October 2006 Newsletter

Happy Hearts Haven
We provide a loving, lifetime home for animals with special needs
Chenoa, IL
October 2006
Volume 3, Issue 2
Calendar
October
of Events
14
Information Booth at Petco. Volunteers will greet
the public and offer cats for adoption between the
hours of I:00 to 4:00. Volunteers are needed to help
with this activity. Call 309-838-3771 or email
terrie@happyheartshaven.org for details.
October
27
Yankee Candle orders must be received by this date
to ensure deliveryintime for the holidays.See insert
for detailson availabledesignsand how to order.
October 3 1
Pet pictures must be received by this date for inclusion in the Happy Hearts Haven 2007 calendar. See insert for details on this fundraiser. Digital pictures can be
sent to contact@happyheartshaven.org.
November
19
Pie orders must be received by this date for Thanksgivingdelivery and pickup. See next page for details on
this fundraiser. Volunteers are needed to help with this
activity. Call 309-838-3771 or email
terrie@happyheartshaven.org for details.
IJ
Carter (center facing the camera) and his buddies Maxie
(right) and Dudley (left) eating breakfast.
Carter's
Earlier in the summer,the
Animal Protection League
in Springfield, IL contacted
Happy Hearts
about a
black cat named Carter
that had tested positive for
FeLV. They were looking
for a permanent home for
Carter and were hoping we
might have space for him
at the Haven 'since we had
taken several FeLV cats
from them in the past.
We soon found out that
Carter was not just your
normal stray cat-there
was an amazing
story
about how he came to be at
the
Animal
Protection
League.
Carter's story starts out at
a lumber yard where he
lived with a colony of cats.
The lumber yard was next
to a river and wooded area
so it was a natural location
to attract stray and feral
cats. Some of the employees at the yard liked the
cats and put out food and
water for them.
One day when Carter was
eating a person did a terrible thing to him. Horrified
employees observed a delivery truck driver reach
down while Carter was eating and cut a long slice
from his side, across his
back to his other side with
a box cutter. Carter imme-
Story
diately ran off in pain and
shock. The employees reported the incident and an
animal abuse investigator
was sent to the scene. They
tried to locate Carter knowing that he desperately
needed immediate medical
care. It took several days
before they were able to
trap Carter and get him to
a vet. Carter recovered
from the injury but tested
positive for FeLV so he
must live the rest of his life
with other positive cats
since the virus is contagious and can be passed to
other cats.
What amazed us most is
that Carter still likes people and does not hold a
grudge. He is very affectionate and trusting with
people. He is currently
staying with two other new
FeL V cats at the Haven.
He' has a sweet disposition
and gets along well with
other cats and people. We
are so happy that we can
give him the opportunity to
live out his life in comfort. .
The man that did this to
Carter was prosecuted for
animal abuse. This just
shows how important it is
to report animal abuse of
any kind. We need to send
a message that abuse of an
animal or a person is not
accepted in our society.
VOLUME
HAPPY HEARTS HAVEN
3. ISSUE2
PAGE 2
Volunteer Opportunities'
Offsite Opportunities:
. Coordinate or help with fundraising projects
. Update and maintain website
Help with publications
. Grant writing
. Volunteer recruitment
Public awareness and education
Solicit local businesses for goods and services
. Pursue potential publicity opportunities
. Written responses to donations (Thank-you cards)
. Answer calls and emails
Onsite Opportunities:
Pet, comb and play with the cats
Feed and water cats
. Sweep, clean enclosures and change bedding
. Take dirty bedding to Laundromat
. Grounds maintenance
. Help with projects including all construction of inside
rooms, outside enclosures, doghouses and inside and outside activity centers.
Take and maintain CUlTentphotos of animals' and facilities
. Transportation of animals and materials
.
.
.
..
.
..
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
VVish List
.
.
.
