Happy Tails!

From the Foster:
Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have been working with JCAPL. It is here we have discovered the joys of fostering kittens and taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves. One day while I was at work as an Amazon prime delivery driver, I found a very sick kitten. Her belly was swollen with worms, her fur matted down, and she barely reacted to my presence. She seemed to have lost the ability to walk around and she had bugs crawling all over her that had been eating her. In my mind, it wasn’t a question, she needed help, and I had to rescue her. I picked her up, placed her in my lunchbox, and tried to give her little drops of water as I made it through the rest of my delivery route. I immediately called  and asked if we (JCAPL) could help quickly get her to a doctor. Thankfully she was rescued at just the right time, any more time and she may not be alive today.

After a couple of trips to the vet, the decision was to remove what was left of her eyes because both were no longer functional. The assumption was this would be a big transition for her, and my wife and I would need to put in a lot of work and give her extra attention, but Toph took every difficulty in stride. She had very few issues finding her litter box, playing with our other cats, or even finding us on the couch to snuggle. It was incredible. How could a kitten be so resilient?

Toph was on the brink of death, and now she was running around, happier than ever in a loving home. It was difficult to say goodbye to such a sweet, loving, and adorable kitten on adoption day, but my wife and I know Toph changed our home for the better and will spread joy throughout her new home and with everyone she meets.

From the family:
Toph was adopted before Christmas. She is doing so great! She is now Lucy, after Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind. She was quickly ready to explore her new house and she impresses us every day! She loves napping on our chests and her new crab bell toy is her favorite. She can now get herself up and down from the bed! Her new feline sibling has one eye and they are getting along well! We are just so smitten. She’s definitely a special soul – thank you so much for bringing her to us!

Hello everyone! I adopted Marco roughly a week after meeting him. He was known as one of those unadoptable fosters. His off putting attitude and lots of growling however didn’t push me away. I knew I wanted to give him the chance to grow and blossom into a loving house cat, and that he has. The first days were rough as expected but he has truly come out of his shell. My mom and I found that he loves being pet under the chin and gets very hyperactive when he’s being pet and happy. The JCAPL page stated that I was Marco’s unicorn, however I believe that he is mine. My mom and I have loved seeing his progress and watch him become more curious and loving. He gives light to my days and I am ever so grateful for the opportunity to adopt him. I wanted to make this post to let others know that while a cat may seem difficult it is important to give them a chance, as sometimes they are the ones who need it the most.

Pepper was first spotted by a woman and her son at a park in Goldsboro in May. She was using a cinder block to hide behind. She evaded capture for a number of days, but finally came into our care. The day after she was captured she started acting sick, so we rushed her to the vet where they confirmed she had Parvo. This poor girl spent a week fighting for her life in the ICU at the emergency hospital. Thanks to the amazing staff at Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care in Raleigh, Pepper did manage to pull through! And even more excitingly, she found her fur-ever home where she appears to be settling in nicely!!

Zuma was shot in the back with an air rifle when she was less than four pounds. She temporarily lost control of her legs and bladder, but, with the faith of the vet who believed she could recover and care from JCAPL, she has a very happy life now.  Here is a report from the special adopter who welcomed Zuma and her uniqueness.  See her before and after photos!
 I was looking to adopt a very special kitty who needed extra love and attention, and I got exactly that when I adopted Zuma. She gets around so well considering she had one eye removed and had been paralyzed in her back legs. Her foster mom helped her make nearly a full recovery so she could have an enjoyable life. Zuma has some trouble with her back legs still, but it only stops her from being able to jump more than a foot. I found her pet steps so she could easily get onto the bed, and she will meow at windows to let me know that she wants me to help her onto the windowsill so she can see outside. Other than that, she is just a normal kitty who carries around a toy mouse, runs to the door to greet me when I come home, and knocks over everything that she can get her paws on. All of this just makes her more special and perfect, I would not change it for the world.

I know every dog mom says this, but I truly adopted the best dog ever in November 2010 from JCAPL. Her name is Juno and she turned 11 in June. She was the last of her litter, and was just lying in her crate being too adorable for words. They were dumped at the shelter with Parvo and, thanks to amazing foster parents, they all survived. I truly tell you she is my soulmate from the canine world. Everyone that meets her comments on just how sweet she is and I agree. Thank you JCAPL for bringing this lovebug into my life.
 
Tammy B.

