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Home of the Donofrio Family Animal Shelter
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ROAR Cat Bermuda |
ROAR Cat Abby |
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Find the "Purrfect" Feline for Your Family in June
According to the ASPCA, hundreds of thousands of homeless kittens are born across the country during kitten season every year. Early summer is the peak of kitten season and when rescue organizations and shelters take in the most abandoned kittens and cats. To raise awareness of this, the ASPCA designates June as its annual Adopt a Shelter Cat Month.
If you've been thinking about adopting a cat or kitten, now is a great time to reach out to ROAR to find the right feline friend for your family. We have a wide variety of wonderful cats in many sizes, colors, fur length, and personalities. Bermuda and Abby, pictured above, are two of our adoptable cats who are waiting to find loving homes.
Even if a new cat companion isn't in your plans, there are other ways you can help:
- Spay or Neuter Your Cat - Please spay or neuter your cat to help control the over-population of stray and feral cats in the U.S., which is estimated to be in the tens of millions. There is always a chance that your indoors-only cat could escape to the outdoors. Also, cats can become pregnant when they are only five months old and have up to three litters a year. Kittens as young as two months and weighing two pounds can be safely altered.
- Volunteer as a Foster Family - If you can't adopt, consider fostering. ROAR cats and kittens go into foster homes when they are too young/small/sick to eat on their own, need special care or are recovering from major surgery. ROAR provides food and litter and covers all veterinary care. Click here to find out more about ROAR's Foster Care Program.
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Donate Supplies - Your local shelters and rescues are always in need of supplies, but now more than ever. Go to our wish list to find out what's needed most. You can also become a volunteer and donate your time.
- Spread the Word - Tell your friends, family, coworkers and anyone else you think might want to adopt a cat or support cats in shelters.
You can find out more about ROAR's adoptable cats by clicking here.
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What to Do if You Find Stray Kittens
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The ASPCA recently introduced a new online tool to help the public choose the next steps to take if they find stray kittens outdoors.
By using this interactive tool, animal lovers can help make the best decision for kittens' ongoing well-being.
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Please Support Our Mission to Save Lives
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Please donate today to our 2020-2021 Annual Appeal so that we
can continue to deliver on our mission.
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COME MEET NINO & JERICO:
THESE SPECIAL BOYS
WILL STEAL YOUR HEART!!!
Nino
Nino is a gorgeous, Snowshoe Mix cat who is seven-years old. He is a sweet boy with not a mean bone in his body. However, he is very timid and shy and will take a bit of patience and time to acclimate to his new forever home. If you have a quiet home with not too much in and out traffic or young children and will be home for the near future, then please come and meet Nino!
Nino spent two weeks in a foster home and this is what his foster mom had to say about him: "He loves to jump up on my bookcase where he can peruse the entire room from up high! Nino is not too fond of being picked up at present, but is happy to be pet on his head; as a matter of fact, he loves it! He ate and drank and used his box with no issues at all."
The bottom line is that Nino just needs the right home. We don't know what his life was like before we got him. However, we know that when he finds the right family and home where he can settle in, he will come out of his shell!
Nino is neutered, micro-chipped and up-to-date on vaccinations.
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Please open your heart to this beautiful soul! Jerico is eight-years old and is currently living in foster care. He is showing that he is a perfect gentleman out of the shelter environment. He is accident-free, stays put even when a door is open to the outside and is chew-free ... even with much loved UGG boots! Jerico sleeps on his own bed and can snore with the best of them. He does love to sleep! Jerico enjoys his walks, but is fine not going too far. He likes other dogs (can't say that about cats at this time). Although he doesn't know how to play with other dogs in the "typical" kind of way, he is slowly learning to enjoy playtime more and more.
While we don't know much about Jerico's background, he loves to be pet and kissed. However, he doesn't know how to cuddle, which is typical of many shelter pets. Jerico is extremely food motivated, which is beyond helpful for training purposes. He will do anything for a treat and is a fast learner.
Unfortunately, this special boy is deaf and visually impaired. Jerico also had multiple grade 2 Mast Cell Tumors removed. Several teeth were removed too, and it's likely that he will need more to be extracted in the future. Jerico also had prior skin issues - potentially due to food allergies. How. ever, a change in food and a strict diet are helping to get this under control. ROAR is dedicated to supporting Jerico in the right home. Jerico needs a home with no small children, as he is a large strong boy. He needs someone savvy with any one of the following mixes: Pittie, Staffordshire terrier or Bull Dog. Someone who will accept him wholly.
There is nothing not to love about this wonderful pet and companion. Let's give Jerico a chance and make a miracle happen, he deserves it. Please consider adoption.
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Thank you for supporting our mission and helping to make a difference in the lives of so many less fortunate animals like Nino and Jerico.
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Thank You to Our Adopters!!!
Thank you to all of our adopters who opened their hearts and homes
and recently made these lucky kitties, cats, puppies and dogs a part of your packs!!!
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Did you know that cats are the second most popular pets in the U.S., right after dogs? In fact, 42.7 U.S. million households have at least one cat. It's not hard to see why they are a popular pet. They're diligent about keeping themselves clean, don't need to go outside for walks, and their routine nap schedule means you don't have to feel guilty about leaving them at home during the day.
Even for the most experienced and dedicated cat owners, there's still a lot about felines that remain a mystery. Below are 15 amazing cat facts you may not know about.
- A litter of kittens or group is called a kindle while a group of adult cats is known as a clowder.
- In terms of development, the first year of a cat's life is equal to the first 15 years of a human life. After its second year, a cat is 25 in human years. Each year after that, a cat's life is equal to about seven human years.
