KITTY TALES - Mira

Street Scamp turned Foster Princess

Kitten Rescue acquires animals in every imaginable way. In this particular case, a former adopter gave their friend our information when a stray cat showed up at their apartment. Seeing as it was against the management's policy to have pets, the kind young couple who had taken to feeding the initially reticent stray, were hoping against hope that someone might be able to rescue her. Cynthia McKeag, a member of Team KR, was dispatched to get an assessment on the kitty in question, and to determine her temperament.

It quickly became her first rescue ever when the gorgeous gray tux with soft green eyes came scampering over eagerly for petting and food. The little girl had shown up, terrified out of her mind little more than 3 weeks prior. After spending a week watching her from their apartment, the young couple had begun putting out food. It only took a handful of days before the cat was hanging out at their complex and no longer shying away from every movement. In fact, she adored being petted and would roll around on the ground, asking for belly rubs. Clearly, she had been someone's pet.

After being scooped up in a carrier (yeah, no trap needed!), the young girl was whisked off to her new life off the streets. She was named Mira, and given a clean bill of health by the vet. Mira tested negative for FIV/Felv, was judged to be about 7 months old, and had already been spayed. That's right. Someone had taken the time to fix her, but then either dumped her on the streets or she got lost and couldn't find her way home. There was no microchip, and with no lost cat posters or responses to the couple's initial attempts to find her owner, Mira became an official KR kitty.

Team KR member Elicia Richardson-Ellis took the precious girl in for her isolation period, and discovered that Mira is a huge love bug. Not only that, but she is completely at ease with dogs! Mira has now been transferred back to Cynthia McKeag, who will be fostering her. We have high hopes for this sweet teenager. We will never know how it is that she ended up on the streets, but she is pretty happy to have a full stomach, a warm bed, and someone to snuggle with.

Team Member - Kathy Eshenko

When describing the ideal cat, the words “playful”, “loveable”, “healthy”, and “gorgeous”, to name a few, usually come up.  "Crabby”, “shy”, “medically challenged” and “old”, rarely make it to the top of the list.  This is why team member, Kathy Eshenko, has a big affection for these types of cats.  The “un-adoptables” as they are called.  Ones whose chances of finding a loving and committed home, through sickness and in healthy, are slim to none.

Kathy’s first rescue effort back in 2000 was the opposite.  She hand-caught a litter of four healthy adorable kittens in her boss’ backyard and paid the price, arms badly scratched up and bloodied.  She didn’t know how to properly trap cats back then but she does now!  Those feisty kittens didn’t stay feisty for long.  On their first adoption day, three of the four kittens found homes.  Kathy has been with Kitten Rescue ever since and also volunteers at the Kitten Rescue sanctuary, Casitas.  Besides fostering she actively volunteers with fundraising, such as the Furball, garage sales, bingo night, and of course, Team Kitten Rescue!

Kathy also volunteers extensively with the Wildlife Waystation and has been with them since 2006.  Her commitment and hard work earned her the privilege of being on the Llama Team and the Grass Team, where she interacts and feeds the exotic animals at the sanctuary.      

When it comes to the needs and well-being of animals, whether it be cats, llamas, lions, tigers or bears, Kathy is always there to help and volunteer her time.  Her dedication is truly appreciated and we are proud to have her as a member of Team Kitten Rescue.  Go Kathy!

To contribute to Kathy’s crowdrise page go to www.crowdrise.com/kathyeshenko

KITTY TALES - Ziggy

Pauper turned Prince

It was Saturday night around 9:30pm on October the 22nd, when Minoo Rahbar, Team KR coordinator, spotted something black by the side of the road while on her way home. At first glance, it may have been little more than a discarded garbage bag, but after turning around for a closer look, Minoo was horrified to realize she was looking at an animal. Lying in a scruffy heap at the side of the road was the still body of a black cat. For all she knew, this poor animal was the tragic victim of being hit by a car.

