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Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

Hola kitties! Are you aware that today is Remember Me Thursday®? Of course you are. The Helen Woodward Animal Center created this campaign (and is sponsoring this post) that means the world to this little ghetto kitteh who was once a shelter cat. Remember Me Thursday® is a global awareness campaign uniting individuals and pet adoption organizations around the world as an unstoppable, integrated voice for orphan pets to live in forever homes. 

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

Did you know that around 6.5 million animals enter U.S. shelters nationwide every year? According to recent data, approximately one million shelter animals are euthanized each year mainly due to overcrowding, without a forever home, which gives this kitteh leaky eyes. This number has decreased in the last decade due to the diligence of rescue groups, the 40% of U.S. shelters that are no-kill and days like this. Just 30% of pets in households in the United States are rescue pets. Sad.

Here are some other grim statistics according to the the ASPCA, Humane Society and Best Friends:
  • Around 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year.
  • Annually, 6.5 million animals enter US shelters.
  • About 70% of cats entering shelters are euthanized in the US every year.
  • Five states are responsible for 50% of shelter euthanasia.
  • There are around 70 million stray animals in the US. 

Today the entire world will share the importance of pet adoption and shine a light on all orphan pets waiting in shelters and rescues as well as those living in our communities. For the past nine years, people using the #RememberTheRescue and #RememberMeThursday hashtags has more than 1.5 billion impressions on social media! Join the 700 welfare organizations in 190 countries that have participated. In 2021 let's strive to reach even more people.

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

You can help by entering their contest to win for your rescue or shelter. Take a picture of your rescue pet and post it on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #RememberMeThursday and tagging @hwac and you're entered to win 1000 lbs of pet food, one of three cash prizes topping out at $5000 and lots of toys for those less fortunate anipals. Snap and share today to make a difference in the lives of orphaned pets.

WHO IS THIS LITTLE GHETTO KITTEH SHINING MY CANDLE FOR?

This year I'm shining my candle for the innocent cats caught in a hoarding situation. You've read about hoarding situations on the interwebs. This topic hit home over the summer with the little ghetto kitteh when a good friend of TW told her about a neighbor who was rushed to the hospital. This neighbor had more than two dozen cats inside her apartment which Liz has been coming in to feed, scoop boxes, vet and medicate and finally to rehome. I'm gonna let spokescat Felix talk a bit about himself, his situation and his fursibs.

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

Hi! I'm Felix and I want to tell you about me and my “family.” Over a month ago, my human, Maria, collapsed in our apartment and was rushed to the hospital. She had suffered a minor heart attack and also had a serious infection throughout her body. I’m not sure exactly what all that means, but I haven't seen her in a long time.

I've heard them say Maria is a cat hoarder. She rescued me, and so many other cats that it’s impossible to count all of us. I’m guessing there are 25-30 of us living in our large, one bedroom apartment. It doesn’t feel cramped, because she didn’t hoard anything else.

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats
This is just a few of us at feeding time.

Even though Maria hasn't come home, we still get room service. Three humans have been visiting multiple times daily to feed and medicate us, scoop the litter and clean the apartment. It's a lot of work and I’ve heard them say that they’re ready to drop. Drop what, I don’t know but I hope they don't drop it on me. They do a lot for us for no pay. Did I mention, they are trying find us forever/foster homes with fewer cats? That can't be bad. 

Last week eight of us got scooped up and put in crates so they could observe and medicate us. I don't like to be in a crate! (They said some of us are sick with giardia?!) I eat, drink, pee and poop A LOT because I have a thyroid problem. The lady hides a little pill in a treat ball every night for me, but it hasn’t started helping yet. I overheard that it can take a few weeks.

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

Of course I’m the worst escape artist. I’m also the sickest & so skinny, I can slip right by anyone. One of the people, as insurance from my getting impossibly away, closed the bedroom door last week and realized she had locked herself in! The old doorknob mechanism broke, but luckily, she was able to gently twist it around without the doorknob falling completely off and finagled her way out. Some HBO words were spoken I’d never heard before. From then on, she made sure to have her phone on her and taped the door so it can’t latch. I suppose she could have climbed out the window, but she doesn’t look all that limber.

This week eight of us were scooped up again and taken in the big tin can to 11th Hour Rescue, who have agreed to help our super stressed human volunteers in vetting and rehoming us. Hooray for EHR! I must say I didn't behave too well at all and neither did some of my usually friendly roommates.

