baby Jack 🖤🐈‍⬛
Jill, his foster momma, says that he is the sweetest, biscuit-making, motor purring, cuddly, floofy boy she has ever met! He is about 2 months old. Once he makes a full recovery from his upper respiratory infection in about 2-3 weeks, he will be available for adoption! Thank you, Jill, for taking care of him through his little cold!

If you are interested in adopting sweet baby Jack once he fully recovers, please fill out an adoption application pinned to the top of our page!

11/23/2024

Happy Adoptin Day to some of our kittens that recently went to their new FURever homes!

We are wishing (in order of the pictures), Lima Bean and the Kurzatkowski family, Fava Bean with Jacqueline and Andres, and lastly, Jennifer with her two cuties Casper and Skelly!

Congratulations on your new family members just in time for the holidays! We wish you all a wonderful new adventure full of biscuits, cuddles, and lots of love!

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Kitten spa day! One of our fantastic foster mommas, Ellia is working her magic while her foster kittens await meeting their new families! Life couldn't get much better than this! 😻😸 #foster #oldwethersfieldct #rescuesaveslives #fosterkittens #CatLovers #kitten #rescuekittens #AdoptDontShop #ForeverHome #rescue #kittenrescue #wethersfieldct

Hungry foster kitten eager to eat and can't stop talking about it! 😻😹 Sound on!! #fosterkittens #wethersfieldct #catrescue #rescuecats #CatLovers #AdoptDontShop #rescuekittens #kitten #rescuesaveslives #rescue #kittenrescue