So you think you want to adopt a kitten in South Carolina

Of all the people who think they want to adopt a kitten – very few should! One of the reasons that so many older kittens end up in shelters or rescues, is that families bight off more than they can chew!
It’s true that it’s currently kitten reason, and rescues and shelters are full to the brim with little bundles of fluff (kittens). About 65% of people looking to adopt kittens think kittens and children are made for each other. They are not. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So while everyone wants a kitten, the adult cats go begging for homes. Cat rescues may make the problem worse if they don’t steer people into make the right choice for their circumstances. The truth is that many of the people who wish to adopt a kitten or two would be more suited to adopting an adult cat.

To repeat. Young children and kittens simply do not mix. Kittens end up being stressed and tormented by children because adults do not supervise their iteraction. This can lead to young cats exhibiting inappproriate behaviour.

There are no doubt exceptions to this rule, but please don’t assume your family is going to be one of them. If you get turned down by a cat rescue for kitten adoption please think long and hard about your next move. It shouldn’t necessarily be to contact the next cat rescue on your list to enquire about kitten adoption!

Adopting an older cat or young adult cat can be just as rewarding and is a better choice for most family situations, where you are adopting more of a known quantity. You may be under the illusion that older cats aren’t fun, don’t “do stuff” and don’t play. Nothing could be further from the truth. While many female cats can be aloof, an adult male neutered cat can be a whole bundle of fun.

A wide range of cats and kittens are available for adoption at Furry Friends Rescue Center in Clover (email melissaspets@aol.com). In Greenwood County we recommend Furby’s Half Way House at Hodges (email elisablacktaylor@yahoo.com).

When it comes to kitten or cat adoption you must find the best pet for your circumstances. A bona fide cat rescue will help you make the best choice.

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Persian In NYC Needs Rehoming / Rescue Within 3 Days

Venus

Venus is a 12 year old persian in New York City (NYC) who needs an experienced owner / rescue. New York, NY — This post is for a friend whose cat, Venus, I am trying to rehome in an attempt to save her life. The words below the photo are not mine, they were written by the loving owner of this stunning cat who has run out of options. Venus needs a compassionate, patient home to work with her through her behavioral problems — ideally somebody who spends a good amount of time at home and either does not have other pets or has enough space for Venus to feel like she is the one and only. All inquiries can be directed to me, Bekah Wilcox, via Facebook or bekah.w@gmail.com. Venus has just a few short days left in foster care and must find a permanent home — sanctuaries, no-kill rescues and fosters will not be considered because she needs the commitment of an individual dedicated to her happiness or else she may never truly find inner peace.

I found Venus on the streets of Astoria, Queens, in 2000. She was creeping around a couple who were kissing on the sidewalk, meowing up at them desperately. She looked frightened and out of place. As a fluffy Persian calico, I knew she wasn’t your typical stray. I brought her home where she hid for several days, only creeping near me to accept treats that I gave her by hand. When she finally emerged from under my bed and shook off the dust-bunnies from her coat, she snuck timidly into my living room and wriggled her way into my heart where she has remained my constant companion and adored friend for the the last 11 years. I realized that Venus had once been looked after, so I posted signs around the neighborhood to find her rightful owner. They never emerged. So I brought her to the vet to find out the details of my new pet. She was spayed and declawed, but had not been microchipped. The vet estimated that she was 1-2 years old (which would make her 12 or 13 today). She got a clean bill of health, aside from a nod to her weepy eyes, which I understand are typical of her breed.

