Rural King - Rantoul

CATsNAP was at the Rantoul Rural King on Saturday for an adoption event.  We brought a few of our adoptable kittens and the store provided free flea dipping for community dogs.  While we didn't have any adoption interest, we were able to talk to lots of people about our program and pass out an entire stack of spay / neuter flyers. 

The staff was very friendly and accommodating with us and had a table set up for us when we arrived.  
Who can resist this face?  Little Calvin was quite the charmer on Saturday.   We had to wrap blankets on the front his crate as he kept trying to wiggle his way to freedom.  
We have lots of kittens in the program right now.  Kitten season is in full swing and our foster moms (and dads!) are working hard to keep these babies happy and healthy.   They are all doing an amazing job for these little ones.  

Lila

CATsNAP rescued Lila from a trailer park at the end of February. This beautiful girl is all kitten! She likes to spend her days climbing on everything she can get her paws on, chasing other cats and playing with toys. She LOVES other cats, but is very shy around new people. Once she warms up to you, she's just perfect. She meets her foster mom at the door whenever she comes home, likes to snuggle on the couch and bite toes at 7 in the morning. Lila is FIV+ and would do best with another FIV+ cat or two for her to play with. However, she currently lives with 2 FIV- cats with no problem. Lila is an indoor only cat and is fed a high quality diet.

FIV+ status is not a death sentence for cats; they can lead long, wonderful and healthy lives just like any other cat. FIV is not transmitted to other cats by close contact, but typically through serious bite wounds. There is some more information online on at pet education and cat health.

I also found the following facts from the Best Friends' website -

FIV Facts
1. The Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus is a slow virus that affects a cat's immune system over a period of years.
2. FIV is a cat-only disease and cannot be spread to humans or other non-felines.
3. FIV cats most often live long, healthy, and relatively normal lives with no symptoms at all.
4. FIV is not easily passed between cats. It cannot be spread casually - like in litter boxes, water and food bowls, or when snuggling and playing. It is rarely spread from a mother to her kittens.
5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.)
6. A neutered cat, in a home, is extremely unlikely to infect other cats, if properly introduced.
7. Many vets are not educated about FIV since the virus was only discovered 15 years ago.
8. FIV-positive cats should be kept as healthy as possible. Keep them indoors and free from stress, feed them a high-quality diet, keep and treat any secondary problems as soon as they arise.

CATsNAP also has 2 more friendly FIV+ cats (Bear and Fiona) in the program. Send me an email if you would like more information about these 3 cats.

Currently at Petsmart

CATsNAP has just over a week left to show cats at the adoption center at Petsmart.  The month started off a bit slow, but luckily, we had several adoptions by the middle of the month.  This weekend Vinny, Bessie and Charcoal all went to their forever homes.  Right now we have - 

Sunshine - 2-year old orange girl

Sadie - small tabby girl. She is shy, but very sweet once she gets to know you.

Miss Kitty - DSH tabby

Annie - DLH black kitty

Violet - DLH gray and white female

Sally - DLH Russian Blue

Ebby - 12-week old white kitten

We brought in 3 small, gray female kittens yesterday from Paxton.   They are adorable and are sharing a cage with Ebby.

Bear and Fiona went to foster care this morning for few days to relax and stretch out their toes. They should be back at the store by the end of this week. 

I really hope we can place some of these cats by the end of the month.  A few of them have been in the program for quite a while and are ready (and very patiently waiting) for a permanent home.   

Campustown Kittens

I wanted to introduce you to two more adorable kittens that will be available for adoption in a few weeks. They are both 7 weeks and were found living underneath an apartment building on campus (correction: they were trapped in a backyard by the Parkland College area. We've been trapping lots of kittens lately and I can't keep them straight). Here's what their foster mom has to say about these great kittens -

The two little ones at my house are Jeremy (black) and Finnegan (gray and white). Both are sweet and wonderful! Polly is taking good care of them. Jeremy's hobbies include playing hide and seek and stalking plastic drinking straws (they make a satisfying crunch when caught). Finnegan likes nothing more than cuddling on someone's tummy. He also is a big fan of feathered teaser toys and wet kitten food.

Saturday Events

We'll be making an appearance this weekend at Pet Supplies Plus (2821 W Kirby Ave ) from 11am-1pm. They'll be having a dog wash and we'll be showing a kitten or two! Ms. Kitty may be there to take pictures with kids.
See you there!

