A Tale of Three Cats

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Winter 2012
A Tale of Three Cats
By Virginia Van Norden, Forgotten Felines Director
Imagine finding yourself elderly, extremely sick, and com‑
pletely alone. That is exactly what happened to three of
the many cats Forgotten Felines rescued this year. Within
a six week time frame during the summer, Marian, Paul
and Ricardo found their way to the shelter after obviously
struggling for a long time outside.
Marian was discovered curled up on the side of Route 80
in Killingworth in July. At 14 years old, she weighed a mere
5.1 pounds. Completely emaciated, dehydrated and cov‑
ered with flea dirt, she would not have lived much longer
without help. In addition to a heart murmur, she was suffer‑
ing from hyperthyroidism and a urinary tract infection.
Just 5 days later, Paul found his way to a home in Chester.
He too was emaciated and dehydrated. His breathing was
labored, he had a temperature, and he had no interest in
eating. He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and car‑
diomyopathy, and the prognosis was poor.
The following month, 12 year old Ricardo also turned up
at someone’s house, this time in Essex. Extremely thin and
very weak, he was off balance and had difficulty walking,
particularly on his hind legs. He had dental disease and a
puncture wound on his lower lip.
Miraculously, all three of these amazing cats beat the odds
once they had access to much needed medical care, food
and nurturing. Because they are extremely friendly and
were already spayed and neutered, it’s obvious they were
loved at one point in their lives. If only they could tell us
what happened. Instead, we are left to wonder how their
lives nearly ended so tragically.
Paul is currently being fostered by one of our volunteers,
and I am betting he has found his forever home! He is
absolutely thriving as he begins the next chapter of his life.
Marian and Ricardo would love the same opportunity.
They are very happy to be safe and loved again, but are
honestly overwhelmed being with so many other cats.
Hopefully they too will find quiet homes to call their own
for the remainder of their very special lives.
2013 Forgotten Felines
Calendars Are Here!
Looking for a memorable gift for the holiday season?
Our 2013 full color, 13-month calendar is available
and ready to ship. The calendar features lovely pic‑
tures of our available cats along with some alumni that
found their FURever homes in 2012. Please include a
check for $20.00 payable to Forgotten Felines, along
with your name, address and phone number, and iden‑
tify as “Calendar.” All proceeds benefit our cats and
kittens. For more information, call 860-669-1347.
Forever in Our Hearts
Winter Wish List
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By Virginia Van Norden, Forgotten Felines Director
Advantage Multi
Frontline
Scoopable and clumping litter
F
riskies classic paté canned food
Friskies Party Mix treats
Greenies Feline Pill Pockets
B
eech Nut Stage 1 baby food jars beef, turkey or chicken
Purina Kitten Chow dry food
Towels, blankets and cat beds
Copier
Postage stamps
Gas cards for supply runs
To find our new wish list
BJ's gift cards
on amazon.com, search
Staples gift cards
for “Forgotten Felines,
Dishwashing detergent
Inc. of Connecticut” &
L
aundry detergent for
see what our cats and
HE washing machines
volunteers are
wishing for.
Bleach
Paper Towels
Trash bags - 13 gallon or larger
To the dear friends we have lost this year, please
know that you will never be forgotten. Whether you
were with us for nearly two decades or a few short
hours, your lives touched us more than you can
imagine, and we find comfort in knowing that we
will meet again at the Rainbow Bridge.
Ben, Benson, Bernice, Bonnie, Chris, Dixie, Emer‑
son, Frasier, Fred, George, Gretta, Gypsy, Honey,
Jensen, Josie, Junior White, Kirby, Midnight, Mon‑
tego, Paris, Quinn, Rye-Lynn, Sasha’s 2 kittens, Sky
and Stanley, we love you, we miss you, and you will
forever have a special place in our hearts.
Our Mission
ForgottenFelines,Inc. is a charitable, non-profit
Our Tree Angel
organization run entirely by volunteers and supported solely
by contributions. Our mission is to stop the proliferation
of homeless cats in our community. At our humane, no-kill
shelter, we provide rescued cats with nutritious food, warm
beds, and expert care, with the goal of finding them permanent, loving homes.
Forgotten Felines has lost a dear friend. Bob
Burr, expert tree climber and true cat lover,
donated his skills to rescue cats stuck in trees.
During the past two years, he and his fiancée,
Emily Gorin, responded to six critical situations when we asked for help. Tragically, Bob
was killed by a drunk driver on July 8, 2012,
and Emily was critically injured. We offer our
sincere condolences to Bob's family, and our
thoughts and prayers are with Emily as she
continues to recover.
All the cats we rescue are spayed or neutered, given thorough examinations, vaccinated, and tested for fatal feline
diseases. Feral cats are released in to managed colonies or
barn homes, where they receive food and shelter.