Venus lived with me up until a few months ago in my one bedroom apartment. For several years my boyfriend lived with us, but he moved out and it was just Venus and I for 7 years. She was fully pampered and loved by me and slept every night next to me on my bed. She followed me everywhere I went and would even paw at the bathroom door if I dared close it for some privacy! She never pushes for strokes or attention (though she’ll tolerate them to a point before she gets bored and moves on), but absolutely must be where the action is, observing from somewhere in the room. When it was the two of us chilling in the living room she loved to hang out in my serving tray, placed center stage on the coffee table. It always made me think of her as a “zen” kitty, preferring to sleep in a box, rather than in a soft bed. (I bought her several, she refused them). She mostly liked to laze around with me, turning her nose up at things like catnip and quickly getting bored of any chasing/yarn games after 5 minutes or so. She’s definitely a lady of luxury and a true diva. I call her the JLo of cats. She is an incredibly docile and sweet cat with a fantastic sense of humor. I have never heard her hiss and she has never bitten me more than gently. When I take her to the vet, she never struggles or fights, preferring to deal with the stress by just getting very still and hunkering down as the vet handles her. The few times I’ve seen her around other animals, she’s had a very timid curiosity, tentatively having a sniff, then jolting back if the other animal makes any sudden movements. She’s never spent, in my observation, more than a few moments around other non-human animals. Around human strangers, Venus (as cats do) always is drawn first to the person who doesn’t grab her or push themselves upon her. She like to come to people on her own terms, though this takes only about 10 minutes or so. I have observed that she prefers women to men, and will much more readily approach women and allow them to pet her. Who can blamer her? :-)

Unfortunately the last few years have been a challenge for us. I came home one evening to find that she had peed on my bed. Over the next few years, the behavior got worse and worse, to the point where she destroyed two of my couches and I had to cover all my furniture in plastic drop sheets every time I left the house. I have tried absolutely everything to curb this behavior and have spent thousands of dollars on vet bills and behaviorists trying to remedy the problem. I have had her tested for every medical condition under the sun to ensure that she is not suffering from any painful illness. Everything has come back negative, leading the vet to believe that she has a behavioral issue. I have tried containing her, which is next to impossible in a one bedroom apartment. I’ve tried two different kinds of anti-depresents, neither of which changed her peeing behavior, but the last one had her hiding in the closet for three days. I’ve tried new environments, outdoor, indoor, you name it. She has brought me to tears of frustration so many times because I love her so much, yet she is ruining my house and causing so much stress and emotional pain.

Recently I moved to London and planned to take her with me, getting her microchipped and rabies shots and tiders. Unfortunately her bad pee behavior has continued and I have run through the good will of my friends and their friends in terms of people willing to take on a cat with behavioral problems. I have decided not to spend the thousand dollars or so it would cost to send Venus over to the UK because she would be entering a new environment with two other clawed, much younger cats and I think the stress of this coupled with a new home and international journey will only exacerbate her behavior. I am living with another person who will not tolerate that as an option in their home. With no one willing to look after her in the states and me unable to create a suitable home for her in the UK, I am absolutely crushed to admit to myself that she may not be a suitable pet for anyone who I can find. I adore Venus and the thought of her being put in a shelter amongst other animals, frightened and alone is more than I can bear. If anyone is willing to take her, I would be relieved and grateful to think of her in a home where she is loved and cared for. However, I fear the chances of that are low and am considering euthanizing her as the most humane option. I’m quite sorry that I’ve ended up at this conclusion, but I’ve done so after truly exhausting every available option to me that I know of. I will miss her terribly.

If anyone can help this calico persian in new York City please reply to the email at the top of the post.

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Protest Please At The Abuses At Gaston Animal Control, Gastonia

Please join me in my protest against Gaston Animal Control. Even if you are not a resident of North Carolina we all deplore the mistreatment and cruelty to the animals at the Gaston Animal Control. The mishandling of these cats is in direct defiance of the humanitarian guidelines introducted and upheld by the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States).

Gaston bases whether a cat/kitty is labeled in their “remarks” based on when these cats arrive at Gaston animal control. Gaston is not a shelter, Gaston is animal control at it’s WORST. Newly arrived kitties are permanenly branded with characteristics that are not necessarily accurate. A “feral cat” is gassed, an “agressive” cat is gassed and many “shy” cats are never adopted and end up being euthanized when indeed it has been found that many of these cats are not “feral”, not “agressive” and certainly not “shy”. THEY ARE TERRIFIED!