Cat Spay / Neuter Monthy Clinics

I was trying to post just the flyer, but unfortunately, every time I tried to enlarge, it kept getting distorted. As tech-savvy as I am, couldn't figure out how to correct it (no surprise there).

Anyhow, I wanted to highlight the once-a-month spay/neuter clinics that are being offered though the Central Illinois Animal Welfare Coalition, which we are a part of. It's a wonderful program and is really helping to curb the numbers of kittens we are seeing born this season.

Please pass the information around!


Cat Spay/Neuter
Monthly Clinics
Low cost spay and neuter surgeries provided by licensed
veterinarians to low income families of Champaign and Douglas
county residents with cats at:
Champaign County Animal Services Facility
Champaign County Humane Society
Services Included:
• Spay/Neuter
• Flea Treatment
• Microchipping
• Vaccines (incl. Rabies)
• Rabies registration
Leave message at 217-819-3535 for
more information or to register
Organized by the Central Illinois Animal Welfare Coalition
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En Español: spay y neutralizan las cirugías proporcionadas por los veterinarios
autorizados a las familias del sueldo bajo de los gatos. Para mas información,
telefono 217-819-3535.

Holy Cuteness!!!!

This has to be the cutest kitten ever! Meet 5-week old Shiloh. Born in mid-May, she was abandoned by her mother at about 4 weeks of age. She is currently in foster care and loves dogs, kids, and well, everyone! She will be spayed and ready to go in mid-July.

Weekend Events

We had a lot going on at CATsNAP this weekend in addition to several adoptions including Frisky, TT and Puffball. We also have an adoption pending for Charlie. I'm really hoping the adoptions continue strong through the rest of the month.

Two of our young volunteers, Wesley and Bridgette had their very own garage sale to raise money for us. They worked really hard on the first 'Kids for Kats event! They spent most of Friday night setting up and all day Saturday working the sale and helping Ms. Kitty attract customers to the sale. They raised $150 for cats! Wait to go, Bridgette and Wesley!




We also had a great time at the Urbana Farmer's Market. Both veterans and a brand new volunteer helped at the table.

A nice couple stopped in and donated a litter box, treats, beds and cleaning supplies to us. We are always in need of items like that for the cats. A woman also came to the table a wrote a very generous check of $25o to CATsNAP.

I can't even begin to say how much the kittens appreciate (and need) monetary and supply donations. Between the two events, we raised about $400. For a small rescue group, this money goes a long way. $400 will-

• Spay / neuter 11 feral cats
• Keep our resident diabetic, Berber with insulin and needles for almost a year
• Provider litter for all of our foster moms for 4 months
• Buy us enough lime dip to insure cats stay ringworm free over a year
• Feed over two dozen kittens with canned food for a month

Every bit helps. Every dollar adds up and helps homeless animals in our community who rely on us to keep them safe and warm.

Farmer's Market

If you're planning on shopping at the Urbana Farmer's Market tomorrow, stop by and see us! We'll have a table set up at the Market and we'll be passing out information/sign up sheets for our once-a-month spay/neuter clinics.

I'll post some more information on the spay/neuter clinics within the next few days, but if you're needing immediate assistance, send me an email and we'll get in contact with you.

We still have a great group of kitties at Petsmart right now through the end of the month. Just arrived is Charlie, a two-year old, front declawed boy. He is super friendly and would fit in just about anywhere. There are mostly adults at Petsmart right now, but we have several kittens in foster care right now. You can view all of our wonderful cats and kittens on our Petfinder site, including 7 -week old Finnegan, who is loves to have his picture taken but gets a little too close to the camera.

Kittens and Kitties

Can't believe how we skipped Spring and its mild temps and jumped into Summer with its energy-draining humidity. It seems as if kitten season is well on its way. Props to our wonderful volunteers who spend their time and energy trying to trap those innocent souls. And props to the volunteers who foster these cuties until they are either well enough or old enough to go to their forever homes.

Unfortunately, kittens get adopted quickly leaving cats that are a little older and senior kitties to languish in shelters and rescues. So my post today is to highlight some of these cats that have been up for adoption for quite a while, who have not found their forever home where they will be loved.

So please, take a look at some of these that have been with us for some time. Don't forget, kitten cuteness lasts only so long and then they are adults.