Sally's Cat Fund

12/28/2025

Meet [Spice] Cakes! This beautiful tuxedo girl is people focused and wants so badly to have a forever human to bond with and call her own. Sadly Miss Cakes has had a hard time over the last few months, her previous owner died just weeks after Cakes had given birth, and she's unfortunately had to switch foster homes a few times while her baby grew up. She's now in foster #4 so we'd really like for her next placement to be her forever one!!

The vet estimated she is only about a year and a half old. She was living with other cats and was a great mom, so we assume she will do well with other cats -- but honestly I think she'd do fine being the only cat as well. Unfortunately she really seems to dislike dogs and gets upset if they are even nearby her space. Two of her foster homes have had kids, the first had three kids (a girl and 2 boys) ages 5, 6, and 9 and they highly recommended her for a home with kids since she was super calm and chill while the kids were running around and being crazy. Her current foster has a just-about-to-be-2 year old that she does not like, however, so our only guess is that she likes kids that are older than toddlers.

Otherwise all her fosters have reported that she's basically "obsessed with cuddles" and likes to shoot her paw out and grab you when you try to leave so you'll stay and keep petting her. She loves sitting in big windows and checking out the world. She has only ever been an indoor cat that we know of so would prefer that for her if possible. When she's unhappy she does tell you about it (angry meows, getting fluffed up) hence how why she occasionally gets the name Spice Cakes instead of Cakes 😻.

She does take a few days to warm up to new people in new spaces and that might be a little extended unfortunately due to how many times she's been moved. When I first met her in her original home though, she was very lovey with me even though she'd just met me.

Please contact us if you want an absolute love bug to cuddle with this winter!! This girl deserves it. Her adoption fee is $75 and she is spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, and been treated for any parasites.

12/26/2025

What's more, if somehow the cost the medical care of the cat being adopted happens to be less than the adoption fee (rarely, but sometimes happens), then that money goes to help another cat with medical care or with TNR to help prevent kittens dying. It's cheaper to get them fixed through us AND you help other kitties.

I'm looking for a free kitten because shelter prices are a scam!

Annie posted this on Nextdoor because she wanted to adopt a kitten for her 8-year-old daughter for Christmas. She had just returned home from a local shelter and was horrified to see the adoption fee of $100. "Shelters shouldn't be making money by selling pets. Those adoption fees are ridiculous!"

You can guess how this turned out. Annie found a free kitten in November but didn't have any place to hold the kitten until Christmas morning. You can't wrap them and hide them in a closet. So, her daughter received a very early Christmas present. Her daughter fell in love with the cute little striped tabby. She slept with her at night and rushed home after school so she could play with her new baby. It was perfect.

A week after adoption, the kitten stopped eating, was vomiting and wasn't playing any more. She rushed her to the emergency vet and had x-rays and other tests. It appeared to be panleukopenia, so the vet kept the kitten so they could monitor her, give her fluids and provide other supportive care. Three days later, she was still p***y but on the mend. She was lucky to survive! Annie, however, wasn't so lucky. The vet bill was over $3,600!

When the kitten was older, she put a note out to find a "cheap vet" to get the kitten vaccinated and spayed. She'd called a few clinics and it was going to be over $600. Isn't there a cheaper place?

When she contacted us, we gave her links to our local low-cost clinics. The cheapest one was going to be $120 for the spay, rabies, FVRCP, parasite treatments and a microchip. That is a great deal, but $20 more than the shelter's "scam" price. And she would still need another vet visit in a month for booster shots. By the time the tabby was fully vetted, she was a $3,750 kitten. Worth every penny of course, but it will months before Annie can pay off the credit card bill for the emergency room visit.

There is no such thing as a free kitten. If you adopt from a shelter or rescue, you are getting a kitten who is vaccinated, altered, microchipped and treated for parasites. A free kitten has not even been checked for common diseases or birth defects. It is a bargain compared to the prices you will pay to do this all yourself.

12/11/2025

We need help with a transport from Hood River to Vancouver on Saturday morning! Arrival time needs to be 11:30am or 12:30pm. Drive time is 1 hour 10 min from Hood River Park & Ride (across from Hindustani). We will cover gas. Please let us know and send us a message if you could be one of our amazing volunteers and help us out!!

11/02/2025

An updated photo of beautiful boy Silver Streak! Can you be his forever home??

This is a courtesy post for a lovely male kitty named Silver Streak who needs a forever home! He has dark grey fur and beautiful green eyes. He is searching for the purrfect home for him which will have adult humans only and no other cats -- he's apparently quite a jealous boy and will chase other cats off 🤭 He'll take a few weeks to settle in and bond with his new people, but after he gets to know you he's playful and likes to sit on your lap! He was a stray kitty so his exact age is unknown. If interested, please call Bonnie at 541-645-0488.

10/27/2025

This is a courtesy post for a lovely male kitty named Silver Streak who needs a forever home! He has dark grey fur and beautiful green eyes. He is searching for the purrfect home for him which will have adult humans only and no other cats -- he's apparently quite a jealous boy and will chase other cats off 🤭 He'll take a few weeks to settle in and bond with his new people, but after he gets to know you he's playful and likes to sit on your lap! He was a stray kitty so his age is unknown.

Unfortunately the photo we were sent didn't come through texting well so this is all I have to share at the moment. He's currently with an older woman who isn't the best with technology, so you'll just have to set up a time to go meet him if he sounds like a good fit! If interested, please call Bonnie at 541-645-0488.

