Joa's Arc

More Than What It Seems

2012-01-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

Lots of comments have been made about how the cats looked healthy, how they looked cared for, that they were lovable, etc.

There were a handful or so of friendly, mostly healthy cats. That's true. Actually, there are often pets like this in just about any hoarder's house. Hoarders don't usually start with dozens and dozens of pets - there is often a small, "original group" which at one point got their own individual, they were loved, socialized and cared for... at one point.

Like in most hoarding situations though, underneath the healthy looking pets were ones who were anything but well or even properly cared for. In this house, aside from the friendly, healthy cats, there were:

painful

all

Could the cats have been sicker? Yes.

Could they have been starving? Yup.

But this house absolutely was not simply a herd of cats that we felt was 'too many'.

This house also completely drained our rescue. Although many people kindly donated to help out, things like the flea covered, sick kittens we removed at the end of October and Alexa's requiring her eye to be removed, cleaned up out. We have no money for the special needs animals still in our care. Please consider donating so we can keep up the work we do:

You can also send a donation to our PO Box
or to Save The Animals Foundation with a note that the donation is to go to Joa's Arc. Their address is:
STAF, Inc.
PO BOX 5689
DEPTFORD, NJ 08096-0689

Post Show - Cats Still In Need

2012-01-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

Did you catch us on TV last night?!

Joa's Arc was part of the show Confession: Animal Hoarding which aired on Animal Planet last night at 10pm. In the next few days, you'll be able to find out more information on the house, the cats, more of the hard work and team work involved in this big effort on our blog when back dated posts are added to our blog here.

For now though, we wanted to highlight some of the cats still in need. Below is a list of some who are still available for adoption even months after they were removed from the hoarder's house.

All of these cats have adorable faces and all of them are certainly in need. However, before considering the adoption of one of these cats, know that a lot of them come with a bit of "baggage". These cats were almost all born, raised and lived in a home where they were just another cat lost in the mass of so many.

The chronic stress of crowded conditions leads to psychological issues in animals. They sometimes need a bit of extra effort to litterbox train them once in a home, especially after coming from an environment where a clean litterbox was probably hard to find, going to the bathroom on the floor was the norm and carpet doesn't allow a cat to "cover up" their mess. Hoarded animals may also show extreme shyness or aggression when physical contact is attempted. These cats are used to living around other animals though, so these cats will probably be good in a home with another cat or two (or dog, there was a big dog in the house too!)

Still interested in one of these TV stars? Here are a few still looking for a home of their own:

Words From Joyce

2012-01-27T12:27:00.002-05:00

Today, Joyce wrote:

Dear Friends,

Tonight our episode airs on Animal Planet and I know you are aware of it.

What I want from you is to learn from this episode:

- the animals from hoarding situations do NOT need to be euthanized. They can be saved regardless of how many. Rescues and shelters need to come together to accomplish this. Our episode proves it can be done.
- Hoarding is a psych issue. I believe it is a component of OCD. With help, it can be controlled. Don't point the finger at her, she needed help and it is available to her, let's hope she gets it.
- Although the animals are the victims, there are other victims in these situation ... the family members. This will touch your heart and make you realize that hoarding is harmful to the family and everyone involved.
- Help is available out there if you know someone in this situation. Speak up, don't walk away.
- Spay/neutering is not an option, it is a must!!

We have learned a lot by doing this rescue and it will be very emotional for all of us as it was all the weeks working on it. Personally, I have grown and learned a lot from this, I hope you do to.

Don't miss us tonight at 10pm on Animal Planet's Confessions: Animal Hoarding

Joa's Arc on TV Tomorrow

2012-01-26T12:23:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, the Confessions: Animal Hoarding episode featuring Joa's Arc help will be on Animal Planet.

Here are some still shots from the website to give you an early glimpse. (We'll be posting our own photos and information after the show airs)

Make sure to set your recording devices or set a reminder so you can tune in tomorrow night!

Guppy Update

2012-01-25T12:54:00.000-05:00

Here's an update on Guppy, the kitten we first mentioned in this post.

Well, Guppy is in foster care and has received surgery to remove her deformed leg!

Her super amazing foster mom wrote, "here's Guppy after her surgery!!! All went well. She's doing fantasticand quite the lovable smooch. Absolutely my all time favorite."

We are so happy that little Guppy found somewhere safe to go and someone willing to help her continue thriving!

Fundraiser!

2012-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

A personal friend of Joa's Arc volunteer, Jen W, recently wrote a book on losing a pet and dealing with the loss. In preparing to write this book, this friend spoke with lots of pet parents, owners and fans. He also took accounts from rescuers.

"A pet is a companion, a loyal friend, a playmate, and, for some, a soul mate. So when your beloved pet dies, the grief can be overwhelming. It's so easy to fall intro the traps of sadness and guilt: Did I make the right decision? What will I do without my pet? Will the pain ever end?

Written with compassion and understanding, When You Lose the Pet You Love will help you understand the grieving process and get you through the difficult times, including making tough decisions, discussing the loss with your family, and providing creative ideas for remembering your pet - and moving on."

Joa's Arc currently only has 11 books available and for a donation of $8, you can get one of these books for yourself. Best of all, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Joa's Arc thanks to the author and friend kindly donating these 11 books to us!

There was quite a bit of interest in them when the possibility of getting them was mentioned, so if you're interested, I'd suggest getting an email out to us (JoasArc@gmail.com) quickly to reserve yours!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Starting back in July of 2011, Joa's Arc discovered a cat hoarding situation. Although Joa's Arc mainly rescues special needs shelter animals, our volunteers were some of the first to gain the trust of the home owners. From that day, Joa’s Arc worked endless hours for several months for the sake of the cats - raising funds to get some of the cats fixed, treating several cats with special needs, finding donations of food, taking over toys for the cats, fostering cats and networking to find homes for as many as possible.

Following just a few trips to this house of cats, Joa’s Arc volunteers realized that saving all the cats would take a great deal of team work. After saying the words, "We will save them all. We have to," Joa's Arc's own Joyce Moyer reached out to Confessions: Animal Hoarding. Now, Joa’s Arc can finally announce that these cats were rescued thanks to a lot of hard work, kind people, teamwork and Animal Planet's Confessions: Animal Hoarding.

Partner organizations Almost Home Animal Shelter, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, the Humane Society of Atlantic County and the AWA assisted in the rescue of 165 cats. Finally Home Farm and the AWA also assisted in fostering and placing several feral cats from this house as well. It was an amazing, heart wrenching experience, but worth it because, in the end, these cats were saved!

The story will air on Animal Planet's new hit series Confessions: Animal Hoarding. The series explores stories of people who own more pets then they can care for. The problem of animal hoarding is little understood, but far more common than most people realize. There are over 3000 reported cases a year, and at least ten times that number that go unreported. The series brings families together to voluntarily find humane solutions that work for both pets and people. If you know someone who might be an animal hoarder, you can learn more at www.animalhoardingproject.com

Big Announcement part:The story Joa's Arc participated in is scheduled to air Friday, January 27, 2012 @10pm EST and PST.

We are asking you to please promote this show to highlight the plight of animals in situations like this. At the end of the day, these animals need help and it is up to us to find it for them.

More updates on the house coming soon following the show's air date.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

A new year - a new opportunity to help more shelters, help more animals, save more special lives and make new friends who share the same goals!

As we reflect back on 2011, we see so many accomplishments and happy tails...

Besides caring for our special needs animals like Wil, Faulk, Mia and Gabe (who are still available for adoption), Joa's Arc was actively involved in a huge cat hoarding situation for several months! Joyce M, Jen S and Jen W were some of the very first people to become involved with this house at the very beginning and it has to this day remained a stressful, demanding situation. Because we were so wrapped up with this hoarding house for so long, we were very slow on adoptions this year and, of course, each ended up with some of these cats in our homes at one point. Stay tuned for info about this whole ordeal soon!

Gabriel got surgery, healed up and was finally available for adoption this year! Joa's Arc rescued Gabriel, a 4 year old hound boy, who was found on the side of a road after being hit by a car in the south. Although we mainly rescue shelter animals in South Jersey, Gabe had not one, but two incidents making him a more than usual desperate case. Although another rescue down south initially took him in, had his leg casted and placed him in foster care... Gabe chewed off his cast in anxiety after another dog decided he didn’t like Gabriel and nearly tore off Gabe's entire ear! After surgery to staple his ear back in place, this rescue reached out for help and Joa’s Arc agreed to take Gabriel.

Gabe came to New Jersey and had surgery on his broken leg, which was some sort of rare break that the seasoned orthopedic vet we took Gabe to said he had never personally seen before. After months of rehab and vet care, Gabe is good as new now though! He is a goofy, loving, sweet hound who loves everyone including dogs and cats. We have one final step to accomplish in his recovery and that is to find him a loving forever home, preferably with another dog he can play with.

Joa's Arc also recently pulled two kittens, Guppy and Gizmo, from a local shelter. Gizmo has some serious eye deformities and and ulcer in her one eye. Guppy has a deformed back leg and tail, though it's hard to tell because this vocal, little munchkin gets around really well! Thanks to networking and some kind people stepping up to help us help them, both kittens are now safe in foster care.

Right before the holidays, two very special cats found themselves happy in homes - Maizey the CH kitty and Inferno, a blind, older cat who was in a local shelter.

We can't forget about Savior and Sal either! A very nice person found Savior, an all white adult male cat, and Sal, an all black male kitten, all by themselves in an empty apartment. This odd pair were both suffering from neglect - skinny and sick. Joa's Arc was able to help get the two cleaned up, back to health and both neutered. Through this all, we found that Savior and Sal had an incredible bond together... and we completed their story with us the only way we knew how - by finding them a loving home together!

Talk about a transformation!!

Joa's Arc has helped many special needs (and normal) animals this year, with some still waiting to be adopted. It is thanks to your help and support that we've been able to accomplish so much! With your continued support, we look forward to whatever 2012 holds for us.

Here's to a happy, healthy, life-saving 2012!

Cup of Joe update

2011-12-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

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!

Ralphie the Tree Tamer!

2011-12-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

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!

From Annie, the kitten with no eyes...

2011-11-25T14:38:00.001-05:00

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.

XOXOAnnie

National Feral Cat Day/STAF's Walk

2011-10-16T15:08:00.000-04:00

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...

An Award!

2011-09-27T18:50:00.000-04:00

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!

A Note From Holly

2011-09-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

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.

Kittens!

2011-09-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

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

3 Blind Mice

2011-09-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

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!

Hello from Mia

2011-09-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

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!

Say Hello to Faulk

2011-09-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

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!

Checking in on Nickel

2011-09-19T09:09:00.000-04:00

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.

Adopt A Less Adoptable: Shirl Girl

2011-09-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

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.

Update on Wil

2011-09-17T08:55:00.000-04:00

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.

Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week

2011-09-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

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.

Checking In On Gabe

2011-09-03T16:01:00.001-04:00

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!

In Memory of Phillip

2011-07-24T12:44:00.000-04:00

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.

Introducing - the Littles

2011-06-16T08:03:00.006-04:00

Two new cats are in the care of Joa's Arc - Tiny & Minnie. As you can see in this photo, they are little cats with little names.

How little? Both of these girls are just about 4 lbs ... full grown, adult cats and they are only 4 lbs! No adult cat should be so little - however, these aren't just any adult cats. They are two of the first cats removed from a local South Philly hoarder whose home was filled with trash, filth, fleas and cats.

When Joa's Arc's founder, Joyce, saw reports of this home and the cats, she was reaching out to PSPCA contacts as quickly as possible to see how she could help. She wrote "Just saw the story of the hoarding situation in South Philly. Don't know what your process is with this but I am willing to take two from you. I felt so terrible, their poor faces were covered with fleas. Sick situation.". Obviously, these cats absolutely need some TLC and special care. That's how she found out and got these two kitties. Meet Tiny & Minnie...

Tiny

Minnie

Here are some news articles on the house and cats:
- Dozens of cats found in South Phila. home

- PSPCA Rescues Dozens of Cats From a S. Philly Home

Thank you to Joyce for openning your home to these cats. Thank you, Jim and Karen Diamore of Lipkins Pharmacy, for once again helping out and donating some much needed vitamins & dietary supplements to help the Littles recover! Thank you to the PSPCA staff for going into those awful conditions to save these cats and clearing them so quickly for rescues to help.

Although medically cleared, Minnie & Tiny still have a long road to recovery. They need some weight put on, some trust restored and some love to remind them that not all people are like that. We're just glad they got out and survived!

Donations to continue our work and help animals like, Minnie & Tiny can be sent to:
Joa’s Arc
PO Box 243
Audubon, NJ 08106

Gabe's Been Cleared For Adoption!!

2011-06-09T08:33:00.004-04:00

How about some good news?!

Gabe has been cleared for adoption! Yes, after months of surgery, funny colored casts, rest and recovery, Gabe is finally all ready for a home of his own!

A great big thank you to Winslow Animal Hospital's staff, including the very awesome, very skilled Dr. Coudrai who did Gabe's surgery and monitored his recovery. The people at this vet office are just exceptionally sweet, caring and kind. This is the same office that has done two Spring/Easter fund raisers for us and helped Cup of Joe too!

