Paws Praise

I am 62 and a widow. I had two Chihuahuas that my late husband and now grown children had raised for more than fourteen years. Their names were Dobi and Shelbi, and they had been raised together since birth. Those cuties were loved like children.

In August 2019, Dobi became ill. All our efforts, medicine, etc. couldn’t save him. Dobi and Shelbi had become soul mates over the years. As they got older together, Dobi would wake up and groom Shelbi by licking her ears and neck every day. She knew something was wrong when Dobi became ill.

The day I came home without Dobi, Shelbi was lost. She would roam around the house looking for him. Eventually she stopped eating and then I realized, I am going to lose her too! I was getting desperate!

Then a friend showed me an article in our neighborhood newsletter about a two-year old rescue cat being fostered for Paws Patrol that was just as desperate to find love and a permanent home.

I went over and met Shade at her foster parents’ home, and she and I really hit it off.

Now the big question: How would Shelbi react to a new member in the household? Shelbi, my tiny Chihuahua, is about 70 years old in people years and never knew a cat — especially a two-year old cat.

To see what would happen, I brought Shade home. She is twice the size of Shelbi and probably never met a tiny elderly dog either. They were cautious with one another, but it was obvious they were both very interested in the other. Within two days, Shelbi was back eating again — thank you Shade! — and Shade was very happy too. It was awesome to watch their relationship grow over the next six months.

They play together but on Shelbi’s terms because of her age. They both sleep with me at night. They hang out on the couch and look out the window together. The final hurrah was when I saw Shade, the cat, groom and lick Shelbi’s ears just like Dobi used to. My heart melted.

Shade saved not only my Shelbi, she also saved me. I have so much fun watching them together. My heart is full.

PLEASE rescue a pet, especially NOW! There are so many benefits of caring for an animal. They truly can uplift your spirits and your home.

In November 2019, Paws Patrol was contacted by an employee of a mid-town Tucson company about a feral cat who several employees had cared for over a few years. Management had decided the cat had to go somewhere else—and they had a week to do it. The employees were quite upset. They had made a tree house for Ollie and collected donations over the years for her vaccines, spay and food. And now time was running out. Ollie was about 8 years old.

Paws Patrol agreed to take Ollie, and Spike, a young unneutered male, who had hung around with her the past year.

Relocating these cats under our working cat program would be tricky because their situation was unique. They were raised in an urban setting and cared for by employees of a local medical facility. They would not do well in a rural setting. We began to look for the right outdoor home for them while the two cats shared a kennel in our shelter in Green Valley. Spike was neutered and adjusted fairly well to his temporary indoor setting; Ollie was more depressed every day. Each adoption lead we received for rehoming these kitties was in a rural setting, therefore we waited. Finally, one day, we received a call of an urban home near Sabino Canyon needing a feral cat. We explained these two would have to go together and the couple agreed.

In February 2020, we set up the outdoor holding kennel that Ollie and Spike would share while they acclimated to their new environment. There were trees, a high wall and safety— no horses, cows, goats or chickens. The neighbors were happy to have cats to help with the rodents. Four weeks later the cats were released. Ollie disappeared for 3 days which is not unusual, but Spike stayed around.

Ollie does not like anyone to approach her but Spike moves toward his new adopters and can sometimes be touched. The cats are frequently hanging out in the yard or on the wall keeping a watchful eye and seem very comfortable.

On the day our volunteers went to pick up the kennel and supplies, Spike was in the yard and allowed us to walk near him. He looked great.

As the pictures show, both cats are doing well and enjoying their new home.

This is a good example of how Paws Patrol takes care of feral cats who have to be relocated. It wasn’t enough to just move Ollie and Spike, we had to find a location where the cats would have the best chance at surviving and being well cared for.

I adopted 4-year-old Delia from you in April of 2017, and she is enriching my life every day.

She has a beautiful long coat, big green eyes and meows all the time. I have a fully walled yard and her short legs can’t get her to the top, so I let her out with my constant attendance. I recently planted two small trees in a flower bed and she loves to sit in the tree well, even if it is slightly damp. She loves to go outside after a rain, or even during drizzle. Thank you for your gift of Delia.

Hello! I just wanted to let you know about ‘Simon’, and how wonderful he is! He has become tame, something just clicked in him one day and we could pet him about 3 weeks ago. He still gets nervous if we try and pick him up. But if we are outside he meows constantly until he gets petted.

He is a sweetheart and a great hunter…Thank you!

My name is Lindsey. I don’t know if you remember, but one year ago today, I adopted a little grey kitty from you. Her name was Cutie and you told me that she is one of the sweetest cats you’ve had. I named her Tetra and she moved into my dorm room with me as an emotional support animal.

The past year with her has had such a profound impact on my life. She has helped me overcome so much.

I thought you would he happy to know that she is being loved. I moved into an apartment where I have much larger space. There’s a big window in my room with curtains to hide in so she can look out the window and not be bothered. I put a huge cat tower next to the back window in the living room and she sleeps there too. My roommates love her also, so she is getting lots of attention.

