How Catz Jazz Rescue Was Affected By The Bastrop County Wildfire

100,000+ acres and over 1000 residences burned these past few weeks as 57 separate wildfires scorched Texas near Catz Jazz Rescue headquarters.

Catz Jazz Rescue, is located in Cedar Creek in Bastrop County situated on 9 acres on our director’s property here in Texas and our headquarters were directly in the line of fire.

Dozens of aircraft responded to fire danger, including four heavy airtankers, 15 single-engine airtankers, and 13 aerial supervision aircraft.

This was the most severe of the more than 180 wildfires reported in a single week during the weekend of September 3rd, 2011 across our state.

Cedar Creek is just up the way from Austin and the fire that burned there was 16 miles long and 4 miles wide.

We were ordered off-property and into emergency shelters and our director, Cathy Taylor, had been evacuated along with all of our indoor rescue cats, many of which are special needs cases, as the Bastrop County wildfire approached her home. Cathy and those cats are currently safe in temporary housing.

Hundreds of firefighters from around the country descended upon Texas to fight the monster blaze, a fire so big it can be seen in satellite images from space.

We want to thank all who inquired about our safety as numerous wildfires continued to burn out of control in the Bastrop County area.

We greatly appreciate your hopeful thoughts and prayers during this overwhelming time as we were absolutely horrified at the damage and destruction caused to our neighbors and friends in this area.

Though our property was in the line of fire, we are incredibly thankful to report that damage to the property itself was minimal, in the grand scheme of things...

A Letter From Our Rescue Director

"We are very comforted by the inquiries from all the folks concerned for our welfare during the this stressful time dealing with the evacuation due to the area wildfires. We were lucky as the main extent of damages to the property was woods burned at the front of the property.

We have a fair amount of damaged fencing due to burning trees falling and crushing the fencing there and also there was damage to the front and side fences.

The residence is far back on the property and thankfully due to the hard work of the Forest Service and other volunteers the fire was contained before getting close to the home.

I managed to safely evacuate the animals and they are being fostered with various friends and supporters. We are going to keep most of them in their foster positions for a time as the whole area is so dry and the possibility of this happening again is all too real till we get some rain and I DO NOT want to risk the animals lives unnecessarily.

The cats/kittens are being real troopers during this time of upheaval and confusion and we are so proud of them for adapting to the situation so well.

Thank you,"
Cathy Taylor
Catz Jazz Rescue Founder/Director


A Letter From Our Assistant Coordinator

"Though we are still stunned and shaken, we are relieved that headquarters are still standing and that Cathy and the indoor cats are safe.

We are now coordinating to recover a large amount of foods and medications lost and are asking for help in quickly trying to recover the most-needed items.

The Bastrop Wildfire near our rescue headquarters had caused power outages resulting in other losses such as spoiled refrigerated medications for the sheltered rescues and kitten milk replacement that requires refrigeration, all of which has been lost.
Frozen food items such as meat and poultry have spoiled; these are items kept on-hand for home-cooking for the special needs cats requiring specific diets. Temperature-sensitive prescription drugs on hand have lost potency.
Our stock supply of dry cat food has been affected due to smoke fumes.
Additionally, we may need to raise funds for smoke odor eliminator equipment. We have put together a list of items that were lost that we are asking for help to recover. If you would like to make a donation of any of these items, please contact us to arrange pickup, we would be very grateful for any replacements and other items that will significantly help us get back on track during this stressful time.
Thank you so much,"
Sydney Colvin-Gibbs
Catz Jazz Rescue Webmaster/Volunteer Coordinator


The following items were lost due to electrical lines being down for several days:
These are all needed for the strict diets for special needs cats like Neena who need to be kept on due to the previous neglectful/abusive treatment endured before their rescue. Many of our cats need freshly cooked foods daily.

Food items:
12 pounds frozen Talapia
12 pounds frozen Catfish
5 pounds ground Sirloin
5 pounds ground Turkey
5 pounds ground Lamb
10 pounds Whole chicken
1 pound Chicken Livers

MANY POUNDS lost from the back stock of dry food.

These are supplements added to Neena's daily meals.
Supplements:

Taurine capsules(500mg)
Bonemeal tabs(250mg)
Multi Vitamin(w/o iron)
Calcium Carbonate

Temp. sensitive meds:

Penicillin injectable(50ml bottle)
Baytril injectable(20ml bottle)
Forti Flora(boxes of 30 packets, 1 gram each packet) Feline 3-way vaccines(2 trays of 25 each) Also kitten milk(brand preferred is Nurturall-C), we find the kittens do best on this brand.


