Save Our Strays, Inc.

SOS is a no-kill, non-profit organi-zation dedicated to rehoming abandoned cats and kittens.

CONTACT US:

PO Box 373 Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785

727 481-5262

727 481-5091

E-mail: sos@saveourstraysinc.com

On line: www.SaveOurStraysInc.com www.Petfinder.com

ADOPTION LOCATIONS:

These PetSmart stores

♥ CountrySide Every Saturday; 11 am – 4 pm 26277 US 19 North at Enterprise Rd, Clearwater 727 799-3311

♥ Tyrone (Call for dates) Saturday, 10:30 – 2 pm Tyrone Blvd & Park St

St. Petersburg 727 343-7900

♥♥♥♥ Gateway Sunday, 11 am – 3 pm

7777 9th St No. St. Petersburg, 727 577-9935

Board of Directors & Officers

President: Linda Hartnett Secretary: Donna Johnson Treasurer: Robin Berryman Directors: John Hartnett

Liz Thompson

Newsletter Kitty Kat MewsKitty Kat MewsKitty Kat MewsKitty Kat Mews Volume 18, Issue 1 Editor: Donna Johnson Photo Editor: Paula Hays Graphic Artist: Molly LeBlanc

Website Administrator: Fluffy Cazalas

A copy of the official registration and financial in-formation may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state.

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A letter from Save Our Strays’ President

To our valued supporters: Save Our Strays would not exist and could not continue to come to the aid a hundreds of cats and kittens each year without the generous and continuous support of donors like you.

• As a non-profit organization, we rely exclusively on the contributions of individuals and businesses to care for our felines.

• As an all-volunteer business with no paid employees, all of our revenue benefits our cats.

• As a no-kill animal welfare group, we make every effort to provide our kitties with proper medical treatment. A second opinion is sought if a cat’s health issue is uncertain. We have many older cats that have been returned and are now unadoptable. We care for them in loving foster homes until they go to kitty heaven.

Our largest expenditure is for veterinarian care. In addition to routine spaying/neutering, surgeries run the gamut from eye removal to teeth extractions. Our participating veterinarians also treat our cats for a wide range of ailments from urinary tract infections to thyroid conditions.

Save Our Strays was incorporated in 1994. It has grown from four founding members to a large group of dedicated volunteers. Next year our organization will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

We greatly appreciate your continued support. We welcome individuals like you to join our efforts to help Save Our Strays grow. The more we prosper, the more we are able to help homeless cats and kittens. Please consider joining our board members and volunteers on May 19, 2013 for friendship, cat stories and volunteer opportunities. Details are shown on the following page.

Thank you from all the felines at Save Our Strays. Sincerely,

Linda Hartnett,

President

June is Adopt a Cat Month

3rd Annual

BARK in the PARK May 4, 2013

Freedom Lake Park

9990 46th St. North

Pinellas Park, FL

10 am to 2pm

Rescues Crafts Food

Pinellas Park Police K-9 Demo at noon

Free admission Free parking

Stop by SOS’ tent

T-shirts, pet pillows & more

Feral cat roundup

Twenty feral cats. Five days. One yard. All trapped to prevent the further reproduction of unwanted felines.

Veteran cat trapper, Sue Rountree, accomplished this feat this spring. All twenty cats, seven of which were pregnant, were spayed/neutered, given rabies shots and released back to their caregiver.

In addition, three nursing mother cats with kittens were housed inside the home. Sue was able to get the mama cats spayed after they were no longer nursing. The kitties were placed in foster homes and Save Our Strays hopes to find forever home for them.

Every week our super hero Sue goes into different neighborhoods to trap/neuter/release (TNR) feral cats. Last year she was responsible for altering over 800 cats in southern Pinellas County preventing the births of countless kittens.

Sterilizing cats also leads to a healthier life for them. Male cats are no longer compelled to fight with unaltered ‘tom’ cats for territory. Female cats are not subject to complications after giving birth. The risk of cats acquiring cancer is also greatly reduced when felines are altered.

Please support this effort to control the overpopula-tion of unwanted feral cats. Make checks payable to Save Our Strays; indicate for feral cats.

For help with feral cats in southern Pinellas County you can reach Sue’s cell phone at (727) 504-2343.