Cat beds and furniture, cat trees and poles for climbing
Toys for interactive play and regular cat toys
Blankets and towels (old is fine)
Cat Carriers
Combs and brushes
ClumpingiScoopable litter
Prevention or Frontline flea tr~atment
Humane traps
Dog houses for outside yards
Cleaning supplies, brooms, mops, paper towels, etc.
Purina one dry cat food
Canned food
Bales of straw
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Outside kennel panels 6' tall for outside enclosures
Chicken wire
Shelving and brackets
Cat doors
.
Professional.tri-fold presentation board
Stamps, business envelopes and paper
HP printer cartridges # 56 & 57
Professional sign for property entrance
Garage style shelving for supplies
Small refiigerator
Push lawnmower for outside enclosures
Wal-Mart, SAMS and Menards gift cards for food, litter and
buildingsupplies
.
Thanksgiving Bake Sale
Don't like to bake or don't have time? We have the solution for you. Help support the
kitties at Happy Hearts by purchasing a homemade pie for your Thanksgiving feast.
You can choose from Pecan, Apple or Pumpkin Pie. We must receive the attached order
form with your check by November 17th to ensure delivery or pickup on November
23rd. You must live within the Bloomington/Normal, IL area to participate in this offer.
Mail order form and check to Happy Hearts Haven, 27231 East 3000 North Road, Chenoa,
Checks should be made payable to Happy Hearts Haven
Name
Phone
Address
Thanksgiving
Order (November
Delivery):
-
Pecan Pie ($14.00)
Quantity
Apple Pie ($12.00)
Quantity-
TotalPrice-
Pumpkin
Quantity
-
Total Price-
Pie ($12.00)
Total Price-
IL 61726
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
A Volunteer Story
By Par;sa Ghasem;
PAGE3
HAPPY HEARTS HAVEN
-
The Kittens
Hi, my name is Parisa. I am 12 years old
and am in 7'h grade. I go to Chiddix Jr. Hi~h.
My little sister's name is Nadia. She's a 4
grader at Brigham Elementary. Both of us
love all kinds of animals. But I am going to
tell you about the kittens and how they came
into our lives.
Last year (2005) in the middle of June, Nadia
and I came home to mow the lawn and
check on the house while my mom and step
dad were out of town. I had just finished
mowing and had gone inside to get cleaned
up. Nadia came in and said that she had
seen a gray kitten outside while she was
swinging out on the swing set. So of course,
Nadia and I ran outside to the swing set together. The little gray kitten was very pretty
and was very friendly. She let us pet her but
we didn't pick her up. We were so interested
in her that it took us awhile to notice two
other kittens (a gray tabby and an orange
tabby) laying a distance away in the grass.
We figured they must be her brothers-as
they were both a little bigger than her. Because my mom wasn't home and we weren't
sure what to feed them, my older sister Marjaneh said we should give them milk. So we
went in to the house to get milk to give them.
They drank the milk very fast because I think
they were very hungry. We were worried
when we left that day to go back to my dad's
house because we didn't know if we would
ever see them again.
When my mom came back a few days later,
we told her about the kittens. We were very
glad to find out that the kittens were stililiving in the back yard under the trees. Our
swing set is way back at the edge of our
back yard. The back edge of our yard and
one of the sides are bordered with huge evergreens that are taller than our house. It
was a perfect hiding place for the kittens.
Mymom saw the kittens and said they were
probably about 2 months old. She said she
thought they were very cute. We gave the
kittens some rice dressing and they really
loved it. The little gray kitten would let us pet
her, but we could not pet the tabbies. The
tabbies wouldn't eat unless we backed up a
few feet. Every once in awhile we would see
a bigger gray tabby hiding under the evergreen in the corner, so we guessed it was
probably the momma cat. So that's what we
called the big cat-Momma Cat.
My mom bought a bunch of canned food and
they really liked it. We also always made
sure they had fresh water. $omeoneat my
mom's work told her that the kittens should
be eating dry kitten food, so my mom bought
some dry kitten food too. Then the kittens
only got canned food every two days and
they really loved it. We called it wet food
because it is not dry.
