Expanding Your Cat Family: How to Facilitate Success (with Sisters or Brothers from Other Mothers)

Matchmaking (Part One)

By Karen Zamel

Bringing a rescue or foster cat (or kitten) into a home with resident cats is a fairly a typical scenario for pet lovers.  After all, as most of us discovered early on, you can’t have just one. 

The challenges can be many – and sometimes unpredictable.  Age, gender, experience, breed, and even how the animals are acclimated in the new environment can affect and change behavior.  Our most recent rescue, Oreo, got along harmoniously with our three other resident rescues for all of two months, until he claimed ownership of a little stone water fountain in our living room.  After Halley (our only female rescue) had the audacity to drink out of it in front of him, he’s acted aggressively toward her ever since.

Enter the expert, Jessica Char.  As the founder of Feline Engineering (www.felineengineering.com) and past Behavior Associate at the Humane Society Silicon Valley, Jessica focuses on providing insight to and solving cat behavior problems.

Together, with Jessica, we’ve created a three-part series intended to address the three key milestones of successful cat integration: 

1. Matchmaking
2. Introductions
3. Troubleshooting

Today, we’re starting today with part one:  Matchmaking

Q: How do we know if cats or kittens we choose to foster or adopt will be compatible with our resident cats?

Jessica: There are no simple formulas to making the perfect match but you can consider a few factors to give yourself to best chance. One common myth is that if you have a male cat you have to get a female (or vice versa). Actually, gender and age aren’t the most important factors. Instead, considering energy level and personality is more likely to lead to a compatible pair. A mellow senior may not appreciate a playful kitten. History plays a role too; if you know a cat has a history of liking other cats then you will probably have an easier time, though that’s no guarantee. 

Q: Does that mean I can’t bring home a kitten if I have a senior cat?

Jessica: Not necessarily! It just means that bringing home a kitten and expecting your resident cat to love them immediately probably isn’t realistic or fair. You’ll need to put in more time and effort to help them live happily together. This is actually a great reason to adopt TWO kittens; the kittens can wear each other out and leave your senior out of the chaos (you’ll still need to manage them though!).

~ ~ ~

If you have additional questions for Jessica or experiences you would like to share, please post them here.  We can all benefit from the dialogue!

To adopt kittens/cats in need of homes, please go to our adoptable cats page. 

Karen Zamel is a long-term supporter, communications volunteer, foster parent, and adopter with Silicon Valley Pet Project and San Jose Animal Advocates.

For more information on Jessica Char and Feline Engineering, follow her on Facebook and Instagram:
www.facebook.com/felineengineering

www.instagram.com/felineengineering

In Memory of Tucker on National Dog Day

Written by: Melissa Lisbon, President, Silicon Valley Pet Project

On April 6th, we met an adult spaniel mix at the San Jose Animal Care Center. This dog needed rescue due to a large ulcerated tumor on his abdomen. Immediately upon meeting him, I was impressed by his temperament: calm, happy, with a big smile on his face. You would never know this dog was ill or in a loud, scary shelter.

Tucker at the shelter April 6, 2018

Tucker greeted us as if we were already friends. I knew instantly that he would become my next foster dog, and we would provide the medical care this special dog needed.  The tumor turned out to be a Mast Cell Tumor and it was completely removed with surgery. We were optimistic that he would soon be ready for adoption.

Tucker fit right into our daily routine, loved every person he met, thought every dog was his friend and believed the tennis ball was the key to happiness!

Tucker at the vet office

Within a short time, we noticed a new mass and promptly had it surgically removed and tested. It was cancer again, but this time the tests showed it to be very aggressive. Soon we were getting advice from oncologists about the various treatment options available to Tucker. 

Most dogs are very nervous at vet appointments. Not Tucker. He enjoyed meeting other dogs in the waiting room and often would play with a tennis ball while waiting to be seen by the vet. This behavior put the other dogs and their humans at ease as nothing seemed to dampen Tucker's spirit.

In the following 4 months, Tucker had many vet appointments, many different treatments all trying to fight his progressive Mast Cell cancer. During the last month of Tucker's life he had a great appetite, loved to go on walks, took long naps, and always was up for playing a simple game of fetch. He loved to go for car rides, especially trips to the beach. We don't know if he ever had been to the beach before, but he seemed to enjoy the sand between his toes and the ocean breeze. 

Tucker at the beach

One day Tucker woke up and was not himself. That was the day we had to say goodbye. You are never prepared for that day and to say we were heartbroken is an understatement. This dog was extraordinary, a true ambassador for all of the love rescue dogs provide despite their history and circumstances. Tucker led his short life with an open heart and a desire to make every day a great one. He approached every day with optimism, seeing each as an opportunity for love, new friends, good food, and playtime! We greatly miss his wonderful smile and joyful presence. 

