Welcome!
Welcome to the fall 2009 edition of the
Thundering Paws newsletter. This issue
includes a variety of informative and
heart-warming articles to bring you up to
date on all the happenings at Thundering
Paws.
Pawstock 7
by Kay Rolfes
Pawstock is our biggest annual
fundraiser, a great occasion full of music,
food, shopping, and socialization. This
year marks the seventh annual Pawstock
event, and promises to be better than
ever.
Please join us on Sunday, October 4th,
from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Casa de Luna’s
El Arroyo Mexican Cafe, 12432 Bee
Cave Road at Highway 71. We’ll be out
back among the trees, just like last year.
Bring your friends and plan to stay for
dinner, or just stop by for an afternoon
break of tasty nachos and margaritas.
Our silent auction is a fantastic shopping
opportunity, and includes pet products,
home décor, fine art, jewelry, gift
certificates from area restaurants, and
much more. It’s a perfect place to find a
bargain, or perhaps start your holiday
shopping.
We’ll also have our new t-shirts on sale –
an updated design and new colors. Get
yours while we still have a good
selection.
The musical line-up includes a diverse
collection of styles including The
Therapy Sisters’ original folk/comedy
(www.TheTherapySisters.com), Stevie
Tombstone’s Americana/blues/country
style (www.StevieTombstone.com),
pop/classic rock by Jackson
(www.JacksonRocks.com), and T. Tex
Edwards special eclectic southern flair.
Check the Thundering Paws web site
(www.ThunderingPaws.org) for updates
on performance times and other acts.
Have a great time and support a great
cause all at once at Pawstock! See you
there!
Contents
Welcome
Pawstock 7
Forever Home, Wherefore
Art Thou?
Heartworms in Cats
The Camp Mabry Kitties
The Drive for Five
Dexter Update
Billy Finds a Home
In Memoriam: China
In Memoriam: Miss Mickey
Le’Mouse
In Memoriam: Oliver
Bartholomew
Newsletter Contributers
Our Direct Deposit Form
Portia’s kittens – read their story on page 2
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
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Forever Home, Wherefore Art Thou?
by Anne Zabolio
Portia is a semi-feral long haired, black
kitty who came from a managed colony
in Austin. A “managed colony” is the
term that feral cat friends use to define a
group of feral cats who are cared for by a
caretaker, in Portia’s case, a kind
neighbor to her vacant lot. These people
feed the cats, and, even more importantly,
spay/neuter everyone they can trap,
keeping up with the spaying and
neutering of any new cats that show up in
the group. Portia showed up very
pregnant and, in fact, had her babies
before her caretaker could trap her. She
and the babies were brought to
Thundering Paws so the kittens could get
old enough to be spayed/neutered, and
adopted to loving homes. Portia will be
spayed and vaccinated, and go back to
her managed colony when the kittens are
old enough.
We’re often asked if we run out of names
for kittens. Well, no. I had just e-mailed
with my friend who is a Shakespearean
actor when I saw these kittens, so I emailed him back and asked for names.
We came up with Viola, Desdemona,
Othello, and Juliet. Viola is definitely the
“head kitten,” who is always at the front
of the cage, talks a lot, and is quite
opinionated! They will be available for
adoption as soon as they are old enough.
We do “pre-adoptions” however, in case
you want one of these darlings. A “preadoption” means that you select your
kitten and give us a financial guarantee
that the kitten will be spayed or neutered.
This deposit is returned after the surgery
is performed.
Elle
is positive. Julia appealed to us to take
her and we did.
We found out from Dr. Leanne
Jakubowsky (“Dr. J.” to her clients) that
there is some evidence that some of the
symptoms of heartworm infection may be
caused by a parasite within the
heartworms, Wolbachia. Heartworms die
of natural causes and, at death, emit the
Wolbachia into the animal’s bloodstream.
It is thought that the Wolbachia may be
the worst offender in causing the
symptoms associated with heartworms.
Dr. J. has been treating her heartworm
positive patients with Doxycycline to kill
the Wolbachia and she feels the results
are positive. If an unsymptomatic cat can
Heartworms in Cats
by Anne Zabolio
While rare, heartworms do show up in
cats. A new snap test, which used to test
only for FIV and feline leukemia, now
tests for heartworms, too. That’s how we
found out that Elle was infected.
