Tonight Mochi – now known as Hubble, went to his furever home. As always, it was a bittersweet “goodbye”. This time was a new experience for me as a foster mom as I am also a stepmom in training.
I admit, I do shed tears for each cat who has been adopted in my care–but this time was different.
We didn’t have Mochi long but our Ella (8 years old) bonded quickly to him. He was super friendly and was her little buddy. She’s been a great helper, seems to truly love cats and takes a real interest in animals.
Tonight as the forever family met with Mochi, Ella had a hard time. Normally I’m the one who has the hard time. But as the family started to leave, Ella broke down and cried in my arms. It was heartbreaking to say the least. Yet somewhere in between our tears, I felt there was something positive that could come from this moment.
I have been teaching the kids what it means to foster and why I choose to do what we do. Most importantly, I stress that I am not “giving a cat away” as it may seem to young eyes. I want them to understand that we are saving them–that this is for the greater good. I hope she understands (I think she does) and I hope this teaches the kids what it means to love and care for animals on a deeper level. It is important to fully respect and protect them and see them as a life worth living and not ever as an accessory.
We talked about it and I think she feels the same way I do. There is sadness, of course, of missing them and wondering “Will he be okay?…will he be loved?…can they love him like I do?” In the end, I think it was actually good for Ella to know she can care for something and really love another.
So tonight we all cried a little, both sad and happy tears as it turns out. We love you Mochi and all the joy you will bring to your new family, their son and those who are lucky enough to meet you!
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.
Hops and Malt are two special needs cats with a rough past. Before they were rescued by the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC), they experienced a horror story—living in a windowless cement office building for three years with up to thirteen other cats. When they came to us, Hops and Malt were terrified of people and it became very clear that they would need a loving home with a patient owner.
Hops (Malt on the left)
Lucky for them, Hops and Malt found Jennifer, a wonderful HSLC volunteer and foster.
Although they began to slowly come out of their shell for Jennifer, Hops and Malt were uncomfortable around other people. This made adoption events very difficult for them. Like many cats, they did not show well at these events which reduced their chances of being adopted. Their severe dust allergies posed another challenge. Jennifer had to take extra special care of the pair as they endured ongoing allergy shots.
Despite their issues, Jennifer fell in love with Hops and Malt and all of their unique quirks. Throughout the foster experience, she realized that Hops and Malt would have a hard time finding a home that they would feel comfortable in as much as they did in hers. So after roughly 18 months, she decided to adopt them. When a foster parent decides to keep their foster, it is called a “foster fail.” Jennifer has foster failed three times, all with black cats for which she has a very soft spot.
Jennifer’s foster fails looking forward to their new lives.
Cynthia O’Connell decided to sponsor Hops and Malt’s adoption fees through our Guardian Angel program after finding them on our website. Hops and Malt are the second and third cats that Cynthia has helped out through this program. Her living arrangement won’t allow for more pets so she finds the program to be an incredibly rewarding way to make sure that HSLC’s amazing animals find great homes. She’s looking forward to doing it again soon.
The HSLC is overjoyed that Hops and Malt have found such a loving home and two new ‘siblings,’ Janxi and Charlie. Special thanks to Jennifer and Cynthia for giving these special cats their happy ending.
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!
Do you want to get back out in the community after hunkering down at home for so long? Are you looking for a school, church or scout service project? Would you like to spend time with animals but can’t commit to a new pet right now? Volunteer at the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC)! Here are the top ten reasons to volunteer with us.
Save Animal Lives: Each one of our volunteers contributes to saving animal lives.
Boost Your Health: Volunteering has both physical and mental benefits.
Meet New People: Spend time with people who have similar interests as you.
Learn New Skills: Ready for a new challenge? We have plenty of opportunities to learn new skills from animal care to project management to grant writing.
Relieve Stress: Spending time with animals relieves stress and curbs loneliness.
Have Fun: Whether you find fun in volunteering with other people or enjoy the company of animals, you can find your fun with HSLC.
Find Your Purpose: Volunteer with HSLC to see if saving animals is your purpose.
