CRAN Cat Tales 4th Quarter 2023 | |
A Message from our President
2023 was a year of challenges and of grace.
Funny kittens, frightened cats, amazing and kind-hearted adopters.
The dedicated volunteers of CRAN were touched by some special kitties over the past year. Well, they are all special, aren't they?
Older cats like Crook, Frank and Silver Mickie, who all lost their homes through no fault of their own; finding another chance for a forever home.
So many litters of kittens given a chance for a loving family instead of making their own way as community cats.
2023 brought several special needs kitties to CRAN from Mimi who needed treatment for pectus excavatum to Lionel who broke his leg in an impetuous leap.
CRAN continues to provide safe care in foster homes, medical care through our partner vets, and adoptions through our adoption partners.
We provided care for more than 800 adoptable cats last year. In addition, CRAN was able to direct TNR (trap-neuter-return) services for more than 250 community cats.
I want to thank CRAN's caring and generous donors, volunteers, partners and supporters for their contributions in 2023, and will continue to appreciate your ongoing support in the years to come. - Louanne Koch
| | | |
|
Luca
Has it really only been just about 6 months since I adopted Captain Jean-Luca Pawcard of the Starship Enterprise (formerly known as Luca) from CRAN? Actually, since Captain Jean-Luca Pawcard of the Starship Enterprise is a bit of a mouthful, he’s still known as Luca.
It feels like Luca has been around forever, my sweet, chill cuddlebug and goofball extraordinaire, who occasionally channels a demented greyhound dog with wings! My fireplace mantel used to be artfully cluttered. Luca has cleared it and turned it into his racetrack. He is the beloved younger brother of his two adopted kitty sisters, although recently he is no longer the smallest.
Thanks to CRAN for everything you do, Luca says “Thank you for my great start in life, and happy holidays!”
| |
Juni and Layla
We adopted these two lovelies from CRAN last October. The big guy stretched out and staring at us is Juni (formerly George Clooney) and “little”, as I often call her, is Layla (formerly Sandra Bullock). She’s the one snuggled up on the purple blanket and playing with the floppy fish. They have two siblings named Charley (Chaplin) and Julia Roberts, who I hope are thriving in their furever homes.
These two are the sweetest lap cats and naturally took to their roles as emotional support animals from day one. My two kids and I couldn’t be happier having them in our lives. Thank you for helping us find them!
| |
|
“As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the humankind.” – Cleveland Amory | |
Eugene Springfield Cat Lounge Opening Soon!
Eugene-Springfield's first cat cafe is opening soon and partnering with CRAN! Several CRAN cats available for adoption will live at the new Eugene Springfield Cat Lounge. The cats will be available not only for adoption but for people to just hang out with when they want a cat fix. The cats will get lots of love and attention. The new facility should be opening the end of January. You can check their website for more information: https://www.eugenespringfieldcatlounge.com
| |
|
Easy Ways to Help - Bottle Drop
Pick up a stickered bag and fill it with your bottles and cans (can be co-mingled) and drop it off at either of the Bottle Drop stations in Springfield or Eugene. CRAN will receive credit for your donation. Bags can be found on the CRAN carts (by the catteries) at PetSmart, Wags! Dog Emporium, Hometown Pets in Springfield, or your friendly CRAN volunteer. Pictured is one of the 10 to 12 bottle drop runs one of our dedicated volunteers makes each month. She has many people in the community who drop them off including a local bartender. Each run is 18 to 20 bags and each bag is about 100 cans/bottles!
For more information: https://catrescues.org/wp-content/uploads/bottle-drop-info-sheet-January-202117982-scaled.jpg
Email [email protected] if you prefer to drop off with a volunteer or have questions.
| |
|
Our Volunteers are Amazing! As an all volunteer organization, we are forever grateful to the individuals who foster and volunteer with our rescue. Since our inception, we have rescued thousands of cats through the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. Our volunteers work tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the cats in our care and we are forever grateful for them.
And if you, or someone you know, would like to volunteer with us, we are recruiting several key roles:
- Adoption Counselor: Work with potential adopters to ensure the cats in our care go to loving homes where they can thrive. Adoption Counselors review adoption applications, verify the accuracy of the information, and determine whether it is a good fit for both the family and the cat(s).
- Site Leads: Oversees site operations, volunteers and events. Acts as the liaison with site volunteers & CRAN Board.
- Fosters: Fosters temporarily house and care for cats until the cats are able to be adopted. This can be just a few days to a few months. All supplies provided by CRAN.
- As well as: medical, fosters, intake, scheduling, fundraising/events and more!
If you'd like to learn more about volunteering or fostering, please submit a volunteer application here: https://catrescues.org/volunteer/
To foster, submit an application here: https://catrescues.org/forms/cat-foster-application/
| |
$5,000 Matching Donation Fundraiser! | |
|
Right before Christmas a very generous donor offered to match up to $5,000 in donations. That means if we get $5,000 in donations it will be doubled to $10,000! What a great way to start the new year. Just think how many cats we can help with $10,000! The matching fundraiser goes until January 31st. You can donate at CatRescues.org/donate A big thank you to those who have already donated!
| |
|
Are you a fan of sriracha? Have you developed a fondness for spicy margaritas? Well then Tiger Lily is your kind of cat! Lovely Tiger Lily is a black and white beauty, with a loving heart, and more than a dash of spice. She loves her people. She loves other playful (but not dominant) young cats. She loves to climb, to play, to boldly (try to) go where no cat has gone before. When she's done playing and exploring, she'll happily cuddle up with you for a nice nap. But wrapped up in that beautiful, playful bundle of kittycat is a bit of a spice girl always at the ready.
