the mellow tigger's musings

Story:  It's just one more week to the Walk, our annual fundraiser.  This edition will feature my plea for donations (link down at bottom), since I'll probably be too scatterbrained next Friday to make a post.  Here in Minnesota, there are a LOT of different charitable organizations collecting money right now (for causes like AIDS, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and a variety of other worthy needs).  All of them deserve your attention during these tough economic times.  To encourage donations to my favored group, I'll explain a few things that we do besides the obvious housing and feeding of animals.

We have made our "Double The Love" program a year-round event because it was so successful in increasing the placement of older cats into new homes.  I've written in previous editions of Furry Friday about some tidbits I gleaned at the Wildlife Rehabilitator conference, where volunteers meet to learn more about how to restore wildlife to health and release them back into nature.  We also assist research at the University of Minnesota by providing nasal swabs from sick dogs so they can find better ways of healing kennel cough. 

In the next issue, I hope to show off pictures that I take from our Walk event.  There are many thousands of adopted animals in attendance, and twice as many humans show up too.  :)

Animals:  I found three more lovable oafs.  First up is Delfonze, a neutered male domestic shorthair.  Zhey is still young, just 1 year old, and very affectionate.  Not much interested in being stroked along the spine, zhey was persistent (for a whole 20 minute session together) in wanting to be scratched along the cheeks and forehead.  I would lay my arm down on the tall perch platform, and Delfonze would scoot along and press hard with zheir head up against my hand for ever more petting.  Plain alley cat appearance hides a strong affectionate disposition.  Delfonze would make a good cat for a person of any age.

Also very friendly (and much more enthusiastic about being pet along the back) is Hershey.  A nice chocolate brown color with soft fur, this 6-year-old female labrador retriever would make a great companion for someone wanting an affectionate dog.  Hershey has adored petting along zheir face, shoulders, and back every time that I've visited.  Someone wrote a note that Hershey already knows a few voice commands but still needs training on a leash.  Pleasantly quiet around other calm dogs, I did hear zheir barking excitedly when another dog was being led past kennel doors.  I think Hershey would also be a good companion for a person of any age, very young or very old.

Lars is amusing in a different way than Delfonze and Hershey.  At first curious and brave, zhey will come up right away to investigate my approaching hand.  After the first sniff or touch, Lars immediately runs away to the back of the cage.  Wait just 20 seconds, however, and overwhelming curiosity again drives zhem up to check out my waiting hand again.  I've tried a few times on different days, and the results are always the same: a funny combination of curious and nervous (but never aggressive).  This 1-year-old male rabbit is very soft and pleasant to pet, but it's still too terrifying an experience for Lars to accept the attention with calm dignity.  I believe that curiosity is always a good sign, though.  With just a little patience, I think Lars could easily grow accustomed to a human and be a very nice pet for a quiet person of any age.

As of this writing, Delfonze, Hershey, and Lars are all available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  We're just 1 week away from our major fundraiser.  If you'd like to help, you may do so here:
http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/goto/MellowTigger

If you're joining us on Walk day, be sure to read the literature and choose one of the parking lots elsewhere so you can ride the shuttle buses to the Golden Valley location.  Each lot will have its own dedicated buses, so hopefully the wait will be very short.

Story:  I got to pet a baby red fox! I had helped our main Wildlife worker who mentioned that a kit was about to be transported out of our facility to a wildlife rehabilitator.  "You should come down and see it."  So I did.  :)  It was adorable, of course, and very soft.  It wasn't interested in waking up from its nap.  It basically just yawned in my general direction, but it was very cute nevertheless.  I don't know its story, unfortunately, but it looked to be in good health and should make a successful transition back into the wild after it has grown for a few weeks.

Animals:  It's a holiday with an animal theme!  We happen to be full up on rabbits already, so I thought that I'd focus on them today.  My current favorites, Sherlock and Watson, happened to go on adoption hold last night.  There are lots of other single or paired rabbits still available.

Alvin, a Himalayan neutered male, has been on the adoption floor for a month. I think zheir fearfulness may have something to do with the long wait. Alvin has beautiful grey points that nicely accentuate zheir pink eyes. Altogether, they make for a very "soft" appearance. Alvin seemed to calm down while being pet, but as soon as I took my hand away, zhey would appear fearful again.  I think Alvin would do well in a home with an adult human.  A young human might work well too, but only if they're not the rambunctious variety.

