May 2016 - Maine Coon Adoptions

109 kitties adopted since our
November 2015 newsletter
May 2016 Newsletter
To the cats who graced our lives
Our beloved animal friends . . .
It seems like having animals around us is
part of what it means to be human. We
keep cats, dogs, hamsters, you name it.
We put bird feeders in our yards, bird
baths in the garden and bat houses in our
trees.
The bond we have with cats goes way
back. Everyone knows ancient Egyptians
worshipped cats, but cats also were
associated with Freya, the Norse goddess
of love. Burmese cats were thought to be
Lily the reincarnated spirits of Buddhist monks.
Early Siamese believed their kings were
reincarnated as Siamese cats.
Our adopters constantly remind me of
how deeply cats embed themselves in
our hearts. A past adopter recently wrote
to tell me his beloved cat was nearing the
end of her life, and he included this short
poem: “No Heaven will, not ever Heaven
be; / Unless my cats are there to
welcome me.” (Anon.) That poem struck
a deep chord. A new adopter also put
the bond into words when she said her
home would have “a presence” once
she brought her new cat home. Our lead
article is dedicated to all the cats who’ve
graced our lives and those that still do.
>>>> Elaine Lyford-Nojima, Director, MCA
www.facebook.com/MaineCoonAdoptions
“What greater gift than the love
of a cat.”
CHARLES DICKENS
They are there to greet us when we walk in the door. They may sleep in our
beds at night. They see us at our best and at our worst and still snuggle up.
The bond we share with our cats is deep and ineffable. In “Emotional Power
Broker of the Modern Family” (N.Y. Times, 3/14/11), Benedict Carey wrote:
“Psychologists long ago confirmed what most pet owners feel in their bones:
that for some people bonds with animals are every bit as strong as those with
other humans.”
Cats can help us maintain balance in our lives when the going gets rough.
An old vet adage says: “If you put a cat and a bunch of broken bones in the
same room, the bones will heal.” The way a cat can make us laugh out loud
just by being itself is comforting to the soul. Albert Schweitzer said, “There are
two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” The simplicity
The cats who graced our lives, continued .....
of the connection between humans and cats appeals to many.
There’s just nothing complicated or artificial about a cat sitting in your
lap purring.
We already know the bond with our cats is a two-way street, but
research confirms it. To use just one example, a 2007 study in the
Journal of Veterinary Behavior looked at attachment in cats and
discovered behavior similar to that found in young children who were
first left with parents, then strangers. When cats were placed in a
room with their owners, they tended to show relaxed attachment
behaviors such as exploring and playing. Cats put in the same room
with a stranger meowed less and spent more time hanging around
the door.
One thing is sure, once you love a cat, they stay in your heart. And
when they leave this earth they leave a hole in your heart that is
precisely their size and shape. John Updike wasn’t talking about cats
when he wrote the following, but he could’ve been: “And another
regrettable thing about death / is the ceasing of your own brand of
magic .... Who will do it again? That's it: no one; / imitators and
descendants aren't the same.”
We remember the words of an adopter who told us, “When we adopt
------------------------------
a kitty, we also agree to eventually undergo the grief of losing them.”
We’ll leave you with the words of the
When we feel overwhelmed by that grief, we need to remember to
immortal Theodor Seuss Geisel:
celebrate and honor our kitty’s whole life -- the funny things she did,
Don’t cry because it’s over ... Smile
his warmth in our laps and the feel of his silken fur under our hands,
her special meow, the way he totally demolished his toy mouse -- all
the things that will make us cherish his or her memory always.
Yes, I want to
help the kitties!
because it happened.”
DR. SEUSS
My Name:
Do you have a new address? _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
$10
$25
Please make checks payable to PET Rescue*
(non-profit tax ID No. 27-0225418) and mail to:
$50
$100
Maine Coon Adoptions
2527 Carmel Street
Oakland, CA 94602
Other: __________
*MCA is the adoption division of PET Rescue, which is certified by Independent Charities of America as one of the Best in America!
www.facebook.com/MaineCoonAdoptions
Don’t leave your cats alone when you travel
Purrlitzer Prize winning Dr. Mac talks to you today about leaving
your kitty alone when you go on vacation.
