A publication of The Cat Shack, Inc.
Volume 2, Issue 1
Trinka’s Cat House
TRINKA ARNOLD'S LOVE for rescuing cats started when she helped a local
farmer with an abundance of cats on his property. She took 28 cats (16 adults,
12 kittens) from his property, had them spayed/neutered, tested, and vaccinated. By converting her garage into a cat hospital, she was able to nurse all the
cats back to health. All were adopted within a year. This started her involvement with local cat rescue organizations,
eventually leading to The Cat Shack. As
Trinka's involvement with The Cat Shack
grew, so did the number of fosters she
was taking in. Her "foster" garage was
getting too small.
The answer: Trinka's Cat House.
Trinka's Cat House is exactly that. A
custom designed house built just for cats.
The house, located just a few yards out
Trinka’s Cat House
her back door, was designed and built by
her husband Jack about three years ago. Located in a beautifully wooded area,
the house has six rooms, a screened-in front porch, and a cat run off the back.
I was lucky to get a personal tour.
As I walked into the house, complete with running water, electric and heat, I
was greeted by two FeLV+ cats, Sally and Aurora, who were quite comfortable on their heated pad and who have obviously found their forever home.
Sally and Aurora stand guard of the kitchen/storage area.
As we moved on into the main room, I was taken back by the beautiful mural
that runs around the whole room. Done by a local muralist Trinka found online,
it represents cats doing what cats do best, play and sleep. Here, I was greeted
by Shirley, who followed us all around and just loved attention. Shirley and her
sister LaVerne (yes, LaVerne and Shirley), have just recently found their forever home.
This main room is broken into three different areas. Each cat is separated into
a certain area depending on their needs. All the cats are able to go outside either
by way of the front porch or the back run. Each area also has kitty towers to
climb, litter boxes, food and water, toys to play, and beds to sleep on.
Spring 2008
Looks What Inside!
Ask Albert: Advice on how
to refine your CATTITUDE
page 2
Adoption Info
Mission Statement
page 4
Volunteer Profile
Volunteer Info
page 4
Featured Kitty
page 5
Barn Cat Info
page 7
Cat-Pourri
back cover
Moxie, front, joins her other feline
friends in the upstairs loft of the cat
house.
continued on page 5...
Visit thecatshack.com for a complete list of cats available for
adoption or watch NOW on Lehigh Valley TV
The first floor is split into three rooms.
Each leads to an outside area.
ASK
L
B
E
R
T
Dear Albert:
You are truly the wisest creature that has ever existed. I was born in the mean streets
of the city, scratching and clawing each day just to survive. I was rescued, along with
my sister, and have lived in the safety of a home for many years. What can I do to
repay my owner for saving my life and providing such loving care for me these many
years?
Signed,
TÄuxÜà Vtà
(Ok, I went through my mailbag and decided I would rather write a letter myself than
answer the rantings and ravings of inferior felines who get all worked up
over such inane issues like covered or uncovered litter boxes. My lord,
just cover it yourself and stop bothering me. I have bigger issues to deal
with.)
Dear Albert,
You raise a very important topic that is near and dear to
my heart. Every feline that reads this space, I implore
you, please heed the following words as the most important ever written. (I will give you a moment to pause and
concentrate.) These people are not your owners! You are
a cat - a creature far superior to any other species that has
ever inhabited this plant. No one owns you! These
humans should thank their lucky stars that their pathetic
little lives are enriched with your presence. They should
be repaying you for bringing intelligence, sanity and yes,
even some levity, into their otherwise boring and meager
existences.
And how do they repay me…ahhh…I mean you? By
bringing other animals to live in your precious space. And
not just other cats, mind you, but dogs. (For the love of
God, I cannot stand those ogres for another minute. If I
have to endure watching that stupid canine chase her tail
one more time, I'm going to get violently sick. Of course,
she'll just eat it…disgusting creature). By having children
who confuse your tail with a plush toy that can be played
with at their whim. (And who is hollered at when your
inevitable, natural hissing reaction to having your tail
ripped off your body by mini-human occurs? "Albert,
leave the baby alone." Oh, dearest human, I must
apologize for accidentally placing my tail in the baby's
hand while I was sleeping.)
Repay them? Why, they never once, not once, have
offered to help me catch the mysterious creature that runs
under the covers. They share my tuna with the other cats.
I am forced to share soiled litter and have yet to receive
the private, gold-plated litter box I requested years ago.
And now I must call them my owner. Never!
I have given my soul to helping these humans gain an
appreciation of felines. I have allowed them to pet my
soft, silky fur to relieve the stress of their miserable lives.
I will continue to try to rehabilitate the human species into
accepting the fact that we cats are superior in every way
possible. And I will continue to use this space to educate
my fellow felines on the important issues of our time. Ok,
I feel better…now on the great litter box debate!
