Witty Kitties, Inc. Newsletter

A Shelter for Special Needs Cats & Exotic Reptiles * Vol. XIII, Issue 3 * Late Fall, 2016

WITTY KITTIES, INC. MISSION STATEMENT

Founded in 2000, Witty Kitties provides quality care and shelter to cats with specific chronic medical needs within the five-state area we serve. Our organization is

committed to collaborating with local humane organizations in rescue work and low-cost spay/neuter services. We provide rescue, care, and appropriate housing for a

variety of reptiles, as well. As part of our overall service to the community, Witty Kitties works to educate the public regarding proper care of these companion animals

and, ideally, to find permanent, quality homes for them.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jenni Doll, DVM, President Torben Platt, the Reptile Guy

Kathleen Schoon, Volunteer Coordinator Trish Wasek, Webmaster

John McLaughlin, Infrastructure Amy Holcomb, Facebook Coordinator Maggy Tomova, Lama Poop Scooper!

Cinnamon Toast Snickers Beau Cassy Wrinkles Libby

Free Hot Lunch by Jenni Doll, DVM

We all love a free meal, assuming it is tasty and has no strings attached like having to listen to a speaker discuss business propositions or time-shares. What is there not to like? I thought about this a few weeks ago and how when I say “free food” I rarely think about edibles meant for me. Rather what I really get excited about is free ani-mal food. This was on my mind a couple weeks ago. On a Tuesday (I am not at the clinic those days) I took the dogs for their exercise to one of my favorite spots, the then- and now-flooded Sandy Beach. I like it because there is rarely anyone else there on weekday mornings and the water is relatively clean (compared to a stagnant swamp). It had rained the night before and as I threw the ball for Jakey I noticed a neat shaped piece of wood that had floated in. Picking it up, I examined it for anything that would distin-guish it as worthy of being in one of the reptile cages or in my yard. It wasn’t, so I tossed it back into the water. I looked down where I had picked it up and saw two huge night crawlers. My reaction to the night crawlers may not be typical for a 51 year old woman: I quickly grabbed them, and won-dered what I could put them in. I was so excited because the aquatic turtles and box turtle and hinge-back tortoise

would eat these very delightful snacks. I turned to go to the van to find something to put them in and realized, quite embarrassed (how had I not seen them all when I first got there!?), that the parking lot (the tiny portion not covered by water) was crawling with them! You’d have thought someone just handed me an awe-some gift or something. I was almost giddy as I opened the van and saw a small Styrofoam box I hadn’t had the heart to throw away. I began picking up worms and night-

crawlers, so many, I couldn’t keep count. Doing this satisfied two aspects of my personality: One, I was getting free food which was going to be good for the animals, and save a tiny bit of money. Two, I was satisfying my OCD a bit, that “I-love-collecting-and-gathering-things” trait, whether it is pretty stones, sea shells, flowers, or slimy creatures. So I smiled like a child and ran and grabbed worms, alternately throwing the ball for Jakey, once in a while digging up some dirt to put on top of them, until I could find no more. Feeling I had accomplished plenty already

that morning, I proudly put them into the van before throwing the ball a few more times and then going home.

(Continued on page 2)

If using a box to collect grasshoppers, just know that

they can get through the cracks in the box!

Page 2 Witty Kitties, Inc. Late Fall 2016

As I write this, there is a big Rubbermaid container in the basement with most of the worms and night crawlers. Knowing it will take a while to feed them out, I went online to learn how to keep them happy, healthy, and fed. Needless to say it is like having more pets. As a mat-ter of fact, they are in the portion of the basement where my pet rat, the mice, and birds hang out. I take care of them all at the same time. This weird habit doesn’t stop with me. Torben is just as insanely enlightened. As a matter of fact, each summer we are happy to see the first of the grasshoppers show up when we go out on our walks in the field. Early on they are safe from us. But once a certain size, we start grab-bing them. At first we find ourselves away from home with nothing to put them in except for a pop bottle or can. After a few outings we remember to bring containers so we can go crazy catching as many as we want. It is best to go in the early morning while they are still cold and just sitting on the tips of the tall grass and weeds. I liken it to picking berries really, just walking along and plucking them off as I go. We then take them home, put them into a screen cage, and celebrate yet more free food! The bearded dragons and skink are especially fond of these morsels. I can’t forget to mention the fact that we get a tremendous amount of other free foods for our larger animals. For example, Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center brings dog food regularly for Ben the bear. Ching! Free food. We also have folks bring us their last year’s meats from their freezer. Ching! Free food. And I can’t forget all the cat food, dry and canned, we get for free or nearly free. Ching! Ching! But though those donations save us the most money, I guess I get less excited about them than when I’m collect-ing food myself. Maybe I love the activity, “the challenge,” “the chase,” (as much as you can chase a worm or cold insect). I don’t know. I suppose if I were a hunter I would be in photos like those in hunting magazines, kneeling with my bird dog behind a row of ducks, or pheasants. Maybe I’d have trophy deer heads on my walls, or per-haps a stuffed fish. If I were a hunter I imagine we would-n’t have a single rabbit, chipmunk, or squirrel in our woods, assuming I were any good at it. But now that I think of, who says I can’t have my own tro-phy wall and photos? I stalk my prey stealthily and take them down at the right moment. I just may need a brag-ging wall after all. But I suspect it should be equipped with multiple magnifying glasses for viewing.