No responsible dog owner would leave a dog alone for 24 hours, but people might be surprised to
learn what experts say about leaving cats on their own. Dr. Debra Primovic, veterinarian and
managing editor of PetPlace.com, strongly urges people not to leave their cats alone for more
than 24 hours. If your cat gets sick or has an accident, someone needs to be there to discover it
and get help. Take it from me - Dr. Mac. One of my kitty buddies once got her rear paw stuck in
her collar. Another buddy got a urinary obstruction (which can kill a cat in less than three days).
Mac’s Facts:
 It’s a myth that cats
will always be fine if
left alone for several
days.
Another kitty friend got stuck in a closet. It’s not that my kitty pals are dumber than most (okay,
one of them was pretty dumb), but accidents happen even to smart kitties. Also, water bowls
can be tipped over, and a cat can finish all the food way earlier than expected. If the litter box
fills up, kitties may find some other place to do their business. Lonely cats also can be destructive.
It’s best to have a pet sitter or a pet savvy friend check in
 Someone needs to
check in daily to
make sure your cats
have food & water
and are OK.
twice a day to make sure your cats are all present and
 Cats get lonely
companionship while you’re gone will make your absence
without human
companionship.
eating well. Ideally, your pet sitter would spend some time
playing with the kitties or just hanging out with them, even if
it’s only to read a book or watch a movie. Having some
less stressful for your kitties, and you’ll rest easier knowing
you’ll find happy, healthy cats when you get home.
“Pay it forward” to help the kitties
One of our generous adopters/donors told us she and her husband donate to MCA because they understood someone in
the past donated to help save their kitties before they adopted them. Now they “pay it forward” by giving money to help
save kitties who are still waiting for their forever homes. We hope many of you will decide to
“pay it forward” this year. Last year $48,000 (29%) of our income came from a grant from
Maddie’s Fund due to our participation in Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days. Maddie’s Fund held
this multi-state event for several years, but decided to not to do it this year. So, we’ve got a
pretty big piece of funding missing in 2016. All that green space in the income chart will
disappear this year. We’re working hard to make it up from other sources, but the reality is
that it’s going to have to come from a whole bunch of smaller donations and grants because
nothing comes close to the size of Maddie’s Fund Pet Adoption Days grants. If even a quarter
of our adopters and supporters made a donation or increased their donations a little bit, it
would go a long way towards making up that $48,000. The kitties need you!
www.facebook.com/MaineCoonAdoptions
Maine Coon Adoptions, a division of
Preventing Euthanasia Through Rescue
2527 Carmel St.
Oakland, CA 94602
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Saving kitties since 2004 with your help!
Read About how kitties touch our lives, the story of C.J., our
longest foster kitty . . . and more.
C.J., our longest foster, goes home!
C.J. was named for the character C.J. Craig on the old TV show
“West Wing” because C.J. Craig was smart and savvy and had a
lot of moxie. We hoped C.J. the cat might grow into her name
because she was a pretty scared girl. She came to us in 2011 from
a community cat colony in East Palo Alto. C.J. wasn’t feral herself,
but she was under-socialized. Over time, with devoted foster
care, she became more social but still didn’t do well meeting new
people. If you picked her up and put her on your lap, she’d stay
forever, but walk toward her, and she’d run. Further complicating
her chances for adoption was the fact that she’s FIV+. FIV+ kitties
can – and do! - live long, healthy lives, but being FIV+ can be an
adoption hurdle because people don’t always realize FIV+ cats
can have a normal life span.
A couple of years ago C.J. was adopted, but she came back to us because it didn’t turn out to be a good fit. She got lots of
love and attention from our fosters in all the years we had her, but it broke our hearts a little knowing her forever home didn’t
seem to be on the horizon. We never gave up on her, though, because we know there’s a home for every cat. Recently, a
potential adopter saw C.J.’s video and really liked it, so she came to an adoption fair to meet her, She later visited C.J. in her
foster home so she could spend more time with her. The adopter took her home last month, and C.J.’s now happily living
with a Chihuahua and a 21-year-old cat. We couldn’t be happier. Home at last, baby girl, home at last!
www.facebook.com/MaineCoonAdoptions