In case you wanted company for a few weeks

Ben is a seven year old mellow orange tabby who's foster is going out of town for a bit.  He just needs a place to crash until June 24th.  Can you look after him?  He's declawed so you don't even have to think about your furniture.

If you or any of your friends have been thinking about fostering but weren't sure if it was right for you, this is a great way to test it out!  Email info@atailatatime.org.  Thank you!

3 Kittens!

Hello Volunteers!

We need a foster home for the weekend for 3 kittens.

Starting Friday morning (or sooner) and pick up can be Sunday night or early Monday morning.

They are currently at 43rd and 8th.

They will need to come to the event on Saturday at Pet Health on the corner of 81st and Amsterdam.

They are cute, healthy, and easy!

Please let us know asap - email info@atailatatime.org

We can bring them to you!

WE NEED YOU!

It may not be on Time Out's list of fun activities to do in NYC, BUT we can't think of a better way to spend a couple of hours on a summer Saturday then VOLUNTEERING at A Tail At A Time adoption event.

And if you're a like-minded soul, then here are the details for our upcoming event:

Adoption event this Sat June 5th

at Pet Health Store 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

corner of 81st and Amsterdam

the forecast is 81 and partly cloudy so we will need a total of 4 volunteers per shift

(2 for the outside table/2 inside)

These are the shifts needed:

11:30 to 1:00

1:00 to 3:00

3:00 to 4:30

OR ANY COMBINATION OR TIME YOU WANT!

FOSTERS PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE BRINGING YOUR CAT!

friends@atailatatime.org

AND TWICE AS NICE

ADOPTION EVENT IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

12 p.m. TO 4 p.m.

CLARK ST PETS

RIGHT OFF THE 2-3 SUBWAY CLARK ST STOP

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

The Stats

Hi everyone!

An especially big thank you to the volunteers and fosters who came out for last Saturday's event, especially appreciated considering it was Memorial Day weekend and our 3rd event of May!

We had two adoption events, one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan.  We adopted out two kittens and found six new fosters! Awesome!  

Thanks to our new foster families, we were able to pull an additional two kittens off the euthanasia list on Sunday.  Fantastic.

So again thank you for all your support and the hard work you do.  A Tail At A Time couldn't do any of this great work without our loyal and committed volunteers/fosters.

Stay tuned for details on our next event - Sat, June 5th - only 4 days away.

Lucy Bradley

Meow Monday

Hi! My name is Elodie, and I'm a very sweet and super attractive one year old brown tabby, so it surprised me to find myself walking down Myrtle Avenue desperate for someone to take me home. Times are hard and my former owner must not have been able to afford to keep me anymore. That could be the only reason, because I am agreeable, easy to care for and a lot of fun. Take me home! Please!

Aren't I gorgeous?

If you'd like to foster or adopt Elodie please email adopt@atailatatime.org.

Meow Monday

Lizzie is a beautiful, exotic looking medium hair dilute tortie. She is 15 months old and she's a nice mellow cat. She enjoys sitting with her humans, playing with her toys and she gets along well with other cats. 

If interested in fostering or adopting Lizzie please email adopt@atailatatime.org

Positions Available

We have new volunteer positions available!  Do you love animals but can't have pets?  Are you a student who needs community service hours?  Interested in learning more about animals or helping out more?  We are looking to fill the following volunteer positions:

Adoption counselor -- An adoption counselor visits the home of a potential adopter, sometimes with the new cat or kittens in tow.  During the home visit the counselor gives the Adoption Seminar, a short talk that teaches new pet owners about proper nutrition, health, and other important aspects to having a new pet.  Adoption counselors also follow up with new adoptive parents to see how things are going.  Training is provided.

Foster mentor -- A foster mentor is a contact for new fosters in case they have questions or concerns.  A foster mentor provides guidance, tips on how to take good photos of the animal up for adoption, how to keep the animal safe, and information on behavior and health.  This is a position for someone who has experience with foster animals.

Transport -- -This person ferries cats and kittens to new homes, to and from foster homes, events, and vet appointments.  When we need transport we send out an alert and whoever is available offers help. Notice is anywhere from 2 days to a few hours. We're looking to add names to our email list!  Can we add yours?

Spay/Neuter Coordinator -- This position is great for someone who is great with data, records and is really organized.  The spay/neuter coordinator maintains records of which animals have been spayed/neutered, who need to get fixed, when they're due to get fixed, et cetera.  The S/N coordinator also keeps in touch with adopters to notify them of upcoming surgeries and to schedule appointments with our vet. 90% of this job is done over the phone and computer.

If interested or you have any questions, please email friends@atailatatime.org

And remember ... THERE WILL BE KITTENS!

P.S.  We still need volunteers to cover shifts at our adoption event tomorrow.  Can you come spend an hour with us?  Email friends@atailatatime.org!