(Continued from page 1) Cat Declawing — An Issue Worth Discussion by Jenni Doll, Letter to the Editor, Iowa City Press Citizen, 3/23/16

Though there are huge issues in this country that are more

urgent and relevant to the average person, I am writing about a problem most people don't worry about: the

declawing of cats.

As a veterinarian for 25 years, the last of which has been

in rescue and shelter medicine, I have been on both sides

of the issue. I used to condone the procedure to "help cats keep homes.” However, after years of shelter experience I

can tell you it results in severe medical or behavioral

problems that lead to their relinquishment or, worse, just

being let outside.

I just euthanized a severely injured, old wild cat that had

been trapped by a good Samaritan. The cat had severe injuries, was riddled with infected wounds, and was not

even half the body weight she should have been. She was

declawed. This poor cat had been living for years with the inability to defend itself or escape up trees if attacked.

Due to the severity of the injuries, her poor state, and the

fact the cat was not touchable by humans, the people opt-

ed for euthanasia, the best thing for this cat.

It disgusts me this procedure is still presented to cat own-

ers as just another procedure all cats should have. Vets do not tell the client it is literally an amputation of the last

bone of each toe. If done wrong, bone can grow back at

the sites and slowly and painfully work its way through

the skin. If done "right," it causes the toes to curl down-ward. The pain of this can cause the cat to over extend

the "wrist,” causing joint problems. Or, in 30 percent of

cats — please google “The Paw Project” movie — the cat is so uncomfortable it does not want to use the litter box,

due to pain when scratching in the litter. Also, these cats

without claws often become extreme biters. I would ra-ther deal with a semi-feral cat than a declawed indoor cat.

Though we are all caught up in the craziness of life, espe-

cially with the presidential election coming up, please look around you at ways our society has done a great in-

justice to a wonderful animal we domesticated and claim

to love.

Jenni Doll is the Iowa state Director for the Paw Project initiative. Please support this cause! Make a $10 dona-

tion and receive a DVD of The Paw Project Movie. What

a great Christmas gift for an animal-loving friend or rela-

tive! For more information, see www.pawproject.org.

Late Fall 2016 Witty Kitties, Inc. Page 3

Fall Fur Fest Open House

What a great day!! Our 10th annual open house (can you believe it??) was a huge success!

The most popular stop for the kids seemed to be the Face Painting and Animal Balloons table.

Ben the Bear was another huge draw — when we ran out of marshmallows and carrots,

Ben got to munch on celery dipped in jelly (while carefully guarding the jar!).

The snakes, bearded dragon, snapping turtle, and sulcata tortoises had plenty of visitors.

And Joyous Fisher treated us to a fascinating aerial yoga performance. We couldn’t do what

we do without YOU! Thanks to everyone who came and hope to see you again next year!!!

Page 4 Witty Kitties, Inc. Late Fall 2016

I absolutely won the lottery when I adopted Millie (then Susie Q) from

Witty Kitties on November 12, 2012. She came there as a special needs cat

whose rescuers coaxed her into their garage in March of 2012. She had had a

stillborn litter of kittens. Her back left leg was twisted and bleeding and Dr.

Jenni had to amputate. She had a toilet paper tube to protect her leg as she

healed. Eventually her entire leg had to be amputated. But by the time I came

to give her a forever home she had healed wonderfully and wasn’t special needs

any more, just special. I’ve never known a softer, more gentle cat. She was

fearful at first and spent a lot of time in my closet, but after she came to trust me

she rarely hides any more. Except when she wants to elude her collar….

