2019 has been a busy year for Ten Lives volunteers. Within the last 11 months we have rescued and rehabilitated 284 cats and we still have a little over a month left in the year. Thanks to our amazing adopters, 217 of these felines have found loving forever homes! Since accepting the first cat into our program in May 2018, volunteers have have worked tirelessly to change the landscape for cats in our community. To date, we have rescued 389 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 and we have big plans in 2020 to help the cats in our community.
On Tuesday, 12/3, Ten Lives will be participating in Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving back to your favorite local charities that inspire you. 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 donating to non-profits and Ten Lives runs on the generosity of volunteers, every cent you donate will truly help save lives!
Wondering what we’ll be doing with your life-saving gifts? Read below to learn more about just some of the cats that have and continue to benefit from your generosity.
This past year, Ten Lives has helped 16 Mama cats get off the streets and into loving foster homes where they could safely have their babies. These Mama cats and their kittens thrived under the care of their foster families, were spayed or neutered, fully vetted, and found loving adoptive homes. Never again will these Mamas have unwanted litters and contribute to the homeless animal population. Their kittens will not grow up to be feral cats living on the streets and suffering the same fate as their Mamas. We have stopped the endless cycle of needless suffering for this group of cats, but there is still more work to do and your donations allow Ten Lives to take action and save lives!
Your generous donations on Giving Tuesday, and every day, allow Ten Lives to continue to help cats like Julian. Julian arrived to Ten Lives after he became sick with a urinary blockage. His family did not have the funds to provide critical care and the life long management he would need to survive. Thankfully, one of the Ten Lives co-founders became aware of the situation and intervened before he was unnecessarily euthanized. Shortly after Julian was admitted to the emergency vet it was discovered that he was positive for feline leukemia. All over this country cats with FeLV are unnecessarily euthanized. At Ten Lives, we believe that this population of cats is just as deserving of loving adoptive homes as their counterparts. Your continued generosity allows Ten Lives to provide longer term foster care and the proper vet care needed to meet Julian’s unique needs.
Winnie and Gus were two shelter cats that just happened to end up sharing a cage and finding comfort in each other. They thought they had found their forever home; however, due to an illness in the family their owner could no longer care for them. Unfortunately, the shelter where they were adopted from would not take them back into the program and they found themselves with no where to go. Thankfully, Ten Lives was contacted with a plea for help and a foster was available so they could be accepted into the Ten Lives family. Winnie is an adorable tripawd tabby who is shy and relies on her best friend, Gus, for confidence. Gus is a handsome black and white feline that is curious and playful. Together, they are the perfect duo! W&G are looking for a quiet home with a patient adopter that will give them the love and support they need to blossom in their new space. Thanks to our donors, cats like Winnie & Gus can be given the time they need to find the perfect home. There is no time limit on their stay and your donations help defray the cost of their longer term care.
Ten Lives is dedicated to giving a second chance to those who have been forgotten: seniors, the physically and emotionally scarred, the behaviorally challenged, and those in need of critical medical care. For cats like Soul, Ten Lives is the only option when they find themselves suddenly losing their home. As a senior diabetic cat, Soul was turned away from every local shelter, but when a Ten Lives volunteer heard about his situation she felt compelled to help and of course we were happy to accept him into our program. Soul is now thriving in his foster home where he is patiently waiting for the right family to find him. He and his foster Mom have developed a daily routine that allows Soul to easily receive his twice daily insulin injections. Because of generous supporters, cats like Soul get to live their golden years with dignity.
Lunar and Orion arrived to Ten Lives back in June 2019. They, along with 4 adult cats and 4 other kittens, had been living in a home in Pawtucket. Unfortunately, none of the cats had been spayed or neutered and were living indoors and outdoors. Due to this, one of the adult cats arrived to Ten Lives pregnant and all of the kittens suffered from severe upper respiratory infections. In addition to this, all of the adults cats were suffering from flea dermatitis and one of the kittens required enucleation surgery due to an unknown injury. Unfortunately, Lunar never seemed to be able to recover from his upper respiratory infection and it was discovered that he had a nasal polyp, which is unusual for a cat his age. Lunar has required extensive treatment at a specialty vet, numerous visits, and many meds. Thankfully, Lunar and Orion have an amazing foster Mom who has worked tirelessly to help Lunar recuperate. We’re elated to say that he is finally on the mend and will soon be available for adoption with his brother, Orion!