If you’ve been considering adopting a new best friend—then reserve the weekend of June 9th and 10th! The 3rd annual Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon is almost here and Community Concern for Cats will be showing all of our adoptable cats and kittens at our three adoption sites in Lafayette and Pleasant Hill at Pet Food Express and in Walnut Creek at PETCO. Adoptions will take place on Saturday, 12 noon to 5 pm and on Sunday 12 noon to 4 pm. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we will be featuring cats of all ages—senior cats, kittens, adults, and even special needs cats that are looking for their special forever home. Adoptions will be free to qualified homes.

The goal of Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon is to find loving homes for every cat and dog in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco County’s shelters and rescue groups. Last year, Maddie’s Fund sponsored and organized their second adoptathon in the Bay Area that saved the lives of over 2,000 dogs and cats. The event marks the largest collaboration of animal shelters and rescue groups in Alameda and Contra Costa County coming together for a two-day pet adoption event.

Maddie’s Fund®, www.maddiesfund.org, is a family foundation, which is funded by Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl to help create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.

Please stop by on Saturday to meet your future kitty at the PETCO in Walnut Creek, and the PetFood Express in Pleasant Hill and Lafayette.

Enjoy your weekend!

My first cat who was diagnosed, Godiva, a beautiful, lively chocolate Persian who as a kittenA young cat under 1 year of age., was taken to our local animal shelter, blind with hydrocephalus (water on the brain). Fortunately, she was given a second chance by one of the shelter volunteers who gave her a home for five years, and then relocated across country and gave her up. The cat rescue group I was fostering for at the time, Friends of the Formerly Friendless (FFF) took Godiva, and so we had the good fortune of fostering sweet Godiva. But after a year of going to adoption day every weekend, Godiva was never adopted, so we adopted Godiva ourselves and have found her to be an amazing, courageous, determined survivor navigating our house beautifully, despite her blindness and many cat “obstacles.”

So last year, at the age of 14, Godiva started exhibiting some concerning signs—she was losing weight (already thin with a fast metabolism), she was hyper-active and restless (even more than she normally is), her appetite was through-the-roof (it was already very healthy!), and she cried incessantly for food and could not get enough. Her coat, which was normally shiny and healthy, started to develop a dull finish and became matted, which had never happened before. She exhibited nearly all the signs of a hyperthyroid cat.

So as with all of our cats, I took her for her annual checkup. Our vet ran a senior blood screen (chemistry panel), thyroid level T4, and urinalysis to screen for hyperthyroidism. In the exam, the vet detected a faster than normal heart rate and of course noted her weight loss. When the tests came back positive for hyperthyroidism, my heart sank. Godiva was our first cat with a chronic illness after 14 years with our many cats. I was devastated. The good news was that she was not in the 3 percent of cats with thyroid cancer, but rather, in the 97 percent with benign thyroid disease.

The treatment for Godiva is Felimazole (Methimazole coated tablets) two times a day, and every 2-4 weeks, we have made trips to the vet for an exam and blood chemistry panel to confirm that her T4 level has fallen into the normal range. It has taken three blood panels and three dosing adjustments, and finally–we’re there!

Now our second cat, Gracie, also 14 years old started exhibiting worrisome signs—losing weight, upper respiratory problems, muscle weakness, lethargy–again all possible signs of hyperthyroidism. So after a vet visit, and tests run, she too was positive for hyperthyroidism, and is now on Felimazole twice a day. With Gracie, we’re still in the process of adjusting her dosing and will have her T4 levels checked again next week, then if still too high, again in another 2-4 weeks. However, the medication for these cats will be given for the remainder of their lives, even though their T4 levels will fall into normal range. The Felimazole twice a day will keep their thyroid level under control–it’s a life long commitment and one we’ll happily make for them.

Through this, we have learned that hyperthyroidism is most common in female cats, over the age of 8. Cats show signs slowly, but as time passes, if not treated, symptoms become more severe, and it can be very debilitating leading to extreme weakness, overheating, muscle tremors, wasting, difficulty breathing (panting), blindness, and even death. Every organ of the body is affected with thyroid disease–the kidneys, liver, heart, nervous and digestive system are all over-stimulated. Often cats will get diarrhea or have loose stools as the increased level of thyroid hormone causes their intestines to be more active.