My mom told us that the kittens couldn't
keep living in the back yard. She asked
people at work if they wanted kittens, but
no one wanted them. We took pictures of
them so people could see how cute they
were, but still no one wanted them. One
of my friends came over with her dad and
sister and looked at the little gray cat, but
they decided not to take her. I didn't know
it was going to be so hard to give kittens
away. My mom checked the newspaper
to see what kind of ads were in the paper
for people trying tp get rid of cats. She
found out that there are a lot of people
trying to give cats away and sometimes
the cats already have their shots and
have been fixed. This was not good
news and we knew that we might have a
hard time finding the cats a home.
So we kept feeding the cats and we played
outside with the cats as much as we could.
We wanted to keep all of them forever, but
we knew we couldn't. My older sister and
brother are allergic to cats, so we knew we'd
never be able to keep any of the cats. Plus
my mom said it wouldn't be fair since we are
gone so much with our activities. But after
having the kittens in the back yard for two
weeks, they disappeared. They seemed to
just vanish. I asked my mom to call the
pound to see if Animal Control had picked
them up, but they hadn't. Nadia and I really
wanted the kittens to come back. We
wanted to make sure they were safe and not
hungry. We hoped a wild animal had not got
them. We worried a lot about the kittens and
we asked our neighborhood friends if they
had seen any kittens, but no one had. We
didn't think we would ever see them again.
Then one day about 4..5 weeks later at the
end of July, the kittens came back. Except
now there were 4 kittens. The little gray kitten was the only friendly one and the tabbies
were more afraid of us than they had been.
The new little kitten was a beautiful calico. I
named her Cally, which was short for calico.
Cally was very skinny and she looked a little
.sick. Sometimes she would not eat until we
were back in the house. We decided to
name the boy tabbies too. Nadia named the
brown tabby Tigger because he kind of
looked like a tiger. We named the gray
tabby Rocky because he is the color of
rocks. But the little gray cat that was the
friendliest still didn't have a name. My mom
noticed how her gray fur would change colors when the sun was shirring on her. She
said it looked like a gray pearl. So we
named the little gray cat Pearl.
After a couple weeks, the tabbies got friendlier. We could even pet Tigger when he was
eating. If we put food inside the house just
Parisa & Nadia with Pearl
inside the sliding glass door, they would
come in and eat. Then instead of living under the evergreens, they starting living under
our deck. My mom said we needed to find
them homes because the neighbors started
asking my mom when she was going to get
rid of the cats. One neighbor wanted to call
Animal Control because the cats were using
her son's sandbox as a litter box.
At the end of the summer, we went to
George Wendt's farm for a cookout. His wife
Jeannie said they would love to have the
calico cat. They have a lot of barn cats and
they are all very friendly. You can pick all of
them up and carry them around. So we
tricked Cally into house with wet food. We
took Cally over to the Wendt's farm in an
animal carrier. George said it would be best
to let her get used to the surroundings first
so he put food and water in a big metal dog
crate. Then he carefully opened the door of
the carrier and she went into the dog crate.
But before he could close the door, she had
already squeezed through the other side.
She ran off into the cornfield. We drove
around the next couple nights, but we couldn't find her. She didn't come back to our
house either, even though
is only about a mile away.
Cally and we thought that
mal got her or she got ran
the Wendt's farm
We worried about
maybe a wild aniover.
. In the middle of August, school started. It
was very hard being away from the kittens.
Nadia was always the first one home since
her bus gets home before mine and she was
always met in the driveway by Pearl. When
we would leave in the morning, the kittens
would leave too. We would see them going
, down the street and through other yards.
Pearl,
They were brave little cats-especially
who was their leader.
