ACC still needs your help!

Here is how you can help right now.

Bill Moran of C+K Distributors has generously agreed to help us help the animals! C+K is a huge distributor of pet food and supplies for the NYC metro area. In response to this unprecedented emergency, C+K will sell to the public at 5% below wholesale! That is less than what they charge pet stores! As orders come in they will be brought to the care centers. All major credit cards are accepted.

Please, go to your phones right now.
Call C+K at 718-894-4302 and say:

"I would like to place an order for the Animal Care & Control Food Drive."

Purchase 1, or as many cases as you can afford, of the following:

24/14oz Pedigree - $17.76 For Dogs
24/13oz Friskies-$19.20 For Cats

The shelter is also out of Kitty Litter.
Please purchase 40lb bags of Tidy Cat - $7.75

C+K Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday 9am-6pm
Saturday 9am – 3pm
718-894-4302

Hungry Hungry Animals

Animal Care & Control is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that rescues over 43,000 animals every year; that's approximately 350 animals a month.  ACC relies heavily on funding from the City of New York but because of the recession, support from the City has been drastically reduced.  ACC is running out of food.

There are several ways you can help.  ACC is accepting donations of canned dog food, canned cat food, gently used towels and blankets, washable rubber toys and cat litter.  If you'd like to donate, here are some of your options:

1.  Contact Petropolis, 91 Washington St., NYC, NY (212) 608-2234 if you'd like to purchase food to be donated to ACC.  They will take your order over the phone or in person and make sure your purchase gets to ACC.

2.  Contact A Tail At A Time at info@atailatatime.org.

3.  Visit the website www.NYCACC.org to find the shelter nearest you so you can make a delivery of food, blankets, or toys yourself.

4.  Bill Moran of C+K Distributors has generously agreed to help us help the animals! C+K is a huge distributor of pet food and supplies for the NYC metro area. In response to this unprecedented emergency, C+K will sell to the public at 5% below wholesale! That is less than what they charge pet stores! As orders come in they will be brought to the care centers. All major credit cards are accepted.

Please, go to your phones right now.
Call C+K at 718-894-4302 and say:
"I would like to place an order for the Animal Care & Control Food Drive."

Purchase 1, or as many cases as you can afford, of the following:
24/14oz Pedigree - $17.76 For Dogs
24/13oz Friskies-$19.20 For Cats

The shelter is also out of Kitty Litter.Please purchase 40lb bags of Tidy Cat - $7.75

C+K Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday 9am-6pm
Saturday 9am – 3pm
718-894-4302

Any item donated will help prolong the life of a homeless animal.

Click image for larger view

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An important message from Animal Alliance

-----Original Message-----

From: Animal Alliance (Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals) <info@animalalliancenyc.org>

Subject: A disaster in the making in the NYS Budget!

Your help with a serious issue facing dogs and cats in the State of New York is urgently needed.

On page 171 of a 585 page document entitled "Executive Budget Agency Presentations" there is a seemingly innocuous heading "Dog license reform".  The suggestion from the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets and accepted by governor Patterson is to eliminate the State's role in dog licensing and have each city, town and village (over 1,000 across the state) do their own licensing.   Hmmm, sounds like it wouldn't make much difference, you'll still get a dog license and show proof of rabies vaccination at your town clerk.  Might not sound much different.  There are many issues around decentralizing dog licensing, but that's not the biggest concern.

The problem is what this summary does not say.  What the governor left out (wisely) is that with the elimination of the central dog license database, the governor is also planning to eliminate the State's Animal Population Control Fund (APCF).  The APCF gets money from a $3 surcharge on every dog license sold in the state for dogs that are not spayed or neutered.  The fund then pays for spay/neuter surgeries for low income people and animals adopted from shelters that were not already altered.  This fund has subsidized surgeries for over 90,000 animals.  That means millions of animals were never born that would have ended up in shelters and added strain and expense to an unfunded non-profit system.

This is a system that worked, helped animals, helped people and was paid for. In 2008, the governor stole $1 million from the fund and put it in the general fund, who knows where that money went, but it did not go to help animals. It’s time we stand up and tell our government to stop taking away service we care about for our companion animals.

