Strut Your Mutt goes virtual in 2020!
Our volunteers are once again participating in the national Strut Your Mutt fundraising event. It's virtual this year, but the goal is the same: raising funds for animal rescue!
Please make a donation to our team, as we raise funds to support Infinite Hope's work to get cats and kittens out of harm’s way and into loving homes. Strut Your Mutt day is October 24, 2020.
"I wanted to adopt cats that were having a hard time finding a home."
Domino and Tizon's new mom searched Petfinder for cats who had been posted the longest because she wanted to adopt someone who was having a hard time finding a home. How wonderful is that! Domino and Tizon weren't trapped until they were past the ideal age to socialize, which means that they're shy with new people. But they have really warmed up to their new mom, who says "I'm so lucky to have them!!!" Happy Adoption, Domino and Tizon!
Tribute to a beloved neighborhood cat
Some years back we TNR'd about 12 cats that a woman was feeding near a housing project in Brooklyn. One of them was a friendly tabby named Tommy who visited many of the building's apartments. We offered to take Tommy into foster and find him a home, but the woman declined. She said that he was happy where he was and was loved by many neighbors, who all helped to care for him. Recently we helped to get Tommy vet care when he became ill. Unfortunately, he died from an inoperable tumor. His carer posted this very sweet flyer to let all of his admirers know what happened.
News story features All Creatures Vet Hospital's curbside service
Our beloved vet partner, All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, was featured in a local news report about how veterinary clinics are offering curbside service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Veterinary clinics are essential businesses and the new routines are an important way to safely provide services during the pandemic.
Join or Donate to our Strut Your Mutt Team!
Infinite Hope volunteers will once again be walking in the Best Friends Strut Your Mutt event to raise funds for our animal rescue. Join or donate to our team to help us save more cats and kittens this year! The event is on Saturday, October 5th 2019 in the Hudson River Park, NYC. You can register or donate here.
NY is the first state to ban declawing of cats
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making New York the first state in the country to outlaw the declawing of cats. Other states are considering passing similar laws, as some cities across the country have already done. NY's law makes exceptions for medical purposes. In a statement, the Governor said, "By banning this archaic practice, we will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures." Infinite Hope has long opposed the practice of declawing and welcomes this new law!
Great news about animal rescue!
TNR got a shout-out in the NY Times as one of the reasons for the sharp decline in the number of animals killed in municipal shelters. Excerpt: "In a quiet transformation, pet euthanasia rates have plummeted in big cities in recent years, falling more than 75 percent since 2009. ... Most of the shelters in this analysis also continue to reduce the number of animals they take in. Programs to spay/neuter and release community cats are one factor." The full article is here.
Fostering Saves Lives!
Billy is a true example of how fostering saves lives! We pulled this young cat from the NYC Animal Care Center in Brooklyn, where he was on the at-risk list because he was too fearful in the shelter setting to be shown to potential adopters. As soon as he landed in his Infinite Hope foster home, Billy blossomed. He is a playful, curious, loving cat -- none of which was on display while he was in the shelter. He was adopted within a few weeks and now shares his home with a rescued greyhound dog. His adopters say, "We are SO HAPPY to have Billy join our family and we love him so much already." It is thanks to his foster home that Billy had a chance to find his forever family. Learn more about fostering with Infinite Hope.
Now's the time for TNR!
Our volunteers have been working with other rescuers to TNR (Trap Neuter Return) a colony of cats living at a bus depot in Gowanus, Brooklyn. We know that several of them are mama cats who have had multiple litters in the past. It's great to be doing TNR now, to prevent spring litters! In the past few weeks, 14 cats have been TNRd at this site.
Cats at Work
An article in the New York Times shows how feral cats are finding new homes as "working" cats: "The standard of care for feral cats is known as trap-neuter-return (TNR), which entails humanely trapping the cat, sterilizing it, and returning it to where it was found. But sometimes the cats can’t be returned to where they lived before, either because their caretaker is no longer there to provide food and water, or because their environment has been made cat-unfriendly. They need a place to go... Animal rescue groups have created working-cat programs wherein homeowners or store owners agree to provide the cats with shelter, food, water and medical care — promising to take care of it like any other pet — in exchange for an added line of defense against vermin."