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NEWSLETTER OF THE PATRICIA H. LADEW CAT SANCTUARY
SPRING ADOPTION EVENT
VOLUME 4 NO. 2
MARCH/APRIL 2014
My luck changed when I found my forever home!
Only pre-approved potential forever cat parents will be invited to attend.
Don’t let the grass grow between your toes — download our adoption application now!
Our adoption fee for pre-approved potential adopters will be waived for adoptions on June 1ST, thanks to Maddie’s Fund!
Sunday, June 1, 2014 12:00 Noon - 5:00 PM Start the Adoption Process Now! Call us at (516) 922-CATS! Visit us at www.theladewcatsanctuary.org www.facebook.com/theladewcatsanctuary
Extend Good Luck to a Ladew Rescue Kitty! Send a Pot O’ Gold Sponsorship or Gift Sponsorship
Pablo (formerly Will) found his forever home in January 2014, and thanks to his stay at the Ladew Cat Sanctuary, he was family-ready. According to Pablo, “A little Green goes a long way! Not all of my friends at the shelter are as lucky as I was. I loved my time at the shelter, but it’s much better being in a loving forever home. Too many of my friends are still waiting for their luck to change. Some are not well enough to join a family, but you can change all that by extending a little green and sponsoring them. All of their stories are on our website.” “Your Pot O’Gold Sponsorship will help the good folks at Ladew keep up the good food, warm beds, entertainment, indoor/outdoor exercise runs and on-site health care. On behalf of all of my Ladew friends and family, let me say, ‘May the wind be always at your back.’ Oh, but they will tell you themselves, when they write their thank you letters to you.”
Lucky Cat Tale ladew mews © March/April 2014 The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.
Executive Editor - Susan V. Whittred, DVM Creative Editor - Elise Klingensmith Sanctuary Photography - Lynn Manno Board of Directors: Elliot L Hoffman, Esq. Bruce E. Trauner, Esq. Steve Blumert, Esq. Director of Veterinary Medicine Susan V. Whittred, DVM Licensed Veterinary Technician Andrea Castro Manager — Lynn Manno Caretaker — JoAnn Studley Volunteers: Tatum Christiansen (and Insperity) Beata Boruta Robin Fishman Sue Rosen Jane Totura
Tommy Goes Home One of our cerebellar hypoplasia (and apparently deaf!) kitties from Superstorm Sandy has found himself his loving Forever Home. Tommy’s mom, Melanie, writes in: “He’s doing really well, and we really love him a lot. It was a period of adjustment — at first we were thinking he was all “I see dead kitties,” because he’d get randomly freaked out over absolutely NOTHING we could see. But he settled down, and things are great. One thing we did discover, however, it appears he’s “deaf.” So the getting scared was more about things he couldn’t *hear*, rather than things only he could *see*. But I did want to let you know about it, so you could have Dr. Whittred check Blondie and Lulu to see whether they’re, deaf too. Other than that (and honestly, it’s really not that detrimental) he’s really just a great cat. The CH doesn’t seem that severe at all — he romps and runs and plays with no problems. He’s a sweetheart - never uses his teeth or claws. And where most cats give headbutts, he gives hip checks! It’s the cutest damn thing — he’ll walk up next to you, bump you, cross in front, then bump you from the other side. Lather, rinse, repeat. I’ve yet to get a good video of it, but when I do, I’ll post it.”
Call us at (516) 922-CATS! Our fax # is (516) 922-5203. “Anyway, we’re really glad we adopted Tommy. It’s made the grief over Ernest’s death so much more bearable. Our house needs cats in it, and we’re glad he’s ours.”
Visit us at: theladewcatsanctuary.org
Send us your mews!
The Ladew Cat Sanctuary family is always on the alert for updates and happy, interesting, or just plain amusing cat tales about our former residents. Please email to:
Dr. Susan Whittred, DVM info@theladewcatsanctuary.org
From PHLF: Thank you Melanie, for giving Tommy his forever home. We’re so glad that you didn’t let a little cerebellar hypoplasia and deafness stand in the way! xoxoxo
ladew mews — March/April 2014 — page two
Ask Dr. Susan...
Tommy’s brother, Blondie, (shown below) can sleep like this in the middle of a busy active room without waking up.