We should not allow this important service to disappear in our state.  Other states have seen the value and success of similar programs and understand that spaying and neutering animals saves money because the puppies and kittens don't have to go to shelters.

We have recommended to legislators that they create a statewide non-profit entity that will collect funds from the $3 surcharge and give grants to veterinarians and organizations that wish to help low income people spay or neuter their pets.  The administration costs for the non-profit would be significantly lower than what the government has spent on the fund and would create a sustainable statewide spay/neuter system, but we need your help now!

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING.

Act now:

Contact your local Senators and Assembly members:

To find out who your senator is click here.  Enter your address and you will be told who your senator is.  Then call, write and e-mail and let them know you want the State's Spay and Neuter fund to be preserved.

To find out who your assembly member is click here.  You can enter your zip code and find out who your assembly members is, again, let them know you want the state spay/neuter fund to be saved.

Contact the governor:

David A. Paterson

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

518-474-8390

Let him know that he was wrong to suggest eliminating the fund and he withdraw his recommendation.

Thank you for your support and please speak out for the animals, they have no voices of their own.

Blue in the City

Mark your calendar!  We're having another adoption event.

Click image for a larger view

Time:  12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Place:  Pet Health Store, 440 Amsterdam Ave., at 81st St.

Why:  To meet the love of your life

If you've been thinking about adding to your family, if you're looking for a new best friend, or if you're interested in volunteering, visit our website at www.atailatatime.org or email info@atailatatime.org to get more information.

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Blue Rosey

Click for larger view

Will Work For Food

The NYC's Animal Care and Control budget was cut by the department of health.  As a result, ACC is running out of food.  They apparently have a week's worth of food left for their cats and when the food runs out, so do the cats. 

Here's how you can help:  Call or visit Petropolis, and tell them you want to purchase pet food for the NYC ACC.

Petropolis 

91 Washington St.

New York, NY 10006

Phone: 212-608-2234

Fax: 212-608-2235 

www.Petropolisnyc.com

It's important that all donations are food and not money because we don't want our money being used to purchase the drugs that will be used in the next round of euthanizations.  

Please help out - your food donation will save a life.

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Featured Adoptable!

This is Naomi.  Most orange striped cats are male, but this beauty is all girl.  She's a recent mama to Ashley, Neno, Elizabeth and Milo, all of whom were adopted.  You might remember her from this post or this post.

Naomi was a wonderful mama and now that her babies are grown, weaned and adopted, she's looking for someone else to love.  She's affectionate, gentle and she has a great personality.  If you'd like to meet her, email us at info@atailatatime.org or visit our website at www.atailatatime.org.

Isn't there a lap somewhere around here?

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And the winner is...

A hearty thank you to everyone who submitted a Furry Valentine, and everyone who voted!

The winner of the beautiful faux fur cat bed is: Hermes, the kissing kitty!

The winner of the adorable embroidered dog mat is: Howie the heart stealer!

Second runner up in the cat section is the handsome Hossifer Jones:

Second runner up in the dog section is the wiener of my heart, Theo:

Congratulations to our Winners!!  Prizes will be shipped via USPS.  And don't forget!  There's another adoption event this Saturday at Pet Health on the corner of 81st and Amsterdam from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..  Just because Valentines Day is over doesn't mean it's too late to get your own little bundle of love.

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Good news!

Last Saturday's adoption event and Bake Sale was a success!  The bake sale helped us raise money for our vet bills and three kitties found great homes. Thank you to Petqua for hosting and thank you to everyone who baked, bought, donated, volunteered, fostered and adopted.  We couldn't do it without you.

This week's event is Saturday, February 20th

NEW TIME: 12 to 4

OUR NEW LOCATION: Pet Health at 81st and Amsterdam.

Pet Health will be hosting adoption events for us on the first and third Saturday of every month.  If you'd like to volunteer, if you're thinking about fostering or adopting or if you'd simply like more information, email info@atailatatime.org or visit our website at www.atailatatime.org.