You can also make a donation by paypal. PLEASE MAKE A NOTE "BASTROP FIRE RECOVERY FUND"
Any amount helps and we will be listing donors on a page dedicated to the recovery process.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP!

Catz Jazz Rescue is participating in “America’s Favorite Animal Shelter” contest!

Dear Catz Jazz friends,

Catz Jazz Rescue is participating in “America’s Favorite Animal Shelter” contest sponsored by Care2, ASPCA and Adopt-a-Pet.

This is the Fourth Annual contest, but this will be our first time selected to participate and whether you are a dog or cat lover, animal right advocate, community member, or just enjoy showing support for your friends at our rescue, you can help us win $15,000!

The more votes Catz Jazz gets, the better our chances of winning!

This is a chance for you caring individuals to rally behind the people who make rescue work possible! Please cast your vote for Catz Jazz Rescue, a busy rescue operation that is fund-restricted and in dire need of supplies, materials and basic necessities to help continue fighting for the lives of forgotten and abandoned animals.



Catz Jazz Rescue is often the last chance and refuge for many abandoned, abused and neglected cats that have no other hope.
Now's the chance to celebrate the work we do and help us win crucial funding.

All Shelters and Rescues Have the Opportunity to Win!

To ensure all shelters have a chance to win, Care2 will also award $500 to a randomly picked shelter for each of the 8 weeks of the contest!

We hope we are your favourite animal rescue group and that you will be willing to vote and comment what makes us special to you!

A few minutes of your time REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE and can help us to save more homeless animals in need, so vote TODAY!



Say it loud, say it proud, and please help us win $15,000! The contest ends July 10, 2011.

Everyone counts so please help spread the word via Blog, Twitter, Facebook or email!

The contest ballot asks "Why do you love Catz Jazz?"
Please share your brief but thoughtful assessment of us, we need people to really know about the work we are doing to help increase our chances of success!

Writing Tips:

Share your adoption story

Talk about how Catz Jazz helped you in the past

Contribute specific details you have observed about our rescue

Tell about your volunteer experience

Kudos a specific volunteer

Say how YOU have helped Catz Jazz and why you chose to help us

Thank you so much for your support!  We hope to see your name there!

Sincerely,

Cathy Taylor, Founder and Rescue Director
& Sydney Colvin-Gibbs, Webmaster/Project Coordinator
and the wonderful volunteers and cats at
Catz Jazz Rescue

Adopted!

Just a wonderful note that Mara has been placed into a new home after having been saved from being killed at the pound due to lack of space. This mostly black calico kitten had been dumped and faced euthanasia for no fault of her own but now she has a second go at life and can start a new chapter in her life with her new family!

Mara's calico markings are not typical as she has a mostly black coat, and most of her calico colors are on her back and the back side of her left ear, but Mara is definitely a true calico in all the ways which count, which means her new humans are in for a treat since Calico cats are generally considered to be lucky throughout several different cultures!

For instance, in Japan it was thought that having a calico in the house would bring its owners good luck, and having a calico on board ship was considered to protect the sailors from harm! Mara knows she can count her blessings and is be more than happy to do her part to bring good luck and fortune to those that love and cherish her!

THIS CALICO KITTEN HAS BEEN ADOPTED, BUT WE HAVE MANY OTHER WONDERFUL FELINES THAT WILL MAKE AN AWESOME LIFETIME COMPANION!

When you adopt a rescue cat from Catz Jazz, we are there to offer support for as long as you need. Should you ever need advice, assistance or have questions, help is just a phone call away. We love each and every cat that we have rescued and will always be there for them.

All of our available rescued cats have passed a vet exam, are up-to-date with age-appropriate vaccinations, have been treated for any medical needs, given preventative treatment for internal parasites/fleas, have tested negative for FeLV/FIV, are litter-box trained, spayed/neutered if old enough and now they just need a forever home!

We also have special needs cats and kittens available that need a home, too! Ask us about meeting any of them!

There are many wonderful cats at Catz Jazz Rescue that are waiting for their forever homes. Some have been waiting for over a year for their forever person to find them.

If you need some Cat Jazz in your life, then come find a soulmate!

