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.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 

~Margaret Mead

It takes a dedicated team of volunteers to make our Community Cats program a success. Over the past week, our amazing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) volunteers have been working to help a gentleman who had become overwhelmed with what we all thought were about 40 unfixed cats on his property. He didn’t know where to turn for help until someone referred him to the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC).

Our goal was to humanely trap the community cats and have them microchipped, vaccinated and neutered to stabilize the population and stop the proliferation of feral kittens. Unchecked, the population of this colony would have expanded exponentially very, very quickly.

Timeline to Date

Sunday, April 7  – Over a dozen intrepid volunteers spent about 10 long hours trapping 35 community cats. Our team worked together to set and place the traps, organize the cats, label the traps and get the paperwork ready for their surgery (spay or neuter) the next day.

Tuesday, April 9 – We returned most of the cats to the site and our volunteers trapped more cats while they were there.

Friday, April 12  – We returned the second group of cats and trapped additional cats as well.

To date, we have trapped 51 community cats at this site, with several more left to get. We also think there are at least three litters of kittens born within the past week that we will try to find and trap when they are about five weeks or so old, along with the moms.

By the time we are finished, we will have helped 60-70 cats and kittens at this one site. This is the biggest site at which HSLC has ever performed a TNR operation. We are so grateful to our great team of volunteers without whom we never would have been able to get so many cats so quickly.  Thanks to them, the kittens from this colony will find safe, loving  forever homes and the community cats returned to the site will live longer and healthier lives.

Please check out our photo galleries below compliments of Marty McKee and Julia Grosz (aka the Cat Hustler). Click on the photos to enlarge them. And, be sure to scroll to the end to learn how you can help control the pet population in Loudoun County.

TNR Operation

Community Cats

How You Can Help

• Donate: The price-tag for neutering, vaccinating and microchipping dozens of community cats is literally in the thousands. Each donation adds up and is greatly appreciated.
• Kitten Care: Just like human babies, kittens require a lot of food and supplies. Visit our amazon.com wish list for a current list of needed items.
• Spay/Neuter: Encourage friends, family and neighbors to spay/neuter their pets. There are many low-cost Spay/Neuter options available in Loudoun County and in communities all across the country.
• Foster: Since HSLC has no physical shelter, we rely on individuals to open their hearts and homes to at-risk animals. Our foster program has the most direct impact of saving lives of any of our programs.

Donate a vehicle to benefit HSLC

Simply CLICK HERE to begin the process.

How the Vehicle Donation Process Works

Schedule the Vehicle Pick up

In some areas, the ability to schedule the vehicle for pick up during your initial contact is possible. In all other cases you will be contacted within 2-3 business days to set a convenient appointment time for pick up.  The vehicle will be picked up by a licensed tow company at no cost to you and will be taken to a sale location. You will be provided a Donation Receipt by the tow driver at the time of pick up.

The Donated Vehicle is Sold

The vehicle will be taken to a sales location and evaluated. When it is cost-effective, major and/or minor mechanical repairs will be made. Auction houses are used sell the majority of vehicles. The goal is to ensure that HSLC receives the maximum amount of money for each vehicle donation that they receive. All Necessary Tax Deduction Receipts and Forms Provided

All Necessary Tax Deduction Receipts and Forms Provided

Within 30 days of the sale of the donated vehicle, you will receive a thank you letter which you may use as a tax receipt. This may be your only receipt if your vehicle sells for $500 or less. If your donated vehicle sells for more than $500, you will be emailed an additional receipt known as “IRS Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes” if your tax identification number has been provided.

Feral cats, community cats, wild cats, stray cats — we have many names for the mysterious felines we sometimes see peeking out from under our porch, darting into abandoned buildings, or slithering into a sewer drain. Yet most of them share a single destiny: short, difficult lives.

Fortunately, helping feral or abandoned cats isn’t difficult. But it’s important that you do something and not just turn the other way.  

A female cat can become pregnant as young as 16 weeks of age and go on to have two or three litters a year, so the feral cat population — and the problems associated with it — grows and perpetuates. In just a couple of years a single female cat and her kittens can produce dozens of cats.

You’ve spotted a cat running down your block. Now what? You want to help, but what can you do?

The first rule of helping stray cats: hands off!

Don’t go chasing after him right then and there.  It’s unlikely you’ll catch him but it is likely that you’ll frighten him.  Even if you do manage to get close enough, you’ll be risking serious injury if you attempt to grab him.  A scared cat can inflict a lot of damage very quickly.

The second rule of helping stray cats: play detective.

Is this a pet cat who was recently lost? A stray cat who has been on his own for a time but warms up to people once he gets to know them? Is he a neighbor’s cat who goes in and out? A feral cat who by nature is wary of people and prefers living outside a traditional home?  Look for an ear-tip on the left ear to signify to humane trappers and the public that this cat has already been altered and likely being cared for as part of a feral colony.

