Author: Paula Smith

Giving Tuesday was the other day so we wanted to share a story about one of our special rescue cats.

Panda is just one of the many resilient cats and kittens that have come through our rescue group, each one requiring more than just a safe haven. He received ample food and love while we sought to find him a permanent and caring home. However, his journey was far from easy. Panda suffered immensely, causing him to utterly shut down. He spent most of his days hiding, only emerging when coaxed for his medication and meals.

Panda underwent two major surgeries to improve his quality of life: one to remove a painful mass from his ear and another to correct his entropion eyelid, a condition causing his eyelid to fold inward and rub against his eye with every blink. To add to his challenges, he had to have most of his teeth extracted due to severe dental issues. All told, his medical costs exceeded $5,000—a significant expense for any organization. This amount did not even cover the additional expenses incurred from his foster care, including routine vet visits and ongoing vaccinations over the year he spent with us.

This summer, however, brought a wonderful turning point for Panda. After such a lengthy and arduous journey, he finally found his forever home. Today, Panda revels in the joy of sitting on his human’s lap, soaking up all the love and pets he so rightfully deserves.

Regrettably, Panda’s situation is not unique; we have encountered many instances requiring expensive procedures to give other vulnerable kitties a chance at lasting happiness in loving families. As a volunteer organization, we rely on the generous hearts and homes of our dedicated caretakers, who tirelessly provide nurturing environments for these cats.

While the challenges we face can be overwhelming, we find joy in the moments spent playing with kittens. These experiences help to rejuvenate our spirits and remind us of the rewarding outcomes of our hard work. But there are so many more cats and kittens that need our help, so on this Giving Tuesday, we are asking you to open your hearts to these kitties and donate what you can so we can continue this work.

Here is a link to our Donate page:

Donate

Wista our CH girl and her best friend Pretty Girl.

Cerebella Hypoplasia (CH) is the underdevelopment of a cat’s cerebellum, which is the part of the brain responsible for balance and coordination. Cats with CH have mild to profound motor control issues. It is not contagious and occurs in-utero when a mother cat contracts distemper while pregnant. It also does not get worse with age and most cats adapt as they get older and are able to maneuver themselves better.

Luckily, Wista has a mild case. When she is excited, her head shakes and her movement is a bit jerky. To improve her balance, she walks with a wider stance. She can do almost everything- jumps up on the couch and cat tree and plays just like all her kitty friends. Her best friend Pretty Girl will chase her around the room when they play. The only limitation she has is stairs. We are afraid if she gets scared or excited, she will lose her footing and fall down the stairs. Both girls need to be adopted together and want a family that will accept Wista and see past her CH to see what a special cat she is.

We have cats and kittens available for adoption. Come see us at Pet Supply Plus on Saturday, August 5th from 11 to 2. We will not have any cats at the store, but you may be able to visit the kitties at their foster home. Pet Supply Plus is at 219 N Main St in Natick.

We are here the first Saturday of every month.

Meet Panda, a new Guardian Angels foster. Panda was flown up to Massachusetts from Puerto Rico so he could have a fresh start in life, and to get necessary eye surgery. He suffers from a condition called entropion, which means that hairs were rubbing against both of his eyeballs. The pain must have been terrible. In addition to significant eye disease, Panda has a very severe ear infection that might eventually require surgery. And to top everything off, he has dental problems. Panda had eye surgery a couple of weeks ago and had his ear treated, and he is recovering nicely. The cost of Panda’s treatment has been thousands of dollars so far. The end of last week, he had to be rushed to Angell Memorial for a 2 day stay to determine why he was throwing up blood. Thankfully, he recovered from that episode. There are more medical expenses in his future for his ears and dental! We are hoping people can help out with Panda’s care by making a donation to Guardian Angels in his name. He really appreciates your generosity to help him get healthy.

To donate, use the link to our Donate Page. Under Add Special Instructions to the Seller, note the donation is for Panda.

Susan Carson, one of our founders, and Paula, a foster mother for GACR, participated in a podcast from it is RUFF out there, talking about cat rescue. It is a very informative and entertaining talk about what we do at Guardian Angels.

‎it is RUFF out there: Guardian Angels Cat Rescue on Apple Podcasts

on Caturday, April 8th at 11AM in Acton to celebrate our cat tails, GATO GUAPO, illustrated by Zara González Hoang, and BEING A CAT: A TAIL OF CURIOSITY, illustrated by Pete Oswald, both from HarperKids Books HarperStacks

PLUS a fundraiser for the pawsome folks at Guardian Angels Cat Rescue, Inc. in Wayland, MA to continue their pawsitive work on behalf of cats!

We’ll be raffling off this meow-velous basket of our cat books, assorted cat toys & cat-themed goodies PLUS pawsome original art by Pete Oswald & Zara González Hoang!!

Purchase a book for entry into the raffle and/or purchase additional tickets, 3 for $5 for this purr-fect cause–cat rescue!

We hope to see you there! Please bring your cat-loving friends!