Gaston decides that these cats and kittens are “unadoptable”, and completely ignores the fact that they are “scared out of their wits” and under great stress from being dumped at this hostile animal control. This is not a shelter…it is animal control and abuse. These labels represent a death sentence–once cats are branded ‘too thin’ ‘too shy’, etc., they are automatically scheduled for euthanasia.

Because of this, many adoptable cats and kittens literally never see the light of day, nor have a fair shot at exposure to possible adopters. Gaston’s kill rate for cats and kittens is higher than 95 percent – meaning more than 95 percent of all cats and kittens at the shelter are euthanized no matter what.

Here is a photograph that represents brutality and inhumane handling of an animal. This is one of the worst things that we all have seen in regard to animal cruelty at a shelter or animal control facility. There are no words to describe this other than horrible, inhumane, barbaric, cruel, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, despicable, and totally unacceptable. Ferrel cats are not sedated.

When you look at this cat’s experession, there is nothing but terror. Cat’s have a keen sense of smell and they smell death and that is why the cats that have been rescued from Gaston take much longer than most rescued cats to rehabilitate…… because they have been subjected to the worst kind of animal abuse imaginable.

Please join me in protest against Gaston Animal Control.

FURRY FRIENDS RESCUE CENTER

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Gaston Animal Control NC – Surely One of the worst?

Gaston Abuse

Gaston Animal Control NC – Surely one of the worst? Speak to rescuers and rescues saving cats and dogs in North and South Carolina and they will tell you that not all Animal Control Facilities are created equal. Some are better than others. You only have to look at the pictures of cats and dogs being coerced at Gaston to know that this is one of the places on earth God has forgotten about.

Although Gaston Animal Control claim standards are improving and euth rates are dropping this is still an appalling place to take an animal too. Cats and kittens have very little time and they don’t make it easy to adopt either. Gastonia constituents should very very concerned that this kind of operation still exists on their door step.

Of course it would help if residents spayed and neutered their pets and made more effort to rehome their own animals. Why won’t people take responsibility for their own animals? They wouldn’t euthanase a child, would they?

We have many pictures of animal cruelty at Gaston – its also still one of the remaining places that will gass animals. Yes, gas them.

In civilized societies we are measured by how we treat those that can’t speak for themselves. Gaston Animal Control inapppropriately classifies animals so that scared cats get branded as feral and are immediately killed.

Gastonians need to take responsibilty for this appalling mess and start knocking on the door of City Hall

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Help With Unwanted kittens Greenville South Carolina

Most of the unwanted Greenville kittens seem to be heading straight for certain death at Greenville County Animal Care services facility on Furman Hall Road. It is of course kitten season, but GCACS has a very reduced facility for holding kittens and cats due to remodelling work going on. More than 50% of the mothers and babies who are arriving at the shelter are being PTS within 10 days.

If you don’t want kittens, have no interest in keeping any offspring then you should of course spay or neuter your cats. But if you find yourself in this position the least you can do is to call round alternatives. These include the cordinator of Kitts n’ Katts Rescue who can be contacted at Kitsnkatsrescue@nospam@gmail.com. NOTE: remove the @nospam before sending. .

We know of 5 singleton kittens who made it out of the rescue this week, but they were the lucky ones. For the most part larger groups of kittens or mums and babies (especially if the babies are less than 5 weeks old) will die. It’s a pity there’s not a law that would make people watch their cats die after being surrendered to shelters.

Staff at Greenville do an amazing job chasing down every possible option for unwanted kittens. But as long as they have reduced facilities and too many dumb asses don’t neuter or spay their cats its always going to be an uphill struggle.

It is of course far better to surrender your unwanted Greenville kittens to shelter rather than just dump them or abandon them, but it would be far, far better not to have the problem in the first place.

