Furrever Friends Rescue and Volunteers, Inc.

UPDATE (10/2/11):  Pretty Princess has found a home! A kind and compassionate person heard our pleas for help on behalf of Pretty Princess, and has adopted her.  Princess went to her new “forever” home this afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about Pretty Princess.  Your efforts paid off!

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DEPTFORD, NJ: CAT ABANDONED BY HOMELESS FAMILY AT PET SUPPLY STORE, LEFT OVERNIGHT IN BOX

A two-page letter attached to her carrier tells her story: Hoping that a new family would be found, “Pretty Princess” the calico cat was abandoned at the front doors of a pet supply store by her humans after they lost their home.  But unless an adopter comes forward, this 6 year old cat – originally rescued from a dumpster as a three-week-old kitten – will be sent to the local county shelter.

In the early morning hours of September 27, Pretty Princess was discovered in a pet carrier outside of a pet supply store.  The store is unequipped to take in animals, and their policy mandates that cats and dogs left on their doorstep be picked up by the local animal shelter.  Instead of contacting the shelter, however, store management woke up Suzanne Pomeroy, a volunteer with Furrever Friends Rescue and Volunteers, Inc. (FFRV), with hopes they could help.

But the foster volunteers with FFRV are currently overwhelmed with dozens of homeless kittens and special needs cats.  Pretty Princess has nowhere to go.

A detailed note left with Pretty Princess expressed that she was not taken to a shelter for fear that she might be euthanized. Volunteer Suzanne Pomeroy explained “I am sure the person who left this cat did not realize that discarding a pet like this is not only inhumane and dangerous, it is also illegal.”  The harsh truth is that retail stores cannot take in abandoned animals, and Pretty Princess may end up at the shelter anyway.

The most recent reports available indicate that Gloucester County Animal Shelter euathanizes 82% of the felines that enter its doors.  Pomeroy and the other volunteers feel it is critical for Pretty Princess’ survival that they find placement for her.  Although overwhelmed with caring for the cats currently in their program, FFRV volunteers are scrambling to find a safe place for this calico.  With dozens of calls coming in each week from people desperate to surrender their pets, the volunteers face the daily reality that they cannot help them all.

Jennifer Andersch, a founding member of the nonprofit, stated that Pretty Princess is being boarded at a vet for a few days while FFRV searches for a solution. “Although healthy, she appears to be in shock, confused and in mourning for the loss of her once happy life,” she said.

The note also indicated that Pretty Princess had brothers, but gives no information on where they may have been abandoned.

To obtain advice on how to find a home for an unwanted pet, or to adopt Pretty Princess, contact FFRV at www.furreverfriends.org, 856 845 8554 or info@furreverfriends.org. Donations can be made online or sent to: FFRV, PO BOX 141, Woodbury, NJ  08096

Cold weather is just around the corner… and for those who care for feral (outdoor, unsocialized) cats, now is the time to begin winter preparations.  If you maintain shelters for ferals, inspect the structures and repair as necessary, and make sure that their bedding is fresh.  You can purchase inexpensive hay at many farm markets and garden stores that will keep cats warm and comfortable on cold winter nights. If the shelters have filled up with water, drill small holes in the bottoms for drainage, and set them up on bricks.

Also, ferals need reliable, non-frozen water supplies in the winter (the urgency of this, of course, depending on where you live).  Many pet stores sell electric water bowls that warm the water enough to keep it from freezing.  In most cases, you only need to maintain a heated bowl during periods when the temperature consistently dips below freezing (in New Jersey, this means approximately mid-December through March).   See this page for other tips on preventing drinking water from freezing, including solutions for locations without electricity.

Our page on feral cat care has links to resources on everything from feral care basics to instructions on building shelters, plus complete instructions (including videos) on trap-neuter-return (TNR).