Thank you to Jen S and Hailey for their awesome love, energy and time fostering Gabe. Thank you to Joyce for kindly offering to transport Gabe occasionally to the vet's for his check ups too! Last, but not least, let's thank Gabe for being such a good patient. :)

Now, we anxiously wait for that special family to complete Gabe's long journey and wants to call this hound boy their very own... Will it be you?

Sadness over Scooter

2011-05-21T08:34:00.002-04:00

This took me some time to write...

Scooter is across The Rainbow Bridge now and at peace. On May 11, 2011, we lost our boy.

So, S is for Sadness once again. S is for I'm Sorry and S is for we will sincerely and severely miss the presence of Scooter's little life.

I'm sad for Jen S and her daughter Hailey for these losses ... but I cannot imagine these animals with anyone else. Through tears and heart ache, Jen S has continued to love animals like Scooter, not caring where they've come from, what baggage they might bring or how much time she'll have with them...

Scooter had a short life, but because of Jen S he experienced love, kindness and caring. Thank you, Jen S, for all you did for him.

Thank you, Scooter, for teaching us that special needs animals deserve our love even if it is for a short time. Your big spirit will remain with us, reminding us of what we do and why.

Blessings for Sick or Injured Pets

2011-04-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

Joyce is out at Best Friends Animal Society right now for her annual vacation.

Last year, while attempting to stay in Dogtown, Joyce was suckered into visiting the clinic where she met and fell in love with Rory, a blind, bob-tailed kitty who had neurological issues. Joyce was so in love with Rory, she brought him home to Jersey with her. However, it wasn't too long after stealing Joyce's heart and arriving in Jersey that Rory's neurological issues became much worse. He was hospitalized and after extensive testing and brainstorming, Rory passed into peace.

In memory of Rory, I wanted to post the below here which I received in an email recently. Blessings, prayers, good luck, positive vibes, etc - we'll take it all for the animals!

"Blessings for Sick or Injured Pets"

Heavenly Father,
We ask for your mercy that
this beloved small creature,
which is your own, be not in pain.
We ask that health be
restored and sustain
if it is your will
so that they be allowed to stay with us
a little longer here in this world,
where they are needed.
We ask that if there is medical care needed,
that the way be provided.
We ask that this one does not suffer needlessly.
We ask for your compassion
and grace that this one be healed
through your love,
through your mercy
and through the help
of those here on earth,
through whom your love comes forth.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we ask
these things not for ourselves, but for this small life that is so
precious and carries the light of your love.

Amen."

Thank you Joyce, the endlessly helpful medical staff that was there for Rory and all those that loved him while he was with us.

Rory is a symbol for so many animals... may they be healed and healthy in this life, or the next.

Fundraising & News

2011-04-20T06:04:00.005-04:00

Were you out at Winslow Animal Hospital getting your photo taken with the Easter Bunny? Joa's Arc was! Nennee and Gabe were out socializing and thanking the wonderful animal hospital (and pet photographer) for doing a fundraiser for our rescue ... and it was a success! Winslow Animal Hospital raised $600 for us!

Just in time too because Joa's Arc has been a bit tight on money recently with all of Gabe's doctor visits (note the hot pink cast in the photo, which wasn't extra thank goodness, just ridiculously cute). We've had some unexpected medical costs from sick kittens (yes, we've got kittens!) too and we've suffered the loss of losing a few pets too, like our loveable Minnen :( However, Phil was also adopted and we've gotten some great updates from his new family who looks like they love him terribly.

Come out this weekend for the wonderful Washington Township Earth Day at Washington Lake Park. We'll be there with some information, a few items for sale, a donation jar and treats for any animal friends that pass us by.

Have a wonderful week, friends!

PS- Lots of belated posts coming soon. We've been busy spending time with our special little animals :)

Hi From Phillip

2011-04-02T20:50:00.003-04:00

Hi Mom,

It’s me, your little boy Phillip. I just wanted to check to make you’re doing OK without me there to help you with everything. And my brother, Will, is he happy?

I’m doing great here in Bethlehem. The food’s good, and there’s plenty of it, and after a few days of my grrrrrr-ing and hissing at all the other cats, I realized that they’re real nice. I fit in perfectly and even got yelled at last night for knocking over a stupid vase full of ugly twigs with ridiculous lights! Who needs that crap standing around anyway? I have a new best friend, a big girl named Patricia, but her friends call her Patty. We both sleep in bed with my new mommy.

Thank you for saving my life. I miss you and will keep in touch.

XOXO
Your orange boy,
Phillip

Thank you for the wonderful update, Phil!

In case you haven't heard, handsome Phil has been adopted ... and to a wonderful family! Please keep in mind that you can check us out on Facebook and Twitter for updates as well.

We are wishing Phillip and his new family all the happiness possible.

Introducing Gabriel the dog

2011-01-21T11:20:00.001-05:00

An email flashed in our inbox which was hard to ignore: "Gabriel the hound suffers severely broken leg then violently attacked!!!!"

The email explained that Gabriel is a sweet, tri-colored hound boy ... and “EVERYTHING BAD seems to happen to him”!

First, this hound dog came into a county shelter in North Carolina with a severely broken hind leg (see photo). A group down there and a wonderful woman named Sylvia were nice enough to spend thousands of dollars on the vet bills to piece poor Gabriel’s leg back together. After Cup of Joe, we at Joa's Arc know this isn’t an easy task – the fundraising, the time, the trips to the vet for check-ups, the special care that extends for weeks even after surgery to ensure the leg heals properly, etc. This is not an easy journey for a rescue or a dog.

Gabriel was boarded at a kennel for his recovery. Well, as if poor Gabriel wasn’t going through enough just with a broken leg healing, another dog escaped its kennel and went after poor Gabriel! Obviously, Gabriel was in no position to get away, let alone defend himself and he suffered horribly! During the attack, the other dog practically scalped Gabriel and nearly ripped one of his ears off too.

“No dog should ever experience the pain or suffering that this pathetic creature has endured in his short life time. It is so unfair.” The quote from the initial email about Gabriel could not be more true.

The emails we get are always heartbreaking, but obviously this one struck a chord ... a shelter dog already set back from being adopted due to a broken leg and then to be so violently attacked in a kennel... Ugh! Poor baby!

Like we do as often as we can, Joa's Arc volunteers wrote to check in on Gabriel and see how we could help – even if that just meant networking around. We got some more information from our friend and found out that although there had been talk, no solid offers of rescue for this poor guy had come through. The organization that had been helping Gabriel had pretty much exhausted their funds and Gabriel still needed a rescue/foster/adopter ... obviously recovering in a kennel had not gone successfully and a quiet home would be best.

Our hearts broke for Gabriel. So much so, that Jen S wrote the woman in NC that had Gabriel:

Hi, I left you a voice mail about Gabriel.

If he does not have a foster and is available for transport, I would love to foster him through my South Jersey Rescue, Joa's Arc. Our mission is to assist with Special Needs animals for local NJ and PA rescues/shelters.

Gabriel is tugging at my heart strings, I would love to open my home to him so he can know love and kindness. I know Gabriel is outside our Mission but we the Board of Joa's Arc unanimously voted to reach out a helping hand (paw) to Gabriel. Plus, we had a Special Needs kitten named Gabriel who has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge. He was attacked by a dog and became paralyzed in the rear. He lived a happy life for a little over a year. No more fear of being attacked for Gabriel.

I have 2 friends that own hounds and I will make sure he has regular plays dates with all 3 of them. All my hound friend's want to do is play!

Please let me know the current status and availability of Gabriel.

Thank you!!

Jen S, Board Member
Joa's Arc

Well, guess what? As of today, Gabriel is on his way to Joa's Arc!! Coincidentally, a small transport of dogs were already scheduled to head up from the same shelter Gabriel came into in NC to a town near by in South Jersey. Joa's Arc! is also making a donation to the rescue who put so much hard work, time and love into Gabriel already. We're all excited for Gabriel's arrival sometime between tomorrow and we're looking forward to a quiet, happy and safe recovery for Gabriel in Jen S's home while she fosters him.

Thank you for all your support, friends. Without you, none of this would be possible. Check back for an update soon!

Gibson ("Gibby") Update!

2010-12-29T10:16:00.001-05:00

Guess who we heard from?! Ok, the subject line of this post kind of gives it away ... Gibson's mom! She wrote in to Joa's Arc recently to let us know how well our Gibster is doing and we couldn't think of a better way to close the year off than by sharing it here for all the wonderful people who check in on the animals of Joa's Arc through our blog.

Gibson's mom wrote: Gibson is amazing. I can't even express it. He's the greatest cat ever. He's sweet, affectionate, quite the little cuddler, and totally hilarious. Just a total sweetheart, lovebug. He makes everyone laugh with his antics. When he's in the mood to play, he likes to crouch down behind things and then jump out at you. He's also the first cat I've ever know who'll actually play hide and seek with you! And he's got this cute little hop that he does when he's excited. It's adorable.

He's definitely special. We call him the little supervisor because sometimes he just likes to stare at you. Even if he's not in the same room, sometimes he'll just stare from the hall. Otherwise he likes to be in the same room with one of us at all times, just watching what we're doing. He sleeps in my bed and he even knows what it means when I say "time for bed Gibs". He'll follow me into my room and curl up on the right side, putting his head on the pillow that is very much his pillow now. He looooves cuddles and being nuzzled. He also loves kisses. He won't sit in your lap but he'll sit right next to you with his paw in your lap or wrapped around your arm.

Gibby also has this funny obsession with the bathroom. We don't know what it is. When you're in there, he likes to be in there too. If you don't let him in, or if anyone is in the bathroom, he will sit outside the door and wait for them to come out. Sometimes he likes to hang out in the bath tub, and I've also found him just hanging out in the sink. Strange, but funny and sweet. Like Gibson himself.

We went to the vet for a check up at the end of October and the vet said he was great. She was impressed with how sweet he was and the softness of his coat. He's about eleven pounds! A little chubby food hog, but we're working on that. I'm taking pictures of him all the time. I've attached some of my recent favorites.

One of those attached photos on her email is the photo featured in this blog post. Yay for Gibson and his awesome home!! Thanks so much for writing to us, Gibby's mom, and letting us know how well he's doing. You have no idea how much that made our holiday! Gibson certainly came a very long way from the extreme circumstances that brought him into Joa's Arc care and we are ecstatic to see that he is so loved (and still so silly).

Joa's Arc is wishing all sorts of happiness on you, readers, in the coming new year. Lets keep up the good work!

Looking Ahead to 2011

2010-12-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

Nennee stole hearts first when she was found abandoned on a shelf at a pet store. A brat in foster care and a mush out in public, it was hard to deny that there was any cat quite like our Nennee! Adorable Nennee was in foster care for awhile because she required surgery to correct eye lid deformities. When old enough, Joa's Arc provided that for her. Not long after Nennee was healed and adopted by her foster mom, a small kitten looking just like Nennee was found in a road also suffering from eye issues. Joa's Arc took this kitten in and named her Minnen (Mini Nennee). Recently, Minnen was spayed and had her one deformed eye removed. Minnen has recovered wonderfully and is now waiting for a home to call her own - maybe she'll have more luck in 2011.

This time of year finds Joa's Arc looking ahead to 2011 with two more kittens who would not have survived to see the holidays if it had not been for Joa's Arc. While at a local shelter, Joyce M was pulled aside and shown two kittens with obvious eyelid deformities. These kittens could not get the very obvious extensive medical attention they needed at this shelter. Phil and Lil are now safe in foster care with Joa's Arc and will be seeing an eye specialist when they are old enough.

These eye-deformities kittens are just a few of the countless special needs animals Joa's Arc has helped this year. Cup of Joe the Poodle had surgery to repair his broken leg and has since been adopted into a wonderful home in PA. Scooter the paraplegic kitten was taken off the streets and is safe in foster care now. Buster the severely shy Beagle is now living it up in his adopted home getting into all sorts of trouble. Valentine the cat found with a blow dart in her eye was rescued, recovered from the abuse she survived and has found a wonderful adopter to love her forever. Flea, the kitten poisoned with a Hartz flea product, made a complete recovery and is waiting for an adoptive home now.

We could not have done any of this without your help and support! Thank you for your continued support for the extra special animals and please enjoy your holiday!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

We hope this holiday season finds you well, warm and with loved ones!

STAF Event

2010-12-17T09:01:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, December 18th, starting at 2:30 PM you can get your pet's picture taken with Santa at Cross Keys Animal Hospital! One 5x7 photo is $10 or you can get four wallet-sized photos for $5. Proceeds go to Save The Animals Foundation (STAF). Walk ins are welcome or you can call ahead to set up your appointment at the reception desk, 856-740-3700.

STAF does great work ... and they are also the amazing organization that allows Joa's Arc to do the good work it does! If you're in the area (you want to make yourself in the area), we highly encourage you to go.

