Welcome Facebook Friends

First, we would like to welcome the many of you who have joined our Facebook page since our last blog. We truly appreciate you interest in our Sanctuary and the work that we do. This is our first blog since I returned from India (a story that I hope to tell you in our next newsletter in a couple of weeks). Our blogs try to keep you informed as to the goings on at the Sanctuary and hopefully, you can share in our joy and sometimes our sorrow in caring for our wonderful creatures.

Ronnie Update!

Ronnie was first introduced to you in September 2011, having arrived at the Sanctuary on July 24th. As we told you, he was very ill at the time (as were his siblings) and all three required constant care. On January 13th we shared with you that Ronnie had had two cryogenic eye surgeries to freeze away all his upper eye lashes that were growing into his eyes and causing him difficulty. On March 13th he had a third surgery on his right eye to reconstruct his third eyelid. He is now recuperating and receiving a lot of TLC. In approximately three weeks he will have have the same surgery on his left eye. We hope that when these procedures are completed and Ronnie no longer has serious eye problems, this wonderful friendly boy will find a forever home. Because of your donations and continued support Ronnie has been able to have the surgeries that he needed. We can't wait to send you a picture of him when he is fully recovered.

Back to India

My friend Suresh with a cat he rescued from the streets

I am again leaving for India in a few days, to work with my friend whose mission in life is to bring help and relief from suffering to the street animals of Mumbai. He and his small group of dedicated volunteers do so much for these animals with very little resources. As I will be gone for over a month, the only member of the Love and Hope family who can type will not be able to update you on Sanctuary activities. I will not return until March. However, I want to tell you a story while I am away and have scheduled a Newsletter to be published on February 1st. It is a story about my very special "Jewel of India" and I hope that you will enjoy her tale. If you receive our blogs through Facebook or our website and wish to subscribe to our Newsletter then Click Here to sign up. If you receive our Newsletters and would like to ensure that you receive our blog updates, you can do so by checking our website or by joining us on Facebook.

Remember Ronnie?

We want to thank you for your donations and let you know that because of your kindness, Ronnie has had two cryogenic eye surgeries to freeze away all of his upper eye lashes that were growing into his eyes and causing him difficulty. Now that the eye lashes are gone, in a few weeks he will be scheduled for reconstructive eye surgery. He was born without third eye lids and the surgery will create these lids for him. At that time we hope his eyes will appear normal and they will be more open. He is just about the friendliest and most loving boy and we look forward to the time that he will look at us with eyes wide open. He could not have had these surgeries without your financial help and we are all grateful.

We're Waiting...

And we are being very patient. Every Sunday at the Sanctuary is Cat Nip Sunday. However, since this Sunday is Christmas we have been told that there will be extra cat nip for all since it is a holiday. We hope that all of you will have as much fun on Sunday as we will. YEAHHH!


We're Ready To Travel

This is our last romp before our BIG trip to find our forever homes. Tomorrow the four of us are going to New Jersey, and we thought we would tell you how happy we are to have been here. We were born August 22nd and came to the Sanctuary on August 31st 2011. Our mom was hit by a car and killed. The people who owned her did not know how to take care of such young kittens and brought us here. We had to be hand and bottle fed, required antibiotics, heating lamps and lots of attention. There were five of us but unfortunately one of us did not make it. (We heard the lady at the Sanctuary tell our mom's owner that it was very dangerous to let cats outside unsupervised. We hope they will listen!) As for us, it is guaranteed that we will be indoor kitties. We are very excited about finding our new homes, but as you see we have had a lot of fun here and we guess you could say that the Sanctuary saved our lives.

Happy Halloween! All About Eve

This past Sunday we received our Halloween present a few days early. As our manager Gretchen arrived at the Sanctuary, she was greeted at the front door by this little thing, obviously hungry but very friendly. Gretchen opened the door to bring her some food in the hope of coaxing her inside, but it was unnecessary as Eve followed her. We named her Eve in honor of All Hallow's Eve, the other name for Halloween. Eve saw our vet on Tuesday, she is about 7 months old, and, other than being somewhat malnourished, is a healthy cat considering that she must have been outside and on her own for quite some time. She clearly decided that she wanted a home, and we are happy to give it to her. She will get all the food she needs, all of her vaccinations and, as soon as she puts on a little weight, spayed. Then we will try to find her a perfect home; she really deserves one. Eve is truly a special Halloween present.

Luna Update

We told you Luna's story in our April 2011 Newsletter. This picture was recently sent to us and I wanted to share it with all of you. This is one lucky and very happy cat.

In the event you did not read Luna's story in our Newsletter, you can read it below.

