Margo is a snuggly, chatty kitty who has overcome many obstacles in her 12 years.  She came to HSLC almost by accident. We were rescuing a different cat from an overcrowded shelter in Maryland when they mentioned her to us. She had been surrendered to the shelter by her owner due to allergies.  HSLC rescued Margo just one day before she was to be euthanized.

Nearly blind because of high blood pressure, Margo was shutting down in the shelter environment due to stress.  But since being placed in a foster home she has made an amazing comeback.  Thanks to her blood pressure medicine, she is seeing a little better now. Her appetite has returned and she is moving around much better. She’s even giving head bonks!

Margo does not let her limited vision hold her back. She finds her way to her food, water, litter box, onto the sofa, and even up and down stairs without incident.  Once she feels comfortable she’s very affectionate. She is friendly with other animals and loves to be brushed while sitting on her foster’s lap. Her extraordinary personality is still blooming and her forever home is out there waiting.

 

Become a Guardian Angel

Cats like Margo present HSLC with an extra challenge. They require more than the usual vet checkups and vaccine updates.  You can help us help these extraordinary animals through our Guardian Angel Program.  Sponsoring an animal will help us help them and will give you a warm feeling.

You can help by sponsoring part or all of the medical expenses for one of our animals.

• You can sponsor some or all of these expenses for a specific animal or sponsor a certain number of vaccinations, tests or surgeries for several animals. (Foster or Feral)
• You can sponsor the expenses for one kitten, or a litter of kittens.
• You can also sponsor the adoption fee for a specific animal or several of our adoptable animals.

To become a Guardian Angel for  any of the animals in our care, please visit our donation page. In the dedication section, let us know how or who you would like to sponsor. You can make a one-time donation or make your gift recurring (monthly or quarterly) which would give us the flexibility to help whichever animal needs it the most. Recurring donations provide steady support for the animal but can be stopped at any time just by contacting us. If you have any questions about the Guardian Angels program, please send an email to helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.

 

By Anne Senft

On August 17, tens of thousands of animals found their forever families as a result of Clear the Shelters adoption events across the nation.

The Humane Society of Loudoun County adopted out one of our young cats that day. His name was Mellow.

After weeks of preparing for the event, you can imagine how heartbroken we were that more of our wonderful animals didn’t find their forever homes that day—including our celebrity kitties, Margo and Mr. Meow Meow.

To help me bounce back personally, I headed to my favorite yoga studio where the instructor told us a story. While it was a story I had heard many times before, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

THE STARFISH Story
by Loren Eiseley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.

Approaching the boy he asked: “Young man, what are you doing?”

The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles and miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then smiling at the man, he said: “I made a difference to that one.”

Mellow was that lucky starfish who got his second chance on August 17. I happened to be nearby when the teenage daughter let the foster mom know that her family was adopting Mellow.

I wish I could capture in words the pure joy I saw on the foster’s face. She was so relieved that Mellow was going to a loving home. She gave the daughter a big hug. What a wonderful addition to the family Mellow would make.

HSLC doesn’t have a physical shelter. We rely heavily on a network of dedicated foster moms and dads to provide our at-risk animals the safe haven they need while waiting for their forever families. We are so thankful to them along with our caring volunteers and generous donors who make it possible to provide the second chances these animals deserve.

One day isn’t going to keep us down. Together with your help, we will continue to fight—day after day—for the abused, neglected and abandoned animals who are counting on us to rescue them.

Because, after all, there are still a lot of starfish we must save.

 

NBC and Telemundo owned stations are teaming up with hundreds of shelters and rescue organizations across the country to host Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive on Saturday, August 17 to help find loving homes for animals in need. More than 250,000 pets have found their forever homes since 2015.

The Humane Society of Loudoun County will participate in this annual event by holding an adoption event at the Leesburg PetSmart from 11:00 to 2:00 on the 17^th. We will be waiving all adoption fees for the event but need sponsors to help make that possible. Sponsorships will help cover the higher than normal medical expenses we have faced due to an influx of homeless animals this year.