Joa's Arc In The Paper

2010-12-16T12:08:00.010-05:00

Joa's Arc was mentioned in the newspaper recently! Check it out: Fortescue feral cat colony doing just fine, thank you

Did you miss it? It's okay because I did too at first. Page 3 has this quote:She was instrumental in getting together the following groups: Save the Animals Foundation, Animal Friends Association, the Animal Welfare Association, Joa's Arc and the Camden County Animal Clinic, to provide the funds and services to trap, neuter and release the cats.

In October, Joa's Arc's Jen W supplied (wo)man-power and supplies! She went out trapping when her friends, Joan & Steve, mentioned a need for help in Fortescue, NJ. Coincidentally, this was the weekend after Jen W caught something else in Fortescue - her giant fish! She brought along a few traps, carriers, soft pretzels (for the people) and her aunt, mom & good friend, Alyssa, to help as well ... It ended up being quite a successful day!

I believe we trapped about 15 cats that day, which is a big deal because some of the feeders stopped by and mentioned that they had fed them earlier not knowing we were coming. There were at least 3 different cars that stopped by of people that usually care for the cats, so the love and the compassion for the cats was very obvious.

We used sardines, canned food and lunch meat, I think, in all the traps we set back in the reeds and along the road. We caught young cats/"teen" aged kittens and big toms! One cat we caught towards the end of our day was a cat one feeder referred to as "King of the Hill" - he was a white Tom with gray spots and bigtestosterone cheeks. She had tried for 2 years to catch him!! We got him not long after she mentioned this too, oddly enough. The number of cats we caught, the kind people that showed up and especially getting that long-time "King" made the day a great one!

Joa's Arc tries to do as much as possible for as many animals as we are able to. To be able to help Steve & Joan Bullock of Save The Animals Foundation is our pleasure as we are proud to be supported by this amazing organization and all the good work they do!

Deck The Halls

2010-12-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

This has been very popular on the internet and I thought I'd share it here to send you all well wishes this holiday season...

From all of us

2010-11-25T14:23:00.003-05:00

From all of us at Joa’s Arc to all of you,
THANK YOU for your continued support.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Minnen Medical Update

2010-11-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

Joa’s Arc's Nennee's look-a-like, Minnen has been spayed, had her awful eye removed which was causing her so much discomfort and the eye socket was closed as well during surgery on Wednesday, November 10th. Minnen's surgery actually cost Joa’s Arc a lot more than we were expecting. In light of this, we are posting this link to donate to try to generate some funds for special cats like Nennee and Minnen.

The goal is set high because, $4,000, because, like I sad, we spent a lot more than we were expecting on Minnen's surgery and she's not the first kitty with eye issues that needs assistance. Teena is still waiting to see an eye doctor. Nennee was Joa’s Arc's first kitten to need corrective eye surgery. Valentine also needed her one eye socket closed after the cruelty that was done to her.

$4,000 seems like a lot, but that's 2 - 8 surgeries. 2 - 8 kittens you could help Joa’s Arc bring comfort to. 2 - 8 kittens we could save. Please consider donating even just a dollar to this special fund or consider donating in any of these ways too.

Prayer Of A Stray

2010-11-11T09:56:00.000-05:00

Dear God please send me somebody who'll care!
I'm tired of running, I'm sick with despair
My body is aching, it's so racked with pain
And dear God I pray as I run in the rain

That someone will love me and give me a home
A warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone
My last owner tied me all day in the yard
Sometimes with no water and God that was hard!

So I chewed my leash God; and I ran away
To rummage in garbage; and live as a stray
But now God I'm tired; and hungry and cold
And I'm Oh so afraid; that I'll never grow old

They've chased me with sticks; hit me with stones
While I run the streets; just looking for bones
I'm not really bad God; please help if you can
For I have become just another; "victim of man!"

I'm wormy dear God; and I'm ridden with fleas
and all that I ever wanted; was an owner to please
If you find one for me God; I'll try to be good
I won't chew their shoes; and I'll do as I should

I'll love them; protect them; and try to obey
When they tell me to sit; to lie down or to stay!
I don't think I'll make it; too long on my own
Cause I'm getting so weak; and I'm Oh so alone

Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry
Cause I'm so afraid God; that I'm gonna die
I've got so much love; and devotion to give
That I should be given; a new chance to live

So dear God please; oh please; answer my prayer
and send me to somebody; who will really care
That is dear God; if You're really there!

John Quealy
(from here)

Are you a fan?

2010-11-04T08:28:00.001-04:00

Are you a fan of Joa's Arc? Or special needs animals? Or just adorable animals in general??

Please send your contact information (name, email address, home/business address) to jenw@joasarc.org - We're getting together contact information for newsletters/updates and want to make sure you're involved! :)

PS- Please share this post as well

Elvis :(

2010-09-30T19:24:00.006-04:00

Elvis came to Joa’s Arc with severe neurological problems in May of this year from a wonderful rescuer named Susan from North Jersey. Joyce wrote “from the moment I saw him, I was in love - from that cute little nose with a dab of black, all the way down to that wiggling butt.” He was just 8 weeks old then and Joyce made the generous decision to love and care for Elvis as long as possible.

Elvis, named appropriately for his wiggly hips and butt (the area his neurological issues effected the most), didn't let his disabilities get in the way of loving life or people. Though he shook terribly and had a hard time getting around sometimes, Elvis still loved everything about life - whether it was playing with his foster siblings or snuggling up with anyone nearby. Because of these traits and that sweet little face, it was hard for anyone that met Elvis to not fall in love.

Elvis, like several animals that have come into Joa’s Arc’s care, are just temporary blessings though. Neurological disorders as severe as Elvis’s were are not only difficult for the people that have to care for them, but difficult on their precious little bodies. In July, Elvis started having seizures and although Joa’s Arc got him on to medication, it wasn’t helping. Initially, after Elvis would seize, Joyce would pick him up and he would head butt her and purr as if saying, “I’m alright! What are you so worked up about? Pet me!” Over the last month or so though, Elvis grew tired and his body just couldn't take the ruthlessness of the seizures anymore.

On Tuesday, September 26th, comforted and surrounded by friends, Elvis crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Homes for animals like Elvis are often very hard to find. These animals require supervision, patience, cleaning (picture a cat trying to groom its self while its head or rear end wiggle uncontrollably), sometimes medication, the knowledge that they might not live the full life of a “normal” pet and, for animals like this who find themselves in shelters, the reality that the right person may not come along. These are commitments that a lot of people and especially shelters cannot make. However, it is because of people like Joa’s Arc’s Joyce that animals like Elvis get to live the best and longest life possible in love and comfort until they no longer can anymore.

Thank you, Joyce, for loving Elvis and for making the difficult decision to let him go to peace.

Joyce wrote upon Elvis’s passing, “Please don't feel sad for Elvis. He had a short, but wonderful life ... feel sad for the ones like Elvis that aren't given the chance.”

Rest in peace, Elvis. You were loved!

A Special Spotlight

2010-09-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

This beautiful girl is Nickel from Almost Home Animal Shelter. Nancy wrote to Joa’s Arc about this wonderful girl because Nickel is definitely a cat that fits in with the Joa’s Arc crowd.

Our beautiful Nickel is one of those inspiring animals who teach us that beauty comes from within. Despite the injury she sustained trying to save her own life, she is one of the friendliest and most loving cats you will ever meet.

I received a phone call late on a Sunday afternoon in February 2010. A family went out to their shed to get some shovels out for the snow storm that was coming. It was already bitter cold outside. When they opened the shed they found a cat laying flat on the floor, barely breathing and very emaciated. The family called Almost Home Animal Shelter and I went to pick up the cat.

I wasn't sure she would even survive the trip to the emergency hospital, so I brought her back to the shelter. I put her in a bed on a heating pad and gave her some warmed fluids. In just a few minutes she was meowing and attempting to lift her head to look at me. I made her a "smoothie" of good nutritious food and began putting tiny portions on her tongue. In another few minutes she was lifting her head and licking out of the bowl! By morning she was sitting up, walking around, demanding more food and wanting to be hugged.

It was quite obvious that this survivor had sustained some sort of injury to her top lip. The vet couldn't quite understand where her top front teeth had gone or how she had damaged the lip so severly. So, I went back to take a look at the shed Nickel had been found in... I could see the splintered wood around the window where Nickel chewed trying to get out of the shed. Apparently Nickel's lip injury and missing teeth were sustained from her trying to set herself free from the shed she found herself locked in.

Nickel is a very normal cat despite her slight deformity. She eats and drinks normally. She prefers soft canned food, but she also eats crunchies too. If Nickel had her way she would sit on someone's lap all day long and she loves hugs & kisses. Nickel has the most beautiful green eyes. Her pictures don't do them justice because she is a bit camera shy. You can fool her the first time but she doesn't like the flash. Although she is queen of the office here at Almost Home, we here would all love to see her in a forever home.

If you are interested in adopting this special girl, check out her Petfinder bio for contact information.

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc. We have been posting every day with special needs animals in the care of Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Deadly Hartz - Introducing Flea

2010-09-24T09:07:00.008-04:00

Yesterday Joyce of Joa’s Arc got a call from a friend and fellow animal helper. A kitten had come into her shelter that they believed to be very neurologically impaired. However, after several calls to the person who surrendered the kitten, it was discovered that the kitten was a completely normal kitten until the evening before when the family treated the kitten with a Hartz flea product.

Within hours of being treated with the Hartz flea product, this normal, healthy kitten could no longer stand up on its own at all, it could not eat or see or maintain his body temperature which kept dropping dangerously low. After several baths and being given sub-q fluids at a local vet, Joa’s Arc was told "only time will tell". Joyce brought this poor baby home, gave him yet another bath, force fed him, kept him warm and did the only other thing she could think to do - she prayed.

This morning Joyce found a brand new kitten!! Now appropriately named Flea, he seems to be back to normal. Yay!! We really cannot say which helped the most, but Joa’s Arc and all who met this kitten are very thankful that the combination treatment did the trick. Sadly, that is not always the case with animals given Hartz products.

A perfectly healthy kitten needlessly suffered and after extraordinary medical measures, it was still unknown if he would recover, let alone survive. All because of a product that should absolutely be off the shelves! If you love your pets, do not use Hartz products - it can kill them!

Please check out these websites for more information:
- ConsumerAffairs.Com - Hartz
- Complaints Board - Hartz
- HartzVictims.Org
- Are You Poisoning Your Pet with Toxic Flea and Tick Products?

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc.

Please note, we are now desperate for donations! Flea was an unexpected emergency intake and though he recovered after extensive medical care, he will still require the usual medical care as well: basic vet care, appropriate vaccinations and he will need to be neutered in several weeks if he is recovered enough for that. Any and all donations help. Please consider donating today:

Muffy Update

2010-09-23T10:10:00.004-04:00

At our meeting recently, Muffy joined us. While there was eating, talking and some number crunching on the humans' part, Muffy was busy running around with other foster kitties, Smithy's little Chihuahua man and, oh yea, a few rats too. While she was very tolerant for the most part, there were frustrating parts - like all the movement or, in the video below, just trying to play with a toy.

Muffy is a trooper though! She made it through the night, got plenty of pets and showed off her improvement in getting around.

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Buster Has Been Adopted!

2010-09-22T10:29:00.004-04:00

I don't think it is a secret anymore - Buster has been adopted!

This once shy, shell shocked dog was loving life in his foster home ... and they loved him so much, they could not imagine him leaving. Buster has been adopted by Joyce, her husband and their crew of critters - forever and fosters. Congrats to Buster for suckering them into keeping him and thank you Joyce & family for being so generous to the many animals that come into your lives like he did.

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Teena For Tuesday

2010-09-21T10:29:00.005-04:00

Teena came to Joa’s Arc from Camden County Animal Shelter because they were concerned about Teena. Like many of the animals in the care of Joa’s Arc, Teena has several medical issues that we have noticed while caring for her. Teena has mild Cerebellar Hypoplasia (aka "CH" like Muffy) causing her to have poor coordination in her hind end. She also has an eye condition due to the fact her upper eyelids are not fully formed. Other than that, Teena is a happy, playful loving kitten though. She loves to sit on shoulders and will head butt you for kisses.

Teena is now about 3 months old and Joa’s Arc has made arrangements for Teena to see an eye doctor soon to see if there is anything that can be done to improve her sight or at least give her some more comfort. For now, she's growing like a typical kitten and loving her life in foster care. She is a sweet little baby waiting for her special home to call her own.

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Minnen On Monday

2010-09-20T10:29:00.006-04:00

It was about a year ago that someone left a can of food and a kitten on a shelf in Petsmart. That kitten quickly stole our hearts with her ridiculous antics and major purrrsonality. We weren't the only ones though - lots of people love Nennee. It is hard to imagine any cat quite like her, let alone coming across one ... and yet that cat has found us!

Meet Minnennee ("mini-nennee") – the similarity is just outstanding, right down to the coloring and eye issues.

This little girl was found on the side of the road by one super caring vet tech who knows about the good work Joa’s Arc does. She contacted Joa’s Arc and asked if we could help - Minnen was tiny, skinny and was obviously suffering from some sort of eye injury. As it turns out, one of her eyes is completely dead and will have to be removed. The other eye is very cloudy and she has very limited vision in it.