There are two other possible treatments that are more long-lasting. One is radioactive iodine–a permanent cure for hyperthyroidism. It requires a special facility that conducts this treatment and a 5-7 day hospitalization. The procedure is said to be safe, and cats, on average, are said to live twice as long as cats treated with daily methimazole. The second option is surgery, also providing a permanent cure, for the most part, but may be riskier due to anesthetic risk factors. The tricky part of the surgical thyroidectomy is how much of the cats glands to remove–too little and the cat will remain hyperthyroid, too much and the cat will become hypothyroid. The surgery is considered to have less predictable results.

So for Godiva and Gracie, I’m thinking about the radioactive iodine treatment, if they are accepted as good candidates. The treatment in the Bay Area costs between $1200-$1500, so we’ll need to start saving for this …. uh, maybe Godiva and Gracie could have a bake sale, or car wash, or wash dishes … to help us finance this?! Don’t think so, they’re way too busy enjoying eating, napping, playing … napping, playing, eating … and living the life of Riley!

Written by Jennie Richards, CC4C Member, originally published in her blog: Homeless to Housecats at http://homelesstohousecats.wordpress.com/

I had trapped Alex about three years ago, and learned that he had already been neutered when I took him to the vet. So I knew that he was a domestic cat who had been abandoned outside. Now, scared, shy, and extremely cautious around humans, he doesn’t allow people to come too close, but he trusts me enough to let me within about five feet. He watches me intently, eyeing my every move–seeing if I’m going to betray his trust. But over time, Alex has come to know that I’m not a threat, but his friend. Nonetheless, he just can’t let go of his fear–it probably keeps him alive.

I feed Alex and another feral catFeral cats are the offspring of domestic cats that have been abandoned outside but are born and live without any human contact. A true feral cat is totally unsocialized to people, however, if kittens are found young enough, they can be easily tamed, socialized, and adopted as an indoor house cat. on our backyard patio doorstep every morning and night. I love seeing Alex (and opossums and raccoons!) appear in our French door windows eating his breakfast and dinner. As soon as I see his lithe black silhouette at the doormat, I come to the window and talk to him through the glass and let him know how happy I am to see his sweet face and inquiring eyes.

With the recent heavy rains, coupled with the homecoming of one of our neighbors from long-term convalescent care (the other house that Alex shares his time), I seized the opportunity to tell our neighbor about possibly providing Alex warm shelter under her back patio doorstep. He spends considerable time in her back yard, as it has provided a safe haven for him over the years. At our house, I have provided Alex a “dog house” and several cat beds on the patio chair cushions under the dining table tarp, so he can sleep and keep warm. So while talking with Dorothy, I mentioned that we would be happy to build Alex a cat house out of a large plastic box and bring it over. She welcomed the idea (she’s as fond of Alex as we are), so we went to work that night on building a simple cat house and delivered it.

I got this simple and inexpensive idea from a feral catFeral cats are the offspring of domestic cats that have been abandoned outside but are born and live without any human contact. A true feral cat is totally unsocialized to people, however, if kittens are found young enough, they can be easily tamed, socialized, and adopted as an indoor house cat. Website. For $10-15 dollars you can buy a large plastic container from Home Depot, Target or any home-building store. Then simply cut a cat door at one end of the plastic for an entrance. You can take the cut-out and make a roof from the rain. Add warm, soft blankets inside, cover it, and you’re set! It’s that simple. Then put it in a place out of the sun as plastic degrades and off-gasses. We recommend under a tarp, roof, eve, or where it’s shady all day.

Now Alex will have a house that keeps him warm and dry from the rain. Hopefully, his little life will be just a little bit better now!

“On a recent Sunday afternoon, an unbelievably emaciated, matted, weak cat hobbled up to my neighbor and me and asked for help. What was I to do?  I had to take her home. I have two other cats, so she lived in my bathroom for a week.  I bought expensive RX cat food for her. She ate 24 hours a day. She purred, a good sign. I called rescue groups, including CC4C and the East Bay SPCA. I searched Craigslist. I spoke with my neighbors. I looked for flyers on phone polls and in the window of the local market.

I contacted so very many cat rescue groups and CC4C was the only one to offer hope, encouragement and real, on the ground help, whatever it might be. Just the offer and the personal concern made a profound difference. The other groups could learn a lot from your compassion, tenacity, and interpersonal skills. I’ve spent the past year and a half dealing with breast cancer and unemployment. The stress was killing me. This was additional stress that I simply wasn’t equipped to handle emotionally, physically, financially.