“Is my cat deaf?”
T
ommy’s new mom, Melanie, (See page 2.) has discovered that apart from the cerebellar hypoplasia that Tommy has, he may also be deaf! Of course this sent me down a path to see if there was a connection between cerebellar hypoplasia and deafness, but I couldn’t really find a definitive answer. So I thought I would use Melanie’s question as an opportunity to discuss deafness in cats. What causes deafness in cats? Deafness can be either congenital or acquired later in life. Both congenital (present at birth) and acquired deafness can also be inherited. Interestingly it is not common for cats to have degenerative hearing loss (which is more common in dogs and people). What are the different types of deafness? There are two basic types: one has to do with the conduction of sound, or how the sound waves get to the brain. Reasons that the sound waves have trouble traveling could be due to an ear infection, a mass in the ear, fluid accumulation and incomplete development of the ear canal, among others. The second type is sensorineural deafness, which has to do with the nerves that receive the impulse of sound. Are white cats with blue eyes always deaf? White cats carry a “white coat gene” which is associated with congenital sensorineural deafness. Therefore, deafness is more common in white cats with blue irises, and cats with two blue eyes have a higher incidence of it than do white cats with only one blue eye. How do I know if my cat is deaf? It can be difficult to diagnose deafness. The easiest thing to do if you suspect it is to make different types of sounds and see if your cat responds (i.e., the opening of a can, clapping your hands). Your cat may have some type of history that may be associated with deafness (ear infections, white cats with blue eyes) or may be difficult to rouse from sleep (Tommy, his brother Blondie and sister Lulu are all very sound sleepers).
What kind of testing is available? Only some specialized veterinary universities can do hearing tests in cats (BAER testing) or Impedance of Audiometry. Luckily, Tommy’s new owners don’t mind that he can’t hear — it just makes him all that more endearing.
11 Lucky Cats Rescued in the Nick of Time! Millie, who is being treated for a severe upper respiratory infection, is just one of 11 cats that we rescued from a busy municipal shelter last week. When we have room, we periodically visit one of the overwhelmed and overcrowded city shelters and save some kitties. Some are healthy and adoptable, while others need medical treatment and lots of nursing care. Many of them ended up at these shelters after having their own homes for years and are bewildered and confused. Some of them get very sick just from the stress of it all. See page 4 to meet all of our new intakes, which we are in the process of getting healthy so that they can be ready for adoption. Their stories are on our website. If you would like further information on any of our kitties, please call us at 516-922CATS.
ladew mews — March/April 2014 — page three
Open your hearts and your homes to give these kitties their Pot O’gold!
BLUEBERY
KAI
BUTTERBEAN
MAMALADE
JAMIE FOX
MILLIE
For further information on any of our kitties, please call 516-922-CATS. RHETT
MUFFIN
SAMMY
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
ladew mews — March/April 2014 — page four
ZACK
We’re all smiles thanks to your donations — Dental Radiographs are a Reality! A big, huge thank you to all of you who donated to our Radiology and Ultrasound Fund! Because of your generous donations, we were able to purchase the first part of this very expensive equipment — our dental radiograph machine. The unit is being installed next week, and because of you, our cats will be smiling bright! Thanks for taking a bite out of this cost for us — next up — ultrasound and full body radiographs! Woohoo!!!!!
xoxoxo
Eric and Mason featured on “Life with Cats!”
Eric and Mason have had a lot of publicity, but what they really wish they had is a home! Check out their latest story in “Life With Cats.” A big thank you to Life with Cats for getting their story out there!
Spotlight on SPONSORSHIP
MUFFIN Muffin was turned into a city shelter by her owner. We don’t know why her owner turned her in after 13 years and neither does Muffin. This poor old girl was found cowered in the back of a cage at a municipal shelter with no-one paying her any attention. When she first came to us she wouldn’t eat a morsel, but after a few days of TLC we are happy to report out that she’s a loving, sweet girl with a little bit of “tortitude.” Muffin is now eating us out of house and home! Muffin would do best in an only cat situation and until we find that purrfect home for her, she has love and comfort here. Gift sponsorship is also available.
Click here to sponsor MUFFIN.
Click here to sponsor Eric and Mason. ladew mews — March/April 2014 — page five
ladew mews — March/April 2014 — page six