Cup of Joe update

Animals come to us in need and, when we are very lucky, go off to wonderful homes that love them.

Cup of Joe, "Joe", was one of those animals.

Just recently, over the holiday, we got a wonderful update on Joe and how he is in his home.

His dad wrote: I know it’s been a while since we last talked... I hope you are doing well.

I wanted to let you know {Joe} is doing very well. He has really settled into our home and family. He has definitely come out of his shell. Despite Behr weighing 65 pounds, Joe has become the alpha dog and shows Behr who is boss. It’s really hilarious to watch the two of them together...

I hope you and everyone at Joa’s Arc are well and had a wonderful Holiday!

It's hard to spot him, but that's little Joe in the photo curled up between the legs of big Behr. The photo of Behr & Joe snuggling is one their dad emailed us, along with another one where Joe is sitting in a bag on top of folded, clean clothes. Ugh! What a little character!!

Thank you to his family for reaching out to us.

We miss you, Joe, but we're also so, so happy for you! Tweet This

Ralphie the Tree Tamer!

Just days after climbing the tree and destroying a bunch of branches in order to make himself the "star" at the top, Ralphie apparently made another attempt at putting that darn tree that just showed up in the house in its rightful place!

From his foster mom, Joyce: Ralphie knocked it, over snapping the wire holding it to the wall. Notice him under the tree...

Ralphie reports: If anyone else has stray trees chaining themselves up inside your home, let him know. He'll handle it for you!

Needless to say, the tree was dismantled shorty after this photo.

Happy Holidays to all! Tweet This

An Update

After several weeks of eye meds with no improvement, it was determined that one of the hoarder house cats had entropian (the eye lids turn in and eye lashes constantly irritate the eye ball).

This is a condition that must be corrected with surgery and it is a congenital condition, meaning this poor guy has been suffering his entire life, but among all the other cats in the house, his condition was either never noticed or just neglected. Poor man!

He got surgery to correct this condition and is on eye meds for an severely uclerated eye ball.

His caretaker Deb reports: Definition of a challenge = putting eye drops in a ferals eye!

Hahahaha! We wish you the best of luck, Deb! If only there was a way we could explain to them that we're trying to help... Tweet This

From Annie, the kitten with no eyes...

Hi Joyce,

It's me Annie Bananie wishing you a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you didn't eat too much turkey and get a bellyache. The big cats and I are going to have some turkey with our dinner tonight.

I'm a big girl now, almost 4 1/2 pounds of fearlessness, and I don't take any crap from anybody although I seldom stop purring! I can run fast, even up and down stairs and only bump into things once in a while, and I'm also an excellent jumper. I can find the cat bathrooms all over the house and have never once had an accident.

If you hadn't rescued me when I was so little and helpless, I wouldn't be enjoying life in this crazy cat house, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

XOXO Annie Tweet This

National Feral Cat Day/STAF's Walk

 

What a beautiful day ... that's exactly what we had for STAF's 14th Annual "Paws in the Park". This year, the event took place at Cedarvale Winery in Logan Twp, NJ, with wine tasting, dog walking, music and doggie costume contests.

It was a windy day, but it was a beautiful day and we participated in it all - the costume contests, the dog walking (well, Gabe participated in the dog walking thanks to The Dean Team) and we even set up a table to sell a few of our things and advocate for special needs animals. Kreacher the 4 ear cat and Midge the dwarf kitten didn't allow the dogs to be the only ones having fun either - they came too!

Below are a few pictures of our day...

 

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An Award!

Waiting in our inbox the other day was this very kind email:

Dear Joa's Arc,

We at DogBreedsInfo.org are pleased to present you with a Dog Rescue Award for excellence in providing underprivileged dogs a much valued resource. We take pride in acknowledging the best organizations around the country with our special award emblem, recognizing them for their outstanding work – Joa's Arc certainly qualifies as one of them.

Thank you for all the work you and your organization provides for dogs in need. We wish you the best in continuing your highly valued service.

Best Regards,
Evan
Senior Editor
http://dogbreedsinfo.org

We are honored and proud to be sporting the new award on our page, which you can see in the right box below our email address and PayPal donation link.

