New Kitties: Blanca and Lupita

Meet Blanca and Lupita, two of the kitties Lori is fostering right now.

This is Blanca:

She's a kitten, probably around 7 months old. She was found as a stray, and spent some time in a shelter before coming to us. She's a sweetheart and a purr-machine. Although she's had a rough start to life, she's learning to play and getting strong. Blanca will be ready for adoption in a few weeks.


This is Lupita:

Lupita is a three year old beautiful Russian blue with bright green eyes. Unfortunately she had been in a shelter since 2009, until we rescued her. She loves to play and be petted. Lupita will be ready for adoption as soon she is spayed.

Both of these kitties came from a high-kill shelter in Southern Illinois. They came to us with upper respiratory infections. But after some TLC from Lori, they're all better and completely healthy. They both love to snuggle and get along with both cats and dogs.

Get in touch with us if you're interested in meeting either Blanca or Lupita!

A New Petfinder Home Page

Just this morning, we launched our new Petfinder home page! It should be easier than ever to find your new feline bestie on our pet list and stay connected with CatSnap through our blog, Facebook page, and You Tube channel. Take a look at the new page!

Our Volunteers

I just wanted to say thanks to all of our volunteers who truly make a difference in our animal's lives.

Volunteers who don't hesitate to roll up their sleeves and spend their evening bleaching cages up at Petsmart for hours. Volunteers who spend time visiting the cats and helping them pass the time in a small cage and refreshing their surroundings. Volunteers who help with the spay/neuter clinic. Volunteers who spend a weekend day at special adoption events, and so much more.

As you can see, it's just not one-dimensional, but so much more.

How rewarding it is to have you all as a part of Catsnap.

The many hats of Farley

Fostering a special-needs cat sometimes is a little hard on the heart. As a foster "mom" to Farley, I am witness to unconditional love constantly and it's hard to not fall in love a little more each day.

I hope that one day he will find his perfect home that will take him as he is.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures:

The Ruthless Goats

We had a great turnout for the 'Goats for Cats' benefit at the Iron Post last Saturday. The Iron Post was very gracious to host an event for us and 'The Ruthless Goats' were amazing!

We raised quite a bit of money for our spay/neuter program and all the money goes directly to help Champaign's homeless animals.

In addition to the money that was raised at the door and donated by people attending the event, Neil Culpepper from Kane and Company (41 East University / (217) 359-2424) donated several gift certificates for us to give out for people who donate $25 or more. We have a few left, so if you would like one, we'll have them for the event we're having at Mike and Molly's on February 27. We're lucky to have such wonderful people support our work. If you are interested in having Neil make you beautiful, there is more information about him on his website.

And it's the beginning of the month, so CATsNAP cats are back in the Petsmart adoption center. They started to arrive this morning and we have several adult cats and a few kittens who are all ready for their forever homes!

Update on Red

Red had a full vetting on Monday and it looks like he is going to be ok. He has large wounds and scabs over most of his body, but the vet was able to shave and clean them out. He's about 15 lbs and he will make a great cat for someone.

Injured cat

This gorgeous orange male just found his way to us Saturday night (1/16). He has a serious injury on his head that will be evaluated on Monday. Unfortunately, his condition is far too common for cats who are abandoned. He was clearly someone's cat at some point, because he is super friendly. But, he's been outside during the freezing temps.


He wants everyone to know that he is a lover, not a fighter. He will be interviewing for a warm bed and some catnip shortly.

Goats for Cats!

Come out to hear The Ruthless Goats at the Iron Post on Saturday, January 30th from 6-9pm. Proceeds benefit CatSnap! See our Facebook event page.

Phoebe and Lila

CATsNAP alums 'pretending' that they don't like each other. Phoebe (maine coon) was trapped outside in a bad part of town and is around 10 years old. She is missing a few teeth and has an old foot injury from her time outside. Lila was trapped at a trailer park outside of town and was very sick when we first got her. They are both very lucky to be inside and well cared for.

Jonesie!!!

This just can't be the most comfortable position to fall asleep....

Bogey

No, this isn't a thinner Jonesie. This is golf cat, Bogey. A CATsNAP volunteer found him a few weeks ago after he had been abandoned at a local golf course. He's now warm, well-fed and neutered (hooray!).

I've been watching him for the last few days until his foster mom comes back from vacation. I love this cat!! I'm really hoping that someone will adopt him soon, 'cause I'm really liking me some Bogey. I've gotten quite attached to him. He loves to snuggle, loves other cats and dogs and is an all-around awesome cat.

Seriously, will someone please adopt this cat?