To find out, ask neighbors and other people in the immediate area if they know anything about the cat.  Did he just arrive or has he been seen around for some time?  Is anyone feeding him, providing shelter or even letting him in their house?  Does he have a collar and tags?  Has anyone posted “lost cat” signs?
Contact the local animal shelter to see if he has been reported lost.  

How to help a friendly cat

If it turns out kitty is lost, then of course you’ll want to contact his owner and return him.  If he’s a friendly stray, then probably he lived in a home at one time and might be adoptable.  Ask for assistance from HSLC (email helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org) or someone experienced in handling cats. 

Caring for feral cats

If your neighborhood cat is feral, or it doesn’t seem like he’s ever lived in a home, then he likely isn’t adoptable, but he can stay outdoors while you provide food and shelter.

But the most important rule for caring for feral cats: fix them, fast.

HSLC has a Community Cat Program and employs a policy called Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) to help maintain the number and health of current populations of Community Cat colonies. By using a system of humane trapping, HSLC volunteers will trap the cats, transport them to local vets to be altered (spayed or neutered), get a rabies vaccination, microchip, ear-tip and address any immediate medical needs as applicable.  Cats are then returned to their home/colony after a short period of recovery.  

The HSLC Community Cats (feral) program is funded by donations from our community.  The program is free to the public because HSLC does not want anyone to be afraid to ask for help due to financial considerations. 

Click here for more information and to submit a request for TNR assistance.
https://humaneloudoun.org/what-we-do/community-cat-program/

When you find kittens

Kittens should stay with Mom until they are 6 – 8 weeks old and eating solid food. When you find kittens be absolutely sure the mom is no longer caring for them before you remove them. Mom may be hunting for food or still be nearby. Contact HSLC for information and help.

If you are not located in the Loudoun County, Virginia area, check with local rescues about TNR programs or contact Ally Cat Allies https://www.alleycat.org/

If there’s one feral cat living in your neighborhood, it’s very likely others are there too. Take a look around, and talk with your neighbors about how you can all work together to help them. 

By Valerie Burton
February 20, 2019

No pet should lose a loving home due to a family’s unexpected financial strain. Unfortunately, it’s an all too common story. A family is hit with an unexpected job loss, medical bill, car repair, or other situation. The once financially-secure family now has barely enough money to buy food and pay the rent, let alone afford food and medical care for the family pet. Too often, sudden financial struggles lead to pets being surrendered to rescues and shelters.

In 2013, the Humane Society of Loudoun County, Loudoun County Animal Services, and Loudoun Hunger Relief formed a partnership—the Loudoun Pet Pantry—in an effort to prevent tragic circumstances from causing families to have to make the heart-wrenching decision to give up a pet. The goal of the Pet Pantry is to help keep pets in loving homes by providing food supplies. Donations collected at boxes throughout the county are distributed to families in need in order to enable them to hold onto their furry family members.

Shawn’s Story

One grateful recipient of assistance from the Loudoun Pet Pantry is Shawn, a lifelong resident of Leesburg who found herself struggling for every penny needed to take care of her beloved best friend, Brownie.

Shawn grew up as an only child in a family where animals were cherished. She never had children of her own. One day, her next-door neighbor brought home a Pomeranian named Brownie. This breed is often described as combining a tiny body with a big-dog personality—alert, intelligent, vivacious, and ideal for companionship. Brownie met this description, but unfortunately, shortly after getting her, Shawn’s neighbor had a stroke and could no longer care for a dog.

Shawn stepped in and adopted Brownie, who became the love of her life and the child she’d always wanted. After working for twenty one years as an accountant, Shawn became disabled. Unable to work, it became difficult for her to make ends meet, and when she found out about the Pet Pantry, it was a lifesaver. “Having free food for Brownie truly helped with an already tight budget,” she says.

Fortunately, Shawn’s situation was temporary, and she now finds herself in the position of being able to give back. “I donate when possible,” she says, and she encourages others to do so as well. “I understand the importance of not only the small differences to a household budget, but the gift in spirit of returning a favor. Thank God for Pet Pantry. A person’s pet IS a family member!”

Shawn’s story demonstrates the crucial role played by the Pet Pantry in helping families care for companion animals while going through difficult times. Collaboration from all in the community who care about the well-being of animals is critical to maintaining the ability to provide this essential support.