Her condition seems to have very little effect on her. She zips around her foster home with Joa’s Arc volunteer Smithy. Minnen also loves playing with other kitties and will beg like a dog for food – any kind of food! Sound familiar?

Like Nennee, Minnen has some maturing to do before we will consider surgery on her eyes. Now that Joa’s Arc has seen this a few times with kittens, it is always best with cats like this to make sure their eyes are given enough time to mature. Minnen will be spayed when her eyes are corrected and then she will be looking for a home that can handle her ... not because of her eyes, but her goofy personality!

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Spotlight On Weenie

2010-09-19T13:29:00.000-04:00

The fall makes us think of lots of things - pumpkins, changing leaves, warm apple cider ... and Halloween. Meet Joa’s Arc Halloween (aka "Weenie")! Weenie is a beautiful calico girl in need of a new home due to her owners moving away and not thinking to take her. Maybe it was for the best though. Weenie had been living as an outside cat, but she is very affectionate cat who deserves a loving, safe inside home.

In updating Weenie with her vaccinations, Weenie's first foster mom found out that Weenie is FIV+. Weenie could live in a home with other FIV+ cats or, honestly, in just about any home! FIV is not as scary as it sounds.

Though you should do some research for yourself, here are some basic facts:

- The "F" in FIV stands for "feline," so humans and dogs can't catch it.
- The only way FIV is passed through spayed/neutered cats is from deep, deep bite wounds during fighting, which can be avoided with proper introductions like when any new cat comes into a home.
- the viral strains of FIV used in laboratories were very virulent, and much previously published information is based on this. However, FIV strains in cats living normal lives tend to be much more benign and may never cause disease. *keep this in m ind when doing research*
- T he FIV virus has a long incubation period, so a cat who tests FIV+ may live free of FIV-related disease for a lifetime.

Back to Weenie though – she is a gorgeous cat who gets along with other cats (she lived with two other cats before who were both FIV negative) and she is very affectionate with people too as her foster family can tell you. She is playful, talkative and an all around super cat! Please consider adopting her because she really deserves a super life.

It is "Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" this week! What a perfect week for the animals of Joa’s Arc.

Check back each day for a new post about some of the great animals that are in our care or have found wonderful new homes thanks to Joa’s Arc. Keep in mind Joa’s Arc is constantly getting requests about animals in need like these special furbabies on our site. Even a dollar will help! Please donate what you can to the animals of Joa’s Arc:

Update: Bucky aka Kreach

2010-09-09T14:53:00.001-04:00

Bucky (aka "4 ears", "yoda", "cutie", "kreacher", etc) has been on the road a bit lately and, as you can see, has acquired quite a few nicknames.

"Kreach", Bucky's most common nickname at my house (for the cat from Harry Potter), frequently comes to work with me since everyone loves him. Throughout the day, people come behind the front desk to ogle at and kiss this cute little guy. Kreach, of course, takes it all in stride.

A little over a week ago, we headed to our trusted vet, Dr. John at Tri County Animal Hospital, to get a better idea what was going on with this little guy. Kreach made quite an impression on Dr. John who said he had resisted the urge to do any research before seeing Kreach because he "wanted to be surprised." From the appointment, we gathered that Kreach definitely has some neurological issues which are obvious by the fact he cannot blink his left eye at all. Instead, Kreach has adapted by using his third eye lid to lubricate his eye. We are not really sure at this time what can be causing this or what else could be affected. Moving on with the eye issues, Kreacher also has cataracts already which could remain the way they are now or get progressively worse as he gets older. He also has limited vision, but since he's a just a baby, he seems to be adapting to this disability. He uses his whiskers a lot to feel around and those big ears to make up for his partial vision loss. On a good note though, his blood work came back well, leaving his stunted growth as a mystery for now. At our vet visit, he was less than 2lbs when he should be well over 3lb by now with his age.

More recently though, Kreach and I also went to a meeting recently for Joa’s Arc, which was much more along the lines of a gathering of the strange, special and unique. Oddly enough, it was the mostly "normal" cats at Jen S's house that seemed to intimidate Kreacher into staying put in his carrier instead of coming out to play. Apparently he'll take people coddling and cooing at him over his own species any day.

Introducing Scooter

2010-09-05T10:05:00.004-04:00

How can you resist that little face?! I found it impossible... even after I found out the little munchkin was a paraplegic kitten who drags his back legs around. Thankfully, so did Joa’s Arc volunteer Jen S and these two adorable kittens are now safe in foster care with Joa’s Arc. Meet Scooter and his littermate, Bump. Although Scooter's "normal" littermates had somewhere safe to go, we were told that Bump loved him and followed Scooter everywhere. Did we mention Bump doesn't have any tail either? It's a fact! She barely even has a "bump" of a tail on her rump.

Scooter and Bump were on the patio of a nice lady in Southern New Jersey. Although they were barely done nursing from their mom, we felt it best to get them into foster care due to the fact they were living outside and that their semi-feral mom cat had made several attempts at moving them to places where we could not reach them. We felt it best to get Scooter and Bump inside and safe, especially since Scooter is paraplegic - dragging his back legs around from the hips down. Here is a cute photo of Joa’s Arc volunteer Joyce M getting ready to help feed the babies their first night in foster care. Scooter is happy exploring. Bump is so impatient for food she seems to be considering just climbing into the cup of food.

The video is dark, but you can get an idea of how Scooter gets himself around. Although Scooter has an obvious disability, he doesn't know there is anything wrong with him. It is hard for us not to go weak in the knees for paraplegic kittens and just like Joa, whose spirit encouraged Joa's Arc's mission, quickly stole everyone's heart, Scooter seems to be doing the same already... and Bump too! The two are quite the adorable pair.

Stay tuned in here for more information and updates on Scooter & Bump. Feel free to donate towards their continual care too. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Introducing Buster

2010-09-01T09:17:00.002-04:00

Buster was tied to the fence along with two other dogs at Camden County Animal Shelter ("CCAS") about a month ago. One of Joa’s Arc's volunteers, Joyce M, was at the shelter when a shelter worker walked by with Buster. He was terrified! The poor boy was walking along the wall to avoid any human contact. Joa’s Arc's Joyce M was so upset seeing this type of behavior. Although CCAS was doing a great job with him, Buster was clearly petrified and the shelter is a very hard environment to teach a dog to trust after who knows what Buster had been through. Two days later after not sleeping, Joa’s Arc's Joyce M went and pulled Buster to take him into foster care. My the things you learn then!

You learn things like Buster loves other animals - dogs and cats! Foster care has shown that although it looked like Buster did not trust humans, that is not the case. Buster is a bit shy with new people, but within minutes he will be kissing your hand. He also loves to sleep in bed with his foster mom and always has to be touching her.

Buster was also thought to be 3 - 5 years old, but that doesn't seem to be the case either. His blossoming behavior and temperament point towards Buster being like more around just a year old, if that. He is full of energy, loves to chew like a teething pup who hasn't learned better ... and Buster so friggin cute. Ok, maybe that's not exactly relevant, but it's true! He is easily corrected when getting into trouble and hasn't been the type to repeat mistakes. He is crate trained, but only if you anchor the crate down because he seems to be a great escape artist - with tactics including guilt trips like crying pathetically until you feel bad.

Maybe Buster smelled a sweet soul in Joa’s Arc's Joyce M? He sure has opened up in foster care with her! Aside from being initially so shy, Buster has no real "special" needs and is available to be adopted. Buster just needs a good active home that is ready for a almost full-grown pup.

R.I.P. - Nora

2010-08-30T21:04:00.000-04:00

Over the past weekend, our good friend and a Joa’s Arc volunteer, Maria, lost her beloved dog, Nora.

Nora came to Joa’s Arc's volunteer, Jen S, several years ago with her hip completely out of the socket and a very large hernia. Poor Nora had lived like that for many years. Kind volunteers at a local shelter just could not bring themselves to put to sleep Nora and so Jen S fostered her while several wonderful groups and people raised to funds for two surgeries to help Nora feel and move better. First, Nora's hips were corrected and then she had her hernia repaired.

Jen S and her awesome daughter fostered Nora for two years (talk about dedeication!) before Maria came into Nora's life. For just about a year, Nora was Maria's loyal, loved friend who faithfully stood by her.

Nora succumbed to a heart condition on Saturday, August 28th, 2010. In respect to friends who did not know until just recently, we had not posted this blog post sooner.

Now you've got some real wings, Nora. We'll all miss you.

Introducing Muffy

2010-08-28T09:47:00.007-04:00

Muffy, Muffy, Muffy ... She is one special girl!

Muffy came in to Joa’s Arc's care from a local shelter after being brought in by someone that did not know what was wrong with her. You see, Muffy has Cerebellar Hypoplasia, known also as "CH" (like Nero), which varies in severity and, in Muffy's case, causes her to bob and weave all over.

Muffy will need a very special home that will overlook her disability (as she does), but still keep her safe. "CH" is a condition affecting the cerebellum of the kitten's brain. The cerebellum is the portion of the brain that influences fine motor control. Kittens affected with CH will have poor coordination (jerky or wobbly movements when they walk or run). Some animals affected by it will have head tremors as well. This can happen to a greater or lesser extent in each animal differently. Many will fall over during movement. HOWEVER, life expectancy is not affected. The cause of CH may be a viral infection during gestation or in kittenhood. Distemper is the most common cause of intra-uterine infection. However, CH can occur in-utero or at a later date due to injury, poisoning or a virus.

The symptoms of CH generally do not worsen as the animal ages and most will learn to compensate to some degree. However, this will be a lifelong condition because there is no treatment for the condition. The animal can have a good quality of life if given protection from accidents - these cats will be clumsy and must be protected from stairs, for example. They absolutely MUST NOT be declawed as they need their nails to help them hang on when they slip or fall. Cushions should be placed under places from which the cat may fall (window sills, etc.). It is a good idea to use untippable food and water bowls and a litter box with high sides but a low entrance area. These cats also absolutely be kept indoors for their own safety. CH cats seem to be unaware that they are different in any way and therefore may attempt feats that could be dangerous for them, but they seem to lead very happy lives.

Do not be fooled though, Muffy's condition does not slow her down! Muffy is quite the athlete - she loves to tumble and tumble and tumble some more. As of today, Muffy is almost 15 weeks old. She came to Joa’s Arc eight weeks ago and her coordination and limb strength have really shown improvement and she is able to contol herself much better. She loves to play and cuddle and if she sees hair hanging, she loves it!! Muffy is so funny too. She makes everyone laugh once they realize that her special needs does not affect her ability to be happy and enjoy life. She is also up to date with vaccines, combo tested negative and will be spayed when appropriate.

Introducing Bucky

2010-08-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

Meet Bucky!! Because of his little face and giant ears, people keep insisting I (Jen W of Joa’s Arc) name him "Yoda", but Bucky was the name I got him with and I like it more than "Yoda."

I first met this boy a couple weeks ago when he came into the Animal Welfare Association with his foster mom to be weighed and I just fell in love with his little face and squeaky meow (it's probably not a good idea for a "rescuer" to work for a shelter...). Within the last few days though, I've become Bucky's foster mom! His two "normal" siblings weighed enough to be spayed/neutered and put up for adoption, but this poor little guy was still too tiny. I more than happily offered to take him home with me.

Do you see anything a little off with this little kitten? No, not his tiny eyes. Keep looking! Real close! Ok, maybe I'm not being fair. It's a little hard to see the craziest thing about this kitten in that picture, so let me show you another and make it easier on you...

Four ears!

Yes, tiny little alien eyes (when he blinks, he doesn't really shut his eyes so much as he just folds his third eyelids over them), a little face, lots of fur and tiny little ear flaps behind his actual, normal ears!! Apparently, he's not the only one though. When first looking into this weird condition, I came across a fairly famous kitty who is named, surprisingly, Yoda! Upon further digging, I found this website which is really interesting and apparently Yoda is not the only kitty like my foster boy either: Feline Medical Curiosities: The Ears.

For now, Bucky's in foster care with Joa’s Arc because he seems to be a little slow developing. As I mentioned above, he had two siblings that seem to be completely normal and are an appropriate size for their age. Bucky on the other hand is still pretty tiny. Joa’s Arc is considering having a vet take a good look at Bucky and maybe take some blood work to see if he is maybe a bit abnormal on the inside as well.

Right now, like most kittens though, he likes exploring, wrestling and snuggling. He's a great little kitten!

Introducing Dash

2010-08-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

Meet "Dash" (AKA "Mini Misty")!

Dash came to Joa’s Arc from a branch of the PSPCA. She was saved after being found on the streets of Philadelphia with a leg injury. It was thought that Dash had a broken leg and would require extensive cage rest, if not surgery. Further inspection showed that there were no fractures or breaks seen on x-rays.

