Month: August 2012

If you live in the path of or near Hurricane Isaac, there are many animal shelters and rescue groups who desperately need your help with the animals in their care.  Below is a list of five ways that you can help animals being affected by the hurricane right now!  We appreciate that you care about homeless pets.  Together we can ensure that the two-legged and four-legged members of your community are all safe.

1) FOSTER. By taking in one of the hundreds of pets being evacuated from shelters along the Gulf Coast, you can be a hero!  Opening your heart and home to a pet in need is a great way to give back.  For more on the benefits of fostering, click here.

2) ADOPT.  Please consider adopting a homeless pet in a shelter near Hurricane Isaac in order to help these shelters make room for the extra pets coming in at this time.  By choosing to adopt you will be saving many lives as all pet adoption has a domino effect of rescue.  You can even adopt an evacuated pet!

3) DONATE.  Please give generously to shelters directly affected by the hurricane, as well as to shelters nationwide that are taking in pets to help shelters in the area have the room to take in stray storm pets.  Donating directly to an animal shelter will help them offset their extra staffing costs and the increased money they’ll be spending on supplies.

4) NO ANIMAL LEFT BEHIND.  Unfortunately during times of natural disaster, sometimes animals can be separated from their owners.  Please commit to taking your pets with you and do not leave them behind. Furthermore, if you see abandoned animals in need, consider taking action by bringing them with you or call local animal control and law enforcement agencies to help get these pets out of harm’s way.

5) SPREAD THE WORD.  By taking photos, blogging, Tweeting, and posting on Facebook, you can help bring exposure to the animals in the hurricane area who need help at this time.  The more people who see the faces of pets in need, or who hear about all the incredible efforts being done to help our furry friends, the more we can all come together to be a part of life-saving work.

As we all know, it takes a village to save animals.  We thank you for being a part of ours.

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Hamsters are adorable little friends that make great pets!  Did you know you could find a hamster to adopt near you by clicking here?  Hamsters can also make easy pets because they don’t require a lot of living space, they don’t usually make huge messes that you will have to clean up after, and they can be very friendly. But there are suggested tips to keep in mind when it comes to gently holding hamsters in order to best ensure that both you and your furry rodent are getting along. Hamsters have many unique characteristics, such as cheek pouches for storing and transporting food! They’re a fascinating animal and can be quite silly and fun to have around! For a comprehensive guide on all things hamster, click here and learn more.

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If you’ve ever lived with a kitten, the expression “Midnight Kitten Zoomies” probably needs no explanation! Our feline friends are by nature nocturnal, and since kittens have boundless bucketfuls of youthful energy, nighttime is playtime for our kitten friends. For the humans sharing the household – and sleeping spaces – with one or more party-all-night-long kitten rockstars, getting a good night’s sleep can be quite a challenge the first year. A kitten without another kitten to play with often will add a Midnight Meow Mix soundtrack to the festivities too, trying to entice you (and your neighbors) to join the party in the living room… or on top of your head! Good news: it doesn’t have to be that way if you’re prepared and educated about how to channel the after-hours fun. Having fostered hundreds of kittens and helped hundreds of adopters handle the Midnight Kitten Zoomies, I’ve learned a few helpful tips that I’ve shared below. Ready? 3-2-1… Go!

1. I Could Dance All Night

Adult cats sleep 13 to 18 hours a day, say scientific studies (and many cat owners might say that’s a conservative range). But kittens, just like human kids, make the most of their awake time. Especially if you work during the day, and since it is often warmer during the day, kittens will naturally spend that time sleeping. So the first step in adjusting their sleeping times to yours is to try to keep them active and awake as much as possible during the day.

Figure out the day time times when your kitten is awake and moderately active, and try to turn those times into super active play sessions for as long as she will play, or until one of you is worn out! You can also try waking up kittens and encouraging them to play in the day. You will have to be CONSISTENT and PERSISTENT to reset their internal clock. It usually takes about 2 weeks of these new playtimes (at the same times every day) to become a routine.