Anyway, about me. I'm a super, duper friendly, neutered guy cat who's FeLV/FIV negative. I haven't been vaxxed yet cos I'm being treated for something called hyperthyroidism. I'm super skinny even though I eat all the time. I don't like being crated and would like a home where I can roam and stretch my paws.



This is a .gif of some of my roommates and it tells a bit about them if'n you're a speed reader. If you'd like more information or to see more images, visit Maria's Cats on Facebook or email LizW.UCat@gmail.com. The link to the foster/adoption forms are also on the FB page. 

Thank you to TLC (The Lucky Cat Rescue) and Eleventh Hour Rescue, our partners to help us find homes. Please feel free to share my roommates and myself as sharing is caring. We all need homes before our home is put up for sale and … shudder …

Remember Me Thursday: Saving/Rehoming Maria's Cats

CK here again. Thanks Felix and best of luck! Isn't he handsome? Usually in hoarding situations, when the human gets sick, dies or is reported, the innocent cats wind up at the mercy of animal control. The elderly and sick ones are euthanized as well as those who aren't "adoptable" or adopted in a few days. Liz is trying not to get Animal Control involved. Please remember, hoarding cats isn't saving cats. Without caring humans like L. and K., it could be a death sentence waiting to happen.

Today, September 23, 2021, let’s get the entire world talking about pet adoption. Tweet, tag, post and share the beauty and life-saving significance of pet adoption on social media. Let’s honor the 1+ million orphan pets who ran out of time and help #SeeTheLight for the rescues that we can still help including Maria's Cats.

Would you like to comment?

  1. We send purrs and purrayers and Power of the Paw to Felix and all his mates and all the people helping them !

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  2. Superheroes everyone - thanks for helping these kitties, sending purrs, prayers and POTP to all. HUGS.

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  3. Purrs to all those helping the kitties!

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  4. We're so sorry to hear about Felix and his roommates. Paws crossed Felix is all better soon and gains weight. Thanks for hopping with us today, CK!

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  5. CK, thanks for shining a light! I hope Felix (and the others) find a perfect forever home.

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  6. I hope that Maria's cats are able to find forever homes soon. I'm glad that they have help. Thanks for sharing their story.

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  7. Such a wonderful post CK and we'll be purring for all of those sweet souls. Adoptions are just the best for each and every species and we hope it’s the next big thing.

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  8. Purrs for all of these sweet babies. Hoarding is such a sad situation.

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  9. Thank you for spreading the word to help these kitties. I hope they all find homes as loving as yours. XO

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  10. Awww Felix, these former shelter kitties are purraying that you and your furiends find furever homes soon❣️
    Purrs & Head Bonks,
    Alberto, Oliver & Lily

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  11. We hope they all find homes soon, or at least really nice fosters. CK we don't know if you remember but Socks had hyperthyroidism, the pills made him very sick. If Felix doesn't improve soon they may want to talk to the vet about changing to a different treatment. We used a special cat food (by Hills Science Diet) to control his hyperthyroidism.

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    1. I agree Flynn couldn't tolerate the pills either and they almost killed him. It was only when a different vet took over and took him off all medication for a while to give his body chance to recover.

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  12. Hoarding situations are so awful and sad for the kitties involved. I'm purring lots for them.

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  13. Thank you for sharing about Maria's Cats, and for working to find them all homes. All of you are heroes, in our eyes. We have our paws crossed that the kitties will find forever homes.

    P.S. - we just saw your update about Felix on FB. We are so very sorry.

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  14. I hope those cats all get loving homes. From Meowmeowmans comment it sounds like Felix wasn't so lucky. I am sorry about that.

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  15. C.K., thank you for sharing Felix’s story. Mom is praying that all these kitties find forever homes. It is nice to know they are being fed and looked after by such caring people. We all feel so lucky to have a forever home with caring humans, plenty of noms and the vet care we need. If you got the e-mail from Helen Woodward yesterday, that was our very own ginger tabby, Cooper Murphy, sharing the #SeeTheLight message along with his big belly. MOL! XOCK, angel Lily Olivia, angel Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy, Sawyer & Kizmet mom sends big hugs and prayers to TW.

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  16. Excellent push for shelter adoption, CK. What find looking cats came from that one hoarding place. What would we do without caring people that step in and help in situations like this.

    We have a few words from Angel Budd today for Remember Me Thursday.

    Shoko

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  17. This is a great post. So sad about all the kitties having to suffer. We hope they find forever homes soon.

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  18. We are so late and don't know how we missed you but we are fully on board for helping all those in need! Purrs friends for all you do for so many

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  19. We agree with you, 100%, CK. Thank goodness people stepped in to help for the cats' sake.

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