My mom was trying to find a home for the
other kittens too: A lady my mom works with
said that she might know a farm that would
HAPPY HEARTS HAVEN
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
The Kittens Continued
also would like to be able to help more with
the cats. The cats that live at Happy Hearts
are very lucky to have such a nice home.
They have nice climbing things, lots of blankets, boxes, and toys. And the sick cats get
medicine so that they feel better. Terrie has
to give some of the cats medicine 2 times a
day. Sometimes they have sniffles, and one
of the cats had to have eye surgery. But
they are lucky they have Terrie to take care
of them.
place.
We had probably asked a hundred times to
keep Pearl, but then my mom said that her
and my stepdad had talked about it and that
we were going to keep Pearl. Nadia and I
couldn't believe it. We were so happy. So
we took Pearl to the vet and got her fixed
and checked for diseases. She checked out
Happy Hearts has a sign-in sheet for volunteers that come out and help with the cats.
People can come out and help clean the
rooms, clean the litter boxes, give them food
and water, and pet the cats. Happy Hearts
has a lot of cats so I know they need a lot of
fine. She also got declawed on her front
paws. It was very painful for her for a few'
days. We felt sorry for Pearl, but she liked
being an indoor cat. And because she looks
like a Russian Blue cat, her fur is different.
This was very good because it didn't bother
my older sister and older brother who are
allergic to cats.
they couldn't eat before the surgery, we I
kept them ovemight in the garage. It
I'w!
was very sad because they both cried
all night long. They were very scared.
-
My mom took Rocky
and Tigger to the
vet to get them neutered and to check
for diseases. Nadia
help.
.
My mom was afraid that we were going to
have more kittens soon because Momma
Cat was still eating food on our deck at night
/..
---~
"
----
-
--
---
--~
throughthis again. So we
caughtMommaCatin
cats. We want Rocky and Tigger to not be
afraid and to get very friendly so they can
find new homes. Many of the other cats
could get homes too but I think people are
afraid to have a cat that has special needs.
They do not understand or know how to take
care of a cat that needs special care. But
Terrie can tell them everything they need to .
know if they want to adopt one of her cats.
And this would give her room to save other
cats that need a place to go.
In May, Nadia was talking to Nicole, one of
her friends at school. Nicole said that she
had a calico cat that showed up on their
deck last fall. Nadia thought it might be
Cally. So we went over to Nicole's house
with pictures of Cally that we had taken of
her when she was a kitten. It was a perfect
match, Cally was safe and was lucky to be
an indoor cat. We gave the pictures of Cally
to Nicole's mom. We were all very glad that
Cally was still alive.
To help with the cats, Nadia and I went to a
meeting to learn about what kind of events
Terrie was planning to help raise money and
to find volunteers. She said that they were
going to be at Petco and at the Farmer's
Market to help get donations from baked
goods and to sell things to help the cats.
The cats eat a lot of food every day and go
through tons of litter so it costs a lot of
money to take care of the cats. Terrie also
had a garage sale in June. My mom took
her some things for the garage sale. Nadia
and I wanted to help and want to be volunteers. We helped make some things for the
Farmer's Market. We designed frames that
you can make yourself. We made bookmarks and cat toys. My mom made some
cat cards and a lot of cat and dog heads out
of clay that you can glue on the pet frames.
The frames are cool and they are only $5.00
so I think we are going to sell a lot.
Happy Hearts Haven is a very nice place
and I am glad that Rocky and Tigger have a
place to call home.
and she was looking very fat. My mom who
was getting ready to have a baby herself
said she didn't think she could go
';
,,~.
~.
I:
Terrie's cage and took her to
the vet and got her fixed too.
We took her out to Terrie's
house the week before my
~.~
little brother was born.