How You Can Help

Individuals can be involved with the Pet Pantry in a variety of ways. There are donation boxes located throughout the county—in Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, Waterford, South Riding, and Purcellville. Please see our website for a complete listing: https://humaneloudoun.org/

HSLC is pleased to announce two new locations in Leesburg for collecting donations. Catoctin Veterinary Clinic (112 Dry Mill Road SW) has been an HSLC partner for several years. Providing a wide array of comprehensive services, their friendly staff makes every pet’s experience as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Happy Tails Animal Hospital is new to the area and offering a free office visit and exam for new patients. Happy Tails is located at 700 Fieldstone Drive in Leesburg.

The Loudoun Pet Pantry accepts cat and dog food (canned, any size; dry, 4-8 pound bags). Dry food must be unopened, unexpired, non-prescription adult food. We cannot use kitten, puppy, or senior food. For large pet food donations, HSLC can make arrangements for pick-up.

Other ways to help include donating funds or gift cards to help purchase supplies and hosting pet food drives. HSLC is glad to assist in organizing and arranging food drives. Please contact us for more information at petpantry@humaneloudoun.org or 703-777-2912.

Robert, a 15 year old home schooled student in Leesburg, noticed that the family of feral cats living near his home seemed to be multiplying at an alarming rate. None of the cats were spayed or neutered, so they kept breeding, but kittens were starting to die more often than live. There were over 20 cats in the colony when Robert decided to do something about it.

As a project for school, he started researching organizations that might be able to help the cats, and he found HSLC. Our Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) volunteers were able to get involved, and the cats are now all fixed. Thankfully more of them will now survive, and the cycle of overpopulation has been interrupted, all thanks to Robert’s concern and decision to get involved and the dedication of our TNR volunteers.

Some of the cats are friendly and will eventually be placed in foster care and then adopted. Cream, for example, was found with his sister, Sugar, when they were about two days old. At first it appeared he was not going to make it, but with a little TLC he bounced back, surprising everyone by surviving and becoming an adorable playmate. His foster family could not resist adopting him. We look forward to many more happy endings for this group of cats for whom Robert is a true hero!

Cream is now called Noodle and loves his new home

Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas hard in mid-September, impacting homes, people, and pets. Our caring volunteer, Jennifer, wanted to help the hurricane victims so the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) stepped in to make it happen.  Between Sept 16th and 23rd (just one week!)  HSLC worked with Jennifer to organize, collect, and send her off to deliver relief to the area.  We reached out to our network of community businesses, fellow rescues, and volunteers to make it happen.

Some other area animal rescues stepped up to work with us. Fancy Cats collected pet food donations and HART volunteer Kerry Kieger and crew helped at our trucks.

We put out a plea for donations and the response was overwhelming. Avalon Consulting provided pet food donations as well as monetary donations for us to buy supplies to take down to the hurricane relief area.  Clarus Merchant Services was very generous to provide donations allowing us to rent two trucks for all the supplies we collected and cover expenses there and back.  HSLC donors also stepped up to provide funds for us to buy supplies for the hurricane victims.

We contacted Spanky’s Shenanigans in Leesburg for some advice because they helped with Hurricane Harvey last year.  They immediately offered to help us “stuff a truck” at their weekly Wednesday Yappy Hour.  Thank you to owner Azmi, servers Katie & Joanie, and all their wonderful friends and patrons (both two and four legged) who helped.  Just a few doors down, our friend Darla at the Leesburg Petsmart worked to collect a large pallet of pet food donations, personally delivering them to Spanky’s.

Our “stuff a truck” efforts didn’t end at Spanky’s. We obtained permission from the Dulles Landing Petsmart in Chantilly to park our truck at their store to continue collecting donations from Friday to Sunday.  Thank you to managers Corey, Andrew, and Lauren.  Coal Fire Pizza manager Alexandra ran into us in the parking lot and set up a fundraiser at their restaurant to help with the cause.

HSLC was already scheduled to attend the “Caturday” event at Gum Springs Library on Saturday Sept 22^nd so we arranged to have the donation truck in their parking lot that day. Thank you to Jessica Moore and team!

On the evening of Sunday September 23^rd Jennifer, Katie, and Kyle set out to deliver our relief supplies to NC.  After navigating though the hurricane devastated areas, their first stop was at A Dogs Dream in New Bern. This was one of the harder hit areas. A Dogs Dream is a boarding and grooming facility which opened up their doorsto receive donations and continued to be a distribution point during the coming weeks.

Watch this video of Jennifer and team at A Dogs Dream.

The next stop for our intrepid wanderers was to Loaves and Fishes in Beaufort,  a ministry pantry that acted as a distribution center for the pets and people of Beaufort in need of supplies. It’s ran alongside local churches there.  Craven Pamlico Animal Services Center received donations as well. Both of these facilities continued to get the call to help for weeks to come.

Then it was on to Cause for Paws in Raleigh,  our point of contact for finding out where the supplies were needed. They were one of the rescues who helped the over 200 animals at the Raleigh fairgrounds and continued to help flood victims in the continued weeks.

