Monday, November 5, 2012
Adoption fees for felines at LifeLine Animal Project are 90 percent off Nov. 16-18. You can save money and, according to studies, owning a cat might just save your life.
Imagine if, at your next check-up, your doctor said, "Adopt two cats and I'll see you in six months." There may not be a single one-size-fits-all remedy for modern malaise and physical ailments but there is one thing that many people, from the scientific community to your local community, often agree on: pets are good for human health. Pets provide a companionship connection and ease lonliness. Dogs and cats have long thought to help human health by reducing stress and anxiety. And while it's certainly true that if you adopt a homeless cat from your local shelter you have the satisfaction of knowing you saved a life, is it possible that adopting that cat can save your own life too? Studies say yes. One Canadian study in 2006 determined …
Monday, October 29, 2012
"Mackerel," "Spotted," "Ticked" and even "Patched" are names for markings on tabby cats. Homeless Clea is a "Classic."
Question: What's the most common type of cat that isn't really a breed of cat of all? Answer: The tabby cat. "Tabby" doesn't mean a certain breed or even a particular color of cat, but refers to distinctive feline coat markings. Tabbies can be orange, brown, ginger or grey or a combination of colors. Because most domestic cats carry the tabby gene, even some solid-colored cats display faint tabby markings that are visible if you look closely or study them in the sunlight. When people think of tabbies, it's most often the cats with coats of stripes, swirls and dots, the eyes that look like they are wearing eyeliner and the distinctive "M" on their forehead. Popular cat lore says that M is a blessing from the Virgin Mary. Others say it …
Monday, October 15, 2012
Patra is a homeless cat who feeds and cares for abandoned kittens, including one named Echo who was born without eyes.
Remember when you were a kid and there was that one mom (it might have been yours) who fed and looked after all the kids in the neighborhood? In the cat world, in Avondale Estates, that super-mom is a homeless 2-year-old Tortoiseshell named Patra. Patra was living on the streets trying to keep her own four kittens safe when she was rescued by LifeLine Animal Project. Due to the rigors of street life and the vulnerability of kittens who are born homeless, only two of her babies, named Rita and Beanie by rescuers, survived. Some mother cats will shun kittens that are not their own, some will welcome and adopt them. Soon after losing two of her own, Patra adopted three very needy weeks-old kittens that came into LifeLine abandoned and hungry…
Monday, October 1, 2012
Valmar can't type, file or use a copier, yet he spends all day in an office. His resume includes purring, giving head butts and playing. Can he get a job being your cat?
At LifeLine Animal Project in Avondale Estates, the Dog House and Kitty Motel are often at capacity with homeless pets. Everywhere you look there are pets who were rescued off death row at kill-shelters, cats and dogs who were abandoned, abused or seized by authorities in criminal cases. All these animals are getting love and attention, medical care and, if needed, obedience training. All are waiting on adoption and their own, personal, new beginning/happy ending. Even the rescue and animal advocacy group's administrative office has a few furry occupants, mostly cats waiting on new homes, who spend all their time "helping" the staff work by taking up chair space for their naps, rolling pens off the desks, greeting visitors and sunning …
Monday, September 17, 2012
When it comes to looking for love, even finding your perfect pet partner can be done online or off.
Adopting a pet is a big decision and many people count it as one of more pleasant and rewarding ways to enhance their lives and bring unconditional love into their home. But where to start? First off, reach around and pat yourself on the back if you've decided to adopt a homeless pet. Statistics peg the euthanasia rate in the Atlanta metro area at 60,000- 80,000 dogs and cats annually, one of the highest rates of any U.S. city. These dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are almost all put to death for one reason and one reason only: they don't have a home. The simple act of adopting a pet makes you a life saver. And don't worry if you have a specific breed you prefer over another. Twenty-five percent of all pets in shelters are purebreds. Also…
Monday, September 10, 2012
A piece of paper attached to the box read "Please help." Inside was a small, injured, 6-week old kitten.