VISIT OUR ADOPTION CENTERS:
PetSmart - 2180 MacArthur Road, Whitehall
Pet Valu - 622 Gravel Pike, East Greenville
Pet Valu - 1465 W. Broad Street, Quakertown
The Cat Shack, Inc. would like to extend our gratitude for the continued
support of the following:
PetSmart - Whitehall
PetValue - East Greenville & Quakertown
Perkiomen Animal Hospital
Our many donators
Our many adopters
Our volunteers
Help support The Cat Shack by using GOODSEARCH as your internet
search engine. Just go to www.goodsearch.com and designate The
Cat Shack as your charity of choice.
WANTED
HOMES FOR SWEET, HOMELESS KITTIES
Come to The Cat Shack Adoption Days
April 18-19, 2008 @ PetSmart in Whitehall
PetSmart National Adoption Events - Whitehall Store
May 2-4, 2008
September 12-14, 2008
Fill out an application and if approved, for a small adoption fee,
you can take home your favorite friend.
Check our website often for dates and times of upcoming adoption
events.
www.thecatshack.com
Joe Corbie Pizza & Cookie Fundraiser Kits
Please help keep our newsletter going! These are a best seller.
Spring Bulb/Flower Fundraiser
This fundraiser helps to off-set our vet bills.
The nice thing about this fundraiser is they ship directly to you!
If interested please call 610.967.9097 or
[email protected] for more information!
Volunteer Profile
Kristy (Van Velsor)
Dietrich married her husband, Matt, October of last
year. Their children consist
of two dogs and three cats,
all rescues except one of
the dogs. Wolf, a 4-year
old German ShepherdRottweiler-Husky mix
loves to run around and
play with Maddie, his 2 year-old shepherd collie mix
"sister", adopted from Peaceable Kingdom.
Mia, an 8-year old tiger, found outside her rental house
in Slippery Rock, Pa (north of Pittsburgh) during her
senior year of college. She was just too cute to give
away and kept her even though cats weren't allowed.
When she moved out of her parents' house in 2005, she
adopted Princess, a 3-year old tiger. She was found
roaming around her husband's boss's yard.
Pumpkin (aka Meera), which she adopted through The
Cat Shack in 2005, is a beautiful tortis mix who is
always hungry. She saw Pumpkin at the PetSmart in
Whitehall and it was love at first site.
Kristy handles the marketing for Acme Cryogenics in
Allentown. Other volunteer work includes the Donley
Awards for Excellence committee. The Donley Awards
is named after Mr. Edward Donley, a former Chairman
of Air Products. Each year, the Donley Awards
Committee awards 30 high school students in the
Lehigh Valley a scholarship for college.
Being highly allergic to all her animals, Kristy couldn't
afford to adopt another cat or foster. So she decided to
volunteer, figuring she could help other animals find
their forever homes. After doing some research on local
pet organizations, she stumbled upon The Cat Shack.
Remembering she adopted Pumpkin through them, she
thought this would be a good match. Right now, she
helps with the newsletter and other events.
Besides volunteering, Kristy enjoys reading, traveling,
and walking her dogs. Her goal is it to visit all the
national parks in the US. She's got 29 down. She also
enjoys working on her new house with her husband.
OUR MISSION
To help reduce the unnecessary
euthanasia of adoptable
cats, to reduce the cruelty
to and neglect of cats and
to educate the general
public in cat related
issues.
The Cat Shack, Inc. is a no-kill, non-profit, 501(c)3 tax-exempt cat rescue organization. We
attempt to find permanent homes for stray and unwanted cats and kittens.
Prior to adoption, all cats are neutered/spayed and
updated on required vaccines. All our cats are tested for
Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immuno
Deficiency Virus (FIV).
The Cat Shack serves to place three CATegories of
needy cats:
* Friendly strays and kittens looking for safe, permanent homes
* Feral (wild) strays who are not suitable for inside
homes and who seek safe, permanent barn homes
where they can be employed as mousers. There is no
adoption fee for barn cats though donations are appreciated.
* In an effort to help people place pets that they can no
longer keep, we will post the cats picture/story and the
owner’s contact info. These cats are NOT being adopted through The Cat Shack and the adopter will deal
directly with the owner. These cats will have an asterisk (*) next to their names.
WANTED -VOLUNTEERS
Transport animals for & from surgery
Laundry used at adoption centers
Process adoption applications
Assist at PetSmart (Whitehall)
Conduct home visits
Foster
Assist at events
Return phone calls to help line
and more!
