CRAN News
$5,000 Matching Donation!
We have a very generous donor who will match donations to our Summer Campaign up to $5,000! This couldn’t have come at a better time. We were currently caring for 256 cats at the end of July and have taken in 27 more cats so far in August, including a cat who was surrendered at the Emergency Vet and has needed over $4,000 in care.
Donations must be received by September 3rd to be matched.
If we can take full advantage of this amazing offer, we will almost be at our goal!
You can donate online here: https://kindest.com/991599-summer-campaign
or you can mail a check to:
Cat Rescue & Adoption Network
PO Box 72401
Springfield, OR 97475 (please note on your check that it is for the Matching Donation).
A huge thank you to all who have donated so far!
Volunteer of the Month – June 2023
Congratulations to Sydney Brisco, CRAN’s June Volunteer of the Month!
Sydney has been volunteering with CRAN since February 2021. She has fostered litters of squiggly little kittens, and recently, has started volunteering as part of the CRAN adoption team!
From Sydney:
“I came to CRAN originally as an adopter. I adopted my kitty Ronin (Versace) from CRAN way back when the medical facility was somebody’s outdoor shed. He had to go through ringworm treatment but he’s been the sweetest cat we’ve ever had and we appreciate every moment CRAN gave us with him. Later, I started volunteering when somebody posted on the CRAN Facebook page that if CRAN didn’t take their cat, he was going to just let her out. So I told him I would come get the cat and accidentally became a CRAN foster. The rest is history.
My favorite part of volunteering with CRAN is getting cats to their best homes and best lives. I love the happy endings. I still get updates on some of my fosters and I love the adoption photos from my counselor work. To see a family that is so happy to have their new kitty and a kitty that knows it’s found a safe and loving home is something that can’t be matched by any other experience.”
The picture is me and our foster failure Anthracite–Annie now 🙂 She knew from the moment I brought her home that she wasn’t leaving. It just took us a little while to figure it out!”
Thank you Sydney for all your hard work to help CRAN and the cats!
Volunteer of the Month – April 2023
Congratulations to Ryan York, CRAN’s Volunteer of the Month for April.
Ryan has been a steady volunteer presence in the cattery at Petsmart North since the world started re-emerging from COVID shutdowns. He is a regular in the cattery, checking on the CRAN kitties, ensuring they have food, water and attention. Ryan also trains new cattery volunteers.
From Ryan:
“What I enjoy:
I particularly enjoy the bittersweet moments when a cat goes home from our cattery – that mixture of sad farewell, relief that they found someone who cares, and excitement for their new life – and the dawning disappointment that I have to deep clean a cage *wry grin* Deliciously conflicting feelings.
What brought me to CRAN:
Especially after COVID we ALL wanted OUT!! Coupled with many years of stay-at-home parenting, and my partner’s mention of a cat rescue looking for volunteers, I was more than grateful for the opportunity to leave the house to PLAY WITH CATS!!”
From all of us, thank you so much for all you do for CRAN and the cats!
Volunteer of the Month – May 2023
Kat Swanson – Volunteer of the Month May 2023
Kat originally started volunteering for CRAN in 2017, on the medical crew, as a data entry volunteer, and as a cat behavior consultant. In the past year or so, she has taken on fostering and socializing some of CRAN’s shy or undersocialized kitties. Kat has a real heart for what a cat or kitten needs, providing kindness and empathy to her foster kitties.
From Kat: “I started volunteering with West Coast Dog & Cat (now CRAN) as a cattery socializer at PetSmart North & Petco because I had been able to reduce my work schedule and wanted to give back to the community through my love of cats. I’m not sure if that was before 2017, but it might have been. Later I did medical data entry for a hot second (it wasn’t for me), and offered cat behavior consulting support as part of my internship for my Advanced Feline Training & Behavior Specialist certification through Animal Behavior Institute.
I took a break from volunteering during the pandemic, but started fostering in March of 2022 and it had been the right fit; I have a special affinity with shy cats that need more immersive & specialized support, and fostering allows me to use my skills and education in a way where the cat gets the best possible care I can provide. 16 cats have come through our house so far, and it is extremely rewarding (albeit difficult), and a few of them have been longer term guests (6-8 months) who just needed a bit more time.
I love volunteering with CRAN because I feel well supported in my role as a foster of shy cats. I really appreciate that they really listen to me on what I think is best for the cat, and I am often asked to speak with potential adopters for my fosters because I know the cats best and can help suss out a good match.
We adopted our cat, Jadzia (née Olga) from CRAN and were impressed with their focus on matching the right cat with the right family, and I’m happy that hasn’t changed!”
From all of us, thank you so much for all you do for our CRAN kitties, and for being a terrific human being!
The Manx Project
It all started with a Facebook plea from a friend of a friend looking for help because one of her farm cats had just given birth inside a dog crate. I answered the plea, went out to the farm in Harrisburg to pick up the feral mom and kittens because that’s my favorite foster experience. I soon learned that this farm needed a whole lot more help than with one mom and one litter.