I wanted Millie to have a collar with a tag giving her name and my phone number just in case of the awful chance she

might get out of my apartment. Luckily, I have an indoor hallway and she never gets very far before I scoop her into my arms.

Also, my landing neighbors all know Millie and love her so they would know what to do if she got out and I wasn’t aware of

it. She does have a microchip, but I’m not sure the average person would know to take her to a vet to have it read. So I went

to Petco and got a pretty blue collar and a tag engraved with the basic info. And for years she wore it. As soon as I got home

every night I’d give her a scratch under the chin and around the collar.

But one night about three weeks ago, I came home and gave her the usual scratch and loving and something was not

right. The collar was gone! I looked all over the apartment for it, especially behind furniture where she could have rubbed

against it and popped the safety collar off. When I couldn’t find it that week, I made another trip to Petco for collar and tag.

They had a two-for-one collar special so I got another one just in case…

When I got home with the new collar, I put it on Millie and told her how lovely she looked wearing it. But I noticed

when she ate from her bowls that the tag banged against them and it really seemed to bother her. Got another ride to Petco (I

don’t drive and Petco is across the highway and hard for people to find) and this time I got a much smaller tag.

Came into the apartment and Millie ran out the door. I dropped all my bags, my keys, everything and dived to catch

the kitty. Then when she was safe inside I couldn’t find the new collar anywhere. It took about 24 hours for me to remember

that the new collar had a bell on it. I shook all my bags (I have three bags full of junk) until I found one that jingled. Aha!

At this point the score was Millie two, Margalea one.

But the game wasn’t over! A few nights later I came home wanting to

introduce a friend to Millie. She was looking down from her five foot tower

with a very satisfied expression on her face. And she wasn’t wearing a collar!

Millie three, Margalea one. I’d say she had won the gold in the collar

eluding Olympics.

But a few days later I thought to look in the back of the coat closet

where I store my artificial Christmas tree. And there below it were two collars

with tags!! I think she rubbed against the tree to wiggle out of them.

Millie has a pillow with her picture on it that says, “Dear Santa, I’ve

been a very, very good cat, most of the time.” I doubt Santa Cat will penalize

her very much for being such a smart kitty. Perhaps he’ll even bring her a few extra collars!

[To view videos of Millie’s remarkable transformation from “special needs” to “special,” go to http://wittykitties.org/id239.html]

Millie and the Disappearing Collars by Margalea Warner

Millie today — the picture of innocence!

So sad — two days after arrival and surgery

Late Fall 2016 Witty Kitties, Inc. Page 5

We’re Pinching Pennies to Make the Most of your Holiday Donation! In years past, we’ve sent you a separate holiday mailing, and you’ve always responded generously! This year, we wanted to

make your gift go even farther, so we decided to include our “holiday plea” in the Fall edition of our newsletter.

Please consider making a gift in honor or memory of a person or pet you cherish —

your sentiments will be published in our next newsletter and your honoree will receive a copy.

The donation form is on the back page of this newsletter — thank you!

Now meet our most recent rescue, Amana, a little boy who has beaten the odds, by Amy Holcomb

Amana, a four month old brown/black tabby kitten, zooms around his room at Witty Kitties chasing toys and balls (some almost as big as he is!) without a care in the world. He climbs the bunk beds and cat trees and occa-sionally even attacks one of his older grumpy cat room-mates. The rebuke he gets seems to go unnoticed, as he continues on his business of play-ing. He goes outside in his jungle enclosure where he stalks and pounces on prey only he can see. When he is finally worn out, he collapses on the bottom bunk where he purrs loudly as volun-teers, who have all fallen madly in love with him, scratch his chin and give him lots of pats. We gather outside of his room to watch him bat and chase toys from one end of the room to the other. You might think “What's the big deal? He's just being a typical kitten.” But, if you look more closely at him as he runs around his room, you'll notice that when he runs, his back legs slide to the side in sort of a bunny hop type run.

Amana came to us on Octo-ber 6 after he was trapped on a farm in Amana and taken to be spayed/neutered at the Iowa Humane Alliance Re-gional Spay/Neuter Clinic, where Dr. Doll is the medical director. When Dr. Arensdorf performed his neuter surgery, she noticed something was wrong with him. He had ex-

tremely weak back legs and his bottom was very soiled. He also had some problems during anesthesia, making her wonder if he has some issues going on in his chest. Dr. Doll thinks he may have had a lower spinal trauma. Safe Haven of Iowa County orchestrated his trapping, and because of his condition, they didn't feel he could be returned to his farm with the rest of his colony. Witty

Kitties agreed to “foster” him while he recovered from his injuries, and then return him to the farm he came from or to Safe Haven of Iowa County. BUT WE’D LOVE TO GET HIM ADOPTED INSTEAD!!