Elle was a sweet kitty living in a feral
colony. She was taken to be spayed and,
just hoping that she could find a home for
her, Julia Hilder, her rescuer, had her
tested. Since the newer tests scan for
heartworms, too, Julia found out that Elle
Mabry
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
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outlive her heartworms, and does not
have to contend with Wolbachia, she may
recover. Elle has been treated and is still,
six months later, unsymptomatic. We will
have her retested when the veterinarian
tells us the time is right and we hope to
adopt her out, as Elle is not only beautiful
but very friendly.
The Camp Mabry Kitties
by Anne Zabolio
Our of our volunteers and board
members, Kelly Player, works as a
consultant at Camp Mabry, a military
installation in Austin. In May, she was
looking out the window of her office and
saw a small, long-haired black cat trailed
by two black kittens and a Siamese
kitten. She went out to visit with the cats
and the kittens ran, but the mom stayed
and allowed Kelly to pet her. Kelly
named her Mabry and, realizing the
kittens were old enough to take care of
themselves, brought her home and then to
Thundering Paws. One of the black
kittens was friendly, and another person
at the installation took him home. Kelly
trapped the Siamese kitten without any
problem and brought her here the day
after her mom arrived. Named Luna, she
is beautiful and tailless. Mabry has a
shortened tail. They are all Manx mixes.
As always, when we are having a
fundraiser, we encountered more vet
bills. This time it was our most recent
rescue who became really ill and had to
spend a week at the vet. Rambler is much
better, but he is back at the vet for
another problem. (The vet told me today
that Rambler is his – the vet’s – “Main
Man.”)
We want to thank everyone who
participated. The response was
overwhelming and we are grateful for the
contributions that poured in by $5s and
$10s to help care for the animals.
He seemed to choose Stephanies. A
young woman came over to consider
adopting a cat. A first time cat owner,
Stephanie Janulis talked to many cats
here, but it was Dreyfus who chose her.
She renamed him Dexter, a perfect name
for him, and took him home to Dallas.
She sends us pictures regularly and, from
the looks of this one, he still likes to
drape himself around his chosen friends.
The Memorial Day weekend is usually a
fun time for people – the start of summer,
the first long weekend good for
barbecues, swimming, just laying around
in lawn chairs. Kelly spent it at work. She
wasn’t getting paid for it, however, and
she wasn’t working at her regular job.
She was sitting, looking out a window at
a spot where she had placed a trap for the
last kitten. She called Thundering Paws at
9:30 Monday night. “I got him!” she said.
“What do I do with him now?” “Bring
him to me,” I said. We named him Dash.
He has a stubby tail.
Dexter Update
Billy Finds a Home
by Anne Zabolio
by Anne Zabolio
In an earlier newsletter, we told the story
of Dreyfus, a young feral kitty who ate at
one of the colonies of feral cats that we
feed daily. Dreyfus didn’t want to be
feral. He kept bumping against the
volunteers, talking, and, ultimately
allowed himself to be picked up, put into
a carrier, and brought to Thundering
Paws.
Billy, a large brown tabby, was running
around acting like a feral cat until Dawn
trapped him. He settled down
immediately and became a head butter.
But Dawn found out that he is FIV
positive (FIV+). FIV is the virus that
causes “kitty AIDS.” Like HIV, it is
transmitted only in a fairly air-deprived
arena, such as during sex, in a deep bite,
or by sharing needles (which kitties don’t
do voluntarily). Billy is a lover, not a
fighter, and is retired from sex, but since
other cats here could take umbrage at
him, bite him, and contract the disease,
we put him in a room with our other
Luna was tamed by a loving foster
family. Mabry didn’t need taming. Dash
has been handed around to several
households and has gotten tamer with
each succeeding foster placement. All are
ready for forever homes.
A little skittish at first, Dreyfus calmed
down and became a lover boy. Loud
noises and quick movements continued to
startle him, but he reacted less and less.
