 
FELINE ADOPTION & RESCUE SOCIETY'S NEWSLETTER
| NUMBER 8, JANUARY, 2010
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Message from
the director
Dear
Kara,
The year 2009 was busy for FARS. You
can see some of our highlights below. We celebrate our
achievements, but they also mean we have much work to do
in 2010.
Our greatest challenges will be raising
the funds to support the many abandoned and homeless
cats that come into our care and finding homes for the
ones with special needs, such as chronic medical
conditions and behavioral issues.
Taking
good care of cats with special needs is one of the areas
in which FARS excels. Here at FARS, every cat
counts.
As we move into the new year, we will
need more volunteers than ever with a variety of skills.
If you have an interest in hands-on care for the cats in
our Adoption Centers, helping us raise money to support
the cats, opening your home temporarily to a foster cat
or kitten, graphic design, writing, photography or
promoting FARS in your neighborhood, we have a role for
you and want to hear from you.
And you folks who
have adopted a cat from us, we would love to hear your
stories and see photos of your new family member. Please
send them to Daniela, our Editor, at catchat@felineadoptions.org.
Thank
you for your continued compassion for the cats and
support for FARS. I wish you and your family a happy,
healthy and prosperous New
Year.
Sincerely,
![Sharlene Sallet [signature]](http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs083/1102894097876/img/23.jpg?a=1102932408188)
Sharlene
Sallet
Executive
Director
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2009 FARS Highlights
- Provided shelter and daily care for more than 250
homeless and abandoned cats and found permanent homes
for 238 of them (the others are still waiting).
- Gave these cats veterinary care including
vaccinations, parasite treatments, spay/neuter
surgery, FIV/FeLV testing and microchips.
- Provided more extensive care, including dental
surgeries, biopsies, x-rays, ultrasounds and
consultation as well as associated treatments with
veterinary specialists to some of our cats who needed
more attention.
- Offered counseling and information to help people
with cats keep them in their homes.
- Opened a second Adoption Center, in Framingham,
and expanded our Foster Care Program to include 14
desperately needed volunteer foster homes.
- Expanded our team of wonderful and dedicated
volunteers including more than 50 Cat Caregivers and
Adoption Counselors.
- Formed collaborative partnerships with other
Massachusetts animal and cat welfare organizations
with the goal of helping more needy cats and
kittens.
- Helped social service agencies working with
clients who had too many cats by providing community
outreach, assessment, transportation, veterinary care
and placement.
- Launched this newsletter, Cat
Chat!
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Zoe: "When
will my ship come in?"
By
Karen Glover
 Zoe
has been in a shelter for far too long. She
was surrendered to one of our partner shelters in
February because her previous family had too many
animals. She was then transferred to FARS in September.
The volunteers at FARS are baffled as to
why this beautiful 3-year-old orange tabby hasn't found
a home yet. While Zoe is a bit nervous from so much
time in a cage, she likes attention and loves to be
scratched under the chin.
Zoe is a
sociable cat who is used to all kinds of company --
before she came into a shelter she had three litters of
kittens, lived with children and other cats and was best
friends with a Yellow Labrador Retriever.
According to her previous family, she likes lots
of attention, including being pet, held and sitting on
laps. We are hoping someone with a nice cozy lap
will scoop her up and bring her home soon.
If you
think there's room in your heart and home for Zoe,
please come meet her at FARS' Adoption Center in
Cambridge.
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When love
overcame allergies
By
Karen Glover
 We
featured Silver, a beautiful silver-colored 8-year-old
cat in the November edition of Cat Chat. She was
abandoned by her previous family in March, when they
were evicted. Shortly after she arrived, Silver started
showing signs of an upper respiratory infection, but
x-rays revealed she actually had asthma.
Silver
was treated with Prednisone for her condition and moved
to a foster home. She spent several months in a foster
home but seemed unhappy because she didn't get along
with the other cats who lived there.
She was
then moved back to the Adoption Center, where her
condition could be monitored more closely. She was
scared and unhappy but slowly learned to trust FARS
staff and volunteers.
Silver strongly
resembles a Russian Blue breed of cat, and this was
noted on Silver's Petfinder.com profile. That is how
Jennifer Bourque found her, when she was searching for a
Russian Blue and ran across Silver's posting.
"When I read Silver's description, I knew [mine]
could be a good home for her," said Bourque. "I also
have allergies and asthma and have to keep my home very
clean and dust-free. Then when I met her, I knew it was
meant to be."
Jennifer wanted a pet but had
always been allergic to cats. A friend suggested that
Russian Blue's tend to be less triggering for allergies,
and it worked.
"This is the first cat I could be
near for more than 30 minutes without an allergic
reaction. My vet can still barely believe I found a
Russian Blue at a shelter. She even has the
characteristic loud Siamese-like meow."
The new
environment is also working for Silver. Her latest vet
exam found no wheezing.
"Silver meets me at
the door when I come home and won't stop meowing until I
pet her," says Jennifer.
"She wants to be
lying on top of me or at least touching me all the time,
except when she's looking out the window to watch the
snow or 'playing soccer.'" We bat the ball back and
forth, and she meows when I stop," she adds.
"I feel so lucky to have found her. Everyone who
meets her falls in love with her."
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Nyx, the
perfect companion
By
Daniela Caride
 Nyx, a ginger tabby cat who is
over a year old, found his perfect family. And Dorene
and her boyfriend, Butch, found the perfect cat. The
couple adopted Nyx from one of FARS foster homes and
took him home to discover this cat is a loyal companion.
