Category: givingTuesday

Maxwell Smart

Maxwell Smart

Providing support is to give help or assistance, or to hold someone up.

The third time Max faced major surgery due to ingesting a foreign object, his human mom realized she could no longer manage his Pica, a challenging condition in which an animal (or human) will ingest non-food items.

In Max’s case, he is particularly drawn to rubbery items, such as rubber bands, rubber balls, and once, a rubber wine stopper.  Max was returned to MEOW and received the critical surgery he needed.

In our medical diagnostics of Max, which included consulting with a behaviorist, we discovered that Max is most prone to eating non-food items when bored or anxious.

During the months when Max lived at MEOW, we made certain he had lots of daily stimulation from staff and volunteers. We were vigilant about keeping rubbery toys and other dangerous items away from him, only allowing hard, durable toys, as well as lasers and wand toys managed by his caretakers.

We knew Max wasn’t the perfect cat for just anyone and would do best in a home with cat savvy adopters who would not only have lots of time to offer him plenty of attention and enrichment, but also make sure his environment was safe.

Then one day, our wishes for Max came true! Someone came to meet Max in hopes of adopting him as a best friend for her cat – who happens to also have Pica! The perfect home for Maxwell Smart!!

Kingdom

Kingdom

Kindness is marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistance, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return.

Last winter a couple of rescuers were alerted to a colony of nine cats living near an adult family home in Marysville. Yes, they could trap and get them altered, but appointments were scarce and the shelters were full.

When the rescuers arrived to assess the situation, a thin red tabby came running to let them know he was very friendly – and so hungry. They put down food and began talking with the neighbors to get more information.

One woman said she was planning to trap also – to euthanize them. She got amusement from watching the cats struggle in the cold and snow. If the cats were lucky, they’d get a few leftovers from the dinners of the residents. Often they’d eat the compost or something from the garbage. The heartless women had bullied an older gentleman until he stopped feeding the cats for fear of getting in trouble. The cats were starving.

The rescuers began feeding them every day while waiting for spay/neuter appointments and started assessing their level of friendliness.

Kingdom would meet the car each day, teaching the others by example.

Six of the nine cats became MEOW cats, thanks to our heroes, the rescuers – and to that trusting red tabby, Kingdom.

Kitten Group

Kitten Group

Kittens are adorable, but there are just too many! We are absolutely committed to reducing the population of homeless cats, and we’re convinced that the solution is spay/neuter for every single cat and kitten, every single dog and puppy.

Although it has become more expensive, and more difficult to even secure appointments, spay and neuter surgeries are a vital part of what we provide through our Public Spay/Neuter Voucher Program for low-income pet owners. 

$50 today can ensure that one female cat will never again go through pregnancy and eliminate the possibility of up to 3 additional litters, about 15 homeless kittens per year.

A $25 donation today will ensure that one male cat is no longer able to impregnate female cats and will eliminate the possibility of countless homeless kittens per year.

Nimbus

Nimbus

Recently, one of our amazing trappers was offered the opportunity to buy a tiny one week old kitten which a man said he had found in a log.  For $40, a life was saved. Nimbus became part of our MEOW family.

“Isn’t kitten season over?”, you may ask. Not this year. Whether it’s due to global warming, the lack of spay/neuter services during the pandemic, or just Mother Nature, baby kitties are still coming and still in immediate need of nutritious kitten formula, then high quality kitten canned and kibble foods, vaccines, and alter surgeries.

Although kittens don’t often spend too much time in the shelter, their needs during foster care can be quite extensive. We promise we’ll be there to care for them tomorrow, and for as long as they need us, with your help.

Your donation of $100 today can provide formula, food, core vaccines, microchip, and alter surgery for one kitten, readying him or her for a forever family.

Van & Maurice

Van & Maurice

These boys are unrelated but have very similar stories. Each one came to MEOW as a result of a plea from an emergency vet hospital. Each one had been experiencing repeated urinary blockages.

Each one would require a life-saving surgery called PU, or Perineal Urethrostomy. In both cases, the owners were unable to afford the very expensive treatment and made the kindest decision, to relinquish their cat.

Thanks to MEOW’s Mercy Fund, both Van and Maurice have recovered from their surgeries and now have new forever homes. 

Your donation of $500 today can help re-build our Mercy Fund coffers, so that in 2023 we can continue to be there for cats like Van and Maurice.

River & Orange

River & Orange

The underlying causes of seizures in cats are often hard to diagnose. This was the case with both River and Orange, two lucky kitties in our Ninth Life Foster program. River began having seizures as a kitten in 2019.  Since then, she has experienced many ER hospital stays and extensive diagnostics, causing her specialists to believe she has primary epilepsy. With the diagnosis confirmed, the challenge now is to control her seizures by adjusting her medications as her needs change. River is loved and thriving in her Ninth Life foster home, determined to be like the other cats despite her challenges. 

In another foster home, a blue kitty named Orange also began having seizures as a young kitten. More than a year later, her seizures are controlled, and she is doing well. Cats with seizure disorders can have a very good quality of life provided their seizures can be controlled. At MEOW, we’re committed to special needs cats like River and Orange. Because, you know, all nine lives are precious.

Thanks to your support today, our Ninth Life program can continue to provide the critical financial support for cats like River and Orange who have limited adoption options but no shortage of love and care in their Ninth Life foster home. Your donation of $200 today can provide a routine but necessary follow up veterinary exam for a Ninth Life cat.

The underlying causes of seizures in cats are often hard to diagnose. This was the case with both River and Orange, two lucky kitties in our Ninth Life Foster program. River began having seizures as a kitten in 2019.  Since then, she has experienced many ER hospital stays and extensive diagnostics, causing her specialists to believe she has primary epilepsy. With the diagnosis confirmed, the challenge now is to control her seizures by adjusting her medications as her needs change. River is loved and thriving in her Ninth Life foster home, determined to be like the other cats despite her challenges. 

In another foster home, a blue kitty named Orange also began having seizures as a young kitten. More than a year later, her seizures are controlled, and she is doing well. Cats with seizure disorders can have a very good quality of life provided their seizures can be controlled. At MEOW, we’re committed to special needs cats like River and Orange. Because, you know, all nine lives are precious.

Thanks to your support today, our Ninth Life program can continue to provide the critical financial support for cats like River and Orange who have limited adoption options but no shortage of love and care in their Ninth Life foster home. Your donation of $200 today can provide a routine but necessary follow up veterinary exam for a Ninth Life cat.