Since accepting our first foster cat into the Ten Lives program in May 2018, we have saved over 100 cats from dismal situations and needless suffering. We owe this incredible success to our amazing foster families, volunteers, and of course, you! The Ten Lives family is just getting started with our life-saving work, but we need your continued support to save even more cats and give our current fosters their best chance at a new life. And Giving Tuesday is the perfect day to do just that!
On Tuesday, 11/27, Ten Lives Cat Rescue will be participating in our first ever Giving Tuesday, a day centered around supporting and giving back to your local charities and favorite organizations. Facebook and PayPal will be matching donations starting at 8 am EST on a first come, first serve basis. Since Facebook does not charge fees for donations to non-profits and Ten Lives runs on the generosity of volunteers, each cent you give will truly help save lives! In addition to Facebook’s generous pledge, the Ten Lives Board of Directors will be matching the first $2,500 in donations, further multiplying your generous gift!
Wondering just what we’ll be doing with your life-saving gifts? Plenty! Below we have highlighted some of the cats in our care with ailments in need of medical attention above routine care, many of which require costly procedures.
June
First up is June: a beautiful, sweet, loving girl, June had been living outside for quite a while when Ten Lives was contacted for assistance. When she came to us, she was terribly thin and had been getting attacked by other animals in the neighborhood. Our team discovered June was pregnant—in fact, she is due any day now! June is also FIV positive, and although that is not in any way a death sentence, it is a consequence of having been left outdoors. This one year old girl is incredibly friendly and affectionate, which leads us to believe her former humans left her behind. With babies on the way, she and her young will need a lot of care, but Ten Lives is committed to giving each of them everything they need to thrive!
Pepper
Pepper is only about four months old, but she has already had far more than her share of hardships. Born outside, every one of her littermates passed away before help arrived. Now in a Ten Lives foster’s care, Pepper is safe and loved—but when first rescued, she was very thin and terrified. A traumatic perforation injury before she was rescued caused chronic eye infections, and as a result she will need her left eye removed. First Pepper needs to put on some weight, though, which means this sweet baby will be a longer term foster. Still, she is playful and spunky despite her terrible beginnings, and we’re excited to see her recuperate, recover, and find her forever home!
Faith
Next up we would like to introduce Faith, a beautiful mom found living outside with her three kittens. We trapped all four and moved them to a foster’s home where they would be safe. Faith was very scared when she first arrived, but her foster family’s dedication has turned her into a loving, affectionate cat! She did, however, develop a mammary tumor—which is preventable if a cat is spayed before six months of age. Although a very high percentage of mammary tumors are malignant, we are incredibly thrilled to report Faith’s tumor is benign! She just had her biopsy and is now recovering in her foster home.
Walter
Walter was also found outdoors, though his circumstances were rather different. Just before winter in 2017, Walter’s owner passed away and he was thrown outside. Miraculously, this poor senior boy managed to survive in the brutal New England winter. He lived outdoors for nearly a year before Ten Lives was called to his aid. When first rescued, he was terribly thin, filthy, and absolutely fearful. After four months with a wonderful foster mom, we are happy to report he was not only rehabilitated—Walter was adopted! His forever mom is a perfect match. However, Ten Lives made a commitment to the dental care he is very much in need of, and we intend to see that through. Dental procedures are never cheap, but Walter is worth it!
Jeffrey
Jeffrey is another boy who requires dental surgery—this time by a specialist, as the location of the tooth he needs removed poses some difficulty, and needs an expert’s careful hand. Jeffrey was found living in a yard with a mother cat and their two babies. He is not feral; his personality tells us that he had a family, a home, but was abandoned. Left to fend for himself for too long outside, Jeffrey shut down emotionally. Found completely covered in engorged ticks that had to be painstakingly picked off one by one, a cracked tooth, and an FIV positive diagnosis, it is clear this poor cat had a very traumatic past. Still, at only two years old, he has a whole life ahead of him—and we’re determined to give him all the love, warmth, and security he deserves! Now, Jeffrey is safe and warm in his foster home, where he gets plenty of food and is learning to love pets!
Cora
Cora was found with an open wound where her rear foot should have been. The veterinarian thinks this was a potential birth defect, but there’s no way to know for sure. She will need to have surgery to have the leg removed to give her the best chance at a happy, healthy life, but at just eleven weeks old, she’s not quite ready for the surgery. When Cora was found, her stomach was terrifyingly bloated from worms—worse than we’ve ever seen. Cora is currently on pain medication until she gains enough weight for surgery on her leg to be safe, but despite all she’s been through, her foster mom says she is the cuddliest lap kitten she’s ever met!
Bowie
Three year old Bowie was kept isolated by her previous owner, first in a bathroom and then forced to live outside in a dog crate. Cats need socialization—they need love and affection. Bowie did not receive these things, and as a result she has understandably needed extensive socialization to become adoptable. Long term fosters always cost more than their readily adoptable counterparts, but we can say from experience that giving them the patience and time they need can produce incredible results and is always worth it! Bowie needs a full dental, too, with many of her teeth needing to be extracted. She also has stomatitis, though after various testing the cause is still unknown.
Archie
Ten year old Archie’s story is another sad one. He suddenly lost his dad when the man passed away in his sleep. Archie devotedly stayed by his father’s side for three days before anyone came to check in on him. He had a very difficult time transitioning into foster care, but his foster family was patient and worked with him until he turned into a total lap cat. He found a wonderful forever home and has since been adopted (and is blossoming with his new mom!), giving his story one very happy ending! Ten Lives promised to provide him with a dental he sorely needs, however, which, as stated earlier, is certainly not inexpensive, but very much worth it!
Poppy
Our last spotlight for today is on Poppy. She is the mom cat of three other Ten Lives kitties, but because she proved difficult to trap, she managed to get pregnant again before finally becoming an official Ten Lives cat. She is very thin and rather shy, but Poppy is doing fantastic in her foster home, where our volunteer is working to get her the food she needs to allow her babies to thrive. Poppy will be giving birth within the next few weeks; Ten Lives will provide for her and her babies, and once old enough, we will spay and neuter all to ensure the cycle doesn’t continue.
If you read this far, you can see how many cats we have that are in need of major medical care. Each and every one of them is worth the costs they incur, and our team is proud to say we never give up on any of our cats—no matter what.
Your donations are truly life-saving gifts. We couldn’t rescue and rehome any of our foster cats without the amazing support from our community and donors, far and wide! We are indescribably grateful for all of you!
To donate to Ten Lives Cat Rescue on Giving Tuesday, join us right here on Facebook using our fundraising page. And remember: the earlier you donate on 11/27, the more likely it is that your gift be doubled by Facebook and PayPal!