It's December Already!

It's hard to believe that it's already nearing the end of 2009. This has been another hectic year, filled with all kinds of ups and downs. Horrible things are still happening to animals all over the world, with progress inching forward at a glacial pace. We remain hopeful that the animal movement will one day become trendy, like the green movement.

In the interim, we're reminded that there are good humans in the world. Alice is triving in her new home with her wonderful people - yay! We received a Christmas card from a woman who adopted a Project Jessie dog in 2003 and they're both doing very well - yay again! We are receiving e-mails of encouragement and thanks for speaking out on behalf of those with no voice. And everyday we come to the office, we are greeted by four happy, bounding, purring little kittens. That's Morris and his helper, Little Morris, in the pic = ) Little Morris follows Morris everywhere he goes, even up ladders! It's hard to be down when you're surrounded by kitties who don't have a care in the world!

We still have our fingers crossed that some kind humans will open their hearts and homes to these four babies - they have FIV which makes things slightly more difficult in terms of adoptions because of the stigma surrounding feline aids. We're always touched when we are proven wrong, when someone realizes that these kittens would make a great addition to their family, no matter what may happen down the road.

Adoptions have been slow, however, and not just for us. This has been a terrible year for cats. I just hope things are better in 2010. We'll be doing our part, that's for sure!

That's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Lia and the AAC office crew

Meet the Rugrats!

That's Hannah, asking me to play. Her brothers (Shiloh, Isaac and Morris - named after our wonderful volunteer, Morris) were busy elsewhere in the office, causing trouble no doubt!

They have been settling in great, as is Alice in her new home with her new and fantastic family. We're so happy for her, the sweet girl.

We have high hopes for finding homes for these new members of the Animal Alliance family - but finding a place for kittens can be hard, especially these kittens who have tested positive for FIV.

They are perfectly happy and healthy but are carriers for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. Like human HIV, FIV is not likely transmissible through casual contact with other cats. Still the stigma of FIV makes people hesitant to care for these special little guys. We're going to try our darnedest to find them the loving homes they deserve, but if these kittens end up staying with us forever, we won't complain = )

Project Jessie has been busy with some pretty tough cases - visit the Project Jessie blog for the stories.

We are awaiting a decision regarding the Environmental Assessment of Presqu'ile Provincial Park, which we began in order to protect deer, cormorants and restoration projects.

We continue to help out TRACS with the Kelowna bunny situation. TRACS has been doing a fantastic job, providing a humane model which can be used in other cities with similar issues.

And we continue to try to mitigate human / wildlife conflict issues in Ontario, working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to provide advice about progressive and humane resolutions.

Finally, we're gearing up for our annual open house, during which we reconnect with supporters and local community activists. This is a busy time of year for us, to say the least!

Thanks to all who have called and written in support of our campaign to protect bears in Quebec - we will keep you up to date as the issue unfolds.

And a big thank you to everyone for allowing us to continue to protect ALL animals and the environment - our work can be really difficult at times, but we are comforted when we remember that the world DOES have caring people like you, making a difference and speaking out for non-human animals.

Thank you SO much,
lia and the office crew

New Office Foster Kitties!

The past few weeks have been super busy with meetings and reports and mailings. There are bear issues in New Brunswick and Quebec; ongoing shelter issues with municipalities across Ontario; cormorant and other wildlife sagas in our provincial and national parks; and closer to home, our two office fosters will be leaving to make room for other kitties in need.

Alice will be going with Shelly and Bobby (that's him in the pic) to another foster home, in order for us to accomodate four kittens with feline aids. The liklihood of these kittens being adopted is slim to none, but at least they'll be able to grow up in the (relative) peace and security of the office. They came to Project Jessie during the municipal strike. We hoped and hoped that the tests would come back negative but it looks as though they're going to have to live with the stigma of aids. We have to be realistic in that they could be with us their entire lives. I just think it's sad that someone wouldn't want to open their heart and home to a wonderful companion because of possible medical complications and expenses. I would take them home if I weren't so damn allergic to cats!

Still, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that some kind human will surpise us all and adopt them.

My next task will be to say good-bye to Bobby and Alice, wishing them all the best on their next part of their journey through life.

Stay warm everyone!

Till next time,
lia and the office crew

Hurray for Kitties!

As hard as it was for me to let them go, the four orphaned kittens I was fostering during the municipal strike have now all gone back to the shelter. Even though I have fostered before, it was particularly difficult this time to say goodbye.

Shelters and rescue groups all across Ontario are having a hard time finding homes for cats - there are simply too many abandoned cats and still more being born everyday. I sent back my fosters not knowing how long they would remain in the shelter, but I was comforted to know that we would be called should the shelter become crowded or should the kitties become depressed / ill.