If you can’t get your kitten playing during the day (say you work long hours), as soon as the sun goes down or you get home from work, try then. You may need start with your super marathon play sessions being just before you go to bed and first thing when you get up, and gradually make the night one earlier and earlier, until you have enough time to add in another one just before bed. Stop playing about 20 minutes before you actually go to bed, to let your kitten to wind down.

Interactive toys that are great for these play sessions are toys on the end of string on a pole, balls you throw, a laser toy (if you have stairs, run them up and down the stairs chasing the laser!), and wind up toys. Interactive = you are making the toy move, not just the cat.

Giving kitten a meal just before you go to bed can also put kitten in digestion/nap mode, instead of play mode.

2. Party of Two

Possibly the easiest fix to being able to sleep undisturbed through the Midnight Kitten Zoomies is adopt two same age and similar energy-level kittens and, if needed, shut them out of your bedroom when you want to sleep. Make sure you’ve totally kitten proofed your home, including all cords & wires in chew proof covers or unplugged, and anything they can knock over or off of shelves put away or attached to shelves/floors with adhesive, just like you’d do for an earthquake.

3. Party In a Box

Bucketfuls of energy need bucketfuls of toys! Have a toy box of quiet kitten toys that only gets put out right before you go to bed. Try soft fabric cat toys that glow in the dark, small kitten-proof stuffed animals (no small parts they can chew off), a wall-mounted Cat Dancer toy attached to the farthest wall, and hidey toys-in-hole-punched wooden or fabric boxes.  If you can, get enough supplies so you can rotate toys so there are different ones out each night of the week. That way kittens will see the toys as “new” each night, and new is always more fun!

My favorite night time toy is a cardboard box fort. My foster kittens quickly learned that right after I brushed my teeth, the fort was going to come out! Each night they would line up in front of the closet with the fort inside, waiting for me to take it out. Kittens are smart! I would put it in a new location each night (new location = new excitement), and you can cut new holes and doors out of it and turn it on its side or its top, or drape it with a pillow case to add a tent to the fort. Each time you change it, you make it new and super fun again.

But what if none of that works…

What if you’ve tried all the above including the daytime play sessions for two weeks, you can’t get your kitten a feline playmate, or you live in a studio apartment and earplugs won’t work as your kitten’s Midnight Zoomies include routing the race track across your face and they are meowing unhappy closed in the bathroom with lots of toys? Consider one or more motion-activated pet deterrent spray cans like this. Position them to keep your kittens totally away from your bed at all times. There are pro- and anti- water spray bottle behaviorist camps, and we have come to believe that using a water spray bottle to try to train a cat is not only often not effective, they are likely to make your kitten afraid of you. The motion activated cans do not have that risk.

(We would be remiss if we didn’t link to the most popular cat video on YouTube ever, Simon, with his version of the Midnight Kitten Pounce-ies.)

We hope these tips help you with your Midnight Kitten Zoomies until your kitten grows out of them!

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There are so many incredible pet-related videos on YouTube these days, it’s hard to know which ones to watch!  Here are our picks for this month’s favorite videos. #1: This chick sure knows how to boss a cat around. Have you ever seen a chickadee snuggle with a kitty? Oscar the cat seems to like it! And best of all, this content creator supports pet adoption. Watch Oscar & the chick video here. #2: Dunder is a wonderful German Shepherd boy with a family who loves to celebrate him. Don’t you wish all pets had it this good? Dunder wants everyone to find their next pet at Adopt-a-Pet.com and he has a new adopted brother to play with these days, too! Watch Dunder’s video click here.
#3: Is there anything cuter than a cat and a dog playing? Yeah, maybe a rescued cat and a rescued dog playing! These two lucky pets made it out of the shelter and into a loving home. Watch then living the good life here as their mom giggles on with the video camera. Click the image below to watch Crazy Cat Attacks Dog:

If you, too, create your own YouTube videos please consider including Adopt-a-Pet.com as an annotation or in the descriptive field below the video so that you can be a part of spreading the pet adoption message.

