June is Adopt-a-Cat-Month®. Started by the American Humane Association in 1974, the month marks an opportunity for animal shelters and rescue organizations like the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) to encourage the public to adopt rather than shop for feline companionship. Here are two recent stories that show how wonderful adopting can be.
Felix is living his best kitty life.
Melissa and Jeff found their new best friend after he was rescued along with 35 other cats from a home eviction in Stephens City (read the full rescue story here). The pair have adopted several cats over the years. They usually adopt older animals that need extra love but made an exception with Felix (originally named Foxy). The couple immediately fell in love with his playful and boisterous personality. Felix is just over a year old and loves to relax and spend time cuddled up on the couch. He has brought so much joy to this forever family.
Another one of our new parents, Jacqueline, adopted three kittens after the passing of her Weimaraner at the age of 15. Jacqueline stated that she knew it was time to open her home to more rescues, particularly cats. After she and her family reviewed pictures of a new litter with three kittens –Peaches, Archie, and Toby– they felt an instant connection. Thankfully, not wanting to separate the siblings, Jacqueline and her family adopted all three!
Peaches, Archie, and Toby playing on the stairs.
After two weeks in their new home, the kittens have all developed unique personalities: Archie the “snuggler”, Toby the “couch potato,” and Peaches the “regal queen.” Jacqueline highlighted how much joy the kittens have brought to the household, racing up the stairs and sitting in the windowsills to watch the passerby. She loves that the kittens bring such a unique energy to her home.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HSLC has taken extra measures to ensure that potential adopters feel comfortable meeting our cats. Melissa and Jeff shared that they felt very safe throughout the adoption process and were excited to be able to meet Felix in person before adopting. Likewise, Jacqueline found the process to be safe and seamless, noting “It’s clear that HSLC really cares about the animals they are placing.”
If you are interested in adopting a cat through HSLC, please visit our website to view the available animals and complete an application.
On April 28, a team of volunteers from the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) mobilized to help save a desperate family of five kittens and their mother from underneath a residential deck. Because of the cold weather, it was imperative that the kittens were rescued as quickly as possible. It took no more than a post in the volunteer Facebook group to rally the team needed for the mission.
In a heartwarming act of heroism, the volunteers were able to rescue the family in 24 hours. An experienced foster family took in the kittens and is in the process of helping them recover. The quintet of kittens were aptly named after the Golden Girls and Dorothy’s ex-husband, Stan. No doubt, they will bring just as much joy to the world as the original characters did on the small screen. The feral mother cat was spayed and vaccinated before safely being returned to her outdoor home.
The volunteers weren’t done yet, though. Another friendly cat was also found on the property, badly injured. She was rescued and taken to the vet to treat her wounds. Once recovered, she will be put up for adoption.
Amidst all the uncertainty in the world right now, one thing is clear. These volunteers quickly, selflessly, and heroically helped seven cats, and now six of them have the opportunity to find their forever homes. According to Donna Drake, HSLC Vice President, “We cannot save these animals without our amazing group of volunteers and rescue partners. They are the reason we can save and help so many animals and give them a better life.”
Thank you to the HSLC volunteers Pam Harvey, Heidi Wallner, Molly Boyne, Aseel Alsabawi, Amy Richards, Dora Lea Spring, and Jennifer Reed. Thank you also to Tina Creller of Mountain Cats TNR and Felicia McDonald of The Cats Voice.
Fortunately, Midnight was cleared of diabetes and is doing much better now. But, to ensure she stays stable, we are hoping to find Midnight her own foster or forever home. Currently, she shares a shed with other cats. The shed is climate-controlled and specially adapted to ensure it’s a welcoming space for some of our foster cats. But, Midnight just isn’t a fan of other cats. However, she LOVES humans. And, she offers the best of both worlds: she’s a snuggly lap cat one moment and an independent, playful cat the next.
To foster Midnight, please complete an application here.
To adopt her, please complete an application here.
Ten-year old Midnight came to HSLC in August 2018 after her owners surrendered her for going outside the litter box. The leaky bladder was caused by a stone that has since been removed thus solving the problem.
