Four Legs Good

Instinct was a success! :)

2011-03-21T15:01:00.002-04:00

I just want to say a huge thank you to everybody who came together and volunteered to create this special event. Four Legs Good appreciates all the effort that everyone put into making this night. We had so much fun and we could not have done it without you all.

Thank you to Jose for suggesting to do this event. We could not have done it without you. You helped get everyone together and created a special night for us. And you got that dance floor moving with some awesome tunes. We can't thank you enough.

Thank you Eric, Jenn & Mark. You all played some awesome kick-ass music. Everyone was dancing up a storm.

Thank you Jenn for putting in some old school freestyle. You made us very happy mixing that in with the darker stuff. You guys are the best!

Luis - you made us such a wonderful video. Everyone kept looking at the video and saying how it made them want to adopt an animal. I guess you got the point across :) Thank you so much for helping us with that.

Thank you to Kimberly for hosting the event at Teneleven and doing drink specials.

Thank you to everyone who took turns at the door - Gayle, Angela, Eileen

Thank you Mike for helping to carry the DJ equipment!

Thank you to all the kind folks who came out and supported us. Oh and by the way....did I forget to say....THANK YOU!!!!

I guess there are never enough thank you's to be said sooo...

that's all :)

~ Lyra

Four Legs Good

2011-02-08T12:06:00.001-05:00

Our volunteers & foster homes are invaluable to us. These people work full time jobs, go to school, AND still find time to step up & volunteer to care for animals in what little spare time they may have. They do what so many others don't. They ACT where others look away, they ACT where others merely talk. This is the most important thing.

We have cats to socialize & dogs to rehome, and lots of work to deal with regarding setting up adoption/promotion events &checking references for adoptions, as well as making appointments with potential adopters, returning our voicemails & emails, updating our webpages & getting our literature printed, as well as arranging our vet appointments, trapping dates &setting up recovery homes for feral cats.

We'd happily accept any volunteer fosterers, transporters, recovery homes, colony feeders/monitors, photographers, or any other kind of useful volunteer, since we could use a little help.

Please understand,we are a very small organization, 5 board members & maybe 4 foster homes at any one time, 2 of them being board members themselves. We can't do it all, much as we'd like to. Considering how many animals we've managed to help, we're pretty proud of what we have managed to accomplish.

We could do even more, with your help. It's the hands-on stuff that saves lives, not chatting on facebook, or "liking" posts or cooing over cute pictures of animals. The real work is dirty & hard, but it's needed if the animals are to be saved. And it's TOTALLY worth it.

Please call 1-877-856-2616, email FourLegsGoodNYNJ@gmail.com or send us a message on facebook to get involved!

We've gone to the dogs!

2010-12-29T08:47:00.001-05:00

Very often, people ask us, "Do you only work with cats?" and the answer is always the same. "No, we work with any animal we can help; it just so happens cats need A LOT of help." Seriously, when was the last time you saw a pack of feral dogs wandering around suburban NY & NJ? The thing is, when dogs are out loose, people tend to notice, and the dogs get help. Cats get ignored, either because people think they're supposed to be outside, or they just don't care.

Anyway...we have come across two dogs that we could help. So, without further ado, we'd like to introduce CoCo & Goldie!

CoCo is a sweetheart, 8 months old, spayed, vaccinated & friendly. She's a Pharaoh Hound cross (look at those EARS!). CoCo was rescued from a bad home situation where she was unwanted and pretty much neglected. She's currently being fostered in my (Angela's) home. She's a bundle of energy, so we've been taking long play sessions. She loves racing around the yard in the snow & I love watching her. It's quite hilarious, really. She goes bouncing straight up and down like she's on springs. She's so full of joy. CoCo is also good with other animals, as she gets along fine with the 2 senior dogs & the cat pride here. She's eager to please and does her best to do what my boyfriend & I ask of her, but she is still a pup and learning. She's smart, and is catching on fast. Training her is proving to be a breeze.

Goldie is a bit more of a mystery. She's just under a year old, and is a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross. Goldie was found wandering the streets of East New York. Her rescuer did not want to bring her to a shelter because of the high kill rate, especially for bigger breeds like Ridgebacks. She's also energetic & eager to please, but young as well. She needs a home with some one who can be her pack leader, no questions about it. She's VERY friendly with people and good with dogs close to her size. She does not get along with cats at all. Goldie is also spayed and up to date on all her vaccines. She needs a home or foster home as soon as possible.

If you can foster or adopt either of these beautiful sweet dogs, please contact us at 1-877-856-2616. Thanks!

Pet Photos with Santa!

2010-12-07T12:22:00.002-05:00

Doing what we do, we end up seeing some pretty tragic stuff. We get involved in heartbreaking cases as a matter of routine. We do it because we love the animals, and genuinely want a better life for them. It can get pretty heavy...

Luckily, every now & then, something really fun & uplifting comes along, and this time, it's Pet Photos With Santa, hosted by Valley Cottage Animal Hospital. This is a two weekend affair, and it started last Sunday. A bunch of Four Legs Good volunteers donned ridiculous Christmasy head gear (reindeer antlers, anyone?) and headed over to VCAH to meet the pets & their people coming to see Santa. VCAH set up this event as a fundraiser for the animals in our care, and they suggested a $5 donation. We are thrilled to report, most people gave more than that. 'Tis the season, huh?

It was truly a joy for us volunteers to take a little time out from tromping around hillsides in the cold, setting up shelters, hanging out in dark parking lots to feed & trap feral cats, and keeping up with the cleaning & care of all the fosters. The pet's people we met were so generous & happy, the animals were just WONDERFUL, and the staff at Valley Cottage Animal Hospital...well, we just can't say enough nice things about them. What a fantastic way to celebrate the season, get a fun momento of your pet, and help less fortunate animals all at once.