Tucker enjoying a sunny day at the park

We are particularly grateful for the support and compassion of Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal and his staff at Silicon Valley Vet Specialists.  In addition, we would like to acknowledge the support and compassion of Live Like Roo, a foundation that supports families whose pet faces a cancer diagnosis. This foundation generously donated to Tucker's chemo treatments and provided a wonderful support care package.

P.S. Please consider fostering a pet in need. We are always in search of people who will open their home temporarily to a pet who needs help.  

Tucker with ball

Chancho: A Unique Rescue Story

Every pet rescue story is unique, but there’s a general storyline: a homeless pet is in an animal shelter (with no known family) needs help, and, hopefully, a rescue organization rescues the pet and places him/her in foster care with volunteers. The ultimate goal is to place the rescue pet in a new permanent home with a loving family.

Chancho’s story is unique in many ways. The energetic and lovable nine-year-old pit bull mix was at the San Jose Animal Care Center with a Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) rupture. He was in line to be euthanized because he needed care above what the shelter could provide and no rescue organization had stepped forward to "rescue" him. Thanks to San Jose Animal Advocates social media post about Chancho's need for rescue, Silicon Valley Pet Project became aware of Chanco's situation. We determined that with orthopedic surgery, Chanco could lead a long, enjoyable life.

In order to rescue Chancho, we had to find a good foster home for his rehabilitation. That’s when we discovered a bit more about his past. Chancho had been surrendered to the shelter reluctantly by a loving family who had been told that his quality of life would be very dismal due to the CCL rupture and also that he was showing early signs of arthritis. The family had also spent a lot of money on tests and diagnosis, and when they learned the surgery was going to cost $5000, they had to take the difficult decision of letting Chancho go.

According to this USA Today report, Chancho’s case is likely not an isolated incident. Millions of pets in the U.S. alone are surrendered to shelters and are at risk for euthanization due to skyrocketing vet costs. As the report states, "economic euthanasia" is not tracked nationally, but one study at the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center in Dayton, Ohio, revealed “the rate of people seeking to euthanize their pets because they can't afford treatment is rising between 10% and 12% a year.”

At SVPP, we are fortunate to have been able to help pets like Chancho who were surrendered to our local animal shelter by families who could not afford their care due to the Animal Fund, named after donor Erik Fong’s beloved pet called ‘Animal.’ Because of this specific fund, many loving pets facing euthanasia at our shelter due to complex medical care have been rescued, provided the medical care they need and placed in forever homes.

Chancho’s family was happy to discover that we had identified their beloved pet as a potential rescue, but we still were in search of a very specific foster home that would be committed to caring for Chancho after his surgery and follow the strict rehabilitation requirements of this complex surgery. It was at that moment when we realized that Chancho's original family would be the perfect people to foster him while SVPP helped with his treatment!

Not only did Chancho’s family agree to ‘foster’ him, but they also embraced the idea of re-adopting Chancho, once they were convinced that he was going to have a healthy, relatively pain-free life. Thanks to the talented surgery staff at SAGE Campbell, Chancho’s surgery and rehabilitation was a success, and today, he is back with his family, living the life of a cherished pet.

“Chancho loves to go on walks, digs holes in the backyard to lay on them or under our shed to stay out of the sun, “ says Efrain. “We said yes to the whole thing with the only condition that they would reassure us that his quality of life would not be severely impacted. It all has worked out so far and we couldn't be happier not just for ourselves but for Chancho too. This whole thing is a miracle,” he adds.

Special thanks to Erik Fong and his generosity in establishing the Animal Fund that has allowed us to help pets like Chancho get the medical care they deserve.

Connecting with Purpose: How SVPP Changed Our Lives

By Joan & John Cook

My husband and I had recently lost our beloved German Shepherd when we were contacted by a
friend who fosters animals for Silicon Valley Pet Project (SVPP). Not being able to stand having a
quiet household, and missing the companionship and unconditional love that comes with having
pets, we scheduled a visit to meet Ranger.

What we found was a German Shepherd who had no hair. His skin was oozed. He had urinary
bleeding which left drops of blood everywhere he went. His teeth were worn down and he had other dental issues from trying to bite his way out of a cage or fence. Ranger was so skinny that his ribs stuck out and his head looked disproportionately large for his shrunken body. His back legs were buckled/atrophied, which was probably from lack of use. When he was picked up from the shelter by his foster parent, he had a yeast infection on his entire body which caused him to smell terribly.

At first, it was weird seeing such a large animal without hair. However, hair or no hair, it was pretty much love at first sight; we just couldn’t say no to his adorable fluffy face and charming personality.