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Fundraiser By Fife Cat Charity – SAS Abseil Forth Rail Bridge (UK)

Committee Meeting

This weekend sees another fundraiser organised by Fife based Sunny Harbour Cat and Kitten Rescue. Always on the lookout for imaginative ways to raise funds for the kitties this time Co Founder Paul and nine supporters are throwing themselves off the Forth Rail Bridge doing an SAS style abseil!!

The idea for the fundraiser came about whe some of the harbour’s permanent residents had a meeting on the subject of much needed critical funds (see photo). We think Apollo, Herbie and BelleBelle were the ring leaders.

Funds are neeed by Sunny Harbour Cat and Kitten Rescue to help pay for vet and food costs. As usual, over the last few months Sunny Harbour has taken on rescues cases that other rescues won’t deal with. Typically because they are worried about the financial implications or have no space.

A fair proportion of the cats that end up at the harbour are within hours or minutes of being put to sleep or arrive in such condition that helping them will involve significant expense or effort.

Just recently four Birtish Short Hairs arrived in appalling condition. Hard to believe that short haired cats can matt so badly. But they can. The death of their owner had meant the cats were largely fending for themselves. Two have what we believe are snow burns from being left out in appalling wheather.

If you want to find out more about this ‘small is beautiful’ cat sharity please go to their site at http://www.sunnyharbour.org.uk.

Now the abseil. UK residents can sponsor co founder Paul using BT’s my donate facility.The abseil is SAS ‘free style’ adseiling, 165ft. Just awesome. Apollo, one of the permanent residents puts it like this: Dear Friends of Sunny Harbour,

Life at Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue has been very good to me and all my brofurr and sisfurs that live here and over the last few years we have seen many poor wee souls need our pawrents to help them get back to health and find love in a new home.

As mum and dad work really hard to make sure we have everything we need including lots of good scrummy food, love, cuddles, clean beds and all veterinary care we need we thought it was time we helped out too and so called a kitteh committee meeting.

The result was we arranged for Daddy to be thrown off the Forth Rail Bridge this month along with Auntie Beth and some friends and told him that if he let us do so we would raise lots of money to help the really needy kitties in the Cat Ward that need so much care, veterinary treatment and love in order to start their new lives with new families.

Well, Daddy agreed (silly Daddy) and will be taking his leap of faith on the 19th June. Mummy is going to take pictures and video them all screaming like babies but by doing so we are hoping that we can raise at least £2000 for the very needy kitties.

Who would refuse to help?

The abseil for the Suny Harbour Cats and Kittens takes place on Sunday 19th June at South Queensferry as part of a “mass” abseil event organised by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme who have kindly given Sunny Harbour Places.

For details on how to donate to this very proactive charity please see below:

Sunny Harbour has teamed up with the BT Donate service which is free to charities to register and use to collect donations and the only deduction made is for credit or debit card processing fees so you can be sure that as much of your donation as possible goes directly to the cats and kittens at Sunny Harbour.

To view and or make a sponsor pledge or donation please visit the website link below which will take you directly to our BT Donate page.

https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/sunnyharbourcatkittenrescue

Alternatively if you would prefer send a cheque or Postal Order to us made payable to Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue at:

Sunny Harbour Cat Rescue
70 Bank Street
Lochgelly
Fife
KY5 9QN

Or make a donation via BACS / Bank Transfer. Simply contact us for our bank details. If you are unable to contribute financially to our event then please also help us by spreading the word to friends, family or even around Facebook, Twitter or any other website you may use.

Fans not based in the UK can also contact the Harbour on the best way to donate for the Sunny Harbour SAS Abseil challenge.

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Posted in Cat and Kitten Adoption Fife / Edinburgh, Cat Rescue Fife, Fund Raising For cats, Sunny Harbour Cat And Kitten Rescue | Comments Off

The Shame of Greenville Pet Owners / Petlovers

The shame of Greenville petowners. Yep, it’s South Carolina again, but the situation in Greenville, is mirrored all over the Southern States. Pet owners are queing up at pet disposal centres – commonly known as public animal shelters.