If you missed last week's fun, there's still time to get in for this Sunday! Please call VCAH asap and set up your appointment! 845-268-9263

Sittings with Santa run from 1-4 this Sunday, Dec 11.

See you there! With bells on! (For real.)

China

2010-12-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

China was found at a feral colony. She appears to be a pure bred rag doll or siamese . She's not aggressive in the least, but she's sad, as though she misses her home or family. She responds when she's petted, a little head turn, a little back arch...she's been handled by people in the past. We think she was either lost or abandoned. If we don't find an original owner (with PROOF- photos of owner & China together, and vet records and a vet phone number we can check) she'll be available for adoption in 10 days. We require the proof because China IS the kind of cat people pay hundreds of dollars for, and we want to make sure she doesn't get snatched up by any one who only wants her as a material "thing". She's spayed, vaccinated & treated for fleas & ear mites.

Gimme Shelter

2010-11-29T13:36:00.001-05:00

Thanks to some incredible volunteers, Four Legs Good built & placed roughly 20 2-cat shelters over the weekend, and humanely trapped a number of feral cats for TNR to boot!

We spent Saturday morning constructing shelters out of styrofoam bins, heavy contractor grade plastic & duct tape.

Next we cut the plywood bits to make a roof for each shelter.

Then it was time to load up & head off to the colony to place them where the cats can use them.

We checked on the old shelters we placed last year. They were being used, as evidenced by the kitty nests inside them & the cat fur on the entrances.

Once we cleaned up & re-strawed the old shelters, it was time to place weights on all the shelters to make sure they stay put in nasty weather.

Thanks to our helpers, many more feral cats will be staying warm this winter.

All I Want For Christmas

2010-11-20T11:47:00.000-05:00

Stacey, our fabulous friend at the Fabulous Animal Rescue Project, put together this wonderful video featuring some of our very own kitties looking for homes...

All they want for Christmas is YOU!

Meet Max

2010-11-02T10:01:00.001-04:00

This is Max. He was found in really rough shape at a feral colony. We hustled him off to the vet, where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, flea-induced anemia, dehydration & malnutrition. He's since gotten treatment for everything, and also tested negative for FIV/FeLV (that's a good thing). His vet care is proving to be expensive, and we are currently accepting donations for Max's care. If you can pitch in, in ANY amount, please use the PayPal donate button to the right, or mail a check made out to Four Legs Good to PO Box 103 Pomona NY 10970. Max & everyone at Four Legs Good appreciate your help. When Max gets out of the hospital, and feels a bit better, he'll be needing a good home. Turns out, Max is a VERY friendly affectionate cat who loves to purr, happy-foot, and cuddle. He's about a year old, so he has many many years of love left in him. Won't you help us get him better? Please donate whatever you can. Thanks.

Barktoberfest 2010

2010-10-20T12:15:00.004-04:00

Four Legs Good was invited to set up a table at Hi-Tor's Barktoberfest on Sunday October 17th, 2010. The event is a family oriented fundraiser for Hi-Tor where dog owners can bring their dogs to go for a sponsored walk along the beautiful trails at Kakiat park in Montebello, NY.
As part of National Feral Cat Day (weekend), Four Legs Good decided to take part in this opportunity to educate fellow animal lovers on the importance of Trap-Neuter-Return. Although it was mostly a crowd of dog lovers, we had positive responses from participants as well as from members of the Hi-Tor Board of Directors. We are hoping to formulate positive relationships with Hi-Tor as well as other Non-Profit groups such as T.A.R.A. (The Animal Rights Alliance). They can help us with our goal of rescuing homeless animals and keeping the overpopulation of strays under control. We look forward to being able to help save many more cats and finding homes for the babies.

Lots o' news this week...

2010-10-14T09:34:00.002-04:00

Four Legs Good rescued 10 feral cats (five adults and five kittens) on Monday, less than one day before a planned cat killing on Riverside Avenue in Haverstraw. We got the call for help from an incredibly kind man who had already taken in three of the kittens in addition to his own two. We filled our traps, but still couldn't save everyone. Two of the rescued babies in our care are about 8 weeks old, three of the babies are about 3 1/2 months old. One of the wee little ones had an ear so badly torn that the ear had to be surgically removed today (thanks for the umpteenth time to Valley Cottage Animal Hospital for doing so much for our babies). Barely two months old and this is what these little guys endure. The babies were already partially socialized by their neighborhood friend and will come around very quickly. They will need forever homes. Four of the adults will be sterilized, vaccinated and released after the killing. (The fifth adult is so incredibly sweet, she purrs and happy foots and rolls over on her back for belly rubs. She's a keeper for someone.) Four Legs Good will be distributing literature about TNR throughout the neighborhood and will be offering to work with the residents to prevent this kind of massacre in the future. How incredibly sad. Our poor ferals -- caused by people, killed by people.

Four Legs Good was contacted two days ago by a woman who has been trying to TNR a large cat colony on her property in New City. She has been struggling on her own to take responsibility for animals no one else wanted. Now her neighbor has begun trapping and euthanizing the animals, including cats that have already been sterilized. We understand the problems associated with large numbers of feral cats, but there is a better way than slaughtering them. FLG is going to offer to help TNR the colony in order to stop the killing. We need help. We need volunteers. We need funds.

We got the call a few days ago. A kind-hearted woman told us that her next-door neighbor had been placed in a nursing home by the family, who also threw the neighbor's three cats outside to fend for themselves. Two of these lost little souls were rescued, but the third was scared and had been on the loose and in hiding for too long. FLG went to the house, set up a trap, coached the woman on what to do and--bingo! the kitty was in hand within a day. The little refugee has been taken in by yet another good person. A horrible beginning, a happy ending.