He had been turned into the shelter because a neighbor reported the abuse they saw: He was saved from euthanasia at the shelter by SVPP. At first he didn’t seem like an adoptable dog on the outside but SVPP saw something special in him.

The SVPP foster parent immediately took Ranger to a vet to put him on a plan to get healthy. He went on skin meds and took daily medicated baths. He was neutered which stopped the urinary bleeding, and by adding a regular exercise plan that included hiking and playing around the yard, he now has a beautiful stance.

With regular vet checks and LOTS of love, Ranger proved to be a beautiful, loyal, ADOPTABLE, German Shepherd within a month.

One year later, our home feels like home again; filled with Ranger’s unconditional love, charming and playful personality. His hair is still coming in and getting thicker by the month, earning him the proud nickname of Mr. Fluffy. He is such a great companion, keeping us company during our hikes, road trips and when we are simply hanging out at home. Ranger has made such a great impact on our lives, and I’m even more grateful that we could provide him with the love and care that all pets deserve.

Here's a short video of Ranger's journey.

 

Editor's Comment: This is the fifth of our series of "SVPP Adopter's Stories" about how their adopted pet came into their family and changed their lives. We encourage all of our adopters to share their stories with us by contacting us at info@svpetproject.org.

5 Reasons Why Adopting an Adult or Senior Pet is Awesome!

While living in California, Rachel Corrales volunteered her time and talent to Silicon Valley Pet Project. She took many beautiful photos of our pets, including stunning photos of cats at The Dancing Cat.  Do you have a rescue story to share? Contact us!

By Rachel Corrales

When you adopt, you are saving two lives - the animal you've adopted, and the animal that can then move into foster or shelter care. Here's where we get to the serious perks of adopting an adult pet! 

1. The first is the most obvious. You will be saving their life. Older animals in shelters are more likely to be euthanized because puppies and kitties are more likely to be adopted first. The older pets have to wait and the longer the wait, the greater the risk to their life.

2. The pet is fully grown. Sometimes when you get a mixed puppy, you have no idea that puppy is going to grow up to be so big! That puppy with the tiny paws grew up to be a bear with tiny paws! Whoops. Didn't see that coming! He's not a dog that's going to be stoked to share your studio apartment with you. Trust me, it's happened to someone I know. Generally, you know your cat isn't going to be bigger than 20 pounds, so that's not as much of an issue.

3. Your new pal will more than likely be house trained and know a few of the rules for sharing a home with a human. This means they'll transition more smoothly into your home life. Additionally, no animal is too old to learn new tricks. My cat is now 10 (maybe 11) and he's just learned to use pee pads in a litter box instead of that dusty litter that is HORRIBLE for lungs, cats and humans alike. I've also taught older dogs commands like sit, stay, leave it, and roll over, though if you adopt an older dog, chances are, they'll probably have a few tricks under their collar already. Won't that be nice? 

4. Their personality is already developed. Personality is a big component of whether or not your lifelong commitment to your pet is going to be harmonious. Just like people, not every personality works well together. A dog with a high energy level needs an owner that is willing to go out a few times a day and work them. Fitness and energy levels need to match. Pets that require a lot of physical and mental stimulation but don't receive the appropriate exercise become bored, irritable, and destructive. You can take them to training, but unless they get that stimulation, they'll be unhappy and you know how the saying goes, "Happy dog, happy life."

5. They know what you've done for them. I truly believe this. Rescued pets have seen a lot and most adult ones have been through more heartbreak than they should ever have had to endure. They will LOVE you for saving them and this is an especially strong bond. Likewise, adopting an older special needs dog or cat will also be a remarkable bond between owner and pet. You can be happy knowing that you're giving them the love they deserve but may not have received otherwise. So many owners abandon their pets because caring for them becomes inconvenient. Animals can sense this and are hurt by the rejection and the loss of love from their human companions. Giving them a second chance and filling that void for them is so special for you and for the animal. 

So there you have it! These are my 5 reasons why adopting an older cat or dog is awesome! You can never go wrong when you're adopting with an open heart to an animal in need. Whether a puppy or kitten, adult, senior, or geriatric, pets bring so much value to our daily lives and all they ask for is our love and care in return. 

Click here to read Rachel Corrales' full story.

Tom's Forever Girl

Tom's Forever Girl

By Tom Poston

What was it about Xena that caught your attention?

