21 Cats Rescued From House Fire are Now in Need of Adoption January 16 2018, 5 Comments

Hurricane Harvey Leaves Hundreds of Pets Stranded August 31 2017, 9 Comments

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas and lingered over the already inundated cities, flooding neighborhoods and roadways and forcing thousands of people—and their pets—to flee their homes.

Unfortunately, some pets were left behind when owners were forced to evacuate and were turned away by shelters that do not allow animals. These beloved pets are in need of rescue, but luckily, there are caring heroes, ordinary citizens, braving the flood waters to ensure that the animals in need are being rescued.

Here, six cats are rescued from the rushing torrents. The felines were found in the Houston area and were safely transported to the shelter where they received the help they desperately needed.

hurricane harvey cat rescue austin pets alive houston spca

In an effort to avoid some of the mistakes made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago, animal safety advocates have joined forces to clear shelters in the Houston area and beyond to make space for animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey - even wildlife in need are being rescued.

baby squirrel hurricane harvey animal rescue

The national effort to clear shelters to make room for the pets lost or displaced by Harvey involves flying the homeless animals already in the shelters to shelters in other parts of the country, such as New Jersey. The huge effort is being undertaken by Humane Society of the United States, Wings of Rescue, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, GreaterGood.org, the Best Friends Animal Society and other animal rescue and welfare organizations.

The animal shelters in Texas that are still up and running are taking in hundreds of displaced dogs and cats and are expecting more and more as the rescue efforts increase.

Austin Pets Alive! Is moving as many displaced animals as possible into its shelter and is working on adopting out the animals currently residing there, so it has more room for Harvey evacuees. The rescue is looking for financial donations and potential adopters, learn more here.

How You Can Help

A GoFundMe page has been set up by 4 Paws Farm and the I Love My Dog Team to raise donations for veterinary care, food, and bedding for animals impacted by Hurricane Harvey. To date, the fundraiser has surpassed its original goal, raising almost $50K in just a few days. Click here for more information and to donate.
Best Friends Animal Society, the first animal rescue on the ground during Hurricane Katrina, has deployed its disaster response team to Texas to help rescue stranded animals, deliver supplies and transport displaced pets. You can donate to the disaster relief fund here.
The SPCA of Texas is working to evacuate pets out of the affected areas and is helping to provide resources on pet-friendly housing to those evacuating the Houston area. The SPCA of Texas is accepting donations here.
American Humane is working to rescue animals from the flood waters, as well, and is also providing hundreds of pounds of pet food to pet owners and their animals currently displaced by Harvey. To support these efforts, click here.

Curly Coated Cats are Descended from a Single Rescue Kitten August 20 2017, 2 Comments

The newest viral cat craze is covered in curls! Meet the Selkirk Rex.

While the hardcore cat fanciers of the world might not be surprised at the sight of a cat with curls, as there are four lesser-known cat breeds that sport curly-cued coats, this fresh-permed kitten took the Internet by storm.

selkirk rex laperm curly cat

But the Selkirk rex breed has an interesting story hidden behind those lustrous curls: they are all descended from a single rescue kitten named Miss DePesto.

In 1987 at a little shelter in Montana, Miss DePesto started her life as the oddball of her litter of four. She was the only kitten with crinkly, curly fur. Jeri Newman, a Persian breeder, saw the special little fluffball and adopted her.

Miss DePesto, aka Pest, was named after a character from the 1980s TV show “Moonlighting” and her habit of being a bit of a "pest" for attention.

Newman was entranced by Pest's warm personality and unusual appearance, so she decided to breed her with a black Persian named Photo Finish of Deekay. She gave birth to a litter of six kittens — three of which, amazingly, had curly coats.

This discovery meant that Miss DePesto's curls were a dominant genetic trait, unlike other curly-coated cat breeds such as the Cornish rex and Devon rex.

This unique genetic mutation allows for cross-breeding without the need for selective gene breeding. There is no fear of losing the curl, writes Mother Nature Network, and this diverse gene pool is the key to breeding healthy cats.

While the Selkirk rex breed and their curly coats might be all the rage, their origin story actually highlights just how important it is to adopt from a shelter.

Folks often assume that shelter animals are unhealthy or unwanted, when, in fact, they tend to be healthier than pets bought from a store — not to mention social, loving and well-adjusted. Without a little shelter cat named Pest, and her accidentally fluffy coat, these uniquely adorable cats wouldn’t exist.

Guy Gives Shelter Cats Hilarious Purrsonality Traits to Encourage Adoption February 22 2017, 3 Comments

A bit of light and laughter stealthily arrived at the Santé D’Or adoption center in Los Angeles, California, when an incognito prankster gave humorous name tags to the shelter's adoptable cats to help potential adopters connect to the witty kitties.

Said stealthy comedian was later revealed to be Jeff Wysaski (aka Obvious Plant) when he posted the witty name tags to his Facebook page and said, "I gave these adoptable cats some interesting likes and dislikes ... All these cats are real and need a home!"

obvious plant