Thank you, Evan, and every at DogBreedsInfo.org!
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A Note From Holly

Holly, our beloved Phil's mom, wrote us a message a little while ago after losing Phil. I wanted to share it during this special week though to kind of leave off on a good note.

So, finally, here it is - sweetness prevailing...

Hi Joyce,

Mom and I picked up Phillip’s ashes on Thursday, so he’s back home where he belongs. He was very loved, and I still cry every time I think about him...

I don’t ever want this sweet, brave, high-spirited little cat to ever be forgotten, so I have decided to do something in his memory. I wish I had deep pockets to start a foundation, but unfortunately, like most of us, my resources are limited, so I have set aside {what I could} in an account that I will add to as I can.

I think Phillip would be pleased if this money were used to help defray medical expenses for other cats with eye problems for whom medical or surgical intervention would relieve discomfort and/or prevent vision impairment, such as the procedure that both Phil and Wil underwent to remove their eyelashes that were abrading their corneas. Possibly with treatment costs not an issue, these beautiful, innocent creatures would be considered more adoptable...

I’m crying again and can’t see what I’m typing, so I must go. We’ll talk soon I hope. Thank you for all you are doing to help the animals.

Holly

Thank you, Holly. Thank you for loving Phil and thank you for making such a wonderful difference with your offer in memory of him. Tweet This

Kittens!

You wouldn't think kittens would be hard to place, but sometimes, in mass, they can be... especially these kittens, but we'll get to that.

In summer, kittens are everywhere - you may find them in your backyard, outside your office, crying on your front porch, at a friend of a friend's and especially at shelters and rescues. These kittens were found in a house though, a house with a lot of cats...

This house had so many cats in it, that some of our first steps to help them was by attempting to fix as many cats as possible while also moving kittens out in order to begin socializing them. A super, sweet, local teacher, Kelly T, was nice enough to take on as many kittens as she possibly could. She ended up taking home 10 very smelly, nervous kittens to foster and, in her care, they have grown into beautiful sweethearts over the last few weeks!

These kittens had a special start and so we'd really like to see them have their own families to show them the love, care and one-on-one attention that they truly deserve. They are special for other reasons too. All of these kittens should be adopted as soon as possible for their medication to actually work. They've been repeatedly treated for some "tummy troubles" (diarrhea), but because there are so many, even under Kelly's watchful eye and in her clean home, they are passing this back and forth to one another. Homes of their own and medication should clear up any left over stomach issues quite quickly.

One of the kittens, Hope, also happened to suffer some unknown injury when she was younger. X-rays show that she had a fracture at one point, which went untreated. One of two bones in her little leg is growing faster than the other now because of this old injury and it is slightly rotated. Kelly's been keeping a close watch on Hope and right now, the plan is x-rays in two more months to see how she's grown into the old injury.

All of the kittens are already spayed/neutered, vaccinated and finishing up some medication now (which they could probably go to their new homes with). They're special, that's for sure, but each and every one deserves a good, new home. If you are interested in any of them, please email Kelly

Here they are, one by one, for your own viewing delight...

Abby, 3.5 month old little lady

Blake, 4 months old - look at the eyes on this boy!!

Callie is a girl and just 3.5 months old

Duke, the 4.5 month old, sad eyed boy

Hope, 4 month old injured leg girl

Holly, 4.5 month old cuddlebug girl

Jasper, 3.5 month old boy

Tango, 4 month old male

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3 Blind Mice

Ok, it is really just one blind mouse and two friends, but still. I just can't seem to refer to just one blind mice mouse.

Earlier this week, I was at Petsmart and noticed a very unique rodent. In with two little black mice was a beige/gray mouse with one closed eye. He never opened his eye while he was running around and spinning on the wheel, so I asked about him and was told he was missing an eye and probably blind in the other.

You can guess my reaction: "Awww!"