Strengthen Your Resume: Get hands-on experience to boost your resume.
Connect with the Community: Help improve the lives of animals and people in our community.
Truly Make a Difference: We need you!
Learn more at our website including available positions or send an email to our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@humaneloudoun.org.
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.
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.
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!
One of our intrepid fosters, Andi Apple-Robey, did just that. Eight little black kittens were rescued from a postal facility in Sterling in April. There were two litters, one about 7 weeks old and another 5 or 6 weeks old.
The “Clue” kittens are named after the characters from the board game, Clue. Andi used colored collars to tell the kittens apart and she started calling them by those colors. Clue is a murder mystery board game with suspects that have names like Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, etc., so it just seemed appropriate. Boddy is the name of the victim and Wadsworth is the butler.
Recently Andi had to handle some medical emergencies with kittens Mr. Peacock, Professor Plum, and Wadsworth.
The Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC) is dedicated to caring for all our animals as if they were our personal pets. This means providing the funds for whatever medical procedures are needed, sometimes causing budget overruns. But the safety and well-being of our animals are always our priority.
Here is how Andi explains what happened…
“About an hour after I brought the first of the kittens to be neutered (Messrs Peacock, Green and Boddy) home from Towne Animal Clinic, I was relaxing with some water and a snack of trail mix. Mr. Peacock stressed his incision, and was bleeding heavily (all over my kitchen!), so I immediately took him back to Towne. They fixed him right up, and when I got him home, I found Wadsworth and Plum with their faces in the now empty bowl that had held my trail mix! Since the trail mix had both raisins and chocolate in it, I had to immediately gather them up and go back to the vet with them! They tried to purge them, but the boys were stubborn and refused to vomit, and so they were transferred to The Life Center (TLC) ER for three days of IV fluids to try to flush their systems and prevent kidney damage (from the raisins, they weren’t as worried about the chocolate).
Since their blood work stayed stable during their time at TLC, Wadsworth and Plum were transferred BACK to Towne after just two days for Towne to perform their scheduled neuters and the third day of their IV fluid therapy. Once they were transferred and TLC was cleaning their cages, it was discovered Wadsworth likely had eaten part of his IV catheter. So not only did Towne have to finish his fluid therapy and perform his neuter, they had to X-ray him to see if he HAD eaten some of the hard plastic parts. Fortunately they didn’t find anything.”
We’re happy to report that the kittens are now healthy and happy. Only Mr Green is left waiting for his forever home.
Mr. Green is our adorable crossed eyed kitten. This challenges his eyesight but not his personality. He is a committed lap-cat and bed-time snuggler, with a little bit of a food thief thrown into the mix. He’ll sneak a piece of broccoli off your plate given half a chance! It’s a good thing he’s cute about it. Learn more on our adoption page.
Each Humane Society is an independent organization; “Humane Society” is just a descriptive word — like the word ‘bank’ is in US Bank and Bank of America. They are not connected to each other. It can be confusing!
Many people even mistakenly think that the Humane Society of the United States runs all humane societies. They do not! They do help animals through legislation and in disasters, but do not have a shelter themselves.
Some Humane Societies, like the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC), are “limited admission”. Limited admission organizations sometimes have their animals for many months, and use foster homes. That means they do not have to euthanize animals to make room for new pets they take on. And many, like HSLC, have other programs that help the local animal population, like a pet pantry (Loudoun Pet Pantry) so families in need don’t have to surrender their pets simply because they can’t afford to feed them, partial help when medical emergencies arise, and resources for behavioral issues. The Community cat program is major part of HSLC, helping to reduce the numbers of feral cats while improving their health and quality of life.
And some Humane Societies are “open door” with animal control contracts, just like a city shelter, so they do euthanize to make room. Many “open door” humane societies run programs that have helped reduce pet overpopulation in the cities they serve. They may have the pets for many weeks, and know more about their behavior and health than a city shelter.
So it’s important to understand the nature of your local animal rescues and support them for the benefit of your community. We all work together to help animals but we are separate, independent organizations.