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I hope he's the wiener

Candidate: Theo.

This is where my vote is!  But I'm biased because that guy is my very own Theo.  He was rescued from an Amish puppy mill by Best Friends and I adopted him through Pets Alive.  It was love at first sight.  My husband and I weren't planning on getting another, were sure we couldn't handle another, but I was volunteering one day and another volunteer said, "Could you hold him for a minute?"  The next thing I knew there was a small brown bundle of fur in my arms, a bundle with long silky ears, and then the bundle burrowed his long cold nose into my neck and our fates were sealed.

Theo is demanding and needy, he communicates with his urine and he refuses to let me brush him.  But whenever I sit still, he finds my lap and curls up in it.  And if I stroke his ears just so, he'll fall asleep.  And when he falls asleep he kicks his legs, running in his sleep, and he grunts and growls and barks, so I lay a hand on his chest and he heaves a big sigh and is quiet.  That is when he breaks my heart all over again.  I love him so.

***

We're getting close to the line for submissions but you still have time!  If you'd like to submit your Furry Valentine, send a photo and a brief description to info@atailatatime.org.  Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 14th, 2010.  To see the other contestants so far, click here, here, and here.  Vote for your favorite by emailing vote@atailatatime.org.  To see the prizes click here and for the rules of the game click here.

And remember, the bake sale and adoption event are tomorrow at Petqua!  Come one, come all!  Buy home-made pies with made-from-scratch pie crusts or a batch of fresh-baked vegan cookies for your human Valentine.  We'll also have chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cinnamon roll cookies and much more!  All of the proceeds go towards saving the lives of NYC's homeless animals.

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Over-flowing with Furry Valentine's!

Today's third contestant is a dog!  Meet Howard:

Howard's family says:

After years of planning to adopt a dog and carefully choosing the gender, (we wanted female) and breed, (we wanted a pug) we ended up being adopted by Howard, a chocolate lab and basset hound mix, at a local shelter adoption event. 

He stole our hearts with his short little legs and that bow out in the middle and his utter devotion to the family.  Howie even has a middle name -- Alvin!  He knows dozens of tricks and is currently in training to become a therapy dog.  He will graduate in March!  He's 6 years old now and maintains a strict 9 p.m. bedtime.  As you can see he also enjoys wearing jewelry around and doesn't mind being dressed up either!  Howie is certainly the 3rd child in our family.

And next we have Hermes:

His human companion says:

Hermes is my furry valentine because he loves to kiss! He is warm and sometimes seems like half siamese, half bear because he has thick fur and very large paws! He loves company and will snuggle up on our bed every night. Wherever his brother, Claudius, is asleep he'll snuggle up to him too so that they turn into one big furry pool of cat, and you can't tell one from the other. 

Submit your Furry Valentine by emailing info@atailatatime.org and vote for your favorite by emailing vote@atailatatime.org.  For contest rules click here, to see the prizes click here.

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More Furry Valentine contestants!

Welcome to Part 1 of today's Furry Valentine contestant post!  Click here to see yesterday's contestants.

Our first Furry Valentine today is Fudge Monkee:

Fudge Munkee's human companion says:

This is Fudge Munkee, a portly 3 year old cat who I rescued from a bad situation. We didn't like each other much at first-well for a long time really, but we eventually saw eye to eye and now we're inseparable. Munkee has an adorable bad habit of wanting to sample everything I'm eating, but she makes up for it in her superb cuddling skills. We're best friends to the end!

Our second contestant is Milo:

Milo's human companion says:

Milo is a 2 1/2 year old seal point siamese cat and the greatest pet.  He has so much personality - which is fantastic for me as I live in a studio apartment alone in NYC.  He greets me at the door, "talks" to me when he wants attention or to play, and is insanely smart.  He LOVES fruit... specifically mangoes.  My favorite part of the day is when  he curls up on the pillow next to me when it's time for bed.  He's not an "on top of you" cuddler, but he stretches one paw out until it touches my shoulder or arm as if to say, "I just want to know you're there."