Current adoption fees are $150 for cats and $300 for dogs. If you are able to sponsor or co-sponsor an animal, please:

1. Visit the adoptable animals on our website.
2. Choose the animal you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor.
3. Make a donation and, in the dedication section, let us know which animal you are sponsoring. If you prefer not to choose, just type “CTS adoption event”.

NOTE: If you are donating from a mobile device, there is no dedication field.  Simply email anne@humaneloudoun.org and let her know how you would like your donation designated.

Sponsoring adoption fees will help increase our adoption rate. This, in turn, will free up our fosters so we can save more animals.

We’re off to a good start with Newk’s Eatery sponsoring three of our homeless animals for the Clear the Shelters event.  Please join them and sponsor or co-sponsor an animal today!

 

HSLC is thrilled to be part of Newk’s Eatery’s #FeedWhatMatters campaign.

Thursday, July 18th  from 11 am to 1 pm

Newk’s Eatery  recently opened a new location in Sterling, VA  at 46515 Harry Byrd Highway, in the Shoppes at Potomac Corner. On July 18th Newk’s is hosting a Community Pep Rally Fundraiser at this new location where we will compete for a chance to win a $2,000 donation. Stop by the restaurant from 11 – 1 pm to help us get the largest attendance and win.

They serve yummy sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas, and more. So come on out on July 18^th between 11 am and 1 pm to support HSLC. The donation winner will be announce at 2 pm.

 

Please note: It can be a little challenging to get into the new Shoppes at Potomac Corner center if you are not familiar with the area. It is located at the corner of Potomac View Road and Rt 7 but there is no left turn into the center from Potomac View Road.

• If coming East on Rt 7 you need to pass Potomac View Road and turn right directly into the center.
• If coming West on Rt 7 you need to pass Potomac View Road and turn left on Bartholomew Fair Dr, as if going to Potomac Run Plaza, then right on Benedict Dr and left on Potomac View Road – then you can turn right into the Shoppes at Potomac Corner.

Guest Blog by ‘Becca Dinger-Tedder, Kitten Coordinator, CICC

Here at Chincoteague Island Community Kittens, we like a plan. We REALLY like a plan. Lists, timelines, schedules, guidelines, information packets, calendars, reference books— the oversized desk at “CICK Headquarters” is covered with a million resources and pages and pages of “what ifs.” We try to be ready for whatever might pop up.

But sometimes what happens isn’t on one of your lists. Isn’t on your radar. And you can’t plan for it. Sometimes you don’t even know what you should be planning FOR.

And sometimes, just sometimes…a plan doesn’t so much get “planned” as it “happens, thank goodness.”

During our June 2019 TNR clinic, we had an unexpected intake issue arise: 15 unsocialized kittens, kittens we did not have placement or resources for. These were the “wild child” group that we were so desperately looking to transport to Alexandria. As a result of connections (hi, Jen and Sharon!) made during that transport, those 15 kittens (and CICC) were fortunate to cross paths with the Humane Society of Loudoun County.

HSLC has a foster network that has a TON of experience with socializing feral kittens, and they asked to take on our 15 “wild children” to see if they could work with them. They assumed custody of the group and have been working with them, both for social issues and medical issues. They have invested much time, funding, and love into this group already. Many of the kittens have already moved into foster homes to try to learn how to become polite family members.

The Wild Child June 2019 Contingent received an amazing gift thanks to HSLC–a second chance. We could not be more grateful for this lucky break for these kittens, and for the kindness they have received from Humane Society of Loudoun County volunteers and staff.

From the bottom of our kitten-loving hearts: thank you.

(Photos courtesy of Sharon Nylec, and Julie Brommer, used with permission.)

Four enterprising Rock Ridge High School students (Vibha Mathew, Siddra Ahson, Tashnuva Huda, and Sonia Corba) chose to create videos of HSLC foster cats as their Capstone project to help them find their forever homes.

The purpose of the Rock Ridge High School Phoenix Capstone is to provide graduates of Rock Ridge with meaningful experiences, self-fulfillment, and opportunities for post-secondary success through civic engagement and career exploration. During fourth quarter, qualifying seniors are excused from classes in order to pursue a community service project or career development opportunity. Community service projects can range from hands-on experiences to administrative work. Students have discretion in choosing their project, as long as the project will provide an authentic experience.