I snapped a photo (this is the side of his "good" eye, it's just closed here because he's sleeping) and then I went home to post this photo on Facebook. I asked if anyone wanted a special mouse and there were lots of people that inquired or posted that they wished they could help. I'm sure one of my friends would have been off to get this little mouse if rats and mice lived well together (she already has two rats). There were also a couple other friends who would have gone too, I'm sure. Only one headed off on her lunch break today to bring this little guy home though ... my Aunt Dianne.

My aunt ended up leaving Petsmart today with the little blind mouse, all the accessories for being a mouse mom ... and the two other mice the little blind one was in a cage with apparently. They're now all living in a big, fancy pen together, which of course has a wheel since these three mice love running on - sometimes all at the same time. I think they're all quite lucky and as happy as mice can be.

Definitely special, definitely in a great home ... and so this little mouse, now named Stevie, is getting the spotlight for today during Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week.

Although I don't advocate buying animals, at least this special little mouse (and his two friends) are now in a safe, new home. There are lots of pets, not just dogs or cats, that are extra ordinary and in need of someone to take them in and love them too. Stevie's a perfect example of just that! Tweet This

Hello from Mia

This beautiful girl is Mia. Mia is a 2 year old female Pomeranian, maybe Schipperke mix that was saved from a local shelter after being found as a stray.

Mia has a severe flea allergy, so it'd be best to keep her on a reliable flea preventative. She also should be kept on a grain-free diet, which can be purchased at many local pet stores these days. 

Mia had a home of her own for awhile, with another little dog, some larger parrots and a few kitty friends too. However, Mia's former owner could no longer care for her pets anymore when she got sick. She reluctantly turned most of her pets, including Mia, over to Joa's Arc. Being that Mia is a special girl, requiring special care, Mia suffered quite a bit in between coming to Joa's Arc and when her former owner could no longer properly care for her anymore. She has just recently started to have her hair regrow on her legs and rump. You can kind of see the thin, new hair growing back at the base of her tail in this first photo.

Mia & Gabe

Little Mia is full of love, pep and "momma dog" behaviors - this long spayed lady has been known to let kittens nurse off of her (even while she's standing up!). She loves time with other dogs (like her best bud Gabe who is also looking for a forever home), people and her foster home has cats too.

Aside from some preventative measures (keeping fleas away and a grain-free diet), Mia's special needs are minimal. She's a fabulous little girl that would fit well into any home and she'd make a great companion for kids or other dogs (of any size). Please consider adopting this great girl! Tweet This

Say Hello to Faulk

This beautiful boy is Faulk and he's a special boy, so we're mentioning him now on our blog since Petfinder has deemed Sept. 17-25, 2011, as "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week."

Faulk was saved from a local kill shelter and said to have a "defective eye". Joa's Arc's founder, Joyce, had gone to the shelter to save one kitten (with no eyes!) and ended up saving two kittens, bringing Faulk home too!

Joyce is extra great like that. :)

Dr. John and Faulk

Faulk is safe in foster care and he is about 10 weeks old now.

We believe that Faulk must have had a horrible eye infection some time in his first few weeks of life, which has left him with some eye scarring. Lucky for him, we just recently had it confirmed by our good friend, Dr. John, that Faulk does still have vision and he is healing quite well now.

Faulk is looking for a home of his own. This sweet boy would be a great addition to any family. He is super affectionate! In fact, Faulk's foster mom, Joyce, had these great characteristics to mention about him - "[Faulk] is a shoulder sitter, gives kisses and has to sleep with you, sometimes on your head." Now what home wouldn't he fit in to purrfectly with a describtion like that?!

Faulk is just a great example of a pet that is a little bit different, but doesn't lack a bit of the personality, confidence or love of any other pet. Consider adopting Faulk! Tweet This

Checking in on Nickel

Last year we did a special post about Nickel, a very special cat.

Well, Miss Nickel is still for adoption.

If you remember, Nickel was found last winter in a shed by new home owners. She was starving and attempting to chew her way out - her unique lips are the result of a lot of hard work trying to free herself. With a lot of time and love, Nancy has brought Nickel back to health. 

Nickel is doing great now (especially compared to where she was found), but a forever home would be the cherry on top for this girl who has already been through so much.