What awesome contestants!! I know I'm going to have a hard time picking a favorite.  If you haven't yet looked at yesterday's contestants, click here.  To submit your own pet, email a photo and a brief description to info@atailatatime.org.  To vote for your favorite, email vote@atailatatime.org.  For contest rules click here, to see the prizes click here.

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This Saturday!!

You're invited to our Adoption Event and Bake Sale!!

Click image for larger view

Date:  Saturday, February 13, 2010
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Place:  Petqua Pet Store, 2604 Broadway between 98th and 99th Streets.

We're going to be selling chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon roll cookies, vegan ginger cookies, a variety of pies, truffles and brownies.  Come hungry and leave happy.  All proceeds will be used 100% to help save NYC's homeless animals.  For more information visit www.atailatatime.org or email info@atailatatime.

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Furry Valentine Candidates!!

Today's first Furry Valentine candidate comes to you with a lovely haiku:

endless emerald pools

soft striped wool purring deeply

Princess Leia love

Our second contestant today is Hoss:

This is Hossifer Jones (Hoss for short), and he is the most amazing soul on the planet - the mold was broken when this kitty was made 6 years ago! Hoss is an excellent cuddler, and has the most soothing purr. When snuggling, he pulls his claws in, reaches up to my face and literally pets me back while staring at me lovingly with his big green eyes. He let's me hug, kiss and smoosh him and always acts happy to see me. He is the softest prettiest kitty in the world, and has inspired me to change my life and study veterinary technology. He also inspired me to be a vegetarian, and helped me to realize the undeniable sentience of all animals! Hoss has been through a lot this past year - he lost his sister Bella (whom he had never been a moment apart from) a year ago to a congenital heart defect, and then his older brother Cashmere in November to renal failure - that's a lot for a kitty with such a big heart, but he is a survivor. He is now a big brother to young Apache, and what a grand role model he is!

Erica H. 

Submit a candidate by emailing info@atailatatime.org and vote for your favorite by emailing vote@atailatatime.org.  For contest rules click here, to see the prizes click here.

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Prizes!!

Tracey finished hand-making the prizes for A Tail's Furry Valentine contest!! I think you'll love them.

This hand-made dog mat is made of fleece, with embroidered dogs and the word "Arf!"  It has a comfy poly nu-foam center, is machine washable and should be hung to dry.




This adorable cat bed is reversible!  One side is black faux-fur and the other is a cute cotton print.  It has a comfy poly nu-foam center, is machine washable and should be hung to dry.

Each bed has a market value of $25.00 but we're giving them away if you win the Furry Valentine contest.  Submit a photo of your cat or dog and a few lines about why they're the best Valentine ever and  the public will vote for their favorite.  Furry Valentine pics and stories will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on February 14th, 2010 and should be sent to info@atailatatime.org.  Vote for your favorite Furry Valentine by emailing vote@atailatatime.org.

Good luck!

Featured Adoptable

Puffy like Puff Daddy

Puff the magic kitty is a sweet tempered, declawed Russian Blue who's owner recently passed away.  He's a little overweight, but he'll shed the extra pounds quickly now that he's out of the shelter and in a loving foster home.  He's five years old, neutered, healthy, current on his shots, and litter box trained.

This handsome Russian Blue Mix won't be homeless forever.  Don't you want to be the one who welcomes him home?  Email us at info@atailatatime.org or visit our website www.atailatatime.org for more information.

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A Little Reminder

Just a reminder to visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com to vote for A Tail At A Time!  You can vote every day, it's free to make the donations (the site does it for you), and you don't even have to register.  Helping us is as easy as clicking your mouse a few times.

To vote for us go to www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com, click on the purple button to make a donation to feed shelter animals (it's free for you, the donation is paid by the site's sponsors), and then follow the link at the top of the Thank You page to vote for your shelter. It says: VOTE.

We really appreciate your support.

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Annual Newsletter

If you're having trouble reading the letter from the blog, just email info@atailatatime.org for your own copy. 

Thank you, A Tail At A Time.

