Kitten Season...
Last week, Oakland Animal Services called us with a request to take 3 (related) moms and their 11 babies.We took them in... 
and that number soon became 14 as we took in another 3 tiny bottlefeeders. Luckily, "Olga" took the orphans in willingly. The recently assembled family is seen above.
The other mothers, "Harriet" and "Frederika" share nursing duties here... one on each side, with 11 babies in the middle!
and here's another shot of the feeding frenzy.
"Harriet" and "Frederika" are now in foster with 2 loving foster families (Thank you J.R. & J.L. for sharing your homes!)... "Olga" and her brood await their turn, but will soon be with an East Bay SPCA foster family who will take great care of them until they are ready for adoption.
If you're interested in helping out with families like the ones above, or with kittens who aren't fortunate enough to come in with their mothers, please contact us at foster@eastbayspca.org. Help us save lives, one litter at a time!
Picture Time
If you're like me, you like pictures! Here are pictures of some animals adopted over the last month or so from our Tri-Valley location (except Anna, who was adopted from Oakland, but also had a long stay in Tri-Valley).
Izzy -- this feisty girl found a home with a cat savvy family, and lots of dogs and cats to play with.
Poor Anna had a rough stay at the SPCA. She was so very stressed out and shut down, and had been waiting since late last year for her family. Now that she's in a home, she's so much happier!
Ashlynn -- this wiggly girl had been waiting for a home since December.
Cindy -- a quiet, sophisticated, cuddler.
Sebastian -- who can forget him? This big kitty loves to meow and just has cheeks that invite you to scratch them.
Hass, this silly, cross-eyed boy has a new playmate at home.
Cloud finally got her home! This deaf kitty spent 421 days in our care waiting.
Julius -- the quintessental Boxer. Big, slobbery, and a lot of fun.
Chico -- a big puppy!
Pancake -- small now, but big soon! She's so well behaved.
Max -- what a goof! He's so cuddly and friendly with everybody.
Beeker -- he loves to lick!
Love at first sight
We've all heard about it and thought about it -- is there such a thing as love at first sight?
Yesterday morning I had Becki, a shy, timid, and loving girl hanging out at the front desk for some socialization. She was making the most of it by taking a nice nap.
Well, maybe taking a nap isn't the most sociable thing to do. But it was a good sign, she was nice and comfortable and happy to have company. When she is lonely she tends to pace and be a little "vocal".
A lot of customers came up to say hi to Becki, and she was happy to recieve their pets. She's very timid and gentle, and just looks at you with those big brown eyes.
A couple came in yesterday looking to adopt a dog. I told them the dogs are down the hall, but to say hi to Becki since I had her with me up front.
A few seconds later I hear "I don't think we need to look at any of the other dogs -- she's just the dog we're looking for."
A little over an hour later, I was processing the paperwork for Becki's adoption.
Was it love at first sight? Maybe I'm a little bit more of a believer now.
About Gomez
Gomez the hound came to the Oakland shelter more than a month and a half ago. I pulled him from the Stockton Animal Services shelter thinking he'd probably be an easy one to move up and get a home for. What instead happened ...Gomez failed his initial temperment tests for being extremely shy and slightly aggressive (bark, growl, raise hackles) toward a stranger. After assigning him to myself and working for almost a month on meeting strangers, playing with other dogs, going on walks, getting used to indoor flooring (I don't think Gomez had ever been on a hard slick floor! Now he walks on them just fine), and learning how to wear a gentle leader, Gomez passed a re-test and moved up to adoptions!
After spending so much time with him, I've found several things that work with him. 1) Gomez does much better when there is another dog around. He plays VERY nicely with other dogs, even small ones, and would likely make a good 'daily dog park dog'. 2) Gomez has not shown any further aggression toward strangers, but it is important that he be allowed to bond strongly to his new person (right now, me. soon...you?) before being forced to meet strangers. 3) Gomez is crate trained, and likes his crate. This is a very helpful tool for getting him used to new places! 4) Gomez is ok spending time by himself. He has not shown any signs of destructive behavior, and instead likes to lie on couches and on warm things (a sunny kitchen floor?). 5) Gomez housebroke himself. In training here, Gomez has learned watch, touch, stay, and target, as well as how to jump over a jump.
Today I had Gomez out in one of the back runs and we were spending some down time together. I gave him a nice chewie for the first time (possibly in his whole life thus far) and he LOVED it. In fact, he loved it so much that he went into a play bow and devoured the entire thing in that position. Gomez is endearing and subtle. Gomez is still very shy, but he is learning by leaps and bounds. I think Gomez will blossom very quickly in a quiet, loving home. Do you have room in your heart for this sweet misfit?
Moooooo
Yesterday F. and I went to ABC 7 for their Perfect Pet segment (we are on the first Friday of every month, at 11:25 am), and took along Moo, who aboslutely stole the show. As you can see, he loved being in the green room, prepping for his moment in the spotlight. We were waiting to go on, and he was rolling around on the floor, snuggling up to our legs, and using his scent hound sniffing skills to search out stray treats.
He is an absolute clown, and he loves to play and be crazy when he has the opportunity. But what surprised me most of all, was this entertainer walks incredibly well on leash, not pulling, staying next to us the whole time (straying only to sniff the trees). He was very good around people on the street, and hopped right into the car when it was time to come back to the shelter.
Winter Cat Campaign Rocked the House!
The first Oakland Winter Cat Campaign was a big success!
In 6 months (October – March):
229 feral cats were fixed (104 males, 114 females)
1 had to be euthanized for health reasons
11 were already spayed or neutered
Spaying and neutering these cats will prevent the births of an estimated 1017 kittens this season.
Over 3 years, even with a mortality rate of 70%, that number would be 3,300.
BIG THANKS go to:
*Fix Our Ferals for all their hard work in creating and organizing the program.
*All of our volunteers (from FOF, OAS, and our own SPCA volunteers) who trapped, transported, scouted and gave lots of TLC
*The Spay/Neuter clinic staff: the volunteers had nothing but good things to say about the s/n crew.
If you are interested in joining us on the next Oakland Winter Cat Campaign, or any summer feral cat programs, please email
feralfix@eastbayspca.org and we would love to have your help!
and that number soon became 14 as we took in another 3 tiny bottlefeeders. Luckily, "Olga" took the orphans in willingly. The recently assembled family is seen above.
The other mothers, "Harriet" and "Frederika" share nursing duties here... one on each side, with 11 babies in the middle!
and here's another shot of the feeding frenzy.