PetSmart Spring Adopt-a-thon Friday – Sunday May 3 – 5

Adopters receive special bonuses

Calling all volunteers Come and socialize

with SOS volunteers and meet interested new recruits

Sunday, May 19, 2013

3 – 5 pm

Panera Bread Community Room

2285 Ulmerton Road (near I-275)

Clearwater, FL

Low-cost

Spay & Neuter Clinics

North Pinellas County

Animal Health Care Clinic

2118 Drew Street. Clearwater, FL

(727) 446-5501

South Pinellas County

SPOT Spay/Neuter Clinic

4403 62nd Ave. Pinellas Park, FL

(727) 329-8657 * SPOTusa.org

Trap, neuter & release (TNR) of feral cats

Call Sue (727) 504 2343 -3-

Incoming SOS cats – where do they go?

Foster home (Lap cats)

More foster homes needed

Fostering provides families with

many rewards. Two foster pro-

grams are available. Short-term

foster families transport cats to

SOS adoption locations to find

them forever homes.

A permanent foster family takes

in older, hard-to-adopt kitties.

Where do our volunteers place

cats when we receive calls

from concerned individuals with

a stray in need or from the

SPCA or Pinellas County

Animal Services regarding a

cat that has been dumped at its

facility?

With no shelter of our own,

SOS board members have two

choices: a foster home, which

is our first pick or a boarding

facility. Our foster homes

become full so boarding and

confining a cat in a cage

becomes our only option.

SOS pays medical expenses for

all foster felines.

Can you provide foster care for a

cat with no home and keep it out

of a cage?

It’s fun to foster a feline.

Boarding facility (Caged cats)

Our foster families find joy in

seeing frightened cats become

loving creatures with their TLC.

Open your heart – call a

volunteer at 727 481-5262 to

learn more. To register on line,

go to saveourstraysinc.com,

click on Volunteer, then on

Foster Application.

MiraLAX and cats

MiraLAX is a laxative use by individuals to relieve

constipation. Some veterinarians recommend it for a cat’s

constipation. If considering MiraLAX for your cat, consult

with your vet to ensure there are no medical conditions or

potential medication interactions that may occur.

MiraLAX should only be used on a short-term basis for

cats and should not be used long term.

MiraLAX’s only active Ingredient is Polyethylene Glycol

3350. The number represents the average molecular

weight of the product. While clinical trials have proven

MiraLAX safe for consumption, Polyethylene glycol

(PEG) is a polyether compound with many applications

from medicine to industrial manufacturing. The compound

is found in antifreeze.

We are bringing this to the attention of our readers

because one of our active volunteers had been giving her

cat this product in its water for a year on the

recommendation of her veterinarian. Upon consulting

another vet, he told our distraught volunteer the side

effects of MiraLAX’s long-term use for cats.

She did not know. Her cat died.

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SOS stays on top of medical care

When Funny Face was found by an animal lover in

Tampa, the 13-year old Calico was nearly blind, very

dehydrated and weak and had lost muscle tone. And she

was declawed - unable to defend herself. Brought to a

SOS veterinarian, the sweet kitty was diagnosed with

pneumonia. She is recovering in a foster home.

When Shadow was rescued from Pinellas County Animal

Services, this 6-year old sweetheart had an infectious

skin condition with crusty ears and open sores. Frequent

baths and antibiotics improved her ailment. Then the

sores flared up even more severe. Shadow was

diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called Pem-

phigus Foliaceus. She is now on steroids that are helping

her. She will probably require them on an ongoing basis.

Rescued from a park in Largo, 10-year old Abe tested

positive for FIV. With a compromised immune system,

Abe’s teeth were in bad condition. The removal of all of

his teeth was required.

The health issues of the three cats highlighted are just

a sampling of SOS’s dedication to providing the best

care possible for its ailing felines.

Tuxedo pair needs a new home

Right before Christmas 2012,

Saleem and his best friend,

Sabrina – both declawed - were

abandoned at Pinellas County

Animal Services by their owner.

Although only Sabrina was

registered to Save Our Strays, we

rescued both cats, not wanting to

separate them.

As luck would have it, Frank and

Greta Ahern, winter residents

One Paw (Saleem) takes a time out

from retrieving balls thrown his way.