Thanks to all our generous supporters and volunteers,
including newsletter editor Carol Andrecs; graphic
designer Ellie Gillespie; the contributing writers and
photographers; and our volunteers for assembling.
Thanks also to Dr. Robert Fair and staff at Killingworth
Animal Hospital for taking such good care of our residents
and new rescues, and to Shore Publishing for featuring our
cat adoption stories, articles, and notices.
Dinner by the Sea
A huge thank you to all those who showed their support by
Special thanks to all our wonderful Volunteers!
attending Dinner By the Sea on Friday, October 12 at the
Westbrook Elks Club. Everyone had a great time, and enjoyed
the fabulous food, silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Very special thanks go to Dana and Jim Schmaltz for planning and
organizing the event, to their team of volunteers who sold tickets and solicited donations, and to Jan Norrie, whose
spectacular seaside table arrangements had everyone talking. We are also very grateful to all of the individuals and busi‑
nesses who donated items and services for the silent auction. We hope to see you next year!
Donate Your Used Car! If you have a vehicle you no longer need, please donate it to our shelter.
100% of the proceeds go directly toward the care of our cats and kittens, and you can save on your
taxes too! Just call the fundraising line at 860-669-1347 and we'll come take your old car away.
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The Choice is Black & White
T
by Carol Andrecs, Adoption Coordinator
hese are just a few pictures of our very sweet
and loving black and white cats, who would
like nothing more than to find a home. This has
been a year like no other, with many more cats rescued
and brought into the shelter than adopted out. These are
tough times for cats. Abandonments are increasing, and
fewer pets are being spayed and neutered, resulting in
litter after litter of kittens being born. All of this has had
a snowball effect on the sheer number of homeless cats
that end up in shelters like Forgotten Felines. We simply
cannot turn our heads and walk away from a starving,
sick, neglected or injured cat that needs our help, yet the
number of cats in our care continues to rise with no end
in sight. The effects of the tough economy, job loss, home
foreclosures and evictions have certainly taken their toll
on animals, not to mention Tropical Storm Irene last year
and Hurricane Sandy just recently.
List on amazon.com. Consider volunteering. You will
not believe the difference it will make in so many lives,
including your own.
Photography courtesy of Tracye Chin Mueller
This holiday season, we ask our dedicated patrons and
supporters to take a leap and remember Forgotten
Felines in a special way. You can help us by opening
your heart and home and adopting just one more cat
who might otherwise live its life in the shelter. Put the
word out to friends and family, encouraging them to
adopt. Foster a cat, possibly one with special needs, who
so desperately wants one on one love and attention.
Donate whatever you can. A donation stretches so far
in helping us continue to care for all our cats and pay
our veterinary bills. Check into your employer’s match‑
ing contributions program. Select a gift from our Wish
HELP WANTED
FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED
We are in desperate need of short- and long-term foster homes for our rescued kittens, bottle
fed babies, pregnant moms and special needs cats. We simply cannot continue to rescue cats
and kittens if we don't have a place for them to go. Please consider fostering, even for a short
while, to help alleviate our crisis situation. For more information, call the volunteer line at 860669-1347, option 3.
SHELTER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Would you like to give a gift to our cats, but can’t afford a monetary donation? How about volunteering at the shelter?
Shelter volunteers, who give their precious time, are very special people. In addition to being loved, played with and fed,
our cats need their litter boxes scooped, their rooms swept and mopped, and their bedding washed and dried. Do you
have just 2 hours a week to make a huge difference in the lives of our cats? If so, please call the volunteer line at 860-6691347, option 3.
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us postage
organization
nonprofit
Paid
guilford, ct
permit no. 259
For more information:
860-669-1347
www.forgottenfelinesct.org
Follow Forgotten Felines on Facebook
Address Service Requested
SAVE THE DATE!
Find Your Match at
Forgotten Felines:
Forgotten Felines will
hold an open adoption
event on Saturday,
December 8, from
12:00 to 4:00 pm at
153 Horse Hill Road,
Westbrook. Adoption applications will be ac‑
cepted at that time. Kittens will not be shown at
this event. For more information, please call the
adoption line at 860-669-1347.
Winter 2012
Contents © Forgotten Felines, Inc.
Attention all Essex Savings
Bank customers: Forgotten
Felines needs your vote!
Each year Essex Savings Bank
donates 10% of its after tax net
income to nonprofit organizations and community
development projects in its seven‑town market area.
Forgotten Felines will be listed on the 2013 ballot
competing for a share of the money available through
customer voting. Voting will run February 1 through
March 15, so please stop by an Essex Savings Bank loca‑
tion and cast your vote for Forgotten Felines.
2013
Please check
out our
website or
Facebook page
for upcoming
2013 events.