Not willing to just leave him lying there, Minoo got out of her car and was blessed with a soft meow as the cat in question lifted his head in her direction. It was like a scene out of movie. Minoo dropped to the ground and spoke softly, not wanting to frighten a potentially injured animal and was blessed by a display of instant affection. Without any hesitation, this handsome fellow got up and walked straight over to his rescuer and began rubbing against her legs in a quest for love. When she sat down, he hopped into her lap as if to say: Take me with you!

He was famished and bordering on dehydrated. As Minoo waited for her friend and fellow Team KR member, Melanie Teller to arrive with a carrier, a man who lived nearby informed her that the cat had just appeared out of nowhere about a month and a half ago. With no one in the neighborhood feeding him, he had taken to scavenging whatever he could find, even trying to eat the paper out of a fast food bag in the few heartbeats it took for Minoo to fetch her phone from the car to call Melanie. A quick car ride to Minoo's place via Melanie's carrier gave the hungry boy a good meal and a huge bowl of water along with as much attention as could be showered upon him. Despite his affectionate and outgoing temperament, his physical condition lead to the conclusion that he had been living on the streets for some time.

The following morning, he was taken to the vet to determine the cause of his scabbed and scaly skin, along with a waterfall like amount of drooling. While no microchip was found, he was already neutered and judged to be about 9 to 10 years of age. The scabs came from the massive quantity of fleas roaming all over him, and the missing fur and scaly skin were a result of sarcoptic mange. The drooling was a result of ulcers and lesions in his mouth, coupled with horrible teeth and gums. There was also a small mass on his belly and he was suffering the effects of dehydration and severe anemia from all the fleas. After a nice bath, which was tolerable only because he was sedated to calm his terror, and flea treatment to keep the pests away, he was tested for FIV/FeLV and found to be negative for both.

Special donations helped raise the funds needed to get him on the road to recovery. This lucky man is now named Ziggy. Despite all he'd been through, a permanent home for Ziggy came swiftly to sweep him off into the lap of luxury. A former adopter of Minoo's couldn't get his sad face out of her mind and ended up adopting him. Ziggy absolutely loves his new home and mother, able to put his time on the streets behind him and enjoy life as a pampered pet.

This tale just goes to show you, that you never know where the next rescue will be, and Team Kitten Rescue are always on the look out to help animals in need at the drop of a hat.

SEE WHAT YOUR ANIMALS HAVE TO SAY!!

Here's our latest fun contest to help raise money for homeless animals: Donate exactly $17 to Team Kitten Rescue on Crowdrise between today, Thursday, Dec 15, and Sunday, Dec 18 (up to 11:59pm) and you will be included in a drawing to win a 30-minute session with Pet Psychic/Animal Communicator, Laura Stinchfield! ($85 value)!

http://www.crowdrise.com/TeamKittenRescueLAMarathon2012

FURRY TALES - Griffin the Puppy

In mid-September 2011 a Kitten Rescue volunteer found a young puppy whimpering at the bottom of a stairwell on her way to work. This puppy was taken to the vet and was diagnosed with two broken hips.  During surgery the vet found even more fractures. Griffin had damage to his growth plate in one leg, as well as multiple fractures. He had to have a plate and several pins put in.  He stayed at the hospital for one week and required three months of physical therapy. Best case scenario was that his hips and growth plate will heal and grow normally, and he will have full function of all four legs. Worst case scenario was that one leg would not grow properly and he would not be able to use it. Sadly, the nature of his injuries indicate it was caused by a human.  As of today his recovery is somewhere inbetween.  His right hind leg (with the pins) is strong, his left hind leg is weaker with less muscle mass.  Surprisingly, Griffin is active as any dog could be.  He runs, jumps and plays like crazy.  He is completely oblivious to his “handicap”.

Griffin had his photo taken with Santa at a recent adoption event.  He asked Santa for a forever loving home to celebrate Christmas.  He got his wish!  Griffin was adopted by a wonderful human and canine family who understood his physical therapy needs.  For an injured puppy who’s fate was uncertain, the volunteers who rescued him and nursed him couldn’t be more pleased to see him happy, healthy and loved.