If you would like to receive our Newsletter please go to our website CLICK HERE to sign up. We would love to share our stories with you.

Luna's Story

From Box to Boudoir

By Bruce Stutz

When I called Virginia and told her Elaine and I were thinking of coming up to visit, she said it would be great to see us and that it was an amazing thing that I'd called because she had just the cat for us and, in fact, couldn't think of anyone else better to adopt it. Virginia and I had been good friends in Brooklyn, where I still lived, and she knew that one night I jumped out of my car to rescue a starving dog wandering in traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge-a white German Shepherd and Husky mix who then enjoyed a good long life shared with three growing children with whom she hiked, swam, and played.
"We'll drive up," I said. "It'll be good to see you and maybe we'll like the cat," the "maybe" only added because my partner Elaine, who had never had a cat as a pet and was none too certain she wanted one, was within earshot.

We'd never been up to Love and Hope and Virginia said that before we met this special cat she'd give us a chance to meet the scores of other cats she sheltered and administered to. The spaciousness and spotlessness of the well lit cats' quarters astonished us. (We had to put paper surgical slippers over our shoes before we entered.) And when we entered a room the cats came running, jumping down off their high perches, getting up from their cushions, and leaping from their platforms. While a few kept a cautious distance, most came to be petted, rubbing up against our legs and vying for attention, Virginia calling each by name and giving us its personal history-"found abandoned in a barn with his sister," "picked up on the street," "left when the owner moved"-the full litany of sorry stories that pets suffer-and who's friends with who.

"So about this 'special' cat?" I asked.

"She's been in quarantine to make sure she's well."

Quarantine, as it turned out, was a room just off Virginia's office where she could keep a personal eye on her wards recoveries.

"I came out to the office on a day in late October," Virginia says, "and there was a cardboard box at the door. But when I looked I saw that the box had been chewed through and whatever was in it was gone. Toward the woods I thought I saw a white kitten and started after it but it ran off and disappeared.

"As the weather got cold in November I imagined the kitten would never make it and just hoped it had found a protected place. Then, after a frigid three weeks, with a snow storm about to hit, I decided to go to the office and there, lying at the door, was the white kitten, thin, exhausted, but somehow still alive.

"I took her in-what was even more amazing was that she had had her front claws removed-and over the last month she's become just the sweetest most affectionate cat."

It was quite an introduction, and paced so well that by the time we reached the office door we were already in love with this cat we'd never even seen.

And then Virginia brought her out from the quarantine room, a pure white long-haired with a feathery Angora's tail, nuzzling so close to Virginia's throat that she could hardly pass it to me. I passed it to Elaine and the kitten nosed her way up Elaine's throat, nuzzling her face, and purring loudly. Yes, Elaine said, I think yes.

I won't try to tell you how much joy this cat we named, Luna, has brought to us. She's every bit as special as Virginia promised: beautiful, smart, and very funny; loves people; and spends a lot of her day sleeping in her favorite shopping bag. And we have Love and Hope to thank for her.

We Love Lucy

Meet our red head, named after the most famous red head of all time, Lucille Ball. Just like her namesake, she is extremely animated and had to be held for this picture; she just wouldn't be still. Lucy came here in mid August, rescued by a passerby from the side of the road, when she was about 3 weeks old and sickly. After some antibiotics and good food, Lucy has become very healthy and is leaving next week for the Big Apple to find her forever home. Since she likes other kitties, we hope that she will meet her Desi and they can have a fun filled life together. We will miss her as she is such an endearing character and really reminds us of her namesake.

After Hurricane Irene, We Are All OK!

We want to let everyone know that we were very fortunate in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Although the Sanctuary lost electrical power and it won't be restored until Saturday (we do have generators that have kept the lights on and the washing machines working), everything else is fine. All the animals are safe and there has been no damage to any of our buildings. In fact, it was such a beautiful day on Monday that the cats were able to sun themselves on the catios. However, not everyone in this area has been as blessed, and there has been a great deal of destruction and suffering. We'll do what we can to try and help the others and are truly grateful for having been spared.

Hi! I'm Bud and I am NOT a cat!

