Purrfect Pals: Shelter+ Challenge Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Your grant helped us provide medical care for several special-needs cats and kittens.
This grant gave a second chance to special-needs cats and kittens who needed time, TLC and medical attention in order to become ready for adoption.
How many pets did this grant help?
5
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
At Purrfect Pals, we believe that every cat matters, not just the young and healthy ones. We strive to help cats who are in need of medical care. We welcome cats who need surgery, the intervention of a specialist or expensive medications and treatments which are beyond the means of many cat owners and most shelters. You might say that special-needs kitties are our specialty at Purrfect Pals.
In March, our staff drove from Arlington to Auburn to pick up five special-needs kitties from one of our partner shelters. The Auburn Valley Humane Society had contacted us regarding three sweet little blind kittens who were in need of surgery. The boys, now named Geordi and Ray Charles, will each need to have both of their eyes removed due to birth defects. We are hopeful that we will be able to save one of the eyes of their sister, Justice, who is also visually impaired. These three darling kittens (first photo) are currently in foster care so they can grow a little bigger before their surgeries. We hope to have three happy updates for you soon!
On the same trip, we brought back two adult cats, Jake and Sabrina, who had both been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Both are now scheduled to be treated with radioiodine at the Feline Hyperthyroid Center at Cats Exclusive in Shoreline. This treatment is not inexpensive but IS typically very effective. If all goes well, they will be completely cured and ready to be adopted within a month.
Earlier this year, a 6-month-old kitten named Polaris (second photo) was transferred to Purrfect Pals from the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society in Port Angeles. Polaris has a neurological condition, likely the result of head trauma, which makes him more wobbly than other cats. He is also visually impaired, has impulse-control challenges and doesn’t always know when to stop with interacting with other cats and dogs. He also needs medication to prevent seizures. This intimidating list of special needs might pose a challenge for some shelters, but Purrfect Pals is fortunate to have the resources required to provide Polaris with the love and medical care he needed. We are thrilled to report that his story has the happiest of endings! Last month, Polaris was adopted by a wonderful family who were ready to open their hearts and home to a special-needs kitty.
Fifteen-year-old Benihana (third photo), a sweet and quiet older gentleman, came to Purrfect Pals from the Everett Animal Shelter after his lifelong owner passed away. He had glaucoma in his left eye so it needed to be removed, unfortunately. He has recovered nicely, though, and is now ready to find a retirement home! We can’t be certain, but believe Benihana might be a Norwegian Forest Cat mix. What we can be sure of is that Beni is a loving and gentle boy who is waiting for his future family to come meet him in our Woodinville Petsmart adoption center.
All of these kitties had different special needs, but what they do have in common was that they might have died if Purrfect Pals had not had the financial means to take them in. It is the support of cat lovers like you which provides us with the freedom to say yes to these special cats who so desperately need our help!