In Greenville, at Greenville County Care Animal services people were litterly queing up round the block today to surrender cats, kittens, dogs and puppies.
As our correspondents tell us, these are tough times for folks. the economy is in bad shape. people have no money. They lose their jobs. These are no excuses for giving up your responsibility to rehome your pet to a facility that does not kill them.

Too often the poor, dumb, the lazy middle classes just pass the problem over to someone else. It is not a good idea to take your pet to Greenville County Animal care services right now as the shelter is being remiddled which has vastly reduced the amount of space they have. Cats, kittens, puppies, dogs – whole families are dying more frequently now than AT ANY TIME. This is not the shleters fault may I add. The folks at Greenville County Animal Care Services work really hard every day to try to get as many pets rehomed as possible. Sadly the Greenville Humane has now moved premises, meaning it is no longer adopting animals from GCACS. Greenville Humane was the biggest adopter/puller of pets from GCACS. without them, wkith reduiced capacity your surrendered pet will almost certainly die. Oh I forgot that’s not your problem because your handing the problem to someone else. Pet ownership confers rights and responsibilities in a similar although different way to having a child. You wouldn’t euthenize your child if it peed on the carpet or you lost your job for everal months or you were moving. So while kill your pet? There are no kill facilities that take pets. Find one. It’s not easy at this time of year, as we are well into kitten / puppy season. The root problem of course is that there are too many unwanted pets. And too many people who have pets who shouldn’t. The trash (people) who should be reading this, probably won’t. Shame. We need to get to a situation where those good ‘ol folks spay and neuter their pets and take pet ownership – its responsibilities seriously. Yes, you may say people have more to worry about than their animals. Sorry not good enough. What’s most distrubing at the current time is the number of litters (cats and dogs) who are being put to sleep each way. The time has come for ownership of the ownership of adult, unneutered non registered (cross bred bred cats and dogs) to be an offence. sadly the Government has no stomach for it. But fining the trash that won’t neuter there pets is a quicker fix than attempting to eduicate people who are too dumb to listen.

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Adorable recue kitten-cat seeks home in South Carolina

Rescued kitten seeks home South Carolina SC

Buttons needs a home in south carolina


This adorable rescue kitten-cat seeks a home in South Carolina. Little Buttons was originally rescued way back around December 2010 / January 2011. We found her at Greenville County Animal Care Services with her siblings. The smallest of her litter, she was quite poorly when rescued.

Thankfully the loving care offered by Furry Friends Rescue Center has worked its magic and Buttons is ready to find her own forever home, not too far from Clover, south carolina where Furry Friends Rescue Center is based.

Button is still small for her age. Stunted growth is not unsual for rescue kittens who have not had the best start in life. But once they are over the ‘hump’ they thrive like any other kitten. She really is the most cute wee thing and so deserve a home of her own. She will do well in most situations, after proper introduction to other pet, but she has no experience of dogs.

So could you offer this adorable kitten-cat the home she is looking for? She is available to an experienced cat owning family (no children under 8 please).

Anyone interested in meeting Buttons can contact Furry Friend Rescue Center on 803-230-3648, ask for Melissa Stone. Furry Friends requires potential adopter to complete an application form, and vet references are taken. An adoption fee of $115 is payable.

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Cat Adoption in Hodges Greenwood County SC 29653

Gizzy Is Available For Adoption

Furby’s is a Cat Adoption Center in Hodges Greenwood County SC 29653. To give the rescue its full name – Furby’s Half Way House – Furby’s specialises in the rescue and rehabilitation of cats from Greenville County Animal Care Services ‘death row’. These are cats that would have been put to sleep had GCACS and Furby’s not intervened.

It’s worth letting you know that Furby’s does not take in cats directly from members of the public. Therefore please do not contact Furby’s if you are looking to rehome your own cat.

Now with the red tape out of the way, let me introduce you to Elisa who run’s Furby’s Half Way House from her own home.