When we meet kindred spirits who are in the business of helping animals we sing their praises. We met Brian Barrick from the Animal Welfare Organization Insurance Program (AWOIP) at the Humane Society conference and he recently set us up with liability insurance (yeah, what we do CAN be risky!) and we couldn't be happier with the service we have been getting. We tried contacting other insurance companies but they had no idea what we were all about (you do whaaaaat?!). Brian knew exactly what TNR meant and he knew exactly what we needed. Let's hear it for AWOIP (okay, so it's an unfortunate acronym, but they still do a great service to animal welfare groups!).

We got MERCH!

2010-09-30T13:39:00.003-04:00

Announcing the Four Legs Good brand store! get your shirts, jackets, track suits, mugs, pet dishes, pillows, clocks and more HERE. All purchases generate donations to help Four Legs Good continue our work. And there are some pretty nifty things here! =)

Donate A Kuranda Bed or Tower to our Kitties!

2010-09-14T10:45:00.002-04:00

Donate A Kuranda Bed or Tower to our Kitties!

The cat bed increases floor space for the cat in a cage, and gives him or her the opportunity to jump up and view their surroundings from a private spot. The space underneath the bed creates a cozy nook for a shy cat to feel secure. There are also beautiful, indestructible, easily sanitized towers our free roaming cats can use in their foster homes. We've picked our favorites; just click the link and donate one or two we've chosen. Thank you! http://kuranda.com/donate/5399/

Photo holders!

2010-09-14T10:25:00.001-04:00

Just had to drop in and post these adorable polymer clay photo holders our secretary made! You can get them for a $13 donation to Four Legs Good at our upcoming events (Cabernet & Crafts Fair this Saturday, Tag Sale on October 2 or National Feral Cat Day Table at Hi Tor Animal Shelter event on October 17)

OR buy them in our online store!

Shop to benefit Four Legs Good! 3 ways!

2010-09-07T14:35:00.009-04:00

Drumroll, please.....
Announcing
The Official Four Legs Good Online Shop!

Please visit our official store at: http://fourlegsgood.rescuegroups.org/shop/index and support our mission by purchasing some of our handmade goodies! More coming to the storefront soon, but a nice array of sparkly things to give or keep is there right now! Check it out!

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Shop with The Beauty of Giving Back , Raise Funds for 4LG!

We've teamed with an awesome company, The Beauty of Giving Back, to help us raise much needed funds! Whenever someone places an order through their retail shop, emails the proof of purchase, and includes our name in the email to their Founder, Therese M. Schmidt (thereseschmidt(at)thebeautyofgivingback(dot)com), we will receive 10% of the sale, excluding tax and shipping, as a charitable donation! With over a dozen product lines offering candles, jewelry, yummy coffee, gift basket, sports memorabilia and much more you're sure to find exactly what your looking for and a perfect holiday gift for even the most difficult person on your list! Make sure you check out Art Expressions by Pam! She paints portraits of your pet in watercolor, acrylic, or enamel on canvas, treat jars, or Christmas ornaments! Order as often as you like and tell all your friends and family as they will honor every order that mentions our name! Help support the efforts of The Beauty of Giving Back my becoming a Fan of their Facebook page. Participating vendors include Allura Designs, Arbonne, Country Keepsakes, kat's Coffe & More, Lia Sophia, Mary Kay, Native Remedies, SoyLicious...and more!

Imagine the expression of delight when a pet lover opens a gift from you and finds their pet memorialized with a hand painted portrait in either water color, acrylic or enamel on a canvas, treat jar, or Xmas ornament! Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing 10% of the cost of the gift, excluding tax & shipping, will help Four Legs Good!

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Shop The Fabulous Animal Rescue Project on etsy, raise funds for 4LG!

We have just sent images of our rescues to the Fabulous Animal Rescue Project to be placed on items like notecards, mirrors, buttons, etc. to raise funds for rescue groups!
They make greeting cards, buttons, magnets, and pocket mirrors, with images of actual Four Legs Good rescue animals. These grand artists are animal lovers of all ages from all over the planet. Each is handmade. The cards feature the artist's creation, their first name, age, and where they are from. The buttons, magnets, and pocket mirrors feature the artist's name.

The cards are sold in a set of 4 for $10.00. The mirrors are sold for $5.00 each. The magnets are sold for $4.00 each. The buttons are sold in sets of two for $4.00. 80% of every thing sold is donated to the chosen charity of the month. The other 20% is used only for supplies to make more stuff, shipping supplies, and to pay for ETSY/PayPal fees. Nothing is kept for profit. They are all about helping the animals not making profits.

Check out the shop featuring our rescues, and many other groups rescues by clicking here:

Fabulous Animal Rescue Project Shop

We're featured in Save-A-Cat, the popular facebook game!

2010-09-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

We've been working hard at getting the tech side of this operation up & running. The more exposure our kitties get, the sooner they get their forever homes! To that end, we've gotten our cats onto the popular facebook app Save-A-Pet. Click HERE to visit our virtual shelter. You can do things like "volunteer", "recruit volunteers", "foster" our actual foster cats & more. All this is done online at no cost to you, but we get more traffic to our adoption pages & every point-earning action in the game raises donations of food & money for rescue groups! Play it!

One of our cats, Pepper, can be virtually fostered HERE.

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Busy, busy!

2010-09-03T11:02:00.003-04:00

So much on our plates right now! We're continuing to prepare for the Cabernet & Crafts Fair, which is NEXT weekend, Sept 18. Hope to see you there! We recently got clearance to bring along some of our adorable kittens to showcase. We'll have adoption applications onsite. Please understand, no one will be going home with one of our kittens that day, as we need to check references first, but this IS a great chance to get to know these sweet rescues & put in your application. We'll move quickly, as we want these babies in loving forever homes as much as you want to adopt them! Each of these darlings was rescued off the streets; most of them were born to feral mothers but they've been in our care long enough to become socialized & playful. They may be a little shy with strangers at first, but give them a chance to warm up & you'll get motorboat purrs and kitty flops that beg for belly rubs. I PROMISE!