Resolutions for 2010

Jonesie wanted me to share his 2010 resolutions with everyone:

1. Lose those last stubborn 5 lbs

2. Find an awesome home

3. Nap more

So far, he's lost a 1/2 lb and continues to moniter his caloric intake. He had blood work last week to make sure his thyroid and blood sugar were at normal levels, and we're happy to report that he's as healthy as can be. He just needs a home. He gets along well with other cats and dogs, but not with very young children. He is front-declawed and has good litter box habits.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun celebration last night. We moved all the cats from the Petsmart adoption center and into foster homes. 2009 was a successful and productive year for us and I am hoping for an even busier 2010! If volunteering is on your list of resolutions, consider volunteering for us! We always need people to foster, clean cages at Petsmart and trap feral cats.

We have an adorable special needs cat, 'Wiggles' that is looking for a forever home. She has a condition known as Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH), also known as 'wobbly kitten syndrome.' It is not contagious and there is no cure (however, it does not get worse with age). It is generally caused from exposure to a viral infection (such as feline panleukopenia), poisoning or malnutrition during fetal development. She has a very mild form of the disease and she should lead a long, healthy life. She is very playful and gets along well with other cats.

Lionel and Mistletoe

Tomorrow is our last day at the Petsmart adoption center until February 1. We've had a *very* busy month and a lot of adoptions! I'm pretty sure all of the volunteers are ready for a break and the cats will enjoy going back into their foster homes where they'll have more room to run around. Cats can still be adopted from their foster homes during the months we are not at Petsmart.

As we've had quite a few adoptions this month, we've been able intake quite a few new cats that were in need of our help. Meet Mistletoe (dilute tortie) and Lionel (buff boy) who are about 16 weeks old. They are the nicest kittens and demand love and attention.

Also, thank you to all the volunteers who worked long hours during our 'Pictures with Santa' event last week. We received both monetary and food donations and helped get the word out about our program.

Pictures With Santa

We'll be at Petsmart this Saturday from 11-4 for 'Pictures with Santa.' We'll also have a few volunteers at the front of the store accepting donations for the cats (food, litter, toys, etc).

Hope everyone braves the pre-Christmas traffic and comes out to help us raise some money for the cats!

This is one of my favorite pictures. This is foster dad and all-around awesome guy Jack, who sat in the Santa suit all day last year to take pictures with the animals and didn't complain once! Some of you may remember little Leo, who was the sneeziest kitten ever.

Mischief

Poor Mischief...she found her way to us with a severely broken right rear leg. She won't tell us what happened either.

She went to the U of I Vet School and had the leg surgically repaired. She is only about 8 months old and should completely recover and the have full use of her leg. Her pins will be removed around Christmas and she'll be as good as new!

Kali is Home!

CATsNAP rescued itty bitty Kali several weeks ago and she is in her new home! Kali was found abandoned under a bush when she was only a few weeks old.

She has wonderful new parents, lots of toys and is adjusting well. She is the fluffiest, sweetest kitten and we're so happy that she has such a happy ending.

We're back at Petsmart!

I don't know where the days are going - I swear, I blinked and November was gone! So here's a few of the highlights from November:

*Special-needs cats Lila and Gypsy have both been adopted by CATsNAP volunteers!

*We raised about $400 dollars at 2 Bergner's events for our food and litter program.

We're back in the Petsmart adoption center for the month of December. The new PVC beds are in all the cages, and they are amazing. One volunteer worked all month long and made all the fleece beds for us. They keep the cages cleaner, and give the cats a place to sleep and hide that's not their litter box. I can't even tell you how excited I am for these beds!

If you're looking to adopt a wonderful cat, please go to Petsmart and take a look at Chelsea. She's about 3 years old and is a sweet (yet shy) cat. She's now looking for her THIRD (and final!) home. Her last people simply decided that they were "no longer cat people" and she came back to us. She is a bit on the quiet side and will take some time to adjust once she does get into a home. She also seems to bond a bit more quickly to women than men. She would thrive in a quiet home where she can just be herself.

Also, we'll hosting "Pictures with Santa" on December 19 at Petsmart. See you there!

Welcome Jonesie

Meet large and in-charge Jonesie, a 5 to 6 year old neutered and front declawed male left homeless after his owner passed away. Yes, Jonesie is on a diet. He was 20.6lb and is down to 18.8lb. He is a nice cat and can move quickly (believe it or not) when he feels like it. He is looking for a loving home that will help get his weight down a little more. He likes other cats and does not seem at all bothered by dogs.

More Kittens!

It's seems like we've been especially flooded with cats over the last few days! One of our feral cat trappers caught another 6 cats this morning and there appears to be 8 more cats in this particular colony that still need to be trapped and fixed. Let's hope she gets the rest before the cold really hits us!

One of our foster moms took in these 5 the other day. We've just pulled them out from a high-kill shelter and they will be ready for adoption within the next few weeks!

Jake

Benjamin

Amelia

Ava

Hannah