The person who contacted CRAN inherited a farm last summer that came with 3 cats. By the time she reached out, overwhelmed, it’s because there are now 17 adults cats and there have been at least 4 additional litters of kittens born since April. What made this project a priority? Manx Syndrome.
Manx cats are born without tails; some have a portion of the tail (a stump) and some have no tail at all. They get lots of attention because they’re “cute” or “unique”, but this tailless appearance is actually a birth defect and often comes with serious consequences. Last summer, 3 feral Manx kittens were found deceased because they were constipated and didn’t receive any supportive care.
Manx Syndrome is an array of problems involving the function of the hind legs, bladder and colon of a tailless cat. The genetic mutation that produces Manx cats adversely affects the development of the spine and spinal cord. Manx cats can develop spina bifida, a spinal cord abnormality that can cause a “hopping” gait (like a rabbit), incontinence, and lack of sensation in the skin around their anus and urethral openings. Some cats can be so severely affected that it’s fatal.
And that is why we have worked so hard to eliminate future problems by making this TNR project a priority. As of July 1st CRAN has spayed and neutered 13 of the 17 adults. I have 2 Manx mamas left, who will have weaned their kittens this month so I can trap them. All other Manx adults have been TNR’d. Life is tough for feral cats, and feral cats with birth defects just don’t stand a chance.
Most of the 17 adult cats on this farm are yearlings from last year’s litters. There are 3 Manx males and 3 Manx females. Of the 20 kittens we’ve pulled off the farm so far, 7 are Manx. One happened to have symptoms of the Syndrome, fecal and urine incontinence. The other 6, so far, have developed normally, walk normally, and will be up for adoption towards the end of summer.
A Day in the Life of a Feral Cat
It is cold, below freezing, and very damp out as it has not dried from the last rains. McIntosh slowly wakes up; one eye cracks apart and peers out. It is too cold and damp to do anything else. Daylight is slowly creeping into the wooden cat shelter Mac has slept in last night. He was lucky last night, he got one of the shelters that was filled with dry straw so he would be warmer. His stomach rumbles, a breakfast of some kind would be welcome. His dinner last night wasn’t much; he missed the dinner that his colony feeder left for all the cats as he was out on a walk-about. It was a good one too with ground chicken scraps and chicken fat.
Slowly Mac starts to move and stretches out to get his legs moving, then he sits up and looks out the door of the wooden shelter. He doesn’t see or hear any other cats yet so it will be safe enough to leave the shelter and start on his rounds looking for food.
Mac trots quickly to the gray duplex on the corner and scurries thru the bushes to the outdoor garbage cans, sniffing briskly for leftover food scraps. He doesn’t find anything so he moves on to the dishes where they feed their outside cats. Nothing left and the water dish is frozen. Mac sits on a dry spot on the porch and thinks about where to go next.
Back across the street and over to the two story pink house with all the cars in the driveway; Mac is cautious here. There are several little black kitties that have taken over this backyard and they don’t like any strangers poking around and looking for food. Mac races over to the outdoor feeding dishes, and there is nothing left here either.
Deciding to go down the bike path to the river, Mac is cautious and sticks to the underbrush as he makes his way closer to the Alton Baker Park. Sometimes dry food is left in piles here and there in the park, maybe today will be a good day and the people who feed will come early. He is careful going to the park, there are camps of homeless people and people make Mac nervous.
It’s midday and it is warming up a bit. Mac makes the rounds of the feeding stations that he knows about; and doesn’t see any food. Halfway through the day and he has not been able to eat yet; this is not a good situation for a feral cat. He is thin, almost to the point of being scrawny, and this doesn’t provide much in the way of resources for him. He doesn’t tolerate the cold very well and he is prone to get any illness that comes thru the cat colony; last winter it took months for him to get over the upper respiratory infection he had.
After a nice nap in the sun in some slightly damp grasses Mac decides to head back to the wooden shelters where he spent the night. Mac trots swiftly back to the shelter area; hopeful he hasn’t missed the feeding there. Arriving back at the feeding station he notices most of the cats who live around the area; sometimes there are as many as 17 cats who come for dinner. They haven’t eaten yet and are waiting for the food to arrive.
He hears the sound of a familiar car; all of the waiting cats are attentive and some have started to make their way to the car to greet the feeder. Mac scurries over to the feeding area and YES! Here she comes trailed by the kitties who met her at the car. The food is mixed and warm meat broth is put over the kibble and wet cat food in the trays. He can’t wait to eat, he pushes his way to the area where the food trays are placed and does little hops with his front feet. As nervous as Mac is around people, he appreciates the woman who brings them food.
Finally, the food is placed where he can get to it. He eats rapidly, almost choking because he is eating so fast. Mac moves to another tray where there is more wet food and meat broth, and he shoulders two of the smaller cats out of the way so he can get to the food. All is good for now in Mac’s world.
June 2023 Adoptions
23 cats found their forever homes in June! Thank you to all our amazing volunteers, partners and donors for making this possible!