Attack of the Too Cute

A purse-full of kittens, featuring this weeks Featured Adoptables Ziggy, Suki and their sister.

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A Note From Our Founders

Hello Everyone!

We would like to welcome our new Community Outreach Coordinator, KC Skolnik.

What exactly is a Community Outreach Coordinator?

KC will be reaching out to the public to make more people aware of our organization.  She will be working with current volunteers, recruiting new volunteers, coordinating monthly events involving volunteer opportunities, social events and building in-kind partnerships.  These are just a few of the responsibilities she's offered to take on, in addition to being a foster mom to our senior cat Jezzy.

KC has a background working with non-profits, public relations and volunteers, so we have gained a great asset (if people can be considered assets!) to help build A Tail at a Time.

THANK YOU, KC!

--Tracey and Kathleen

Help Is A Click Away

There is a new shelter challenge going on over at the The Animal Rescue Site.  The Animal Rescue Site, together with Pet Finder, is awarding $100,000 in grants to eligible Petfinder.com member rescue organizations to help animals. The grand prize is a $10,000 grant and there are lots of other prizes as well! Visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com to learn more or vote for your favorite animal rescue, which hopefully is us!  You don't have to register, voting is free, and you can vote every day. 

To vote for us go to www.TheAnimalRescueSite.com, click on the purple button to make a donation to feed shelter animals (it's free for you, the donation is paid by the site's sponsors), and then follow the link at the top of the Thank You page to vote for your shelter. It says: VOTE.

In this way you are helping us and you are helping feed animals at other shelters.

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Uptown Cats

By 'cats' I mean 'kittens'.  This weeks Featured Adoptables are twinsies!

Suki                                                                                                                                                     Ziggy

These kittens were trapped in Harlem with their mother and their siblings. So they aren't really twins, their part of a set of quadruplets, but who's getting technical? The point is that they are beautiful and sweet and in need of a home.


Suki is mild-mannered, sugar and spice and everything nice. Ziggy is a real firecracker. They were both very shy with people at first, but they're slowly coming out of their shells and showing their true personalities. You might remember Ziggy from Saturday's With Ziggy. He stole my heart weeks ago and if you give either of these kitties a chance, they'll certainly steal yours.

For more information, or if you're interested in fostering or adopting, visit our website at www.atailatatime.org or email us at info@atailatatime.org.

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Moby Update

As of this past Friday, January 29, Moby is stable. His lungs are bruised and full of fluid and there is air trapped in his chest. He spent the weekend at Dr. G's being monitored. As soon as I have more information, I will share it.

If you'd like to make a donation to help A Tail pay for Moby's treatment, there are three ways to do it:

1. Visit our website and donate via paypal


2. Send a check or money order to:
A Tail At A Time
PO Box 1655 Radio City Station
New York, NY 10101

3. Call NYC Vet Specialist at 212-767-0099 and tell them you would like to make a donation for Moby under A Tail At A Time

Any donation you can make helps us, helps Moby and is forever appreciated. Thank you.

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Glamour Girl

Remember when Cecelia had her big modeling adventure a few weeks ago? Here are a few of the photos from that afternoon:

This next one was so great I decided to make the new banner out of it.

Not only is she a stunning cover-girl, Cecelia is an absolute angel. Sweet, gentle, curious, playful - it was a blast to be her handler for the day. This beauty has found her forever home, but we have a lot of other cats and kittens who are just as wonderful and definitely in need of a good family! If you're interested in adopting or fostering, please visit www.atailatatime.org or email info@atailatatime.org.

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Friday Feature

I am Pushkin,

Hear me purr

The Russian Blue is known for being a very intelligent and tranquil animal. People have reported Russian Blue's who enjoy playing fetch and are sensitive to human emotions. They develop extremely loyal bonds with their loved ones, yet are reserved and shy around strangers.

Russian Blues have an average life expectancy of around 10–15 years, have few health problems, little to no genetic problems, and are not prone to illness. They are a moderate-sized cat with an average weight of 8-12 pounds when full grown. Males are typically larger than females.

