Friday, March 24, 2017

Sara's Tale a Guest Post By Linda Zwick

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: Today we are pleased to present to you a guest post by a dear friend of mine (we have known each other since High School) who is like the rest of us, insanely in love with cats! She is deeply involved with helping ferals. This is a post she wrote, about some friends of hers in Ohio who are dedicated (as MANY of you are) to helping ferals. 

Sara's Tale

For some, winning the lottery or landing that dream job is the pinnacle of success. But for a select group of furry friends, it’s making the acquaintance of Stephen & Sara Schneider, the canine/feline benefactors of Canyon Lakes.
This sweetie is available for adoption!!


Although Steve & Sara are involved in challenging careers, their mutual love of animals always holds a special place in their hearts and home. For Sara, this started with her first rescue, a handsome cool cat named Champ. They shared 12 wonderful years together. Losing Champ was very difficult, although it made Sara & Steve realize how important animals are in their lives. Fortunately, Canyon Lakes provided the perfect opportunity to indulge in this interest. Apparently, their yard is a way station for kitties, and word soon spread that this oasis had vacancies! In the short time they’ve lived here, they’ve helped out at over a half dozen feline residents! In addition to two heated outdoor cat homes, food water, and medical care await these lucky visitors. Sara also has a Havahart trap at the ready for her work with the TNR program. More about that later.



Representing the canine brigade are Pearl and Dash, 2 gorgeous Portuguese Water Dogs. Pearl can proudly boast of parentage invited to Westminster, and she’ll gladly show you the wall of fame displaying her varied accomplishments! While she’s a certified therapy dog, she also has the unique ability to detect cancer through her amazing sense of smell. Sara hopes to do further research on this.
Dash lucked into his forever home with the Schneiders through a special rescue club for his breed. While there are lengthy waiting lists for adoption, Dash’s dire circumstances required a special heroine to come along, and obviously Sara fit the bill! Dash was given a warm welcome by all, and hasn’t looked back since.



While Clevelanders may be familiar with Geauga Humane Society, the TNR program may not be as well known. “Trap, Neuter & Release” provides an effective approach to reduce our burgeoning feral cat population. Steve & Sara have many success stories, “Jon Snow”, “Amy” & “Montego” to name a few. Some of their charges made the transition indoors, some just stop by for an occasional visit. There are currently 4 lodgers, but that number could change anytime! As amazing as their efforts are, the Schneiders have even bigger plans down the road. Someday they hope to start a foundation named after their beloved kitty “Champ”.



In the meantime, Sara has a few helpful tips for any neighbors wishing to help. If you see a kitty wandering by, look for the universal sign of an already neutered feral, the “tipped”, or slightly cut left ear. If this isn’t evident, try not to scare her/him off by chasing or reaching out too aggressively. Leaving food out (but not at night) can lure the animal in and set up a future possibility for TNR intervention. Also as adorable as tiny kittens are, try to resist the temptation to whisk them away, chances are mom and fellow litter mates are in need of rescuing as well!




64 comments:

  1. My human says thanks for the advice about helping cats for TNR - we have a few around our house that need a "spa day."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, sounds like your human deserves a special spa day too!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  2. Way to go, Stephen & Sara! Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My family did trap, neuter, and release for this entire litter of ferals. It's a wonderful thing to do!

    But I have to admit...we also made a boo-boo once. We trapped a cat and brought it to the vet...but it wasn't until she was on the operating table and they had clipped her ear and opened her up that they found out she was already fixed! And the realization hit that she must have been someone's house cat that slipped out! Oops... ��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, you did the right thing! No collar, no I.d.? Hopefully her human learned from this experience!
      -Linda

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thanks, Alasandra!! As we learned from our sweetie - it's trial & error!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  5. We do love special humans like that and we are TNR fans too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Brian! So glad our furry-purry friends have such good support!!
      -Linda

      Delete
    2. that's awesome, thank you!

      Delete
  6. People involved in TNR are heroes. It's difficult work but it's so worthwhile. We live with two amazing cats who were trapped in TNR operations. Mickey was a kitten, so they didn't tip his ear - he was young enough to be socialized. They didn't realize that two year old Rufus wasn't feral until he woke up from his operation sans equipment and ear tip.
    Thank you!
    xxoo
    Maggie, Mickey Mouser, and Rufus the Red

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol, sounds like harrowing adventures for all!! Glad your tale had a happy ending!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  7. What great advice. Many just don't know the ends and outs. Everyone should be TNR fans.

    Have a purrfect day and weekend, Cody. My best to your wonderful mom. ♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandee!! It's a challenging road to travel, but the rewards are amazing!
      -Linda

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Yes,I totally agree! Wish we could clone them!!
      -Linda

      Delete
    2. so sweet of you to say so, thank you!

