Adopting a furry family member is a lifetime commitment, and we want to make sure you have all the resources necessary to make the best decision possible! We’ve included several educational, and in some cases life saving, resources below for all life stages. We encourage everyone to bookmark the page and come back to it as often as you need! And don’t forget, we’re always here to help! We’re just a click away on the Contact Us page.
Kitten Season
What’s this thing called “kitten season”??
Kitten season occurs every year from roughly April through October. This is the time that cats who haven’t been spayed or neutered have so many babies that shelters, rescues, and good Samaritans become entirely overwhelmed. Interested in helping? Foster with us! You can also support community TNR. Ask us how!
The most important thing to remember? SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR CATS! The entire rescue community thanks you!
Kitten Care
Kittens - they’re cute, cuddly, and slightly crazy. We love them. The entire internet loves them! But kittens, like kids, require work.
To give our kittens the best life possible, we don’t send them to their fur-ever homes until 12 weeks old. This gives them time to learn from mom how to be a cat.
We also always ALWAYS recommend adopting kittens in pairs, or into a home with another cat. Kittens have endless energy and are still learning. Having a furry sibling to help them on their journey takes the burden off you!!
Don’t want to take our word for it on kitten care? Check out this great article by the Kitten Lady and remember, #2isbetterthan1 Why Two Kittens Are Better Than One
More questions? Ask us! We’re here to help!
Every year November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, but we love our seniors every day! Cats are considered seniors when they hit 8 years old, but many cats live to be 18, 19, 20…or even older! Senior cats still have so much life to live, and so much love to give. All our seniors get full vet care prior to adoption and lots of love from our fosters. Seniors often require some special accommodations, and we’re happy to help you through that. Things like a revised diet, a good dental cleaning, step stools to help them join you up on the couch, and joint supplements go a long way towards keeping your senior kitty purring.
Older cats make great additions to homes that don’t have the energy for kitten chaos, litter training, or 3 a.m. wake up calls. These cats are also some of the hardest to find homes for, so you can give yourself an extra pat on the back for saving a life in their golden years!
Want to know more? As always, ask us! Or check out some of these resources for more information -
TNR - Trap, Neuter (or Spay) and Return
TNR is one of the most important things we can do as a rescue. And we can only do it with the help and support of the community!
Trap - You see them all the time. Sometimes feral, sometimes friendly, all in need of a little TLC. When we help you trap, or trap ourselves, the cats get spayed or neutered, a rabies vaccination, any immediate medical care they need, and an ear tip so they can be easily identified in the future.
Neuter - Spay Or Neuter Your Cats!!! |Did you know that a female cat can have up to 3 litters of kittens a year?! That means a possible 15 kittens each year! Needless to say, community cat colonies can quickly get out of control. This isn’t just a nuisance, its a health concern for the cats and kittens as well. They all deserve to live their best lives. So we’ll say it again, Spay And Neuter!
Return - Many cats are feral, and won’t do well in a traditional home environment. For these cats, the first choice is to return them to where they were originally trapped. Thats where they’ve made their home and if the community supports them we highly encourage that. If thats not possible, we work to find them barn homes. In the case that a trapped cat is actually friendly, like Momma Rylee pictured to the right, we get them all the medical attention and TLC they need and work to find them a fur-ever home that won’t throw them out.
Education is key! Check out the resources below for more info:
Alley Cat Allies: Why TNR?
Community Cats MD - check them out and support their mission!
FIV is No Big Thing!
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, or FIV for short, is a virus that diminishes the immune system of a cat. Let us dispel a few myths right from the start:
It is not transferable to humans.
It can only be transferred between cats due to deep bite wounds or mating. It is not airborne and is not transferable via food or water.
FIV+ cats can, and often do, live long healthy lives!
There is no reason FIV+ and non FIV+ cats can’t live together.
Adopting an FIV+ cat is no different than adopting any other cat, so don’t let those 3 little letters dissuade you! As with any cat you bring into your home, a good diet, regular vet care, and an attentive human will ensure success. These cats are often overlooked because of a misunderstanding of their circumstances. This means they run a higher risk of not making it out of the shelter, or stay in rescue for far far longer spans of time. If you’re one of the amazing people willing to educate yourself and open your home, we applaud you! Send us an email and let us know, we’ll be happy to find you your next FIV family member!
Check out the links below for more information, or send us an email and we’ll be happy to help educate!
SPECIAL NEEDS CATS DON’T HAVE TO BE SCARY!
Special needs cats come in all shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day they’re no different than any other cat…they all need love and a safe, happy, home!
At PAR we don’t shy away from difficult cases. We frequently take in behavioral and medical needs cats that require a little extra TLC. Sometimes that is temporary and just requires a great foster to get them through a rough time (foster apps here!) and sometimes that requires a special adopter to provide the right home for their needs.
Special needs can be something simple like seniors or FIV+ cats discussed above, or more complex situations such as blindness, diabetes, extreme food allergies, birth defects, or significant past emotional trauma. In those instances, we look for the right adopter for the situation and work with them to provide educational and medical resources. Adoption is for life, no matter what bumps in the road that may bring! The following links provide good information on some of our common special needs situation -
Food Allergies in Cats - its not as simple as you think!
How to live and love a blind cat
If you’d like to support some of our special needs cases, consider fostering, donating, or purchasing from our partners that support us (visit partners here)
Special outfits for special needs cats
Additionally, if you’ve got a special needs kitty that requires an outfit (like LJ or Athena), check out Little Beast and let them know Passport Animal Rescue sent you! Use code PASSPORT10 for a 10% discount
The world can be a dangerous place for pets and wildlife!
Sometimes the places we consider safe aren’t so for the animals in our lives. That’s when we call in the professionals!
Roto-Rooter is often called upon to save pets and wildlife stuck in precarious and oftentimes dangerous situations. Their technicians use state-of-the-art machinery, drain/sewer video cameras and even industrial excavation equipment to save the life of an animal in danger!
Click on their image to the left to check out their amazing life saving stories and to get more info if you, or the critters in your life, need help!