The Russian Blue produces less glycoprotein Fel d 1 and is much less of an allergen source than other breeds of cat. This would suggest that the Russian Blue breed may be hypoallergenic, but others point out that no cat is truly free of allergens.

Pushkin is an eight-year-old female Russian Blue who gets along with other cats but prefers the company of mature companions. She would be perfectly happy being your only pet if it would mean being the apple of your eye. For more information, visit www.atailatatime.org or email info@atailatatime.org.

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Furry Valentine

My best friend, my Valentine. Adopted from a Los Angeles shelter in December 2005, we named her Valentine after a character in one of our favorite books. She's some kind of mutt; we're guessing Chihuahua/Terrier/Gremlin. Instead of licking us she puts her forelegs around our necks and nibbles the ends of our noses. She knows how to sit and stay, walk at a heel, fetch, dance in circles and if we make our hand into a gun and yell bang! she falls over dead. She'll do anything for a belly rub.

This month, in honor of Valentine's Day, A Tail At A Time is doing something really fun. Do you have a four-legged best friend who's photo graces the wallpaper on your desktop? Are you the type of person who whips out your cell phone to show your date pictures of your pet? Do you rush home at the end of a long day with visions of a perfect evening spent curled up with someone warm and purring? Or maybe your warm someone snarfles rather than purrs. Either way. We want to hear about it.

Write a few short lines about your cat or dog and send us photos! We will post your Furry Valentine on our website and the public will vote on their favorite. Furry Valentine pics and stories will be accepted until 11:59 pm February 14th, 2010 and should be sent to info@atailatatime.org. Vote for your favorite Furry Valentine by emailing furryvalentine@atailatatime.org. The winner will be announced on February 16, 2010 and will receive a Valentine catnip bed or dog mat and a toy*.


*The Valentine catnip bed is being hand-made by one of A Tail's co-founders, Tracey. Check out her website to see the other beautiful things she designs! As soon as the bed is made, she'll post photos of it on the website and I'll post them here. Hoorah for handmade pet beds!

Need a hand here

Moby is a sweet 4 year old cat who needs your help.

After being rescued from the ACC, Moby snuck out of his apartment last night leaving him in the inside hallways of a five story building. Moby was found hiding under garbage cans, injured and frightened. His injuries are consistent with a fall of several stories. While we are not exactly sure what happened to Moby in the few hours before he was found, a neighbor thinks he might have been put out on a fire escape by another tenant.  

As of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, Moby is on oxygen in the critical care unit of Emergency Veterinary Specialists. His lungs are bruised and the vet still needs to examine his stomach, liver and kidneys for additional injuries.  Moby will be spending the night in emergency care and will hopefully be released to A Tail at a Time's Vet, Dr. Giagnola.

It is a sad fact that many injured homeless pets are never able to find forever homes due to the overwhelming cost of medical care. Moby was very close to being adopted when this happened. We are asking for donations to help us pay for his urgent veterinary care. Any donation you can give will help Moby have a chance at finding his forever home.

There are three ways to donate:
1. Visit our website and donate via paypal
2. Send a check or money order to: A Tail At A Time, PO Box 1655 Radio City Station, NY NY 10101
3. Call NYC Vet Specialist at 212-767-0099 and tell them you would like to make a donation for Moby under A Tail At A Time


We are very grateful for all of your help and support. We'll keep you posted on Moby's progress. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Monday's Featured Adoptable!

As a rule, orange cats are always male. But Naomi doesn't play by the rules.

Look at those eyes! You can hardly see her face because she's being squished by her beautiful nursing babes, so here's another shot:

Whoops. You can't see her face there either, but you can see what a loving and attentive mama she is. Her kittens are weaned now and she needs someone else to shower with love. Maybe it's you?

She's three-years-old, healthy, current on her shots, and looking for a forever lap to curl up on.

For more information visit A Tail At A Time or email info@atailatatime.org.