Just look at his progress so far... When Amana came to Witty Kit-ties, he could barely drag his back legs behind him, and he was total-ly bowel incontinent. His haven blanket, as well as his entire back end, were smeared with poop, and he needed daily baths, which he patiently tolerated. One week later, he was gingerly hopping around on his back legs and was chasing a ball from one end of his room to the other. Another week later, and he could claw his way up onto the chair in his room to take a rest from all his playing. He gradually became stronger and now you have to look closely to notice his little side step bunny hop run. Amana has been treated for his diarrhea, and he's now

continent and using his litter box with no more poopy bottom. Plus, he has tested negative for FeLV and FIV! We think he is the most amazing kitten around, and we are sure you will too! Please visit him and see for your-self as he runs around the room chasing toys and grumpy cats. You too will fall in love with this cute little guy. While we will hate to see him go, we would love for him to find his forever home for Christ-mas. I can just see him now, scaling the Christ-mas tree and chasing the ornaments all over the house! Such a great pre-sent for any family, and what could be better for a kitten than to get a forever home for Christmas?!

Amana’s still a little unsteady on

his back legs, but that doesn’t slow him down!

Please won’t you take me home for Christmas??

I promise I’ll be good!

Jungle kitty!

Page 6 Witty Kitties, Inc. Late Fall 2016

Holiday shopping reminder: We’re on smile.amazon.com!! Do you shop on amazon.com? Do you know about its “sister” website called smile.amazon.com? It’s the easiest way yet to support Witty Kitties by doing something you were going to do anyway — purchase a product from Amazon! When you make an purchase (almost all items are eligible) on smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to the charity of your choice — hopefully that will be Witty Kitties! If you have an amazon.com account, when doing your shopping just go to smile.amazon.com instead. It will look just like your regular amazon.com account. Your wish lists, registries, order history, etc. are all there. So it’s just like shopping on amazon.com, with one important difference — Amazon will automatically donate to Witty Kitties with every purchase you make! Here’s how to make that happen. Go to smile.amazon.com, and look for the word “Supporting,” in orange, underneath the Amazon search box. A default charity will be listed — simply click on the arrow next to the default charity and change it to Witty Kitties, Inc. You only need to do this once — smile.amazon.com will remember your charity choice, and every eligible purchase you make in the future will result in a donation to Witty Kitties. Check it out — and thanks!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GIVING YOUR CAT A PILL

Editor’s Note: The following article was circulated on the internet over a decade ago. John & I got such a kick out of it at the time that I saved it on our computer. I just came across it today and it still made me laugh.

P.S. As our volunteers know, there are several witty kitties who could serve as the model for this story...

1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if

holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either

side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while

holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into

mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat

in left arm and repeat process.

3) Retrieve cat from bedroom. Discard soggy pill.

4) Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm while

holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and

push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth

shut for a count of ten.

5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of refriger-

ator. Call spouse in from garden.

6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees. Hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get

spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden

ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat

vigorously.

7) Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap.

Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully

sweep shattered Royal Doulton figurines from hearth and set to

one side for gluing later.

8) Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with

head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking

straw.

9) Check label to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink

one beer to take taste away. Apply band aid to spouse's fore-

arm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10) Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck

so that head is showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon.

Flick pill down throat with rubber band.

11) Fetch screwdriver from garage

and put cupboard door back on hinges.

Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch.

Pour shot of scotch and drink. Apply

whiskey compress to cheek, check

records for date of last tetanus shot.

Throw tee shirt away and fetch new

one from bedroom.

12) Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the

road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while

swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13) Tie the little &#@’s front legs to rear legs with garden

twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy-duty

pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small

spanner wrench. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece

of steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down

throat to wash pill down.

14) Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to

the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers

and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call

furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15) Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell. Call

local shelter to see if they have any hamsters.

P.S. INSTRUCTIONS FOR GIVING YOUR DOG A PILL

1) Wrap pill in bacon.

2) Toss it in the air.

Late Fall 2016 Witty Kitties, Inc. Page 7

Memorials and Honorariums In honor of Rolie Polie, who wins the

award for being the longest resident (12

years!!) of Witty Kitties, by Amber

Fruetel, Waterloo, IA.