After resting in foster care with Joa’s Arc to be on the safe side, Dash is now running, jumping and playing like any other 5 - 6 month old kitten. Dash is a beautiful dilute gray tortoiseshell cat with a silky coat who loves to wrap her paws around your neck and kiss, kiss, kiss! She likes to kiss your neck and kiss your face - Dash is just full of love. Also, Dash has been already been spayed, is up to date on vaccinations and she combo tested negative for FIV/Feline Leukemia.

Now all she needs is a family for her to kiss and love and call her own. Will it be yours?

Update: Nero

2010-07-30T13:04:00.002-04:00

Nero's looking pretty content in his new home :)

Not Exactly Special Needs... But Cute!

2010-07-27T10:57:00.001-04:00

Some of you might remember this post: Angels In December For A Dog. Well, this time it was Joa’s Arc's Joyce that was the lone angel!

This beautiful puppy was getting chased in the street by two people outside of where Joyce works. Joyce scooped him up, got him into foster care with Jen S and named him "Kane." What a doll baby he is! No, he's not exactly "special needs", but he came across the right person to save him all the same and, let's be honest, an animal doesn't need to be anything but their sweet selves for us to love them.

I am glad to say that it took very little time for Kane to find more loving people to prove that not all people are as cruel as the ones chasing him through the streets of Camden. After being saved by Joa’s Arc's Joyce and loved up in foster care with Joa’s Arc's Jen S, Kane quickly found a new home through social networking like emails and Facebook! He's now being spoiled in a home of his own.

Thank you to everyone that cares and helped Kane find his forever home.

Joe's First Night

2010-07-17T11:11:00.001-04:00

I thought all of Cup of Joe's fans would like to hear the update from his new dad about Joe's first night with his new family:

I wanted to let you know that Joe was great last night!!! He and Behr (their other dog) did a little exploring of the living room together then he chilled out in his bed most of the night. He ended up falling asleep with me in bed. I woke up with him under my chin sound asleep. When he woke up I was attacked with kisses.

We love him! Thank you for this opportunity!!! We will take great care of him!

Thanks again,
[Joe's new dad]

Fundraising For Special Animals Never Ends

2010-07-08T08:49:00.007-04:00

Please consider donating! Every little bit helps the animals like...

Valentine who has since been adopted
Nero, the neurological cat, who wiggles a little when he walks
Gibson who has since found his forever home!
The Nennee brat!
Elvis who is a kitten who's hips shake due to a neurological disorder.
He's for adoption!
There are lots of ways to donate to our great cause, friends:

Interested in another way to donate? We're still raising money to make up for the funds we used on Cup of Joe's surgery: click here to donate for Cup of Joe.

He's cast free now and using all four legs to run around!

Cup o' Joe - A TV star!

2010-05-27T08:31:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Cup of Joe and I headed over to Philly to do a taping at CBS. We got to dress up (Joe had on a very cute t-shirt, collar and leash) with clothes provided to us and were surrounded by other great shelters and rescues like Main Line Animal Rescue, West Jersey Volunteers for Animals and, some great examples of their breed, a few pit mixes from the PSPCA. Joe, of course, was entirely himself - calm, collected and stealing hearts left and right.

Though we're not entirely sure yet when the bit will be showing, there's this great "web extra" posted already! Go here to view it. The photo in this blog post is a screen shot that I "borrowed" from the web extra video :) Disregard that phone number, it's the only one they had and I didn't know it would be put on a sign. It's not actually a direct number to Joa’s Arc. As you might know, we do almost everything via this website/blog.

A big thank you to Buzzy's Bow Wow Meow for providing such cute clothes & arranging the whole event, another thumbs up and big hug of appreciation to Elwood & Karen for suggesting Joa’s Arc attend with Cup of Joe, thank you to CBS3 in Philly for allowing us to do this segment (what a great way to involve rescues!) and, of course, Carol Erickson for all she does for the animals.

Like I said in the video, Joa’s Arc is set up to help special needs animals. Donations make this happen! We're still looking for donations for Joe's surgery. Any "extra" donations will be going to help other animals just like him. Our hearts are big, but our pockets aren't. Any help is appreciated!

You can go here to make a tax deductible donation to help us cover the cost of surgery & after care of Joe or use PayPal:

The Many Sides Of Joe

2010-05-20T09:38:00.007-04:00

Joe and I head over to the vet tomorrow to get x-rays done to see how his recovery is going. To me, he seems to be recovering just fine! In feeling better and better, I'm starting to see two very different sides of this little man too! We used to laugh at how very different Nennee was at home and out in the public - a sweet little angel out at events or the vets and a screaming, bratty banshee at home. I believe Joe might be like that too!

One side of this guy would love nothing more than to snuggle up with you all day. Pick him up and he'll mold himself into you, fall asleep and he'll do the same thing next to you or on you! This side of Joe is quiet and sweet, only licking his lips every so often when nervous. Oh, and he's like that with everyone, not just me! I can hand him off to whoever and he'll just snuggle up/

The other half of Cup of Joe though is a wild, spunky little man who barks and yips and bounces back and forth, using his splint to his advantage and bopping you if you're not acknowledging him. He scoots all over the yard before dashing at full speed (with one leg in the air) at you if you start to walk away. He's so silly!

We're still trying to raise money for Joe's surgery. Although it was performed, we emptied out our entire bank account - the money we had saved to apply for our 501c3 was used and any "cushion" for an emergency situation is gone now. Please consider donating to help us. Using this money was not a question since Joe needed this surgery, but donations to help would be greatly appreciated. There are several ways to donate to the right in our sidebar info.

Here's hoping for good news tomorrow for this goofy boy and a big thank you to those who have donated!

Examiner.Com Article on Cup ‘O Joe

2010-04-22T09:27:00.003-04:00

Help Joa’s Arc to help toy poodle, Cup ‘O Joe

Thank you Megan Drake for this wonderful article about Joa's Arc and our sweet little Cup o' Joe who is such a sweet man, but still a little trooper too. Two days out of surgery and he seems to be doing real well so far.

You can go here to make a tax deductible donation to help us cover the cost of surgery & after care of Joe or use PayPal:

Cup of "Joe" Update

2010-04-17T10:12:00.003-04:00

You might already know Cup of "Joe"'s background. A woman’s friend was looking for a little dog and the woman found this adorable little guy. The day her friend came to pick “Joe” up though, he fell, broke his leg and the friend no longer wanted him. The woman didn’t know what to do. She could not afford to keep him since she already had dogs of her own ... and so, Joe found his way to Joa’s Arc.

Help Joe - Donate Please

Though we had originally hoped that Joe would be able to get away with a few splints over the next several weeks, that's sadly not that case. Dr. John at Tri County was nice enough to see Joe again and took x-rays to see how he was doing after being in our rescue and a new splint for 10 days. What he found was this... Ouch!!!!!!! No point in giving him a fresh splint, Dr. John said. What Joe really needs is surgery.

Thanks to Elwood's recent fundraiser for us, we knew just where to head: Winslow Animal Hospital and the super kind Dr. Coudrai! Dr. Coudrai explained the break is just above his "wrist" and with little dogs like this, he needs a surgery that will go in and place a plate in his leg to realign Joe's poor little leg and help relieve some of the pressure to the bone while it heals itself.

The cost of the surgery is roughly $2,000 at a discounted price (because Joe's such a nice little dog, of course). Unlike situations like with Nennee (where we had months to fund raise), poor Joe needs this surgery A.S.A.P. He needs the surgery though, so Joa’s Arc is going to figure out a way to come through for him.

You can help us help Joe by donating! If you can help in anyway, please click here. Joe would really appreciate it.

Help Joe - Donate Please

NEW EVENT - Earth Day!

2010-04-15T10:28:00.003-04:00

My how time passes! This event is here already!!

Joa’s Arc will be at Washington Township's 2010 Earth Day Celebration this weekend!!

The event is this Saturday, April 17th* from 10 am - 3 pm in Sewell's Washington Lake Park. Live music is being offered by Olde City and there will also be recorded music by Rowad Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM. Other fun activities include adoptable shelter animals, exhibits, demonstrations, presentations activities and lots of fun things
to do and see to promote conservation, preservation, environmental education and an overall enjoyment of the outdoors. More than 140 exhibitors and vendors are expected!

Please come out to support this wonderful event and cause in celebration of our great outdoor's and the planet we all share. Make sure to stop by the Joa’s Arc table ... if you're lucky, you'll even get to see Nennee post surgery :)

* - A raindate of Sunday April 18th is scheduled just in case.

Nennee's Surgery - Done!

2010-04-14T22:04:00.002-04:00

Nennee's surgery is all done! Dr. John was a dreamboat, as always, and performed the surgery for Joa’s Arc. Though Nennee's now strutting around with an e-collar on, she's home with her foster family and could not be happier!

Here are some updates along the way from her foster mom that were posted on Facebook while Nennee was gone Monday to Wednesday earlier this week...

04/12/2010 about 7 pm: Just dropped Nennee off for her big eye surgery and spay. I miss that Lil' Bugger already!!!! It's going to be quiet in my house until Wednesday when she returns home.

04/13/2010 about 11:45 am: Hang in there Nen, you'll be home soon! Hailey and I miss you soooo much! XOXOXOXOXO

04/13/2010 about 2 pm: Just received call from Vet, Nennee came through surgery and did well. She'll be coming home tomorrow with the e-collar (upside down lampshade), this should be amusing.

04/14/2010 about 7 pm: Nennee's home from the vet!!! She's soo happy to be home, but not real thrilled with the e-collar. Up-dated pics coming soon of the before/after surgery pic

Here's hoping our girl recovers remarkably well and, please, give a big hug to Dr. John at Tri-County should you see him anytime soon (or send some business his way!). Joa’s Arc says thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. John!!!!

Introducing Cup of "Joe"

2010-04-08T09:08:00.001-04:00

A phone call came in from a woman with a small poodle she just couldn't keep. She had gotten the poodle she was calling "Hershey" for a friend. However, when the friend came to get him, "Hershey" fell down, breaking his little, front right leg ... and his future mom no longer wanted "Hershey". The woman who had gotten him could not keep him due to already having her own pets and not being able to afford to fix his leg. Poor Hershey!

This adorable little boy is safe now in foster care for Joa’s Arc and has a new name for his fresh start: Cup of Joe ... or just Joe for short. He's chocolate (or coffee, hence the name) colored and is a whole whooping 4.6 lb with his giant splint including in that weight! He is very quiet, somewhat shy and sits perfectly still in your lap or the crook of your arm, slowly molding into you. He loves to give kisses and wags his little tail happily while he follows you along outside (where he currently has to hop due to his splint). It's very hard not to like Joe!

Upon getting Joe, he had a bandaged wrapped around his leg. After seeing one of our favorites, Dr. John at Tri County, we were told that Joe has a fractired radius - the bone above our wrist and below our elbow. Right now, we're hoping Joe will be able to recover well with several weeks wearing a really good splint. The possiblity of surgery and having to re-break the bone is always a possiblity though.

Joe has an appointment next week for a new splint to be put on and xrays to be done to see how his leg is recovering. Wish him luck!

Valentine Update

2010-04-02T10:59:00.000-04:00

Valentine's been adopted!!!!

New Nennee Medical Update

2010-03-28T09:46:00.007-04:00

Nennee had her pre-surgery blood work!

Our lovely vet, Dr. John, after carefully consulting with Dr. Andras M. Komaromy from the Department of Clinical Studies at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, will be performing the surgery on Nennee for Joa’s Arc. With an “all clear” from the results of her blood work, Nennee has been scheduled to have her eye surgery and spay performed on April 13th.

Please go here if you would like to contribute to her surgery ... or feel free to donate by sending funds to our P.O. Box (it's tax deductible!).

Keep your fingers crossed for our girl!

3 Cheers For Good People!!

2010-03-25T09:20:00.004-04:00

There were two events last weekend that were a big hit for Joa’s Arc!

First, the “Easter Bunny, Elwood & Joa’s Arc” event on 3/20/10 was an undeniable success thanks to so many people (and animals)! Winslow Animal Hospital sent Joa’s Arc a check of the funds raised which came to $505.00!!

Not only was Elwood the “ugly” dog there to raise money for Joa’s Arc, but Nennee was able to make a special appearance (and get her photo taken with the Easter Bunny and her pal Licorice the rat). Nennee was a total angel who thoroughly enjoyed all the attention she was getting … especially the Chick Fil A chicken nuggets, yum! She was even nice enough to share some with Elwood.

Quickly following in that fun-filled success, Sunday was very nice at Bill’s Wonderland of Pets too. A total of $140.00 were raised for Joa’s Arc that day!

Also, we can’t leave out that our wonderful friends and the organization we work as an auxiliary group of, Save The Animals Foundation (STAF), recently had their own fundraiser – their annual bucket auction which is always a great success and fun time. STAF held their 8th Annual Bucket Auction on March 18, 2010. Congratulations on yet another great year and fundraiser, STAF!

Elwood Raising Money For Joa's Arc!

2010-03-16T22:10:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, March 20th there will be a "Spring Open House: at Winslow Animal Hospital from noon - 3:00 at 640 Sicklerville Road, Sicklerville, NJ.

