Happy Tails

On October 26, 2023, a quiet but overwhelming moment arrived at the shelter: a family surrender of fourteen rabbits. A mother and father, along with two litters totaling twelve tiny babies, were brought in together, confused, fragile, and suddenly without a home.

Among them were two little black bunnies, just four weeks old. They would come to be known as Bugz and Buttons.

But as the months turned into years, the shelter saw many of the other rabbits find homes. Bugz and Buttons waited.

They were overlooked again and again, not because of who they were, but because of their color. Black bunnies are often the hardest to place- passed by for lighter, more “photogenic” companions. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Months into years.

847 days- That’s how long Bugz and Buttons waited. They finally found their forever homes and and doing amazing!

Your support enables us to assist cats like Tinka, who was initially considered beyond recovery. Tinka was rescued from a hoarding situation involving over thirty cats and kittens confined to a hotel room, many of whom were found in poor health and suffering significant trauma due to these challenging conditions. After giving birth, Tinka was unable to care for her kittens because of her distress; the kittens required immediate emergency care and were subsequently placed with foster carers, as Tinka was paralyzed with fear which prevented her from feeding them.

Tinka passed her days—and eventually months—curled tightly into a ball, almost resembling a fetal position. How could we support this fragile little life? We offered her the gift of time—allowing her to take in her environment, surrounded by gentle voices, tender touches, and calm approaches. For an extended period, she appeared to make little progress; however, the introduction of a pipe cleaner significantly altered the outcome.

We observed that she began to watch the other cats as they played with curled pipe cleaners. A volunteer approached her with some pipe cleaners, prompting Tinka to interact with the volunteer. When Tinka meowed at the other cats, her enclosure was opened to allow her to engage with the other mom cats in her room.

Her improvement persisted until, one day, a volunteer informed a former adopter about Tinka’s achievements and how well she was progressing. The adopter contacted us. Could it be that someone would be willing to also give her the give of time? YES! Colleen Duffy had adopted another mom cat from us, and she thought it was time for a buddy for her Peaches. Photos were exchanged, discussions about expectations occurred, and we watched the meet and greet with anticipation.

It was beyond anything we hoped for. Tinka allowed herself to be petted, she rubbed up against Duffy, threw herself at Duffy’s feet and well, and as they say, it was a done deal.

We gave Tinka the gift of time, thank you for your gift on Giving Tuesday

Cheshire was one of the oldest cats at the shelter — likely somewhere in his teenage years. He arrived after living on the streets for who knows how long, and spent over 200 days in our care. Despite his rough start, he was the sweetest, most gentle boy from day one.

Our volunteer veterinarians quickly diagnosed him with kidney disease. For seven months, shelter staff maintained a special diet and regular fluid support to manage his condition — and his numbers came back into range. When something still seemed off, we brought in the team at Valley Cottage Animal Hospital, who got him sorted out and connected him with a fospice home.

It took a village: Dr. Murphy Sr. at the Visiting Vet found him a home. Dr. Murphy Jr. and the VCAH team cared for him during his transition. And Dr. Herman delivered all of his supplies from the shelter to the vet on her day off so Cheshire could make it to his new family.

Today, Cheshire spends his days watching the snow fall through the French doors of his forever home. Happy life, Cheshy. 🧡