Kay called and told me of a vet that would test the lost cat for Feline Leukemiasee FeLVFeline Leukemia Virus, FeLV, is a retrovirus transmitted between infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved, for example when sharing a feeding dish. The infection is responsible for more deaths among cats than any other infectious disease. There are three main types of the virus and FeLV-positive cats can be infected with one, two, or all three types including: FeLV-A causes severe immunosuppression or a weakened immune system. FeLV-B causes neoplastic disease (tumors and other abnormal tissue trowths). FeLV-C is the most rare and causes severe anemia. The virus replicates in the body once infected, then spreads via the bloodstream to other parts of the body, namely the lymph nodes, bone marrow, and intestinal tissues. – Feline Leukemia Virus and HIV. Before leaving for the vet, knowing that it could be her last afternoon, I took the kitty in my arms and sat in the sun. She purred. And then she perked up. I rose with her still in my arms and, like a feline Geiger counter, she perked up more, leading me down the street —to a flyer on a garden gate. The flyer had been posted that afternoon, a Thursday, and on it was a photo of the cat in my arms. The cat in the photo was in somewhat better shape but it was her, unmistakably so. It read:

Missing Cat: ‘Daisy lives on the corner of Washington and Scenic. She has been missing since Saturday morning. She is very old and ill. If you have seen her please contact us.’

My downstairs neighbor, Susan and I walked through the garden and up a flight of stairs where Daisy’s owner, Elisa, opened the door and burst into tears. Daisy is very old and frail. She eats all day without gaining weight and her fur is terribly matted due to her hyperthyroid condition. She really does look like she’s been trapped in a garage for 6 weeks.  She’s a character, she’s spunky, and she gets around, apparently, although my neighbors and I had never met her before.

It was the best outcome. We were all stunned. We were all in tears.

The next morning, my neighbor Susan knocked on my front door and said “Look who’s here.”  It was Daisy.  She strolled in, hobbled through the house, into my kitchen, and before I could stop her she ate my cat Boo’s breakfast.  I carried her back home.  She returned five times that day …

Thank you, Laura and Kay and everyone at CC4C, from the bottom of my heart.”

xo Sally

This is what we received:

So naturally, we had to respond …

“THANK YOU so much for this email! This is exactly the kind of stuff we love to hear, especially when it’s about the “Lucky” cats like yours. We’re also glad to hear that you took him with you. We get lots of emails these days from people willing to surrender their cats just because they have to move or relocate. Your story is truly heart-warming and again, we are glad to receive it.”

And it became correspondence …

“Thanks! Glad to be able to share it with you. I’ve thought so many times to get in touch and let someone know because I can’t help but think if it were me I’d always wonder. He’s asleep in front of the heater on the rug half laying on my feet right now (his favorite thing is being in front of the heater!). He’s a happy guy and although we knew he’d lose his sight completely at some point, it didn’t stop us from adopting him. He has the best personality! He follows us all around like a dog–me in particular because I’m at home with him all day.

Anyway, we are thankful for him and I would encourage others to consider a pet that’s “less than perfect.”

Happy holidays to you all and thanks for this little guy

So now we share this with you, in hopes that even just one or two readers will think about someone else they know, and share it with someone they know, and maybe just maybe another one or two of our less than perfect cats might find the home they so deserve.

Thanks for thinking about it. See you at adoptions!

Click here to see us in Diablo Magazine!

I don’t know if my colleagues in CC4C would consider themselves Crazy Cat Ladies, but we are all 100% committed to taking cats out of bad situations and putting them into good ones. One of the ways we place our cats is by asking questions of the people who visit our adoption sites. Lots and lots of questions. Of course we have desired answers in mind, but really we just want some assurance that the kitty you are interested in will be cared for and loved for the rest of its life. We work hard to take them off the streets and rescue them from places with no food, no shelter, no warmth and no love. We crawl into storm drains swimming with spiders. We go under houses baited with rat traps. We get up early and stay up past midnight listening to hear if the trap has been sprung on a starving kittenA young cat under 1 year of age.. We scruff scrawny kittens, rassle with ferals, get pooped on, bitten, and clawed, and more than one of us has needed stitches or antibioticsMay be prescribed by a veterinarian to treat eye infections, ear infections or urinary tract infections. to make sure the damage a cat does isn’t going to kill us.

Who knows? Maybe we are Crazy Cat Ladies. We’ve heard worse names too. We know we make some people angry and we feel bad about that, but we’re in it for the cats. We are compelled to look out for them, and we only want the best for the cats we’ve gone to great lengths (and expense) to rescue.