We're also gearing up for the Tag Sale, slated for October 2 coinciding with the Blessing of the Animals at the Feast of St. Francis. The Blessing is open to all, and of course pets are welcome! The Tag Sale is also open to all, whether you choose to go to the Blessing or not, and whatever faith you are (or not). We'll have clothes, jewelry, housewares, electronics and more at VERY low prices. Every cent benefits Four Legs Good's animal work. We are all volunteer & non-profit, so every penny helps!

Which brings us to the next point... it's almost fall, which means it's time to check & refurbish the outdoor shelters for our feral colonies. Pics of last year's efforts are HERE. This needs to be done before the weather gets nasty. These cats have it hard enough, so we're happy to go tromping through the woods with insulated shelters for them. We'd happily accept any help offered. Contact us at FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com to join the effort. Dress for the occasion- jeans, work gloves & boots. Be aware this will involve getting dirty, tromping through mud & climbing hillsides with no paths. The things you do for love...

Visit us at the Cabernet & Crafts Fair!

2010-08-24T10:07:00.007-04:00

Four Legs Good will be participating in Cabernet and Crafts Fair in Wallington, NJ at Make Wine With Us. We will be selling our own handmade crafts to benefit the feral cats and our Trap-Neuter-Release efforts. We'll have kitty cat wine charms (pictured above), bracelets with really unique paw closures for both dog & cat people, cat themed photo holders, back to school paw printed pencil boxes & more! Learn more about Four Legs Good at our page:
www.facebook.com/FourLegsGood

September 18 · 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Make Wine With Us

21 Curie Ave

Wallington, NJ

Some of the things we've been crafting for the fair:

Here is some more information about the fair:
Evil Kitten Accessories is very excited to be hosting Cabernet and Crafts along with Make Wine With Us! Cabernet and Crafts will be an all day craft fair mixed with a wine tasting. There will be TONS of vendors and TONS of wine so come early and leave late. This will be an indoor AND outdoor event.
The fair is totally FREE to attend. We will be having raffles throughout the day so make sure to stick around.
All ages are welcome to... attend the craft fair, 21 to taste the delish wine!
Jewelry vendors, artists, homemade bath and body products, pet toys and accessories, hair accessories, leather products, learning toys, wine glasses, Tastefully Simple, Sweetest Sin, Pampered Chef, a psychic, AND SO MANY MORE VENDORS!!

Blackie & Pepper need your help!

2010-08-15T21:41:00.006-04:00

Blackie and Pepper were left behind in an empty Yonkers apartment when their handicapped owner was moved to a home that did not allow pets. A caring neighbor, Mari, and an employee of the apartment complex, Jena, tried frantically to find a rescue organization somewhere in the lower Hudson to take the cats but were unsuccessful -- until a friend of a friend told them about us. Now, mind you, the main purpose of our group is to promote the use of trap/neuter/return (TNR) as a humane means of managing feral cats. We're not a shelter, we're not a formal rescue group. As from our TNR work, all we can do is foster a few babies in our own homes. We were already stuffed to the gills with foster cats, but, who on earth would be able to say no to two gentle, well-behaved senior cats who were homeless through no fault of their own? Apparently not us. Help us help them. They are lovely, healthy companions who have many more years of love to give. They are in a temporary foster home now, but they can't stay there forever. The clock is ticking on these sweeties.

Return from TAFA

2010-07-28T14:19:00.003-04:00

Three founding members of Four Legs Good traveled to Washington DC this past weekend to attend Taking Action for Animals, a conference put on by the Humane Society of the United States. It was an incredibly busy & informative weekend. We spent Friday getting acquainted with other NY/NJ animal advocates at the welcome reception, then it was right into workshops for most of Saturday. HSUS provided amazing vegan meals throughout the conference, free of ANY animal products, but the highlight meal was definitely the Saturday night banquet. Choruses of "I can't believe this has no milk (or eggs or cheese) were heard numerous times during dinner which included a stuffed "chik'n" cutlet, and an incredible chocolate mousse dessert.

We spent a good long time with our friends at Alley Cat Allies on Sunday, a fine bunch of folks who share our goal to end the killing of feral cats. We acquired an immense amount of public education materials from them, including multiple colorful & informative brochures. HSUS gave us videos & powerpoints aimed at helping feral cats, also for free.

The conference came to a close on Monday, after we all had meetings with our NY & NJ senators & representatives in Congress. We were all glad to take advantage of the meetings HSUS arranged, and happily met with the offices of our reps. We focused on a number of animal-related issues, but the three that came up most often were PUPS, the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute, a bill to limit breeders & end the atrocities committed in puppy mills, the Truth in Fur Labeling bill, which would require ALL animal fur to be labeled as such, since so many items we think have fake fur trim turn out to be domestic cat & dog fur, and in NJ, we discussed the bear hunt & our wish to live in peace with our bruins, rather than persecute them for following the same paths they have for generations. All in all, it was a wonderful energizing weekend, and Four Legs Good is proud to have been a part of such action for animals.

Fourth of July Rescues!

2010-07-10T12:03:00.003-04:00

On July 4, 2010, in the midst of a terrible heat wave where 100+ degree temperatures became the norm, 7 kittens and one devoted Momma cat were rescued from life on the streets by Four Legs Good. It's a pretty incredible story, really... it turns out that these seven kittens are actually 2 separate litters. We don't know what happened to the other mother cat. What we DO know, is the Momma cat who stuck around was caring for BOTH litters in two different places. One litter is hers, and the other clearly is NOT, since the kittens are a few weeks apart in age. It's so amazing that this little cat, with no home of her own, and no steady food source, not only looked after her own babies, but she took on an unrelated set of babies. She chose to feed & nurture somebody else's orphans of her own free will.