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Friday Feature

Once upon a time there lived a pair of cats named Francis and Candy. Francis was a gorgeous orange tom cat with big gold eyes and a coat that glowed like golden embers. He was mysterious, brooding and in love with a tuxedoed beauty named Candy. Candy was a dainty thing who sang torch songs at a local piano bar. Her black coat shone like moonshadows and her bosom was whiter than the whitest snow. She was named for her disposition, for she was a sweet girl.

Francis spent night after night sipping martini's while Candy sang torch songs in the back of a bar. Days flew into weeks blew into months and their eyes never met not once. Until one windy November night at the end of a particularly brooding set, Francis sent a bottle of chilled champagne to Candy's dressing room with a note that read, "Give me your heart and I'll give you everything."

******

If Francis and Candy were real cats, real adoptable cats instead of storybook cats, they'd be right here in New York City. And actually they are:

Francis, The Brooding Tom

Candy, The Crooning Tuxedo

Candy is two and Francis is one. They both tested positive for FIV. As long as they are well taken care of - fed nutritious food, loved, protected from stress and general unhappiness - they can live perfectly normal, healthy, happy lives. If you'd like to learn more about FIV, click here. If you'd like to learn more about Francis and Candy, click here. If you'd like to volunteer with A Tail, foster a homeless animal or adopt, email info@atailatatime.org.

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Your Weekly Cute Overload

This is Eden. She came to one of our last adoption events with her daddy and her little brother. They can't have a kitty for good reason (Mommy is very allergic to cats), but Eva sure did love snuggling up with our adoptables!

She and Ashley The Kitten were both a little scared of each other at first, but they took their time, moved slowly and gently, and before we knew it they were best pals.

This Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. A Tail At A Time will be at Petqua (2604 Broadway, between 98th and 99th Streets) with several of their adoptables. If you've been longing to hear a sweet little purr, come spend the day with our kitties! We're looking for volunteers, foster homes and forever homes.

For more information visit www.atailatatime.org or email info@atailatatime.org.

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Blue has never been so blue

I'd like to introduce you to Aaron:

Photos don't do him justice. 

Aaron was picked up on the street but his rough life hasn't hardened him any. When it was his turn to be euthanized, (the shelter had run out of room, yet again) the shelter worker didn't have the heart to wake him from his nap. A Tail At A Time got a call and he's been given a chance to have a better life. He loves attention and he's very affectionate. A little on the skinny side, he needs a few good meals to fatten him up. Some of your love would go a long way, too.

For more information on Aaron click here. If you're interested in adopting him, email info@atailatatime.org.

Kittens!

The last post was a little grumpy, I know, but I get so upset when I hear about animal hoarding situations. This one especially rankled because if that woman had taken her original two cats to any one of the free spay/neuter clinics in this city the entire thing could have been avoided.

That being said, we now have three new beautiful, adorable, fuzzy fuzz-balls who need forever homes. I would like to introduce you to Swizzle, Prod and Nod*:

How can you ever survive such cuteness?

For more information about these beautiful babies, email info@atailatatime.org.

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*Not their real names. I don't know their real names yet.

UPDATE: The mama-cat is Serafina and the kittens are Ruby, Apollo and Melanie. 

An Unfortunate Example

This is a prime example of why it is imperative to spay and/or neuter our pets:

ASPCA, working with ten NYC based rescue groups, has just pulled thirty-seven cats from a woman's one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. This is a woman who started out with two unaltered cats and ended up with thirty-seven cats and kittens. Why? Because unaltered cats will have sex and get pregnant. It's called breeding and the only way to prevent it is to have our cats and dogs spayed and neutered. Abstinence training doesn't work on animals, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't work on people either.

Professionals are calling this a hoarding situation, but it is a situation that would have been entirely avoided had this woman taken her cats to one of the dozens of free or low cost spay/neuter clinics in the city. You can read some articles about the rescue operation here and here.

Please, please, please be a responsible pet owner. Give your pet the happy life it deserves. Irresponsible breeding is not cute or fun and it isn't even necessarily healthy for your pet. The only thing it does is  put to unwanted pets into shelters. In this case, ASPCA and ten other rescue groups are taking responsibility for the cats - Tail At A Time has even been able to take in a momma and her litter of kittens - so this story has a happy ending. But many do not.