KITTY TALES - Prentiss' Kittens part 2

Forever Loved.

When we last saw these adorable babies, they had just entered foster care. Since then, Prentiss' 4 kittens have grown strong and healthy at foster mom Suzanne's home. Black and white boy Scooter and his brother Jack, a fluffy tabby, were neutered a week ahead of their other brother and sister. They left their siblings behind in foster care and headed to the Petsmart, where they were abandoned, to stay in the enclosures where people could see them.

Tabby boy Jack never made it inside an enclosure. Former KR adopters were delighted to meet him and he was able to go to his forever home right away! Jack now has a new kitten buddy who had been adopted through a different rescue group and is loving life. Two days later, Scooter stole the hearts of a nice young couple who had just moved into a new condo. He is joining their family of two black and white kitties, so he fits right in.

The following week Jack and Scooter's siblings were finally able to get fixed. However, little fluffy black girl Vader, and her tabby and white brother Sparky never left Suzanne's. As is fairly common with new foster parents, Suzanne decided to adopt the sibling pair. Her senior male cat is already getting used to having the rambunctious babies around.

All four of these kittens ended up in wonderful new homes. With kittens, it is best for them to be adopted in pairs like Vader and Sparky or have a young kitty companion to play such as with Scooter's new home. Older cats are often irritated by kittens, and a lone kitten often ends up with behavioral problems due to a lack of feline interactive play which is very different from play with people. Whether it's an active young adult or another kitten, we always make sure our babies will never be alone.

For these four kittens, what started out as a traumatizing dump has turned into happy endings. Now, it's mom's turn to find her forever home.

KITTY TALES - Prentiss and baby kittens

Dropped like a bad penny…

Cats and kittens find their way into the arms of Kitten Rescue volunteers in many ways, but one of the most heartbreaking are what we call dumps.  That's what happened to a gorgeous black and white young mother and her 4 two month old babies.  This is a story told over and over again of a female kitty barely escaping her own kitten-hood and already caring for babies of her own.  Prentiss is roughly 1 - 1.5 years of age and her only crime was that someone didn't bother to get her fixed.

Fixing cats is perhaps the single most important thing any owner absolutely must do as soon as their kitty is old enough.  With clinics all over the Los Angeles area that offer low-cost spay and neuter, there is no excuse for not fixing your pet.  And yet, when the unfortunate baby does get pregnant, these innocents wind up in shelters where entire families are euthanized because the babies are too young, or abandoned in boxes or carriers where they can only pray someone kind will take them in.  Most will face a terrifying stint in a shelter that will serve as their last home in life.

Discarded like trash; pregnant kitties, nursing mothers, and kittens that are now "too big" to keep, flood the shelters in a seemingly never ending stream.  These irresponsible owners continue to add to the over population that already sends thousands of animals to their deaths every year.  Prentiss is one of the fortunate few and that isn't saying much.  She was in horrible condition simply from the stress of being dumped in the dog aisle at the Petsmart in Canoga Park.  She was drooling and panting heavily, even vomiting on her poor babies who were wallowing in their own feces.  Apart from the fleas, they were in pretty good physical condition apart from the stress.

Team Kitten Rescue member, Kathy Eshenko, took home the little family and will continue to foster the mother through her isolation period.  It took a little while for her come around, but it is rather clear that Prentiss is used to people and was someone's pet.  The kittens were more shy than their mother but were happily crawling all over Kathy with sweet rumbling purrs within a couple days. 

The four babies, one fluffy black girl and her three brothers, a fluffy brown Maine coon looking tabby, a saddleback tabby, and a matching black and white boy, were taken in by new volunteer, Suzanne, who had just finished her orientation.  Prentiss and her babies will later stay in the Petsmart enclosures in the store where they were dumped. 

It is thanks to Kitten Rescue that this poor mother and her babies are not in a cage at a shelter right now.  We can only hope the man responsible for abandoning them will think twice before creating another situation like this one.

MEET & GREET AT FLEET FEET!