Thankfully, this Momma now has a much easier life, where food comes easily to her, her litter, and her adopted litter. The kittens have all met each other now, and cuddle readily. =)

The mother cat has been named Titania, and she is currently recovering from her spay, so this will never happen to her again. The kittens all have very patriotic names, given for the day they were rescued, Independence Day. All need homes. The kittens have had their first set of shots, and Titania has had her shots & is now spayed.

Go see us on Petfinder.com to get adoption info for any of these wonderful little animals!

Click here to visit us on Petfinder.

In Memoriam- Dennis Stoll

2010-07-02T14:29:00.001-04:00

A staunch Four Legs Good supporter has made a donation in memory of his friend, Dennis Stoll, who recently passed away. We sincerely appreciate the generosity the Stoll family is showing in asking his friends to donate to their favorite charities in Dennis' name, and of course we appreciate the continued support of one of our major benefactors, William Doherty. We'd like to honor Dennis here.
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"A comrade, Dennis Stoll, "passed over the bar" the other day from a long battle with cancer. Throughout my 33 years in the Building Services Industry, I've served in at least 8 Manhattan skyscrapers in capacities ranging from Engineer's Helper to Chief Engineer, Construction Manager and Property Manager, consequently, I've met many people in the industry. Dennis was one of those who I will not likely forget. He was well read and between house calls we would talk about politics, the American Civil War, the military and all kinds of history. He was also the consummate professional and worked with me closely to insure that the clients were all taken care of in a quick and courteous manner. When he became ill and his company sent replacements, It was hard to find his equal. Invariably, I would call up the company and say "Don't you have any other Dennis' on your staff?"

I spoke to his wife, Deloy, the other day. She only asked that we donate to a charity of our choice in his memory. I chose Four Legs Good, a charity that cares for Feral Cats. She told me that he had really enjoyed working with us and had looked forward to coming back. Alas, it was not meant to be. Fair winds and following seas, friend…………"

Bill Doherty

Four Kittens Need Homes

2010-06-07T13:03:00.002-04:00

Posting the following from a Four Legs Good supporter who has numerous cats of her own. She rescued these babies, and they need homes!

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these are the 4 babies I have that will need homes. I have too many already to keep them. :-(

They are from 2 different litters. The little black angel had a cold but is doing much better now!

I THINK they are all female. I have been wrong before, though. They are smart babies, eating solids and using the box.

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Please contact Lisa Donadio for adoption info:
http://www.facebook.com/ldonadio

Bonded Pair of 2 year old cats- need a home together!

2010-06-07T13:01:00.005-04:00

UPDATE- Happily, these 2 have found a new home together! =)

We are posting the following for the family in the hopes of getting these cats a safe PERMANENT home together. Please repost to better their chances.

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We are relocating and need to find a new home for our 2 indoor cats by June 12. They were adopted at 14 weeks right after being spayed/neutered and are now 2 years old and healthy. We were told they are brother and sister, so we would like to see them stay together. They were a gift for our son and have become a part of our family and they will only be adopted to a good home where they will be kept indoors, and be loved and cared for.
The male cat is an Orange Tabby and his name is Rustie. He is very affectionate and loves to lie on your lap. He has great patience in dealing with a rough 10 year old boy.
The female is a black and white cat named Cookie. She is a bit shy around strangers but is very friendly with the family. She is really smart too - she plays fetch!

Both cats are very friendly and we are very sad to have to do this but we have no choice. Please help us make this very difficult decision a little bit easier. We really do not want them to go to a shelter, but we are running out of options.
We can be reached at 845-942-8880.

For Sunny

2010-05-28T12:25:00.003-04:00

Four Legs Good got the call Friday morning. A good Samaritan had found a tiny kitten in her backyard. The kitten’s two siblings were already dead; the little survivor was dehydrated and suffering from diarrhea, potentially deadly conditions for a young kitten. We took him straight to the vet where he was given fluids and medication for the diarrhea. His eyes were open, he was sitting and walking, so developmentally he must have been at least 2-3 weeks old. He should have weighed one-half to three-quarters of a pound. Instead he weighed just four ounces, the size of a newborn kitten. He was so emaciated every fragile bone could be felt through his skin.

He was all gold and so we called him Sunny. He slept in a little incubator next to my bed and was fed and medicated around the clock. Too weak to properly latch onto a bottle, he ate through a small syringe. Within 24 hours he had gained 20 grams. He paddled his little feet when his belly was rubbed, he purred when we tucked him against our necks.

Despite the love, despite the nourishment, despite the medication, he grew progressively weaker. He became less and less interested in eating; he became harder and harder to wake for his feedings.

At 7 a.m. on Sunday tiny gasping wails rose from the incubator. Sunny was thrashing on his side, unable to right himself. All color was gone from his lips, mouth and tongue. I bundled him up and rushed to the vet. On the way, the anguished cries suddenly stopped, and that was all; his little life, which mattered to him and mattered to me, was over. I took his small, soft body home and buried him.

Right now, as you read this, there are hundreds of thousands, millions really, of kittens suffering and dying exactly as Sunny did. They are being born—and dying—because we as a species have failed to be good stewards of that which we have wrought. Thousands of years ago we humans domesticated cats for our own purposes. Since then we have all too often neglected, abused and abandoned them. And when, because of our neglect, they become too troublesome or too numerous, we simply kill them.

Feral cats, left to roam and breed unchecked, are responsible for 80% of all kittens born every year. Those of us who love animals rejoice in the tiny few we can save, but the reality is that the vast majority of those feral kittens are destined to die in the wild or at our own hands in shelters.