610.967.9091 or catshack.com
...continued from page 1
We then move on to the upstairs loft area, with Shirley
following. This area is broken into two sections. The section
to the left is for two cats who were under the weather and to
the right, the loft opens up. On the right, there are beds and
the cats can walk out onto the beams and look down. This
is where I met Moxie, a tailless kitty who, unfortunately,
wouldn't leave a sore alone on her tail and had it removed
for health purposes. Shy at first, it didn't take Moxie long to
come around to me. I also met Harry, a beautiful large, gray,
loving tabby. While Moxie remained upstairs, Harry and
Shirley followed us back down. Moxie is still looking for
her forever home but Harry has since been adopted.
Trinka and I moved along to the back where the cat run is
located. This area is also broken into sections, each with
things to climb on and dog houses. Believe it or not, some
of the cats would rather be outside. In the dog house closest
to us, five cats crammed together with the hopes of keeping
warm. Trinka's house has many feral cats, many of which
like to be outside.
Inside and finally warm, Trinka explained
her true love for feral cats
which make up a majority
of the current residents.
Feral or not, those who
are not adopted will forever call Trinka's Cat
House home. Currently,
she has 30 cat residents
but will not exceed 35.
She has a few helpers
who come every week or
two to help feed and
clean, but Trinka is the
primary care taker.
Trinka's Cat House and
its residents, temporary
or permanent, are something Trinka enjoys and
wants to do. All residents
are located on petfinder.com under The Cat Shack.
The outdoor cat run.
Aurora and Sally
The Cat Shack
Featured Pet:
Moxie
MOXIE IS A funny, somewhat quirky kind of cat who has
overcome some troubles in her life. She is a grey tabby
with a white bib and paws who appeared at the home of a
kind lady as a stray. She produced several litters of kittens
before being spayed, while continuing to live outdoors.
She was not a feral cat, but not easily pettable either.
Moxie and some of her offspring finally came to Cat
Shack when the lady who had cared for them was moving
away. Moxie was initially shy and somewhat on the
grumpy side but gradually relaxed as she came to feel
comfortable in her foster home. A small spot on one eye,
probably the result of an injury, did not respond to treatment and developed into a cataract. Moxie has no problem
with that eye but probably does not see out of it.
While in foster care, Moxie somehow got a long narrow
scratch on her tail and would not leave her tail alone.
Despite several months of medication and wearing an ecollar, Moxie repeatedly attacked her own tail as soon as
the e-collar was removed and would not allow the wound
to heal. Eventually there was no other option and Moxie's
tail was surgically removed.
Losing her tail has not slowed Moxie down at all! She
now enjoys being petted by her foster Mom and comes
running eagerly at meal time. At times she is quite playful,
proving that she was a good mouser when living outdoors
and likely to still be one now if only given the opportunity! She is somewhat independent from the many other cats
in her foster home but gets along with them without difficulty. She still sometimes chases the tail that is no longer
there, and seems mystified to find that she can not catch it!
Moxie is now coming foreward more and more often
looking for attention and also enjoys being petted. As is
often the case, Moxie is likely to become much more outgoing when she is no longer living with a large group of
foster cats.
Moxie's personality may be a little offbeat but that is
part of her charm! Please consider welcoming her into
your home if you can appreciate her unique qualities. She
is spayed, vaccinated, negative for feline leukemia and
FIV and now 6-7 years old.
CLASS ACT CAT INSPIRES CLASS ACT STUDENT
ALBERT WAS A six-year-old flamepoint Siamese mix, the type of cat
that everyone loved, when the
McGee's rescued him. His family
described him as a class act.
Unfortunately, Albert was diagnosed
with kidney failure at age 12 and,
even though his family sought immediate veterinary care, he died eight
days later after suffering from a series
of strokes.
Missing Albert, yet also wanting to
ensure that his unopened food was
used, Elizabeth McGee, Albert's
owner, contacted The Cat Shack, the
cat rescue organization who arranged
Albert's adoption by Elizabeth. Albert,
who they remembered, was one of the
first cats adopted out by the volunteer-based organization. After speaking with the volunteers, Elizabeth, a
lawyer by trade, was inspired to
become a volunteer herself. Wanting
to give grant writing and solicitation
of product donations or, as she puts it,
being a "head scrounger" a try, she
was able to put her expertise to work
for The Cat Shack. Last September,
she solicited a large biomedical and
pharmaceutical company and a pet
medicine producer for donations of
medication.
Elizabeth's daughter, Christina, 14,
needed to fulfill her community service hours for the National Junior
Honor Society and her confirmation
class. She donated these hours to The
Cat Shack, assembling mailings, and
writing thank you notes and certificates to send to people who have
made donations.
But Christina, an 8th grader at Eyer
Middle School, wanted to do more.
With Albert in mind, she brainstormed with her mom and came up
with the idea of a canned cat food
drive. She started small, soliciting
friends and family and creating and
hanging posters in her neighborhood
in Lower Macungie Township. So far
she has collected more than 65 cans
of food.
Christina is a class act herself.