For more information on free and low cost spay/neuter clinics in NYC, click here and here.

Spay, neuter, opt to Adopt!

Saturday's With Ziggy

Last Saturday I spent the day with one of the sweetest, gentlest, handsomest kittens I've ever met. Ziggy spent over two hours zipped into my sweatshirt, curled against my heart. Of course, whenever a potential adopter walked by, I unzipped just enough so Ziggy could say hi:

For someone who's really a dog person, Ziggy stole my heart. I knew I was going to spend the day playing with cats, that's what the volunteers do at an adoption event. But I hadn't expected to have so much fun. Ed and Sam and everyone at Petqua made us feel so welcome and the more I work with all of the people who make up A Tail At A Time, the more grateful I am that I've gotten involved with this rescue. This last week has been crazy with work and everything, but one of the loveliest things running through my head has been the day I spent last Saturday, volunteering for A Tail At A Time.  It was the highlight of my week.

A post is coming soon with the photos and stories of all of the cats who were at the event.  Six of them were adopted, by the way! Isn't that great news? Six of our adoptables found homes thanks to last weeks adoption event. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that the next adoption event is January 23, 2010 at Petqua, from noon to five p.m.:

Click image for larger view

Save the date! If you are thinking about adopting a cat or dog, if you want to foster a cat or a dog, if you don't have plans on Saturday and want to volunteer to spend the day playing with kittens, email info@atailatatime.org.

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Knit Purl Meow

Are you a knitter?

We are in need of some kitty scarves for this Saturday's Adoption Event - KNIT PURL MEOW.

It is so cold and more arctic air is coming thru!

Scarves needed for this Saturday's event:

for adults 15" length x 1 1/2" width (I recommend casting on 10 rows of a small yarn)

for kittens 10" length X 3/4" to 1" width

Let us know if you can bring 1 or 2 or more!

And if you have any questions, as always, email info@atailatatime.org

Adoption Event!

Click the flyer for a larger view

If you are interested in volunteering for this event, we need people to help post flyers in the neighborhood this week, and we also need people to help us set up, work the event and breakdown afterwards.

If you can't help but are interested in learning more about A Tail At A Time, this is a great time to come out and meet some of the animals! We hope to see you there.

For more information email info@atailatatime.org

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Euthanasia

The following comes from JohnSibley.com, a blog written by a good friend of mine who left a career on Broadway to work for the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary. I've copied and pasted the post directly from his blog because it's really worth the read.

Euthanasia

"There is no disease or condition of companion animals that takes more of their lives than euthanasia."

-Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhD, Professor of Epidemology at Cornell University, Director of Maddie's Fund Shelter Medicine Program

This quote has been floating around the 'net today, and I find it disturbing. Dr. Scarlett has a very impressive resume and seems to have spent a great and admirable portion of her career working to end the deaths of animals in shelters - certainly Maddie's Fund has been extremely important and influential in that respect. Assuming the quote is accurate, however, it's an exercise in defeatism.

Dr. Scarlett does not seem to be referring to euthanasia here, she is referring to shelter killing. Euthanasia is a term co-opted by apologists for shelter killing to make it seem more palatable to the general public - necessary and noble, even. It is language used to make the slaughter of innocents seem like a good and positive thing.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, euthanasia is defined as "the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy". Killing for space is not euthanasia. Killing because no one has adopted an animal in a predetermined length of time is not euthanasia. Killing because an animal has an easily treated disease, like kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection is not euthanasia. Killing for old age or minor behavioral issues is not euthanasia.

Dr. Scarlett has even written articles for an audience of fellow veterinariansdecrying the number of animals killed in shelters and asking for their help to try to reduce it as much as possible; but isn't a good first step towards that goal to stop using a term popularized in order to make the killing of animals more acceptable to the general public and calling killing what it is?

Language is important. If you want to make the point that the needless death of animals is, in fact, a bad thing, can we all stop using language designed to make it seem like a good thing?