What does this have to do with Joa’s Arc? Well, our good friend Elwood and the Easter Bunny will be welcoming Spring at this fun event!

Come join in the fun, have your pet's photo taken with the Easter Bunny and Elwood will also be available for photos for a $10 donation to benefit Joa’s Arc! The whole event will begin at 11:00 and Elwood will be arriving at noon. They'll be balloons and treats for the kids, pet costume prizes, and a pet Easter Treat Hunt. Great fun family day, so please come on out!

If you're really lucky, you might time things perfectly and get to see Elwood and Nennee, who Elwood and his mom Karen have personally requested to see. What can we say? Our girl's a hit! Though there's no guarantee Nennee will be able to make it (she's got a busy weekend already), we're all hoping everything works out for her to see her buddy Elwood - they met at another Joa’s Arc fundraising event, as you can see in this photo, at Bill's Wonderland of Pets.

We hope you enjoyed the gorgeous weather we had in NJ today ... and hope to see you this weekend too :)

Upcoming Fundraiser

2010-03-12T16:27:00.002-05:00

Joa’s Arc has another upcoming event at Bill's Wonderland of Pets where we'll be selling jewelry and other goodies in order to raise funds for our mission of helping special needs animals. We will be there from 11 AM until 3 PM on Sunday, March 21st, and would love a visit from you!

Although she is not there in connection with or there in support of Joa’s Arc that day, we'd like to inform you that also that Sunday will be animal communicator, Elizabeth Severino. She will be conducting individual sessions which are 10 minutes each at a rate of $30 for one animal, an additional $5 for another animal in the same session. You can make an appointment to see her that day by registering on line.

2010-03-05T13:59:00.001-05:00

To ensure your donation goes to Valentine & special animals like her, DONATE DIRECTLY TO JOA'S ARC

2010-03-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

To clear up any confusion quickly, Valentine is NOT an owned cat and still recovering in foster care.

Valentine In The Media

2010-02-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

There's been one cat all over the news lately as the public comes together seeking justice for her ... and that same cat a part of Joa's Arc: Valentine!

Valentine is recovering well now and getting lots of well wishes sent her way too. Thank you to the media and all those who cared enough to get the message out about her. Hopefully with the newly increased reward (now at $1,000 from the NJSPCA) and all the attention she's gotten, we'll finally have some justice for the awful act done to her.

Popular perhaps? Check out some of these articles and media clips on Valentine from just this week:
- KYW: Reward Offered for Villain Who Shot Cat With Blow Dart in NJ
- My Fox Philly: 'Valentine' Hit By Dart, Reward Offered
- Gloucester County Times: Authorities probe case of cat found in Gloucester County with dart stuck in eye
- 6 ABC Action News: Suspect sought after cat shot in the eye
- NBC Philadelphia: Cat Shot In Eye With Dart
- Examiner.Com: Valentine, a cat shot in the head with a dart
- People Magazine's Pet Page: Cat Shot with Dart 'Has a Will to Live'
- Love Meow: Cat Shot with a Dart Recovering
- Examiner.Com: NJSPCA increases reward to $1000 for info on Valentine, cat shot through eye with blow dart

Again thank you, thank you, thank you!

Gibson Has Been Adopted!!

2010-02-22T14:15:00.006-05:00

Gibson has been adopted! Well enough to find a home of his own, he did just that. He stole the heart of a local girl and her roommate. Gibson marks Joa’s Arc first adoption!

Justice for Valentine

2010-02-21T11:44:00.004-05:00

You may recall this post about Valentine - her introduction where Joa’s Arc first told you about Valentine's plight.

Since she's already been introduced, this post is for a another reason: Joa’s Arc is actively seeking justice for poor Valentine! We're joined by the hard workers at Gloucester County Animal Shelter and the NJSPCA who has been kind enough to offer a $500 reward for anyone offering information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this shooting. Check out her introduction as well, though the pictures are graphic, look at them if you can. Does the dart look familiar to you? Know what type it is?? Did you hear anyone bragging about shooting a cat in the eye earlier this month? Any kind of information could be helpful! It's awful what happened to Valentine and she deserves some justice!

Remember, she had two eyes until this awful cruelty happened to her. If this cat now named Valentine looks familiar to you (be it she was your cat at one time, a stray you have fed before, you've seen her in your neighbors window before, etc) please come forward! This is very, very important.

Joa’s Arc and Valentine thank you!

Introducing Valentine

2010-02-17T08:27:00.002-05:00

~Well, hello there, Valentine~
Please allow Joa’s Arc to introduce you to Valentine! The name only seemed appropriate for the gorgeous girl that came into our care right before Valentine's Day. What's up with the missing eye and weird facial hair ... or lack of (specifically around her eye)? Well, Joa’s Arc became involved when a local shelter called to tell us about the need to recover a cat, our Valentine, who had just had her eye removed ... because someone had shot her through the eye with a dart - possibly a blow dart or some sort of dart gun.

**CAUTION** There are graphic photos below. Although we want everyone to be able to read this and probably shouldn't post such graphic photos, Joa’s Arc also wants to be completely (and, if necessary, graphically) honest with our supporters.

Yes, you read correctly: a dart! Ugh! The dart went directly through her left eye (not piercing her eyelid) and through the back of her neck! This poor kitty showed up on someone's porch in this awful condition. When the home owner saw Valentine on the porch, they called animal control who picked her up and immediately took her to a local veterinarian office. From there, Valentine had surgery where her eye was removed, her wounds cleaned and closed up as best as possible. She will be returning this Friday (2/19) to have her eye socket, which has been draining, sutured shut permanently. She should do fine with just one eye physically, though obviously the things she has endured have traumatized her quite a bit.

A reward is actually being offered by the NJSPCA of $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible ~~jerk...~~ person(s). The fact the dart did not pierce Valentine's eyelid made the vet who performed Valentine's surgery suspect that whoever did this to Valentine had a partner ... someone to hold Valentine's head! Think about it: when something comes at your face, you turn away or blink - something! The fact that Valentine didn't do anything and had her eyes wide open for this injury seems very odd.

Valentine is for adoption through the Gloucester County Animal Shelter in Clayton, NJ.

Medical Update on Nennee's Eyes

2010-02-09T13:23:00.000-05:00

Recently, Joa’s Arc and Nenne were lucky enough to meet up with Dr. Andras M. Komaromy from the Department of Clinical Studies at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine! After some conversation, lots of lights shined in Nennee’s eyes (she even got the dye put in her eyes that glows!) and not too many battle wounds from an upset Nennee, we got some answers on her eyes ... then Nennee tried to climb into Dr. Komaromy’s bag! Don't worry, Joa’s Arc got her back!

Here’s a general run down of what Joa’s Arc found out about Nennee’s eyes thanks to Dr. Komaromy. She was diagnosed with:

- Mild eyelid agenesis (both eyes). This is a congenital absence of all or part of the eyelid. Most commonly, the side part of the upper eyelid is thin or may be lacking with varying degrees of severity. This may result in an inability to close the eyelids (lagophthalmos), which is discussed later.

- Microphthalmia with secondary entropion (right eye). Microphthalmia (or microphthalmos) is a congenital deformation resulting in abnormally small eyes. Entropion is a medical condition in which the eyelid (usually the lower lid) folds inward to the eye. It is very uncomfortable, as the eyelashes rub against the cornea constantly.

- Persistent pupillary membranes, also known as PPMs (left eye). This is a condition of the eye involving remnants of a fetal membrane that remains as strands of tissue crossing the pupil. The pupillary membrane in mammals exists in the fetus as a source of blood supply for the lens, but it normally atrophies (waste aways) from the time of birth to the age of 4 - 8 weeks. PPM occurs when this atrophy is incomplete. It generally does not cause any symptoms aside from the strands connecting to the cornea or lens, but most commonly to other parts of the iris. Attachment to the cornea can cause small corneal opacities, while attachment to the lens can cause small cataracts.

- Cataracts (both eyes)

- Suspected anterior lens luxation (right eye). Lens luxation is a displacement of the lens from its normal position.

- Coloboma of the fundus (left eye). Coloboma (also part of the rare Cat eye syndrome) is a hole in one of the structures of the eye, such as the eyelid, iris, retina, choroid or optic disc. The hole is present from birth and can be caused when a gap called the choroid fissure between two structures in the eye, which is present early in development in the uterus, fails to close up completely before birth. The classical description in medical literature is of a key-hole shaped defect.

There are some big words in there that I tried to break down a bit. Hope this gives you a better idea on everything poor Nennee is going through – lots of eye defects! Dr. Komaromy told Joa’s Arc that if Nennee were a person, she’d be legally blind! Oh, and the “quick fix” of maybe just removing her damaged, irritating eye if necessary (instead of repeated surgeries to her eyelids) – also not possible. The one eye she is more blind in has her less irritating eyelid deformities and her other eyelid is more irritating, but she sees better out of that eye. Poor girl!

Thanks a million to Dr. Komaromy for being nice enough to come out, meet us and give Joa’s Arc some conclusive answers finally about Nennee. Your kindness and insight (no pun intended, Nen) are invaluable, Dr. Komaromy!

Fundraiser Tomorrow Canceled.

2010-02-06T18:14:00.002-05:00

Just a quit update to say that due to the weather we are, sadly, canceling the fundraiser tomorrow at Bill's Wonderland of Pets.

Hope you're all safe and warm!

Introducing Tilly

2010-02-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Meet Tilly! Tilly is for Otilie which is German for "fortunate heroine" and I'm not sure there's a better name for this little girl! Let me start from the beginning though...

An old friend of mine called me Saturday afternoon to tell me that she has been noticing some ferals not far from the high school we went to together. She wanted information on who to contact about getting them fixed. Relating more to Joa’s Arc though, my friend was calling because not too long before calling me, my friend had seen a smaller, dilute calico dragging her back end (born that way? Hit by car?).

I made arrangements with my friend to meet her near by the next morning so she could show me to the place and we could look for the injured cat. We saw cats, lots of them - but not the one we were looking for. I helped my friend leave food for the cats (who looked to be living off the restaurant left overs and "slop" being fed to the pigs there). You can see in the photo that the orange kitty is eating slop and the little brown tabby with white is eating the dry food we put down. I was surprised they let us get as close as they did before running off - some would let us get within just a couple feet!

I returned for a second visit later Sunday evening and saw even fewer cats and still no signs of the cat with the injured back legs...

With the encouragement of all the other Joa’s Arc members and our supporters, I continued to look for this elusive, injured kitty. I went back Monday morning to feed the kitties and there were a few around, but not our girl. I gotta admit, I was a bit scared because no one was there this morning and there were like 75 vultures picking at the trash and eating along with the cats.

I left, but returned about an hour later. I pulled up where I had been parking for each visit and right in my line of view, sitting in the brush, was a dilute girl. Too good to be true, I thought! But as I approached her (these cats let you get pretty close before running), she got up to run and was dragging her back end! I'd like to brag, but she was pretty slow and didn't put up much of a fight. I went back to my car, got a big comforter and followed her little drag marks in the snow. She was just starting to go under the boat behind the abandoned house when I tossed the comforter over her. She hissed a little, but that was about it.

Medically, Tilly is in rough shape. She suffers from some sort of trauma to her back, though what caused it exactly, we may never know. She has sores on her feet from dragging her feet like the one pictured here. She got her vaccinations and when her sores heal, she can be spayed. Her paralysis in her back end makes her different, but she can still lead a wonderful life now that she's safe and warm inside.

Socially, Tilly seems very, very scared. We're hoping she's not feral and can eventually come around since she obviously cannot go back outside in her condition. Cross your fingers she comes around and learns to trust as her wounds heal.

So far, living outside as she was, she proven she's obviously a survivor.

Personal Post

2010-01-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

JoyceM is currently away in the Pocanos and Smithy is watching her house and feeding her kitties...

Smithy: I had a blonde moment tonight - lol!! I pull up at JoyceM's to go feed the kitties. I see a cat along front of the house and start calling it and approaching real slow. It was a tin cat decoration - LMAO!!!
JenW: LOL ~ oh my god, I love you
Smithy: I didn't have my glasses on and it was getting dark - LOL! From a distance, it looked like a real cat!
JenW: suuuuuuuuuure

Bake Sale Success! (and Introducing Nero)

2010-01-15T09:53:00.003-05:00

What a great morning Joa’s Arc had at Bill's Wonderland of Pets!!!

After setting up our tables of information, scarves & baked goods and saying hello to the various kitties volunteers brought along with them, we had some visitors before we were even technically started at 11 AM. One of those visitors happened to be Rick C, Gibson's guardian angel (along with his wife Robin C, Gibby's #1 fan). It was Rick C's low riding car that Gibson smacked into all that time ago and it was Rick C who stopped his car instead of continuing on to work, saved little Gibson from the road and got him medical attention. Needless to say, this was a very emotional meeting because not only was Saturday Gibson's first public appearance with Joa’s Arc, but as you may know Gibby was just medically cleared and, after everything he's been through, is ready for adoption. I believe their adoration for one another is quite obvious in this photo Robin C took of the two boys together.

