BARTOC
 
We received a help call from one of our rescue partners.  A tiny white kitten, missing part of his right rear leg, had been found outside.  A white kitten, with mobility issues, is a sitting duck for predators, so we agreed to step up.  We said yes, and picked up the blue-eyed, thin, worm-bellied, flea infested baby that afternoon.
 
The Foster mom was ready with a warm bath, and towels, cotton balls to clean dirty ears, deworming medications and lots of love.  Once bathed, and dried baby Bartok wolfed down a bowl of canned kitten food, and settled into a warm bed for the best nap ever.  Clean, fed, warm, not itchy and no circling hawks, owls, dogs or coyotes.
 
During the two-weeks isolation period, foster mom totally won Bartok’s affections.  He has subsequently tested negative for feline aids, leukemia and heartworm.  His vaccines have just been completed, and he will be neutered, microchipped and recovered before he begins his forever home interviews.  We will delay his surgery for a few more weeks to allow him to grow more.  Bartok is a bit of a “late bloomer.”  His missing lower right rear leg does not slow him down, and we have no plans to change anything there, as a good callus has formed and he uses it like a rudder.
 
As it turns out, Bartok is not a white kitten after all.  As he grew, his color points came in red.  He is a flame pointed, bob-tailed baby.  As he matures, those points will deepen in color.  His eyes will remain blue.  To add to his charm, he is also cross-eyed.  Vet staff loves him, and we have no doubt that he will find his happy, “forever-after” once his vetting is complete.
 
Your donations make it possible for us to continue our work.  With your help, Save Our Strays can continue to say “yes.”
 

SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE

​SMUDGE AND SCORCH, THE FIRE TWINS
 
We received a help call from one of our foster moms.  She has 3 fosters in her house, that are in the process of campaigning and interviewing for forever homes.  She was out working in her garden, when out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of white.  Looking more closely, she discovered a tiny white kitten face watching her back.  After a 90-minute hold-out, the kitten allowed itself to be caught.  In the house they went.  Of course, we said yes, and the foster mom took it from there to be bathed and set up for the two-week isolation time.  She also said she would go back and search for any siblings and the mom.
 
No mom, and no siblings were found after intensive searching, and we determined that we had a little girl, white with grey markings.  She also has a heart shaped black patch on her pink nose.  The Foster mom named her “Smudge.”
Seven-week-old Smudge was settled into a comfy condo, given meds for worms and started on a good diet to get her back to a healthy weight.
 
Two days later, her nearly identical sister was found crying outside the fence.  She was very willing to be picked up once she knew who had the food.  In the carrier she went.  She was given a warm bath, fluffed up in warm towels and given meds to evict her uninvited worm guests.  Welcome “Scorch.”  The girls were very happy to be reunited.
 
During the two-weeks isolation period, the foster mom totally won these feral babies over.  They have been tested for Feline Aids, Leukemia and Heartworm, and are negative for all.  Their vaccines are complete, and they will be spayed, microchipped and recovered before they begin their forever home interviews.
 
Your donations make it possible for us to continue our work.  With your help, Save Our Strays can continue to say “yes.”

SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE

Fire Twins Story
Save Our Strays has been actively working in a South Carolina community, to assist the neighborhood in reducing the number of feral, and community cats. We have trapped, spayed and neutered over the last year.  Unfortunately, all it takes is a few new cats moving into the area to start the whole scenario up again.
 
Neighbors noticed a new white cat in the neighborhood, and put out a plea for help.  We asked specific community members that we had worked with previously, to keep a look out and establish a pattern.  The white cat, friendly, was taken in by another homeowner very recently, who said she would be an indoor cat and would be spayed appropriately.
 
The white cat has not been seen outside since, but a tiny white kitten was found crying along a fence line belonging to one of our fosters.  A Foster mom sprang into action, and scooped up the baby, bathed her, treated her little ears, fed her and set her up in her own little apartment for an isolation period.  The Foster mom then canvassed the entire are looking for the mom, and siblings.  No one had seen, and no one heard anything.
 
