Nine Lives Foundation Launches "Nine Lives...Not Nine Litters" Campaign to Tackle Bay Area Rising Homeless Cat Populations
Two-Week Low-Cost Feline S/N Program Kicks off October 17 in Support of National Feral Cat Day
Redwood City, CA - October 10, 2011 - Nine Lives Foundation, a community based feral and stray cats non-profit organization, is launching the "Nine Lives...Not Nine Litters" campaign to deal with the rising homeless cat population in the Bay Area. The campaign provides Bay Area residents with feline spay surgeries for $45.00 and neuters for $25.00 from October 17 through October 31 at the Feline Well-Care Clinic, the newly established low-cost feline spay/neuter clinic in Redwood City. The rates represent a reduction of approximately 35 percent off the already low-cost surgeries the Clinic provides on an ongoing basis.Nine Lives...Not Nine Litters is available to feral , stray and homeless cats, and, no appointments are necessary for the surgeries, which will be provided on a walk in basis Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The first five surgeries on Monday the 17th will be free!
Campaign supports National Feral Cat Day
Nine Lives...Not Nine Litters campaign represents Nine Lives Foundation's support for National Feral Cat Day, this year celebrated on October 16. The goal of annual day is to raise awareness for the plight of feral cats and gain support to improve their lives through Trap/Neuter/Return and ongoing care. "The Bay Area is becoming overrun with stray and feral cats just trying to survive by dumpster diving and joining other feral colonies," said Dr. Monica Thompson-Rudiger DVM and founder of Nine Lives Foundation and the Feline Wellness Clinic. "With some families barely able to feed their families due to the economic downturn, money for pet spay/neuter is not a priority. As a consequence, thousand of cats are being born each year to terribly uncertain lives, and cat rescue groups and compassionate individuals are unable to keep up with the crisis. Affordable spay and neuter is the only way we can begin to contain this problem and Nine Lives and the Feline Well-Care Clinic are dedicated to providing the needed assistance."
The Feline Well-Care Clinic is located at 1683 Broadway Street, Redwood City, CA 94063. You can call 650-368-1365 for more information about Nine Lives...Not Nine Litters or spay/neuter surgeries the clinic provides for cat guardians and cat rescue organizations on an ongoing basis.
Dr. Monica Thompson Rudiger has recently changed her Feline Wellness Clinic in Redwood City from a conventional feline veterinarian practice to a full time low-cost Spay/Neuter, low-cost Dental and a low-cost walk-in Vaccination Clinic (Wednesday evenings 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and the first Saturday of the month).
In response to the news release dated October 10, 2011, the following email is circulating to local cat rescue shelters in the Bay Area........"Dr. Thompson desperately wants to help reduce the homeless cat population. We need more vets like her. Please share this news. I will post on my SF Cat Rescue column later today so you can share the link on Facebook.
Also, if you have close relationships with any local press, let them know. I'm sending this release to Bay Area media as well but some of you or your groups have great media contacts and the more folks who know about this the better. I'm sure we'd all love to see a line for Spay/Neuter out the door at the Feline Wellness Clinic with this promotion."
Our next Nine Lives Blog post will be an in-depth interview with a volunteer at the Homeless Cat Network who cares for a large feral colony in SSF, and brings her feral cats to Dr. Rudiger for Spay/Neuter.
Good News...the Nine Lives Foundation will consolidate the Feline Well-Care Clinic with the Shelter on Rolison Road in Redwood City, CA
From Dr. Monica Thompson Rudiger...
The newly formed working Nine Lives Foundation Board of Directors, consisting of nine members, voted unanimously to upgrade and rebuild the Rolison Road shelter to ensure our long term success as a no-kill shelter. A fund raising campaign has begun to ensure that our shelter is upgraded with new flooring, improved ventilation, additional cages and a separate area for the newly created low cost spay/neuter clinic now located on Broadway, currently the Feline Well-Care Clinic. Our plan is to make the necessary improvements to the shelter building by Christmas, allowing us to consolidate our resources back into one building.
The Feline Well-Care Clinic redefined its services to be limited to low cost spay/neuter, low cost dentistry and a low cost walk-in vaccination clinic. We are no longer providing routine medical care to the general public. This new plan will allow us to return to our original mission of spay/neuter in order to help reduce the population of stray and feral kittens and cats in the community and those surrendered to shelters.
We are also targeting low income families, who might otherwise not spay and neuter their kittens due to financial limitations. We'll also work with rescue groups to support their efforts to save cats and kittens. Spaying and neutering is the key to saving lives and the nine Lives Foundation will continue to promote this essential message and provide services that are affordable to all.
As always, we thank everyone for their support of Nine Lives Foundation, and for your patience as we strive to make our shelter the most comfortable place for our cats to call home until they are adopted.
Nine lives, sixth sense: Cat at veterinary clinic seeks out ailing cats
By Diana SamuelsDaily News Staff Writer
Posted: 08/18/2010 08:04:38 PM PDT
Dubbing him a "guardian angel," "wonder cat" and "miracle kitty," the staff and volunteers at the Nine Lives Foundation's Feline Well-Care Clinic say Christopher can tell when other cats need help. He will sit outside the cages of sick felines until someone lets him in, and last month, the clinic says, he saved the life of a kitten in need of a blood transfusion.
"It's weird, it's really true that he seems to understand things," said Monica Thompson, Nine Lives' chief veterinarian and founder. "He knows when he can help. He alerts us when things aren't right about a cat."
Christopher, who is about 3 or 4 years old, was found on the side of a road by a group of bicyclists in March. He arrived at the clinic unable to stand, his pelvis fractured.