Another very special person came in as well to visit the Joa’s Arc crew. These two wonderful children are HUGE fans of Nennee! Huge, huge fans ... so much so that Stephen, the kind boy holding Nennee in the photo, has been doing all he can to raise money for Nennee's future surgery. So far Stephen has raised $142 dollars which he lovingly donated to Joa’s Arc Saturday. He made a can to set out in his dad's store, Kitchen Kapers in the Cherry Hill mall. He's hopefully adding another can at a different store location soon too! It was so nice for all of us to be able to meet Stephen at this event and to see his face when he got to meet Nennee.

Stephen is Nennee's hero and there's a bit of a back story as to how Stephen came to know about Nennee. You see, Stephen's family's kitty cat at home is a handsome black cat named Fozzy ... and who is Fozzy??? Fozzy happens to be the loyal and loving brother of our forever loved Joa who inspired this entire organization. Fozzy was Joa's protector while they were surviving outside on their own. So, in a long, round about way, we at Joa’s Arc have yet another reason to be thankful to Joa!

Look who else Nennee got to meet - the oh so popular and lovable, Elwood!!! That's right, the picture has me, Jen W, holding Nennee as she sniffs and checks out Elwood in the arms of his momma, Karen. It is no secret that Elwood is a big supporter of rescue efforts and Saturday he came out with his big brother, Montana the German Shepherd, to support Joa’s Arc. We were all pleased as pie to have them join us - along with Facebook friends, blog post readers, other rescue volunteer supporters and board members and the kind people shopping who stopped by.

Joa’s Arc had another kitty with us too at Bill's Wonderland of Pets: Nero the neurological cat from Camden County Animal Shelter.

Nero has been deemed "special needs" because of his condition: Cerebellar Hypoplasia. However, Nero is really just special. He uses his litterbox like a normal cat, plays like a normal cat and loves love like a normal cat ... he just sort of walks on his tip toes and occasionally tumbles over. Most importantly though, his condition will not worsen. This is the way he has been since he was most likely a kitten (we're really not sure since the poor guy was found wandering the streets of Camden like this) and as far as he knows, he's a regular cat - a handsome one at that too. Nero is for adoption through Camden County Animal Shelter. Please inquire there about adopting him.

Above is just another great photo from the day of Joa’s Arc supporters! We sold lots of cookies, cakes and yummy bread that day, along with some scarves and toys too. Aside from all the fun we had and all the great visitors, we were lucky enough to make a total of $374 that day too!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for making it such an absolutely wonderful day.

To cap off this wonderful update, Bill's Wonderland of Pets will be allowing Joa’s Arc to do another fundraiser! Sunday, February 7, 2009, from 11 - 2 PM Joa’s Arc will be there selling scarves, jewelry and hopefully some chocolate covered pretzels. Keep in mind this is exactly week before Valentine's Day. Pretty jewelry for a good cause - I'm not sure there are better gifts of love for Valentine's Day than that!!

News Article On Joa's Arc

2010-01-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Check this out: Joa's Arc raises funds for medically needy shelter pets, hosts bake sale Saturday January 9

"Joa traveled to the Rainbow Bridge this past March, having succumed to a massive infection secondary to her parapelegia but she will be at Bill's Wonderland of Pets tomorrow in spirit and in the memories of all who loved her"...

Thank you so much, Ms. Drake for your kind words and support of Joa’s Arc!

Gibson's Ready for a Home!!

2010-01-09T09:28:00.008-05:00

We’ve got great news! Joa’s Arc took Gibson for a re-check appointment to Dr. John at Tri-County Veterinary Hospital in Pilesgrove (We love Dr. John!). Not only did we find out that Gibson is a whopping 6 pounds now, but Dr. John also pulled some blood from Gibson to see how his status was. Remember, it was not long ago that we were told Gibson had non-regenerative anemia - basically his red blood cells weren't "resupplying" themselves..

Gibson’s blood work looks GREAT now though - totally normal!! The continued weight gain, lack of a temperature and repeated purrfect blood work proves that not only has Gibson defied the odds by surviving running into a car, but now it seems he’s proved us all wrong about his previous diagnosis! He’s still slightly special in the head (likes to turn to the right a lot and possibly thinks he’s a dog ~see photo~), but otherwise a completely normal kitten and now officially ready for adoption!

A great big thank you from Gibson and everyone at Joa’s Arc for all your prayers, good thoughts and positive vibes. Gibbie has proved to be one incredible kitten and whoever ends up adopting him will be very lucky indeed.

Gibson Update & New Event

2010-01-05T20:36:00.005-05:00

Gibson goes for a medical re-check this week - so far he's been a wonderful, healthy kitten running around and being a nut. Let's hope the vet gives the okay and he is officially past all the drama of the "cat running into car" incident.

Also, friends, note the new event posted:
Joa’s Arc will be holding a bake sale at Bill's Wonderland of Pets (804 White Horse Pk North, Magnolia, NJ) on Saturday January9th from 11am - 3 pm. Nennee, our special needs kitten from GCAS will be joining us and greeting the public. Bill's Wonderland of Pets is in a brand new location with a new building so come on out and check out the new store and pick up some baked items while helping Joa’s Arc.

Angels In December for a Dog

2009-12-18T14:27:00.005-05:00

I received this email from Joa’s Arc founder, Joyce M, and just had to share it here:

Yesterday when driving to work northbound in Camden a few minutes before 11 AM, I was about to exit when a small dog came tumbling right in front of my vehicle. Obviously he had just been hit by a car and needless to say I was horrified.

I quickly stopped and jumped out. The dog was laying on the line between the exit lane and the "slow" lane. Of course, I started jumping around so the other vehicles would not hit the dog. I then grabbed a towel and started running to the dog.

About this time, I noticed an SUV on the shoulder near the cement divider that had stopped and a man was trying to get across the highway. We met at the dog, wrapped him in the towel and the man said, "I have to get it to a vet." He cradled the dog with such concern it touched my heart. I told him to take the exit and get on Rt 130, that there were vets at the Collingswood circle. I thanked him for his kindness as I was trying to get traffic to slow down so he could get back across the highway.

As I got into my vehicle I saw the man jump into the passenger side of the SUV, holding the dog to his chest gently petting the dogs head. The dog was moving at the time. I noticed another man was driving the SUV as they took off in search of help for this poor dog. I sat in my vehicle crying, praying that this poor creature survives and thanking the good Lord that these men actually cared. The dogs only visable injuries were blood in his mouth...

After a few hours and many many phone calls to local vets, the U of P ER, and shelters, I found the dog at Voorhees Veterinary Center. I spoke with Melissa who told me one of the men's sister was a vet tech there and so the dog came there. The men did not hit the dog, they were behind a vehicle that did and that person just kept on going. The dog only suffered minor injuries to his mouth. I inquired about the bill for the dog wanting to make a donation and she told me it was a charity case: there was no fee! She said they notified CCAS since it fell in there jurisdiction and they were required by law to do this. CCAS contacted Animal Control who said someone had report a dog that fit that description as missing that morning. The men were meeting up with the possible owners and if it was not their dog, the dog would come to CCAS for the seven day hold required by law. One of the men said if the dog was not claimed, he wanted to adopt it.

I thanked Melissa for helping the dog then hung up in tears. I get so angry at people because of how they treat their animals and sometimes think people are horrible but these two men are angels, they save a poor dog from death. I want to thank them and Voorhees Vet Ctr for helping. To others this may be nothing but to me, it was a miracle right before my eyes.

~ Joyce Moyer

Gibson Medical Update

2009-12-14T10:16:00.012-05:00

It seems our poor boy is currently in medical limbo at the moment. After recovering remarkably well from running into a moving vehicle, Gibson stopped eating and spiked a fever in his foster home. Along with a list of other things, including an enlarged heart (which is "normal" again now), Gibby was diagnosed with non-regenerative anemia - basically his red blood cells weren't "resupplying" themselves. Once we were told of the anemia, we were advised that the best place to go would be the University of Penn and that the best option as far as testing to find us answers would be a bone marrow test.

Up until this point, Gibby was being cared for the wonderful staff at the facility his rescuer Rick had taken him to when Gibson ran into Rick's car. We decided to seek a second opinion of our trusted Dr. John at Tri-County Veterinary Hospital.

This type of anemia would be classic for Feline Leukemia, however he has now officially tested negative for that twice now. Yes! We had him re-tested just in case. So, our only other theories were pretty poor - that of all the cats to run into kind hearted Rick's car, it was a terminally ill kitten whose life could only be prolonged with frequent blood transfusions, a painful procedure and only a temporary fix.

However, after seeing Dr. John we are now being cautiously optimistic about Gibby's condition.

Dr. John has a theory that Gibby had so much happen to his body at once when he smacked into Rick's car door that his red blood cells were a minor problem that fell to the bottom of his body's 'priority list' of things that needed to be recovered.

Right now, Gibby's temperature continues to remain fairly normal and he's eating - he's even put on weight! In a couple weeks, Gibby will be returning to our wonderful Dr. John for more blood work to see how his red blood cell count it.

His foster mom, Joyce, recently wrote: "I think Gibby is missing Petey (his neurological foster buddy who recently passed away; pictured curled up with Gibby in a cat bed), he wouldn't leave me alone while I was drying my hair: biting my feet, running in circles, attacking my legs, etc. So I threw a towel over him to see how long it took for him to come out. The result? ... let's just say Gibby would still be under the towel if I didn't remove it. Of course, as soon as I did, he was right back at attacking my feet. What a character!"

Keep your fingers crossed for this brave little guy.

Nennee's Holiday Wish...

2009-12-12T14:43:00.012-05:00

**Anyone that wants to see little Nennee, she willbe visiting Santa at the Deptford Petsmart behind Chili's on Saturday December 19, 2009 at 11:00 am. Watch out Santa, here she comes!!**

Joyce sent out an email recently that reads as follows:

Dear Friends and Family,
My new rescue, Joa’s Arc, is dedicated to helping special needs animals from shelters and rescues. All funds come from fundraising and go directly to the animals. I have done a webpage for Nennee, who's Holiday wish is to get eyelids - yes! you read it right: she needs surgery to repair her eyelids and this can't be done without your help.

If you are sending me a holiday card, please don't - donate a dollar or two to Nennee. If you are buying me something, please don't - make a donation to Nennee. It isn't that I don't appreciate gifts, but I don't need anything. I devote my heart and soul to these animals and helping them with your support makes me happy, so please consider donating to my cause.

~~ Nennee's Holiday Wish* ~*~

Thank you so much.

More On Gibby

2009-11-30T21:55:00.005-05:00

The good samaritan who not only felt awful when Gibby ran into his car, but was caring enough to go back and grab Gibby out of the road when he saw he was still alive (and has continued to love Gibson) wrote to me earlier this week. I had to share it (with permission of course)!

"Jen...

He is just so special. I know all of them are. He and I met in rather extreme circumstances. Has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. He is a tough little guy and just totally cute...

Thank you and of course JoyceM and Joa’s Arc for helping this sweet angel...

Little Gibby has taught me much of faith and courage, and the importance that every life has. Nothing feels better, I swear, when I see him. Knowing how far he has come from the day we met...

Thanks for all you guys are doing to help him. :)"

Also, here's the most recent medical update on Gibson: Gibby is doing well as of right now. The phone consult with a University of Penn cardiologist went well.

Gibson does have pneumonia. Also, his enlarged heart is minimal and only time will tell if he needs to see the cardiologist and have an ultrasound. Gibby is clear for discharge and will be coming home. He will be closely monitor by his foster mom, JoyceM, for any respiratory distress or change in behavior.

Keep Gibby in your prayers, they're working.

Introducing Gibson ("Gibby")

2009-11-24T00:58:00.007-05:00

Looking at Gibson (AKA “Gibby”) earlier tonight and hearing him purr as I stroked his little ears, it is hard to believe he was a ever feral kitten running wild … and not just running wild, but running wild right into cars. Yes, that is how Gibson came to us – hit by car … or the accident was more like car hit by kitten. Joa’s Arc doesn’t deal with cars and obviously you can imagine which sustained more damaged anyway, so tonight I found myself loving up and encouraging a small kitten to get better quickly.

Late into October this fall, an animal-loving person was on his way to work when a kitten ran out into the road. The poor driver tried to avoid the little furball, but there was simply nothing he could do … he felt the “thump” as the kitten ran smack into his car. As he looked back in his mirror, his heart sank further - the kitten was lying in the road. He slammed on his brakes and turned right around to get the kitten out from the road unable to leave even the lifeless body there. However, as he approached the kitten, he saw it move its little head. Stopping traffic from further injuring the kitten, he wrapped the kitten up in a towel and took it immediately to the nearest vet office, Greenfield’s Animal Hospital.

The staff at Greenfield’s immediately took the kitten, who was named Gibson by this time – ‘good guy driver’ had decided in his panicked rushed to the vet’s office that if the kitten was going to die that day, he was going to at least die with a name.