When I need to travel, I take her to my parents’ home in Phoenix. Between the 5 people who live there, she has someone to be with all day long. She has taken particular liking to my oldest brother. He works late at night and he says she always sits on his lap at the computer.

She has started to sleep on my lap whenever she can and she even lets me pick her up. She still likes her privacy though. My bed is fairly tall and underneath is filled with cat beds/ toys/ blankets/ scratchers/ food. There is always a safe place for her to hide down there.

Thank you for everything you did in bringing her into my life.

Sincerely, Lindsey

Scooter is doing wonderful!  He is such a sweetheart.  I’ve included a picture of the feral cat, that we have been feeding, and Scooter meeting today for the first time.  I don’t encourage this relationship, but Scooter seems to enjoy it along with the many birds flying in and out of my yard.  He has adjusted very well.  Every morning he runs (runs very fast) through the house for about 5 minutes, then sleeps until 2:00 or 3:00.

I thoroughly enjoy Scooter, he’s a great companion!

This calendar is from an amazing organization called Paws Patrol about an hour away from our place.

They do amazing work for cats. Taking in cats, socializing them, finding foster and permanent homes for them, spaying and neutering, getting them health care, taking care of hoarding situations, setting up barn cat homes, and so much more all for little to no cost to the people who bring the cats in.

Specifically, they have really helped us out! We had a large population of cats because they were originally feral and therefore never spayed or neutered. After a year of unsuccessful searching to find a cost-effective way of gaining control over the population, we found Paws Patrol.

They usually only work with local cats, but they accepted 4 of our cats! They took the cats, provided a shelter and food and water for them until they were sent to the vet to get spayed and neutered. Then they would keep them at their facility until we were able to drive an hour to get them or they would drop them off with us when they were traveling past our house.

They also took in two of our kittens, socialized them and got them adopted.

Lastly, and most impressively they took in one of our cats who was 10 days out from having kittens, and instead of aborting the pregnancy (which is the normal procedure for ferals), they decided that it was too dangerous to do that to the mother and actually found a foster home for her who allowed her to have her kittens and wean them. Then they socialized the kittens and got them adopted. Further, this cat was one of the most scared cats of our population and I never expected her to be human-adapted. But they spent about 8 month socializing her, and provided an eye surgery so that she became adoptable!

They are so dedicated and give their heart and soul to these animals. I am so thankful for this organization and the work they do. They are a standard that I wish could be set for animal rescue all over the world!

We adopted Penny & Nickel almost 2 weeks ago and we wanted you to know that they are doing GREAT! They have integrated into our family very well and have been renamed Parker and Emma, respectively. Parker (Penny) just walks all over everyone- literally and has won everyone over. Emma was swatted by one of our older kitties the first week (and has a little mark on her face – which the vet said is fine)! Now that is over with and everyone is playing and eating well together. We have never adopted such well adjusted kittens! Which is a testament to how hard you all worked to socialize them.

Bravo!! Great job! We adore them.

Thank you!!!

Paws Patrol would like to recognize Koraine and Ryder White for their rescue of a homeless and frightened kitten.

Traffic was thick and moving fast on the I-10 going through Tucson, Arizona when Koraine White spotted a small kitten on the side of the highway. As she pulled off the road, the kitten ran out into the traffic. A car ran directly over top of it as it sat frozen in the middle of the road. Untouched by the moving vehicle, the kitten continued on its path across the busy highway. Koraine’s 14 year old son, Ryder, and his friend, Derek, jumped out of the car, and braving the oncoming traffic, followed the kitten.

The kitten, about eight weeks old, was terrified. The boys managed to capture it and took it back to the car. The kitten was bleeding from the eye and its face was swollen.

Koraine called Patti, at Paws Patrol. Patti took the kitten to the vet who determined that it was either thrown out of a car or hit by a car. The kitten was a young female, terribly frightened and bruised, but there were no broken bones or serious injuries. Patti asked if the kitten had a name. They boys named her “Highway” because they rescued her from the highway. It’s an unusual name for a female cat but then we’re talking about teenage boys here……..

Today Highway is in a safe and loving home. It’s folks like this who make a difference for lost and endangered animals. Thanks, Koraine and Ryder!

Paws Patrol would like to recognize Lincoln W. for his extraordinary concern and care for a wet and frightened cat.

On a rainy December day in Tubac, Arizona, Lincoln hauled his trash to the local dump. He heard “cat noises” in the dumpster and looked down into the nearly empty bin where he saw a small cat sitting in an inch of water. He asked the atttendant for a ladder, but no luck. He then drove home, picked up an extension ladder and drove back to the dump (over five miles). He placed the ladder in the dumpster and, armed with a box and towel, descended to the bottom. He managed to place the towel over the cat and place it in the box. He then took it to his store (Tubac Old World Imports) and called Paws Patrol. Lincoln said he would have kept the cat, but had a guest that was seriously allergic.

It’s folks like this who make a difference for lost and endangered animals. Thanks, Lincoln!