A little white female cat, with gray markings, approximately 6-7 weeks of age, began to socialize beautifully.  Four days later, another tiny sibling showed up in the yard, crying.  The Foster mom immediately scooped them up again, and repeated the process.  The second girl is almost a carbon copy of the first.
 
The two girls were very happy to be back together, and are both going to be awesome housecats.  Their first veterinary appointment has been scheduled for testing, deworming, first vaccines and ear mite treatment.
 
Welcome to Save Our Strays, little Smudge and Scorch…
           
Save Our Strays is committed to every cat we accept into our organization, from neo-natal kittens to adoptable cats being campaigned for forever homes, to supported colony and community cats, to extended foster arrangements in our Seniors to Seniors program.  Please help us to help them.  Every dollar counts. Every Paw Matters.

​ 
SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE
​​
JORDYN’S JOURNEY
Jordyn is a tiny, dilute Tortoiseshell cat.  She is 9 years old, and was in a happy home for years.  She lost her home when her person lost their lease, and came into rescue with 5 other cats.  Although her person searched for a place for them all to land together, time ran out.  Choices became slim, and rescue was the absolute best option.
 
Jordyn was found to have some pretty severe dental issues, and she is scheduled for pre-operative blood work, and then a full dental cleaning with extractions.  Although it is sad that Jordyn lost her home, she is now in a place, with her cat companions, where she can get the medical assistance she needs.  Once Jordyn’s medical needs are addressed, decisions can be made to determine whether she can ever get back to her original person, if alternative housing is found once the current leasing period ends.  Or, if a new permanent home will be needed.
 
Save Our Strays depends upon donations to provide foster or sanctuary housing, food and supplies to meet the needs of the communities we serve. Without the funding, the critical medical care these cats need won’t be available to them.
 
Save Our Strays is committed to every cat in our care, from neo-natal kittens to adoptable cats being campaigned for forever homes, to cats placed in sanctuary for life, to supported colony and community cats.  Every Paw Matters.
 

SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE
​​
Uh Oh’s Story
Uh Oh, a young, but mature, male cat, showed up during a very cold snap here in the South at a managed food station.  He was pretty ragged, and banged up looking, with a sore on his nose, cold and looking for a warm place to curl up. The decision was made to trap, test, neuter, and vaccinate him appropriately.
 
Trapping was incredibly easy.  He went directly into the covered trap for the delicious tuna, and sardines.  Once he was in, and we were able to get a good look at him, his developed “man cheeks” told us we had a mature boy.  He was calm, and relatively unconcerned with our presence.  He was loaded into the back of a warm vehicle, kept covered to lessen stress and transported to our vet who had been notified in advance of the trapping exercise, and what we hoped to get.
 
Uh Oh was given a day or so to decompress, and showed no aggression while kenneled.  He was given anesthesia the next afternoon, and tested for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV) and heartworms. Unfortunately, he tested high positive for FIV, so he was returned to his colony an is off the table.  He was neutered, vaccinated, groomed and treated for all external and internal parasites.  He was sent to clinic boarding to recover, and will stay there, with staff continuing to befriend and work with him, as he still remains calm but wary.  The thought is that perhaps he had a home once, and was somebody’s baby once, but has forgotten how to trust with his hard life on the streets.  Maybe we can help him to remember, and get a real home for him.  If not, we will be looking for an indoor sanctuary where he can live with warmth, food, and have a sunny window to hang out in.
 
Save Our Strays is committed to every cat in our care, from neo-natal kittens to adoptable cats being campaigned for forever homes, to supported colony and community cats.  Every Paw Matters.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE
 
We have had a rush of rescues,
which we will bring to you
next month.

​SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE
​
PUZZLE AND HER PIECES STORY
Puzzle found herself out, and alone.  A young calico, she either got out or was put out, when she went into season.  She had her babies under a deck, and a tropical storm was coming.
The homeowner, hearing tiny kitten sounds, investigated.  She befriended Puzzle, and crawled under the deck to retrieve the four little puffs, still with their eyes unopened. The homeowner brought the family inside, installed them in a bathroom and began to look for help.
The tiny babies, 2 girls - a stunning little tabby with white, and a solid black with a white chest feather - and 2 boys, an orange tabby, and a white with 2 orange tabby spots on his head, were about 8 days old.  Puzzle is also young, and though likely this is her first litter, was a good mom.  She was protective and attentive, but allowed her new caretaker to handle her babies without any aggression from her.
Save Our Strays became aware of Puzzle’s plight through a community Facebook page, and plea and reached out to a rescue partner in the area to investigate, and look for foster options.  Sometimes, the planets just align.  Foster was available, transport was arranged and the little family was brought under our wing.
Puzzle, and her little pieces will need to be vetted.  They will need their required vaccinations, their spay and neuter surgeries, flea prevention and microchips to be able to campaign for their forever homes.  We are asking for your help to be able to provide these needed services.  This family is safe.  With your help, we can get them into homes where they will be safe for the rest of their lives, and open up space for the next lost family.  With your help, and every dollar counts, Save Our Strays can continue those so needed services.  We are committed to helping all we can.

​SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE

       PHILLY AND OSCAR’S STORY 
 
Two tiny boys, heard screaming under a mobile home deck for 2 days.  No mom in sight.  Was she run off by dogs?  Did the coyotes get her?  Was she hit on the road searching for food?  We will never know.
 
The babies were pulled out, placed in a box and dropped off at a dog rescue with a note, which said “These kittens were found under our trailer’s deck. They’ve been screaming for 2 days, and no mom ever came back for them.  We gave them some milk with an eye dropper, but we can’t help them and they aren’t doing well.”
 
The dog rescue Director reached out to us for help.  We immediately contacted our bottle mom, to see if she had availability to take on these two fragile boys, who had been given cow’s milk, which is very bad for neonatal kittens and can actually cause enough GI distress to kill tiny babies, and who were also ice cold.  The Director of the dog rescue got the babies on heat right away, while we arranged transport to the bottle mom, who thankfully had the space to accept them.
 
It was very touch and go for the first week, as they battled issues from being left cold and then given the wrong nutrition.  They suffered from diarrhea, and refused to nurse.  Thankfully, blessedly, our bottle mom is so knowledgeable and savvy with these types of issues, and was able to pull them through with the appropriate meds and tube feedings.
 
Then, they never looked back.  They thrived, and they grew into two happy, bouncy, playful boys.  They were tested for feline aids, and leukemia (both negative) and received their first vaccines this week.  They will need to finish their vetting - boosters, neuter surgeries, and microchips, so that they can interview prospective adopters, and be placed in their forever homes for life.
 
Save Our Strays is a champion for the fragile, the sick, and the special needs. Can you find it in your heart to donate towards their needed vet care?  Please help us help them, and enable our work going forward?
 

SOUTH CAROLINA RESCUE

OAKLEE’S STORY
 
We received a request for help from one of our rescue partners.  Our local Animal Control had accepted another fragile baby, looking for rescue saviors. Little Oaklee had a broken left rear leg, and a dislocated right rear hip with tendon stretch and inflammation.  Having both rear legs incapacitated made for some serious nursing care, and intervention.  X-rays were repeated once rescue assistance was obtained, and it was determined that the dislocated hip had slipped back into place, with remaining residual stretching and inflammation.  She was still very sore on that hip.
 
The break, although very close to the ankle joint, was not aligned perfectly, but satisfactorily enough to allow healing.  The other option would have been pins
or amputation on a one-pound kitten.  Not a good surgical risk.  The decision was made to support Oaklee, and to kennel rest her for 6 weeks, under strict supervision.
 
Oaklee was set up in a well-padded, hard-shell kennel with room for a low litter pan, food and water bowls and some soft stuffed toys to cuddle with.  From her perch, she was able to see the household activities, also the birds and trees outside the window, and was kept clean and quiet.
 
Oaklee was re-examined on October 15th.  Her hip is normal now, and the break is solidly calcified and fused.  She was medically discharged to continue her regular vetting path (vaccines, spay) and has joined little Figgy as a roommate. Figgy is 4 weeks older, and had 2 broken front legs.  One has healed, and one had to be amputated.  The girls are now perfect companions for each other, and will be campaigned for adoption together once their vetting is completed.
 
Save Our Strays is a champion for the fragile, the broken and the special needs.  Please help us… help them.