Hardly a day goes by when someone doesn’t tell me about the stray and feral cats in their neighborhood, about the kittens that appear and then just as suddenly disappear. They tell me what a shame it is, how sad it is. I tell them there is something they can do. I tell them that at the very least they can trap, neuter and vaccinate their stray and feral cats. I tell them that by doing so, they can improve the health and wellbeing of the adult animals and prevent the birth of tiny kittens destined only to die miserable deaths. Sometimes people choose to do something; more often they choose to do nothing.

The primary mission of Four Legs Good, Inc. is to help stop the overpopulation—and the needless death and destruction—of companion animals. There is only so much we can do on our own. We need each and every single one of you to choose to do something, too

Check with your local shelters and animal rescue groups to find local trap-neuter-return (TNR) projects. If there are no TNR projects (or if they are too overwhelmed), then start your own. It’s easier than you think.

Buy a humane animal trap (We use Tru-Catch, Model 36D, traps because they can also double for a recovery cage. We typically order from www.heartoftheearth.org.) If you can’t afford a trap on your own, pool resources with friends and animal-friendly neighbors to buy one--or more.
Trap the cats, one at a time if necessary, have them neutered and vaccinated, then return them to their colonies. If they are young, tame or adoptable, take them in and find them homes.
Lend your trap to others, so they can do the same
Alley Cat Allies has all information you will need to carry out TNR in your own neighborhoods, towns and places of employment. They have an excellent website at www.alleycat.org

Choose to do something today. Do it for all the babies that have died and are dying right now. Do it for a little gold kitten named Sunny.

Star & Pepper need homes!

2010-04-06T12:34:00.003-04:00

Please open your heart to Star & pepper, recent rescues.

Star was taken off the streets heavily pregnant. She had a very difficult labor, one which would have killed her & all her kittens if she'd had to go through it on her own outside. You can read about it on our Facebook page here: Star's Story

As it is, only one little kitten survived, but he is a beauty! They both need homes. Star is young, definitely under one year old, and her little son Pepper is almost 1 month old.

Please contact us on Facebook or at FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com if you can adopt these wonderful babies!

Premium Edge Cat food recall

2009-12-05T12:44:00.002-05:00

http://www.premiumedgepetfood.com/announcements/66/

Check the above link to see if your cat food was part of this recall due to thiamine deficiency. Affected cats will display neurological symptoms, but recovery IS probable with proper treatment & nutrition! Please pass it on!

Placing Shelters for the Winter

2009-11-16T14:40:00.016-05:00

Five volunteers for Four Legs Good spent the better part of Saturday November 14 building & placing shelters for feral cats. Click here to see all the photos!

The shelters are made of rigid styrofoam, layered with straw inside & covered by thinck weather proof plastic to ensure the kitties stay warm & dry in the upcoming winter storms. If you can help by volunteering or donating materials or money please conatact us at FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com

Tag Sale at Immaculate Conception was a HUGE Success!

2009-10-06T12:28:00.006-04:00

We're still kinda reeling... SO MANY generous people helped make this event a huge success. We'd like to thank Immaculate Conception Church in Stony Point for hosting our tag sale & donating the space on the day of the Blessing of the Animals. We also have to thank Mad Science of the Mid Hudson for donating the necessary insurance it takes to run such an event. Of course we owe all our donors a big thank you; we raised over $1,100 with what you gave us!

It took a few weeks of putting out the call & collecting items, one VERY LONG day of tagging & organizing, and one exciting day of the actual sale itself...we are so thrilled & thankful!

And big hugs to all the volunteers who made this event possible: Judi, Maryanne, Lyra, Gayle, Regina, Bill, Dan & the 8th graders from Immaculate Conception who helped with set-up & break-down! We appreciate everything you did!

More pictures here!

Sometimes you just have to smile...

2009-09-29T13:54:00.006-04:00

As Four Legs Good volunteers, we are constantly worried about the safety & health of the animals on the streets. It's pretty stressful, actually. We want them all spayed, neutered, vaccinated, healthy, clean, sheltered & well-fed. And there are SO MANY homeless animals...we just can't cover them ALL. Much as we'd like to...

Part of what we do includes monitoring the colonies, checking for sick or injured animals. I went down to one of our colonies yesterday, and was delighted by what I saw.

The cats are comfy, engaging in normal happy feline behaviors. They were sunning themselves on the pavement behind a building, grooming each other, wrestling with each other, and chasing dry leaves skittering on the wind. These kitters look happy.

Granted, winter's coming. Granted, we still have to trap, neuter & vaccinate 50 or more cats there. Granted we have to find safe places for shelters for the winter...

But those cats were damn cute, playing and just being kitties yesterday.

Sometimes you just have to smile.

Check us out on Tag Sell It!

2009-09-21T14:10:00.001-04:00

Get directions to the tag sale here!

And there's still time to donate! Contact us at FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com to arrange pick ups!

2009-09-08T13:07:00.002-04:00

Greetings!

Currently, we at Four Legs Good are gearing up for our charity tag sale slated for Saturday, October 3rd, 2009. This coincides (not coincidentally) with the feast of St. Francis & the blessing of the animals. The blessing of the pets is taking place in the parking lot & the tag sale is inside the school building. All are encouraged to come, you need not be Catholic (we're not Catholic ourselves, but we have wonderful strong supporters & friends there who arranged this) It's taking place at the Immaculate Conception school from 11 am to 2 pm. The address is 24 E Main St Stony Point, NY 10980.

We are collecting items for the sale NOW!

Please donate gently used:
+books
+music
+movies
+clothes
+toys, games
+electronics
+housewares
+jewelry
+ANYTHING we can sell to raise $$$ for the critters!

If you can donate, please contact us at FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com to arrange pick-up or drop-off of items. If you need a pick-up, we'll coordinate.