And he quickly identified volunteers that
wanted his sweet attentions. Stephanie
Limb, a Sunday afternoon volunteer,
would sit on the floor so that Dreyfus
could wrap himself around her waist and
purr like a locomotive.
The Drive for Five
by Anne Zabolio
August is our hardest month. A new, and
obviously brilliant, board member came
up with “The Drive for Five” as our
August fundraiser. We e-mailed almost
everyone on our list and asked that they
send us $5, then e-mail everyone on their
lists and ask the same. Our goal was
$5,000 and, while the woman who keeps
the figures is out of town and I cannot get
an exact count, I am sure we made over
$4,000. It paid off some bills to our
veterinarians, paid our rent and utilities,
and paid some of the outstanding bills to
Hill’s Science Diet for our cat and dog
food.
Dexter and his favorite person in the whole world
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
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FIV+ cat, Mason. (Mason really was a
feral cat, but he is over that now and is a
very cute, if goofy, orange tabby with a
formerly broken, badly healed leg.)
A couple who have another FIV+ cat,
Sarge, slightly smaller and slightly grayer
than Billy, applied to adopt Billy. After
talking to them, we determined that it
would be a great home for Billy and we
took him over to meet Larry, Kim and
Sarge. Larry and Kim, the humans, were
delighted with Billy immediately. Sarge
wasn’t sure. Sarge followed Billy all over
the house. It seemed he was saying,
“What are you doing in my living room?
Hey! What are you doing over there in
the laundry room? Why are you in my
kitchen? What are you doing in my
parents’ bedroom? Now you’re in the
bathroom! Why?” However, every time
Billy would turn around and confront
Sarge, they would touch noses with no
hissing, spitting, swatting, or bad
language, and then Billy would resume
his inspection.
Having found the house satisfactory,
Billy opted to stay. Sarge grumbled a bit,
but, we are told, played with Billy after
we left. They did have a fur-flying
altercation about who would sleep on the
bed with the humans, but no one bared
Billy
claw nor tooth. The humans told them
that the bed is large and they may BOTH
sleep on it. We hope they take this
information to heart.
In Memoriam: China
Keep your fingers crossed, but it looks
like Billy may have found his forever
home.
China, a little brown tabby rescued by
Anne Zabolio from a feral colony in
Dripping Springs, won me over as soon
as she arrived at Thundering Paws. She
was very ill with stomatitis, a dreadful
disease. I brought her home on December
31, 2006, and over time her health
improved somewhat, although she always
had her ups and downs and made many
visits to the vet. She evolved from being
somewhat feral to absolutely the
sweetest, most loyal cat companion I
have ever had. She followed me
everywhere, sat at my side or in my lap,
and gave me and her kitty friends
(especially her pal Athena) many head
bumps each day. She snuggled against
my right side, with her head on my
shoulder, all night and every night. In
early May of this year, China suddenly
became very ill with kidney failure.
Twice weekly fluids kept her going until
early August, when she no longer had the
strength to fight the disease. My little
China is now at rest at the beautiful and
peaceful cemetery on the northwest side
of Thundering Paws. I miss her so much
and wish she could have been my
companion for many more years.
China
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
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by Dave Harper
In Memoriam: Miss Mickey
Le’Mouse 1986-2009
by Laura LaMantia
Born in Paris, France, Mickey was
immediately adopted by a Saudi family
and taken back to Saudi Arabia where she
grew into one of the most beautiful
Persian Angora cats to grace the Earth. I
first met Mickey in 1996 when she
gracefully sashayed into the attached
business office of my driver’s home. At
that time she was residing with a lovely
Pakistani family that had taken her under
their wing following concerns for her
well being as the Saudi family grew in
size. I was immediately struck by her
delicate resemblance to the cat that
performed in the Fancy Feast
commercials back home.
Captivated by her beauty and spirit, there
were no second thoughts to consider
when in 1998 my driver came to me in
tears and begged that I take her into my
family. He was being repatriated to
Pakistan and feared for her safety if she
were to accompany his family home. It
was very hard for his family to say
goodbye to their first and only beloved
pet, but they felt they had to do what was
best for her under the circumstances. We
were proud to be entrusted with someone
so valued and took our responsibility to
her seriously.