If interested in adopting Nickel, visit Almost Home Animal Shelter in Pennsauken, NJ. It won't be hard to miss her as Nickel can usually be found napping on Nancy's desk. Tweet This

Adopt A Less Adoptable: Shirl Girl

This adorable kitty cat is Shirley, AKA Shirl-Girl.

Shirley along with her sister, Laverne, were saved from the outside as kittens when they were humane trapped. Since they were so young, the two kittens were taken to a more than qualified foster mom, Joa's Arc's Jen S, so that they could be socialized. They didn't know how to trust people, let alone live in a home or ask for the affection they so very much deserved.

At first, the two kittens were kept in a large crate with all they would need: comfy blankets to sleep on, a litterbox, fresh food & water and a toy or two. Confining unsocialized kittens like this ensures they are safe (not trying to hide under the sofa, behind the washing machine, in the ceiling or holes around the house - you'd be amazed what they can squeeze themselves into) and keeps them in a small space where they are forced to interact with you, even if that just means watching you fill their food dish at first. Jen S also made sure their crate was set up in the middle of her home, so the kittens would be exposed to every day life. Confining the kittens like this makes socializing them go much faster!

Shirley was the first of the two kittens to really come around and trust her foster family. For that, she was released into the home - allowing her to interact with the other pets and people. 

I can't see them...
They can't see me. Right??

Shirley, although she has been available for adoption since she was a kitten, is now a young cat still in foster car. You see, not only is Shirl a black cat (a color of cat sadly avoided due to silly superstitions), but she's also a little shy (see second photo). Even after being socialized really well, new things sometime startle Shirley and she'll go into hiding. Her young life living outside and having to hide to stay alive isn't something she's forgotten.

Those things aside, Shirley is one super special girl that would make an excellent pet if someone gave her a shot and some time to adjust. Shirley really enjoys other cats (Scooter was one of Shirley's best buds before he passed away) and her foster home has dogs of various sizes in it, so she's used to being with dogs too. In her home, she likes to play, snuggle on the sofa and run around with the other cats, including her sister who still is still a little behind Shirley in the social department. Tweet This

Update on Wil

Some of you might remember that as 2010 was drawing to a close, we added this post to the blog. Well, time has passed and, as it turns out, Lil is actually a Will :)

Gender confusion aside (we got Will when he was teeny tiny - it can be confusing then!), Will is absolutely a special guy. That's why we are highlighting him this week during Petfinder's "Adopt A Less Adoptable" Pet Week. Will is actually the first of several pets we are going to write about in posts that Joa's Arc will be adding over the next few days.

Like his brother, Phil, Will went through the surgery to have his eye issues corrected as much as possible to make him more comfortable (and more adoptable).

Recently, Will was back to visit Dr. John to get a re-check after his surgery and, sadly, it turns out that this poor guy needs surgery again! The first time does not always work unfortunately and sometimes repeat surgeries are required to make more corrections or to make sure his eyes heal properly.

Phil's adopter was kind enough to donate the funds for her cat's brother's (Will') surgery the first time he needed it. Now, we are hoping some donations like that from others will allow us to cover/pay for the further medical attention Will requires.

Will is a great boy. We're just trying to make sure we do the best for him. There's lots of ways you can help too! Click on one of the links to the right to donate, for more information or to inquire about adopting some of the great pets we have available and looking for new families. Tweet This

Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week

Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet Week is coming up starting on the 17th - this weekend!

Big, black dogs, FIV+ cats, senior pets, special needs ... many factors can make a pet seem "less adoptable." To promote these unusual (or, in some cases, too common) animals, Petfinder has designated Sept. 17-25, 2011, as "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week."

Obviously, that's right up our alley, so we wanted to give you a heads up - there's going to be some great posts coming your way! Our adoptable pets don't seem to have a clue there's anything "different" about them and we find them all uniquely wonderful. Even if you don't find the pet you're looking for through Joa's Arc, consider adopting an extra special one all the same.


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Checking In On Gabe

Gabriel is still in foster care and doing well.

Gabe has come a long way from his rough start which brought him to us. There was been a long transport, surgery to fix his leg, lots of rest, x-rays, sututre removal, doggie playdates ... and time being a total goofball!