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If you’ve been reading our blog or following us on Facebook, then you already know about the Adopt-a-Pet.com Veterinary Care Fund and the $20,000 you’re helping us to distribute to some very deserving shelters and rescue groups.  So it will come as no surprise that we have updates on even more pets who have benefited from these grants:

Grant Recipient #5: A Paw Up Rescue – Prosser, WA

Working to help pets suffering from everything from pancreatitis to obesity to parvo get back “up” on their “paws,” A Paw Up Rescue – our 5th $1000 grant recipient – will see to it that even more animals in need will get the medical care they require so that they can transition on to happy forever homes. You can read more about A Paw Up here.

Grant Recipient #6: Cullen’s Archangel RescuE  – Columbia, SC

At Cullen’s Archangel RescuE (CARE), the desperate calls for help come from individuals, veterinary hospitals, and animal control officers. If an animal is in need of medical treatment, and there is no one to take responsibility for payment or to care for the pet during the recovery process, CARE, a non-profit all species animal rescue, says yes whenever possible. Now, with the funds from this grant, they will be able to help more little guys and gals, like Xavier (pictured above). Thanks to CARE, the puppy with “the most trusting eyes and the sweetest soul” is on the road to recovery.

Grant Recipient #7: Shepherds’ Hope Rescue – Glen Head, NY

Shepherds’ Hope Rescue was formed by two independent rescuers who forged an alliance to more effectively help their beloved breed, German Shepherds. As volunteers, they house their rescue dogs either in their own homes, foster homes if available, or board them with dog sitters or kennels until placed with their new families. Because they make the commitment to each and every animal to resolve any health or behavioral issues prior to adoption, Shepherds Hope Rescue appreciates the $1000 grant. With it they can provide services to the breed they have made it their mission to help, as well as other dogs in need like Snow and Mikey, whom they rescued from New York’s Animal Care and Control and found to be visually impaired, suffering from neglect, and in need of surgery for entropian.

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I was a new volunteer at the South LA Animal Shelter years ago when Cindy came up to me. She was looking for a black dog because she had heard that black pets had it especially hard at animal shelters. “It’s true,” I told her. “Black pets are more commonly overlooked or feared, so they are sadly adopted out much less.” Hearing her fears confirmed, she was set on adopting a dark canine from the shelter. I was a novice volunteer back then and I remember being so excited to help her find her match. We walked among the kennels as I showed her all the lovely animals we had up for adoption. Amidst the barking and the pleading eyes, I asked her what her lifestyle was like so that I could better help match her up with a furry friend. That’s when Cindy told me about her son Sean and how he was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Now seven years old, Cindy wanted to adopt a dog not only for herself but also to bring Sean some extra comfort and companionship.

Many studies show that autistic children with pets often improve in their communication skills. Often the social impairments that kids with autism experience can be reduced by the presence of a pet, and animal-assisted therapies are used widely to help enhance behaviors. Although much research still needs to be carried out and further assessed, it is now commonly accepted that there is a positive impact when families with an individual with autism adopt a pet. And I was determined to help Cindy find her rescued pooch so that she could help her son.

So we met a few pups, all of them joyous to be out of their kennels, licking Cindy, playful and happy. It’s amazing how much a dog can come out of his shell once he is released from his lonely kennel. Once he meets a kind touch. Once he sees the promise of friendship. Sascha came out first. She was a black Shepherd mix who had way too much energy for Sean, Cindy felt. I made a note to reach out to the local Shepherd Rescues and we put Sascha back in her kennel after many belly rubs and treats. Zucko was a little black Chihuahua mix and Cindy worried he’d be too small for Sean. I made yet another note to reach out to my friend Analee who loves to foster Chihuahuas. One of the hardest things about being a shelter volunteer is that once you meet the animals, once you interact and it hits you how incredibly loving and amazing each personality is, it’s tough not to feel compelled to help get them out of the shelter. Conversely, it’s also one of the best parts about being a shelter volunteer. You get to fall in love over and over again, you get to help save lives and watch them walk out the door, into safety, wiggling as they go as if they’re blowing kisses to thank you.

I brought out Angel and almost immediately I knew this would be Cindy and Sean’s dog. A Labrador mix, she was the perfect sized. Five years old, she had that great blend of energy and mellowness. Cindy looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “Angel is the one we’ve been waiting for.” She adopted Angel that day, and because she was already spayed, she was able to bring her home.

