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Forty kittens, moms get new home in Douglas County

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Contributed by: Laurie Anderson on 6/20/2007

Forty cats and kittens (mother cats and their tiny kittens, and kittens without mothers) recently arrived at their new life in Denver--eight hours after leaving a shelter in rural Kansas where they were due to be euthanized.

The Hutchinson, Kan. municipal shelter that they came from, like most in rural areas, has a low adoption rate--especially for cats and kittens.

Fortunately for these cats and kittens, Karla Limon of Bless the Beasts (blessthebeasts.petfinder.com), who networks with rescues and shelters in other states to save small dogs from this shelter, helps the other animals there when she can.

"I feel especially bad for the cats because their owners let them run loose and the town traps them as strays," Limon explains. "Since the owners rarely look for them and there are few rescues that will take cats that aren't local, they're euthanized." Statistics show that only 15 percent of the 1200-plus cats and kittens that entered the shelter in 2006 were adopted or reclaimed. "The City Commissioners need to pass laws for mandatory spaying/neutering and for TNR (trap, neuter and return) of our City's cats - it's such a sad waste of life," Limon says.

It was through Limon's efforts that PAALS For Life first learned of the urgent plight of these cats and kittens. PAALS operates a sanctuary situated between Denver and Colorado Springs dedicated primarily to providing lifetime care for senior and disabled horses, dogs and cats.

As space and funds permit, PAALS also takes in adoptable animals that have run out of time at shelters.

"Even though PAALS doesn't usually take in kittens for adoption since our rural location means that adoptions come in their own time and kittens grow up so quickly, but our hearts went out to these babies and their moms." says Lisa Gruening, Executive Director of PAALS. "We knew we had to do something."

PAALS contacted area shelters, and ARAS (Animal Rescue & Adoption Society), Angels with Paws, The Cat Care Society, and Boulder Humane joined in the efforts. PAALS also went to the community to find the additional foster homes that were needed.

In the end, PAALS and the other agencies were able to find placement and foster homes for all of the moms and kittens that were at the shelter at that time. Hutchinson resident Danny Brizendine drove them to Denver at his own expense.

All the cats and kittens (which range in age from two to 10 weeks) are currently in foster care and are doing fine. A few of these kittens are available for adoption now, and most be available in the next couple of weeks when they've reached two pounds in accordance with Colorado State law and are spayed or neutered.

The mother cats - all have great temperaments -- will also be available for adoption once their kittens are old enough and they have been spayed.

"So many people and organizations came together for the purpose of saving all 40 of these moms and babies," Gruening says. "I'm still a little amazed we pulled it off in the time we had. It was incredible to be a part of it."

PAALS has been chosen as beneficiary of this year's Colorado Classic Benefit Horse Show's Grand Prix Nights at the Penrose-Norris Event Center in Colorado Springs.

Grand Prix Nights events include the CCHS Hunter/Jumper Grand Prix, at which Olympic-caliber riders and their horses from across the nation will compete for the winning prize of $25,000, a Benefit Silent Auction, and the Grand Prix VIP Party, which offers cocktails, fine food, live music, and a special balcony view of the Grand Prix. Grand Prix Nights are Saturday, June 23 and Saturday, June 30.

As beneficiary, PAALS receives a portion of the proceeds from these events.
If you would like to adopt one of these kittens or cats, become a foster parent, or help network to find placement for other cats/kittens, or for more information on Grand Prix Nights, please contact Lisa Gruening at info@paals1.org.

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Laurie Anderson

Castle Rock , CO

Laurie Anderson has posted 582 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Laurie Anderson 's average story rating is 4.69.

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