Fostering and rehoming Cats and Kittens in Memory of our Beloved Rusty
*APPOINTMENTS ARE FULL!*
Affordable Spay and Neuter Day for cats only with your Feline Friends!
- Healthy owned cats only
- Plastic carriers only
- Co-pay applies for each cat
- Have a question? Call the contact number
- Calls returned in the evening in the order they are received
*Please feel free to share the post but not copy/paste photo
*ALL spots are now FULL*
Thank you to everyone who has called!
Affordable Spay and Neuter Day for cats only with your Feline Friends!
- Healthy owned cats only
- Plastic carriers only
- Co-pay applies for each cat
- Have a question? Call the contact number
- Calls returned in the evening in the order they are received
*Please feel free to share the post but not copy/paste photo
Looking to get your cat in for a spay or neuter appointment? We have some openings this week that we'd love to get filled!
Check availability and book your appointment online here: nwspayneuter.org/online-scheduler
Thumper working on her massage skills
The lovely Thumper, who has been tested negative for FIV, spayed, dewormed, vaccinated and is up for adoption 😊
Thumper is a beautiful girl who loves to sit in her window perch and watch the world. She likes to chat at you and will carry on a conversation with you. She loves to be around her human and get attention, but really is not a lap cat, more of a companion who likes to be with you, or next to you. We have discovered that she is very territorial and does not back down, so feel she would be best suited as a single cat. She is extremely gentle with humans, our 7 and 8 year old can be a little overwhelming for her, as they are loud, but when they respectfully approach her she loves to get belly scratches and purrs up a storm for them. She will keep flipping around for more belly rubs and it just makes the boys so happy. Overall she is a wonderful girl.
Does Thumper sound like your forever girl?
(Copied from pet angel cat adoption group)
It seems that the procedure of declawing is not widely talked about. Most of us know that means a cat doesn't have their claws, and then we move on. But what if we pause for a second and actually take a look at declawing. Maybe your opinion on it will change.
Declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting a humans fingertips off at the first knuckle. The declawing procedure is painful for animals, as most of the time it is not a clean cut. Sometimes they take too much of the bone, sometime they don't take enough of the bone. Bone spurs, calcium build up and arthritis can form as they age, causing pain. When they wake up, they are in pain, since you just had the vet mutate each one of their fingers, and they HAVE to walk around on those paws for the rest of their lives. A vet once told me "You know how you feel when you're walking around with a pebble in your shoe all day? That's what a declawed cat feels like for the rest of their lives." Cats hide pain and illness very well, it's part of their survival tactic in the wild, so you won't even know they're in pain until it's so bad they can't hide it anymore, and that's when most people with declawed cats start to see behavorial issues. Not using the litterbox (because the litter will hurt their paws), not jumping up on things or being able to jump down from things (because their paws hurt) or acting out towards their humans (become aggressive because being touched hurts them.) To be blunt- declawing is extremely painful and an inhumane procedure.
Most of the time, when I talk to people about the dangers of declawing, they say to me "Oh my goodness, why didn't my vet ever tell me this?! They told me it was just like clipping your fingernails and that it isn't painful!" And we agree. Vets should be educating owners before they do the procedure. Some vets have actually opted out of doing the procedures completely because it's inhumane. Some vets will only do it when its medically necessary (like a cat who's claw has grown incorrectly or had an accident and the claw is beyond repair.) Before COVID, michigan had a Bill that was approved and was in the next stages of becoming a law that was going to outlaw declawing in our state. But sadly, due to COVID, that bill is on hold... and who knows for how long. So, we want to educate as many people as we can on the dangers of declawing, and what you can do instead!!
There are MANY alternatives to declawing, and I actually spent a LOT of time building a whole page on our website all about what to do instead! Nail caps and scratching posts are a saving grace, and your cat can be trained to use the scratching posts instead of your furniture (yes EVERY cat is trainable in this! As long as you train them correctly! If my special needs cat can learn, so can yours! It's on YOU to use the correct training tactics! Don't worry- I explain how on the website!!) Check out this link to see my guide on declawing alternatives! And thank you for not declawing your cat!!
We are experiencing a devastating crisis in Kitsap County.
People are finding un-owned kittens and pregnant cats – some as young as five months old themselves – in alarming numbers all over the county. Some are found in “sibling” groups – a family of female siblings barely out of kittenhood themselves, all caring together for multiple litters of kittens! These new mama cats with their litters, pregnant cats, and litters of motherless kittens are found – either dumped or born out there -- in sheds and garages and barns, underneath houses and trailers, behind dumpsters in business parking lots and mobile parks, in colonies in the middle of Kitsap neighborhoods, and out in the outskirts of people’s rural properties. And currently there is ALMOST NOTHING we can do to help the vast majority of these unwanted, homeless cats and kittens, or even to slow down the snowball effect that is driving this disaster.