Thank you to all the HSLC volunteers who helped to make this happen: Melissa, Anne, Molly, Christina, Kerry, Theresa, Juanita, Sharon, Julia, Melanie, Katie, and Kyle. And, of course, a big thank-you to Jennifer.

 

 

HSLC volunteers do what we do because we believe all of our furry friends deserve to live happy, comfortable, safe lives. Sadly, many of the animals we encounter have been through difficult times that leave them traumatized, just as humans would be if we were in their situations. Abandoned by their families; lost or surviving as strays; on their own in a scary world. We are grateful for every one we are able to rescue from circumstances where the odds are stacked against their survival.

Once given the opportunity to live comfortably and have their needs met, it is remarkable how quickly animals respond to love and care from humans. Most of the fantastic felines available for adoption through HSLC settle in quickly when they arrive at their foster homes. Recovering trust, however, is a different process for every cat. For some, life at home may be just grand, but they still may find the environment at adoption events stressful, causing them to not be able to put their best paw forward.

For example, Peekaboo was found living in a feral colony but quickly
demonstrated he was far too friendly and social to not live with a forever
family. He is one cat who is sweet and playful as can be—and happy to let
you know he is loving life. He excels at catching toys as they fly through
the air, and he gets along incredibly well with both people and other cats.

 

Employees at an area data center found Lily living in a dumpster with
her kittens. Originally thought to be feral, it was quickly determined that
Lily was just very scared and protective of her kittens. Once in a foster home,
Lily was finally able to relax and learn to trust people again. She loves
attention, iPad games and especially toys on strings! She is still shy around
strangers but it doesn’t take her long to warm up to new people.

 

Ella was adopted out as a kitten but has been returned to HSLC.
Although able to be on display, she is now about 2 years old and
still looking for that one special family. She’s super friendly
and will greet guests with a warm hello.Kids are great, she loves
the attention. Chin rubs are the best and she loves to play with toys,
stretch, watch the world from a perch in the window, and lay in the
sun. Need a buddy for binge watching? She’ll hang out with you
on the couch and watch your favorite shows anytime.

All of the wonderful cats showcased here are vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped. They are ready to move forward into new and happy lives with families who will cherish them and treat them with the love they deserve—which will surely be reciprocated many times over. They’d love to celebrate the holidays with their new families! In order to avoid the stress of adoption events, interested adopters can arrange a meet and greet. Please contact us at helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.

The Humane Society of Loudoun County has an immediate and urgent need for the public’s help in finding homes for a group of endangered local community cats.  Because they are outdoor “working” cats and not suited for life indoors, ideal situations for these cats include breweries, wineries, nurseries, warehouses and larger residential properties with large garages, barns, or stables—where rodents can be plentiful and mousers are welcome.  All our barn cats are fixed, vaccinated and ready to lend a helping paw.  Humane Loudoun provides all the equipment, set-up, and advice for a successful transition.  All you need to provide is food, water and a big heart.  No adoption fee will be assessed but, as always, donations are appreciated.

Humane Loudoun’s “Critter Control” program is a form of organic pest control that can help keep rodents away from grain, food storage, etc.  They are a cleaner, more effective alternative than dangerous pesticides and they are on duty 24/7.  The adopting local businesses will enjoy their company from afar as well as having the satisfaction of giving them a much-needed home. If you currently have unspayed barn cats, you can also receive assistance in having them sterilized.

Humane Society of Loudoun County is an all-volunteer, no-kill, registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. If you own or manage property like those previously mentioned, and have permission for long-term placement of animals on the property, please contact the Humane Society of Loudoun County at helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.  For more information visit our website.

Looking for that purrfect holiday project for your family, church group, school or office? If so, consider conducting a pet food drive for the Loudoun Pet Pantry (LLP).

All it takes for a pet to go hungry or be surrendered to a shelter is for their family to have an unexpected medical bill or a job loss. Therefore, in 2013, The Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC), Loudoun County Animal Services, and Loudoun Hunger Relief created the Loudoun Pet Pantry to help keep pets in their furever homes by providing food supplies to people in need.

And, the need is growing. Recently, HSLC doubled its food deliveries to better meet the increasing demand. So, we are in constant need of pet food donations.

As a result, we are hoping that compassionate folks across the community will help out by conducting their own pet food drives. You’ll find helpful ideas for getting started on our website.

No time for a food drive? Please consider dropping off a bag or two of dog or cat food at the many donation box locations across the county. 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.

We also appreciate monetary donations as they allow us to fulfill any specific needs. And, if you donate through our website, please specify “Pet Pantry” in the dedication field.

Lastly, HSLC is looking for a new, donated or discounted, climate-controlled space for the growing Pet Pantry. Please contact helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org with any suggestions.