When Erin and I arrived at The Dancing Cat, we noticed all the cats that were in the main room, but Erin was immediately captivated by Lulu, a very friendly tan tabby who was in residence at the time. Meanwhile, I noticed a rather scraggly-looking tortoiseshell in one of the cat-trees, struck by the fact that she looked like she had hardly any whiskers. Of course, this was Xena, who had been at The Dancing Cat a couple of weeks after her time at the San Jose Animal Care Center. Ann Chasson, co-founder of The Dancing Cat, told us a bit about Xena’s story, and while Xena wasn’t especially social, she was interesting and I could see the beauty of the cat that was lurking under fur that was still growing back after her bout with scabies/feline mange.

After our visit, I started noticing many of the absolutely gorgeous photos of Xena that had been taken by regular The Dancing Cat photographer Rachel Corrales. Rachel’s images showed off Xena’s beauty but also her feisty personality and captivating golden eyes. I started thinking more and more about Xena, and the possibility of adoption started creeping into my thoughts, just a little.

How did you decide to move forward with Xena's adoption?

I watched The Dancing Cat’s Instagram account for photos and news about Xena. After about a month, I decided I would take a trip down from San Francisco (where I was staying by then) to see her again. Xena was looking healthier, and although she wasn’t really into being petted or picked up, she LOVED playing. We spent an hour together and I really enjoyed it. Ann gave me more information about Xena’s ordeal, including the Tails of a Shelter Vet video about her that could be seen on YouTube.

I couldn’t say exactly what it was about Xena that grabbed me so strongly. I have known other beautiful cats, and other cats with sad stories. They say the cat picks the human, and I think in this case that’s totally true. I KNEW that The Dancing Cat would find an awesome home for Xena - just like they do all their cats. But I came to realize that if she was placed with anyone else but me, I would never see her again, and I was just not OK with that. After one more visit to The Dancing Cat, and another chat with Ann (who thought I would be just the right sort of person for Xena, who didn’t get along all that well with the other cats), I downloaded the adoption application, filled it out, took a deep breath and submitted it!

I could NOT be happier with my decision to adopt Xena. She’s definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made - I love my warrior princess and am glad she is my Forever Girl!


Editor's Comment: This is the fourth of our series of "SVPP Adopter's Stories" about how their adopted pet came into their family and changed their lives. We encourage all of our adopters to share their stories with us by contacting us at info@svpetproject.org.

Unconditional Love

Editor's Note: "Fospice" is a term used in animal welfare for providing a temporary home to a pet that is in the last stages of their life (typically a prognosis of fewer than 6 months). It takes an extraordinary person to open their home to a senior and/or chronically ill pet to give them some comfort before they pass. We celebrate individuals and organizations that care for these pets at the time they need our compassion the most.

Unconditional Love

By Cathy Grovenburg

The Bud was with me less than a month and I am left wondering how I can feel so heartbroken when I knew him for such a short while. I guess it's because I believed that he would be fine and that we would have another year or so together. I believed that unconditional love would cure what ailed him. I believed that if I loved him enough, he would be just fine. But it was not to be. Buddy was surrendered to the shelter by his humans–for euthanasia. It was noted that he had a limp and he was overweight–maybe arthritis or maybe cancer. Either way, he didn’t deserve to be abandoned to spend his last days alone and in a cage at a noisy and stressful shelter. Silicon Valley Pet Project stepped up and offered to rescue him if they could find someone to foster him. I went to pick up The Bud, and immediately fell in love with the big lug. He came limping out of the kennel, tail wagging and was happy to follow this new human home.

Then it was a matter of tests. Xrays showed that he had some suspicious spots on his elbows and knees that could be cancer. Then it was on to the specialists for an ultrasound and chest xrays, thinking that if it was cancer, it would have metastasized. He came through those tests with an all-clear and my hopes soared. Just a little weight reduction and some painkillers and some carpet runners for the hardwood floors, and we would be just fine.

But he started declining. At first, it was a slight loss of appetite, so I switched food. Then it was my reluctant admission that the Rimadyl and Tramadol didn’t seem to be making him any more comfortable. I knew that it was time and still I didn’t want to let him go.

I called Buddy "Thumper" because he would thump his big tail whenever I approached. He would lie on his side and barely lift his hind leg so that I would give him a tummy rub. I would always finish off the tummy rub with a kiss on his muzzle and an “I love you, my special boy” whispered in his ear. I called him my Elmer Fudd. He had a sweet innocence about him–oh boy, oh boy, which way did they go? He would get excited, but everything was done in slow motion–in Buddy time. I believe that Buddy crossed over The Rainbow Bridge and that his spirit soars. He can dream his dreams and snooze through his naps. He can awaken and easily rise to his feet and shake out his coat, all without pain or struggle. He is free of the confinement of an aging and deteriorating body. He is free to run through fields, to stop and sniff every blade of grass and to plop himself down and roll onto his back and wriggle and scratch, with his legs freely waving to the clouds.

Photo credit: Renee Scott Photography