It's not often Kitten Rescue volunteers have social gatherings that do not involve cats in cages, carriers or traps, although we did have a recently rescued cat at the event (more on that story to come).  Members of Team Kitten Rescue met up for Meet and Greet #2 at Fleet Feet Sports Encino last Sunday.  This meeting focused on Injury Prevention and Trey from Fleet Feet shared helpful information on this topic.  The meeting wasn't all about the aches and pain of marathon training though.  It was a great time to shop, socialize (with humans) and win raffle prizes!  Big kudos goes to Jesec, who won the Swheat Scoop Litter competition.

Team leader Minoo also reviewed the latest scoop (not cat scoop) about the LA Marathon and Team Kitten Rescue's fundraiser on Crowdrise.com, which hit over $10,000 before the end of October!  Go Team!

To donate to Team Kitten Rescue go to www.kittenrescue.org/lamarathon

Team Member - Jesec Griffin

Meet team member, Jesec, feline foster parent and voice actor extraordinaire.  Jesec recently celebrated his 35th birthday and in lieu of gifts he asked friends to donated to his fundraiser page.  It was a success and as a result Jesec won a year-supply of Swheat Scoop litter which will come in very handy in his household of furry friends.  Read his story below!

Hall and Oates. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Cats and Marathons?

I like to run. I like to rescue cats. Much easier to run a marathon to raise money for cats than the other way around, so here we are.

I got started with animal rescue the way I think a lot of Kitten Rescue volunteers do: my tag-team partner Alyssa and I saw a problem with homeless animals in our neighborhood and we decided to do something about it. Our first strategy of paying for everything out-of-pocket and trying to foist animals off on our friends quickly ran into the reality of our pockets emptying and our friends all having plenty of cats. Thankfully, we found Kitten Rescue.

One of the best parts of Kitten Rescue is getting to know the other amazing volunteers, people who understand that if you want a problem solved, waiting around for someone else to come solve it for you isn't going to happen. 

There are a lot of animals in bad situations out there through no fault of their own, and I'm proud to be part of an organization of people trying their best to remedy that.

To make a donation to Jesec's fundraiser page go to www.crowdrise.com/jesec

A BLACK CAT AFFAIR!

As October winds down to a close and November takes its turn with autumn leaves and cranberry sauce to calm the sugar craze, a new craze is sweeping through Kitten Rescue.  That's right folks, it's time to prepare for an elegant display of sleek ebony fur as we parade out our precious black kitties at The Black Cat Event on Saturday November 5th!

The Black Cat Event is a special adoption day put on by Kitten Rescue volunteers to showcase our midnight toned felines in their first time out since Halloween took center stage.  As many of you know, black cats are considered to be the hardest to adopt due to their unfortunate stigma and simplistic coloring.  This year is going to be amazing as we flood our venues at Canoga Park, Mar Vista, and Burbank with endless lines of rich obsidian cats of all ages and sizes.  Rich red decorations will make these black beauties stand out and scrumptious vegan treats will help draw in prospective kitty parents.

Team Kitten Rescue will be sending several of their members to this special event.  Lisa Austin, Team KR member, will be bringing out not just 1 but 8 raven colored kittens to the Burbank location.  Two are fostered by fellow team member, Cynthia McKeag, who is doing her part by taking their shared non-black kitties to Westchester.  Melanie Teller, who is considering running the 5K for Team KR, will also be showing Team KR coordinator Minoo Rahbar's black foster cat at Burbank.  Many more Kitten Rescue volunteers are busy working hard gathering decorations, baking up a store, and posting flyers in anticipation of this fun filled event.

Kitten Rescue really is a team effort, from running marathons to adopting out cats.  We all do our part to help save as many felines as we possibly can and every dollar we raise goes straight into the animals.  Without Kitten Rescue, events like The Black Cat Event would never exist, and many truly magnificent cats would be overlooked in favor of more flashy kitties.  Every cat deserves a home and Team Kitten Rescue is dedicated to them all, no matter their appearance or disability.