Elisa is a life-long dog and cat lover. Elisa became involoved in the rescue and rehabilitation of Greenville County Care Animals Services Cats when she came across their pages on Facebook. Being relatively local (!), Elisa decided to help directly by opening her home (and heart) to some of Greenville’s redlisted cats.

It is fair to say that if Elisa had not stepped up, the cats in her care would most likely not have made it out of the Greenville Shelter.

By necessity Furby’s Half Way House is small. Tiny even. But it’s well-run and caring and has a HUGE advantage of larger rescues and shelters: Elisa can really get to now each cat in her care individually. This is a big deal if you are hoping to match the needs of cats to prospective adopters.

Elisa screens every application individually and completes a home visit prior to adoption. She’ll do her best to match your preferences and lifestyle, to the currently available cats. You may have very specific requirements but we can assure you that some of the cats do to! For example, a couple really need to be only pets, and placing them in a home with exisiting cats and dogs

The cats for adoption at Furby’s in Hodges, Greenwood County SC 29653 range in ages and personalities / temperaments.

Responsible rescue is very tough. You get to know, even love the cats in your care but recognise that most cats do better in a home of their own. Anyone who is fond of cats will understand it’s tough to nurture an ex shelter cat then give it up for adoption. But that’s what Elisa has decided to do.

Like larger rescues Elisa has put in place a formal adoption application process to give the cats in her care the best chance of finding loving homes. Potential adopters are welcome to visit Furby’s but please by appointment only.

You can visit Furby’s Half Way House at Hodges Greenwood County online and meet the cats for adoption.

As well as pictures of the cats available for adoption in Hodges SC you’ll also find an option application form. If you are interested in any of the cats please cut and paste the adoption application form in the first instance. An adoption fee of $115 applies to all cat adoptions to help cover the cost of vetting and spay/neutering as well as the general up keep of the cats

There is no doubt you’ll find much larger/ fancy cat rescues in and around Hogdes. However if Furby’s can’t adopt the cats currently in their care it prevents Elisa for saving more needy Greenville County Cats.

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Kittens On Gumtree Are A National Discrace

Postings of kittens on gumtree are a national discrace. These so called ‘free ads’ are a national problem. Adverts regularly fail to meet Gumtree’s own posting rules / guidelines. Yet Gumtree appears to rely on its user base to report adverts which break the rules. Surely this is back to front?

Gumtree kittens fall into three camps. First the multiple posters / back street breeders who regularly post kittens for sale, often using different contact details (we have proof..since we monitor the ads). Second, the people who would not think of themselves as breeders but post litters because they are ignorant about the realities of finding good homes for kittens and don’t give a toss about the health of their existing pets. Third, people re-selling kittens that have already been sold / acquired by a different route.

In the 21st centuary you’d think that people would be more aware of the benefits of neutering their pets and of the difficulties of finding good homes for cats and kittens. It is perhaps possible that people selling Gumtree kittens assume that if anyone is willing to pay £50 or £60 or £70 they must be offering a good home. How dumb is that?

The plain truth is there are more cats and kittens needing homes than there are good homes available. By letting your cat breed randomly you are just adding to the problem. Many people assume wrongly that cats have few needs or don’t have specific needs. Nothing could be further from the truth which is one reason why so many Gumtree kittens end up at some point in their lives at cat rescues.

Kittens on Gumtree are a national discrace for several reasons:

Gumtree fails to police its own ads and doesn’t act quickly enough when ads breaching its OWN rules are reported;
It has no mechanism for sceeing advertisiers but relies on a ‘good faith’ approach that places the onus on advertisiers not to breach their regulations;

Most advertisiers are ill-equipped to be able to evaluate a good home from a bad home. Gumtree offers no advice or guidelines in this area.

Sadly, by allowing people to post Kittens on Gumtree, Gumtree has become part of the problem. Recently Gumtree stopped carrying dating adverts and we feel strongly that it should stop pet advertising or put a proper system in place for screening advertisiers and adverts.

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