I have thought about the kitties everyday for the past few weeks and received great news yesterday. The two most rambunctious kittens have been adopted! Hurray! The other two girls were being spayed yesterday, and after they recoup, they will be up for adoption. I'll cross my fingers that they are just as lucky to find their forever homes. As much as I want to, my allergies simply would not permit me to integrate two more cats into my home ( I have a hard enough time with my two rescues as it is! ).

Shelly reports that a few of her fosters have also found homes. Yay!

The office cats, Bobby and Alice, have been together now for over a month. They still do not like each other but seem to be tolerant enough so that no major battles happen. Even though Bobby is bigger, he was declawed by his previous people, so Alice could put him in his place if she chose to. But she's a lover, not a fighter, one of the most gentle cats we've ever had in the office.

On top of dealing with cats in need of homes, we've been working on some pretty big issues, including cormorants, human / wildlife conflict, and barn fires. But that's for another day. I'm just so happy that, after a long wait, cats are finding their forever homes. I'd like to wrap up on a happy note = )

Tail wags, everyone!

ttys,
lia and the AAC office crew

Special Needs Cat in Need of Special Home

Picasso is a well cared for socialized grey and white deaf cat with a back leg deformity. He was found in a stray cat colony in the winter and rescued by AAC Board Member, Marie Crawford, and a colleague. The twisted back leg led us to believe he was badly injured, but an x-ray proved that the defect was either there since birth or due to a bad injury that healed without medical assistance. He was checked for disease, neutered, given all shots and deworming aid. The vets' decided that amputation of the back leg would not help his mobility since he seems to use it to get around just fine. We decided to not place him back in the colony since it would seem he had a hard enough life as it was. The fact that he was also deaf made his little story that much more incredible. He survived for two years in the wild like this!

He was terribly fearful of people and it took a year for Marie to gain his trust. Now he is a changed cat and is a lovable companion. The only problem is that he is terribly lonely. Marie owns her own business and is gone for the most part of the day - every day. He cries constantly when he can't see her and she can hear his screams (boy - deaf cats sure have a pair of lungs!!) for a block down the street when she leaves the house. Marie would like to find him a home where he can enjoy the company of another cat and/or the presence of a person who is home a lot.

"A large part of me does not want to lose this lovely little guy, but I know he could have a much richer life elsewhere - since he is a special needs cat he needs a special home!! Would perhaps do well with lots of other cats. If anyone could recommend a home for him I would be grateful," Marie. mariecrawford@sympatico.ca

Our New Office Foster

With the municipal strike over, our fosters are slowing being returned to the shelter. The bunnies we were fostering at the office went back = ( Other bunnies found homes (yay!), some kitties are going back and others are staying in the Project Jessie programme until we find them a permanent, loving family. All in all, it has been a great group effort, which has saved over 50 lives.


Alice (Ali for short) is our new office foster kitty. And she's SO cute! Apparently her owners died and the family didn't want her, so she ended up at a city shelter. She wasn't doing well so shelter staff called us for help. She is SO sweet and SO friendly, in just a couple hours she was playing and following us around the office! Ali's an older girl (about 12) but doesn't look a day over 8. She will remain here at the office until she finds her forever home.

It's been a busy summer so far, but a good summer. And having Ali here is a nice way to end the week.

Enjoy the sun, everyone!

Municipal Strike affected City Shelters

There was a lot of talk during Toronto's municipal strike about garbage but not a whole lot about the city shelters. The last time the city was on strike, shelter staff was reduced, and as a result, many animals that needed special care either died or were euthanized.

This year, we were ready. The first day of the strike, Project Jessie Coordinator, Shelly Hawley-Yan, and long-time volunteer, Andrea, rescued dozens of "special needs" animals. In total, Shelly, Andrea, our main office and our wonderful volunteer foster homes have been caring for over 50 animals: rabbits, guinea pigs, orphaned kittens, kittens with moms, you name, we have it!

Some are going to start going back to the shelters, like the bunnies who will have a better chance at finding their forever homes. Some of the mama cats and their babies will be staying with us. All in all, it was a wonderful group effort - shelter staff were great, volunteers stepped up and offered their homes for these animals, and Shelly and Andrea provided amazing support, checking in to make sure everyone is okay and making themselves available around the clock to answer questions.

The little kitty in the pic above is Rosie, a little purring machine, who has been with me and her other foster brother and sisters for about six weeks.

Like I've said before, we're always looking for foster homes and forever homes for these sweet little snuggle bugs. If you, or someone you know, is thinking about opening their hearts and homes to a four-legged friend, please call / e-mail us today.

Main Office: 416-462-9541

Shelly: 519-940-4712

shelly@animalalliance.ca

contact@animalalliance.ca

www.projectjessie.ca