Learn more: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/tiger-lily-60413647/or/springfield/cat-rescue-and-adoption-network-or251
| |
Want to help cats with special needs get the help they require to be healthy and happy? You can give at CatRescues.org/donate or you can mail a check to: CRAN, PO Box 72401, Springfield, OR 97475 | |
541 CRAN Cats Adopted in 2023! | |
Part of CRAN's mission is to help cats with special needs and we have a lot of special needs cats in our care right now. We never turn a cat away due to medical needs and never consider euthanasia except to end suffering when there is no treatment to help. Our featured cat in this issue is Mimi. Mimi needed treatment for pectus excavatum. It definitely takes a village to help a kitten like Mimi and we are so fortunate to have an amazing village. | |
|
Mimi - It Takes a Village
Pectus excavatum is a congenital defect that occurs during fetal development and results in the ribs and sternum not forming properly. The result is a concave or sunken chest wall, starting at approximately the third to fifth rib and extending to the tip of the sternum. It can affect lung and heart function. Mimi's case was severe and would require surgery at OSU.
A case like this really stresses our medical budget and it really helps if we have a sponsor to donate specifically to help with the specialized medical treatment. We were in luck, we had wonderful donor step forward to help with Mimi's surgery! Next step, a surgical consult at OSU.
At her OSU appointment, Mimi's surgeon said that on the lateral xray, they could see the dorsal deviation of her sternum, pushing her heart to the side.
Clinically she looked really good, no open mouth breathing and very active and playful.
| |
|
|
Their recommendation for surgery was something called an external splint which would be customized for Mimi. The splint would re-align her sternum in the chest cavity.
The splint would be attached while she is under anesthesia, with stitches going into her chest and attaching to the sternum, but the splint is external. No opening her chest and cracking open her sternum.
Because she is young enough the sternum could be re-aligned this way. If she were older they would have to break the sternum and rebuild it.
So the plan was for a splint that would be attached to her sternum with a number of stitches. She would spend at least one night in the hospital ICU unit and she would need to come back every 2 weeks for x-rays to see how the realignment was going. The procedure would most likely take a total of about 8 weeks.
There were risks:
When the sternum pressure comes off of her heart and lungs, and the lungs re-expand, there is a risk of pulmonary edema, and a disruption to the alveoli in the lungs. There is also a risk that the heart can be punctured during the stitching process. But the surgeon felt confident that Mimi was an excellent candidate for surgery and that she had an excellent prognosis after surgery to grow up to be a healthy, normal cat.
With that prognosis and our donor, the last step was to find a foster that could manage her care. Everything fell in place for Mimi and we were able to find a foster who is a retired surgical nurse and was very comfortable and capable to care for Mimi post-surgery.
Mimi got through her surgery like a champ. The doctors said the chief worry would be a pulmonary edema, when her lungs expanded suddenly, but she never experienced it.
From one of her early progress reports, her foster said "she is not crazy about the collar, and she is still "under the influence" of the various medications, but she is settling in...dressing looks fine and she is tolerating the collar nicely. Just wants to get held, petted and purr while “air pumping” her front paws".
She responded well to treatment, had no complications and had good reports at each of her re-checks.
Mimi has now been given the OK by the OSU doctors and staff to resume a normal teenage kitten life, a little at a time!
| |
Ways to help CRAN
Cat Rescue & Adoption Network, PO Box 72401, Springfield, OR 97475
Support cats while you shop!
Fred Meyer Reward Card - Support Cat Rescue and Adoption Network when you shop at Fred Meyer with your Rewards Card. All you have to do is Link your card and use it when you shop at Fred Meyer. Don’t have a Rewards Card? Stop by the Customer Service desk at any Fred Meyer store and sign up; it’s free.
BottleDrop – Pick up a stickered bag and fill it with your bottles and cans (can be co-mingled) and drop it off at either of the Bottle Drop stations in Springfield or Eugene. CRAN will receive credit for your donation. Bags can be found on the CRAN carts (by the catteries) at PetSmart, Wags! Dog Emporium, Hometown Pets in Springfield, or your friendly CRAN volunteer.
Other Ways to Help:
ResQwalk is a free mobile app that lets you raise money and resources for Cat Rescue & Adoption Network, and all you have to do is walk (or participate in any distance-related activity – walking, running or biking -that can be measured by GPS and involves a speed of less than 14 miles per hour)! You can even just start it and do your daily activities i.e., go shopping, get the mail, garden and get miles! Learn more: https://catrescues.org/support-cran-by-walking-with-resqwalk/
Car Donation Donate a car, truck, RV, motorcycle, or boat you no longer need to support the Cat Rescue and Adoption Network! All vehicles are considered, running or not. The pickup is free and your car donation is tax deductible. Most vehicles can be picked up within a few days and you’ll receive a tax receipt for your donated vehicle. Click here to donate online or call 855-500-7433 to donate!
Real Estate Donation You can donate land, homes, or commercial property to support the Cat Rescue and Adoption Network! Your real estate donation is tax deductible to the amount of the appraisal value and we accept almost any property, so long as there is equity. Even if you owe back taxes or have a mortgage balance! Click here to donate online or call 844-277-4663 to donate!
| |
Want another way to help the cats in our program? Forward this newsletter to cat lovers who aren't on our list. | |
Do you have an Adoption Tail or Rainbow Bridge Story you would like to share or an article you'd like to see? Email [email protected] | |
Thank you so much for your support and enabling us to continue to help cats in need. We could not do what we do without you! | | | | |