I am the newest member of the Love and Hope family, officially adopted 2 weeks ago. I am a 6 year old Black Lab and came to Love and Hope because my previous owner (a very nice man) had to surrender me to a local veterinary clinic. I had gotten sick and the vet diagnosed me as having hypothyroidism and Addison's disease, I had to be placed on an extremely expensive monthly injection as well as daily thyroid medication. My owner could not afford this medicine and asked the vet to find a good home for me. I stayed at the vet clinic for several months and in mid July two people that I didn't know brought their dogs to the clinic for their yearly physicals. The vet asked if they would foster me for the summer so I could have a chance to run and play. (I think he knew what would happen, and it did.) Two weeks ago they asked to adopt me and got the OK. I now live with them at Love and Hope together with their other 4 dogs, all rescues like me. The other dogs are pretty cool and maybe I will ask them to write stories about themselves also. Do you see the yellow tag around my neck? That's when I knew it was official; I was given this ID tag with my name, address and phone number, just like my new brothers and sisters have. Now I can ride in the Love and Hope truck, roll in the grass and swim in the pond. I'M HOME!!!

The Kitty Karavan Rolled Again

August has been a very busy month, with the Kitty Karavan traveling to many places. During this month 16 of our kittens have left for various destinations to find their forever homes. These are just a few of them; you may recognize some: the First Family and the children of the Two Mommies. The First Family were off to Rochester, New York, along with their mom. The babies of the Two Mommies headed for Flemington, New Jersey, while their moms were adopted by people near the Sanctuary. Three other kittens headed for Brooklyn, while the last little girl now resides in Trenton, New Jersey. There are many still remaining with us at the Sanctuary as they are completing their health protocol before moving on. We've all become very attached to these precious little creatures and miss them when they leave, but we know that each kitty is entitled to a person of their own and a bed and pillow to sleep on.

Catios in the Catskills

One of the favorite past times of our four legged residents is lounging on the catios. We love seeing them outside where then can bask in the sun, smell the grass and feel the breeze. We know they are perfectly safe as each catio is fenced in and netted on top. It gives them a chance to experience the outdoors while we are assured of their safety. Each one of our group cat rooms has it's own catio and outdoor space to be enjoyed, and they certainly do.

Look at Us! Our First Photos!

Well, here we are at about one month old. We are doing great but do not want to sit still to have our pictures taken. We are a little messy because we are covered in our kitty formula as we are not able to eat on our own. We are getting bigger and stronger every day. We will send some more photos once we get cleaned up a little bit.

They Are Doing Great!

The two little ones that arrived on May 21st are now a little over three weeks old and are doing great. They are still being fed by hand, but are gaining weight and are very active. Keep them in your thoughts, and hopefully next week we can post some pictures.

So Far So Good

The two little ones who arrived last week are now about ten days old and their eyes have opened. We have to give them tiny amounts of antibiotics as well as feed them every two hours. So far they are doing well. Keep that positive energy coming.

Please Send Positive Energy

On Saturday May 21st, Penny, the animal control officer, brought two one to two day old kittens to the Sanctuary. Something had happened in town and the mother had disappeared. When she didn't return, some concerned people saw the kittens and called Penny. When she arrived here, we immediately placed the kittens on a heating pad and began feeding them at two hour intervals. There is one calico (obviously a girl) and one black (gender not yet determained). As of today their eyes are still not open but they are moving around and are quite active. As you know, it is always touch and go with kittens this little so we need you to send them positive energy and thoughts. We will let you know what happens.

Oh Dear! Look I'm Here!

Our most adventurous little one has now learned to climb the crate but had to be "rescued". The crates are used only 3 times a day, so the little ones can learn to eat on their own in preparation for leaving the Two Mommies and being adopted. This little darling found a "fun" use for the crate and climbed up on her own but we had to help her down. They are growing so fast and each is developing his or her own personality. This girl is really curious and fearless.

WE ARE LAPPING!

Look at us we're lapping (and also napping)!

They're Moving!

All eight are about three and a half weeks old and as you can see are beginning to scramble on their own, they are also just beginning to play.

I hope we can post a video next time so you can see them in action.

Say Hello To Lola!

Lola is my "temporary" office mate. She is "temporary" as we hope she will have a new forever home (with a bed and pillows to sleep on) in a few months.

Lola came to the Sanctuary last June and was about one year old. She brought with her four kittens three to four weeks old. They had been found by a caring person in her yard. She contacted us and brought the entire family. The kittens were cared for and have long since been adopted.

Lola had been passing the time in one of the Sanctuary rooms where she could sun herself and be with other cats. When it was time to transport Lola to one of our partner groups to show for adoption, we saw that not only had Lola been sunning herself but that she had been eating more than her share of food. Her weight had increased from 8 1/2 pounds to 11 pounds, a little to much for her delicate frame.

Lola came to live in the office with me so her food intake can be monitored. We told her to consider this as her special time at a Health Spa. As you can see she has made herself quite at home and has lost about a pound. She has a way to go but is off to a good start and then hopefully of to a wonderful new home!