#6 — A tribute to pizza 😢
Happy New Year and welcome to the January edition of the Adopt Meow Newsletter.
We have many success stories this month but chose the top 3 to share with you in this newsletter. There’s so much that happens behind the scenes that doesn’t get shared on Facebook, so even if you follow us there, make sure you check out these heartwarming stories too!
If you’d like to give us a helping hand to support more cats, check out how you can Donate, Foster or Adopt and make a real difference!
Thanks for supporting us and helping us rescue, foster, and find homes for the sweet little kittens and cats of Chiang Mai. We really appreciate it 💓
This month at Adopt Meow 🐾
- Adoptions: 22
- Rescues: 24
- Sterilizations: 3
🔦 Monthly Spotlight
A Tribute to Pizza
By Liz Purdue
In July last year I picked up a message in Thai on Facebook about an injured cat. Joey Sutthriragsa translated and acted as the main point of contact with the cat’s rescuer. ‘Pizza’ had been attacked by a dog which had dislocated his spine. Incredibly fine surgery was carried out at Metta Animal Hospital to reconnect the spine. Unfortunately the damage to the spinal cord was irreparable leaving Pizza paralyzed in his hind legs.
Guen Uhr and I went to visit Pizza at Metta Animal Hospital. Despite his injuries, this lovely young male cat was friendly and affectionate. Adopt Meow helped with the costs of surgery and the girl who found him undertook to care for him. In August, Joey arranged for a wheelchair and all seemed to be going well for Pizza.
In early January, Joey called Liz to say that Pizza was in trouble. The girl who had been taking care of him had had a motorbike accident and Pizza had been seriously neglected for some time. He had horrible sores on his hind quarters. It is a mercy that his paralysis meant that he was unable to feel pain. After two weeks in Don Kaew Animal Hospital he came to stay at the Rescue Centre but unfortunately he had a urinary infection which did not respond to antibiotics and he passed away quietly 12th January.
RIP Pizza. I miss you.
🐈 Rescue of the Month
Phoenix: rising from the ashes
Phoenix came to Adopt Meow quite unexpectedly. He was a homeless male cat living in the shadows at Laguna Home Moobhan. Jordan Renae, one of our team members, lives at Laguna and has noticed an alarming number of homeless cats and kittens – and they are multiplying! Over the last 2 months she has been Trap, Neuter, and Releasing (TNR) cats in her neighborhood. Phoenix was lucky #4.
Jordan claims that she knew something wasn’t right with Phoenix after just one look at him sitting in the trap early one morning. LIkely trapped in the night while scavenging for food, Pheonix was a bit of a mess that morning. He had defecated in the trap with bloody stool. He looked ashamed, scared, and ill. We brought him to our spay/neuter animal hospital of choice – Don Kaew Animal Hospital.
Shortly after drop off we received a call from the vet with concern he had Feline Panleukopenia, a deadly gastrointestinal virus that wipes out thousands of cats each year in Chiang Mai. Luckily, his blood test turned out negative. Later it was determined that he had a severe gastrointestinal infection and he would need daily oral antibiotics before we could proceed with his neuter. We also ran some additional tests which indicated Pheonix has Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), an incurable disease that can spread to other cats via deep bites.
The decision was ultimately made by Liz to bring him back to the Adopt Meow rescue center and care for him until was well enough for neutering. Once we had the infection under control the decision will be made whether we continue to care for him, letting him live out his days as a garden cat with plentiful food and a safe place to sleep. Or, return him to his territory at Laguna Homes. Because Phoenix is a gentle cat who wants to be loved (but has clearly experienced human related trauma), our hope is to let him live peacefully at Adopt Meow. Ultimately the decision hinges on how well he gets on with the other long-term cat residents. Either way, we know we have done right by taking him off the streets and caring for his immediate needs. Whether he stays with us or goes back to his territory he will at least be pain-free and unlikely to pass FIV via mating and territorial pursuit.
Do you see an abundance of stray cats and kittens in your neighborhood? Interested in starting your own TNR project where you live? Contact us for more information on how to get started!
🔆 Solo: An Update on Everyone’s Favorite Kitten
Solo, a 6 month old cow kitten is nothing short of a celebrity at the Adopt Meow Rescue Center. Many of you probably remember his rollercoaster of a story from our very first newsletter. If you haven’t read up on Solo, you can do so here.
We are proud to say that Solo did indeed survive – to the surprise of multiple veterinarians and all of us at Adopt Meow. After a grim diagnosis of FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), it’s safe to say we were all holding our breath yet counting down the days. Clearly, Solo had other plans.
A month after moving in with Liz at the Adopt Meow Rescue Center and many vet trips later, we came to the agreement that Solo truly did not have FIP. But what he does have or had, is still a mystery to us all. He has improved tremendously over the months under Liz’s direct care. In case you didn’t know, she has adopted him!
These days, Solo serves as the chief foster dad in Liz’s bedroom. With a wide range of kittens rotating through, he takes to them all! Some of the things Foster Solo is best at teaching the new kittens are how to bathe (or rather he bathes them!), how to sleep, how to eat, play, jump, cuddle, and the list goes on.
He’s touched the hearts of all the Adopt Meow volunteers and staff, and he’s touching the hearts of our kittens too. What a good boy!
💞 Volunteer Shout-out!
Meet Jah, our Thai Liaison!
Jah Fongngern, a new member of the Adopt Meow team, has been serving the past few months as our Thai Liaison for kitten and cat adoptions. Jah works tirelessly with our Adoption Coordinator to translate kitten and cat advertisements. With Jah’s services we have been able to get over 30 kittens and cats adopted to Thai speaking families that wouldn’t have been able to access us without her help!
Jah is also the first in line to respond anytime we have inquiries in Thai language or need to provide advice, education, or support to locals. This is a huge help to Adopt Meow in that we can effectively communicate with and educate Thai speaking individuals in the community.
In addition to all of her help in translating, Jah has also adopted two lovely rescue kittens from us – Pax and Pailin. They are her whole world as she is theirs! We are so fortunate to have the help that Jah offers, we couldn’t do it without her! Thank you Jah! We (and the cats!) are forever grateful!
🐱 Volunteer with us!
Become a short-term volunteer at our rescue centre and book your slot to spend time with our rescue cats and kittens!
Did you know that you can become a volunteer by spending some time with our cats to help socialise them? We have volunteer days every Thursday and Sunday — make sure you book your spot as they are limited and get snapped up fast.