He recuperated, and one day simply jumped out of his cage while it was being cleaned.
Since then, Christopher has lived at the clinic. On Wednesday morning he snoozed in his favorite cat bed on a desk, ignoring the hustle and bustle around him. As is typical for Christopher, he was napping next to a terminally ill cat.
"He'll often paw at a cage door to be let in so he can clean and comfort a cat in there," said Robert Lowery, a San Ramon resident and volunteer at Nine Lives.
He even became known as the "feral kitten tamer" last month, when he asked to be let into a cage with two feral kittens that were "untouchable, just hissing and growling," Thompson said.
Christopher taught the kittens all about being a cat, and within a couple of weeks they were tame. One has since been adopted, and the other is still available.
"The kittens were so excited to see (Christopher) that when he left the cage they would sit and cry," Thompson said.
But Christopher's biggest claim to fame is likely saving the life of a tiny black kitten that came to the clinic July 11 with severe anemia. She needed a blood transfusion immediately, and Thompson couldn't draw enough to even determine her blood type.
"I didn't know what I was going to do," Thompson said.
Christopher kept jumping up on the operating table, rubbing on Thompson and nuzzling the kitten. So Thompson grabbed Christopher and used his blood for the transfusion.
Thompson didn't know it at the time, but the kitten had an uncommon "B" blood type found in about 20 to 25 percent of the cat population. It's also a blood type usually found in purebred cats, Thompson said, so she wouldn't have expected to find it in the black shorthaired kitten.
As it turned out, Christopher also has Type B blood. The kitten was standing up within about four hours of the transfusion, Thompson said, and has since gone back to Humanimal Connection, the rescue foundation that was caring for her.
"If I hadn't paid attention to (Christopher), I probably would have lost the cat," Thompson said.
Though many people have inquired about adopting Christopher, Thompson said, he "serves a purpose" at the clinic.
"Who knows how many cats he'll save in the years ahead," Lowery said.
E-mail Diana Samuels at dsamuels@dailynewsgroup.com.
The Nine Lives Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of cats and kittens. It operates a veterinary clinic and shelter, providing low cost spay/neuter, rescue, medical and adoption services. Its shelter welcomes all cats and kittens regardless of their physical, medical or behavioral conditions.
The Nine Lives Foundation shelter: 3016 Rolison Road, Redwood City, 650-368-1365
The Feline Well-Care Clinic: 1683 Broadway, Redwood City, 650-368-1365
For more information on how to donate, and to see cats available for adoption, visit http://www.ninelivesfoundation.org/
Photo comments: "Miracle kitty Christopher sleeps in his bed at the Nine Lives Foundations Feline Well-Care Clinic on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010. The feline seems to know when other cats are in distress and he recently provided blood to a seriously ill kitten that needed a transfusion. (Kirstina Sangsahachart/ Daily News) "
News on Nala
For those who don't know her, Nala is a pretty cream colored cat our volunteer, Robert, rescued from the Dublin Animal Shelter. Nala's family had overfed her to the point of morbid obesity and then left her at the Dublin shelter where she faced certain death.
Upon her arrival Nala weighed 21.9.0. That's right 21 pounds 9 oz. We started her on a wet food only diet and she has daily weigh-ins. As of yesterday, 7/25 Nala weighed 19.12.5. She was playing with a toy in the get acquainted room and is looking and feeling much better. Dolores, one of our kennel staff, is going to start work on a new room for her so she can get more exercise.
If you haven't met her, stop by the shelter and say hello to her. She is a really nice cat who loves pets and playing with a wand toy. She is starting to get attention from potential adopters. We love her here and are so happy that Robert saved her life.
-LH
CA Spay and Neuter License Plates
Spay & Neuter Saves Lives!
Help reduce pet overpopulation with the CA Spay & Neuter License Plate!
The California Spay & Neuter license plate, sponsored by the California Veterinary Medical Board, provides a fun and easy way for pet lovers to help reduce pet overpopulation. Proceeds from the plate provide funding for free or low-cost spay & neuter surgeries across California, and also help to raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering.
By pre-ordering the California Spay & Neuter License Plate today, you can be among the first to display the new plate on your vehicle. You can pre order your new plates beginning today.
A sequentially numbered plate is just $50. A personalized plate, whether a new request or a transfer for an existing personalized plate, is $98. These fees are additional above your normal registration fee. After 7,500 pre-orders are received, the DMV will begin the official program, and will start issuing actual plates after the implementation process is complete.
Find out more about the plates and pre order them at: http://www.caspayplate.com/
Success story! - Thank for you for Tom (formerly Klondike)!
Thank you so much for rescuing Tom (formerly Klondike) and helping us to meet him. It is sad to think that the little guy was found in a wood pile as a kitten, but is so wonderful that through your organization, he has been matched with a loving family. It is hard not to spoil him, he is absolutely adorable and has a sweet personality to match his handsome looks.
He loves to cuddle and be brushed, and his latest interest is laying on my head and cleaning my hair. Whenever he is locked out of a room and craves attention from us, rather than hysterically meowing at the door, he patiently sits there and waits for us to let him in. He almost always follows me wherever I go in the house, and the few times that he doesn’t, he will quickly be by my side if I call out his name.
He has a new little Siamese-mix sister (Jerry), who was found at an autobody shop, and the two have bonded well together and become partners in crime, though Jerry is the one who commits most of the crimes. It is so cute hearing them charge around the house together and then eventually falling asleep on top of each other. In just a few months, Tom and Jerry have already brought a lifetime of joy into our home and we are looking forward to spending many many many more years with them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