Adoption Event This Saturday

Adoption event this Sat May 15th

at Pet Health Store

corner of 81st and Amsterdam

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

*WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!*

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend and we will need a total of 4 volunteers

2 inside, 2 outside

Email info@atailatatime.org to sign up for a shift!

These are the shifts needed:

11:30 to 1:00

1:00 to 3:00

3:00 to 4:30

OR ANY COMBINATION OR TIME YOU WANT!

What does a volunteer do?  Volunteers help set up the kitty crates with blankets, food and water.  Voluteers empty a litter pan if someone does their business.  They provide interested people with information about the animals, and about our organization.  But the best part?  Volunteers get to spend their afternoon snuggling kitties.  

A Tail co-founder Tracey at an adoption event in December 2009

Email info@atailatatime.org or visit our website, www.ATailAtATime.org for more info.

Opt to Adopt!

Monday Meow

Hazel in the sun

Hazel is a beautiful, friendly and playful tabby.  She became a mom at an early age, raised and weaned her kittens, and is now looking for a home of her own.  Still just a kitten herself, she is currently living with a dog and loves to cuddle with her humans.  When I first met Hazel she immediately started rubbing her head against my hand, always a good sign.

Interested?  Email adopt@atailatatime.org.

Opt to Adopt!

AcroCaTastic

Want one?  Email info@atailatatime.org or visit our website at www.atailatatime.org.

Opt to adopt!

Love Your Mama

Mother's Day is quickly approaching, so I wanted to take a moment to write about a group of mothers who go quite unnoticed most of the time.

Puppymill Mothers.  You probably weren't expecting that.  And I know it isn't a very cheerful thing to think about, but that's kind of the point.  Puppymill mothers spend their entire lives in small chicken-wire cages, stacked one atop the other, in drafty barns or stuffy warehouses.  Many of them have never been spoken to kindly, they've never slept on a bed, they've never known that a human's hands can be gentle or loving.

My own Theo was a puppymill rescue, and that dear sweet little dog still has not healed.  He cowers and urinates in submission when anyone but my husband or I reaches out for him.  When he sleeps he cries out,  whimpers and moans, shivers all over until I place a warm hand on his belly and then he gasps, sighs, and lays still.  I think he has terrible nightmares.  And yet, he was a stud.  He only had to fend for himself. He never had to nurse a litter while malnourished and pregnant with another.  He never had to fight to protect six babies when he couldn't protect himself.  These are creatures who are degraded, mistreated, abused and used.  Let's show them some love on Mother's Day.

Mabel spent ten years in the same Virginia puppymill Theo came from.  She, Theo, and more than two hundred other small breed dogs ranging from Jack Russel Terriers to Westies to Chihuahuas, were rescued in the fall of 2007 thanks to effort from Best Friends and Pets Alive.  When she was rescued, Mabel was pregnant with what could have easily been her nineteenth litter.  It was clear she was due any day, her belly was quite swollen and she was obviously uncomfortable.  The veterinarians taking care of her were nervous about this birth because Mabel was well past her prime years.  They waited two days and then they gave her a C-section.  Her vets had had every right to worry.  It turned out she had only been pregnant with one pup, and by his size they could tell he was weeks over due.  And many more weeks dead.

But you can help!  You can make a difference!  Make a pledge to pass the word that Puppies Aren't Products.  Talk to your friends and family about the importance of adopting a pet instead of buying one.  And if you don't know what to get your mom for mother's day, click here to make a donation to the Best Friends Puppies Aren't Products campaign. It's the perfect way to say thank you to a lot of wonderful moms, your own included.

Trap Neuter Return

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

A few years ago, Kitty Kat appeared utterly exhausted as she roamed the streets of Astoria with her limp tail pointing down.

The street-smart feline had birthed dozens of the neighborhood's feral cats and kittens - and was still producing litter after litter - until she was spayed and saved by an angel.

Continue reading this excellent article by clicking here...

Monday Meow

Buddy is a super sweet nine-month-old kitten.  He is your typical orange tabby -- friendly, loveable, affectionate and playful. Did we mention gorgeous?  He loves to sit with you while you read or watch TV, but he prefers a sofa cushion to a lap.  He gets along well with other cats, yet he's also independent enough to be an only pet.  Right now he's being being fostered with Pippy and they get along great! Fully vetted, he's to be your best Buddy.

Interested?  Email adopt@atailatatime.org.

Opt to Adopt!

Microchip? Is that like GPS?

The following post is courtesy of www.animalalliancenyc.org.



Why microchip your pets?

Having your pets microchipped is one of the best ways to increase the chance that, if your pet becomes lost or stolen and winds up at an animal shelter or veterinary office, he or she can be returned to you. Unlike dog tags and collars, which can fall off or be removed, microchipping is a more permanent form of identifying your dog or cat.

How does it work?

A tiny capsule about the size of a grain of rice is injected under the loose skin on the back of your pet's neck. The procedure provides no more discomfort than a vaccination.