Momma Cat stayed in a big
dog crate that had a dog
house inside of it until she
felt better. Even though it
was cold, Momma Cat was
fine because she had straw
,.
inside the doghouse. Even
~
after Terrie let her out,
Momma Cat would still go
and I got to go with
her to pick them up
that night. We got
to go with her to
take the boys to
Happy Hearts in
Chenoa. Terrie had
a special room set
up for them so they
could be together
and get used to
their new home. It
was an isolation
Then it was a long time before we could see
Rocky and Tigger and the other cats again
because of our little brother. We asked my
mom all of the time when we could see the
We really missed Rocky and Tigger but
Terrie said we could visit them anytime. We
really wish that we lived closer to Happy
Hearts so we could visit all the time. We
to stay in our neighborhood and our
neighbors wanted the cats gone. Sterile
Feral could not take the cats to another
-
use the litter box.
room located inside one
of her cat rooms for the
cats that have kitty cat
AIDS. There were a lot
of cats in the room, but
most were all over us wanting to be petted.
They really like attention. It was sad when
we had to go.
take the two tabby boys, but they would have
to live in a barn. It was at this time that my
mom started talking to a lady from Sterile
Feral. The lady from Sterile Feral said that
they would let us borrow cages to capture
the cats, help us get them fixed, but that
we'd have to agree to feed them. But that
wouldn't work because the cats would have
My mom didn't know what to do about Rocky
and Tigger. Someone at work told her she
should talk to Terrie McCarty because
they said she would know what to do.
My mom told me that Terrie said that
we should reconsider taking the boy
tabbies to the farm-wild
un-neutered
cats living in a barn often have a short
life span due to predators and injuries
from fights. She told us that she would
take them into Happy Hearts Haven,
which is a safe place for cats that don't
have anywhere else to go. Terrie let us
borrow a cage to catch Tigger. We
tricked Rocky into the house and
caught Tigger in the cage. Because
PAGE4
III
C
il
,
I
>1
inside of the dog crate and
..
.;..
~
~-
Tigger, Roclde and Pearl
II
II
i,~""'--
~
PAGES
HAPPY HEARTS HAVEN
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
Sanctuary Update from Whiskey
.~~..
~
,.
Hello everyone, my name is Whiskey and I have the job of public relations expert and official greeter at sanctuary fundraising events when I am not sleeping
on the job. I also have my own column
in the sanctuary newsletter.
./.
I
'..A
.
f
."'A
i.
'"~,
-
Lots of things have happened here at Happy Hearts since the last
newsletter. I moved out to one of the FIV rooms with my buddies Snow.1 ball and Whiskers. I really like it here because the volunteers built us
new sun rooms this spring where we can get fresh air and sunshine
1'1while
stillof being
from the
rain and
heard
have
<
a group
senior protected
ISU marketing
students
to weather.
thank for Iour
newwesun
rooms. As part of a class project they raised close to $700.00 dollars for
i A
~
us and it was just enough to buy materials for our new sun rooms. I
qhad
our director take a picture of us enjoying the view from our rooms.
We all send a big thank-you to the ISU students and their professor.
This summer, Dr. Patti from Highland Hospital for Animals came out
to
see us. She spent several hours looking us over and giving some of
New sun rooms for the FIV cats.
the guys shots. She made everybody weigh in and I might mention that
some of the guys in my room could stand to miss a few meals. Mickey, a
black and white bully in our room, received the honor of being the largest cat at the sanctuary. I did hear that a
few of the residents did not cooperate but I remembered Dr. Patti from when I was so sick. She took good care of
me and helped me get well so I let her look me over. We all had great fun trying to steal the neat stuff she
brought with her. I hear she will be back next year to give us our yearly exams. Thanks to Dr. Patti for helping
us stay healthy!
Two lucky guys in the other FIV room got adopted last month. Karen, one of the volunteers and board members,
finally decided to take Elvis home to live with her. There was a picture of her and Elvis in the last newsletter.
She also took Desi. He was a new cat that showed up at the sanctuary this spring. I hear they are doing great
and have learned to live with dogs and a talking bird. I have even heard some rumors that she might take me
home to live with her. It is a great place and I know because she has taken me home for a few sleepovers after
being at Petco.