HSLC provided contact information for a few of our foster volunteers who had agreed to participate in the project. It was up to the students to make contact and schedule the time to spend time with the cats to make the videos and then to edit them into the finish products. “The foster homes we visited had multiple cats that were considered hard to adopt. We brought our own cat toys to engage the cats and show their real personalities.”

“These cats are usually shy and nervous at adoption events. Going to foster homes and creating these videos really helps to show the cats in their own environment.”

The videos they created are really spectacular.

 

 

Loudoun County High School students Teagan Oliver, Bella & John Wolcott, Rachel Reppert, Ashley Rubino chose to work with HSLC this year to “impact our local animals in and outside of rescue shelters. With this in mind, we decided to build cat cots and feeding colonies.”

The purpose of the Raider Outreach Program is to provide Loudoun County High School seniors with the opportunity to better themselves and the community through civic engagement. After AP exams, qualifying seniors are excused from academic classes to conduct a community service project. Students must complete a total of 65 hours at their host site over the three-week allotted time.

HSLC provided the necessary plans and the students calculated they needed to raise over $200 for the supplies to complete their project. “We decided to have a bake sale at the Giant in Leesburg, and each of our team members baked goods to give to customers with their donations. Within 2 days of fundraising we exceeded our goal and raised $233.82.”

With the help of Home Depot to cut the wood and PVC pipes, Lowe’s for the paint and PVC pipe connectors, and Joann Fabrics for the vinyl material for the cots, the students successfully made two cat cots and two colony feeder stations.

“It amazed us how five people coming together and working towards a common goal for just a short two weeks can impact the community and its animals in such a positive way. Our actions not only benefited the jobs of Loudoun Humane Society members, but the lives of the rescue and wild cats as well.”

 

The fifth grade classes at Sanders Corner Elementary School completed a service project at the end of May with the goal of raising awareness of homeless animals and collecting pet food for the Loudoun Pet Pantry and Humane Society of Loudoun County.

The students colored “pet rocks” with pictures of animals and messages that encouraged people to remember there are homeless animals that need to be adopted. The rocks included messages like “Life is better with a pet” and “Adopt a pet, they will make your life brighter”. The students then placed the rocks around the school, in their neighborhoods, and in parks where they would be on display for people to see.

The students also collaborated to make posters for animals that were listed for adoption on the HSLC website. Those posters and some of the rocks were displayed at a booth at the Ashburn Farm HOA Summer Kickoff event. Donations were also collected at the event.

Finally, the students held a donation drive to collect pet food for the Pet Pantry and Humane Society of Loudoun County. The students competed to collect donations for the activity they wanted the whole class to do. The activity with the most donations was Students vs Teachers Kickball. In total, about 300 pounds of pet food was collected during the week.

 

Career and Technical Education students at Blue Ridge Middle School (BRMS) created a project to benefit the Loudoun Pet Pantry.  The pet pantry is a partnership between The Humane Society of Loudoun County, Loudoun County Animal Services, and Loudoun Hunger Relief. It helps keep pets in loving homes by providing food supplies to families in need.

Students in all three grades collaborated on a Pet Food Drive called Bulldog’s BFF after the school’s mascot. Sixth grade Keyboarding students designed promotional posters. Seventh grade Family and Consumer Sciences students made cat toys. Seventh grade TechEd students created the logo to brand the campaign. Lastly, eighth grade manufacturing students created food bowl holders.

During the week of May 13, BRMS students brought in dog and cat food along with pet supplies to donate to the Loudoun Pet Pantry.  Subsequently, Juanita Easton, President, accepted these donations on behalf of The Humane Society of Loudoun County on June 5.

HSLC is deeply grateful to the students, faculty and administration of Blue Ridge Middle School for helping the animals of Loudoun County. To host a pet food drive at your school, organization or community, please visit our website for help in getting started.