What do I have to do?

Register the chip. This is extremely important! If your vet does not submit the paperwork for you, make sure YOU complete the form and mail it to the company.  And even if your vet submits the paperwork for you, it's a good idea to follow up with the company to make sure the chip was registered correctly. (If you have your dog or cat microchipped at a Mayor's Alliance low-cost microchipping clinic, the Mayor's Alliance will submit the paperwork for you.)

I've lost my microchipped pet.  Now what?

If your dog or cat becomes lost and turns up at a shelter or vet's office, a scanner can be used to read the digital number on the chip.

A phone call to the microchip company to which you registered the microchip provides the shelter or vet with your contact information, and you can be contacted to retrieve your pet.

Where can I have my pet(s) microchipped?

The Mayor's Alliance holds low-cost microchipping clinics at events throughout the year where you can have your dog(s) or cat(s) microchipped for only $25 each. If you'd like to host a microchipping clinic in your neighborhood, please contact us at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

You can also ask your veterinarian or local animal shelter for advice about microchipping and prices.
If you'd like to host a microchipping clinic in your neighborhood, please contact us at info@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

Participate in our Then And Now Project

Adopters!

Send us a picture of your A Tail kitty.  We are posting "then and now" pics on our website and we'd love to see how your adopted kitty is doing.  Email info@atailatatime.org and we'll feature your cat on our website.

Opt to Adopt!

Spring Fling

Click invitation for larger view

Monday Meow

Midnight is luscious black cat with a small white patch on her chest and fantastically soft fur.  She is affectionate, likes to be petted and seems to enjoy being picked up.  At a year old and weighing eight pounds, she's sweet and petit.  She'll make a wonderful pet.

Midnight was owner-surrendered due to allergies.  They're loss, our gain!  Look at those beautiful eyes!  Also, if you have a pet bird who's looking for companionship, Midnight is a friend to all birds!  She loves them -- and not in an eating kind of way.

If you or someone you know is interested in giving Midnight her furrrrever home, email us at info@atailatatime.org or visit our website at www.atailatatime.org for more information.

Opt to Adopt!

More Kittens! And more and more and more...

Jay's kittens -- two girls and a boy

Without our foster families and our volunteers, A Tail at a Time would not be able to save the animals we save.  Kitten season is here in full bloom and we need help.  We're seeing more and more kittens on the alert lists, and just this weekend a cat we pulled from the kill list gave birth to three more.

While the number of euthanized animals has dropped in the past years, there are still thousands and thousands of healthy, affectionate, young, friendly cats and dogs killed annually simply because of lack of space and funds.  From February 2009 to January 2010, twenty-eight thousand one hundred sixty-eight (28,168) cats came into the NYC shelters.  Three hundred ninety-eight (398) of those cats were claimed and returned to their owners.  Eighteen thousand three hundred sixty-three (18,363) were adopted (either by individuals or adoption groups) and eight thousand one hundred eighty-eight (8,188) were euthanized.*

Each day, Tracey and Kathleen (founders of A Tail), receive an alert list from Animal Care & Control, which informs them of all new arrivals.  Thanks to kitten season, we are seeing nearly a hundred new feline arrivals each afternoon.  Some of the new arrivals are as young as three days and some are as old as nine years.  Some were surrendered by owners who are moving, getting a divorce, or having a baby.  Some were found as strays, wandering the street, crying for food, eager to be petted, stroked and picked up.  Some are there because their owner died and no one else wants them.  Some are there because their families don't want to deal with a cat and her new litter of kittens.

The good news is that you can help.  You can volunteer for an animal rescue organization by helping at adoption events, you can spread the word about free spay/neuter programs, you can foster a pet (or several!), you can encourage friends who want to buy a pet to adopt one instead.  We are a small group now, but it's our mission to recruit more fosters so we can save more animals, and it's our dream to have a greater impact on the people of NYC, who's responsibility it is to make sure that all of their pets are spayed and neutered.

The fact of the matter is that the animals pouring into the ACC every day are victims of people who are too busy, too distracted, and too uninformed.  We can change that.  We can't save all the animals, but we can save a tail at a time.

If you'd like to help, please email us at info@atailatatime.org or visit our website www.atailatatime.org for more information.  And always, always, always opt to adopt!



*Statistics taken from the NYC ACC website www.nycacc.org

LOST CAT

Click photo for larger view

Adoption Event This Saturday!

This Saturday will be our first event as an official 501c3 Non Profit Group!

Where:  Pet Health, 81st and Amsterdam

When:  Saturday, April 17, 2010, from 12 to 4

We need volunteers for the following shifts:

11:30 to 1:30 or 2

1:30 or 2 to 4:30 (includes breakdown)

We need a total of four volunteers per shift, two outside at the table and two inside.

If you'd like to help, email info@atailatatime.org.

Opt to Adopt!