Happy Birthday Isabella!

It's my 7th birthday all day today!  Isn't that exciting?

I should be showered with treats and toys but instead I just get this...this...this thing-a-ma-jig...

Is this not the lamest thing you've ever seen Angel?

It doesn't even taste good!

Oh well, it's still my birthday so that the most important part!

Since Mommy saved so much money on my presents, we're going to donate $1 to Alley Cat Allies for each comment left on this post through midnight tonight.  Since my bestest present is a nice warm home, plenty of foods and lots of love, we want to help Alley Cat Allies protect feral kitties and to know we care for them too!

Hope you enjoy a treat today in honor of my birthday!

Isabella

Spreading the Word for Feral Kitties!

Today is National Feral Cat Day which is a day meant to remind us all that Trap-Neuter-Return and other humane programs for feral cats are in the best interest of the cats and the community. As much as we wish all kitties had furever homes, there are cats that look like us but they are afraid of humans so they live their lives outside in colonies.

The issue of feral cats is very near and dear to our hearts because the alley behind our mommy and daddy's first house was home to many feral cats. Of course Mommy befriended several of them and even named the ones who came around most often - Bandit, Levi and Spook! Levi was even brave enough to come into their house but didn't want to be touched very much. Two of the kitties who came before us, Reebok and Panther, were actually orphaned feral kitties that Mommy found in the alley and raised from the bottle into adulthood. Mommy and Daddy lost Reebok to cancer in 2001 and Panther was 18 years old when she passed away in 2006. What we've learned from the information provided by Alley Cat Allies is that if anyone had taken those feral cats into a non-no kill shelter thinking they were helping the cats by getting them off the streets, there would be virtually no chance of adoption and the cats would be killed. The reason being is that shelters handle adoptable cats and one that is afraid of humans certainly doesn't fit that criteria.

We just want to spread the word and let people know that feral cats do not belong in animal shelters. If you come across some feral kitties that you want to help, please check out Alley Cat Allies for information. Together we can educate others about the need for Trap-Neuter-Return programs to reduce the cat population and keep feral cats out of shelters.

Together we can make a difference and save lives!

Spreading the Word

The reason my mom and I decided to sell jewelry through our BeadedTail shop was to raise funds for animal awareness causes. Each month I donate the proceeds from our shop to a worthy animal charity. In October the chosen charity was Alley Cat Allies and I want to share what I've learned from them about feral cats and bring awareness to issues resulting in the deaths of countless cats every day. Here are some of the things that we need to be aware about:

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  Over 70% of cats are killed in our nation’s animal control pounds and shelters. That number jumps to virtually 100% for feral cats.
  


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  A revolutionary change in shelter practice and policy is needed that protects the lives of cats, and there is a movement pushing for change.
  


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  There are multiple programs that are a humane method of care for all cats, including affordable, accessible spay and neuter services available to everyone and Trap-Neuter-Return programs for feral cats.

The issue of feral cats is very near and dear to my heart because the alley behind my husband's and my first house was home to many feral cats. Of course I befriended several of them and one even was brave enough to come into our house but didn't want to be touched very much. Our two kitties, Reebok and Panther, were actually orphaned feral kitties that we found in the alley and raised from the bottle into adulthood. We lost Reebok to cancer in 2001 and Panther was 18 years old when she passed away in 2006.

What I have since learned from the information provided by Alley Cat Allies is that if anyone had taken those feral cats into a non-no kill shelter thinking they were helping the cats by getting them off the streets, there would be no chance of adoption and the cats would be killed. The reason being is that shelters handle adoptable cats and one that is afraid of humans certainly doesn't fit that criteria.

I just want to spread the word and let people know that feral cats do not belong in animal shelters. If you come across some feral kitties that you want to help, please check out Alley Cat Allies website for information. Together we can educate others about the need for Trap-Neuter-Return programs to reduce the cat population and keep feral cats out of shelters. We can make a difference and save lives!