Moreover, you can drop off dog and cat food donations to one of several donation boxes located across the county. The Loudoun Pet Pantry accepts canned and dry cat and dog food. Dry food must be unopened, unexpired, non-prescription adult food. We cannot use kitten, puppy, or senior food for the pet pantry. Because space is limited, we can only use bags of dry food between 4 and 8 pounds. However, we can use all sizes of canned food.

By Valerie Burton
May 4, 2019

Starlite. Sis. Jenny. Nutmeg. Four beautiful girls with one thing in common: the stunning red and black shades of their fur which identifies them as Tortoiseshells (popularly known as Torties), so-called because their coloring resembles the shell of a tortoise. The color combination is rarer than most other cat coat colorings, and can vary with shades of gold, orange, brown, and cream.

Tortoiseshell cats have been a timeless source of fascination for fans of the feline species. A wide variety of books and articles explore their special features. For example, most Torties are female, as the genetic links for their coloring are in the female chromosomes.

In fact, male Torties are so rare (1 in 3,000), beliefs have grown around their unique powers, according to Ingrid King, author of Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude. “Ancient Celts believed it was good luck if a male tortoiseshell cat stayed in their home, and Japanese fishermen believed the males protected their ships from ghosts.” The author further states, “It’s said that tortoiseshell cats bring money, have psychic abilities, and see into the future. And if you dream about one, you’ll be lucky in love.”

These may be high expectations to place on a cat, but Torties are up for the challenge! Perhaps because of their legendary powers, female Torties have acquired a distinct reputation: as feisty, loud, reincarnated princesses—a personality sometimes defined as having “Tortitude.” They may at times be fiery, strong-willed, and vocal about their preferences. But just as a book cannot be judged by its cover, a cat’s personality cannot be defined by its color.

Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, states in an article for www.catster.com, “I hate generalizing about cat coats or breeds, or anything like that, in terms of assigning a personality to a cat. That being said, cats like torties, calicos, and orange tabbies tend to have a much more distinct personality, in my opinion.”

Is Tortitude for real, or is it just another myth that has risen around these red and black beauties? According to HSLC foster Stephanie, it depends. She began fostering both Sis and Starlite over the past six months, and their unique personalities are part of what have endeared them to her and convinced her they’d be great additions to lucky forever families.

“Starlite wasn’t in my foster room that long mainly because she would take her adorably tiny paws and slide them under the opening in the door and shake the door to let me know she wanted out. She is a very curious girl and very vocal. So I decided to let her out and watch how she reacted. Right away she found my own cat, a boy tabby, and they immediately became best friends. They wrestle, sleep together, and groom each other. She loves to explore the house and check everything out. Whatever you’re doing, she stands and watches you.”

Is she high-spirited and determined—in other words, does she display Tortitude? According to Stephanie, “The moment you sit or lay down she will immediately run to you to get her loving and back scratches in. She’s very vocal about wanting to be petted and will jump up beside you and meow until you pet her.”

Shortly after Starlite, Sis arrived from a high-kill shelter. She loves being around the other cats in Stephanie’s home, and as for the people, “She will come up to you and cuddle next to you and loves to get the top of her head and ears scratched. Sis is very sweet and calm. At almost six years old she still loves to play with toys and has kitten-like behavior. She’s very tiny and has a little grumpy face. But don’t let the grumpy face fool you—she is full of love and she really is sweet!”

As for Tortitude, Stephanie describes Starlite as “definitely a diva!” while Sis is “a mama’s girl.” She believes they will flourish when given the opportunity to live in loving homes. “Both cats have a lot of love to give and need a family who is willing to be their safe place.”

Whether or not their future families experience the abundance or protection Torties have been mythically purported to provide, one thing is certain: by welcoming a Tortie into your home, you are guaranteed to be lucky in love, because these cats will deliver a lifetime of fun, loyalty, and companionship.

All of the cats available for adoption through HSLC are vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped. Please see our website (www.humaneloudoun.org) for information on Starlite, Sis, Jenny, Nutmeg, and other cats available for adoption. Interested adopters can arrange a meet and greet. Please contact us at helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.