It's been a long and winding road to wellness for Twist the cat. This summer in College Park he was discovered by rescuers in a cardboard box with a note attached. He was meant to be found. The box was conspicuously placed in a public place, the attached note both a plea for help and a short biography of the small kitten inside: Please help. We found this kitten in the street 2 days ago with blood on his face and paws, walking like he was injured. We gave him a bath and cleaned him up. We've been feeding him liquid formula with an eyedropper because he does not seem to be old enough to feed himself. We could not leave him in the street like that unable to defend himself as he does not seem old enough to walk. We are unemployed at the …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Star the sweet street cat is safe in LifeLine's no-kill Kitty Motel, but she's been there for years, waiting for a place to call home.
Most cats who live on the streets don't live a full life span. Many rescued cats in shelters don't enjoy a full life span either. They are at risk for getting sick (imagine yourself living in a crowded animal shelter) and in many county-run shelters, they can be euthanized if not adopted fairly quickly. Star the street cat has defied the odds nicely so far. She survived living on the streets of Kirkwood until she was saved by LifeLine Animal Project and for the last few years she has lived with other rescued cats in LifeLine's cage-free, no-kill Kitty Motel. She has food, medical care and the company of other felines. What she doesn't have is a home of her own. When LifeLine staff and board state they are "no-kill" they mean precisely …
Monday, July 16, 2012
The life of an un-neutered tomcat is a carefree love 'em and leave 'em lifestyle, right? Not always. This cat dad stuck around to care for his kittens.
Zen is one cool cat. He's also very unusual in that he's a paws-on dad to his three young cat children. Animal rescuers are accustomed to coming across stray mother cats with kittens. Female cats that are not spayed and un-neutered male cats can create multiple litters in a year, every year, starting at a young age. It's an ongoing population explosion that animal advocates work to stem because there simply aren't enough homes for all the cats born annually. It usually goes like this: un-fixed cats mate, female cat gets pregnant, male cat goes his merry way. Only sometimes it doesn't go like that. LifeLine Animal Project recently rescued an abandoned cat with three kittens and upon inspection found they had an anomaly: a "Mr. Mom" male cat…
Monday, June 11, 2012
Shakey the cat has a possible vestibular disorder that throws off his balance. He doesn't care one bit. Shakey has fun anyway.
He's extremely friendly, quite orange, very curious, totally loving and a bit wobbly. When you walk into the room and he spots you, you can see in his eyes he's determined that you will pet him. Oh, you will pet him. Shakey the cat will make sure of that. However, it just might take him a little longer to get to you than it would take a normal cat. Shakey is a year-old rescued cat with an equilibrium problem. Otherwise healthy, he has adjusted just fine to the challenge of being, well, shakey. He sometimes has problems judging distance and he tilts his head as he looks at you, but it somehow just makes this outgoing cat all the more appealing. The fact that likes to "talk" to people also adds to his charm. He lives in the offices at …
Monday, May 28, 2012
Amelia the homeless cat got the best gift any rescued pet can receive - a wonderful home. A year later, her world crashed and now she's in a cage, looking for love again.
Patch readers first met Amelia the tortoiseshell cat, or "tortie", when she was living in the Kitty Motel at LifeLine Animal Project and looking for the love of a good owner. She found it. Amelia was adopted last year and discovered a new kind of bliss, one she'd never had before, as someone's pet. This sweet natured, dog-loving cat was happy at home with a new owner who adored her. They had a mutual admiration society going and all was well for many months. Then fate and the bad economy turned her world upside down when Amelia's owner lost her house and was finally forced to move to where she couldn't keep a cat. The owner, heartbroken, returned Amelia to LifeLine. Having now tasted life as a beloved pet, Amelia seems heartbroken too. "…
Keith
11:37 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Its true our cats provide hours of companioship and laughs. Plus my pillow is always warm when i get home. more ›