Author: Jennifer Vanderau

Finding the barn was the best thing that ever happened to me. For years, I wandered the fields and streets and towns and when I first stumbled upon the big red barn, I hesitated. I’ve been around enough people to know that not all of them are friendly toward cats. I watched for a while from the perimeter and saw how nice the man was to his horses and his dogs and there were even some other cats already there. The decision was made for me when the storm hit. I hadn’t had a chance to see if I could…

I was reminded once again today of how many people out there are helping this shelter without even knowing it. I talked with a lady who takes care of two cat colonies and has a host of her own felines as well. She feeds and medicates and makes sure that all the felines in her care are spayed and neutered and that is such a help to us, it’s hard for me to express it in words. There are others like her who help in the same way. Some of these folks bring cats inside their homes and love them…

You know, in this day and age, I think kindness really is something to be admired. I had to jump the battery in my car recently and I was using one of the hand-held models that works like a charm. Despite that, an older couple stopped on the street and asked if I needed help if that didn’t work. I told them that would be nice, so they waited to see if I could get it to work and it did, but I thanked them profusely. They certainly didn’t need to stop and in fact, most people didn’t, but I’ll…

He doesn’t understand what has happened to him. Just a few days ago, he and Mom were at home and she was knitting something for the church bazaar next week and now he’s here. At an animal shelter. Mom was always so good with her hands. She would knit and crochet all kinds of wonderful scarves and blankets and wash cloths. The family loved the presents she would give them every Christmas because they knew it came from her and it meant something. The last few years, Mom complained about her arthritis and how she wasn’t as nimble as she…

We are in desperate need of foster homes. We are quite full, both with cats and dogs. We’re looking for people who can take kittens or mother’s with kittens. Our dog kennels are full and our cat population is more than 260 felines in our care. It’s been a stressful month at CVAS. Remember if you are looking for a cat, now is a great time to adopt. We have many awesome kittens and older cats who would make great four-legged companions. If you would be interested in fostering litters of kittens, with or without a mom, now’s also the…

You know the strangest thing about living with a three-legged cat? The guilt you feel for doing it. A few weeks ago I wrote about my baby Loki having cancer. He’s a 7-year-old black cat who came to me as a little kitten. The cancer was in his back left leg and it was amputated up to the hip. I’m pretty sure they got it all because his chest x-ray was good and his heart and lungs sounded good, too. He’s hopping around the house and eating and drinking and using the bathroom and I’m still…a nervous wreck. I know…

I absolutely adore the warm weather we’ve been having, but I do not enjoy what it brings – fleas and ticks. We have been seeing animals come into the shelter just covered in these bloodsuckers and we have been handing out the flea and tick medication like it’s going out of style. Fleas and ticks can be a problem for all of us, not just our pets, because they’re not terribly selective about where they get their meals. Humans are just as yummy a treat as our dogs and cats are to a flea or a tick. And an infestation…

Let’s talk leashes for a moment. In Pennsylvania, the law says that a dog must be under the control and supervised by the owner at all times. While a leash is the easiest way to make sure you abide this, it’s not specifically stated by law. Voice command is an option, but your dog must return to you every single time you call. No hesitation. Townships and boroughs also have ordinances specifically dealing with leashes and dogs, so make sure you know the law where you live. The importance of a leash should be relatively obvious, but there are a…

It’s been about three years, but we are bringing back our golf tournament. It’s in memory of Mike Krugh, a CVAS board member who passed away far too soon and worked hard every year to put together a golf tournament for our animals. Mike adored his dogs and I loved the stories he would tell me about them. This year’s golf tournament will be on June 14 at the Caledonia Golf Club in Fayetteville. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 for a scramble tournament. The fees are $85 per player or $300 if you…

My baby Loki has cancer. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to type those five words. Loki is my 7-year-old black cat who came to me when he was a kitten and he was so scared he hid in the basement for the longest time. I worked to get him to trust me and eventually he did. Well, a few weeks ago I noticed he was limping. I figured he must have done something stupid because of the way he runs around the house like a doofus. However, when I took a look at the leg…