Of course, populations of un-owned / feral cats have always been a concern, but in Kitsap County in the past decade or so, a lot of work had gone into Community Cats programs, barn cat programs, low-cost spay and neuter clinics, and Trap/Neuter/Return efforts – and the problem, although not going away, was somewhat under control. Since Covid-19 shutdowns forced the closures of veterinarian offices, shelters, and spay/neuter clinics beginning in early 2020, though, this issue has gone from a concern to a catastrophe for West Sound cats – and the reopened shelters and clinics now find themselves woefully ill-equipped to even begin to address this tragedy.
Our shelters and rescues here in the West Sound, already stressed by short staffing and continued Covid safety concerns, are now well beyond the saturation point with cats and kittens. PAWS of Bremerton and PAWS BI/NK don’t take in found (stray) cats, and are both full of owner-surrendered pets and have recently had to begin denying those. Humane Society of Mason County, lacking a physical shelter space, has cats and kittens stuffed into every foster home available to them. Kitten rescue of Mason County is overflowing and hemorrhaging funds trying to care for more cats than their space and system were ever prepared for.
Kitsap Humane Society is overwhelmed with stray cat and kitten intake. Recently, Kitsap Humane Society has suspended owner surrenders of cats needing new homes due to lack of space, (causing some of these pets to be abandoned when owners move), and is regularly turning away a lot of concerned citizens who are trying to do the right thing by bringing in found cats and kittens as strays.
Although there is a “barn cat program” at KHS, there is no dedicated feral/community cat/unsocialized cat kenneling area or staff specifically trained in socializing or caring for feral cats, so the shelter will only accept cats who are less social when they already have a barn cat adopter ready to take them, and it is not a priority.
Kitsap Humane Society veterinary services has been attempting to help the cat overpopulation problem in our county with low-cost spay/neuter appointments for low-income community members, and Trap/Neuter/Return services for Community Cats. Unfortunately, the veterinary needs of the social pets actually admitted to the shelter as strays and owner surrenders (as well as adoptable pets transferred from out-of-state high-kill shelters) take precedence over the need for spay/neuter or vaccine services for owned pets or feral or Community Cats. This means that people attempting to use the KHS surgery scheduler to make an appointment for their pet or for a TNR surgery are unable day after day to find even one opening. Trapped cats then get re-released un-neutered, outdoor kittens grow to a fertile age before any can be spayed/neutered, and people give away or abandon un-altered, un-vaccinated cats because they cannot deal with continued reproduction and veterinary needs of pregnant cats and kittens.
The small dedicated cadre of volunteers in our region who have the time, resources, knowledge and desire to provide Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) assistance are now completely stymied in their efforts by the total lack of Spay/Neuter surgery spots at Kitsap and Pierce County’s shelters and low-cost clinics. There are literally hundreds of cats needing spay/neuter surgeries for every available surgery appointment at clinics in Kitsap and three surrounding counties.
Pet owners and cat colony caretakers who see the new kittens and the pregnant mama cats showing up in the colonies or on their properties, and WANT to do the responsible thing. encounter roadblocks at every turn until they throw up their hands in frustration and give up. Then that young pregnant mama cat can’t get her emergency spay, has a litter with three girls in it, and within 5 or 6 months, all three of those female kittens are pregnant and their mother is having another litter as well. Four times that number five months later. Four times that higher number again five months after that. Yes, it does happen that fast.
There is no place for these cats and kittens to go. And as of today there is no end in sight, only the prospect of an exponentially growing population of homeless, unsocialized and unwanted cats, which means suffering and death for many of these cats and concerns about the health and livability of our neighborhoods.
WE NEED A COOPERATIVE, ORGANIZED RESPONSE TO THIS CRISIS in Kitsap County and the West Sound area. We need an active, coordinated volunteer FORCE of dedicated individuals who can regularly:
• Offer temporary foster holding for cats and kittens turned away from KHS until a plan can be created for them
• Provide kitten-socializing foster homes for kittens of feral mothers or kittens who have had little interaction with human beings, until they are ready for spay/neuter and adoption
• Daily scour the TNR surgery scheduling sites for the various clinics (see list below) and apply for some of these openings for cats/kittens being held in foster by volunteers
• Daily scour social media groups for posts asking for help, to either delay people before they get themselves stuck with un-placeable cats, or to provide information and coordination to create a plan and help them safely hold the cats or to connect them with a volunteer foster who can do so until the plan can be successful
• Scour social media groups and Craigslist for kitten giveaways, so these kittens can be picked up and fostered and socialized until they can be surrendered in an appointment with local shelters, or adopted out to safe indoor homes.
• Communicate and coordinate with shelter administrations, vet services staff at area shelters, local veterinarians, Spay/Neuter clinics, Animal Control, and other “official” pet rescue organizations to remove barriers and frustration and streamline the process of helping these cats
• Fundraise for money to pay for TNR surgeries, traps, carriers, vaccines, emergency veterinary visits, foster holding crate setups, physical holding space, cat and kitten food, transportation, and outreach/educational materials
• Canvass neighborhoods before TNR trapping efforts or when there is a known “feral” colony in an area, to find the feeders and caretakers as well as locals willing to help in some way or allow trapping on their property
• Deliver loaner traps, carriers, blankets, bait, and other materials to people trying to trap on their own property (with a plan first, of course!)