10/25/2025

TODAY!! 10am-2pm at Dog River Pet Supplies
1118 12th St, Hood River, OR 97031

Come talk to us about our TNR efforts and meet 4 of our adoptable kitties! Blizzard, Mango, Leia, and Darth Meow need forever homes! Hope to see you there!

10/18/2025

Ahhhh another lone kitten! 🥺

Don't have the TIME to adopt, foster, or volunteer? --> Donate to help our mission! https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5GLRNM7J4B6E8

Don't have the MONEY to adopt or donate? --> Foster or volunteer with us! [email protected]

Don't have TIME OR MONEY?? --> Share this post and help us spread the word about what cat rescues are doing in this unprecedented time of overpopulation crisis!

Appreciate the support from each and every one of you. And let me know if you want to foster this baby 😃

10/17/2025

Another kitten gone and another fighting for his life. Everyone kiss your furr babies tonight, and get them fixed if you haven't already 💔

Everyone please think positive thoughts for Dock, the black and white boy in the back, to pull through. And for Bryan, who has to bury another kitten tonight.

10/16/2025

An excellent post about socializing kittens! And it's so so satisfying to turn the little hissing monsters into purr cuddle machines!

Taming Feral Kittens - Should You Let Kittens Socialize at their Own Pace?

Ben Franklin left something out when he wrote this.

"Nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes.”

What did he forget? KITTENS! He should have said, "Nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes and kittens!”

It is true. There are millions of unwanted kittens born in the United States and all over the world. If you get involved in TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), there WILL be kittens. And what do you do with them? If they are TNR'd with the adults, you have already greatly improved their quality of life. But most trappers end up socializing and adopting out the kittens when they have the space and time to do so. Altered cats can enjoy a good quality of life in a colony, but it is hard to beat life as a loved family cat in warm home.

Niko is one of these kittens. Born in a neighborhood over-run with feral cats and free roaming dogs, Niko walked in a trap baited with KFC chicken. Yum. At 8 weeks, he is young enough to be socialized but possibly old enough to harbor a lifetime suspicion of strangers. Kittens like Niko bond closely to their family, but some may not extend that love to strangers. Niko is making fast progress. He plays with interactive toys, allows handling with little fuss and takes food from his foster mom's hand, but he clearly prefers cats to humans. Will that change?

How can foster homes improve the adoptability of kittens like Niko? Some influencers on social media promote letting them come around on their own. They don't recommend touching the kitten at all until the kitten comes to you to be handled. They recommend plenty of hiding spots so the kitten can feel safe and invisible. And some disagree with separating from littermates to hasten the process. Do we agree?
I would agree if the kitten was going to live with me forever. But this passive socialization mind set results in fewer kittens getting into homes. It takes longer and, in some cases, it can be many months longer. This results in fewer kittens being helped. Why?

1- Mixing kittens isn't recommended due to the risk of spreading illness. So, while a foster home is waiting for a kitten to move at his own pace, kittens trapped in later TNR projects will likely have to be returned to site.

2- If kittens aren't actively socialized, they could be in foster for many months. A scared kitten will always choose a dark hiding spot to being handled. Kittens who can avoid human contact indefinitely may not learn to bond with humans during those early critical weeks of life. And hiding can become a hard-to-break habit. Few people want to adopt a cat who chooses to live their life under a bed. Is it humane to allow a cat to live a life of hiding in fear?

3- Kittens with a wilder temperament may not be identified until it is too late to return them to their colonies. It is difficult to predict how quickly an individual kitten will socialize. We have all been surprised by half grown kittens that completely socialized and tiny one pound babies that remained fearful for life. It is important to return kittens to their colonies before the weather turns cold and before their colony mates forget who they are. We know of one "rescuer" who trapped a kitten in August and then returned it to his colony in December. He was immediately chased off by the resident cats who considered him an intruder. For me, the cut off is a maximum of 2 to 3 weeks.

While we don't believe in forcing kittens to socialize, we do think they need a little push. Socializing kittens is an act of kindness that gives the kittens a chance at an indoor home. And if it is done expediently, it will leave a vacancy for other kittens needing a foster home.

The 4 main steps to socialization are C.A.T.S.

-Containment: House the kittens in a small space like a cage or bathroom. If they are scared, its okay to let them chill for the first day or so to get used to their new environment. But after their terror has subsided, remove hiding spots so they get used to your presence. If you have a tall cat tree or can put a cage up high near eye level, they will feel less threatened.

-Acclimatization: Start off with quiet voices and slow movements. As they become less fearful, introduce normal movements and sounds. Keeping a radio or TV on can help. Introduce them to people and cat-friendly animals. Use toys and treats so they develop a positive association with humans. With older ferals, consider feeding canned food or treats ONLY while you are in their presence so they associate you with good stuff.

-Touch: Begin touch with toys or soft bedding and then progress to your hands. Short sessions spread throughout the day are best. Start with brief pettings while feeding wet food, chicken or squeeze treats. As they relax, you can briefly pick up. My first "pick ups" are usually just to place them in front of food. With small kittens, you can watch TV with them in a hoody sweatshirt pocket or inside a covered cat bed. They feel safe while they get used to your presence.

-Socialization: Introduce the kittens to new people. If they are accepting touch, encourage visitors to hold them while feeding treats or hand them a wand-style toy to engage the kitten in play.
Will Niko tame down and find a home? Yes! He approaches for food and toys and accepts handling without complaint. He will be a great companion for a lonely young cat or kitten and will continue to progress. Kittens like Niko can spend months in foster, but I think it is better to get them into their forever homes so they can bond with their new family while they are young. Resident cats are more likely to accept kittens, so getting them used to their roommates while they are young is good.

More information on socialization can be found here: https://communitycatcoalitionwa.org/socialization/