Gabe dressed for a Spring  fundraiser

Since being medically cleared, Gabe's been hanging out in his foster home, which has kids, cats, a bird and other dogs (though they're all cat-size compared to Gabe) - he gets along with all of them swimmingly! He's warmly welcomed a few new fosters, like Mia and Kissy's kittens. Through all of this, Gabe has kept his same silly antics up.

Gabriel and his pal, Mia, resting after wrestling

Although he's happy in his foster home, Gabe would really like his own home. We'd prefer Gabe go to a home with another dog and maybe a kid or two as well. We feel this would be best for him because Gabe loves other dogs (especially his pal, Mia). He's goofy as well and yet quite gentle, so we think gabe would be a great pal for a kid to grow up with.

Although he has made a full medical recovery, a home is still needed to make this guy's fairy tale have a happy ending. Please consider adopting this happy hound boy! Tweet This

In Memory of Phillip

Beyond The Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide!
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night.
Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold
And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.

Joyce writes: Phillip and his brother came to Joa's Arc from Camden County Animal Shelter. Joa's Arc was asked to take these boys because they had deformed eyelids. I was lucky enough to be their foster mom.

Phillip was extra sweet and just loved everyone. Wherever he was all I had to do is yell Phillip and he would come prancing with his extra big feet and extra long tail, and would look up at me with what I swore was a smile on his face. Phillip was adopted by a wonderful woman named Holly who adored Phillip. Holly loved this boy with all her heart. Phillip had surgery to correct his eye issues and did great. A few months later, Phillip needed a dental extraction. Phillip unexpectedly died during recovery.

Needless to say, Holly was devastated. We are all heartbroken that this sweet unique boy left us way too soon. We will never forget Phillip. In his short life he brought much joy and happiness to many people but mostly to Holly. Personally I thank Phillip for bringing me Holly, a sweet compassionate woman who I am blessed to now call my friend.

Goodbye sweet Phillip, we will meet again. Tweet This

More on The First Family

Meet Lakota and "her" 8 kittens!

Their foster mom, Deb, writes, "Lakota and these eight tiny babies came to me through Joa’s Arc. We don’t believe that all eight are biologically Lakota’s kittens, but they all looked the same and needed to get out of their current situation, so it didn’t really matter.

I think Joyce M originally asked me to take a mom and “4 or 5 babies” but when we met, she said she “thought” there might be 7 babies. When I got them home and began counting as they came out of the carrier, there were EIGHT sweet, little orange or buff and white kittens.

I now know to never trust Joyce M’s math again! {Note: LOL. I'm pretty sure the removal of this family was planned, so Lakota and babies were already in a carrier when Joyce arrived at the hoarder's to pick them up. Not to mention, let's be honest, a big pile of orange/buff and white kittens could be hard to count}

The kittens all had crusty eyes and both they and Lakota smelled terrible ... just like I imagined the house would smell like. After some antibiotics and eye ointment, their URI {upper respiratory infection} began to clear up and soon they were looking and smelling like well-cared for kittens are supposed to!

Deb is such a wonderful, wonderful lady and so it's no wonder the kittens are thriving in her care!

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E-Mail

Direct quote from an email I sent regarding the hoarding house and some of the photos:

I was nice, but honest when I responded, "That house is offensive ... And we're not going to get help if we just post photos of sweet cats in clean beds." What I'm putting {out there} is just to help the cats. Sugar-coating things by cropping out all the crap or not mentioning that these cats will die if placement isn't found (which is TRUE) is not going to get them anywhere.

I am still very upset. I understand the {family} being upset, but I'm not the one who created that situation. She {the hoarder} did! My tolerance for dealing with them is slipping away more and more when I see the sad eyes of those cats...

This frustration was a constant - of being nice and being walked all over. Not to mention the harassment we got while seeking help. After posting some of the pictures, a lot of help came forward. Mixed in with that though were some people who were not so nice. We got asked questions like, "What a sick, sick person. Why are you being so nice to her?", "Don't you want to punch her in the face?", "This person is a monster! Why are you dealing with her?" We erased these comments or just didn't respond to them. It definitely got to us though...