These babies were found at about 6 months of age in 2015. They were put on a heavy, short chain, and left outside for the last 5 years. They were never inside a house or car, never had toys or bones. Ginger had many litters of puppies due to stray dogs coming into her space. Recently their owner asked for help with the most recent litter of puppies. The plan was to spay the mom for the owners, then vet and adopt out the puppies.

Once we met Ginger and Toby, plus the 2 week old pups, we started conversations about also accepting Ginger and Toby into our program. The owners agreed. But now we needed fosters! Quick arrangements were made, and we went back 2 days later to get them. On April 30, 2021, JCAPL accepted Toby, Ginger, plus 10 puppies into our program. 

They are the sweetest, most grateful dogs, and they show it! Toby loves to give hugs to anyone he meets, and Ginger wants everyone’s attention. They love kids and other dogs, they love playing, and have both realized that toys are really cool. They now live inside and are getting spoiled and loved on every day, as they should.

Unfortunately, their journey is not over. They both are heartworm positive, a direct result of being left outside and not given monthly prevention. They will be treated and ready for the perfect home soon. Thank you to everyone who helped support our mission!

We adopted a cat you named Henley on 05/07/16, and I wanted to tell you that he is an amazing member of our family. Especially during the COVID pandemic he has been a source of happiness and calm for us. He is the best therapist, and we love him very much. We renamed him Ivan because my youngest could not say Henley, LOL. He is healthy, happy and beautiful. Thank you for doing such a great job of fostering him. We are eternally grateful!

From Penelope’s New Family:
We took Penelope home just a few months ago, she is still a bit shy but she is the sweetest little girl. We don’t see her as having a disability because she is just like any other cat, she just needs eye drops is all. She is just so sweet I can’t take it! She’s a little sassy and bossy, and knows what she wants. She bumps into things here and there but she’s not bothered. She loves her crunchy toys, snuggling, and loves to climb her cat tree, literally. I love when she gets excited she opens her eyes as much as she can and even though they may look funny to others, I always tell her she’s beautiful. We couldn’t have made a better choice to have Penelope with us.

From Penelope’s Foster Mom:
In 2019, JCAPL took in 3 kittens found under a house. All 3 had eyelid agenesis and eye infections.  Since they could not see well and were in cramped conditions, they also walked in a hunched over manner and were not very social. Archie, Penelope, and Marco have each undergone two cryotherapy surgeries. They will all need lubricating ointment in their eyes daily, but they are pretty normal cats otherwise. Archie is still in foster care. Marco is currently available for adoption; he is still skittish and will need a quiet home with a patient and loving family. Penelope has been adopted, and her adopter has shared pictures of her and tells us how Penelope is adjusting to her new home. We love it when adopters consider animals that are different, and may need a little extra care.  And we are so happy Penelope is home!

Background:
Eyelid agenesis is a congenital defect of the eyelid where typically the upper lateral eyelid is not formed. Eyelid agenesis is most common in cats, but rare in dogs. Multiple kittens from a single litter are commonly affected. Eyelid agenesis commonly results in irritation from contact of hairs with the cornea, and over time vision can be affected. The most common treatment for the condition is removal of the hairs above the eye by liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. More than one surgery cycle is commonly required.

Mylo came to us right after Christmas – a scared little puppy that clearly had a disability. He walked using his front forearms, not his paws. He was diagnosed with luxating elbows, and surgery was not indicated.

Mylo immediately came out of his shell and bonded with his foster family, never letting his disability bother him. He played hard, loved hard, was always happy, and there was never a tail that wagged more.

LaJuan saw him at an adoption event and was immediately touched, not knowing what to expect with his disability. She just knew she had the love to give him. Her husband, Walter, was fully on board, and when they met him in his foster home, they saw an excited, happy puppy. They were not deterred by all of the unknowns ahead of them, they just knew they would love Mylo and provide him whatever he needed. In the nine months since they adopted him, he has flourished.

He has adapted to using his front paws, and gets around quite well – there’s really isn’t much he can’t do. He is still the same happy puppy whose tail never stops, and is living his best life with LaJuan, Walter and two fur siblings, as well as lots of neighborhood friends. We had the pleasure of spending time with Mylo again recently, and he is the same happy boy whose tail never stops wagging. He is clearly very loved.

We will always be grateful to adopters like LaJuan and Walter who are willing to open their hearts and homes, especially for a special needs baby, not knowing what the future holds. I can say with certainty that LaJuan and Walter feel like the lucky ones to have Mylo in their lives, but the truth is, we are all very grateful for special adopters.