Or for a pick-up through Facebook,
contact Angela Doherty: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1158428542#/LadyVader77?ref=profile
Or Lyra Silverstein: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1158428542#/profile.php?id=519757032&ref=mf

If you can drop off items at the school, please do so. There will be a room available to store items until the sale, and you can drop off items during regular business hours Mon-Fri. Please call the office at 845-786-5298 and ask for Regina BEFORE coming by. Regina is coordinating the spacial issues involved, so she'll make sure you're stuff gets a temporary home before the sale.

THANK YOU!!!

Art Show Fundraiser this Friday!

2009-08-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

Chance & Phoenix need a home! Silver & Gold!

2009-08-17T11:40:00.007-04:00

Chance & Phoenix are 2 little boy kittens looking for their forever homes. They are healthy, tested negative for FeLV/FIV, vaccinated & neutered. They are extremely affectionate & lovable.

Chance & Phoenix were rescued by a Four Legs Good volunteer. They were starving & near death, found near their dead mother. All they needed then was a chance. They got it! All they need now is a home...can you or some one you know give them one?

Please:
*Indoor homes only (or outdoors only in a fully enclosed & supervised playpen- we don't want those boys becoming roadkill or coyote lunch!)

*Vet references will be checked

*These kitties are for LIFE! Be prepared to make a commitment, possibly 20+ years.

*Must agree not to declaw.

See you at Taking Action for Animals

2009-07-23T17:29:00.002-04:00

The president and vice president of Four Legs Good (Judi Doherty & Angela Doherty, respectively) will be attending the Taking Action for Animals conference in Arlington this weekend!

If you want to touch base, talk shop or just meet some fun (slightly wacky) feral cat friends, send us a message here with your contact info, and we'll gladly hook up with you at the conference, or maybe at the gala vegan reception!

Click here to register:

Taking Action for Animals

Animal Shelter Day on June 13 at Goshen Historic Track

2009-06-10T12:43:00.005-04:00

This Saturday, June 13 2009, Four Legs Good will be at Animal Shelter Day at the Historic Track in Goshen. The address is 44 Park Avenue, Goshen NY 10924. We'll be there from 11 AM to 3 PM.

Come meet Four Legs Good volunteers, learn about TNR techniques & watch trapping demos, check out photos of our latest rescues, and more! We're also collecting items for our fundraising tag sale... You can either bring items with you & give them to us on Saturday OR sign up as a "Tag Sale Donor" and we'll arrange a pick up or drop-off of your items. Find out what YOU can do to help homeless animals!

We'll have home-baked all-natural dog cookies & 100% organic catnip toys to give to anyone who donates to the cause. We had a trial run table last weekend, and the results are in...dogs voraciously "wolf" our healthy treats down, and cats ADORE our organic catnip toys.

Some pics from last week's table:

Latest Update - injured feral cat

2009-06-07T19:44:00.004-04:00

I (Lyra) wanted to share the experience I had today. I am learning bit by bit the difficulties and emotional situations one encounters when managing feral cat colonies. This morning I received a call from Andrea - who has been feeding the cats daily. She told me about a feral cat - a dark grey/black tabby - who was injured. It lost use of it's hind legs and was dragging itself to run away from her when she approached it. This afternoon, I returned to the lot behind Taco Bell and found the cat. At this point I had no equipment with me. Luckily my friend Gayle showed up for moral support with a blanket in case we decided to try grabbing the cat. I wound up calling in Judi for re-enforcement due to the ethics involved - is it better to grab the cat that looks like it may be dying or is it better to let it lie there and die in it's sleep. We called in the opinion of a vet friend of Judi's who recommended bringing it to the hospital. There are times when a feral cat cannot be saved - and it could be one of those times. However, I do feel that at least we spared the cat from any more pro-longed suffering. These are painful lessons to learn, but we all keep doing our part. This is what people who love animals do!

Update on last weekend

2009-06-02T20:52:00.002-04:00

Just a note on the aforementioned TNR events of this past weekend: the first kitty I (Lyra) caught was the one with the injured tail. The 2nd kitty was a slightly smaller and thinner cat (I'm guessing a few months younger) and was grey. I was glad I had the company of my friend Gayle in this situation because it was actually the first time I had caught a cat that had a serious injury. All the previous TNR sessions had gone pretty well up until then. This was one lucky kitty. Had he not been caught earlier, the tail injury would have turned into a nasty infection. I'm sure he did not enjoy wearing what I now like to call (thanks to the movie UP) the "cone of shame." At least now he'll be able to return to the colony in much better shape.

Foster update, trapping excitement & plans for the future!

2009-06-02T11:05:00.007-04:00

This has been a busy week! First and foremost, an update on our happy baby foster kitties! They are doing well in their foster home, growing quickly and learning to get along with BIG dogs! This picture is too precious for words...

Lyra had some trapping excitement on Saturday...she went out with the intention of trapping 2 ferals for their spay/neuter appointments today. The first catch went as planned...the second cat she caught was bleeding from just above his tail, and being a feral cat in a trap, he just wouldn't sit still long enough for Lyra to get a good look at what was going on. Of course this had to happen at about 6:00 PM on a Staurday, meaning her only option was to go to an expensive emergency clinic. Thankfully, the good people at Valley Cottage Animal Hospital waived the emergency fee, and $200 later, our boy was neutered & what turned out to be a festering bite wound just above his tail was stitched up. He was given an e-collar (that lamp-shade like contraption that keeps animals from tearing out their stitches) and sent home to Judi with a week's worth of antibiotics. He's not the happiest cat in the world right now, but he'll heal. He's also managed to remove the e-collar himself, but so far he's left his stitches intact.