Mickey blessed us with her presence on
Thanksgiving Day, 1998. In September of
2000, Mickey flew cross-continent once
again to arrive in the US and she has
proceeded to fill our days with
wonderment, entertainment and love ever
since. It has been our joy and pleasure to
be with her as she learned the wonders of
such things taken for granted by
“western” cats such as squirrels, birds,
dogs etc. and such frivolities as stuffed
mice, cat nip and scratching posts. Such
things never did make sense to Miss
Mickey and she regularly scoffed at our
efforts to engage and entertain her with
such odd devices. Instead, Mickey
preferred the comforts of a warm
sunbeam, a bowl of fresh cream, and an
occasional smear of cream cheese shared
with her beloved girl.
Mickey left us suddenly the morning of
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 at the ripe
old age of twenty-two. She was just two
months shy of her twenty-third birthday
which we were looking forward to
celebrating with caviar, boiled eggs and
crème’ fraiche – hold the onion please. ;)
Mickey leaves behind family and loved
one’s scattered on four continents. Our
stunned home echoes with her absence
today, and our hearts ache in sorrow for a
furry companion that brought so much
light, love and laughter to so many.
Rest in eternal peace Miss Mousey and
know that you were loved more than life
itself, and will be painfully missed from
now until the end of time.
In Memoriam: Oliver
Bartholomew
by Debby Glick
Born January 4, 1999, adopted August 8,
1999.
It’s a Boy!
Three weeks after putting down my
nineteen year old cat, Muffin, the house
seemed very empty. One Sunday I called
all the “Free Kitten” ads in the
newspaper. They had already been given
homes. The last ad had some older
kittens, so I went to see them.
I had one picked out and the cat lady was
chasing it around the apartment trying to
catch him, when this one came and
jumped in the carrier and would not get
out. I removed him twice, but he kept
getting back in. I told the lady I had
“been chosen,” so home we went. He was
a little afraid in the car, but after checking
it out thoroughly, he sat on the arm rest
between the seats and put his left paw on
my shoulder, then laid his head there. I
was hooked. He had never been out of
that apartment. Sadly, he started to go out
and was run over by a car March 7, 2004.
I still miss his sweet purrs.
Newsletter Contributers
Photos by Kay Rolfes, Dave Harper,
Stephanie’s friend and Miss Mousey’s
girl. Formatting and layout by Kay
Rolfes.
Mickey Le’Mouse
Editing by Anne Zabolio and Kay Rolfes.
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
Page 5
Our Direct Deposit Form
Won’t you let us draft $7.14 (the cost of keeping one cat in food and litter) or more from your bank account
monthly, using the form below? In this way we are building an operating budget. It takes close to $6000 a
month to run the sanctuary. How we come up with it is miraculous! To do so, we wrack nerves which could
better be used to save animals. So please become one of our regular contributors. You will save many, many
lives.
Thundering Paws
A Program of Central Texas Animal Sanctuary
P.O. Box 1555
Dripping Springs, TX 78620-1555
512/402-9725
www.thunderingpaws.org
Authorization for Direct Deposit (ACH Deposit) of Monthly Donations
I authorize Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary to initiate variable* entries into my account described below:
Account Number__________________________________________ Checking____ or Savings____
Name and address of Bank, Credit Union, or other financial institution __________________________
Name on Account _______________________________________ Telephone (_____)___________
Address_________________________________________________________________________
Amount $________________ Draft funds on the 5th of the month______ or the 20th of the month_____.
Signature ___________________________________________________ Date _________________
This authority is to remain in full force and effect until Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary has received written
notification from an authorized individual of its termination in such time and manner as to afford Thundering
Paws a reasonable opportunity to act upon it.
Please attach a voided check.
* The word “variable” in this instance pertains to the ability of Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary to draft
monies out of the above account and, if a cancellation order is received after a monthly draft has been taken, to
refund that donation back into the account.
To cancel this authorization, please send a copy of this form with the word “CANCEL” prominently written
across it to the above address.
Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary thanks you for your tax deductible donations. You will receive a yearly
summary of your donations in January.
Volume 6, Number 1, September 2009
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