To locate the nearest Black Cat Adoption venue near you please go to http://www.kittenrescue.org/.

Team Member - Elicia Richardson-Ellis

Elicia started in Kitten Rescue as a Community Foster in 2008 after TNR’ing (trap-neuter-return) the unfixed cats in her neighborhood.  After placing the kittens she rescued into loving homes she continued volunteering as a fostermom.  Elicia’s motivation to joining Team Kitten Rescue is both exceptional and courageous.  Read her story below!

I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in January of 2011.  I found the lump myself in late December, went in for a biopsy - and had to wait until after the holiday for my diagnosis - Happy New Year!!  Ugh.

Anyway - I elected to have a bi-lateral mastectomy because I am a high-risk patient.  Both my mother and grandmother had breast cancer too.   My mother passed away - but my Grandmother is still alive and kicking at 89 yrs old.  She is my inspiration - and since we have so many common traits (including fat ankles) - I'm sort of hoping that I get to live a long time like her.

Over the last ten months, I've been through 2 surgeries, 6 months of chemotherapy, and 7 weeks of radiation.  I lost all of my hair - and I had GOOD hair.  I also lost both of my beloved kitties - Klaus (also known as Meatus) and Miyage.  They were very old ladies - but I was devastated to lose them.  Without a shadow of a doubt, what got me through all of this is my friends, family - and my husband.  I'll never be able to put into words how grateful I am to every single one of them.

After I had completed my therapies - I was looking for a way to get back into life, into shape, and do something that would challenge me in a good way.  I also knew that I wanted to adopt another kitty.  I saw Leon on the KR website, and reached out to Minoo who was fostering him.  She told me his story, and about how miserable he was in her house because he was getting picked on all the time.  He was so beautiful and mellow - and I knew that he was going to make a big difference in my life - and he definitely has made my life much sweeter!

While I was at Minoo's house meeting Leon, she pitched me on the idea of the marathon.  I was not at all convinced that I could do it- but she assured me that if she could do it (she's a self-professed clutz) - then I could do it.  So, I decided to at least give it a shot because I needed the challenge and the Kitten Rescue fund raising aspect was a real motivation for me.  Since I was out sick for so long, I had not been able to take on fosters - so I figure that this was a good way to give back to Kitten Rescue and make up for time lost.

I'm in the slowest group right now - and will probably take a day and a half to finish the marathon- but I'm doing really well with fundraising and have already surpassed my personal goal of $1,500.00 - and am now at just over $2,000.00

In past years - I've fostered and adopted out about 15 cats and kittens - and have done temporary ISO for many, many more.  I'm thinking about adopting another cat from KR - but it will have to be a very special kitty who will be kind to Leon (he's kind of a whimp) :)

To donate to Elicia’s fundraiser page go to www.crowdrise.com/elicia.

Team Member - Joyce Kao

Meet Team Member, Joyce Kao, a Ph.D graduate student at USC. Her passions in life (other than science) are food, cats, and pole dancing.  Read her story below!

After going back and forth for a few weeks, I have decided I am going to run the Honda L.A. Marathon on March 18, 2012.  What tipped me over?  I found out that the animal rescue I volunteer for, Kitten Rescue (http://www.kittenrescue.org/) is an official charity next year.  Would I ever run a marathon of my own accord?  Probably not, but for kitties, oh yeah!  (You can guess the hierarchy in my household) Their little faces and fuzzy bodies just melt my heart and I am prone to do stupid things in the name of helping cats...like run a marathon.

This will be my first ever marathon.  I have never run long distances in my life.  I wouldn't even classify myself as 'athletic'.  My height comes out to a whopping 5' 2" on a good day so you can imagine how short my legs are and what assets I have to carry me across 26.2 miles come next March....but for the kitties and for your support of the kitties, I CAN DO IT!
In August 2008, I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to foster cats and the next week joined Kitten Rescue.  In the past few years, being with Kitten Rescue has not only increased my knowledge of what it takes to do animal rescue, but has also opened my eyes to the reality of the animal overpopulation problem especially in Los Angeles.  Yes, I saw a few cats here and there in my neighborhood, but what I didn't see were the twenty thousand cats being fed into city animal shelters and the half that were euthanized to make space for other incoming animals.  This estimate only reflects cats, multiply by two (for dogs) and you have a rough estimate of how many animals die every year in shelters.  This number is ONLY in Los Angeles alone.