If you want to help Austin rescue pets but cannot adopt or foster, please consider we also gratefully accept donations of much-needed items from our Catz Jazz Wish List. Thank you so much for helping us out.

Any donation, no matter how small is a big help and is greatly appreciated.

Adopted!

Marvelous adoption report for Sunkist! We thank her new human companions who have pledged to provide an outstanding forever home and wish the very best for this wonderful orange tabby cat!

Orange female tabby cats like Sunkist are uncommon in comparison to male orange tabby cats because the gene that produces that combination normally shows up as a calico in females and as such female orange tabbys are not seen all that often.

Cat's colors can be sex linked. When you see a calico (black, orange and white) or tortoiseshell cat (black and orange), they are almost always female. A cat's fur colors are on the X chromosome. The colour orange is sex linked on the X chromosome. What that means is for a male to be orange they only have to have one orange gene because they only have one X chromosome. For a female to be orange they have to have 2 orange genes because they have 2 X chromosomes (so she can be black on one, orange on the other). If a female only has one orange gene you end up with a tortoiseshell or calico. Because of this orange males are more common but orange females are a bit more unusual because she would have to have to have orange on both chromosomes to be an orange cat.

There are a lot of of other factors that determine shades of color and pattern of a cat's coat. If you are interested in cat genetics, there is a fun and easy to follow book called "Cats are not Peas" that goes into cat genetics in more detail.

THIS ORANGE TABBY FEMALE KITTEN HAS BEEN ADOPTED, BUT WE HAVE MANY OTHER WONDERFUL FELINES THAT WILL MAKE AN AWESOME LIFETIME COMPANION!

When you adopt a rescue cat from Catz Jazz, we are there to offer support for as long as you need. Should you ever need advice, assistance or have questions, help is just a phone call away. We love each and every cat that we have rescued and will always be there for them.

All of our available rescued cats have passed a vet exam, are up-to-date with age-appropriate vaccinations, have been treated for any medical needs, given preventative treatment for internal parasites/fleas, have tested negative for FeLV/FIV, are litter-box trained, spayed/neutered if old enough and now they just need a forever home!

We also have special needs cats and kittens available that need a home, too! Ask us about meeting any of them!

There are many wonderful cats at Catz Jazz Rescue that are waiting for their forever homes. Some have been waiting for over a year for their forever person to find them.

If you need some Cat Jazz in your life, then come find a soulmate!

If you want to help Austin rescue pets but cannot adopt or foster, please consider we also gratefully accept donations of much-needed items from our Catz Jazz Wish List. Thank you so much for helping us out.

Any donation, no matter how small is a big help and is greatly appreciated.

Adopted!

Excellent news of Cara Cara's adoption!

It's rather uncommon to find a female orange tabby since orange males outnumber orange females by about three to one, meaning orange female tabbies only happen about 20-25% of the time. This is because in order for an orange tabby female to be born, it would require for both parents to have an orange coat gene, so that the XX combination determines that they must be red. That makes them more uncommon than males (because in males the X gene in the XY combination takes over, so that even if both parents were not orange, a cat with an X orange gene will be orange - it happens more often in other words).

However, generally speaking, the orange tabby personality, regaurdless of gender is usually that of a very sweet, very devoted cat and Cara Cara is going to bring much love to her human companions as only an orange tabby can do!

THIS ORANGE TABBY FEMALE KITTEN HAS BEEN ADOPTED, BUT WE HAVE MANY OTHER WONDERFUL FELINES THAT WILL MAKE AN AWESOME LIFETIME COMPANION!

When you adopt a rescue cat from Catz Jazz, we are there to offer support for as long as you need. Should you ever need advice, assistance or have questions, help is just a phone call away. We love each and every cat that we have rescued and will always be there for them.

All of our available rescued cats have passed a vet exam, are up-to-date with age-appropriate vaccinations, have been treated for any medical needs, given preventative treatment for internal parasites/fleas, have tested negative for FeLV/FIV, are litter-box trained, spayed/neutered if old enough and now they just need a forever home!

We also have special needs cats and kittens available that need a home, too! Ask us about meeting any of them!

There are many wonderful cats at Catz Jazz Rescue that are waiting for their forever homes. Some have been waiting for over a year for their forever person to find them.

If you need some Cat Jazz in your life, then come find a soulmate!

If you want to help Austin rescue pets but cannot adopt or foster, please consider we also gratefully accept donations of much-needed items from our Catz Jazz Wish List. Thank you so much for helping us out.