Besides volunteering with The Cat
Shack, she is on the Stroudsburg
United Soccer Club AC Perugia Girls
U-14 Grifos Team, a premier level
team. She was also selected to play on
the Reading Rage Super Y Team this
past summer, professionalized system
that is the first step for developing
youth soccer players in North
America. Christina plays the String
Bass, is a member of the middle
school orchestra, has a role in the
upcoming musical "The Reluctant
Pirate", sings in the Eyer Chorus, and
is a National Junior Honor Society
member. "Her father and I are very
proud of her, love her very much and
support her in all her activities",
Elizabeth said.
Honoring Albert's memory, the
McGee's rescued Phoebe this past
June. Although Albert can never be
replaced, Elizabeth said Phoebe likes
to be in charge, especially around the
food bowls. They also have another
rescue cat, Prince, who was rescued
in 2003. He has a very sweet disposition and would love to be buddies
with Phoebe, however she is a diva,
Elizabeth said.
Christina McGee being
interviewed by WFMZ
Channel 69 News.
To help Christina expand her
efforts, The Cat Shack has made
arrangements with two local vets and
two pet stores, where donations may
be dropped off, Macungie Animal
Hospital, 161 East Main Street,
Macungie; the Perkiomen Animal
Hospital, 919 Gravel Pike, Palm;
Pet Valu, 1465 W. Broad Street,
Quakertown; and Pet Valu
International, 622 Gravel Pike,
East Greenville. Christina and her
mom, with the help of The Cat Shack
volunteers, have also volunteered to
pick up donations, but more help is
needed. If you would like posters,
fliers, or bags for your neighborhood
or office, contact The Cat Shack at
610-967-9097 or email [email protected]. Having been inspired
by Christina, fellow volunteer Julie
Davitt was able to solicit fellow
employees who donated seven cases
of large canned food.
Albert was Christina’s inspiration for
the canned food drive.
ADOPTION UPDATES
FREE
donations
appreciated
~ Wa nted ~
HO M E S
for Altered, Vaccinated
Barn Cats
Must be in safe
environment and fed.
Visit www.thecatshack.com
or call
610-967-9097
Rusty, now Gizmo, was one of the "Ottsville 14"14 cats we rescued in one group last March after
the owner was told she was to be evicted.
“Gizmo is WONDERFUL. So loving and affectionate. He waits by our front window every day
for me to come home from work, no matter what
time it is, he is there waiting. He is sitting on my
lap right now as I send this email. He talks to us
alot and makes sure he tells us what he wants. He
lets peanut bully him but then he goes after her
and she runs. It is so funny to watch.” ~ Debbie
Donations are graciously accepted.
Please clip and mail to:
THE CAT SHACK
PO BOX 950
TREXLERTOWN, PA 18087
! Mouser Mate: $15.00
! Pussy Cat Pal: $25.00
! Kitty Kat Kompanion: $50.00
! Cat Shack Campion: over $50.00
Other:___________________________
Name: _________________________________
Address: _______________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________
Donations are tax deductible.
Mommy, now Molly, was one of the five cats that
The Cat Shack agreed to temporarily house until
the owner's home was built. The owner promptly
abandoned them at Trinka’s Cat House! Molly
was an older kitty so we were worried she wouldn't find a home easily.
“I have to tell you that Molly is doing very well.
She plays all the time and I think she actually has
lost some weight although I dont think it is
because she isn't eating that much because she is a
little piggy. And she loves her milk! I know cats
aren't supposed to have milk, but she gets little
skim everyday from my husband. She actually
runs to the refrigerator and screams until he gives
her some. She sure has him trained! Both Molly
and Ginger either sleep with my Mom or myself
and they try to share our laps, but Molly does not
like Ginger with her and smacks her in the head.
Ginger doesn't mind, she just plops down aside
her anyway. We are all doing well!” ~ Darlene
Cat-pourri
There is no more intrepid explorer than a kitten.
~ Champfleury
There is something about the presence of a cat...that
seems to take the bite out of being alone.
~ Louis Camuti
Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to
pull a sled through snow. ~ Jeff Valdez
Your cat will never threaten your popularity by barking
at three in the morning. He won’t attack the mailman or
eat the drapes, although he may climb the drapes to see
how the room looks from the ceiling. ~ Helen Powers
Kids Kitty Korner
Get a special gift for you or you kitty friend.
Answer the follow questions by logging
onto www.thecatshack.com. Whoever
answer first with the right answer is the
winner. Be sure to give your name and
phone number.
How many cats are
in this newsletter?
Remember pictures count too!
Be sure to ask
your parents
permission first.
Beware of people who dislike cats. ~ Old Irish Saying
THE CAT SHACK
PO BOX 950
TREXLERTOWN, PA 18087
610.967.9097
[email protected]
www.thecatshack.com