I’ve kept in touch with Cindy. She sends emails with updates and pictures so that I can share in Angel’s new life, and in Sean’s new progress. Cindy even reported to me recently that since Sean’s diagnosis, she has not been able to sleep without him, not even for a single night. He has always been so afraid of the dark. But now, she was thrilled to let me know that, thanks to Angel who climbs into bed with Sean every evening, she has not only been able to stay up later on her own so that she can read or watch television, she’s even been able to go on a few dates! All because of Angel’s presence, Sean has been calmed, he feels safer, he has opened up, he has found his best friend. And Angel has found the forever family she always deserved.

Stories like this happen every day. Volunteers at shelters and rescue groups across the county making matches, witnessing miracles, sighing in relief that another pet they love found a happy home. You, too, can be a part of these wonderful events by volunteering at your local shelter and by choosing to adopt when it’s time to get your next pet. Because there are so many Angels out there who are ready to love and heal you if you let them.

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From September 20th through the 29th in New York City the love of animals will be celebrated through art thanks to the creative vision of curator/writer Alix Sloan and the generosity of AFA Gallery.  “Awakened,” an exhibition and fundraising event inspired by pet companions that brighten all of our lives, will take place at AFA in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will be donated to Adopt-a-Pet.com, which will help us to help the many thousands of homeless pets we serve. For this special ten-day exhibition, curator Alix Sloan has challenged over sixty artists to create works inspired by the powerful impact of animals in our lives and homes. This exhibition holds a special place in Sloan’s heart as it also serves as a celebration of the completion of Alix’s novel “Pet Sitter: A Jenna Stack Mystery,” a labor of love co-authored with writer Amy Eyrie.

In addition to the exhibition of original artwork, the cocktail reception – held September 22nd, 2012 from 5pm-8pm – will also feature hard to find prints (including the now-famous ADOPT image created by Shepard Fairey for Adopt-a-Pet.com!) in a live auction led by our very own Pia Salk.

For an invitation to the reception or for more information about the exhibition and to find how you can purchase or bid on featured art from afar, please visit afanyc.com or contact AFA at info@afanyc.com or 212-226-7374 or Alix Sloan at alix@sloanfineart.com.

Let’s admit it. YouTube is really for watching cute pet videos. And boy do we have one for you! If you want to watch a bunch of sweet kittens playing together and enjoying their foster home catio, just click here! These white kitten siblings were taken in by our very own Director of Shelter Outreach, Jennifer Warner Jacobsen. She is an amazing foster, giving them a lot of love and getting them ready for happy forever homes. And if you think Jennifer’s catio is as awesome as we do, please make sure you check out our blog next Tuesday where you will see a whole tour of just how wonderful her catio really is!

You too can become a foster parent and experience the thrill that comes with opening your heart and home to pets in need. Fostering is an incredibly valuable way to help homeless pets as often rescue groups cannot pull animals from the shelter without foster homes. If you’d like to learn more about fostering pets, please click here! You can also fill out a volunteer profile on our homepage by clicking on the “Get Involved – Lend a Helping Paw!” tab where we will connect you with rescue groups in your area looking for volunteers. There are so many lovable kitties just like these at your local shelter who would love to spend some time with you, or better yet get adopted!

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We love hearing from happy adopters who have used Adopt-a-Pet.com to find their new furry friend! Here’s an email we received with a great photo from Susan, who found her dog thanks to the Adopt-a-Pet.com Search Saver email alerts! “I just had to write to let you know that I have found my new best friend, Snickers (pic to the left). I was able to find her with the help of your website. A couple of months ago, I put in a “saved search” with general specifics and received an email every day with possible matches. (My heart goes out to all the wonderful animals searching for a new home.) Once I saw the picture of Snickers, I knew she was the girl for me. I went thru the adoption process with Fassa Friends and on Saturday, brought Snickers to my home. She is great! The reason for this mail is to let you know that if it wasn’t for your website, I wouldn’t have found Snickers and we may never have met. So thank you for the wonderful work you do… it works! Sincerely, Susan”

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