Happy Wednesday Furiends!

We had a bit of a scare in our neck of the woods and, since said scare involved my brother Oliver, I’m going to let him tell you what happened.

Hi, it’s me Oliver. It’s been a hard week for this feline. If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook you already know a bit about the debacle but I will be filling you in on more details.

Two days after The Human ended her travel she noticed that I was running back and forth into all four litter boxes and regular intervals. I seemed a bit agitated and, when I went in the litter box I strained and strained but there was very little happening. Fortunately The Human knows about a lot of cat stuff and she immediately figured out that I had either crystals or a blockage. It was night by that time and the only emergency vet in our neck of the woods is over an hour away so she called the stabby place we normally go to, left a message and asked for an early morning emergency visit.

Sure enough, the good folks at Pend Oreille Veterinary service called her at the crack of dawn and she hustled me out of the house. (We’ve reported about our stabby place before and it’s actually a great place as far as stabby places go). The Human unceremoniously rousted me from my sleep and had me dressed in my harness and leash in a quick minute. She carried me out to the car, settled me in the passenger seat, secured my leash and then shut the door. When she grabbed the stroller (it’s easier to roll this 21 1/2 pound feline than schlep me in a carrier) when one wheel fell off. She didn’t have time to fix it so off we went.

Our usual vet trip takes 7-10 minutes but this morning we had to deal with construction and a detour that turned the trip into 30 minutes. Needless to say The Human was frazzled (and completely coated in white hair) by the time we got there.

To make a long story not quite so long, Dr. Vogel gave me a good exam, prescribed an antibiotic and some pain meds and we were ready to head home. The Human picked me up, wrapped the leash around her hand and out the door we went, only to be met by another human who was right at the door with her big German Shepherd. This feline has never had such a close encounter with a barkie and it was making me nervous. As the woman didn’t seem inclined to move for us and, as I began to think I would be meeting my maker right here at the door of the stabby place I decided to let the human know that I had been thoroughly unblocked and let loose, drenching her. It was a smelly ride home let me tell you but after The Human showered and cleaned the car, things were back to normal. And, you know we love happy endings at Feline Opines and this story has a double happy ending. Not only am I feeling like my old self again but I lost ONE POUND when they weighed me in at the stabby place, so all’s well that ends well. I will finish my harrowing tale by providing you with a link from PetMD about this problem, how to know if we have it and why it’s important to get to the stabby place as soon as possible if you suspect it.

I bid you all a happy and healthy adieu until next week.

The Black Cat Café – Dining with a Purrpose

I’ve reported on many pawsome people doing great things for cats but this is in the “above and beyond” category. The Black Cat Café in Devon, PA is run by an excellent chef and volunteers who serve first class handcrafted food in a cozy, delightful atmosphere and who donate ALL proceeds to cat rescue. You heard me, 100% of proceeds go directly to funding the needs of homeless, abandoned, injured and sick cats and kittens. And even though they raise funds for cats, the food they offer is quality and homemade prepared by a certified staff. The Black Cat Cafe is owned and operated by PALS (www.palspets.org), a 501c3 pet rescue.

Love Island producers flying stray cats home – including one named after famous host

The Human is a bit of a reality TV junkie (she always says truth is stranger (and funnier) than fiction. One reality show she’s watched one or two episodes of (not really her cup of tea) had received her kudos because the love that blossomed at the Love Island villa wasn’t just between humans.,

Producers of the show fell in love with a family of stray cats who moved into the Majorca site, and they are flying a mother and kitten back to the UK when filming ends.

One has been named Meowa Jama after host Maya Jama, whose filming was interrupted by the playful kittens.

Another has been named Prem, after the show’s editing system – and Prem and her kitten will be flown back to Britain to live with a member of the show’s production team.

A source said: “The cats have been an integral part of this series behind the scenes. They occasionally venture into the villa and have even disrupted filming. Scenes had to be reshot but everyone loved them so much they didn’t mind.

“The cats have appeared on Love Island’s Unseen Bits, as producers wanted to let viewers see their new pals. “The crew even has pictures of them on a wall covered in photos of the pets they are missing from back home.

So there you go, cat rescue happens in some of the strangest of places.

Türkiye’s Cat Town, sanctuary for stray cats

Cat Town, a sanctuary for stray cats in central Türkiye (Turkey), provides a comfortable home for homeless cats.  Turkey is known for caring for it’s many stray felines that appear almost everywhere in the streets of towns and there are many cat lovers who care for these homeless cats.

I’ve reported on the colorfully painted cat shelters that can be found on the streets of Turkish cities, all maintained and food provided by kind citizens.  