Kitten Rescue tries to relieve the burden on city shelters one cat (and occasional dog) at a time.  They are an awesome organization run by people who genuinely care about animal welfare and they truly deserve every penny donated to them.  Since KR is a completely volunteer-run organization, every dollar you donate goes towards saving the lives of less fortunate cats and dogs.
To make a contribution to Joyce's fundraiser page go to www.crowdrise.com/joycekao
You can also track Joyce's marathon training progress here: http://runforthecats.blogspot.com/)

IF THE SHOE FITS, BUY IT!

If you’re a novice runner and have no knowledge of proper running shoes, then it’s probably a bad idea to buy a pair without trying them on…like me.   I got a pair online while in my third month of training and it didn’t quite work out as I hoped.  I went on a three mile run with Valley Runners and half way through the run my toes started to get numb.  By the time I was done I lost most feeling in both feet and had a piercing pain in my right ankle.  Needless to say the shoes went back…

Last week I went to Fleet Feet Sports Encino.  They’re one of Team Kitten Rescue’s corporate donors and hosted our first Team Kitten Rescue’s Meet and Greet in August.  I couldn’t make it to that event, hence the online purchase.  They’re hosting another Meet and Greet later this month but I just couldn’t wait any longer to get proper running shoes so I went there and Trey hooked me up with an awesome pair of Saucony…size 9!  Did I mention I wear a size 7 ½?  There’s a long list of Fit-losphy on proper running wear and supplies that just makes my head spin.  All I can say is if the shoe fits, buy it.  Thanks Fleet Feet!  I’ll see you again on October 23rd for my next purchase...the sports bra! J

Team Member - Jess Bowers

A year and a half ago Jess Bowers stopped by a Kitten Rescue adoption venue and fell head over heels with a feral cat named Teddy. As a dedicated supporter of Kitten Rescue and mom to Teddy, Jess joined Team Kitten Rescue in honor of Teddy and those kitties just like him.  To make a contribution to Jess' fundraiser page go to www.crowdrise.com/jessicabowers

Win a Team Kitten Rescue water bottle!

Just to show our gratitude for your helping us help the kitties, we will send a Team Kitten Rescue water bottle to the next five people who donate exactly $19 to our Team Kitten Rescue fundraiser page. You can either donate to the general team (click here), or to your favorite runner/walker. Ashley, the special needs kitten in this picture (listed in our "Adoption Gallery"), says THANK YOU!!

Kitten Rescue's K9's raise $2500!

Kitten Rescue isn't exclusive to felines. Our very own Kitten Rescue K9's participated in their first Strut Your Mutt sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society at Pan Pacific Park on September 24th. "Team Daisy", affectionately named after the resident mascot, Daisy, an adorable pit bull, raised over $2500 towards improving the Kitten Rescue Sanctuary. Go Team Daisy!

Road Runner Kickoff!

Team Kitten Rescue was one of 15 charities invited to have a booth on Road Runner's registration day, on September 10th. Over 1200 runners/walkers were expected. This was a great opportunity to recruit new people. Thanks to our team members for working the event bright and early on a Saturday morning. Even Cynthia’s cute kittens made it out that morning to dazzle the registrants and looky-loos!
Now don’t fret if you haven’t signed up with Road Runners. There are many other running groups you can join such as LA Leggers, Fleet Feet, Valley Runners and So Cal Pacers. And if you’re really good at being good, you can train on your own with a good work-out schedule and healthy diet. Check back as we will be posting helpful tips for your training!

Team Kitten Rescue

One person can make a difference.  Here's how Team Kitten Rescue leader, Minoo, convinced a group of crazy animal loving rescuers to commit to running the 2012 LA Marathon!