• Transport cats to surgery, to recovery, to foster homes, to shelter surrender appointments and to permanent homes
• Transport Barn Cats to new barn homes, assist with acclimation setup, and pick up setup materials when the acclimation period has ended
• Reach out to all local veterinarian offices and shelter organizations to attempt coordination of MASH clinic Cat Spay Days
• Provide transportation out-of-county on a “Spay/Neuter Party Bus” to high-volume Cat Fix Days and MASH clinics and TNR clinics in neighboring counties
This is a huge endeavor. In the past few years, a small group of passionate cat rescue-involved individuals have made connections, collected materials, created active social media groups specific to local cat rescue efforts, and begun the process of creating the kind of coordination and communication and organization we need to truly make a dent in the cat overpopulation and suffering in our county – all while attempting to help those needing it right now also. But we have reached the limit of what can be done by a loosely-organized group of overwhelmed and underfunded passionate individuals. We need to take our efforts to the next level.
In the coming year, Pawsitive Change for Kitsap Cats will expand to:
• Become an official nonprofit organization
• Create a user-friendly interactive website
• Create a social media presence across multiple platforms
• Apply for grants and research other funding sources
• Develop official relationships with all of the local shelters, animal rescue organizations, and veterinarians
• Begin the process of developing a corps of dedicated volunteers throughout the county
• Develop educational materials for community outreach
• Begin grassroots outreach, promotion and fundraising within our local communities
This is a huge challenge, but we are determined to find newer, more effective ways to help larger numbers of the unowned cats, feral cat caretakers, and low-income cat owners in our local communities and reduce the suffering we see every day.
People often mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a harmless "quick fix" for unwanted scratching. They don't realize that declawing can make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite. Declawing also can cause lasting physical problems for your cat.
Scratching is normal cat behavior. It isn't done to destroy a favorite chair or to get even. Cats scratch to remove the dead husks from their claws, mark territory, and stretch their muscles.
What is declawing?
Too often, people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails—the equivalent of having your fingernails trimmed. Sadly, this is far from the truth. Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. If performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.
It is an unnecessary surgery that provides no medical benefit to the cat. Drawbacks to declawing include pain in the paw, infection, tissue necrosis (tissue death), lameness, and back pain. Removing claws changes the way a cat's foot meets the ground and can cause pain similar to wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes. There can also be a regrowth of improperly removed claws, nerve damage, and bone spurs.
Try these tips for stopping unwanted scratching:
🐈Keep their claws trimmed to minimize damage to household items.
🐈Provide stable scratching posts and boards around your home. Offer different materials like carpet, sisal, wood, and cardboard, as well as different styles (vertical and horizontal). Use toys and catnip to entice your cat to use the posts and boards.
🐈Ask your veterinarian about soft plastic caps
Attach a special tape to furniture to deter your cat from unwanted scratching.
Pet parents can train their cats to use their claws in a manner that allows everyone in the household to live together happily.
They are recalling some of their cat foods also
On January 11, 2021, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. expanded the recall to include all pet food products containing corn that were made in the firm’s Oklahoma plant and that expire on or before July 9, 2022. More than 1000 lot codes are affected so they are not listed individually.
This little guy was dumped at about 4 weeks old in Eastern Washington, September 22 😢 This little guy is tough and a survivor so he has earned the name Sully. After being with us for just a little over 6 weeks he now has no fear and won’t give up and is a beautiful little soul!
Our latest rescue, a momma and her 4 kittens, momma was dumped in Lakebay and the gentleman did not want anything to happen to them and reached out to us for help trapping, and giving these guys a chance.
Please take the time to look at this lost cat post and help the owner if you have any information. She is still looking for her fur baby
https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/119576560_806268383443592_7634105080813755830_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=b96e70&efg=eyJpIjoibyJ9&_nc_ohc=HTcK_mG9y0cAX-FdSl4&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&tp=14&_nc_rmd=160&oh=05ce553b38256af75499641ca5f9fc22&oe=5F8C0F81
Hey all pet parents! Please dump outside water bowls! Ash and water create lye, which can be deadly!
Miss Mocha loves her belly rubs!
Meet Mocha
She is a sweet yet shy little girl. She is approximately 3 years old, she came to us from Yakima after having her last litter, and getting spayed, then watching them all be adopted, yet not finding a home herself. She is very shy at first but if you let her know she is safe and learn to trust you, then she is a little love bug who has a motor that runs like no other! She loves belly rubs and gets so into her pets and rubs that she even drools 😊 she is such a delight, and I have loved to see this little lady come out of her shell and become the loving kitty she is! Her rehoming fee will be $75. She is up to date on all her shots. Please message us if you are interested in setting up a meet and greet.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants
Our handy list contains plants that have been reported as having systemic effects on animals and/or intense effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
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Thumper working on her massage skills
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