The Kocasinan Municipality in the central province of Kayseri has taken this care one step further and built a  600-square-meter Cat Town to provide a sanctuary for homeless kitties.

The felines have all they need in the sanctuary: playgrounds, bungalow huts, bridges, tunnels, climbing tracks, and scratching trees.

Stray cats that are brought to the facility are neutered and placed in a separate place to adapt before joining the other inhabitants of the facility.

Mehmet Cingil, a veterinarian who cares for the cats in residence noted that the sanctuary provides a place for cat lovers who are unable to keep pets at home and also exposes people to the wonderful creatures that cats are. School children also visit the sanctuary frequently.

“We want to instill in the youngsters the love for animals, how to show empathy, and how to care for them,” said Mehmet Dogan, a municipal official.”We try to explain to the youngsters that stray or not, cats and animals, in general, are not a nuisance,” added Dogan.

Now wouldn’t it be wonderful if all humans wanted to teach children how to love and care for animals?

Florida Couple Creates Cat Retirement Home

The Human always says that there’s a special place in heaven for the kind people who adopt senior cats. This couple takes that kindness to a new level. My feline furiends, imagine a place where you and your friends could socialize, nap, eat dinner together and explore in your golden years.

Sounds pawsome doesn’t it? Well, Terry and Bruce Jenkins have created this community in their backyard—but not for people. Their Lutz, Florida, sanctuary is retirement living for older cats, who get to stay forever.

“Most of them have come from hardship situations, and we don’t adopt out. The cats live with us for the duration of their lives,” says Terry, 77. “Our mission is to rescue senior cats that need a home.”

The effort started in part because the pair were looking to adopt a kitten and Terry visited their veterinarian asking about a young cat. Someone there overheard her request and asked her to consider adopting an older cat there to be euthanized. “Of course, I took the cat,” Terry says.

“I found a real purpose in caring for these animals who, in many ways, were a reflection of where I was in life, too,” Terry says.  

The backyard is a haven for the cats or a cat “Disneyland,” as Bruce, 77, calls it. The couple repurposed a “Frontierland” play area they had constructed for their children — complete with a hotel, a general store, a saloon and a sheriff’s office. They adapted it for the cats, and now it also includes feline play areas, napping spots, scratching posts and more.

“We had a vision where they could be free the way I think cats would like to be free outside, but protected,” Terry says.

“They feel secure here. The fact that they can go and sleep up on a bridge over a lake — I mean, how good is that?” Bruce says.

Cats come to Cats Cradle through veterinarians’ offices and private homes, particularly where someone might be ill and unable to take care of their pet. The couple have rescued more than 350 cats over the years and plan to continue their efforts.

“We discovered the special quality of older cats. They had qualities in their older years that young cats don’t have,” Terry says. “Maybe that’s true of people as well. You just have to discover it.” The Tribe and The Human says “God bless these folks for their compassion and important work!” If you want to meet some of the Cat’s Cradle felines, check out the video feed on their website.

This therapy cat is raising spirits at a Dallas pediatric hospital

Every few weeks, Sarah Dutton arrives with a clear, hard shell backpack with mesh sides and several air vents at Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas. Once inside, the precious cargo is removed, leashed, and together, Dutton and Harry begin delivery of a dose of medicine that doctor’s can’t prescribe.  Harry is her cat. She says, “You can do anything with Harry.  You can touch his ears, you can touch his tail, you can touch his paws, even his whiskers.”

She and Harry met when Dutton and her husband found the feline in the middle of a road and had been run over. After they nursed him back to health and gave him a forever home, Harry began his journey as a therapy cat.

During his twice monthly visits, Harry might sit in the lap of a child in a wheelchair, or curl up in a bed beside a patient at Scottish Rite. Sometimes nurses or parents hold him.

“He’s the calmest cat I’ve ever seen,” laughed Sam Bryant, a certified pediatric nurse, as she held him.

Scottish Rite is world-renowned for treating complex orthopedic conditions, especially limb differences and that is one reason Harry connects so well with this hospital’s patients.

When Dutton’s husband found Harry, more than one veterinarian clinic said he probably needed to be euthanized. But the couple wasn’t convinced. He ended up losing a leg and shoulder to amputation but he recovered fully. And as he healed, Dutton saw the potential for him to help heal others.

“The fact that he had three legs. I felt like he could touch some people — show that you can get hurt and be disabled and be totally fine and live a normal life,” Dutton said.

She and Harry trained through Pet Partners, completing hours of training online and in person.

Harry might not be the kind of medicine doctors prescribe, but the special connection he makes with patients is its own kind of cure. “I feel like he understands a lot of people’s emotions and what they need,” said Dutton. Paws up to Harry and his human for all the good work they do!