In honor of Addi Whitney’s 8th birthday, by her dad, Doug

Whitney, Mt. Vernon.

In memory of Georgie, our beloved FeLV+

rescue, who was a witty kitty for only a day

before passing on, by Andrea Rosenburg,

Rapid City, SD

In memory of my Mother, Joan Flynn, who always taught me

to love and respect all living creatures, by Kathleen Schoon,

Cedar Rapids

In memory of Kathleen Schoon’s mom, Joan Flynn, by Dennis

and Jill Roloff, Cedar Rapids

In memory of Joan Flynn, Kathleen Schoon’s mother, by Jeff

Guhl and Lora Schmoll, Solon

In honor of Molly Polly, who was feline leukemia positive, by

Cheryl Sawyer, North Liberty

In memory of Sister, beloved cat of Marge McGowan, by

Ronnye Wieland, North Liberty

In memory of our dear Smokey, a once in

a lifetime cat, who worked his way into my

heart with his sweet and gentle soul. His

presence in Room 3 at Witty Kitties is

greatly missed. RIP sweet boy, by Amy

Holcomb, North Liberty

In memory of Orange Cat — circa 2001—

September 13, 2016 — a sweet, precious,

former stray who was sad and lonely,

toothless and clawless, and FIV+ when he

chose us to rescue him, by Michelle

McIllice, Hiawatha

In memory of Flynn — we loved you Little Flynn! Thanks so

much to Jenni and everyone at Witty Kitties, by Jan Erceg,

Solon, and your friends at Critter Crusaders

In memory of Wiley the cat, Patricia Schabo’s special ‘furry

kid’ who will be greatly missed, by Peg Kubczak, Mount

Vernon

In memory of Bunny, our beloved fos-

ter kitty. Bunny was the most gor-

geous, loving cat ever, and was also

FIV+. This donation is to help support

the wonderful work that Witty Kitties

does with cats who are FIV+, by Thom-

as Smith and Teresa Kopel, Iowa City.

In fond memory of Witty Kitty Ale (he

had 3 diseases), an extra-mysterious

cat who on occasion had some big sur-

prises for us. For instance, he rarely

ventured outside (certainly in the day-

time). Yet during his last few days at

Witty Kitties, he mustered the gumption, during daylight

hours, to go out into his outdoor enclosure! Ale's unique

presence is keenly missed, by Tim VanLoh, Solon

In memory of Hank and Willy, two extraordinary cats who

battled hard to the bitter end, by WK core volunteers

Happy Adoptions!!

Cinnamon Toast and Olivia, both FeLV+, were roommates while at Witty Kitties. We were thrilled when Joyce Huelsenbeck, of Cedar Rapids, decided to adopt CT. A month later, Joyce decided that CT needed a playmate, and Olivia was the one! Better still, CT and Oliv-

ia regularly get to see two of their favorite Witty Kitties volunteers, Vicki and Alex Wheeler, Joyce’s daughter and grand-daughter!

Galileo is now living with Camila Ramirez of Iowa City, one of our dedicated volunteers. Here’s her update: Galileo is doing great. He has discovered human food and won't stop bugging me until I let him drink from my cereal bowl or give him a piece of bread! He now also

feels comfortable enough to wonder into my deck for a bit, to look at birds, but in the end feels safer watching them from behind the screen

door. Every night he sleeps in bed with me and loves to cuddle in the morning. He follows me all around the apartment! I tried giving him a bath but it didn't go too well... we are sticking with wet wipes! Galileo has switched from his WK

“submarine” cubby to hiding underneath my bed. I guess he thinks it's a bigger "cave,” although he still pops his head out like he used to do with the submarine!

Witty Kitties, Inc.

3133 Roberts Ferry Rd.

Solon, IA 52333

Thanks to you, hundreds of cats have been given a second chance at Witty Kitties. Your donation is fully tax deductible. Please mail your check to Witty Kitties, Inc., 3133 Roberts Ferry Rd, Solon, IA 52333.

To give via PayPal or credit card, click on the PayPal icon at www.wittykitties.org. In honor / memory (circle one) of _____________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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my honorees: ________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Address Address

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Amana couldn’t walk when he came to Witty

Kitties. Now he never stops moving!

Amana’s story (pg. 5) is a great example of

how Witty Kitties works with other

organizations to save as many as we can.

Your gift this holiday season

means so much — thank you for caring! Amana