We thought that everyone would like an update on Keith, our FIV (AIDS) kitty. A few years back many of you might remember the fundraiser called Kit Kat cakes for Keith. We sold cakes in order to raise enough money for Keith to have dental surgery. The cost of the surgery was approximately $2,000, and thanks to you all we were able to raise that money in a few short weeks.
Keith had his surgery and today he is enjoying life. Keith was our only cat that survived the fire because he was in foster care recovering from his surgery. Needless to say, Keith is one special kitty. He is such a handsome boy with such a loving personality. He still has to take meds daily for his mouth but that doesn’t slow him down one bit. He eats four cans of Fancy Feast in gravy every day, his fur is nice and shiny and he is the perfect weight.
Keith holds a special place in all of our hearts. He reminds us of how precious life can be. To say that we all love Keith is an understatement. At the new sanctuary there will be a room for FIV cats. It will be a bright, cheery room just like before.
We also want to update you on the mama cat, Smokey, and her six babies who came to us a few weeks ago. If you recall, mama was so sick she could not nurse her babies, which were only two weeks old. Mama spent a few weeks at the vet clinic getting well and is back with us with a clean bill of health. She goes Thursday to be spayed — no more babies for her.
As for her babies they were taken into foster care and bottle fed by their wonderful foster moms, The kittens were all sick, as wel,l and it was touch and go for a while. The Ark took in the six kittens, named Rita, Ruby, Rose, Reina, Rollee and Ralphie. Rita was so sick and tiny she passed away in our care. The remaining five are all doing well and growing like weeds. Ralphie has been adopted by his foster mom. The others will be up for adoption shortly.
We would like to thank those dedicated volunteers who went above and beyond for these babies and their mama. Without these amazing people none of them would have survived.
Update on the building: The wall studs have started going up, giving definition to each room. It looks amazing. We are now waiting for the state to come and inspect our electrical, and then it is full steam ahead. The new furnace is hooked up and keeping the building warm so the workers can work and be comfortable.
We have approximately $13,000 left. While we know that is not enough to complete the building, we will continue fundraising until we raise enough to complete the work. Please be patient with us. Good things do not happen overnight.
We have a wish list to help complete the building. We need the following items: hot water tank, holding tank, countertops, kitchen cabinets, sinks, interior lights, ceiling paint, sheetrock primer and fencing. For more details contact Lorraine at The Hollywood Pet Salon, 532-7387.
Please join us for a bake sale outside The Hollywood Pet Salon on Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m.2 p.m. We will also have a dinner at the Elks Club the following Saturday, March 12, from 4-7 p.m. The menu will be Italian. There will also be a dessert auction and a silent auction. All proceeds will go to our rebuilding efforts.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, thank you for reading our column.