The other kitty Lyra caught is at the mobile spay/neuter van right now...we're hoping it's a girl being spayed. We have the strangest ratio of girls to boys at this colony so far. Of the 19 cats we've caught & sterilized, 16 have been male. This is just weird. We're a little afraid all the girls are denning with litters. That'd be A LOT of kittens to trap, socialize & find homes for.

I went out to trap again last night, though I had no luck. I saw many of the cats we've already fixed & vaccinated, and they looked great. They seem to be enjoying the spring foliage, dashing in and out of the leaves. The main reason I had no luck with trapping last night was the fact that there was cat food EVERYWHERE around the colony. These kitters just weren't hungry enough to go for the tunafish in the trap. I'll have to see what I can do about coordinating all the kind-hearted folks who feed the cats. It's GREAT that people care enough to give them cat food, but it sure makes it hard to trap! I have to make sure that on trapping days, the cats aren't fed until AFTER I catch all I can. They need to be hungry enough to be caught!

Future plans include tabling at Animal Shelter Day in Goshen at the Historic Track on June 13, 2009. Lyra & I will be there fundraising, demonstrating humane TNR methods, and gathering contact information for volunteers & supporters. Come visit us!

Meet Ringo & Star

2009-05-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

After a number of hours in a parking lot last night, I managed to catch two ferals. This is becoming more complicated...over the winter, 5 PM on a Sunday was a fine time to trap. Now, the parking lot is crawling with kids on bikes & skateboards, as well as cars parked near the fast-food joints with their music blaring out open windows. The cats do not want to come down when all this is going on.

So I changed tactics, and went trapping last night around 6 PM. I left at 8:45 with 2 cats. I was hoping for three...but you don't always get what you want, huh?

One of the cats is a really sleek good looking orange & white guy. When I got close enough to really see him in the trap, I realized he has a big raw wound on his neck. I'm so glad I got him, since he clearly needs to see a vet. He's at the vet right now, as a matter of fact, getting neutered, vaccinated against rabies, and having his poor neck checked out. He'll probably need antibiotics for a while. Meet Ringo (and his neck wound):

The other kitty to be caught last night is a tall thin black & white beauty newly named Star. I feel like it's a girl, but obviously, I couldn't check! Will update when I hear back from the vet. It drives me crazy that we try so hard to help these cats, and yet from the cat's perspective, this is a terrifying experience. Unfortunately, Star panicked when the trap closed, and she hit the walls of the trap pretty hard trying to escape. Her mouth is a little swollen in these photos, since she banged herself up. I'm seriously brainstorming on padded traps. The point is NOT to hurt them! Anyway, here's Star:

Good news for the kittens!

2009-05-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, an evening at home with a few friends, some pizza & beer turned into a late-night abandoned kitten rescue. A few days earlier, Judi had successfully trapped a feral Mama and scooped up all four of her kittens, with the intention of spaying & vetting the Mama & placing the babies in homes once they were weaned. Well Mama, who was probably only about 8 months old herself, wanted nothing to do with her babies. She'd pushed the littlest one out of the "den" a few times, resulting in dangerously low body temps for the little one, and finally she actually busted out of the large crate Judi'd been keeping her & the kittens in.

Judi called me to update me on the situation... four 3-week old kittens were going to starve if we didn't do something quick. Obviously Mama was unconcerned, so we had little hope of getting her to nurse again. We decided Judi would bring the kittens to me, since I have a kitten-friendly job and my boss actually LIKES it when I bring in a carrier full of tiny furballs, KMR & nipple-tipped syringes for all.

Anyway, I kept the little ones for about 2 weeks, and in the meantime, Judi re-trapped the mama & had her spayed, vaccinated & returned to her outdoor home. The little ones have since gone on to a foster home, now that they are old enough to eat mush.

I just got word that three of the four kittens have homes lined up! We still have one calico girl, she'll probably be a long-hair. If anybody wants an adorable kitten, drop a line to FourLegsGoodNY@gmail.com to get an interview for adoption. You must agree not to declaw, and not to let them outside unless they are in a fully enclosed safe area.

Three kittens have homes, one to go!

Getting our paws under us

2009-05-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

Hi. I've never tried this before...but I figure why not? I'm Angela, and together with Judi, Lyra, Andrea & Kathi, I'm working on a huge animal project called Four Legs Good. The goal is to create and run a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the number of unwanted & homeless animals through spaying & neutering, as well as the general improvement of the lives animals through community outreach, education & animal adoption programs. Big stuff.

Well, we are officially moving on creating our dreamed-of non-profit organization. Judi is currently filing the paperwork we need to officially incorporate as an entity in New York State. We need that before we can apply for our 501(c) 3 non-profit status. One step closer...

Lyra has recently created our logo, which you see at the top of this blog. She's also got our Facebook and MySpace pages up and running. Please add us!

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fourlegsgoodny

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Legs-Good-NY/82212496307

Andrea continues to feed a colony of ferals in Rockland that must number around 50 or more every day...which is a huge undertaking. For the last few weeks, she's been harassed by a grumpy landscaper who continually sabatoged her efforts to care for the cats by throwing away the food she left, daily! You can imagine our outrage, especially considering the fact that we have permission from the property manager to be there, working on the Trap-Neuter-Return. Lucky for us, Judi was able to get in touch with the property manager, who called off the landscaper, and now the cats are allowed to eat, unmolested.

Kathi, Judi, Lyra & I continue to TNR (trap-neuter-release) as many cats as we can, as often as we can, but the money is tight. Each cat requires a spay or neuter surgery, a rabies vaccine, and sometimes more, depending on the cat's individual circumstances. We are doing this with our own money right now, since we can't accept checks made out to Four Legs Good until we get our official non-profit status.

I think I'll be going out again this weekend to catch another 3 cats, since three are all I can fit in my car at once. Traps are BIG.

I'll add some pictures of recent TNR's and rescues soon...