Animal Friends' Home-to-Home program presents: Puss!

I am a mature female calico house cat in need of a loving home.  I yearn to be the apple of your eye and hope that you will let me exude my diva like qualities.   I am looking for a stress free environment without competition for my owner’s attention.  In return I can offer lots of affection in the form evening snuggles on the couch and as a loyal and devoted companion.  Don’t let my age fool you.  

 I am a spunky 11-year-old with the mind and energy of a 4-year-old.  I love to run and play – honestly, I think this is why my brother can’t wait for me to move out! Truth be told, I can’t wait to get the treats all to myself and not have to fight for warmest spot in the house.

 If you can help Puss find a forever home, please contact Leighanna at leighanna.miller@yahoo.com.

Animal Friends' Year-End Campaign

Dear Friend,

If you know Animal Friends, you know that spaying/neutering pets is at the heart of our organization. For more than 20 years, we’ve been compassionately and proactively fighting pet overpopulation. For far too long, too many pets have been unnecessarily euthanized in our region. At Animal Friends, we still firmly believe that euthanizing pets is never the solution to pet overpopulation.

To truly stem the tide of pet overpopulation, spay/neuter services need to be accessible and affordable to everyone – no matter their level of income. But that’s only part of combatting this crisis in our region. We need to ensure these services are accessible to the communities that need them most.

Our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program is making incredible strides in many of Pittsburgh’s underserved communities. Our staff has been hitting the ground, knocking on doors and getting to know the residents of these neighborhoods to better understand what they need and how we can help.

I’d like to share a story with you that was passed along by our Director of Clinic Services, Carol …

“Earlier this fall, we were visiting a neighborhood east of the city. We got wind that this neighborhood needed help caring for the area feral cats. They were reproducing at an alarming rate and some were even being hit on the road by cars. They didn’t know what to do, so they turned to Animal Friends.

When we visited the neighborhood we immediately saw what they meant – nearly two dozen filthy, starved cats and kittens roamed the street. It was overwhelming. And, it seemed that all of these felines were visiting one specific house – Miss Sylvia’s.

Miss Sylvia is an elderly widow, perhaps in her 80s. She lives alone and suffers from Alzheimer’s. She is a mother to children that have grown and moved away. And more recently, Miss Sylvia became a caregiver to more than two dozen cats.

To Miss Sylvia, these cats are so much more than just animals that need food and shelter.Several times a day, neighbors spot her padding onto her porch in her slippers to feed them.

There on her porch is where Miss Sylvia spends her waking hours. Through snowfalls and thunderstorms, she’s there cooing and talking with her animal friends. It’s clear these cats are the reason for her to get up in the morning.

And if that isn’t sweet enough, Miss Sylvia also selflessly shares the food from her own plate.Some days the cats get spaghetti and meatballs, other times, chicken. But never cat food,she couldn’t afford it.

We ventured to Miss Sylvia’s house. With pink plastic curlers in her hair, she answered the door. We tried to find out how much food she needed to care for the cats but she politely refused and humbly wouldn’t admit to feeding the cats. So we did what we could and left some cat food with her.

Not only did we need to get the colony’s population under control, we needed to help Miss Sylvia. So we started by successfully trapping the 20 cats from her yard who were then spayed/neutered and vaccinated at Animal Friends. After they recovered, they were returned to their home. To Miss Sylvia.

But it won’t stop there. She still needs our help. Miss Sylvia needs the proper tools and resources to better care for her beloved cats. So we’ll keep trying, and eventually, we’ll get her everything she needs.”

The Animal Friends’ staff left with a full vehicle – and even fuller hearts. It’s from hearing stories like these that make me so proud and so thankful for them. At Animal Friends, it’s this compassion that truly sets us apart.

Animal Friends commits nearly $1 million of our annual budget to keep spay/neuter affordable and accessible to low-income families – like Miss Sylvia. But we can’t fight the pet overpopulation crisis alone. To be a true resource to pet owners and communities, we need your help.

There is no better time than now to invest in spay/neuter. To keep our clinics running through the end of the year, we need to raise $250,000. Together, with you, we can make a difference in the lives of pets and people in our region. Together, we can end pet overpopulation.

Kind supporters, like you, are our reasons to be thankful this holiday season. 

Please respond with a donation today.

In appreciation,

David J. Swisher

President & Chief Executive Officer

AnimalFriends Resource Center

562 Camp Horne Road | Pittsburgh, PA 15237

412.847.7000 | ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org

Animal Friends' Home-to-Home Adoption Program presents: Stubbie!

  
James writes about Stubbie: He is 8 yrs. old but still very young at heart. His name came from him being the runt of the litter, who later grew to actually be bigger than his siblings. 

He loves to play as well as being a lap-cat. With the passing of my mother, I am looking for a good home to send him to. He is house trained for a litter box. I can't keep him due to family allergies.

If you can help Stubbie find a forever home, please contact James at Jguiddy@kaier.net.

Animal Friends Home-To-Home Adoption Program presents: Nala!

Nala is a beautiful, 4-year-old female, orange Tabby cat who was found, as a kitten, abandoned and alone, on the side of the road.  We took her in, and she was immediately given a clean bill of health by the vet, and introduced to our family - including an adult female cat, 2 adults and a 2-year-old girl, with a baby to follow in a year.

Nala is a sweet cat who gets along well with the young children in the house, a 3 year old and 6 year old - often sleeping in their beds with them.  She can be a bit rambunctious, but it is mostly with attempts to play with a non-compliant older cat.  Since she has been with us, she has been diagnosed by multiple vets with high stress and anxiety.  Because she does not do well in a high stress environment, we are unfortunately looking to place her in another, loving home.  She would likely do best in a home with a consistent schedule.

 If you can help give Nala the home she needs, please contact Talia at taliaeubanks@gmail.com.

Help Them Heal: Billy

“Just hold on, little guy. You can do it.” An Animal Friends vet tech is holding a small bundle of fur in her hand – no more than a few days old – named Billy. Frequently called “bottle babies,” this neonatal kitten has just been brought to Animal Friends and is in dire need of medical attention. His breathing is shallow and his body is cool to the touch.

Billy’s needs help immediately so the kitten is rushed to the trusted emergency vet clinic. He recovers, slowly but surely, there for a few days. It’s the crucial first step that began the journey to his second chance.

Animal Friends’ staff veterinarian fell in love with Billy and is currently fostering the little gray ball of fluff. She dubbed him such his unique-sounding meow was reminiscent of a billy goat when he was being fed.

Now that Billy’s of sound health, he must learn another important part of growing up for a kitten – socialization. Animal Friends’ medical staff matched Billy up with Ken, another underweight kitten that needed a friend. The two get along fantastically and just by playing together, they are both learning important social skills they’ll need to be great companion animals when they grow up.

Billy is one lucky kitten. He made it to Animal Friends just in time. Now he’s well on his way to a happy, healthy, carefree life every kitten should know.

At Animal Friends, we promise to make an investment in the health of every one of our animals regardless of their level of need. Yes, every single one. But to be able to provide this kind of care we need your help. Now through Oct. 10 – thanks to the generosity of Bob and Janine Fragasso – every dollar you give in support of our residents’ medical care will be matched 50 cents on the dollar up to $125,000. Click hereto help more animals just like Billy.

Please give generously. Please help them heal.