- Cats have an acute sense of hearing. Their ears contain almost 30 muscles (compared with six in humans). As a result, they can rotate their ears 180 degrees. A cat's ears are receptive to ultrasonic frequencies up to 85,000 vibrations per second, greatly exceeding the hearing of dogs, which register 35,000 vibrations per second.
- Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
- Meows are not innate cat language - they developed them to communicate with humans.
- The oldest cat who ever lived was 38 years old and three days.
- Cats have 200 scent receptors, which is 14 times greater than a human. However, their sense of smell isn't quite as sharp as that of your average dog.
- Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.
- Domestic cats spend about 70 percent of the day sleeping and 15 percent of the day grooming.
- Most cats have no eyelashes.
- Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four on the back ones. It's not uncommon, though, for cats to have extra toes. The cat with the most toes known had 32 - eight on each paw!
- Cats are digitigrades by nature, meaning they walk on their tiptoes. This gives them their amazing pouncing ability and helps them remain uninjured. The digitigrade stance helps provide cats with shock absorbers when they jump down from above.
- Your cat's tummy pooch (aka feline spare tire) serves a purpose and isn't just the result of extra treats. It's a spot on the cat's body that stores food, protects a cat's organs in cat fights, and helps felines move easier by extending when chasing prey.
- Female cats are usually right-pawed, while male cats are more often left pawed.
- Active and healthy cats often race through the house as though they were crazed, which is better known as the "kitty crazies." A cat can travel at a top speed of approximately 31 mph over a short distance. These evening crazies, which can also take place in the early morning, is a result from the cat's ancient rhythm of actively hunting around dawn and dusk. In the domestic environment, this normal, instinctive behavior often still occurs.
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Houdini
Sometimes the greatest surprises can be found in the smallest of packages. In the "M house," they currently have four pets (two cats and two dogs). They adopted three of the four from ROAR. The most recent addition to their pack is a little black cat named Houdini, who they welcomed into their family last year. True to his name, this magical little guy unexpectedly become a unifying force in their home!
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"Being stuck at home last year was a great opportunity for our family to foster some pets. Already having a couple of crazy dogs and a cat, we thought the best fit would be to foster some kittens who needed a temporary home until they could be available for adoption. We picked up 3 adorable black kittens from the shelter, Harry, Harold and Houdini and found a quiet room in our house for them. All were super cute, but we had a soft spot for the runt of the litter, named Houdini. At 2 ½ lbs., he was a tiny, little guy, and his brothers prospered, he really struggled putting on weight and remaining healthy. But we found that he was a real fighter and knew that he needed our help. After many stints back and forth to the vet, the shelter, and back into foster, my family and I realized that Houdini remaining with us was just meant to be, and we decided to adopt him.
 At his tiny size, we were at first a little worried about letting him roam free in the house. We didn't' know how things might go with our giant 12-year old cat, Marmite, or our two 65 and 75 lb. dogs, Maybel & Charlie. We adopted Maybel as a pup over seven years ago and truth is that she is a real alpha dog who chases anything that moves. For that reason, we have always had gates separating the upstairs and downstairs of the house to keep her away from the cats. But after a few short weeks of Houdini living with us, we saw the most amazing thing happen. This little black kitten, easily the smallest of all our pets, showed that he was absolutely fearless. He went wherever he wanted, and walked past other pets like he owned the place! In fact, he soon became the alpha of the house, and all the pets would make way while he walked by. And the most incredible part is that he has actually taught the dogs that they can coexist around both he and our older cat, Marmite! Since then, for the first time in years, we have taken down all the gates in our house. We have even caught a few of them snuggling up and grooming each other. All of this, because a tiny black kitten stole our hearts.
Thank you ROAR for all you do, and for all the lives that you save. Our family of pets is in harmony again."
- The M Family |
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ROAR Therapy Dog Team Visits Waterview
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| | Connie & Ellie spread some smiles at Waterview |
In a year filled with anxiety and isolation, companionship of any kind is especially welcome for both humans and for the dogs and cats cared for by ROAR.
When ROAR Therapy Dog Ellie and her handler/owner Connie recently visited residents of Waterview Hills Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Purdys, New York, the folks lavished the dog with love and attention and also received a lot of slobbery kisses from the tail-wagging visitor. It was hard to tell who was happier.
Through ROAR's Therapy Dog Program, canines and their owner/handlers give back to the community by putting smiles on the faces of seniors in elder care facilities, helping young readers with one-on-one reading programs, and visiting area schools to help children with special needs.
The dogs are trained to sit quietly so older folks can pet them or children with special needs can read to them. This enriches the lives of the young and old because of their boundless love and presence.
ROAR does in-house screening and training for dog and handler/owner teams. All gentle and sociable dogs are potential candidates. For more information, contact ROAR at [email protected] or (203) 438-0158.
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Why Do You Do What You Do for ROAR?
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"Why I love to volunteer and foster through ROAR. Firstly .... I love animals. It makes me happy to know that I play a very small part in helping an animal not only find their furever home but also I'm trying to make them feel comfortable and safe until they do. And I love fostering because...... KITTENS!!!! Hold em', squish em', love em'!!!!
 T. Connelly, Cat Volunteer & Foster
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BOW WOW! Artful Dogs
The neon sign that now lights up the storefront of RPAC Gallery on Ridgefield's Main Street is the first installment of the "Bow Wow Art Dogs" and "Leader of the Pack Events."
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 BMW of Ridgefield
Thank you BMW of Ridgefield for hosting The Ultimate Pet Adoption Event in partnership with ROAR to help rescue cats and dogs find their new forever homes! Your support helped ROAR find home for five of our animals!
To watch highlights of the adoption event, watch BMW of Ridgefield's video here.
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