On that note - the photos I went through from today... Ugh!

We went there looking for kittens after we heard a few had been born. While on the ground, looking under the bed and flashing the camera (to try to catch a photo of the cats I couldn't see), I heard a clicking noise - a lot of clicking noise and it was coming from right by my ear. I turn my head and there were these black bugs on the ground where I just had my head near and by the food dishes. Here's one of the dishes, the one my head was by:

See the little black dots by the food dish? Yea, those were some of the bugs. There were more in the corner and by the other food dish in the room too. Oh, and this was one of the first visits that we went and the cats upstairs actually had some food and water in their dishes before we got there, so a great big THANK YOU to everyone who has been donating food. It's really appreciated and being put to good use.

It was super hot today, but the windows are rarely open or a fan on because of the smell. The neighbors complain, which is understandable. It is incredible! The cats were really suffering though, some of them were even open mouth breathing and we called animal control to tell them to remind {the hoarder} she must keep the fans on no matter what.

We're being nice for the cats, we're sharing what we have to for the cats ... and the help coming forward is so appreciated. We cannot say that enough. It's taking time, but we are helping these cats.

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Entering The House

Today I entered the house Joyce told me about. We have, thankfully, already removed a couple cats, like the first family I wrote about.

I took a camera with me in order to take photos of cats to try to get more adopted out - pictures always help and definitely make the situation more real. It's actually the first suggestion I made to Joyce when she asked how we can start helping the cats - to get names and pictures of their faces out to the public so we could get their help.

I also brought a camera because I really don't think anyone would believe me when we said just how full this house is! If we're to find more help for these cats, the big help that we really need, we've got to take photos to show rescues what these cats are currently living in.

The owners of the home and these cats have obviously been in over their head for some time now and in need of help. Many of the hoarding situations you see in the media result in death for the animals, whether from continuing to live in these conditions or from the local shelter not being able to contain them (be it the huge quantity all at once or the sicknesses hoarded animals often carry). We want something more for these cats - we want to save these cats! All of them.

Thankfully, we're not the only ones with this goal in mind ... we've got some great individuals that want to help too, including the local animal control officers. There's also a low cost spay and neuter clinic that fixed about 25 of the cats so far and great people like Debbie and Kelly willing to foster.

Today, we had a carrier full of kittens waiting for us when we got to the house because a really nice woman, Kelly, offered to foster a group. I hope she can handle 10 because that's what was rounded up! Prepare yourself, Kelly - this crew is all yours now!

A bunch of other cats were surrounding the carrier when we got there (note the first pic) - sniffing it, laying on it, looking into it. There were other cats curled up in carriers we had left there too. There were cats everywhere - on the sofa, on the table, on the kitchen counters, on the kitchen chairs, smooshed in the windows (which were mostly covered over so no one could see in), stretched out on top of a couple refrigerators, etc ... and these are just the cats downstairs. We weren't allowed upstairs.

Here are some photos from the house today:

I was really surprised at how friendly some of the cats were - a lot of them.

However, I told Joyce that the hoarder's house I did almost 10 years ago was a lot like that too - the cats you saw at first were mostly friendly, mostly healthy ... until you started removing them, then the cats would hide or you got down to the cats that were less social.

Well, after leaving the house and waiting for the 10 kittens' foster mom to show up, I noticed one of the kittens had a bump and sore on her little arm. I hadn't noticed it at first until I started looking at the kittens one by one. That'll need to be looked into... and I'm a little nervous about what else we might find in the house if this is how we're starting out. Tweet This

The First Family

This family was removed from the hoarder's house today!

Take a look at this big brood - this is the first family to be lucky enough to get out of the hoarder's house and they are all now safe in foster care in the Mt. Laurel, NJ, area.

Obviously, all of these kittens are not her's, but the mom, Lakota, was lactating and taking care of this sizable crew already. Not to mention, we wanted to get as many out as possible!

More details coming soon. For now, we're really thankful that their foster family was so open to taking them on and that this first family is now somewhere safe, warm, clean and much less stressful. Tweet This