Early this summer a momma cat and her 5 kittens came to stay at the
sanctuary. The momma had tested positive for FeLV and they needed a
place to stay isolated until they were old enough to be fixed and introduced to the other FeLV cats. Well an amazing thing happened when
they went back to be fixed-Momma cat was re-tested and she was
negative. That just proves the point that all positive cats should be isolated and re-tested in 6 to 8 weeks or get the IFA test to confirm a true
lifetime positive. Two of the boys (Spike & Sparky) were a little rowdy so
they came back to live with our director. The whole group will now have
the chance for a normal life in good homes.
I am sad to report that the volunteers did not raise enough money this
summer to build additional rooms in the cat building for the FeLV cats
Spike and Sparky
and more FIV cats. Our director has been getting so many calls about
FeLV cats this summer they decided to fix up 3 rooms in the basement to make room for a few more. That area
is now full so she will have to start turning cats away again. You can help us raise money to build more rooms
by buying a calendar with pictures of me and my buddies here at Happy Hearts. Kevin, one of our new volunteers is taking great pictures of us for the calendar. You can even send in a picture of your best buddy and we
will put it in the calendar. You can also tell everyone to consider adopting one of the guys here at the sanctuary.
We are all so special and if we find a home it will free up space for someone new.
Sponsor a Special-Needs Pet
Happy Hearts Haven is the last option for animals that are not adoptable and just need a safe
and loving place to live out their lives. Weare
currently taking in cats with FIV and Feline Leukemia but hope to expand to other animals when
fmances allow. Often an organization or an individual does not have many options when they
rescue a cat that tests positive to FIV or Leukemia. Sadly these animals are often put down
since they are extremely difficult to adopt. We at
Happy Hearts want to give the animals a chance
to live out their lives with companions that have
similar health conditions.
OYES, I want to sponsor a special-needs cat and pledge
my monthly support for the following amount:
0$15
0 $20 0 $25 0 $50 0$-
OYES, I want to give a one time donation:
0$15
0 $20 0 $25 0 $50 0$-
Name
Address
City.
So, please become a sponsor, and make a difference in the life of the animals here at Happy
Hearts. It's easy. Just fill out the form to your left
and send it in with your gift.
We take the stewardship of your donations very
seriously. We buy only what we need (plenty of
food and medicines), make whatever we can
(fences and shelter), and use all volunteer help
for feeding, cleaning, petting and administration.
Your donation to the work at Happy Hearts can
work a small miracle. Together with the donations of other sponsors and contributors we can
give these animals with special-needs a chance
for a better life.
Please make your check payable to:
,
Happy Hearts Haven
27231 E. 3000 N. Road
Chenoa, IL 61726
Phone: (309) 838-3771
Email: contact@happyheartshaven.org
www.happyheartshaven.org
501c3Non-Profit Tax Deductible Organization
Happy Hearts is totally supported through donations.
Thanks to the
generous hearts of people like you, we can ensure that animals who
come to Happy Hearts will never again have to be alone, hungry, sick,
afraid, or in pain.
Purpose and Mission of Organization:
.
.
.
To rescue homeless, unwanted or abandoned animals with special needs and provide them with a lifetime
home in a safe environment with appropriate veterinary care.
To educate the public regarding animals with special medical conditions like cats with FIV, Feline Leukemia and Feline Diabetes.
To strengthen, promote and educate on spay neuter programs.
Organizational Structure and Funding:
. Happy Hearts Haven is a federally approved 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation run by a board of directors.
Donations to the organiz~tion are tax deductible by the donor.
. The organization is licensed as an animal shelter by the State of Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Welfare.
. Happy Hearts is staffed by volunteers and currently does not have any paid staff positions.
. Happy Hearts Haven is supported by public donations and grant money. People that bring animals to
Happy Hearts are encouraged to sponsor the animal with a small monthly donation.