“I used to go outside my litter box. Turns out, my previous owners didn’t know I had a lima bean sized bladder stone which has been removed. Now I’m all better and have perfect litter box manners.”
If fostering or adopting isn’t an option for you right now, please consider making a donation to help with Midnight’s ongoing care. She takes medication—like a boss—for a thyroid condition twice daily and is on a special diet to prevent any more urinary issues. Also, sponsoring or co-sponsoring her $150 adoption fee will increase the odds that she will finally get her happily ever after.
If you have any questions about helping Midnight, please contact us at helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org
Thank you for making a difference!
“We are delighted and thankful that the Catoctin Circle Giant in Leesburg has selected us again as the featured non-profit for their Community Bag Program. Community involvement is essential to our mission to increase public awareness about our life-saving programs and the donations from the sale of the reusable bags will help us provide care for our at-risk and homeless animals,” shared HSLC’s President, Juanita Easton.
Reo and Danny Boy are a bonded pair looking for their forever home. They are hoping you will buy a Community Bag or two to help them and their friends get the second chances they deserve.
If you weren’t able to participate during September’s campaign, you now have a second chance in January. The Community Bags are purple (see photos) and are located at the front of the store. Cute animals are not included (but we can hook you up if you need one!)
Cat Photo: Kaitlynn Stone
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.
Adoption events like Clear the Shelters wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful fosters, volunteers and donors.
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 17th. 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:
- Visit the adoptable animals on our website.
- Choose the animal you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor.
- 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!
Playtime (see video below)
Imagine being dumped on a country road to fend for yourself in unfamiliar surroundings.
Now, imagine you’re a 3-month old kitten who is totally blind. What are your odds of survival?
And so begins the story of Daredevil, an incredibly sweet and trusting kitten abandoned and left to die – just because he couldn’t see. Fortunately, a friend of a Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) volunteer found Daredevil and he is now safe and sound with us.
His nonstop purring and fondness for snuggling tells us that he is grateful to be alive and in such caring hands—perhaps for the first time in his young life.
Daredevil isn’t going to see again and his ruptured eyes have already been surgically removed. Currently, he is being fostered by a caring vet assistant who works at Towne Animal Clinic.
Resting after surgery
It takes a village to save a kitten’s life. From the volunteers who rescue them from unthinkable situations to the foster parents who give them a loving home to the donors who help cover their various medical expenses. But, it’s all worth it when we can give a beautiful animal like Daredevil the happy ending he deserves.
Daredevil is looking for his forever home. Check out his video below and see if you can resist this adorable love-muffin!
Thank you to everyone who completed our Pet Owner Survey earlier this summer. The results were doggone interesting!
Here are some fun findings:
• 69% of you have two or more pets and 71% of you have been pet owners for 16 years or more! Companionship is—by far—the number one reason you brought a pet into your home.
• Dog people (65%) outnumber cat people (63%) but only by a nose! And, let’s not forget about the folks with birds (2%), fish (4%), rabbits (4%) and other pets (10%).
• Only 29% of you leave the TV or other entertainment on for your pets, but a whopping 100% of you talk to them. Over two-thirds of you take photos or videos of your pets.
• Most pets sleep in or on a bed – either their own or a human bed. Only 8% of pets sleep outside.
• Two-thirds of you met your pet through an adoption event or at a rescue center. You considered a variety of factors when choosing a pet:
If you are thinking about adopting an animal, please visit our website to learn more about the many animals looking for their forever homes.
A special kittie was adopted this week. Enos lived for years as an outside cat in a colony near Leesburg. But as we were relocating most of the cats to new homes due to threats, we realized that Enos had some vision problems due to an old wound or injury. He could still see but his vision is limited, which means he couldn’t be moved to a new outside home.
Enos showed signs of being social and friendly, so we took a chance and put him in one of our foster homes. Fortunately, Enos decided that he was ready for the comfortable life of an indoor kitty.
Enos took to indoor life like a fish to water. Turns out Enos is all about getting snuggles and ear rubs and back scratches.
And just like that, the perfect family found and adopted this 9 year old, vision impaired love bug. So now he’s getting to know his new cat brother and if all goes well, they will have many happy years of playtime together.