Any donation, no matter how small is a big help and is greatly appreciated.

Want to learn more about cat genetics and the science behind your cat's colors? Check out Cats are not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics. This witty and understandable introduction to feline genetics helps explain why calicos are almost always females and gives a better understanding of the reason why orange tabby females are rather uncommon.

Catz Jazz Rescue is on the list of charities on GoodSearch.com!

What this means is that our rescue can get money everytime a person searches for something on the internet using the GoodSearch Toolbar. It is a lot like bigger search engines, such as Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. The difference is, sponsors donate money to charity instead of paying the search engine!

It's easy to use, benefits charity, and best of all, it's a great, FREE way to help out charities like ours! Use the GoodShop® and make sure to select the non-profit you want to support! Hundreds of legitimate online retailers like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, iTunes, and eBay are in the GoodShop®. Prices are the same, yet when you shop through GoodShop®, a portion goes to your nonprofit. These can add up very, very fast. If you're buying online today, check the GoodShop® first. You can buy books about cat genetics and personalities and help out feline rescue while you're at it!

Adopted!

A superb announcement today of Foozle's adoption!

This adorable and sweet special needs cat born with eyelid agenesis and feline entropion has been placed into new home and is starting a new chapter in his life, thanks to his new human companion who has pledged their dedication! We hope to get updates about this boy soon!

THIS SPECIAL NEEDS BOY HAS BEEN ADOPTED, BUT WE HAVE MANY OTHER WONDERFUL FELINES THAT WILL MAKE AN AWESOME LIFETIME COMPANION!

When you adopt a rescue cat from Catz Jazz, we are there to offer support for as long as you need. Should you ever need advice, assistance or have questions, help is just a phone call away. We love each and every cat that we have rescued and will always be there for them.

All of our available rescued cats have passed a vet exam, are up-to-date with age-appropriate vaccinations, have been treated for any medical needs, given preventative treatment for internal parasites/fleas, have tested negative for FeLV/FIV, are litter-box trained, spayed/neutered if old enough and now they just need a forever home!

We also have special needs cats and kittens available that need a home, too! Ask us about meeting any of them!

There are many wonderful cats at Catz Jazz Rescue that are waiting for their forever homes. Some have been waiting for over a year for their forever person to find them.

If you need some Cat Jazz in your life, then come find a soulmate!

If you want to help Austin rescue pets but cannot adopt or foster, please consider we also gratefully accept donations of much-needed items from our Catz Jazz Wish List. Thank you so much for helping us out.

Any donation, no matter how small is a big help and is greatly appreciated.

National Justice for Animals Week February 20-26, 2011

Does an animal abuser live in your neighborhood? Wouldn’t you want to know if a violent or repeat animal abuser were living next door to you and your family? Animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

Convicted animal abusers pose a real, ongoing threat to your pets, your family, and your community. The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s proposed abuser registry legislation would require mandatory registration and community notification for convicted animal abusers. These laws would make a dramatic difference in keeping offenders away from potential new victims by allowing animal shelters and humane societies to more thoroughly screen potential adopters—and by alerting the public to their whereabouts.

Animal victims of abuse cannot speak for themselves. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) created an annual campaign called the National Justice for Animals Week to raise awareness of how to stop animal abuse in your community. February 20-26, 2011 marks the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s third annual National Justice for Animals Week. PLEASE Sign the petition to demand that your state require animal abusers to register in their communities. Take Action! EXPOSE THE ABUSERS!

You can help by:

* Signing the petition to Support an Animal Abuser Registry.

* Signing The Animal Bill of Rights.

* Telling your friends, forwarding this post.

* Donate to ALDF.

ALDF is one of our favourite organizations. Every day, ALDF attorneys work to keep animal abusers off the streets and prevent them from ever harming another victim by helping prosecute animal cruelty cases, pressuring for the enforcement of existing laws, strengthening animal cruelty laws, helping students interested in animal law, and through public education. If you read some of the stories of our rescues at Catz Jazz Rescue, you will learn about just a few of the abused and neglected animals we have rescued, but who's abusers have gone unpunished. Please help stop animal abuse and cruelty by voicing your support for justice for animals!

Animal victims of abuse cannot speak for themselves. We must speak up for them. Join Animal Legal Defense Fund in raising awareness of National Justice for Animals Week and do your part to report animal abuse within your community to help show that we want stronger laws and tough enforcement!