Rescue News

Many of the cats and kittens in our care are former pets whose owners were no longer able to keep them. If we limited ourselves to only taking in pet cats who need new homes, or litters of kittens that people deliver to us, we'd still be up to our ears and whiskers in cats. We certainly wouldn't need to go out looking for them.

But sometimes, we hear of stray cats, abandoned pets, or kittens born to feral mothers that are living outside in a bad situation. When we hear one of these sad stories, we have a few dedicated volunteers who will spring into action when they are able. Using humane box traps and a variety of techniques and tricks learned over time, we try to save whomever we can. Countless hours are spent in the evenings and early mornings, sitting quietly near (but not too near) the traps... waiting.

We received a disturbing Surrender Application late in July. It seems that a family in Philadelphia had moved away and left their three sweet little girl cats behind. If that wasn't bad enough, two of the cats were pregnant. Their next door neighbor found a home for one of the three, fed the other cats every day, and tried to find someone to take the other two girls. 

Three days later, one of the girls gave birth to her kittens in an abandoned car behind the now-abandoned house. The neighbor continue to frantically contact local rescue groups and animal shelters, but said she couldn't find anyone able to help who wouldn't euthanize the cats.

The morning after we received the report, one of our volunteers drove into the city on a very steamy July morning. Upon reaching the abandoned house, there were no cats in sight. She found the old car out back with one tiny black & white kitten (now four days old) lying on the floor under the steering wheel. It was so hot inside the car that it seemed impossible the kitten would still be alive - but the little guy was still hanging on! She picked up the kitten and started walking toward the street. Suddenly, the mother cat popped out from under the car, rubbed against our volunteer's ankles, and started following her up the sidewalk. Soon mom & kitten were resting safely in a pet carrier.

Next, the other pregnant female came out from under a bush, running over as if to say, "Are we going on a road trip? Can I come, too?" Soon she was settling into her own pet carrier. Then the search for the other kittens began. Three more teeny kittens were found huddled together on the floor under the driver's seat of the car. They were reunited with their mother, who did what all mommy cats do after someone touches her babies - washed them.

The picture shows mommy cat "Squeaks" with her four kittens. Squeaks is a white polydactyl with gorgeous blue eyes. Her sister, Tango, is a brown tabby & white polydactyl with big green eyes. Both girls are just as sweet as sugar. Squeaks' kittens are two tuxedo boys, and two little white girls - each one with black spot on the very top of her head between her ears. Squeaks, Tango, and the kittens are all recuperating from their big adventure in a Cat Angels foster home. Both of the girls are just as sweet as can be, and the kittens are strong and appear to be healthy. Look for a birth announcement to come soon in Nursery News! 31-July-2006

Update! Tango had four beautiful little kittens on August 10 in a CAN foster home. Go to Nursery News to see the picture!  10-Aug-2006

The three kittens pictured below were caught at the end of May by CAN volunteers. They were spotted living near the busy intersection of Route 30 and Route 100 in Exton. The kittens will live in a foster home until they are old enough to find their very own homes. The little black boy on the left is named Hercules. The girls are named Samantha (black & white) and Callie (calico). 30-May-2006

The story below is just one of many that can be told by our volunteers...

In April, we received a report of three orange kittens who were born in a storm drain in a business park. Their mother is a feral cat who is very wary of people. This particular rescue required a lot of patience and some ingenuity.

First the kittens were too small to even climb out of the drain. Every time a person would go near the drain, the kittens (and their mom) would all run back into the pipes underground. We recruited employees of nearby businesses to put food out for the mother cat (above ground!) nearby. In the meantime, we set to work trapping the other feral adults in the small colony. They were spayed & neutered, vaccinated, and returned to the business park, where they will continue to be fed.

Things got a little scary when spring rains came! We were afraid the kittens would drown in the drain. With a little creative thinking, we came up with the idea of lifting the grate off the top of the drain and placing a plastic milk crate sideways inside. This gave the kittens a platform to climb onto to get out of the water. It worked! The morning after a heavy rain, the kittens were spotted down in the drain - all sitting on top of the crate, which was then a little island, completely surrounded by water. It should have been easy to reach in and get the kittens. (Right!?) That was when we discovered that the old stone-lined drain also had many little nooks, crannies, and tunnels that the kittens could leap into and hide.

When the kittens were about 6 weeks old, the mother started to bring them out of the drain above ground for playtime in the grass. Soon she started to bring them over to eat the food being provided by the people who worked nearby. Perseverance and patience finally paid off. We were finally able to catch two of the kittens during the first week of June! Efforts will continue to catch the third kitten, as well as the mother cat. The kitten will join her brother and sister in a foster home, where they are already learning that it is nice to be petted and loved! Mom will be spayed and returned to the little colony of orange cats. (And our volunteer who worked on this rescue now swears by Wawa Tuna Salad as bait!) 9-June-2006

Update: On Friday June 9, we were able to rescue the third kitten! They are all responding well to our first attempts to socialize them. One of the little girls even purrs when petted. Efforts continue to trap the mother cat so we can have her spayed. 13-June-2006

Update! Here are the kittens' "graduation pictures" that were posted on PetFinder when the time came to find their forever homes (click to enlarge). 1-Aug-2006

Aurora, Austin, & Audrey pose for their PetFinder pictures.

PACCA (Philadelphia Animal Care & Control) recently sent forth an urgent message to the public. They were at capacity, and 200 cats & kittens would have to be euthanized if they didn't find homes right away. Our shelter manager heard the news, and plans were put in motion. Throughout Cat Angel Network, volunteers worked frantically behind the scenes, making numerous phone calls, and working hard to rearrange our shelter to accommodate the new arrivals.

On Wednesday, April 12, two CAN volunteers made the trek to Center City, and brought 35 little furry friends back to our shelter in Pottstown. There are several nursing mothers with litters of tiny kittens, an assortment of older kittens, and some adults as well. Everyone was scared and hungry, but by the end of the day, all the new arrivals were settling in to their new temporary quarters and resting comfortably.

The adults will be spayed/neutered and vaccinated over the next few weeks. They will be available for adoption in the very near future. The kittens are already on their way to some of our foster homes, where they will have some time to grow and play before they, too, are ready to find their forever homes. Pictured above one of the cat families who came to us from PACCA. The mother's name is Natalee. She's a beautiful young long haired calico and has five adorable little girls (four of the are white with spots, just like their mom!). 13-April-2006

Copyright 2007, Cat Angel Network (www.catangel.org). All Rights Reserved.

Cat Angel Network (CAN) is a rescue organization formed to alleviate suffering of stray cats through rescue, spay/neuter, shelter in a no-kill facility and adoption to approved homes. We strive to educate the public to the proper care of cats and the importance of spaying and neutering.

CAN is a no kill, non-profit 501c(3) all volunteer organization. Copyright 2005 C.A.N. All Rights Reserved. Please direct all correspondence about the website (broken links, suggestions, content contributions) to kirsten@catangel.org. Please do not contact me about the rescuing of cats. If you need to inquire about the rescue of one or more cats, please submit a surrender form on our Surrenders page.