Camille is your garden variety rabbit.  Zhey is a young spayed female with a coat of fur that I think is a pretty color even if it is "plain" by most standards.  Zhey is a bit on the territorial side, though, so I recommend against selecting Camille as a first companion rabbit for any human.  Anyone already familiar with rabbits would do fine with zhem though.  Zheir soft fur, small size, and inquisitiveness would make Camille a good choice for someone out there, a mature owner who already knows their rabbits.

TRex is a big guy.  Zhey is bonded with another lop-eared Holland rabbit named Easter, but I don't see Easter listed on our site at the moment.  I haven't seen TRex or Easter being skittish at all.  I think that has mostly to do with their larger bodies.  In comparison to their size, humans just aren't quite as towering and scary as we are for the smaller rabbits.  They've been a nice couple in the days that I've seen them together.  They spend plenty of time grooming and lazing around together.  I hope that they haven't been adopted separately.  If so, TRex is probably feeling rather lonely today.  Large, soft, and cuddly, he's waiting for your visit!

As of this writing, Alvin, Camille, and TRex are all available for visitation and adoption in our Golden Valley facility.  We have lots of other paired and single rabbits of all sizes and colors that are also waiting for homes.

How You Can Help:  I'm sure that I've mentioned it before, but please urge people to never purchase an animal for someone else.  You can never predict if they will bond together, and a domesticated animal deserves to live in a home where it is wanted.  Instead, consider gift certificates with a local shelter system, or offer to join them as you both go visiting animals until that special match just "clicks" then you can pay for the animal to join its new adopter.

Online fundraising for my organization:
http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/goto/MellowTigger

Story:  I attended a Wildlife Rehabilitation conference last weekend (and again tomorrow too).  I learned a lot of cool stuff.  Some of it about rabbits and raccoons was the kind of awesomely gross stuff that would only be appropriate to share among friends while drinking beer at a pub!  *laugh*

I also practiced repairing a turtle shell.  I donned rubber gloves, picked up a hand drill, and worked on an old (dead, empty) turtle shell.  They work like geodesic domes, so if you can get the outer rim of the shell to connect properly then everything else just sort of fits together on its own.  I drilled through the bone shell, tied a wire to secure the plates together, then sealed it off watertight with a neat clear plastic film from 3M.  On another shell, I applied a loose netting and then I layered a quick-drying epoxy over the top.  Fun stuff.  Drilling bone is as painful for turtles as it is for us, so doing this procedure on a live animal requires first using anesthetic on the critter.

Animals:  Zoe needs a friend.  Zhey has been on the adoption floor for a week or two.  Zheir age (11 years) and coat (plain alley cat) may keep this spayed female from finding a new home as quickly as the younger and flashier cats.  Zoe is in a cage that faces the main door to the cat adoption area.  Half of the time when I enter the room, Zoe will softly meow once to get my attention for some petting.  Zhey is very friendly but not rambunctious about it.  I think Zoe deserves a warm lap to spend many lazy afternoons with someone.

When I first saw Norbert, I thought that there was a cat that had surely seen better days!  Norbert has most of zheir tail hair shaved off, although I don't know why.  On closer inspection, though, I began to wonder if maybe zhey hadn't seen better days.  Maybe this was finally "the good life" for the 3-year-old neutered male.  Norbert has old scars on zheir nose, bits of ear lost in previous fights, lots of dense muscle in those very pettable shoulders and chin, and a few healed wounds buried underneath that fur.

The paperwork didn't explain much.  I think zhey came in to us straight from the streets, but zhey has certainly overcome the disadvantage of living a rough life in the city.  Norbert will enthusiastically roll up against my hand and arm for petting.  Most cats get hissy when someone else is in their way on one of the tree pole ledges in the community cat rooms.  Norbert, though, was almost dainty in trying to avoid stepping on another cat while getting closer to me for some petting.  My own cat doesn't tolerate being kissed on the forehead, but Norbert seems to like it.  Norbert is a tough cat with a good heart.

As of this writing, Zoe and Norbert are both available for visitation and adoption in our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  I learned at the rehabilitation conference that they are always looking for new places to release their healthy wildlife.  If you know someone with acreage, suggest that they contact their local animal shelter to ask how to reach the rehabilitation network in their state.  Laws are different in each state.  If their site is free from immediate danger to the animals, then their lands could provide a needed launching point for an animal's return to the wild.  There's no pay for the privilege, just the coolness factor of knowing that you're helping simply by being there.