He's always beside Dorene and Butch, be it in
the kitchen, while the couple is eating, in the living
room, when there's someone watching TV, or in any other
room. Nyx loves to be with them and follows them around
the house.
The couple respects Nyx's wish and
takes him along with them to New Hampshire every time
they travel.
"He knows when I'm getting
out of work. He sits by the window and waits. At night,
he will hang out with us until it's time for bed," says
Dorene.
"Our baby Nyx is such a cutie pie."
But Nyx isn't a couch potato. He is very
interested in toys.
"He loves playing with
us. His favorite toys are the laser light and a
stick with a short string on it," says Dorene.
He loves cat nip as well. "Sometimes he falls
asleep after having some," adds Dorene.
"He's the best cat."
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The cat and
the
Aussie
By
Daniela Caride
 A
month ago, Kristin and James stopped by at the Feline
Adoption & Rescue Society's Adoption Center in
Cambridge and fell in love with Caplan, a long-haired
black and white kitten who had come to FARS along with
his five littermates.
Because Kristin and her
fiancé own an Australian Shepherd named Cappy, FARS
wanted to make sure Caplan would get along with the dog
before the adoption was complete. So they were
introduced during a supervised meeting.
"Everyone at the [Adoption Center] was extremely
helpful," remembers Kristin.
The encounter went
fine. So Caplan went home with his new family and was
renamed Maximo. Kristin and James call him Mo most of
the time.
Since then, Mo and Cappy are best
friends. They sleep and tear around the house together.
They even hunt flies together, according to Kristin.
"We could not be more thrilled. Mo brings so
much happiness into our lives every day, and we are so
thankful for [FARS]," she says.
"His personality
completes our family. He is so loving, playful and very
assertive."
Now Kristin and James spend most days
sitting on the couch laughing as they watch Mo and Cappy
playing together with their toys.
"It's our own
little floor show. Mo is an expert curtain climber and
dog puncher, as well as a champion eater. He certainly
rules the house, and enjoys all the things that he sees
his parents put out for "his" enjoyment - UPS boxes,
bottle caps, make up sponges, feet..."
Kristin
says Mo is also growing bigger by the second and is
turning into "the most beautiful cat."
"We never
thought we would find such a perfect, wonderful kitty.
Thank you so much!"
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Safe and easy way to
donate
 FARS is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit
organization and donations are tax deductible. Our tax
ID# is
20-1033049.
If you prefer to mail a
check, please make it payable to Feline Adoption &
Rescue Society and mail to P.O. Box 2163, Natick, MA
01760.
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NEW! Cat
Sponsorship
program
This
month FARS is starting a Cat Sponsorship program.
Is there a kitty that pulls at your heart
strings but you just can't adopt?
You can
sponsor your favorite FARS cat by donating
$50.
You'll receive photos and updates about your
sponsored cat's progress and the good news when kitty
finds a home.
Interested? Ask a FARS volunteer or
staff member for details or e-mail us at sponsor@felineadoptions.org.
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Flatbread's
Holiday fundraiser -- a
success
Thank
you to everyone who participated in our holiday
fundraiser, which took place at on December 8, 2009, at
the Flatbread Company, a full-service restaurant and bar
located in Bedford, MA.
We raised $868.25 for the
cats at the event. Part of the funds came from a sale of
donated items, in which we offered products such as gift
certificates for restaurants and spas, wine, hand-made
scarves, books, game tickets and a variety of gift
baskets. A portion of the money came from the Flatbread
Company. The restaurant donated $3.50 to FARS for each
large flatbread and $1.75 for each small flatbread
purchased during the fundraiser (including
take-out).
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Federal
employees, state (of MA) and city of Boston employees:
Workplace donations to
FARS
 During 2009, FARS was approved to
receive donations through the Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Employees
Charitable Campaign (COMECC) and the City of Boston
Charitable Campaign (COBECC).
Any federal
employee, Commonwealth of Massachusetts employee or City
of Boston employee can make a donation to FARS by
participating in these campaigns through their
workplace.
You can find the details on our web
site, at http://www.felineadoptions.org/cfc.html.
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Help Massachusetts end pet
overpopulation
 Massachusetts offers a specialty
license plate, called "I'm Animal Friendly," which funds
programs that prevent pet overpopulation by spaying and
neutering animals. FARS receives grant money from this
special plate program. "I'm Animal Friendly" license plates are
available at the Registry of Motor Vehicles' Web site at
www.mass.gov/rmv/express/mac.htm.
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FARS Adoption
Centers
 Cambridge
PetSmart
(Fresh Pond
Mall)160
Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA
Adoption Hours
Tuesday 5-9
p.m.
Wednesday 6-9 p.m.
Thursday 6-9 p.m.
Saturday 12-5 p.m.
Sunday 12-4 p.m.
Framingham
PetSmart
(Shopper's World
Mall)
1
Worcester Road
Framingham, MA
Adoption
Hours
Monday 5-9 p.m.
Tuesday 5-9 p.m.
Thursday 5-9 p.m.
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Cat Chat is the Feline Adoption & Rescue Society's
(FARS) monthly newsletter. FARS is a nonprofit charity.
Its mission is to ensure the health and welfare of
homeless cats and kittens in Massachusetts by providing
humane, life-saving services.
Publisher: Sharlene
Sallet
Editor: Daniela Caride
Contact us at
(508) 838-7956 or catchat@felineadoptions.org.
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P.O. Box
2163 |
Natick, MA 01760
| (508)
838-7956
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