One such cat was Marmalade. It was July of 2010 when someone called our hotline to report a cat in a field out somewhere out in Antioch or Brentwood. The cat was assumed to be pregnant and the caller wanted us to come out and catch her. By the time we got there, the cat had been snatched up and taken to the Martinez Animal Shelter. We followed her to the shelter (something we don’t normally do) and learned she had given birth to 8 babies. Unfortunately, while we were waiting to get Marmalade out (there’s a process for such things), one of the babies died. But we got her out, and Marmalade and her 7 kids were delivered to a foster home. However, the foster was not as attuned to the needs of a mama cat and her babies, and another one of the infants got sick and died before we could effectively intervene. So, Marmalade and her six kittens were placed with me. Time passed, the kittens got older, Marmalade (who was totally tame, by the way and a sweetheart of a cat) and her brood came and went to adoptions, and they were eventually adopted. It took 9 months but they all found good homes.

Almost.

The woman came in with her daughter. She held a respectable profession, the child was well behaved, and the woman presented herself as thoroughly committed to providing for the needs of a young adult cat that had weathered a few rough spots in its life. The woman spent at least an hour loving the cat, petting her, talking with me, and I was sold! What a perfect home for Marmalade! I checked in with the family the next night and was told, happily, that Marmalade had settled in to her new home, slept on the bed that night, and was perfectly content. “We adore her”, the new mom wrote to me the next day. Those words still sing in my head. Marmalade was in a good home, right?

Wrong. Sadly, sadly, wrong. Recently CC4C learned that the supposed adoration they had for Marmalade wore off. The information we received was that the owner departed for a week’s vacation and only left a bowl of water and a bowl of dry food on the porch. When the cat did not return, she assumed the cat “wanted to live someplace else” and was not all that concerned. We also learned that my beautiful Marmalade was hit by a car and is now dead after who knows what kind of lack of care.

There are two sides to every story, so perhaps some of what was shared with us was inaccurate or embellished. The one fact is that a 2 to 3 year old cat who should’ve been living inside was actually living outside, was hit by a car, and is now dead.

So, if you think we’re crazy cat ladies, if you think that we are rude, hostile, overly-protective, or not interested in adopting out the cat you want, think of Marmalade. After three separate rescues—field, shelter, poor foster home—Marmalade, who seemed destined to live, has died.

Maybe we’re not that crazy after all.

See the attached video link view Marmalade, may she rest in a warmer, more caring place in peace.

Pretty Boy was abandoned in an industrial area many years ago with his food dish! Thankfully, several ladies were already caring for the other abandoned cats and fed him and got him fixed. Earlier this year, he began to eat less and they worried about his teeth. I started working with CC4C 2 years ago because I was saddened by seeing new cats dumped here. I took him home with me and had dental work done for him. Unfortunately, he also tested FIVFeline Immunodeficiency Virus, FIV, is commonly known as Feline AIDS and is a lentivirus that affects domesticated housecats worldwide. FeLV and FIV are in the same biological family, and are sometimes mistaken for one another. However, the viruses differ in many ways. Although many of the diseases caused by FeLV and FIV are similar, the specific ways in which they are caused also differs.+, which means I really needed to find him an indoor home where he’d be safe.

Since he’s been outside for over 5 years, a home was daunting for him. He would hide under the bed during the day, but would sleep on top of it at night when I could go in and pet him. He’d purr, and roll around, happy as ever to be loved again. He just needed time and patience.

A wonderfully patient gentleman adopted him on the Maddie’s Fund weekend. He wanted an older companion cat– which is exactly what Pretty Boy will be once he adjusts. His new adopter has been bribing him with turkey and pastrami. I am so happy that a compasionate person came along to give Pretty Boy a second chance at a better, safer, and happier life.

More than 2,200 shelter and rescue dogs and cats were adopted during the past weekend, and more than 2 million dollars will be donated by Maddie’s Fund to all the participating organizations for their adoptions. This is CC4C’s biggest fundraiser of the year and it provides vital support for our continued rescuing of homeless cats; spaying and neutering; providing medical care; and finding new homes—all year long.

With so many adoptions, many of our foster homes now have some space to help the many homeless mama cats and kittens that are out there in desperate need of being rescued. Prior to the Adoptathon our foster homes were filled to the brim, especially with litters of kittens that had recently been found at local businesses, in parking lots, backyards, gas stations, and regional parks. We are contacted daily by people across the county desperate for our help and support in trapping, spaying and neutering, and fostering these vulnerable and often starving mamas and their litters—but unfortunately, we can only rescue them when space is opened up in our homes.

Here are some pictures of the cats and kittens that found new homes during the Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon. We are truly thrilled so many found their loving forever homes. We are always in need of support to continue doing the work we do, so please help a homeless cat or kittenA young cat under 1 year of age. with your donation.