Obviously, Gibson was severely injured, but was in good hands. A thorough exam showed Gibson had a head injury and bruised lungs, but thankfully (and luckily) no broken bones! Although he was in critical condition when he arrived, there was a chance for Gibby. Thankfully, Gibson ran into the right car (an optimistic look at things?) – not only was the owner of that car a huge animal lover, but he was friends with people contacted to groups that work with Joa’s Arc. We found out about Gibby almost the same time he was entering the animal hospital.

After sending some good vibes and prayers Gibson’s way and the magic of the team at Greenfields, two days after entering their facility, Gibson was stable and ready to go into foster care to be monitored.

At first Gibson was very quiet in his foster home (with Joyce M of Joa’s Arc – ER nurse and special needs animal sucker), which was okay by all parties since he needed to recover! Initially this “quietness” included him just curled up like a snail when being held and needing some assistance and guidance to his food so he could eat.

When he returned to Greenfield’s for a re-check evaluation, the staff all greeted him and everyone was surprised he survived such a devastating injury. Gibson was given the okay to now to free roam for short periods in his foster home and it was noted that due to his left sided head injury, he walked in circles. Gradually day by day the circles widened and slowly he started playing and acting like a normal kitten. He loves to eat and eat and eat and run with his foster “sibling”, another kitten in his foster home, Pudd.

Currently, Gibson is back at Greenfield’s. His foster mom noticed that Gibson was not interested in his breakfast (very uncommon with this little food hog) and made a vet appointment to make sure everything was alright. It was there that they found Gibby had a very high fever and needed to be admitted. After a chest x-ray and blood work, it was determined that Gibson had viral pneumonia with a bacterial infection – not all that uncommon for recovering, getting a lot of fluids and on cage rest, but still… what an emotional roller coaster!! After all he had already been through and survived, Gibson again was critically ill. Gibson is currently receiving IV fluids, two different antibiotics and top notch medical care. Gibson is again eating well and loving all the staff at Greenfield's.

Gibson is in our program, Joa’s Arc because although he seems normal, we are not sure what his future holds due to his head injury. He is a special little boy that is loved my many – the Greenfield’s staff, his foster family, the good guy driver (who has attended ALL Gibby’s vet appointments with his wife in order to visit & love up Gibson) and the people that he’s met so far during these crazy medical adventures he’s been on.

Please keep Gibson in your thoughts and consider making a donation to Joa’s Arc for Gibby and the animals like him who we love helping.

Joa's Arc at Petsavers' Woof Walk

2009-11-04T08:36:00.009-05:00

Thanks to Petsavers, Joa’s Arc had a wonderful time last weekend at their Woof Walk! Several of our dedicated volunteers, set up, hung out to greet all the wonderful people & pooches that made it out and chatted with the volunteers from STAF who were set up next to the Joa’s Arc table.

Our donated, hand-made scarves seemed to be a big hit and the awesome bird toys raised a lot of questions. The day was filled with good conversations, meeting & greeting, looking at great merchandise from various vendors, lots of doggies and some kind donations as well. I think it is safe to say that we all had a great time!

Thank you so much to Gloucester County's Petsavers and everyone that made the very first public event for Joa’s Arc such a great day!

Nennee's a brat?

2009-10-19T20:52:00.003-04:00

Recently Nennee went from her foster home with Joyce M to being fostered by Smithy. It's only been two days so far, but funny commentary is already going on as Smithy realizes what she's really in for. I just had to share these comments which were exchanged via email through out today...

Smithy: {Joyce M}, you are dead meat! This friggin' Nennee!!!! ... She climbed up my leg in the kitchen at least a dozen times tonight while I was making lunches and cutting up steak to feed to HER {it was rumored she's a very picky eater}!! She ate like she had never eaten in her life. When she was done eating, back up my leg while I was doing dishes. I finally left her hanging on my hip and she stayed there. Later, I caught her drinking my iced tea. Oh, Nennee likes sweet tea. She purrs soooo loud at night and we feel bad she's all by herself, so we let her sleep with us. I need silence to fall asleep, need ear plugs. She's a Pistol!

Oh and, Joyce, I don't know what you are talking about Nennee being a finicky eater, she'll eat anything ... oooooo I forgot: you don't cook! She likes people food! Popcorn, chips, steak, spaghettios, chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets, pizza ... whatever you might try to put in your mouth, she'll eat!!!!

He, he, he, God she's lucky she's cute. I need a baby sling so I can just carry her around with me.

Joyce: Oh I forgot to tell you to cage her when you are eating. She loves your cooking. She called today and told me never to come get her.

Petsaver's 2nd Annual Woof Walk

2009-10-19T16:19:00.003-04:00

Announcing the new upcoming event that Joa’s Arc will be at:

Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Petsavers' 2nd Annual Woof Walk
Alcyon Lake Park
Pitman, NJ
9am Registration for the walk
Contests including: Best Dog Halloween Costume, Best Dog-Owner Look A Like, etc
Lots of fun activities!!
More info at www.petsaversnj.org

As some of you may know, Joa’s Arc was suppose to have our first public event at Save The Animals Foundation's Paws in the Park event last weekend. However, due to the dangerous weather conditions, the event had to be canceled.

We look forward to seeing all of you Sunday morning and hope you can make it out. ::fingers crossed:: the weather is beautiful :)

STAF's Dog Walk

2009-10-16T19:11:00.005-04:00

Save The Animals Dogwalk scheduled for Oct. 17 HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE WEATHER. Please check back soon to see when our next event will be. Thank you.

**PLEASE NOTE: We have a new event scheduled**

Get Together

2009-10-16T08:47:00.004-04:00

Volunteers of all ages...

and species (humans, kitties and dogs)...

came together for Joa’s Arc to work on different ideas for things to sell to raise money for our cause.

For starters, one unusual addition to our meetings and get-together's that I'm sure most don't include would be Nora. Nora the Cane Corso, was very good at supervising to make sure no one got out of line, like she is doing here while Joyce M is cutting material up. Nora is absolutely beautiful and a "special" former shelter dog herself. She was assisted by a local rescue and adopted out to her forever home with a friend to Joa’s Arc, So, it was nice to have her company at the get together ... minus the slobber and sloth-speed movements.

We made lots of fun toys for kitties, dogs and even birds! A foster kitten at Joa’s Arc's volunteer Smithy's house, Oswald (available for adoption through Furrever Friends Rescue & Volunteers, Inc in Woodbury, NJ), felt the need to test out some of the things we were working on mid-production. What a cute little helper! I believe we can now officially say that our cat scrunchy toys are kitten tested and foster mom approved! If you happen to buy any at the upcoming STAF Paws in the Park event (see sidebar for upcoming event info), let us know if your kitties love them too, please. This was our first attempt and being artsy and trying to make these toys ourselves.

We accomplished a lot that night together - attempting to put together all the cat toys, dog pull toys, assembling pieced for the bird toys ... and "torturing" kittens by dressing them up (the cane corso too found herself draped in fleece at one point). As payback and in the line of all goofiness, we needed to take advantage of Oswald's good-natured personality. This was not the only shot we got of this funny man and volunteer/founder Joyce taking advantage of him. What a cute kitten he is! He's available for adoption and hopefully will go home with his slightly shakey friend Spanky - consider adopting them! :)

We could not be more excited for STAF's event this weekend that we'll be at. Rain or shine - the event is on. So, please hope for no rain and lots of fun times. There's a pavilion in case it does rain and we'll have a little tent set up for our table too. Come out to join us if you're near by, please. Registration is roughly 8 - 9 AM for the dog walk, there will be goodies there for dogs & people and a blessing of the animals later on as well.

OUR 1st PUBLIC EVENT: STAF's Paws in the Park
When: Saturday, 10/17/2009 9am
Where: Fasola Park in Deptford, NJ

PS- Happy National Feral Cat Day :)

Introducing Nennee

2009-10-15T14:11:00.003-04:00

Meet Nennee! She's adorable, extra special and the first kitty to be assisted by Joa’s Arc. Nennee came into Gloucester County Animal Shelter at the beginning of this Fall with what was thought to be a horrible, horrible upper respiratory infection. Her eyes were almost always squinting or shut and weeping constantly. Nennee was sent to a special foster home in the hopes that being outside of the shelter and the aid of this experienced foster mom would be the trick to clear up Nennee's troubles.

On more medication and in her own foster home, Nennee's eyes still were not clearing up. However, as luck would have it, Nennee was in a foster home that had seen a kitten suffering like Nennee before. That kitten was thought to have had a severe upper respiratory infection also until a veterinarian informed her foster mom that the kitten actually had deformed eyelids. Though Joa’s Arc is still waiting a bit for a confirmed diagnosis on this, Nennee's foster mom is convinced from her experience that this seems to be the case with Nennee too...

If this is the case, Nennee will be spending the next few months growing, maturing and being a regular, playful kitten in foster care since any necessary surgeries cannot be done until she's bigger. Doctors' appointments will tell us where to go from there and how much help Nennee will need from Joa’s Arc. Should Nennee follow the same medical procedures needed as the last kitten her foster mom knows of, Nennee will require several surgeries to correct her eyelid deformities.

Please don't mind the darker coloring of this photo of Little Miss Nennee here. We were just trying to get a better photo of her eyes, but a lot of flashing from the camera just doesn't go over well with Nennee since her eyes are already such a bother to her. Though the photo is darker, you can see Nennee's unusual looking eyes. She tries real hard to look around like a normal kitten, but Nennee's eyes prevent that because of their deformity. Weepy eyes or not, she's still so darn adorable in every one of her photos.

They don't come much sillier than Nennee either. She wrestles hard (even with bigger kittens), like a shadow, she follows around the people she loves and Nennee is also a big talker - screamer too if she's not getting what she wants. She begs for food and attention. She has beautiful coloring and is still quite young. So far, she's gotten along fine with all the cats and dogs she's come into contact with. Aside from her "special" eyes, Nennee is like any other kitten and would make a wonderful addition to any family. For now, she's with Joa’s Arc.

When she is ready, Nennee will be available for adoption from Gloucester County Animal Shelter. She's not on their website yet, but lots of other furbabies are should you be looking for adopt.

~ Announcing Joa's Arc ~

2009-10-10T13:10:00.006-04:00

Joa's Arc
They're not handicapped, just extra special

A good samaritan approached a known animal-loving woman and explained to her that she knew of a wild kitten, somehow surviving outside without the use of her hind legs. What caused this, we will never know, but this is how Joa the paraplegic kitten came into one animal rescuer’s life and heart.

Though she had no use of her legs and little control of her bladder, Joa was a ball of fire – zipping around, playing hard and generally causing lovable havoc wherever she went. She is the perfect example of the fact that these special animals have no idea they are “handicap” and they are no less deserving of a loving home of their own. Sadly, not long after being adopted into a wonderful home, Joa passed away.

Joa's Arc wishes to help provide the opportunity, to pets like Joa, to know the love she had and provided.

Some facts:

- Shelters have a very large number of animals coming into their facilities every day.
- A lot of those animals also happen to have “special needs” ranging from broken bones to birth defects.
- With so many healthy animals to worry about and very few resources, shelters cannot consider spending money on these special needs animals

Working as an auxiliary group of Save The Animals Foundation, Inc., Joa's Arc wishes to aid shelters in the Southern New Jersey area with the financial care of special needs animals they would not normally be able to help or adopt out such as animals with severe medical conditions that need extensive specialty care from traumatic fractures, congenital issues, etc. Joa’s Arc realizes this is an area where we will be able to help others and help these extraordinary animals in the process to not only live a more comfortable life, but a more loved life as well as a potentially adopted pet.

Another great thing about Joa’s Arc? All our donations go to special needs animals. When donating to a local shelter with a cruelty case or neglected animal, extra donations can end up being used as general funds for the whole facility. Though these facilities need as many donations as possible, some people have a soft spot for special needs animals and strictly want their donations used for those types of animals needing extra care and love. Joa’s Arc only helps special needs animals, so our donations go to their care only. If we exceeded the donations needed for one special needs animal, any more donations will be used on the next special pet.

Through bake sales, tabling events, local craft fairs and kind donations, Joa’s Arc plans to fundraise to help shelters with the special animals they intake but cannot provide for with their limited resources. Joa’s Arc knows that these animals are no less deserving of love and a good home than any other animal.

Joa’s Arc works together with shelter to help these special pets get their own chance to be adopted.

Need Our Help?? Joa’s Arc is willing to help out whenever and wherever possible knowing that working together we can make a huge difference in the little lives of these special animals. Do you know of a shelter with an extra special animal that needs assistance? Are you a local rescuer with the space, but not the funds to help a special animal in need? Let us know and we will let you know if our assistance is possible.

Keep in mind, our objective is strictly to financially assist shelters with their special needs animals when possible. Joa’s Arc is not a shelter with a facility to take in any homeless animals! Shelters wishing for assistance must work with Joa’s Arc and be willing to supply foster care, food, transportation to medical facilities when possible and all adoption procedures once the animal is ready for a home of their own.

Do you have an idea for a great fundraiser? Are you willing to donate some time to help us spread the word on the work we do? Generously wishing to donate? Contact us!

Joa’s Arc
PO Box 243
Audubon, NJ 08106
Email: JoasArc@gmail.com