Two Paws loves to play with feathers

from Alaska, wanted to foster for

SOS again. Eleven-yr old Saleem

and five-yr old Sabrina fit right in

at the couple’s Gulfport condo.

The friendly felines have given

the Alaskan couple a great

amount of enjoyment and com-

panionship this winter. Now the

Aherns will be returning to

Anchorage, Alaska and One Paw

(one front white paw) and Two

Paws (two front white paws) as

the pair has been renamed need

another family to love them.

Wouldn't you like to share your

home with this delightful duo? To

learn more about this look-alike

pair, call an SOS volunteer at 727

545-1116

Two Paws (Sabrina) is ready to pounce.

Foster

Dad

Bob Waxman and his best buddy, Dexter, are

always together when Bob is reading or watching

TV.

Bob Waxman never shared his home with a cat

before. He always owned dogs, which he loved to

walk. In January Bob’s daughter Liesa suggested a

Save Our Strays cat and introduced 9-year old

Dexter to Bob. Reluctant initially because he could

not ‘walk the cat,’ Bob has become quite attached

to Dexter who is always at his side.

Match.cat

An occasional feature on SOS cats

and their look-alikes

When Alanna O'Brien saw Brady’s photo in the

newspaper, she was surprised that he looked just

like her kitty, Tomahawk. When Alanna and her

husband met Brady, they fell in love with the

mellow guy. Now Brady and ‘Tom,’ named after the

Seminole team, play and sleep together as well as

groom each other.

Solid grey cats, Brady and Tom, are quite the pair. -5-

Latest contributors Mickey needs a home Effective through March 31, 2013

Blue Ribbon Membership ($100 - $999 donation)

Frank & Gertie Ahern Rodger & Candy Bliss Wendy Capelin Patti & Barry Capen Amelia Cowles Cindy & Sam Gray Deborah Greenwood Evelyn Harley Paula Hays Rodney B. Kuiper Lillie Litzsinger Kimberly Mahoney Naomi Malone Andrea & Don McFadden Kevin Murray Pat & Richard Smith Nancy Snodgrass Sophia Snyder John & Nancy Stafford Dara Tribiano Sharon K. Warner

Paws Membership

Suzanne Batezel Jacquelyn Baylies Jerome De Clercq Diamond Appraisers of Florida Doug & Nancy Doll Stacie Eckenrode Marilyn Esposito Robert Gerwig Ann & Chuck Gibson Julie Harris Livia & Jack Hawkins Ray & Marge Hill Robert & Diane Holland Daniel Hood Carolyn Huffer Jannie Hume Jane Jarlenski Kay McAleer Fran McDermott Shelley McKaughan Kyle McNeer Lee Mowinski Richard Newman Monte & Mary Palmer Dennis & Penny Peek & Abby, our precious SOS cat! Evelyn Perna Susan Pierce Angela Porsch Jean Purdy Anita Rallo

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Hudson Reed Eloise Ritter Grace Roth Leslie Rowe Marilyn Schleicher Barbara & Mel Shapiro Shoshana Shay Alice Smith Robert & Terri Tankel Theresa Thomas Maria Thornton James Tomaszewski Judith Votaw Ruthe Yow Deborah Wheeler Elizabeth Wood Ellen Wright

In Memory of Pets

From Callie & Stormy Arthur Markowitz Jazz, Puddin, Michael & Joan Alley & Cleo Baker

In Honor of People

From

Wayne & Julie Katherine North Rowell

In Memory of People

From Andrea Bower Shelley Dispain Justin & Amy Harry Jennifer Northcott Peter & Joanne Sahner

Special Thanks

Caroline Barnett Handcrafted toys Ken & Mary Wanner Bags of Science Diet cat food Raylene Hunt Cases of cat food Ron Jackson Litter, food, toys & Mel Rue Anita Deal Roll of stamps Gulfport Merchants SOS’s part in Get Assn Rescued event

Free pet food available through Pet Food Stamps Program

The nation’s only non-profit Pet Food Stamps program provides free pet food to qualifying pet owners. If you own a pet, are receiving food stamps or are in a low-income bracket, please visit PetFoodStamps.org to sign up to receive free monthly home delivery of your pet food.

Gene Cowles, animal lover

Save Our Strays must say a sad goodbye to a good and trusted friend of our organization, Gene Cowles. Gene and his wife Amelia often visited our location at the Country-side PetSmart in Clearwater. They always stopped by with a glowing smile and stories about their kitties. Each time it was a joy to see Gene with his wide smile and his tales of his military escapades. This couple not only brought happiness to the PetSmart location when they visited, but were very generous with their donations over the years. Everyone at SOS wants Amelia and her family to know we are thinking of them in their time of sadness. Gene, a resident of Safety Harbor, passed away on January 23, 2013. He was in the U.S. Marine Corp and earned the Purple Heart with Gold Star, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal with two Stars. He was of the Baptist faith.

Save Our Strays teams up with Watkins Natural Products

J. R. Watkins Natural Products has been serving satisfied customers since 1868. Its array of products includes gourmet spices, personal and home care items, health remedies and a baby line. Now you can order these great items at www.watkinsonline.com/saveourstrays_inc

Select items in left column. When you have placed an order, refer to our member no. 399359. As an Independent Watkins Consultant, SOS receives a commission on all sales.

Our Wish List Grant writers Adoption counselor volunteers Additional foster homes PetSmart gift cards Training (pee) pads Catnip toys Canned & dry adult cat food Canned kitten food Scoopable clay litter Humane traps for feral cats Postage stamps

Please bring items to our PetSmart space

Volunteer Spotlight

Eric Petty

From the time that Eric Petty was given his first cat at age 4, he has always shown a compassion for the welfare of all animals.

When Eric Petty was a Minnesota State Senator in the Eighties, he received an award from the Protective Alternatives League, a state-wide organization, for legisla-tive work that he did on animal welfare issues. He successfully authored an amendment that required county and municipal shelters to increase the hold time on animals in custody from three to seven days. He also tried to pass legislation to give additional protection to wolves and to regulate breeding practices of domestic animals.

Eric sets up QuickBooks software program for Save Our Strays.

The Kansas native has had managerial experience with large corporations and also has owned several small businesses.

Eric relocated to Florida for the second time in 2003 and establish-ed his firm, Corporate Consultants, Inc. in 2007.

In addition to being a CPA, Eric is a Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA).

The busy businessman is also an adjunct instructor in Accounting at St. Petersburg College.

Eric became acquainted with Save Our Strays in 2007 when he began fostering an adult cat. In addition to being a foster dad for SOS cats, Eric has volunteered at numerous SOS promotional events.

Eric has also provided profess-sional assistance to Save Our Strays. He recently set up the software program QuickBooks for financial data. Eric lives in Clearwater with his three cats – all rescued felines - plus a foster cat.

His son John is a Computer Engineering Major at the University of Texas in Austin.

Americans spend more on cat food than on baby food.

Return envelopes provided courtesy of Clearwater Animal Clinic, 1639 S. Missouri Av., Clearwater FL, 727-584-1151

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Please support Save Our Strays, Inc. ���� I’d like to Join / Volunteer

Name:__________________________________________________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________________City:___________________________

State/Zip:______________________________________ E-mail address:____________________________

Home Ph:________________ Work Ph:_________________ Cell Ph:______________________

���� I would like to contribute to spay/neuter of feral cats ���� cost of veterinary expenses for ailing cats

���� I want to support Save Our Strays, Inc; enclosed is my gift of:

����$10 ����$25 ����$50 ����$100 ����$250 ����$500 ����$1,000 (Corporate/Best of Show) ����$______ Other

Interested in volunteering? What would you like to do? Transport cats, volunteer as an adoption counselor at PetSmart on an occasional Saturday or Sunday, foster a cat or kittens, volunteer at promotional events, help with newsletter mailings, assist with grant writing. Call 727 545-1116 to learn more.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Have you ever fostered a cat before? _____ Can you foster a Save Our Strays kitten or cat now? _____ Please phone: 727 481-5262 As a foster home caregiver, a home visit is required prior to fostering for Save Our Strays, Inc. You need to understand that fostering requires a commitment to seeing the process through to adoption which means you could foster a cat for, perhaps, several weeks. You need be able to transport the cat to a participating veterinarian and to a PetSmart store for adoption. We adopt from PetSmart stores in the Countryside area, Gateway Mall and from the Tyrone Blvd. store on weekends. See page 2

for times. (Rev. March 2013) -7-