      Delete
  9. What a great post about some great people - anyone who adores cats is "ACES" in our book!!! Best of luck.....

    Love, Pam, Angel Sam and Ted

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks Pam & family❣ With all the terrible headlines we face, so grateful for the heroes in our midst!
      -Linda

      Delete
  10. Beautiful post! Thanks for introducing us to wonderful people!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I know we'll hear alot more about Sara in the years ahead!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  11. Sara and Steve are amazing people. If is so kind of them to do TNR and help ferals. Thanks for sharing their story!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Annie!! Our neighborhood's so lucky to have them!
      -Linda

      Delete
    2. thank you :) it isn't easy, but very rewarding!

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Aww, he's just adorable!! I know his forever home's out there!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  13. Wonderful post and excellent advice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I'm always amazed by the caring cat/dog lovers out there, very reaffirming!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  14. Replies
    1. Aren't they? We're very proud of them & their awesome efforts!!
      -Linda

      Delete
  15. I have so much respect for those who dedicate their time and talents to help ferals and other animals in need. I applaud Steve and Sara!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you, it's so rewarding! hard work, and every cat is different, but they're worth it!

      Delete
  16. Sounds like all the furries are fortunate to cross paths with these folks. The adoptable kitty has adorable nose freckles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you!! (that lil' gal wasn't actually up for adoption :) but i passed along your compliment to her xo)

      Delete
  17. Thank you for such a wonderful, heart-warming and informative article, Linda! Steve and Sara rock, and we're so grateful for those heroes who help community cats. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Feral cats need people like Sarah and Steve.
    My two lady cats are free to go outside during the day. Of course they are spayed.
    We "have" a feral cat. He knows that he has food twice a day, and a dry small shelter in the garden. But he is not neutered and it's a problem.
    By the way, collars are highly dangerous for cats that are allowed to go oustside.
    Natacha

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a wonderful article about great people! Wow! We need about a million more like Sarah and Steve! Love animal people with such passion!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. one of the nicest compliments ever... thank you :)

      Delete
  20. What a beautiful story and gift! I dogsat for years and Portuguese Water Dogs are truly unique. Unfortunately, any time a famous person takes interest in an unknown breed (like the Obamas) ... the breed becomes a fad and people don't consider the unique needs of the breed - meaning that many are surrendered in shelters. When I sat for mine, they were the only ones in the state and only one of four mating couples in the US (I didn't verify this ... I went on the owners' words). I love reading stories of people being the change they want to see in the world ... it's inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, "Bo" was given to the Obamas as a gift. (I believe from Ted Kennedy)...they needed a hypoallergenic breed (and researched others), for their daughter Malia who has allergies.

      Delete
    2. I agree with you! As do most in the PWD community! PWDs were in my family years before the Obamas, when most folks had no idea they existed. Luckily, PWD's didn't "take off" even close to the extent that we feared, but still, you're more likely now than before to come across a shady breeder or a pwd in a shelter... luckily again, the PWD community, club and rescue is vigilant, and, for the most part, still effective at keeping this breed protected, as far as I know...

      Delete
  21. Great post, and great advice ! Sarah and Steve do an amazing job. Purrs

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great guest post and as life long rescue person, Sarah and Steve are my kind of peeps xox. I tweeted but had to shorten it. Caren, try using bit.ly or other shortener.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This was a wonderful guest post! These kinds of stories are always so inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Linda, thank you so much for contributing to our blog and for taking the time to respond to comments! Love you!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you as well from Katie and me. I appreciate ea h and every rescue effort and person. I think they are heroes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you so much, that is so sweet of you to think so :)

      Delete
  26. The world is a better place because of people like Steve and Sara. Good tips on TNR, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you for that kind sentiment, we hope for sure the world is better for the kitties we help! :)

      Delete
  27. Great post and people!

    Purrs xx
    Athena and Marie

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow! What a great family and so loving and helpful to those needy kitties.
    Our vet an also has a rescue as part of his practice (Froggie's Pond).

    ReplyDelete
  29. Damn always wanted to adopt a pet but my mom is alergic to cats. Can anyone suggest me something. I only want a cat not anything else.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is a long overdue thank you for using the story Linda wrote about our cat rescuing! I didn't even see the link she sent me to your blog until a few months ago when I was going through my facebook messages for the first time in probably a year! All the comments were really sweet as well, my husband and I were very touched by so many compliments. I wish we had seen all of it at the time everything was being posted. Our little calico shown here was never up for adoption, Jon Snow was earlier that winter though, but for sure by the time this article came out we had already decided he wasn't going anywhere! :)

    THANK YOU so much to everyone!!! xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete